SIM:Ayiana Sevo: Career Choices
| Crew of the USS Gorkon | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Lt. Commander Ayiana Sevo | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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(( FLASHBACK - 2385 - Starfleet Academy, Trill Campus ))
:: It was Ayiana Yorval’s second year at Starfleet Academy. She wasn’t yet sure what she wanted to major in. Today she had a lab final exam in Applied Subspace Physics. The students were divided into groups of four and given the task of calculating, designing, and creating a tiny wormhole - one that stretched to an Academy base on one of the Trill system’s outer planets, and was just large enough to send a transmission and back. ::
:: Her group was up. They had spent the entire semester working on this project. She had been selected as the group captain. Ayiana wasn’t so sure about this. She never considered herself as captain material. She had checked and rechecked the calculations. The rest of the group was sure it would work; but there was something there in the numbers that bothered her. Something wasn’t right and she had a sinking feeling the wormhole would become unstable and collapse. ::
:: Despite her reservations, and being group “captain”, the rest of the group was sure it would work, and set up their equipment accordingly. Apparently being “captain” in class meant people could still ignore you. ::
:: The experiment was ready. A young woman flipped the switch to activate the subspace field. With careful manipulation over the next few minutes, a tiny wormhole coalesced. It was too small to see with the naked eye, but was visible on the classroom’s main computer monitor. Ayiana still had doubts, but everything seemed to be going well. Maybe she was mistaken on her calculations. ::
:: Suddenly, the wormhole began to destabilize. Her teammates frantically manipulated the controls, seemingly at random, in an attempt to stabilize it, to no effect. She grabbed her PADD and quickly entered some calculations. Ayiana thought she knew where the problem lay. ::
Cadet 1: Dammit! It’s not working! What happened?
Cadet 2: You said it would work! We should have listened to Ayiana!
:: The wormhole continued to fluctuate. Flashes of light were visible in the room, evidence of energy escaping the subspace matrix. ::
Ayiana: Got it! Enter these changes - !
:: Ayiana called out precise settings to the group, who quickly entered the changes into their equipment. ::
:: The wormhole began to stabilize and the flashes disappeared. With her sensor readings showing a stable passage, she sent the test communication and waited for a response from the base on the other side of the solar system. A few seconds later, a reply message appeared:
Test Site: =/\= Message received! Close call there, Cadets! Great job! =/\=
Ayiana: oO Whew! Oo
:: The rest of the team cheered as they shut down the experiment, and patted Ayiana on the back. She just saved their grades. ::
Professor Inaki: Well done, cadets! Especially you, Miss Yorval. You worked with calm under pressure, found the solution, and ordered the changes to your team. :: He briefly looked at their calculations. :: Miss Yorval was correct. Your initial calculations were wrong. Had she not calculated the correct changes, the wormhole would have collapsed.
:: They were the last group before the end of class. As class ended, her group left with the rest of the class, beaming with pride. ::
Professor Inaki: :: Pulling Ayiana to the side - :: Well done again, Miss Yorval. I daresay you may have a knack for subspace physics. Have you declared a major yet?
Ayiana: Erm...no. I’ve been thinking of Astrophysics, or maybe Quantum Mechanics. I like both.
Professor Inaki: Why not study both? Or even Subspace Mechanics? You have shown a firm grasp of the physics and math in my classes. I think you would do well in any of them.
Ayiana: TWO majors?! That...that’s pretty intimidating!
Professor Inaki: It is. It would be a lot of work. But I understand you are under observation for Joining. Successfully acquiring multiple degrees would go a long way to being approved. I may even suggest studying all three - Astrophysics, Quantum Mechanics, and Subspace Mechanics.
:: Ayiana hadn’t thought of the impact her education would have on her prospect for Joining. Trill society had very high esteem for scientists. ::
Ayiana: But...three majors?! How could I possibly study all that in two years?!
Professor Inaki: Young lady, whoever said you HAD to graduate in four years? Four years is the average for the academy, but by no means mandatory. It is the minimum time needed to adequately study general education and a major. I took five and a half years to study two majors a hundred years ago.
Ayiana: Really? I...I hadn’t considered it. Its a lot of work, but if it improves my chances for Joining…
Professor Inaki: Don’t just think of the Joining. Your primary reason for attending Starfleet Academy is to join *Starfleet*. You will be posted to an assignment upon graduation, and the better your academic record is, the better posting you could have.
:: Ayiana thought about it. She would really like to serve on one of those Vestas. She heard their science equipment was unmatched. ::
Ayiana: Thanks, Professor. I’ll think about it.
Professor Inaki: One more thing: you may also want to consider the command track. You showed great skill in thinking of a solution to your problem quickly, and delegating assignments to your team. If you truly study command, you may be able to command a starship within ten to twenty years.
oO Oh man, command of a starship? Ayiana hadn’t even thought of it. Only the best-of-the-best get a command! Oo
Ayiana: I’ll...I’ll think about it. I do like the sound of a command. But I’d also be happy in a lab.
Professor Inaki: Don’t think about it too quickly. I’d say focus on your science studies. You can decide to train for command anytime in your career, then take the Bridge Officer’s Test. From there, you can have practice commanding a department, or even the bridge night shift.
Ayiana: Th-thanks again, sir. Its a lot to think about!
:: As she left her class, Ayiana felt like she finally knew what she wanted to do. She would focus on the sciences. They were her passion. She wanted to know how the universe worked. Command could come later. ::
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Cadet Third Class Ayiana Yorval
Starfleet Academy, Trill
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