A Stormy Transfer

Posted on Fri Apr 26th, 2024 @ 8:46am by Lieutenant Stormy Knight
Edited on on Fri Apr 26th, 2024 @ 9:38pm

688 words; about a 3 minute read

Mission: Opening Moves
Location: En Route to Utopia Planitia Ship Yards
Timeline: MD022 - 1430

Stormy sat in the lounge on Empok Nor, looking out into space. She was temporarily between postings as her last ship had developed some rather intensive power issues that would take several months to repair and she had yet to be told if she was to wait until the repairs were complete or if she'd be assigned somewhere else.
 
It wasn't an onerous task. She'd been able to travel to DS9 and now Empok Nor to look at the stations, nearby planets, and to wander through their arboretums. She liked to see what other ships and stations did with the space provided and get ideas for space utilization. She was particularly impressed with one that used holotechnology to make the space look larger. Another had some smaller rooms that were used for rare plants or experiments.
 
While she was considering where to go next, she received an incoming text message. She set her cup of cinnamon tea on its saucer and pulled out her PADD. When she saw the message, her eyes widened for a moment, then she smiled. Starfleet had decided what to do with her. The USS Thunderbird found itself in need of a new chief science officer and since she was available, she was being transferred. Immediately.
 
She nodded her head at the message. She could be ready to go in an hour or two. She wanted to visit a couple of shops on the promenade before she left and then pack…
 
And then the next message came through. “A shuttle is leaving in thirty minutes. You are to be on it.”
 
Thirty? That didn’t even give her time to pack properly, let alone visit the promenade. She sighed to herself. She was not going to argue with personnel about needing time to shop. That was a quick way to get sent to some research station or, worse, a tiny relay station. She sent back a reply that she’d be ready, paid her tab, and hurried to her temporary quarters.
 
She made it with five minutes to spare and did a sedate dance of happiness, which meant she only dared do a quick little tap with one foot. She even had time to arrange for the rest of her belongings in storage to be transferred to the shuttle—just. Thank goodness for transporters.
 
Stormy stowed her gear, found a seat in the back that might give her some peace to read, and settled in.
 
Just after the pilot boarded the shuttle, she received a message to say that all her personal belongings were safely aboard the shuttle. She took a moment to make sure it was the right shuttle as her crates had been sent on the wrong shuttle once and it took her three days to find out where they ended up. She was pleased to see that this time, they went to the right shuttle.
 
With a smile, she pulled out a book and sat back. “Hi.”
 
She looked up to see a young boy looking over the back of his seat at her. “Hi,” she replied, smiling back. “What’s your name?”
 
“My mommy said I’m not supposed to talk to strangers,” he said, clearly not considering it a rule he should follow.
 
Stormy thought he looked about five, but she wasn’t sure. “Oh. Okay. My name’s Stormy.”
 
His eyes grew wide. “Like a thunderstorm? That’s cool. I’m Brian.”
 
“You know, if you switch two of the letters around, it would spell brain,” Stormy said. She knew she shouldn’t keep talking with him, but he was too cute to ignore.
 
The boy giggled. “So, I can tell people to call me Brain. I like that.”
 
“Brian? Who are you talking to?” A woman said sharply.
 
“No one, Cindy.” He looked over his shoulder, then back to Stormy. “That’s my sister. I’d better sit down now. I'll talk to you later.” Then he turned and disappeared behind the back of the seat.
 
Stormy couldn't help grinning. This was definitely going to be an interesting flight.


Lieutenant Stormy Knight
Chief Science Officer
USS Thunderbird

 

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