Title: With Stars in Their Eyes
Author:
lunar47Prompt: April Showers Prompt 14: pictures of wheelbarrows
Fandom: Star Trek (TNG, VOY and New Frontier)
Character(s)/Pairing(s): Boothby
Genre: Gen
Rating & Warnings: PG
Word Count: 333
Summary: Boothby does some gardening.
Boothby kneels in the soft dirt, his knobby knees creaking, and picks up a potted rose bush from the wheelbarrow by his side. He eases the mass of matted roots and dirt from the container and transfers the plant to the hole he made in the ground. As he gently fills in the surrounding area with soil a ball flies past him, hitting the side of his wheelbarrow.
“Damn kids, watch where you’re throwing those things.” He mutters while giving them a dirty look.
They look apologetic while retrieving their ball. Boothby shakes his head and goes back to tending the rose bushes. His thoughts travel to all the passing students around him.
He remembers them all, believe it or not. They usually fall into two categories: the legacies and those fresh off the boat (or shuttlepad if you want to be more specific). The legacies, those whose families are rich in Starfleet tradition, are cocky during their first week. They think they own the place. But a week, two weeks go by and they realize they’re just as green as those without Starfleet blood.
He remembers a young woman a few years back, blond, ambitious and a legacy who surprisingly didn’t know who he was. She had boyfriend troubles. She thought she was unique, her boyfriend being a warlord from a different planet. But her problems were just like so many others, just in a unique packaging.
There was also another young lady who liked his roses. He knew back then she would go far in life. He just didn’t think it would be as far as the Delta Quadrant.
And then there was Jean Luc Picard. Well known by all Starfleet officers and those attending the Academy.
There are so many young fresh faces coming in and out of this place each year, each hoping to make a difference in the galaxy. And he would be here for as long as his heart holds out, doling advice to those in need.