Shereth’s eyes ran over the information one more time before she leaned back in her chair and sighed. This like most Sarainian documents was extremely straight forward, failing to add the fancy sounding words that Human’s tended to do when they were trying to make a product more appealing. But it also failed to acknowledge some of the ship’s finer points, since it was Human-make.
Shereth leaned back in towards the screen, tapping one of the lit squares set in the table in front of her. More information about the Navigator filled the screen.
Benjuan walked over in silence, Shereth still staring at the screen intently.
“What is this?” Benjuan asked after glancing at the information, slight puzzlement in his voice.
“It’s a new ship the captain wanted me to look in to,” Shereth answered him without shifting her focus.
Benjaun shook his head. “This is your vacation, Reth.”
“Yes it is.”
“Can’t they let you relax?”
“I’ve been relaxing for two weeks.”
“And has this been hanging over your head all this time?”
“Actually the captain just asked me to do it last night.”
“Uh-huh. You’re going back tomorrow, aren’t you?”
“Yes.”
“And he couldn’t wait a day? He had to ask you to take care of it while you were on your vacation?”
Shereth turned to face him. “Ben.”
“What?”
“He’s my captain. And all he did was make a request. It was not an order.”
“I see.” He was quiet for a moment. “You’re a horrible liar.”
She smiled a little. “Don’t I know it.”
“Well, I hope that you’re almost done.”
“Why?”
“Mom and Dad want to talk to you.”
“Am I supposed to come to them, or are they coming to me?”
“Shereth,” her mother, Dairine’s voice drifted in. “Where are you.”
“They’re coming to you,” Benjuan whispered.
“Thanks,” she murmured back. And then called to her parents. “I’m in here.”
Benjuan left the room as Dairine and Shereth’s father, Arimis entered.
“Good morning,” Darine said, bending to hug her daughter. “I was hoping you would be up early again this morning.”
“I always am,” Shereth replied, cheerfully.
Arimis smiled. “We were wondering if you would look at something.”
“What?”
Her father reached forward and pressed a few of the lit squares in response. The information on the Navigator disappeared and another document sprang up.
[font="Courier New"]
Shereth Vien Endrel
Born on Omega 9 on 8.7.3140 (August 7, 3140)
Admitted to Rwendren’s Academy of Space Exploration on
8.31.3152 (August 31, 3152) after completing the pilot and command courses
Graduated from the Academy on 6.1.3158 (June 1, 3158)
Served onboard the M.S. Draco from 6.30.3158 to 5.1.3160
(June 30, 3158 to May 1, 3160)
Enhancements:
Agility: +30%*
Aging Rate: -15%*
Bone Strength: +50%*
Endurance: +65%*
Immune System proficiency: +55%*
Memory: +45%*
Reflexes: +20%*
Recovery speed: +75%*
Strength: +25%*
Taste Buds: -99%*
Vision, Distance: +40%*
Vision, Night: +55%*
*as compared to the average Human
Enhancements also include standard Sarainian mechanical modules that allow for:
- Recharging instead of sleeping
- Downloading electronic information directly into the brain
- Creating a link between the brain and other mechanical appliances
[/font]
Shereth was quiet for a moment after reading through the information. “What is this?”
“It’s a resume,” Arimis said. “Your resume.”
Shereth scanned the information again. It was a typical Sarainian resume. Just plain facts on the major events in the person’s life followed by a list of the genetic enhancements made to the person before they were born.
“Why did you make me a resume?” She asked quietly, her eyes still focused on the screen.
Dairine looked at her daughter, quickly noting how tightly her jaw was clenched. “Reth, please calm down.”
Shereth snapped around to face them. “Why did you do this?”
“We would like you to get a new job.”
“What?”
“You’re almost never at home. You’re almost always so far away that you couldn’t come home if we needed you. You’re sister is growing up, without really having a sister.”
“Don’t bring Leoenya into this. You know this isn’t about her.”
“Reth. Please calm down.”
“I notice you didn’t put down that my emotions are still completely intact.” She waved towards the screen.
“No…” Arimis said. “We didn’t think that that would—“
“You want me to get a Sarainian job.”
“Yes, Reth. You’re working on a Human ship, trying to keep it a secret that you’re Sarainian. You should be proud of what you are.
“Dad, who said I wasn’t? I just like to avoid trouble as much as possible. You do know that it was the Sarainian over-stated pride and under-stated compassion that made the reputation that keeps me from telling my crew what I am, right?”
“Shereth,” Dairine placed a hand on her daughter’s shoulder in a vain attempt to calm her down. “Please. We are just making a suggestion. You’re brother would never do this. Benjuan wouldn’t—“
“I’m not Ben, Mom! I’m me.”
“Reth. We are just trying to help you.”
“I’m happy where I am. I like serving on the Draco. I’m sorry I’m not home more. But I’m home as much as I can be. If you wanted me to be just like everyone else on this planet and do everything they do, then you never should have let me go to Rwendren’s Academy and you shouldn’t have deviated from the usual genetic enhancements.” Shereth looked back and forth between them. “I’m sorry.” She got up and left.
[center]* * *[/center]
Leoenya stepped out onto the porch, closing the front door behind her. Shereth was on her left, sitting in a hanging wooden bench swing, staring out towards the horizon. She walked over and sat down next to her sister, rocking the swing a little. Shereth didn’t say anything and for a little while Leoenya didn’t either.
“Something’s wrong, isn’t it?” Leoenya said looking at Shereth intently.
Shereth glanced over at her, almost smiling, but quickly faced forward again. “Yeah.”
“What?” No answer. “Why don’t you tell me?”
Shereth was quiet for a moment more. “I just talked to Mom and Dad. They want me to get a new job.”
“Are you going to?”
“No.”
“O-kay. So, what’s wrong?”
“I want to do what they say.”
“So get a new job.”
“But I also want to stay on the Draco.”
Leoenya bit her lip. “This is one of those mad/sad things again, isn’t it?”
“Yes.”
“Well, explain it one more time.”
“I’m mad at Mom and Dad for even suggesting something like this. And I’m mad at myself for being mad at them. And I’m sad because—“
“Wait. You’re mad at yourself? Don’t you have to be schizophrenic to do that?”
Shereth sighed. “If that’s true, there’s a lot more schizophrenic people than we think.”
“Leo.” Benjuan opened the front door and looked out. “There you are. Mom and Dad want to see you.”
“Alright. Maybe you can deal with her. She’s being emotional again,” Leoenya said, standing up and slipping past him into the house.
Benjuan laughed silently, shaking his head as he closed the door.
“So,” he said, sitting down next to Shereth. “I heard what they said.”
Shereth sighed. “They just don’t get it. They don’t understand that I can’t just get up and leave. I’ve lived on the same ship with this crew for nearly two years. They’re my friends.”
“That’s the trouble with having emotions.”
“No. That’s the trouble with having emotions when everyone around you doesn’t.”
“Reth. You don’t have to try to explain it to me. I understand. I’m like you, remember?”
“Not exactly, Ben. You only have part of your emotions. I have it all.”
“That’s right. And it’s my fault, right? I mean, if something hadn’t gone wrong with me, then Mom and Dad would have never seen what having a child with emotions was like, right?”
“No. It’s not your fault.”
“So it’s Mom and Dad’s. They told the doctors at the hospital to leave your emotions alone.”
“I’m not trying to blame anyone, Ben. It doesn’t do any good.”
“Neither does sitting on a porch, feeling sorry for yourself.”
She looked over at him, smiling a little.
“Reth. Mom and Dad aren’t going to be mad at you. That would be too emotional. Everything’s going to be fine.”
“Thanks, Ben. But you know it’s not that easy.”
“Yes I do. And that’s why I’m going to stop sitting out here, trying to convince you to stop being emotional since it’s in your genetics.”
Benjuan got up and walked back into the house, leaving Shereth to think and smile about what he has said.
None of that really matters. I only copied it from some other entry so no one would notice I'm just wasting space on this site. What I really wanted to say was:
One day I tried writing a poem
I figured 'I'm bored', so why not?
Then I saw just how hard that is
So instead I will just spam you lot.
But I won't spam you really, since I found out last time I tried that that gets you kicked off of the site. Can you believe that my post didn't even show up on the home page?
Now that is just an outrage.
The mods tried to keep me in a cage,
But this entry will hopefully help them guage
Just how little fucking power they have!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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