Chapter 17

"Oh hiya!" said Lieutenant Commander McQueen when Sherene poked her white-maned head in the door. "Come on in!"

Like Threv, Commander McQueen and everyone else who had gotten lost in the woods yesterday had been ordered to remain under observation in the Infirmary for 54 hours (two Berengarian days) to ensure there were no lasting effects from the plants' chemicals. So far, they had all been recovering well.

Sherene entered McQueen's private room. "I hope I'm not interrupting," she said. "I was just checking on Threv and wondered if you were available for that interview? I know things have changed a bit since you agreed, I can come back another time."

"No, no, it's fine," said the Human, smiling and sitting up in her bed. Despite her ordeal yesterday, she seemed none the worse for wear. Her lightly tanned skin was clean and clear, and her reddish-blonde hair was similarly shining, even though hanging free and unkempt.

"I was just 'enjoying' some hospital food," McQueen continued, making a face that conveyed her distaste for the tray of cereal on her lap. She put the tray aside and indicated the chair next to her bed. "Please, sit. Always happy to talk to the press."

Sherene returned the other woman's smile and sat in the proffered chair. She unconsciously tucked her own long hair behind her ear and smoothed down her outfit. Even in a disheveled gown, McQueen somehow still looked more glamorous than her.

Almost as if reading the young Andorian's mind, McQueen said, "I love that blouse."

"Oh, thank you," said Sherene. It was a plain lavender blouse, the Human was likely just being polite. Or mocking her. Her antennae lay back against the top of her head at the thought.

"When is this article going out, by the way?" McQueen asked.

"Well, the only member of the senior staff left, after you, is Commodore North. And I'd like to get the article sent to Starfleet Command for approval as soon as possible, so I can pass it on to my editors, maybe get it released with this week's newscast."

McQueen made an exaggerated wince. "The Commodore's not exactly…"

"The talkative type," said Sherene, nodding. "Yeah, so I've been told. I'm still confident I'll get him though."

McQueen beamed again. "If not, I hope the rest of us are interesting enough to make up for it."

Sherene smiled tightly. "I hope so too." She activated her padd. "To that end; can I ask what made you join Starfleet?"

McQueen seemed almost surprised by the question, leaning back in her bed to think for a moment. Sherene was somewhat grateful for the brief silence.

"My mum," McQueen said eventually.

"Your mother?" asked Sherene. For only having two parents each, Humans had a lot of terms for them. At McQueen's nod, she asked, "Was she in Starfleet?"

McQueen laughed. "Hardly. But she encouraged my love of science. She was a veterinarian and when she saw that I was interested in animals, she taught me everything she could about them."

McQueen smiled at the memories. "I was always asking what made them 'work' and learning the names of their different parts. Eventually I started asking about animals on other planets, and my mum answered what she could, but… my parents tried to cut off that kind of thinking." Her smile faded.

"Why was that?"

"It was… a different time. Australia - the country I'm from - wasn't part of United Earth back then."

Sherene's antennae now leaned forward in curiosity. "Really?"

McQueen nodded. "We were the last nation to join. Australia had been hit hard during Earth's Third World War - it was allied with the west but very close to the east - and it took a long time to recover. An… independent spirit formed, and a lot of the survivors who rebuild the country thought they didn't need anyone else. It was believed that joining UE would rob us of our culture somehow." McQueen shook her head. "That's precisely the kind of thinking that led to the war in the first place.

"Then, when Earth started to join the larger interstellar community after the Vulcans made contact, this isolation increased. It's sad to say, but there was a big anti-alien movement in Australia."

This intrigued Sherene. She knew that the too-good-to-be-true Humans had their xenophobic elements - such as the Terra Prime group - but had no idea it was so widespread. So much for their love of alliances.

"So your family was opposed to you joining Starfleet?" she asked.

"Well, first they were opposed to me studying xenobiology and planetary science. Said there was no need as no daughter of theirs was leaving Earth." McQueen chuckled drily. "But the University of Melbourne offered some taboo courses and it was something I wanted to learn about.

"Truth be told, I wasn't quite sure what I'd do when I graduated though. I considered joining the Earth Cargo Service. They were a lot less fussy about non-UE applicants."

"Starfleet wouldn't have accepted you?"

McQueen screwed up her face. "It was a bit iffy. They accepted recruits from Mars and Alpha Centauri - both independent from Earth - but back then they were more reluctant about Australians. Few were accepted. Some said it was like a punishment for refusing to join UE." She shrugged. "Maybe that's true."

Sherene nodded. She had learned a lot more about Humans today. "Then how did you come to be in Starfleet?"

The Human woman sighed. "My problem kinda sorted itself out. By the time I graduated, Australia had joined UE and the planet was finally unified. Starfleet was always looking for experts in alien biology and environments, so I signed up."

"How did your parents feel about that?"

Again, McQueen was silent for a moment. "They eventually came around. I just told them that if Humans were going to be out here meeting aliens and telling them all about Earth, surely we'd want someone to represent Australia properly." She smiled.

Sherene also smiled in return. "What about the rest of your country? What was the response to joining UE?"

McQueen gave another exaggerated wince. "There were still some Aussies who thought it was a bad idea. 'The end of civilization' and whatnot. But, ultimately, I think everyone now realises it was a good thing."

Sherene raised an eyebrow. "You don't think it's damaged your culture?"

"Not at all!" McQueen said enthusiastically. "If anything, it's enriched my culture. No society exists in a vacuum - cultures naturally amalgamate, it's how they evolve, and they don't lose anything from it. Remaining isolated is what causes them to stagnate, almost like… societal inbreeding.

"Coming together is inevitable."

There was the Human attitude Sherene had come to expect. That cloying, unstoppable need to absorb others into their supposed harmony. Even her own people had fallen into this way of thinking lately.

As she stared at McQueen's overbearing, "friendly" smile, Sherene couldn't help hoping that she was off this planet soon and never saw another happy Human ever again.