An Early Start
Posted on Thu Dec 1st, 2022 @ 10:20pm by High Commissioner Jasmine Haynes & Captain Ryan Walsh & Crewman Melly
Edited on on Thu Dec 1st, 2022 @ 10:21pm
3,926 words; about a 20 minute read
Mission:
Short Treks
Location: USS Fearless ~ Jasmine Haynes Quarters
Timeline: 2431-03-10, 0430
Location: Personal Quarters of Jasmine Haynes
Jasmine was curled up to a good book, when she first woke up. For some reason she got up extremely early. She was not able to go back to sleep. Maybe it had something to do with the fact she had decided to retire early last night. Typically, her days would be long and dragged out. On the Fearless, she had a lot of down time. Which was good because, she needed to get her new Yeoman up to parr.
Around 0430 hours she heard a knock on the door. That was a little bizarre, who would be knocking this early? Maybe someone was going to ask her to turn down the soft jazz music playing in the background. It was barely playing. Could someone really be that petty?
"Yes?" Jasmine walked over to the edge of her door and hit the intercom button. That connected her to the person just outside her door. Jasmine then called out in a calm voice, deep down she was confused, who could be at her door.
“It’s me.” Ryan said quietly. He hadn’t slept well. Jasmine was normally an early riser, but it sounded as if he had woken her up. That wasn’t going to be a good start to the day.
It seemed stupid now that he had showed up at five in the morning to see if she wanted to get breakfast and spend some time together. It was too late now, there wasn’t a thing he could do about it.
Jasmine walked over to the door, and it swished open. "Couldn't sleep?" She asked, as she shifted her robe a little. The outside corridor was a little drafty. Jasmine turned up the heat by a few degrees. Her room had a fake fireplace, and to immolate the heat, she had turned up room's internal temperature.
“You know me so well.” Ryan said quietly. “Sorry for waking you up. I should have looked at the time. He felt bad, she didn’t get a lot of sleep normally and here he came along and woke her up.
"I was not sleeping." Jasmine said, as she motioned with her hand for him to enter. "I was reading, could not sleep either. Maybe it's this new ship or maybe it's the lack of meetings. But something has me off in my sleep cycle. Been up since, 0400 hours." Jasmine said, as she walked over to the sofa. She had the datapad next to her. Decided to move it out of the way, hinting to Ryan he should take a seat.
Ryan walked over and took a seat. “I was unsettled. Tossed and turned for a while. I got up and did some reports and even drank a cup of hot tea, but my mind seems to be working in overtime.”
Jasmine was a little surprised to hear him say that she was the opposite for once. She was well rested. Jasmine's curiosity got the better of her as she asked. "What has you unsettled?" She asked, wondering if there was anything she can do to assist him.
Ryan took a deep breath. “There was a lot to process after meeting Melly.” His eyes met hers. “She wasn’t at all what I expected.”
Ryan wasn’t going to bring up his feelings about the closeness Melly and Jasmine appeared to have already. Somehow, he felt he would end up looking pathetic.
Jasmine was not sure, what he meant by his comments. She could tell it was bothering him. Which made her concern. She shifted her body on the sofa towards him, to show him she cared, despite her face saying she was saying nothing at all. She was lost in thought, trying to ask herself how she was going to bring up the elephant in the room. She could not think on how to dress up her response. She felt her response might be conceived as defensive. "What about it?" She just asked, Jasmine who was trying her best not to be defensive.
“I don’t know what I expected.” Ryan replied quietly. “She is so apologetic and feels like it is all her fault.” He paused. “I expected someone tough and hardened by prison life. Maybe even defensive she was protecting herself according to what I’ve heard.”
"I am not trying to sound like I am preaching, but it may come across that way." Jasmine said, as she took a moment to gather her words carefully. "Most people tend to think of her as a grown adult, because she is 270 years old, but clearly she is still a child. Her long-life span has mentality capacity evolving really slowly. However, with that said, her ability to retain information is incredible. I think working with me, will give her the guardianship she needs." Jasmine said, hoping this helped shed some light on how Jasmine saw her.
“I think you choose wisely.” Ryan said and he was being honest. “She looks to you for guidance and you both have connected. I think when you get finished, she will go far.” Ryan took a deep breath. “I was taught a valuable lesson not to judge someone without having met them first.”
"I tend to find, that what is written in a file, often does not tell you anything about the person. It mainly talks about their work ethics from the perspective of their supervisor. So, if they have a lousily supervisor, it's very possible to get inaccurate report." Jasmine suggested, she prefers to meet people, before making any judgements. In the case of Melly, she had the benefit of reading and watching her transcripts. She could see that Melly was not the monster the courts made her out to be. The Judicial system failed her.
“Guilt.” Ryan replied. “That is what kept me up. I feel guilty for prejudging her.” He sighed. “I am going to treat her the same as any Yeoman you would have chosen.”
Jasmine reached out with her hand, to show him some compassion. "You are a good man!" She said, as she stared into his eyes for the moment. She felt a real strong pull, to kiss him. For the moment she resisted the urge. It did not seem appropriate at this very moment. "I know Crewman Melly will appreciate that; I appreciate it." Jasmine said in a slightly lighter voice.
“I am glad to hear that.” Ryan said quietly. Where is she?” He didn’t think Jasmine would want her far away considering what had happened when she collapsed.
"She should be in her quarters resting, like we should be. Let's hope she was able to stay asleep. We don't want our bad habits rubbing off on her." Jasmine said, thinking it was a bad thing they were both up way to early.
“I couldn’t agree more.” Ryan nodded. “She needs to get some good rest; she was through quite an ordeal yesterday.” He still felt like he had caused some of it.
Jasmine still had her hand on his, she was surprised he was not reacting to this. She looked down at her hand, then back up to his eyes. "She was not the only one, we all went through this together." Jasmine pointed out. For Jasmine it was awkward for her as well. Melly was still young at heart and in mind. She was not use to all the intimacy.
Ironically though, it was not as bad as she expected it to be. Now here she was, placing her hand on top of his, to express emotions. Jasmine was not Vulcan, but she adopted a lot of their mannerisms, thanks to her mother. She was taking small strides, learning what it was to be normal. Growing up, she never thought of herself as normal.
Ryan smiled to himself as they sat there. He looked down at her hand on his and turned his over and laced his with hers. She had taken a lot of strides in their relationship. He needed to remember that.
“Thank you.” Ryan said with a smile. “You always know how to make me feel better.” His concerns were still there he just wasn’t sure how to approach the subject.
"I try, it's a struggle for me. I hope I am not over my head with trying to help Melly at the same time." Jasmine said, as she looked into his eyes. She liked the fact their fingers were interlaced. She found herself caught up in the moment, as she leaned in for a kiss.
Ryan met her kiss and his eyes lit up. He smiled at her. “You are doing fine.” He said after a moment. “I think you two need each other.” He was surprised at his words, but he meant them. “Don’t take that the wrong way I mean you each fulfill a need. Does that make sense?”
Jasmine eyes were screaming out passion. Her lips and voice were calm. As she stared into the dashing brown eyes. "Maybe your right." Jasmine said, wondering logically why that was? Why did Jasmine need a convicted felon in her life. The logic of her brain could not solve it. However, her soul was also crying out, allowing her mothering like nature to finally reveal itself. "Is that wrong?" Jasmine asked, curious to see what he would say.
“I do not believe it is wrong." Ryan was struggling to keep his hands off her. He had to keep reminding himself to be patient. “She fulfills something for you, and I believe it may help you heal some old wounds.”
Jasmine was not sure, what he meant when he said old wounds. She did not really regret anything in her life. She felt that she had a satisfactory childhood that was now leading into her adult life. "I am not sure I understand, something tells me though, I will."
Ryan put his arm around her and pulled her close yet giving her room to breathe. “This is nice. We should enjoy our time while we can.
"Agreed." Jasmine said as the scene starts to fade, with the two of them kissing on her sofa.
A short time had passed, and Jasmine was now getting ready for morning duties. She wondered where Melly was. She looked to Ryan. "You look very handsome in red." They started to make their way to the door. She was going to head over to Melly's quarters to check on her.
“I will remember that for future shopping.” Ryan said with a smile. He walked alongside her to Melly’s door. Jasmine didn’t seem to mind he was with her.
Melly was asleep in her quarters, dead tired and sleeping soundly. A Klingon marching band going through the room might wake her, but the strain of the night before took its toll. This was of course her first night of sleep out of prison. So, before she laid down, she had fixed the room accordingly.
She had taken the furniture save the bed and moved it to a corner to place carefully and respectfully out of the way. Every bit of decoration she did the same with, having it all placed in the one corner furthest from the bed. The blanket and the pillow were folded on the top of one of those tables.
In the corner of the room, mirroring when Jasmine met her was a empty bowl of what was obviously Nutri-Goop next to a empty glass.
She laid on the floor curled up without the blanket or pillow, her knees pulled close as she had slept in her uniform. If someone were to enter they would find the atmosphere 'uncomfortable' not overly hot, not overly cold, however adjusted to not be comfortable.
She slept oblivious to the outside as the two guests had approached.
Jasmine walked over to Melly's quarters, which was not very far away. Her room was literally right next to door to Jasmine's on the Fearless. "You want to buy a red shirt?" Jasmine asked, she was a little confused. As they approached her door. Jasmine gently tapped on the door. She was hoping Melly would hear the knock. As she waited for the door to open, Jasmine waited for Ryan to respond.
“I am saying if it is a color that looks good on me.” Ryan explained. “I would look for different styles of shirts in that color.”
There was no response when Jasmine knocked. Not a sound.
Jasmine knocked again, this time the beat was a little deeper and the tone was louder. Jasmine was not surprised yet that Melly did not answer the door. "I hope she is awake; I would hate to wake her up." Jasmine said, she would feel bad if she did. But at the same point, she was the Yeoman and needed to be ready to work, when Jasmine was ready to work.
Melly heard the knock and leapt from the floor to her feet in a sheer panic looking about before she moved to the center of the room. Lowering to her knees she crossed her wrists above her head, loudly she spoke easily heard from the other side of the door, "Inmate 18-226-ON1 here, My food is down, I am a following the rules. I am not going to move unless allowed.".
After a moment she blinked but held still her mind a bit of a haze, "I... mean.. come in please.".
Jasmine walked into the quarters. Her biggest fear was just confirmed. Jasmine had just woken her up. She could see that Melly was mainly on auto-pilot at this stage. Breaking her of the prison life mentality was going to be a bit of a challenge. Jasmine walked in with Ryan, by her side. "Crewman, good morning." Jasmine said in a soft voice. She was trying to sound more friendly, and less cold hearted.
Melly was knelt on the floor still looking up at Jasmine before she slowly rose, her crossed arms moving to rest at her side. Her face brightened slightly at Jasmines softer tone. Turning slightly she motioned to the corner with the bowl and glass as she said, "Good morning High Commissioner Ma'am. May I offer you anything? Food? Drink? A place to sit?"
She looked around the intentionally bare room trying her best to keep Jasmines eyes away from the corner where all the perceived luxuries were stacked. During this time the air felt slightly itchy almost while at a mildly uncomfortable setting.
She did not believe she deserved comforts, even simple ones.
Ryan looked around the room and was hit with just how much Melly felt she didn’t deserve anything that could be considered a luxury. He almost said something but realized that bringing attention to it would add to her stress. She looked up to Jasmine so it would have to be her that helped her change her way of thinking.
Jasmine quickly regained her composure. She did not like seeing her Yeoman sleeping on the floor. She noticed she was still knelt down on the floor. She knew this needed to be addressed. "Crewman, is there something wrong with your bed?" Jasmine asked. She wondered if it was to firm or to soft. She did not perceive the Yeoman as punishing herself in this moment. She assumed it had to do with some sort of discomfort for the bed.
Melly paused and considered lying but quickly changed her mind, a small hand moving up to firmly smack herself in the cheek before shaking her head. Looking to the High Commissioner she took a deep breath and swallowed a few times before finally speaking.
She then looked to the Captain and bowed her head, "Good Morning Captain."
Stalling tactic but she knew not to stall long, she would not wish to get bounced off the ground by a guard. But she paused her face a bit shocked. Softly she whispered, "What am I thinking.. there's no guard's to do that.."
Looking up to Jasmine she shook her head, "The bed is wonderful Ma'am, so soft and wonderful, too wonderful for someone like me. So I folded the blanket and put the pillow away and slept on the floor. I can be ready in less then five minutes if You need me for work."
“The bed is for you to sleep on.” Ryan replied softly. He couldn’t imagine how badly she must have been treated. “In fact, everything in this room is for your comfort.”
"So is the bed to soft or two hard?" Jasmine asked. She was still not putting two and two together. She assumed that Melly would integrate overnight. She did not consider the fact that mentality Melly was still a child, at this moment.
Melly looked to her feet, a bit confused but then realizing that Jasmine didn't understand. She looked up to the woman and then back to the floor then her eyes moving to stare lengthy at her bowl before turning to the Captain and then to Jasmine again.
"It's perfect... but I do not deserve comforts like this until I earn them. This... is so wonderful a room. It should be for people who are good girls not bad.", Melly lowered her head looking to her feet lost as to how to speak in this situation. She wanted to show her appreciation and happiness, but it was so much.
Melly gazed back to the Captain, "Thank You Captain... Your ship is so nice.. I just am not used to this. Six months was not long in prison.. but long enough and detention before that... I am not used to such comforts.. or not used to not having a guard or the like watching me sleep."
Jasmine just looked at Melly, how could she think that she wondered. Then she knew she needed to say something. "Stop telling yourself you do not deserve comforts. That is only defeating yourself." Jasmine reminded Melly. She knew it was not going to be easy to get Melly to see the truth, but she was bound and determined to try. Jasmine needed her to see, she was worthy, and she does not need permission to be happy or have comforts in her life.
“Perhaps it would help if it was with small steps.” Ryan suggested. “Give yourself back one comfort and get used to it. Then add some more to it.”
Melly thought a moment, her mind going over the Captains suggestion and she smiled. Walking over to the corner of the room she took the fluffy pillow and placed it on the floor where she had curled up the night before.
With a happy sense of progress she looked to her boss and gave a solemn nod. "I promise I will do my best to not demean myself, I may slip but I will try."
"Is it work time?", Melly asked curiously.
Ryan looked over at Jasmine with an apologetic look. Even though it appeared it might work, Jasmine was his superior and she might feel he interfered.
"It is, but lets not dismiss this moment." Jasmine said, feeling the motherly instinct inside of her kick in. This was a new sensation. She did not know how to respond to it. It was a bit overwhelming. "I can not have my Yeoman doing something I would not do." Jasmine first suggested to her. She then looked at Ryan then back at Melly. She was trying to word, how she was going to say what she needed to say. With a deep breath she went on. "We all shall sleep on the floor, until such time as well all have merited sleeping in a bed. I believe this is fair, for all parties concerned?" Jasmine asked. Hoping this would pull some favor with Melly. She wanted her to see, she was not alone. Her misery was there misery.
Melly was aghast, then puzzled, then aghast again. She immediately lowered to her knees with her hands pleading up to Jasmine a look of sheer terror on her face. "Please Ma'am no, You shouldn't do that because of me, I would not want You to lower yourself to my..."
She stopped herself, she was going to demean herself but she caught herself and gulped thinking a moment. "If I promise to sleep in the bed with a blanket and pillow, will you promise to please not sleep on the floor Ma'am. I promise to be good. I do not want you to suffer."
Her face was pleading as she looked up with large tear filled eyes, her 'physical' age showing more as she panicked.
“This isn’t about bad or good.” Ryan spoke up. “It is about realizing your self worth. I am doing as the High Commissioner has ordered until that happens.” He smiled then. “That can’t be forced you have to feel it.”
"There is an old saying, don't ask someone to do something you are not willing to do yourself. Granted you did not ask me to do this, but you are my yeoman. And I need to understand why the floor is so appealing to yeoman." Jasmine suggested to her Yeoman. Melly's pain was now her pain, and each struggle they went through, they would get through it together. She looked at Melly, and thinking to herself, well they are both going to be work in progress type of people. Jasmine had no idea, what it would be like to sleep on the floor. It was something she had never tried before. She assumed her back would hate her in the morning.
Melly consigned herself to the destruction of her own choosing. This was her doing and she would live with it. Looking up to the woman she sighed, "Yes Ma'am. But since I took the Captains suggestion... please remember your pillow." This was not a battle she could win, she was a former fighter pilot fearless and without worry... or she was. Now she was a scared girl, showing more and more her mockers at the academy that yes she is just a child and not ready. She would prove them wrong, she would prove all the bad people wrong, she would prove Admiral Norith wrong.
Standing she looked straight at Jasmine. The height difference blatant as she was over two feet shorter but she gave a weak smile. Another swift motion forward into a hug but not one she would fall from, this one showed more strength then before. More confidence.
"Thank You Ma'am. So work time now?", she said holding the hug.
Ryan smiled to himself. She had accepted Jasmine’s orders so they were getting somewhere. Sleeping on the floor wasn’t his favorite thing but he had done it before and it wouldn’t hurt him any. His eyes were on Jasmine as Melly hugged her seeing how she would respond.
"Yes work time." Jasmine said, as she looked around the room. "Crewman change your uniform and put a new one. Also try the vibe show, heard they are effective." Jasmine said, knowing darn well they were. She had used them several times in the past. To include using one a little bit a go. The scene starts to fade away.
Ryan though she handled this very well. Melly seemed to need constant reassurance and at times it was necessary but right now she needed the High Commissioner and her all business persona.
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