Cadets: Short Stories

STEVIE'S LOG: LOST pt.2

When I turned twelve and got good enough grades, I attended the Space program at the Galactic Federation Academy. Knowing my sister was out there somewhere plotting her revenge, I wanted to help prepare the Federation for the day she'd strike. Maybe even help them capture her.

I had been through hard times. The disappearance of both my father and sister, the death of my mother, and adjusting to life with my adopted parents.

Life at the academy for the next four years was good. I made a lot of friends and got plenty of good grades that were enough to enter the fifth year.

It was the year that every cadet in the space program was excited about. All our studying and training would be put to the test. We would get to crew a starship and travel the universe on our own for the next three years without any supervision, except from robots.

I was so excited when I received a letter saying I would be assigned to the Enterprise. I didn't think anything could ruin my life. That was until I realised Jonathan Jones, Wilton's son, was going to be my captain. This was enough to bring my demons back to haunt me.

The first week aboard the Enterprise was very strain for me. I wanted to avoid Jonathan, but since my duties always involved working with the captain, I found it hard to look at him without thinking about his father.

Jonathan took notice of my distant behaviour and tried to be my friend. I kept giving him the cold shoulder. I didn't want anything to do with the son of a man who ruined my family.

For a while he put up with my behaviour until the day we embarked on our first away mission on a distant planet.

Jonathan was leading the away team and he recruited me because I had a passing degree in interstellar geography, and I previously wrote an ESA on the planet we were exploring. He recruited me for my experience, but I felt it was another attempt to be friends with me.

So, during the whole mission I kept on giving him the cold shoulder, and I could tell that Jonathan was losing his patience.

He eventually did and dragged me aside where he gave me a cold lecture of how disrespectful I was being. He told me the Federation had no place for a spoilt bratty like girl, which really got to me.

I could no longer hold it in anymore, and finally let out my hate towards him and his family. Angry and with tears running down my face, I told him how his family ruined mine, my late mother's depression and my sister's turn to the dark side. Jonathan just stood there staring at me in disbelief. After calling him a burden, I ran off into the woods. Jonathan plead for me to stop, but I just ignored him and kept running till I could no longer see or hear him. I lost him.

I didn't know how long I had been running or how far I've gone. By then it was getting dark and the weather was changing for the worst. I realised I had no idea where I was. I was lost.

It started to get windy, and I heard the sound of distant thunder. I kept looking in different directions as I kept on walking. Nothing looked familiar and the forest felt so creepy.

Suddenly, I was startled by twigs snapping. There was something else in the forest. I called out and got a spooky howl in return. I panicked and picked up a branch for defence, especially when I felt something ran by. I looked around, panting. I couldn't see or hear anything except for the sound of birds squawking.

"Whatever you are you better go away." And then there was another howl that made me want to run. I didn't care which way I was going. I just wanted to get away from whatever was lurking in the woods.

Suddenly I tripped on a branch and rolled down a hill till I went splash into a stream. I tried to get back up, but I couldn't. I hit some rocks and hurt my leg. The pain was unbearable. I couldn't get up.

In that dark place, I felt cold, wet, alone and helpless. I began to regret running off from Jonathan and in tears I wished he was with me.

Just when I thought it couldn't get worse, I spotted something moving in the bushes. I was so scared, I prayed to god it wasn't the end for me. But to my relief it was Jonathan.

After I ran off, he went looking for me. In that moment I forgot about my grudge against him. I was just glad he came. I told him about my broken leg.

Jonathan said it was too late to call the Enterprise for a portal with the storm brewing closer. Our only chance was to shelter somewhere and wait out the storm until morning.

Lucky for us, there was a small cave nearby. Jonathan tried to help me stand up and walk, but the pain in my leg was still too unbearable to stand on. So, he decided to carry me in his arms. I got butterflies when he held me, and when I looked at him, he smiled, saying everything was going to be alright.

Jonathan carried me to the cave, where he lit a fire and examined my leg. He pressed around my leg trying to see where it hurt, and I reacted where it did. I had a nasty scrape where my leg hurt.

Since he had no bandages on him, he decided to make one with my tights. I felt uncomfortable with him taking off my tights, but I didn't care. I just wanted the pain to go away. Jonathan felt uncomfortable removing my tights as well but stayed focused on treating my leg. He tore my tights into two, and then wrapped them around my leg, making a bandage. It was crude first aid, but it was enough until we were able to get back to the ship and receive proper treatment. Then he gave me his coat to keep warm and told me to get some rest.

Hours passed and the storm was already on top of us. I was asleep close to the fire. I woke up for a moment and saw Jonathan watching the rain fall. I also noticed he was holding a photo. I couldn't make out what it was, but he seemed strongly attached to it.

It was a photo of him, his sister and their parents. I alarmed him when I asked him if those were her parents in the picture. Jonathan's words were in a muddle and didn't know what to say. He just said yes and showed me the picture.

It looked like he used to be so close with his parents just like I was with mine. Wilton Jones in the picture looked like such a kind man, who loved his family very much.

I could tell that Jonathan still missed his parents and began to talk about it.

He told me when his parents were reported missing both he and Jennifer felt their lives were over. He wanted to give up on everything. But instead of giving into his grief he picked himself up and pressed on to fulfil his dream of joining Starfleet.

He also told me that he didn't believe his mother and father were dead. Starfleet never confirmed they were dead, which was why he believed they were still out there somewhere, alive, and someday he was going to find them.

I was amazed. While he and his sister kept on hoping, I lived in a life of grief and depression, believing my father was gone forever. It made me wonder if my father too was still alive out there.

The more I got to know Jonathan the more I began to feel ashamed of myself. I had been a real jerk towards him, and I never knew he had suffered as I did. Jonathan didn't hold it against me and understood why I acted the way I did.

By morning, the storm had past and we were finally rescued. After returning to the Enterprise, I was taken to sickbay to be treated. Turned out I didn't break my leg; it was just badly sprained. Jonathan stayed by my side the whole time till he had to report to duty.

As soon as I was able to walk again, I wanted to make up for the way I treated Jonathan. I started to work with him more often and helped him out in any way I could. I even started serving him tea on the bridge in the morning and afternoon.

In less than a week Jonathan made me his personal yeoman.

I no longer blamed Jonathan's family for what happened to my father and came to understand that what happened to them couldn't have been predicted or prevented. In life things just happen.

Jonathan and I are now good friends, but I've started to develop strong feelings for him that I am too shy to confess.