Transfer Approved

Posted on Tue May 12th, 2020 @ 12:04am by
Edited on on Fri Jun 12th, 2020 @ 1:46am

794 words; about a 4 minute read

Mission: Mission 2 - Encounters of a First Kind
Location: Deck 9
Timeline: 2168/07/28 1000

Nick Kincaid has received the approval he sought. Captain on his side, he took some time to handle the paperwork and make sure everything was in order. Not that there was anyone at Starfleet Command who would receive the notification, but the process would make sure that Serenity Hayes, his new Assistant Chief Engineer, had appropriate access rights and authorities.

Now that everything was sorted, he wanted to tell her in person. She wasn’t on duty, and wasn’t in her quarters, but he knew that she could almost certainly be found in ‘their’ spot.

The Sweet Spot of the Horizon was on deck 9, about halfway between the bow plate and the artificial gravity generator. It was a gravitational dead space on the ship, where one could float a bit and sit inverted on the ceiling. During the previous year, Nick and Ser had scoured the ship to find it, and eventually found it in the superstructure of the ship. It was big enough to accommodate the two of them comfortably, so they would often sit quietly, read, draw, or just talk.

He climbed through the access panel that they’d loosened months earlier, crawled a bit, and looked up to the ceiling. He wasn’t surprised to see Serenity on the ceiling.

With her long blonde hair pulled up into an untidy knot, she sat upside down, wedged into a corner, while she drew from memory into her sketchbook. One of many that she had filled over the years, every page was filled on both sides with memories and thoughts of her day to day. At the moment, she was working on an image of the worm, rearing up, mouth opened, as it turned toward their shuttle.

She didn't need to look to know who had entered but she did so anyway. Downplaying her abilities had become second-nature to her after so many years of 'escaping notice' first on Earth and then in Starfleet. She smiled in his direction and while she waited for him to join her, used the time to insert the pen into a pocket and let the sketchbook float up to the ceiling beside her.

After carefully positioning himself on the deck, Nick gently launched himself up and was caught in the Sweet Spot. His direction and speed controlled by a well practiced push, he floated up, caught himself on the ceiling, and turned himself around so he was sitting upside down next to her. “Good news,” he said with a smile. “Your transfer was approved. Welcome to the team, Assistant Chief Engineer Hayes.”

"Thank you." Her smile was quick and heartfelt. "Engineering had always been my first choice," she said, "just weren't as many open spots when I came out of the Academy." She left the rest unspoken. The atmosphere on the Bridge was uncomfortable at best especially for a telepath.

“Well, we go where they send us,” Nick observed, “and someone thought you were best placed in communications when we launched. But out here, I can disagree with Command. Truth is, we need people who can make sure this ship runs properly. And no linguist has ever heard a language from this part of the universe. You’re great at comms, but right now, you’re better in my engine room. Thankfully the Captain agreed.”

He looked at her sketchbook. "What are you working on today?"

"The worm," she said as she turned toward the sketchbook and drew it down. She pushed past crowded pages that reflected crew members, some busy at work, others smirking at someone walking by, and a few bleakly staring into space as they contemplated their new reality, there was a view of art supplies sitting in a Jeffries tube, tired engineers huddled over coffee in the Mess Hall and finally to the worm that reared up, ready to attack.

Nick looked at it and nodded. "That's how I remember it, too. God, that was an awful day. I'm glad you were with me down there, though." He smiled as a thought came into his head. "If you're Assistant Chief Engineer, then you'll be on fewer landing missions, but if they're all like this, then that might be good for you."

Serenity shrugged, just a slight lift of the shoulders, as she said. "You're the boss now. I'll do what needs to be done."

“Ser?” Nick asked, his voice becoming a bit softer. “Is everything alright?”

"Yes," she said, her voice dropping as well, softer, more intimate. "I suppose. Its just not what I expected, you know? But I'll adjust. One way or the other."

“What isn’t what you expected?” he asked, his voice matching her softer timbre. Then he smiled. “Working for me not the dream come true you expected?”

 

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