Captain’s Log Stardate 06122021

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My crew and I were set to rendezvous with other Starfleet Academy cadets (other students) at Ragwat 6 to attend a birthday party. My anxiety was quite high because I hadn’t presented as female to my oldest son’s middle school friends. I wasn’t worried as much about what they’d think of me; I was more concerned with the ramifications it could have for my crewman as he returned to Starfleet academy. I scheduled a meeting in the observation lounge in order to brief my crew and to assess their thoughts and feelings with me presenting as a Trill (trans). The crew was supportive and prepared for any negative repercussions. I was quite nervous as we touched down on Ragwat 6.

As we arrived to our coordinates, I sent out a subspace transmission to other captains on the Starfleet forums (Twitter) for a bit of support. I really wanted to hail someone directly but didn’t have the time. Nonetheless I was heartened by the rather large response I got from other captains. After some bureaucratic formalities, we were set to meet up with the other cadets.

The formal meeting itself went by much sooner than I anticipated. Almost immediately, everyone set off to go engage in the various aquatic activities available at Ragwat. The cadets were being supervised by another captain and I decided to squeeze in an assessment with a prospective crewman (a date in this instance). It was a decision I later regretted.

I set course for the McKines system and met with Chief Engineer Kevin. The engineer seems like a friendly enough individual though several of the things he said concerned me. For example, Kevin hadn’t registered his vessel (car) in the sector despite being here for 2 years. There was also a mention about a drinking habit that he believes he needs to get under better control. I was a bit displeased about these things but aside from that he seems earnest. It doesn’t hurt that he is handsome. I agreed to a second assessment (date) with him because he seems easy going and is a good listener. During our walk I snapped a few pictures of the sights we seen.

Once the assessment concluded, I set course back to Ragwat 6. I found that the main supervising officer wasn’t really keeping track of the cadets. Though I trust the judgement of my officers, I was a bit displeased that I had to retrieve the crew on my own. I wasn’t really in the mood to interact extensively with the other cadets or other senior officers. I gathered my crew and had them brief me on their experience.

I guess there were a few a whispers about me being “the dad” but nothing negative. Also, one of the girls said to my daughter, “Why is your dad dressed like a mom”? My son said he is undaunted by their opinions and if they are his friend that they won’t care about me. I was heartened to hear that he seemed emotionally hearty. We all beamed back to the ship as the day came to a close.