QUADMATES (2378)
Starfleet Academy

There was much activity in the halls as students searched for their rooms and greeted each other. Vulcan flute music weaved its way through the hustle and bustle and noise in the full hallway. Yaran noticed it getting louder as he neared his destination.

::208B:: The door was open and a young Vulcan was sitting on a bottom bunk playing the flute.
Yaran poked his head into the dorm room. “Umm…Hi, I’m Yaran and I guess this is my room.” The young Vulcan stopped playing and cocked his head toward him and responded. “That would be an incorrect assumption.”

“Oh, how so?” Yaran asked bluntly. The Vulcan stood up and approached him. His voice had a sharpness to his monotone voice. “Simply, because you will reside here, does not make it your room. In fact, more appropriately, it is our room.”

“Ah, I see. There is some logic to that.” Yaran answered. “
The Vulcan gave a nod of his head, “Indeed, I am Torack.”

Yarn smiled broadly, “Thank you, I am..” Yarn began to introduce himself when he was interrupted “208B, this is it, wow!” Announced a very excited young girl. She was half the height of Torack and only a head shorter than Yaran.

“Oh, Hi, my name is Freya and this must be my room.” She beamed toward both young men.
The two looked at each other. “You tell her.” Yaran responded with a nudge to Torack’s elbow.

The three stood standing in the middle of the room talking. More accurately, Torack and Yaran listened while Freya spoke with great enthusiasm, including lots of arm-waving. She flitted from one bunk to the next like a hummingbird. “Look at these bunks.” She squealed. “I want a top bunk, because….” and her voice halted. She turned abruptly and advanced on Yaran.

She poked her face toward him and scrunched up her nose. “That’s not very nice or appropriate.” And she punctuated the statement by placing her hands on her hips.

T.J. Walked along the halls looking for his assigned room. It was like trying to move through waves crashing on the beach. People buzzed around, ‘This is what you get trying to find your room this late, next time be the first one here’ he thought to himself taking a deep breath. He found the room and saw the door was open, as he looked inside he saw a male Vulcan and Trill looking at a short woman who seemed to be very upset staring at the Trill.
T.J. straightened his tunic, cleared his throat, and stepped inside. “I take it this is room 208B and you would be my roommates?” He stated to no one in particular. With one smooth motion, he slid his bag off his shoulder and tossed it onto the bunk where Torack had been sitting.

“T.J. Rivers, nice to meet you all. Do you mind if I take a bottom bunk before we get caught up in the meet and greet?” He said with a grin before looking over the others in the room with more purposeful eyes.

Yaran liked this person at once, he reminded him of a previous host, Vendrak. Of course, this TJ was not as arrogant. He took his cue and slid his bag under the bunk on the opposite side.

Suddenly, Freya was standing there looking at Torack bewildered by the activity that had just taken place. She gasped and scurried to the top bunk of the port side, right above TJ.

Torack gave a nonchalant look around the room and continued the tune he had been playing upon his flute. Eventually, laughter filled the room as the newly pressed cadets continued to converse and become acquainted.

T.J. stretched his arm out as he sat on his bunk. “So what departments are you all in?” he asked, guessing in his head he was security tactical, Torack was probably science, Freya he guessed would be a counselor maybe it was because she was Betazoid but mainly because of her personality, leaving Yaren. His hands looked rougher, and he looked bright so probably astrometrics or engineering.

Yaran thought about it for a moment, “Well, I don’t know, my first host was a surgeon, but I think maybe engineering.” He paused, “Yes, I enjoy taking things apart and putting them back together.” He stated triumphantly, he was still getting used to the fact that he had four different lifetimes of memories.

“What led you all to starfleet, a greater call, looking for something different or just trying to get off your homeworld?” he asked again, trying to solve the puzzles that were his new roommates.

Torack stopped playing the flute and looked quizzically at Tj. “I find your interest in our motivations to be curious, nonetheless we are here.” While he stood still, a person may still get the feeling that he was pacing the room while he was not talking. “Change is essential, I see no relevance or logic to the specifics.”

Yaran laughed and looked at TJ. It was like the beginning of a chess match.

Freya rolled her eyes and hopped down from the top bunk. “Well, I don’t know about you boys, but I came to Stafleet to become an explorer and that is what I am going to go do.” With that, she sauntered out the door. Yaran looked at Torack and then at TJ to see their responses.

A moment later Freya poked her head back into the room. “Well, are you coming or not ?”

Tj grinned. “Torack change is essential but the motivations behind choices determine how committed someone is. My family has always been starfleet, but I joined for the experience and the chance to see the universe and to make a difference. It is my one goal”

He looked at Torack then at Freya. “Go ahead i think we have some things to finish up here” He said with a chuckle.

“Hey, wait for me!” Yaran called out  as he rolled off the bunk and ran after Freya.

Starfleet Academy

Torack (Vulcan) Freya (Betazoiod) Yarn Jal (Joined Trill) TJ (Human Male)

When last we saw Freya and Jal – they had taken off on some adventure leaving TJ and Torack in the dorm room to figure things out.

Yarn Jal and Freya returned to their dorm room, 208 B after a full day of exploring the campus. TJ and Torack sat playing what appeared to be a very serious game of Kal-toh. “Well, it looks like you worked things out.” Yarn stated in a matter-of-fact way. He turned and gave her an arching eyebrow, “In a most logical manner.” He responded in a sarcastic tone of voice – and they both laughed.

TJ kept his eyes and most of his focus in the game. It was a moment of strategy and patience, each move having implications that could make or break you. “Working through disagreements smoothly and logically is essential to building a team bond”

He hadn’t finished his sentence before realizing his mistake and what a mistake it was. Torack had beaten him. The vulcan looked at him quite passively “It is illogical to try and focus on moments of strategy and philosophy at one time. Quite a human trait.”

TJ smiled, “That’s a good point and I will keep that in mind.” he then turned and looked at the other two. “I take it you got your exercise and a nice view of the campus,” he said as more of a statement than a question.

A short conversation takes place and TJ is ready to step up to be in charge of the small group when Freya announces that she will be running the little group. the Vulcan arched his eyebrow, but says nothing and returns to the game.

“I should be the one running the group as my focus is here and I have experience with small units,” Said Tj as he thought back to his siblings.

Yarn, tired from a day of walking, grabbed a towel from his bed. “Hey, I am fine whoever is in charge, you figure it out. I am hitting the showers.” He had spent most of the day listening to Freya and found that she could talk nearly non-stop and was not going to attempt to stop her now.

“Freya, it’s great that you want to take charge but I’m not sure you are the best fit. You need a single-minded focus on the team and success and the ability to think ahead”, said TJ as he looked at her.

Freya removes her top and says, “Listen, I am not going to stand here and argue with you, I am a Betazoid and I know what all you young men think about.” She jabbed her finger at each of them. Her eyes turned toward Torack and gave him a wink. He tilted his head to the side as if he was about to give a retort when he thought better of it. With a short meditative sigh, he turned his focus back to the game.

TJ felt his skin heat a little. She was attractive but this was not about looks. “A little presumptuous to think you know what is always going on in our heads.”

Freya gives her shoulders a little shake. “With hormones like that, you can hardly be judged to be in charge of anything.” She gave him a look with wide eyes and her eyes slowly glanced in a southern direction.

“See what I mean.” Her comment was meant to embarrass TJ.

She turned and put her clothes in the closet and with resolve stated “Lights out.”
She hopped into the top bunk and settled herself in, “Time for some rest boys, tomorrow is going to be a busy day.” She announced in an authoritative tone.

Torack had no intention of going to sleep, but he also was not going to sit in the dark and so he crawled into bed.

Tj took off his own shirt, folding it and placing it on his bed as he took a seat slowly to avoid falling in the dark. His body to Freya’s credit was a hail storm of emotions and hormones but not all of them carnal. “I’m not done with this conversation, just because you can stir up hormones doesn’t mean you are the best leader,” he said taking a deep breath before sliding on the floor and starting some breathing exercise. He did need sleep but he needed to relax first.

Moments later, Yaran returned from the showers and was surprised to see the room was completely dark. “What did I miss?” He asked rhetorically.