07-02-2024, 01:42 AM
"So what do you think?" The real estate agent couldn't help but look hopeful; evidently the house had been listed for a while, and she wanted someone to take it so that the SHSP wouldn't have to keep up the maintenance. Earth was a post-scarcity world where people weren't supposed to care about things like money, but that didn't mean that maintenance, repairs, and other expenses that came with a home magically vanished. Someone had to do them, and those someones expected to be compensated.
Robin had known the house was small, but caught herself before she commented. Compared to the ranch house she'd grown up in the house was a cracker box. One and a half bedrooms, a single bathroom, and a kitchen that opened up to the living room with a bar table. A good-sized front porch and a screened back porch for whiling away the evenings. There was a utility closet with a washer/dryer, and outside was a shed for things like mowers. The nurse wondered if the home even came with a lawn care drone.
But she liked it. It was cozy, and she'd basically lived in tiny spaces for years now. Her quarters on the Artemis were the largest space she'd had since running away from the colony, and that was only because she was a privileged department head. Most crew had to make due with a single room, often with a shared common area. And her quarters on the Triple Seven had been less than 120 square feet.
"I like it. Especially the view." Which was amazing, looking out over forested hills and the Appalachians in the distance. There were still roads here used for ground vehicles and bikes, several nature trails nearby, and farms nearby. "I'm just not sure I need it. I'll be away most of the time and the place is going to sit empty. I kinda feel bad about that."
"Don't, sweetie." The agent's drawl was thick, so much like Iota Tau that Robin felt a twinge of undeserved nostalgia. She'd hated Iota Tau. It was dry and barren, hot and barely inhabited. And so stifling to her enhanced mind that she could feel the boredom even now. This place was so green. "That's what our program is for. No one should have to spend their entire life in a metal box. Even if you're only here a couple weeks a year having a place to call home can give you some stability. And the good Lord knows that people in Starfleet need that."
Robin considered. The house not having a replicator didn't bother her. She still did laundry even on the Artemis, unlike most crew. She could cook, and the place did have an old-fashioned refrigerator. Despite its older nature it still had complete access to Earth's information and entertainment grid, or would if she hooked up a holotable. It was a fifteen-minute walk to town where there were replicators and transporters, and that thought made the young woman very interested.
All of Earth would be open to her. Lunch in Paris, a spa session in Tokyo, dinner in orbit, and sleep in her own bed at the end of the day. Endless places to explore. And Earth was centrally located, so returning to duty after shore leave wouldn't take so long, especially with the high-speed shuttles that took passengers around the Federation.
Well? What am I waiting for? This is a free home. What am I going to do, say 'no?'
"Y'know, I think I'll take it."
The agent grinned. "Thought you would, sweetie. I'll have the paperwork sent over this evening." She reached into her bag and took out a small envelope. "Here are the house keycards, though it can be set to biometric access if you like. This area is the type of place where you don't have to lock your doors, really. Just be careful of bears; don't leave food out." That got a laugh out of the nurse. She knew the drill. Kravyk cats on Iota Tau were the same way... but they'd occasionally hunted humans. "Anyway, dearie, I'll leave you to it. You have my comm number, so call if you have any problems, and we'll talk tonight." She let herself out, not in the least worried about leaving the odd young woman alone in the empty house.
Home.
Robin had known the house was small, but caught herself before she commented. Compared to the ranch house she'd grown up in the house was a cracker box. One and a half bedrooms, a single bathroom, and a kitchen that opened up to the living room with a bar table. A good-sized front porch and a screened back porch for whiling away the evenings. There was a utility closet with a washer/dryer, and outside was a shed for things like mowers. The nurse wondered if the home even came with a lawn care drone.
But she liked it. It was cozy, and she'd basically lived in tiny spaces for years now. Her quarters on the Artemis were the largest space she'd had since running away from the colony, and that was only because she was a privileged department head. Most crew had to make due with a single room, often with a shared common area. And her quarters on the Triple Seven had been less than 120 square feet.
"I like it. Especially the view." Which was amazing, looking out over forested hills and the Appalachians in the distance. There were still roads here used for ground vehicles and bikes, several nature trails nearby, and farms nearby. "I'm just not sure I need it. I'll be away most of the time and the place is going to sit empty. I kinda feel bad about that."
"Don't, sweetie." The agent's drawl was thick, so much like Iota Tau that Robin felt a twinge of undeserved nostalgia. She'd hated Iota Tau. It was dry and barren, hot and barely inhabited. And so stifling to her enhanced mind that she could feel the boredom even now. This place was so green. "That's what our program is for. No one should have to spend their entire life in a metal box. Even if you're only here a couple weeks a year having a place to call home can give you some stability. And the good Lord knows that people in Starfleet need that."
Robin considered. The house not having a replicator didn't bother her. She still did laundry even on the Artemis, unlike most crew. She could cook, and the place did have an old-fashioned refrigerator. Despite its older nature it still had complete access to Earth's information and entertainment grid, or would if she hooked up a holotable. It was a fifteen-minute walk to town where there were replicators and transporters, and that thought made the young woman very interested.
All of Earth would be open to her. Lunch in Paris, a spa session in Tokyo, dinner in orbit, and sleep in her own bed at the end of the day. Endless places to explore. And Earth was centrally located, so returning to duty after shore leave wouldn't take so long, especially with the high-speed shuttles that took passengers around the Federation.
Well? What am I waiting for? This is a free home. What am I going to do, say 'no?'
"Y'know, I think I'll take it."
The agent grinned. "Thought you would, sweetie. I'll have the paperwork sent over this evening." She reached into her bag and took out a small envelope. "Here are the house keycards, though it can be set to biometric access if you like. This area is the type of place where you don't have to lock your doors, really. Just be careful of bears; don't leave food out." That got a laugh out of the nurse. She knew the drill. Kravyk cats on Iota Tau were the same way... but they'd occasionally hunted humans. "Anyway, dearie, I'll leave you to it. You have my comm number, so call if you have any problems, and we'll talk tonight." She let herself out, not in the least worried about leaving the odd young woman alone in the empty house.
Home.