round 9 LtJG Necessity James - The Importance Of Being Necessity

[Kali Nicholotti]

::There was a cakey kind of taste in the air as her friends mingled

around her; green swirls of light in her blackened world. Nessa was

giggling as Levi slipped on some spilt beer and sprawled on the floor.

The green swirl flashed with red, then blue and back to green as he

picked himself up, brushed himself off, and went to the bar to collect

another drink. Nights like this were rare, and they were getting rarer

as the group got older. Nobody muchly cares what a group of kids get

up to in the big city during the night, but as you approach adulthood

certain things are expected of you, it seemed. Even kids like them.

The lost, abandoned, broken children of the world. "The bigger you

get, the more useful you become so the more people notice you" is how

Arlie had put it. She hadn't seen Arlie for months now. People must've

noticed him for something. Nessa hoped it was something good - she'd

liked him. He'd been the one that had saved her all those years ago,

and also the one that had introduced her to the little pills that made

everything so colourful. That was an accident on his part, but she was

nonetheless grateful for it. It was always so dull and boring without

them.::

::She often wondered why she was the only girl around on nights like

this. Sometimes, when they went to the nightclubs or holomovies,

there'd be other girls around. But they were never with her group.

They were just... there. They all seemed very pretty; maybe that was

it. Maybe they were too pretty to be hanging around with the likes of

her, with her man-face and short hair. Arlie said she looked pretty,

but he was the only one. He was probably just being nice. Besides, the

hair was his fault in a way - though she couldn't rightly blame him

for the face.::

((Flashback - 6 Years Previously))

Arlie: 'ere, Euan. Be a good boy and look after this one, will ya?

::The big burly one they called Arlie presented Nessa to the kid as if

she was a present. Perhaps she was. She certainly felt delivered, from

somewhere very dark and scary that she didn't much care for to...

here, wherever this was. Some half-empty warehouse in the middle of a

stinking shipyard. There were bits of shuttlecraft everywhere, and

some bigger pieces that Nessa had never seen before. None of it

worked, though. That would've been too easy. She could climb in and

fly away into the sky, leaving smelly London and all her troubles

behind. Of course, she'd quickly be apprehended by Starfleet, or even

more likely die in a massive fireball, but she was never one for

foresight.::

::Arlie couldn't have been older than eighteen years, but little Euan

made him seem fatherly by comparison. The Welsh accent really didn't

give the boy chance to even pretend to be older, either. In truth he

was twelve, only a year older than Necessity. Though he tried to

stretch that year out as far as it would go. It was hard to believe

she would become friends, of a sort, with Euan and his ever-cheerful

sing-song voice.::

Euan: Alright there, is it? What's your name then little'un?

James: ::Stroppily:: Necessity. And I'm not little!

Euan: ::Thoughtfully:: That's a weird one, never 'eard that name

before... you one o' them aliens or summut? Lots o' weird names they

have like, Arlie tells me stories about 'em.

::A grin of triumph crept across Necessity's lips.::

James: Arlie *gave* it to me. I didn't 'ave one before. Or if I did I

dunno know what it was, nobody never used it. ::She beamed:: Said I'm

special and res... resor- ::The strange word gave her pause, so - true

to it's meaning - she found a way around it.:: summink what means I

find ways of doin' fings. Even when they's too 'ard. I get's 'em done.

Euan:: Resourceful, is it? Well, gotta be that out 'ere I suppose.

James: Arlie says necesserty's the muvver of invention. Says I'm gonna

be an inventor.

Euan: ::Under his breath:: 'spect she'll be the mother o' more'n that

'fore long. ::He s[...]ed, then spoke louder, to Nessa:: That 'air o'

yours. Breedin' rats in it, are we?

::As much as Nessa scrunched her face up in offence and annoyance, she

couldn't actually remember the last time she'd washed her hair. Or any

of her, for that matter. Instead she resorted to the age-old defence

of crossing her arms and stamping her foot.::

James: You're mean!

::A scathing riposte, sure to win any argument.::

Euan: Sorry precious, only commentin' like. Looks a bit of a mess,

that's all. 'course, I could fix that for you, y'know.

::She had been so eager for the remedy. Looking back, there were

several points along the way where a more suspicious girl - the cynic

that she would later become, for instance - would have noticed what

was happening. But for eleven-year-old Necessity James it wasn't until

her fringe fell to the floor in front of her eyes that she noticed.

She'd screamed then. Screamed so loud that Arlie had come rushing up

the stairs and stormed into the room.::

Arlie: Euan! What in 'ells name, boy?!

Euan: Quicker than washin' it, isn't it? Lovely now it is...

::Nessa's eyes had narrowed in rage at the smile Arlie couldn't quite

conceal. Looking back, it must've been pretty funny for everyone

except the victim. Worse still was that Arlie actually restrained her,

so that Euan could finish the butchery! Hours later when she was put

to bed that night, Arlie came to her with a mirror.::

Arlie: I know you're angry, Ness. But in time you'll realise that

actually, young Euan might've saved you a lot of trouble with that

'aircut.

::The restraining made sense almost immediately, when she realised how

she must've looked with only half her hair cut off. The actual cutting

didn't make sense to her until much later, but he was right. That was

the defining thing about Arlie; sooner or later, he was always

right.::

((End Flashback))

::Nessa smiled as she read the message on her PADD the next morning.

There was to be a 'meet and greet' in the Holodeck on the Victory

tonight. A chance to get to know everyone. She recalled bitterly the

last time she'd "gotten to know everyone", It was shortly before the

entire bleedin' lot of them were shipped off to the USS Apollo along

with the Captain she'd met for the most brief of moments, and left her

on the station with another bunch of strangers. Except for a Caitian

named- no, she wasn't even going to try that one from memory. What had

happened to her, anyway?::

oO They'd better not take Luna away... Oo

::Puling herself out of her bed, she had a little giggle at the mess

that greeted her in the mirror. Nessa pulled on some cargo pants and a

vest top, and stumbled over to the replicator.::

oO This one's for you, Euan. Ya little taffy git. Oo

James: One pair of hairdressing scissors, left handed.

Computer: ::Playing a discordant error tone:: Access denied.

James: ::Incredulously:: I'm denied... a pair of scissors?

Computer: Access to sharp implements and cutting blades restricted in

these quarters.

::Necessity stood, staring at the replicator in awe.::

James: Oi, I ain't bein' told what I can and can't 'ave by a metal

box. What am I, six?

Computer: Restriction implemented by Starfleet Counsellor Lisa Hyatt, 238901.18.

::The date Nessa graduated from Starfleet Academy. She'd forgotten

about the Hyatt woman, and her objections to Nessa even entering

training, let alone graduating it. Nessa had expressed quite plainly

that she was not "a mental case", that a Starfleet Cousellor should

not be using such a term even if she was, and finally had given quite

a detailed description of where she thought Dr. Hyatt could store her

psycho analysis report. Nevertheless, it seemed Lisa had gotten the

last laugh. Well, Nessa would just have to consult Lieutenant Valyn

about that, wouldn't she...::

Walker: =/\= Commander Walker to Lt. Valyn and Lt. James. =/\=

James: ::Trying not to sound annoyed:: =/\= James 'ere, sir. =/\=

Walker: =/\= I need your assistance in setting up the meet and greet

tonight, I'd like to get your opinions and determine what supplies we

can utilize. =/\=

James: ::With a mischievous grin:: =/\= Not sure the kinda parties I'm

used to 'aving are what you've got in mind... oO nor the type of

supplies, for that matter Oo. But I'll give it a go, sir. Fancy

discussin' it in person? Feels like I ain't eaten for six weeks. =/\=

Walker: =/\= [Response?] =/\=

James: =/\= Sounds like a plan, sir. I'll meet you there in, what, an hour? =/\=

Walker: =/\= [Response?] =/\=

James: =/\= Five-by-five, sir. See ya then. =/\=

------------------------------------------------

Lieutenant (JG) Necessity James

H/C/O

USS Victory/SB118