07-11-2024, 11:28 PM
== Unicorn Timeline ==
Tyra had watched Calleja over the top of her coffee mug as the younger woman explained how she had strived for Chief and how much such a position meant to not only her family but also her people. Coming from Earth, it was an odd realization that something so common among Terrans, might be uncommon and even praised elsewhere.
“Normally that whole mess doesn’t register with me day to day, but it’s gonna when I make that call home. I guess it’s not really a pressure you had to deal with so much? Earth is still pumpin’ out legends, has been for a while. Now, sure. You’ve earned that respect. But did you ever have to deal with people comparin’ you to others, and people you’ve never met watchin’ how you were doin’?”
There was a glimmer of understanding and maybe, sympathy as Tyra regarded her. The redhead seemed to consider the question for a moment, swirling a mouthful of coffee before swallowing it decisively.
"I actually quite understand. I was born into what many consider a Starfleet dynasty. I don't particularly like the term -- it seems too uppity and as if we haven't sacrificed more than our fair share for that damn uniform -- but it's not a lie. I don't know how far back I'd have to go to find a generation without at least one service member."
Tyra tilted her slightly, inadvertantly sending stray strands of hair into her face which she had to bat away. "From birth, the assumption was I would serve and it was already assumed I would be a great tactician like my father or a skilled surgeon like my mother, despite my father wanting anything but service for me."
"So imagine the attention garnered when I rebeled and not only entered the Academy but did so at the far too young age of 16. Within the circles we ran, all eyes were on me. And it was brutal. 16 already is too young but 16 with the weight of the world was suffocating. I almost dropped out my first semester but was convinced to merely move from engineering to security."
She made the tiniest of snorts as if the move had been anything but beneficial. "The pressure did seem to go down initially but then, a different pressure emerged. See my aunt, Katherine, was the gold standard of security officers. If I have managed to be half the officer and leader she was, I'll consider my career a success and being in the same field as her meant comparison. And how do you compare a 16 year old cadet to a decorated war hero? Not in my favor for sure."
"However, instead of trying to shield me from it, she gave me two pieces of advice that maybe can help you: 1) Find a handful of people whose opinions you trust and **** everyone else's opinion. 2) Never make a decision because it's what everyone expects, even if it means going against grain. It's not worth sacrificing your moral compass to please everyone else."
"And while it sucked at times, it worked. I'm my own person with my own history and career because I was willing to step out of her shadow while also understanding she paved the way for me in more ways than one."
"Maybe you just need to acknowledge the benefit gained from your predecessor while also making sure it's known you are your own person with your own path to make."
== Tag ==
Tyra had watched Calleja over the top of her coffee mug as the younger woman explained how she had strived for Chief and how much such a position meant to not only her family but also her people. Coming from Earth, it was an odd realization that something so common among Terrans, might be uncommon and even praised elsewhere.
“Normally that whole mess doesn’t register with me day to day, but it’s gonna when I make that call home. I guess it’s not really a pressure you had to deal with so much? Earth is still pumpin’ out legends, has been for a while. Now, sure. You’ve earned that respect. But did you ever have to deal with people comparin’ you to others, and people you’ve never met watchin’ how you were doin’?”
There was a glimmer of understanding and maybe, sympathy as Tyra regarded her. The redhead seemed to consider the question for a moment, swirling a mouthful of coffee before swallowing it decisively.
"I actually quite understand. I was born into what many consider a Starfleet dynasty. I don't particularly like the term -- it seems too uppity and as if we haven't sacrificed more than our fair share for that damn uniform -- but it's not a lie. I don't know how far back I'd have to go to find a generation without at least one service member."
Tyra tilted her slightly, inadvertantly sending stray strands of hair into her face which she had to bat away. "From birth, the assumption was I would serve and it was already assumed I would be a great tactician like my father or a skilled surgeon like my mother, despite my father wanting anything but service for me."
"So imagine the attention garnered when I rebeled and not only entered the Academy but did so at the far too young age of 16. Within the circles we ran, all eyes were on me. And it was brutal. 16 already is too young but 16 with the weight of the world was suffocating. I almost dropped out my first semester but was convinced to merely move from engineering to security."
She made the tiniest of snorts as if the move had been anything but beneficial. "The pressure did seem to go down initially but then, a different pressure emerged. See my aunt, Katherine, was the gold standard of security officers. If I have managed to be half the officer and leader she was, I'll consider my career a success and being in the same field as her meant comparison. And how do you compare a 16 year old cadet to a decorated war hero? Not in my favor for sure."
"However, instead of trying to shield me from it, she gave me two pieces of advice that maybe can help you: 1) Find a handful of people whose opinions you trust and **** everyone else's opinion. 2) Never make a decision because it's what everyone expects, even if it means going against grain. It's not worth sacrificing your moral compass to please everyone else."
"And while it sucked at times, it worked. I'm my own person with my own history and career because I was willing to step out of her shadow while also understanding she paved the way for me in more ways than one."
"Maybe you just need to acknowledge the benefit gained from your predecessor while also making sure it's known you are your own person with your own path to make."
== Tag ==