Crewman Bryant was in his second year in Starfleet when his grandfather died.
He felt so bad that he could not go home for the funeral. He was out of Sector 001 and even if he could find transport, it would take him at least a week to get home to Earth. So, he did the best he could do. Although he
was not a religous man, he looked for a Roman Catholic bible in the data base of the USS San Antonio and prayed for his grandfather. He knew that his grandfather, who had adhered to this centuries old faith would be happy that he did that.
His grandfather was an eccentric man, a collector of sorts. And for reasons that Crewman Bryant cannot explain, his grandfather collected 20th century mannequins. Of course, those are antiques now, and worth a fortune even by the 24th century standards wherein the concept of money was different from the 20th century when the mannequins were manufactured. Crewman Bryant remembers how his grandfather doted on his collection, dressing them like dolls, putting them on an environmentally controlled room to deter the ravages of time. He was not his grandfather's favorite. In fact, it was his youngest sister who was the favored one. That was the reason why Crewman Bryant was so surprised when he was told that the prize collection was given to him by his grandfather. There was one codicil on the will though. It stated that Bryant has to have the mannequins in his possession for a year before he could decide to dispose them if he wanted.
As the mannequins were uncrated, there were oohs and aahs from the cargo crew. As Bryant expected, the mannequins were dressed exquisitely. When the last crate was opened, Bryant realized that there were no clothes sent with the mannequins. He expected that too. There was no more room in his quarters nor in the crates to include the hundreds of pieces of clothes that the mannequins own. One by one, Bryant brought the mannequins to his quarters, placing them carefully in each corner that he had assigned each of them. Since the poses are different, he had designed them to interact. Two of the mannequins were sitting and he made them face each other on the dining table, leaving two chairs empty for him to use. Nine of them were easily placed, except one which was on a lounging pose, and either she stayed on his bed or on the couch. Bryant decided that he can move her around, put her on the couch at nighttime when he sleeps, and on the bed during the day so that he can use his couch.
As days passed, Bryant realized that he needed to change the clothes of the mannequins. He gets tired looking at them in the same outfit. But, his replication ration for clothing is not enough. So, everytime the ship made a planetfall or go to a starbase, Bryant would buy material to make clothes for the mannequins. In the ship database, he found a 22nd century design of a sewing machine. He replicated it so that he can sew clothes. And again, from the ship data base, he looked into fashion history and looked at the clothes during the 20th century. So, the names Giorgio Armani, Tom Ford, John Galliano, Calvin Klein and Ralph Lauren became familiar to Bryant. He studied their designs and copied them.
As a result, Bryant's social life grew and expanded. His quarters became the unofficial meeting place of people and every Friday, there would be a party at his place, people dropping by casually, making it into a soiree. The Captain noticed the influx of people to Bryant's quarters. And Bryant knew that sooner or later, the Captain would call him to his ready room. He dreaded that day. And when the summons came, Bryant was ready to tell the Captain that he would stop, that he would send his mannequins back to earth on the next available transport. "Well, Crewman Bryant, I think both you and I know that your mannequins are a hit in the ship." "Yes, Captain. Thank you. I understand. I will send the mannequins back to Earth on the next available transport I can find."
"Sir?" Bryant cannot believe what he was hearing. "You heard right Crewman," the Captain smiled. "So, before I change my mind, I think you better bring your collection to the Rec Room. Dismissed." When Bryant left the Captain's ready room, he still cannot believe what had transpired. When he visited the Rec Room, he found the Engineering Crew there, setting environmental controls for the mannequins. "Thank you," was all that Bryant can say. When Bryant returned to his quarters, he looked at his 10 mannequins and smiled. He realized how much richer his life had been since they arrived. He had made more friends, the ship captain even noticed him, and he found his artistic side that he never knew. "Thank you, to all of you," Bryant told the girls. And, as he dismantled the mannequins to move them, he finally understood his grandfather's fascination with these 20th century beauties.
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
And that was the reason why Bryant was in Cargo Bay 4 that day, waiting for his 10 mannequins to be uncrated. He had to ask permission from the Captain to have all 10 of them aboard the ship. Quarters for a very junior crewmember was very small, so he had to show the captain that he could house all 10 mannequins in his quarters and still have living space available.
Other crewmembers of the ship were very curious about his inheritance and almost every night, Bryant would have company, people that he only casually know come to see him with different excuses. Even the Captain dropped by. But, at least he was honest with his intentions. He told him outright that he wanted to see these museum pieces.
One by one, the mannequins changed their clothes. Bryant spent
his off hours either sewing clothes or looking at the ship's data base for clothes designs.
Bryant also noticed that as he changes the clothes of his mannequins, crewmembers make an excuse to visit his quarters. Bryant always graciously accept them and show his collection to them.
The Captain laughed. "What? Send them back and deprive the crew of enjoyment of a work of art? Crewman, I don't want you to send them back. In
fact, I called you here to tell you that you can move the mannequins to bigger quarters. The Rec Room is empty at the moment and seldom used. So, if you would like to move your mannequins there and set-up your workshop there, you are welcome. Of course, the string attached to that is you will have to show them to everyone on the ship and those visitors who would want to view them."
