Chapter 53. Farewell to Shirley
With a strange feeling, Carol stood in front of the yard and stared down the stairs. It is a beautiful house surrounded by a large garden with rich greenery. The length of the stairs is about fifty meters, making the house look solemn and elegant. As if it wanted to separate itself from the rest of the world by this slight height. The lawn is neatly mowed. There is a small flower bed in front of the kitchen window with various herbs. There is a big tree on the left side of the house, and the buds on the tree already indicate that it is about to bloom. Not far from the house, a swing was firmly anchored to the ground.
Somewhere nearby, a bird sang its song in a tree. Everything seemed very peaceful and reassuring.
Still, every time she went to visit her sister, she always had this weird feeling. Kachi is married to an amazing man, has a lovely daughter, owns her own house, and has a great job. She did everything right. Next to her, Carol always felt a little insignificant. What does she have to show off? She is the deputy commander on a spaceship and is always in danger of losing her life. She's single, has always had bad luck with men, and doesn't want to think about having children anymore. She is content with her life, most of the time. But every time she's here, she always feels like her life could have gone differently. Maybe it will be better.
She walked towards the house and rang the doorbell.
After a while, the door opened. Kachi stood in front of her. The sisters' appearances are very different, just like the worlds in which they live. Kachi's face is somewhat rounded, although she is not much heavier than Carol. The only similarity is their black hair, although Kachi's hair is obviously much longer.
"Hi, Carol," she said. Her tone was friendly, but without the familiar intimacy between sisters. They never argued, but they were never very close. After Carol ran away from home and joined Starfleet, they only exchanged brief greetings each year at Christmas. Other than that, they had almost no contact. There was no resentment at the time, just that they simply had nothing in common other than having the same parents. Until the birth of little Shirley changed everything. They reconnected. Carol began to have regular contact with her sister and visited her frequently while on Earth. She wants to be a good aunt.
Due to her long stay on Earth, she is now expected to visit her sister more often. But after her first visit, she realized it wasn't a good idea. The distance between the two sisters is too obvious. Therefore, Carol preferred to visit her sister occasionally and then go on small zoo or swimming trips alone with her niece.
Saying goodbye to my little niece Shirley became difficult when I learned that the Republic would be re-departing earlier than expected. She was used to her niece's company. The baby made her otherwise taciturn aunt open up. It's a wonderful feeling. It's just that she has a hard time opening up in front of other people.
"Hi Kachi," Carol responded. Then she followed her sister into the house and into the kitchen.
"You came quite unexpectedly," Kaqi said, continuing to clean up the kitchen, obviously she had just been interrupted.
Carol called before setting off to announce her arrival. Although it was a last-minute decision, she saw it as an opportunity and she wasn't sure when she would get the chance to take such a trip again. So she set off quickly, hoping she wouldn't get in trouble. But on the way, she suddenly realized that this was not very wise. So she still made a quick call. "I wanted to see you again," she explained.
Kachi paused briefly in her work and looked at her sister. "Sounds like a farewell."
"Yes," Carol said, nodding. "Our departure time has been advanced. We will leave in three days."
Kaqi nodded and continued working. "Where are you going this time?"
"Go to triangle area 859J." Carol smiled. She knew Kachi knew nothing about it. Her sister has no sense of direction in space. She just knows where to book a trip to get to her destination. She wasn't interested. She rarely leaves Earth. And it only leaves the solar system during special holidays. "We want to find out if there are Sindi people out there."
"Cindy people?" Kaqi repeated with a frown. "Never heard of it." She had no interest in history either.
Carol saw no point in continuing the conversation on this point. So she asked, "Where's Shirley?"
"She was playing in the room upstairs."
"Didn't she come down when I rang the doorbell?" Carol wondered.
"Maybe she is planning something again. Sometimes she really makes people crazy. I try to ignore her now." Kaqi replied.
"Then I'd better go take a look." Carol left where she was standing before and went upstairs. He stopped at the door of the children's room and knocked. There was some movement, and then she heard a child's voice say, "Come in."
She walked in and saw Shirley sitting on the floor, holding a doll. She looked at Carol with her big childish eyes, a smile on her face. "Aunt Carol," she called, and jumped to her feet.
Carol picked her up and hugged her tightly. Shirley is an adorable five-year-old girl with big blue eyes and dark blond hair. She is noticeably more like her father. While most people thought her face looked more like Carol's, neither of them thought so.
"I miss you so much, Auntie," Shirley exclaimed. "Did you bring me a gift?"
Carol frowned apologetically. "I'm sorry, my dear. I decided to come to see you on the spur of the moment, but I didn't have time to bring you a gift."
"It doesn't matter. What matters is that you're here," she said in the mature tone typical of a child her age. "Come, play with me." She pulled Carol to the floor and thrust the doll into her hands. "You are grandma."
"Do I look that old?" Carol said with a smile.
"No, just a grandma playing games. Because I am the mother, and you, as the grandma, are now the guests."
They played together all afternoon. First family role play, then princess games. During this period, Carol told her stories or recounted her adventures from time to time. They always spoke softly so that Kaqi wouldn't hear them. Kachi is not happy about Carol telling her daughter stories about strange places. She worries that Shirley will one day join Starfleet as well.
Of course, Shirley also has to show her aunt the new skills she's learned since their last meeting. She can now do somersaults, although it doesn't go well during the show. They laughed happily together, Carol enjoying the child's simple and clear ways. It was much more pleasant than hanging out with admirals who were conflicted and often dishonest.
When Kachi went to call them to dinner, Shirley and Carol sat cross-legged on the floor, playing with their princess and prince dolls. Shirley didn't want to eat at first, but Carol talked her into it, and they ended up sitting together at the kitchen table.
"Where is Paul?" Carol found that there were only three seats on the table.
"He called just now. They arranged an impromptu meeting. He won't be back until later."
"I was already asleep when dad came home," Shirley apparently had such an experience.
"Oh, God," Carol just sighed softly.
"Yeah, I hate it when they do that," Kachi said dryly. "We have an impromptu meeting at night. Is there anything so important that it can't wait until tomorrow? The government always emphasizes the importance of family, but companies don't seem to care. And no one can force companies to do anything."
During the meal they talked about ordinary topics. Shirley always wanted to explain everything. Carol felt like her niece was like a sponge that kept absorbing everything. It's fascinating to see how easily she learns and puts everything together. She wished she could learn so easily.
After the meal, came the most difficult moment of saying goodbye. Carol had to go back. She knelt down, took her niece's shoulders, looked at her and said, "I have to go."
Shirley nodded firmly. "You're going to fly away again, aren't you?"
"Yes." She must have felt it, because Carol hadn't mentioned going back to her yet.
"Then when will you come back?"
"I don't know yet. But when I come back to Earth again, I will be the first to see you. I promise you."
Shirley just nodded. She was trying to hold back tears. It was a wonderful thing for her to see her aunt more often these days. Now she is leaving again, and it may be months or even years before she comes back. She doesn't understand why adults often do things she doesn't understand. But she also knew there was nothing she could do. She hugged Carol and sobbed. Carol's eyes were also moist.
Kaqi looked at her sister with strange eyes. She had never seen this side of him before. Usually, Carol is very reserved and rarely shows true emotion. Her sister actually has feelings and can even cry, which is a new discovery for Kaqi.
"Come back soon," Shirley sobbed, holding her tightly as if crushing her with love.
Carol rubbed her niece's back. "I'll be back, I promise."
After a few minutes, Shirley finally let go of her. Carol stood up and kissed her niece deeply on the forehead. Then she turned and walked quickly toward the door. She wiped away tears on her way to the street. After all, no one should have seen her cry. But she couldn't do it. The flow of tears cannot be stopped.
This week flies by. Everyone was busy with work and flight preparations, and no one could tell where the time had gone. No matter how much or how fast they work, there never seems to be enough time. Time is getting tighter, but the tasks to be completed have not diminished.
Tiny and Nilfer used this week to study intensively. But as the exam day approaches, Tiny becomes more and more nervous. She eventually became indifferent to the exam. She just wanted it to be over as soon as possible.
Now it's time for the exam. She must demonstrate what she has learned. She bit her lower lip nervously. She's stuck. She had been stuck on this problem for several minutes, but her mind seemed to be blank. She was supposed to describe the historical relationship between Vulcans and Andorians before the advent of humanity. And it’s the last five hundred years of history. Although she had studied, Tiny had no interest in the past. To her, only the present and the future matter. So she just can't remember history. Especially if it has nothing to do with humans. But these are important in exams. She must know.
She looked up from the screen on her desk. In the Starfleet Academy exam room, approximately three hundred and fifty cadets took their regular exams. Tiny and Nilfer were seated next to the other graduates. After all, their graduation exams shouldn't be different from others.
From a distance, Tiny saw the curly hair of the half-Vulcan. He leaned over the screen and kept inputting data. Of course, he had no trouble with questions and exams. He will probably be No. 1 in his grade. And she wasn't sure if she would make it through. But if she fails, what next? What can she do? She doesn't know because she's never thought about it. She grew up in a world where she made ends meet by doing odd jobs. On the remote world on the edge of the Federation, civilization is not yet that advanced. So poverty, misery and violence remain. Tiny did not find a job after completing her studies. At that time, she was only thinking about how to spend tomorrow. And since she came to the Republic, she has never thought about the future, but simply enjoyed her time. But what would happen if she failed now?
What would her father think of her? She wanted him to be proud of her. But what if she fails the test? She was sure to disappoint him terribly. Even though he might not show it. How should she face him again then?
There were other officers, some of whom were her friends. What will they say? One might say it's no big deal and life will go on. But they will certainly be disappointed too. Disappointed that she failed to confirm their faith in her. Then they would set off without her.
No, this can't happen. concentrate. Everything went so smoothly at first. Well, the first few questions are easy. It may be to reduce the nervousness of the candidates. When was the Federation formed? Or who were the founding members of the Federation? These questions were easy for her, even if she wasn't interested in history. The Andorians, Terrans, Vulcans, Andorians, and humans became founding members of the Federation in 2125. About Wa
Technical problems with the p-engine or conveyor are not a problem for Tiny either. She is very gifted in technical matters and no one can easily surpass her in this area.
However, she found it difficult to deal with social issues and racial issues. Legal issues also made it difficult for her. She was just answering these questions intuitively, and she wasn't sure if they were all correct.
Tiny hoped that the theory test would be easy enough for her to pass. To make matters worse, she couldn't take the actual exam. There she could have shown her strengths. She was confident about it. After all, she had been on the Republic for half a year.
However, she has also heard about Wa
There are many rumors about the p engine test, which is part of the actual exam. No one seems to be able to pass this test. But to her, this is no longer important. Therefore, the theory test must be successful.
In addition to those factors, Tiny suffered from test stress. In practice, she can handle a lot more than she can in exams because she doesn't have to constantly feel like she's being watched by her perceived judge. Although in practice, her actions may involve lives, she is more comfortable with the pressure.
She forced herself to focus again, she had to pass the exam.
