A/N: I've worked in some elements suggested by MarieChristine81 for a little variety. Thanks for the ideas! Everyone's reviews have provided ideas and also made this story somewhat longer than originally planned.
A/N 2: Just so you know, "ad astra" is Latin for "to the stars."
Personal log, Commander Lucas Stillwater, Stardate 55772.19:
"I overheard some interesting comments in the mess hall today. The crew is getting progressively more bored. I can't even say I blame them. Pictionary night is a big draw now; it's the most excitement we get as a group. They've even got it going on once during Beta shift and again during Gamma so everyone has a chance to attend. People take great pride in being on the winning team. I'd like to know if this sort of thing happens on, say, the Enterprise.
Anyway, some of the more revealing and interesting quotes:
I don't see why we can't take a small detour, just for a few days. I mean, they don't want crazy people on a ship, do they? So a few days away, anywhere but here, and Starfleet would be better off for having happy people patrol the Zone. I'm not sure who that was, but I don't think that he should submit a request to the brass in that language. However, a few more months of this and I might make a mental wellness recommendation. Captain Mercoeur doesn't want to complain, but I just might reach my breaking point soon. Her breaking threshold is above mine. Maybe it comes with the extra pip.
Can we start negotiating with the Klingons? If we stop patrolling and they stop patrolling, then we're equal. And wouldn't that foster trust? Sounded like either Crewman Feldman or Ensign Parelli, but I could be mistaken. I think that the first suggestion is far more likely to happen.
They should've told me about my transfer in the good news/bad news format. The good news is you're being promoted to Transporter Chief on the Charlemagne. The bad news is that even a poorly trained monkey could do your new job. That, obviously, was Chief al-Hazan, who truthfully hasn't had anything to transport in months. He's even polished the transporter controls, rumor has it.
I actually pitied my classmates who got stuck guarding the Academy. Now I'm jealous. Since this was followed by something suspiciously like a curse Gref taught me freshman year at the Academy (ah, the benefits of interspecies rooming), Ensign Kroh is the most likely candidate.
Do you think we could try casual Fridays? I would not recommend that Ensign We'bu bring this up with the captain. Mostly because I suspect that the captain doesn't own a lot of clothing that isn't 'Fleet issue.
I'm pretty sure that I even heard Trish McClellan complaining of boredom. It's pretty bad when the doctors start to complain, although I've yet to hear a word of boredom from our CMO. Considering T'Rel has to be one of the least emotional Vulcans in the universe, that doesn't surprise me. That even Trish is restless means we're in serious trouble.
No complaints from Engineering, but both holodecks went down today, so they're up to their collective elbows in that mess. Some of them looked so happy, I would suspect sabotage if the ire of the rest of the crew hadn't come down so hard. Bored people do not like having entertainment taken away from them. Although apparently a large game of charades is being organized for the night to help alleviate the loss of the holodecks. I'm lousy at charades, so I'm going to try to keep a low profile.
There's a new biography of Jonathan Archer out. That isn't surprising, since someone does a biography of him every two years at least. The surprising part is that I'm actually reading it. I've never been much for pleasure reading, but, as it has been observed many times, we have to fill the days on the Charlemagne somehow. So far it's not bad. It beats "possibly the most seminal work since War and Peace," a description that is perhaps the surest way to scare away a lot of potential readers, or that Trill author Sazun and Hermann are so fond of. Not enough happens in his books.
The downside of reading Ad Astra: The Jonathan Archer Story is that it reminds me of all the things we don't get to do. On a side note, the Latin in the title was somewhat worrisome at first – I'm a first officer, not a specialized historian – but once I started it, I realized the book is actually reader-friendly. Probably Starfleet historians are bemoaning that about now. Anyway, they got to go on all sorts of adventures. And although I'm not quite sure how he worked out having his Science Officer also be his First Officer, T'Pol got to do a whole lot of wild things. Now here I am. Graduated from the Academy, spent several years posted to McKinley Station, promoted to Lieutenant j.g. and shipped out on the Kepler. Not much action there unless you're in science. Promoted to full lieutenant, in charge of the runabout Amazon. Ferried brass around until a couple months after my promotion to Lieutenant Commander, when I was put in charge of Starfleet's base in Io. That was at least somewhat interesting, being so close to Jupiter. There's an unpredictable planet, and the view was always nice. Of course, there was the whole Changeling paranoia epidemic for a while. However, I have no desire to be a wartime commander, that's for sure. From Io to the Charlemagne. That's my career in – how many sentences was that? Anyway, that's it. Either nothing or Changeling paranoia, that's my career.
I would ask myself what I'm doing my life, but after the trip down memory lane regarding how my career has progressed, I'm afraid of the answer.
I'm not asking for a chance to save the known universe. You'd think that there's something useful I could do out here besides evaluation reports for a crew full of untapped potential.
That mental wellness request may not be as far off as I originally thought, bad career move or not. For tonight, though, I'm going to hope I don't make a huge fool out of myself playing charades."
End log.
