abstract
| - After four tough years at the Academy, Ivah Clark had graduated. She was finally going to get back into deep-space and posted to a starship. A starship that she would serve aboard -- the USS Aurora. After Ivah finished packing a few things from her quarters at the Academy, Ivah went to the Academy Transport Hanger. The PADD that was issued to her said that the Shuttlecraft Granger was the shuttle for cadets going to the Aurora. While walking in the hangerbay trying to find the shuttle, a cheerful man, probably about in his thirties, came up to Ivah and greeted her with a question. "Ivah, is it?" the man asked. "Um... yeah," replied Ivah, "how did you know that?" "Oh, don't ask that." he said in a playful voice. Moments went by and then he spoke again, "So, you look like you need help." "Well, --- can you help me find the Shuttlecraft Granger?" "Follow me." he directed. He asked another question as they walked, "So are you excited to finally serve aboard a starship?" "Yes, --- very excited." she replied. "Great! So what starship are you being posted too?" "The USS Aurora." "Great ship, Galaxy class too. Who's your captain?" "I don't know." "Oh, come on Ivah, how can you be excited about this and not know your captain's name?" "I -- I'll will figure it out though." Ivah retorted. They came up to the Shuttlecraft Granger. "Here's the shuttle." he pointed. "Thank you, um --- wait what's your name?" "It's Matthan." he said, walking away. Ivah walked into the Shuttlecraft Granger carrying her Starfleet issue suitcase and a PADD. She was also a little preoccupied by the encounter she just had. Then she picked a chair to sit in noticing that she was the only one being recruited to the Aurora. A few minutes later a lieutenant came into the shuttle, walked passed her and sat in the pilot's chair. He tapped his combadge. "We're ready to take off, Commander." said the pilot. "Yes, lieutenant." stated the voice though the combadge. Ivah thought to herself for a moment, "Wait, --- that voice?" The commander walked into the shuttle and Ivah noticed who it was. It was the same person she just encountered minutes ago. Ivah quickly looked away. Ivah began pondering on what she had said to the commander earlier. The commander walked over to the co-pilot's chair and sat down. He smiled slightly. "Set a course for Aurora and make it so, Lieutenant." said the Commander. "Already laid in, sir." said the pilot. The Granger quickly began gaining altitude. Ivah looked out the only window at the front of the shuttle and watched the sky soon change to the beautiful darkness of space. The commander came over to Ivah. "Well Lieutenant, it looks like your the only recruit from the Academy going to Aurora. Trust me, that was not an accident, the captain always hand picks his recruits." The commander walked back to the co-pilot's chair. Ivah got a glance of the Aurora from her seat. As the Aurora got closer, and closer, the detail of the starship became easier to see. The ship was massive, schematics didn't do justice. The Granger began maneuvering toward Shuttlebay Two. As the bay got closer, it seemed to engulf them. The shuttle didn't even rock as it landed. A few minutes after landing, the commander told Ivah that the captain wanted to to she her in his Ready Room. The captain's Ready Room was like all the other Ready Rooms aboard Galaxy class starships. The only thing different to it was that it was personalized to the captain's specific likings. The captain stood behind his desk. He looked like a really nice person. He had brownish, gray hair along with a serious, yet unserious face. He had a few starship castings in his ready room along with a few, what looked like Bajoran, Klingon, Human, and Andorian artifacts, along with one other unknown one. Ivah was asked to sit down on the couch at the far right of the room. He asked a question, "So Lieutenant Clark, how do you feel about being aboard Aurora? "Excited, sir." The captain walked around a little. "Good Lieutenant, because I assure you that being a Starfleet Officer will be the best time of your life." The captain gave a small smile and walked into the sideroom of his Ready Room. He tapped a command into the Replicator. A dish of Ivah's favorite ice cream replicate. The captain brought it to her. The captain spoke again, "I hear you're quite fond of chocolate and toffee covered coffee ice-cream." he handed her the bowl. "Yes, it would have to be one of my favorite desserts, sir." The captain gave a cheerful smile. The captain asked another question to Ivah, "So do you think you know why I picked you?" "Well I was thinking that it might be because of my good Astrometrics abilities." Ivah replied. "Yes, but there's something else." "Well then, -- I don't know, sir." "I picked you, Lieutenant, because your story is like many other's who I have recruited." he continued slowly, "You grew up in a religious family and was told by your parents not to join Starfleet. Still, you joined Starfleet and rose above what your parents said was right, so I recruited you not only to get a good Astrometrics officer who made lieutenant in four-years, but to tell you that you can still believe in Christ without having the religious part of it. So do you believe in a savior?" "Well, -- yeah, a little, but I haven't really thought about it in so long that I don't think I would be good enough to be able to be saved." "Ivah, things are changing, -- in you and Federation; Jesus didn't come down to earth to create a new religion, --- He came down to start a movement. Love was that movement." Ivah doesn't really decide to accept Christ into her life, but the conversation did "plant a seed" of truth that may begin to grow someday. As for the Movement, this is where Star Trek: The Movement gets it's name. When Jesus came down, He wasn't trying to create a religious movement, he was trying to create a Love movement.
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