Establishing an Identity

Posted on 25 Jul 2026 @ 12:21am by Lieutenant Ryan Collingway
Edited on on 25 Jul 2026 @ 2:12pm

747 words; about a 4 minute read

Mission: Time After Time
Location: CEO's quarters

///CEO's quarters///

It took some time for Ryan to get through the physical examination as it seemed like they tested for literally everything. During this Ryan had almost fallen asleep twice. It wasn't the long hours that exhausted him, not quite. But going through that change had taken a lot out of him. Recognizing this, medical decided to postpone the psychological exam until the next day with Doctor Emerson. Giving him a light reminder that he was off-duty until then, Ryan was eventually sent on his way.

As soon as he was back in his quarters Ryan got to work, checking in with Sorensen for half an hour. Thankfully things were quiet in Engineering and green across the board. Any maintenance was minor and standard for the Arawyn. He closed the channel with a promise to be back soon. That done, he desperately changed out of his filthy clothes and finally had a shower.

After that, there was one more immediate thing to do. He hesitated at the computer, then sent a message to Alura. It was pretty late. He didn't want to wake her with a com message. He sent a text one instead.

[I]Hey Alura,

I just got back from the away mission. It was-[/i]

He paused. How could he explain it?

[I]-challenging. I was in medical for a bit[/I]

Oh, that *definitely* wouldn't worry her. He quickly added to that.

[I]Evaluation. Standard stuff. I'm fine.[/I]

He was pretty sure, at any rate. Ryan shook his head and pressed on.

[I]I really missed you. Hoping we can spend some time together soon?[/I]

He sent the message. He should really get some sleep soon. He rubbed his jaw, then looked around.

It occurred to him for the first time that there was something wrong with his quarters.

The biggest highlight in the room was Spencer. Ryan unlocked the cage to let him run around. The cage itself was a very useful feat of Starfleet engineering. As soon as he left on an away mission, the computer logged it and automatically replicated and distributed food for the rabbit on a timed schedule. Ryan could technically be gone for months and Spencer would still be fed.

Similarily, the other end of a cage had holographic newspaper coverings so Spencer knew where to expel waste. But in reality, there was a replicator pad at the bottom which processed waste the same way it did with everyone else.

If nothing else, there was always the animal group who could babysit, but Ryan didn't want that. He didn't want anyone going into his quarters.

Which was part of the problem.

Ryan stared at the room for a moment. The rest of the room was just empty. There were his clothes of course, but there were no pictures anywhere. He had a few from the academy, but he lost touch with all of his friends afterwards. Some had been with him on the Thysia and wanted to quickly move on from the experience. Family was obviously not an option either.

"I never settled in," Ryan realized to himself out loud.

The first half of his time spent here was certain that he would be kicked off the ship. The second half was going from one crises to another.

But in this mission, his very identify had been remade into something else. He had fought to preserve it. But what kind of identity did he have?

An idea crossed his mind. He went to the computer, and designed a simple template. He didn't have the brainpower for anything complicated at the moment. He sent it to the replicator.

A small plaque of Heritage Oaks Hotel appeared, similar to the sign he had seen. The mysterious port in the storm. He placed it on the dresser. He was an engineer. He could create a lot of things. An actual radio from 1984, if he wanted. A model of the complex Eirian ship. A globe of Lathira IV, one with a shaky infrastructure. There were a lot of things he could tinker with.

He gripped the plaque. This was him. His experiences defined him.

Satisfied for now, Ryan went to bed and underneath the covers. "Lights," he said.

Soon there was a comfortable darkness. He closed his eyes, about to sleep.

Only for Spencer to jump fully on his chest, estatic to be free.

"....I knew I forgot something."

Acting Lieutenant Ryan Collingway
Chief Engineering Officer
USS Arawyn

 

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