The door to the turbolift opened, revealing Cadet Oliva Darwin’s stoic expression. She stood looking out into the busy hallway of the upper decks of Starbase Bravo. Darwin gulped hard as she tried to bring her nerves back under her control as she slowly made her way to meet her new mentor.

Lieutenant Commander Aloran was his name. She hadn’t heard of him before but she assumed (based on the name) that he was either half or full Vulcan. Which is an interesting person to choice as her mentor. At least in her eyes.

Aloran had done his best to explore Starbase Bravo in the short time since his arrival and it was the upper decks that had piqued his interest. He felt at ease among the many diplomatic missions on the starbase and with the unhurried pace with which the diplomatic staff went about their business. He had not seen any familiar faces yet, but, with nearly fifty years of friends and contacts in diplomacy, he imagined it would only be a matter of time.

Not that he had spent so much time since his posting in the upper decks out of idle friendship: as an intelligence officer he had a responsibility to cultivate relationships. He had to talk with people, to listen to them, all with the hope that the person might one day prove useful. Or that some small detail might be spoken of that would prove to have significance in the future.

But the arboretum was what had brought him here today, and the hope that the colourful variety of nature – the trees, the plants, and the calm water – would be a peaceful environment in which to meet Cadet Darwin. He had been surprised by the request to mentor her so soon after his arrival, but he was pleased – a mild satisfaction – that she had. He had known another Darwin before, the captain of the USS Bower, and that man had played a pivotal part in Aloran’s adjustment to being an officer in Starfleet. He assumed they were not related but the similarity in name had nonetheless brought a feeling of warmth and nostalgia.

He settled into a bench overlooking a small pool of bright blue water, ringed at the edge by colourful blue and green reeds, and began to meditate while he waited for the cadet to arrive.

The doors to the arboretum opened with a hiss as they revealed the deliberate display of nature. Darwin had never understood the purpose of the arboretum when the station was in orbit of a planet. Stepping inside she felt her feet sink as she stepped onto the soft grass. Inhaling she took in the smell of the fresh pine that reminded her of the many hikes her parents took her own in the Tahoe Forest.

Looking around she searched for where her new mentor could be. He was a Vulcan and despite them being a prominent species in the founding of the Federation she had never meet one before. So she figured the fastest was to follow the path.

Aloran’s meditation was brief but grounding, an appropriate preparation for a conversation about the choices of one’s life. Despite the mental exercise, the thought of helping someone younger than himself navigate her choices evoked a subtle, quiet grief. At one time it was an overwhelming feeling, or a feeling he hid from, but now it was something he lived with. And a great deal of the motivation behind agreeing to Darwin’s request.

He looked around, moving his head rather than his eyes, in a slowly sweeping motion with a slight smile, so as to put at ease anyone that he inadvertently caught the gaze of. He turned behind, leaning back on the bench to look at the path behind him, the one leading to the small pool of water and the bench upon which he sat. He caught sight of a young woman walking the path, in the uniform of a Starfleet cadet and with the insignia of the elite squadron stationed on the starbase. He broadened his smile, hoping that it did not look odd for a Vulcan his age to do so, and stood to greet her.

She looked round as she walked. She spotted the aging gentle standing near a bench facing the pond at the center of the arboretum. She grinned internally as she spotted him walking up to him slowly. “Lieutenant Commander Aloran, it’s great to make your acquaintance, sir,” Darwin said as she stretched her hand out to him. She was nervous to say the least.

“Cadet Darwin, thank you for meeting me here”, Aloran gestured to the surroundings, “I have observed that being in nature, such as this is, with the occasional passer-by, are a comfort when meeting for the first time”, he made an exaggerated movement intended to display an interest in their surroundings, “and, may I let you into a secret? I find some enjoyment in these spaces. Will you sit with me? And tell me a little of yourself?”

Darwin looked around nervously as she sat down. She hadn’t talking about herself it was one of her biggest fears when she met someone new. Maybe it was how she grew up. Being the youngest doesn’t always mean you get the most attention.

“Um okay,” she started her voice was shaken as she spoke to him. She hated when people stared at her. “I’m the youngest of six. I have three brothers and a sister or rather,” she paused. “I had two but Hilliard died during the attack on mars. I was three so I don’t really remember her but from what I understand I’m a lot like her.”

She sighed heavily as she looked out to the pond. “At least that’s what everyone tells me,” she said more to herself than to Aloran.

“I have some experience of grief, cadet. We share that bond, and share that bond with many others. But I do not have the experience of being compared to someone that I have little memory of. Perhaps we should walk together, in silence or in conversation?”

Darwin smiled softly as she nodded. “I would like that Commander,” she said in response. Turning she walked along the path following close behind the Vulcan officer. Smiling inwardly she enjoyed the silence and the intermediate conversation the had. It gave her a comforting feeling, a feeling she had not felt since she left Earth on that shuttle a short time ago.