A/N: As a reminder, this weird version of Star Trek is based on my life, so there's no telling what will happen because life is unpredictable.
Ode to A Starship by Lina Shay
Chapter Sixteen: The Cost of Time
Time was an Altrean slug crawling across the bulkhead an inch an hour. It was killing me. I must have checked if I had any messages from the outpost every hour or so. It didn't help that I had no work those days and I had nothing at all to do except stare at my computer console and wait. I was beginning to doubt if he would ever contact me. I had to start thinking of second choices if he said no.
Jala kept saying, "If he doesn't contact you by tomorrow, you have to hail him."
I did not want to hail him. If he had trouble answering to a message, a hail would be excruciating. I couldn't imagine how awkward it would be for me to hail him just hear him say, "Oh, I forgot to tell you. I'm married to this random chick on Vulcan so dating would be a bad idea." Not that he would put it exactly like that.
Two days from when I sent the message, at about seventeen hundred hours- which felt like about seventeen hundred hours instead of two days- the computer notified me that I had a message. I ran over to my computer console instantly and yelled, "Play it!"
"Lt, Shay," Ston began. "Saturday is an acceptable day for a social engagement. If you are lacking in ideas, I have been informed that nearby Starbase, Deep Space 4, has an excellent selection of cuisines. Or, if it would please you, I have the ability to prepare Plomeek soup quite satisfactorily. I would have to import a Plomeek tree from Vulcan considering that replications of the soup are a disgrace. If you wish it, I will do so. Until our next communication, live long and prosper."
Was it just my imagination or did he seem almost excited, in a Vulcan way?
I wanted to go tell Jala that moment. As I started off to her quarters, Hitchcock happened by.
"Hey, Lina," he greeted with a smile.
I nodded in his direction.
"Have you given anymore thought to that vedek deal?" He asked.
"A little," I shrugged. "I'm afraid time may be running out before I decided. How old is too old to begin the training?"
"I wouldn't know," he said indifferently. "Where are you headed?"
"Just here," I told him, pointing to Jala's door.
"Oh, ok," He muttered. "See ya."
Hitchcock continued down the hall. I shook my head, unsure of him. I pushed the door tone and waited. Nothing.
"Computer, where's Jala?" I asked.
"Lt. Comm. Jala is on the bridge."
I groaned. That meant she was on duty. I had to wait to tell her that Ston said yes. Who could I tell, though. I needed to tell someone. I decided that I could talk to Manda, so I went back to my quarters and hailed her aboard the Cheney. I waited for a moment and then she came on my screen.
"Lina!" She exclaimed excitedly. "What have you been up to?"
"Nothing," I shrugged. "Has Jala talked to you?"
"About the date thing?" She asked. "Yeah, I'm so excited."
"That's good," I responded. Her smile was becoming contageous. "I've got a date for it."
"Really, who?" Manda asked.
"His name is Ston," I told her. "I met him a while back in the academy. He started randomly emailing me while ago. Since we're orbiting his outpost, I decided to ask him."
"That's cool," she replied. "Ston? Is that Vulcan?"
"Yup," I muttered.
"Like them exotic, don't you?" Manda teased.
"You're the one who agreed to date a human," I reminded.
Manda shrugged, still smiling.
"You're dad's a vedek, right?" I asked, taking on a more serious air.
Manda nodded.
"How old is too old to start the process?"
"Of becoming a vedek?" Manda retorted. "It's limitless. You can start whenever you like."
"Good," I sighed. "I've been worrying that I had to make a decision soon. I feel better that I don't."
"Thinking of entering the Vedek Order?" Manda asked.
"Sort of," I shrugged.
"Don't worry about the decision," Manda insisted. "If the prophets want you to be a vedek, you'll know."
I would just know. That was a comforting thought. Because I didn't currently know for sure, I guessed the prophets didn't want me to be a vedek. At least, not yet.