round 11 Lt. JG Evan Delano - Calling Home

[Sedrin Belasi]

(( Evan Delano’s Quarters, Deck 9, USS Garuda ))

:: At this range, subspace communications were sometimes difficult to arrange, but Starfleet had gone to great lengths to establish a secure, fast network that allowed live communication with most of the core Starfleet worlds. That being said, Evan’s mother still accused him of not calling often enough. ::

DELANO: Mom, I called you a week ago. I can’t help when we’re out of range of the subspace relays.

SUSAN: You could still write, or record a message.

DELANO: :: sighing :: I’ll try to do that more often. Did you get the package I sent?

SUSAN: Oh, yes!

:: She panned moved out of the way and the camera shook as she lifted it to get a better view of her office. A new miniature decorated the crowded shelf along the rear wall. It was a scale replica of the Garuda - a model Evan had commissioned from a peculiar Cardassian merchant on DSX when he’d first arrived. ::

SUSAN: I was impressed. You said a Cardassian made it?

DELANO: Yes, he operates a small shop of Deep Space Ten. I’m not sure how he ended up out here.

SUSAN: I’d love to see more work from him.

:: Evan smiled. ::

DELANO: I’ll stop by his shop the next time we’re at the station and see what I can find. Any requests.

SUSAN: Oh, you know know me.

:: He did. She preferred to display models of ships with some kind of historical significance, but the truth was that just about any working starship was beautiful to her in some way. She somehow managed to be both an artist and an engineer at the same time - traits that were both elusive to Evan. ::

SUSAN: By the way, I’ve been trying to arrange a birthday gift for you, but it’s much harder to find a reliable transport moving that direction than it is the other way around.

:: Evan tried not to look uncomfortable. ::

DELANO: Oh, thanks Mom. I’ll let you know when it arrives.

:: There was an awkward pause. Evan broke it. ::

DELANO: How’s Apollo doing?

:: She sighed. ::

SUSAN: Well, you know he never warmed up to Jim like he did you. Jim says he’s been staying away from the house more than he used to.

:: Evan nodded, but he felt his heart sinking. The wolf-dog had been a particularly challenging case, and in some ways, Evan and Apollo had helped each other find a certain peace. He had feared the separation would eventually cause Apollo to once again become antisocial - or worse, violent - but he had feared bringing him to the Tiger as an ensign. Wolves, even wolf-dogs, needed miles of land to be healthy. The confines of a starship - even a very large starship like the Garuda - weren’t appropriate for an animal like that. ::

DELANO: Maybe I can arrange some leave on Earth soon.

SUSAN: We’d all like that.

:: Another pause. Evan decided it was time to sign out. ::

DELANO: I should get going. I have some things I need to get done before tomorrow. It was good talking to you, Mom. Say hi to Kim for me.

SUSAN: Sure, Evan. Thanks for calling. Love you.

DELANO: Love you too.

:: He clicked the button to end the conversation, waited for the screen to go black, then stared out of his window. Sol wasn’t visible, but he knew roughly where it should be and his attention focused there. He didn’t like admitting that he was homesick, but he realized that was a large part of why he’d been so… uncomfortable over the last few months. It had been over a year since he’d last visited Earth. The last planet he’d set foot on had nearly killed him. ::

:: After years of being surrounded by sparsely populated countryside, he was struggling to adapt more than he had ever anticipated. Perhaps it was time to talk to a counselor. Perhaps. ::

:: As he set about the rest of his business, the thought lingered. ::

===


Lt. JG Evan Delano
Asst. Chief of Security/Tactical
USS Garuda

[Evan Delano]

Thanks for nominating this. I'm flattered!

[Sedrin Belasi]

You're welcome!