A Cloud of Gas

Posted on Sun Oct 12th, 2014 @ 9:09pm by Commander Eliana Masters & Commodore Kathleen O'Shea

Mission: Bloodpath
Location: Flight Operations
Timeline: After the events of "A Helping Hand"

A pulsating, teal dot made its way across one of the high resolution displays in the Flight Ops office. Of course, it was far from a strenuous test of the graphical capabilities in the room, but what that dot represented could not have been more important to the station, Taranok IV, and all the people associated with them.

"What's the ETA?" Masters doodled a sketch on some scrap paper as she waited.

"Latest reports have the Chesapeake arriving within the next three hours. Our sensors should be able to start making more detailed scans once she gets a little closer. See if there's anything they might've missed on the list of work they have for us." The yardmaster emitted a low whistle.

"Yeah, about that," Eliana threw the list up onto the big display in her office. "You know, for a ship that's been away from base for about six weeks, they've managed to break a lot of stuff."

"Have you seen this ship?"

"No, why?"

"Nebulas are, well, as big as nebulae when you really think about it."

"Oh very clever. Look, I almost laughed," Masters deadpanned, then smiled.

"We're all very clever in the yard. Alright, I've got a few birds to reshuffle if we're going to make room for this thing. I'm off."

"Until next time Chief," Masters waved goodbye before putting her pen away and working through the list of modifications and repair work that needed to be accomplished. It was a trade of sorts - the ship would get resupplied but be responsible for extending the station's sphere of influence.

In her mind, Captain Glover was taking a bit of a risk by accepting the deal. It was almost as if he wanted his ship permanently assigned to the sector. There were worse places to be stuck, but frontier life was not for everyone. She could barely comprehend spending more than a few decades out here, but then again, having family close by made everything a bit more tolerable.

"Right, now, how are we going to keep the maximum number of people busy for the maximum amount of time?" Masters glanced over the roster. Her train of thought was interrupted by the sound of the proximity alert. The Chesapeake was arriving ahead of schedule.

"Masters to O'Shea"

'You got her. What's up?'

"Commodore, the Chesapeake has arrived slightly ahead of schedule. Work will begin in the near future. Is there anything you would like to be kept apprised on?"

"Routine status updates...anything else as needed. They should be transferring their fighters off as well to accompany a flight. I've already discussed this with Glover so they should be up to date. Notify Commander Oda that her escort has arrived, and as soon as the transports are ready they can depart for Taranok IV."

"Done and done, I'll keep you updated. The linemen promise a relatively quick turn, so if they come asking for a little extra time off, tell them I said I'm sorry. I'm off to the external docking ports now, Masters out."

Ellie's statement was a partial truth. The entirety of it was that she still liked to gawk at starships whenever she got the chance, so the observation deck near the docking ports was her intermediate destination. Most of her previous assignments had been on starships and oddly enough, that was the one place where most people never got to appreciate the design and the vastness of engineering.

The hum of the turbolift diminished and the sound of her boots hitting the deck plating resumed. For her size, Masters took long strides and covered larger distances at a walking pace than most might assume. However, what the casual observer would not be able to recognize was that with every step, she was forgetting the decades of service and the job at hand until she was just a kid again - nose pressed up against the glass, staring in awe as the slow pulse of the Chesapeake's strobe lights illuminated the docking area.

Masters looked to the side. There was another girl there, standing and staring just like she was. It was one of those moments that was seemingly insignificant, but the circumstances aligned in such a way that she made another memory. With an easy smile, Ellie walked away from the window.

Moments like this kept the kid in her alive.

OFF:

Commodore Kathleen O'Shea
Commanding Officer
Starbase 80

Commander Eliana Masters
Director of Flight Operations
Starbase 80