Freedom

Posted on Tue Sep 26th, 2017 @ 8:35pm by Cadet Freshman Grade James Corrigan
Edited on on Wed Sep 12th, 2018 @ 7:26pm

Mission: My Place In This Universe
Location: Runabout to Starbase Zulu
Timeline: 2388/08/18 0900 (August 18 2388 0900)

Freedom! It was a good feeling to know he was finally free of the old man's constant belittling and abuse. Most people thought this sort of thing didn't happen anymore; this was the Federation, after all. But James Corrigan knew better. He had lived that Hell.

Oh, he'd had moments of escape, times when his father was nowhere to be seen. Most of those came in the form of his being stuffed up some conduit repairing some part of the colony's water filtration system, but hey, any port in a storm, right? Well, now, he was free of the man. Oh, he knew that he was not free of authority, and he didn't mind authority. His mother was authority. He just hated being abused for something which he had no control over, like being born.

James looked out the window of the runabout as the wormhole opened before them. Once they entered, there was no going back. This would seal his destiny. Part of him was afraid of what lay ahead, but part of him was excited beyond belief too. He watched as the runabout entered the wormhole, leaving his old life behind and opening a whole new one before him like the mouth of said wormhole. This was the beginning, the start of something new and, hopefully, wonderful.

The wormhole spit the runabout out, and a vista of alien stars spread itself out before him. Now, the fear truly set in. What if he failed? What if his dad was right, and he was just a worthless...

No! Don't think it! You're better than that. Don't let him crush your dreams before you've finished dreaming them!

He shook off the mood and watched as they neared Starbase Zulu. On the surface, it looked like a dozen other starbases, but this one was different because of what its presence heralded. He watched it as it loomed closer, then closed his eyes, preparing himself as they landed.

Exiting with the other students, James gave the bay they were in a once-over before following the Ensign sent to get them to a waiting area. He wondered briefly if they would have chances to explore the starbase, but there was no time for such pondering as they were lined up, and told to wait for someone else who would conduct a short orientation.

... and so it begins...