Juliet Oscar Bravo
Posted on Fri Aug 9th, 2019 @ 7:23am by
Mission:
For Whom The Bell Tolls
Location: USS Majestic, Flight Operations Office
Timeline: MD05, 1530, Prior to "My Galley!"
1068 words - 2.1 OF Standard Post Measure
Two members of the Majestic's Flight Control department sat around a small table, doing their absolute best to fend off the effects of a mid-afternoon lull. Lieutenant Sullivan kept herself spinning in her swiveling office chair, pushing off of the deck plating every few seconds or so to keep her momentum going. It was the first duty shift she had taken on a starship in twenty months. The revolving door of faces coming to meet the new department head had been slow but consistent since alpha shift began seven and a half hours ago.
Hers was a small department. The designers at Utopia Planetia hadn't even officially given the pilots any administrative space on any of the ship's fifteen decks. Being smaller in size, space was already at a premium aboard the Majestic. The end result? A small storage room attached to the shuttlebay control room was repurposed for the pilot's use. A small table, a few chairs, and a wall mounted display were the only furnishings in the room. Spartan accommodations, but workable.
The final order of business before taking a well deserved break was to manage the roster of pilots available to the Majestic. Luckily for Sullivan, it had already been set by the interim department head and required only a few minor adjustments. Most of the pilots' preferences had been fulfilled by the computer's scheduling software algorithm, but the odd junior officer was still on the hook for a double gamma shift from time to time. Lily was prepared for the complaints. It was part of the territory of dealing with this many type-A personalities in the same department, but it paled in comparison to the hemming and hawing required to get a fighter wing to fall in line and agree to a schedule.
At least, that was her hope.
"...and schedules will be posted soon, don't worry, I didn't come here to flip everyone's routine upside down. It's mostly the same, I just had to fit myself into the alpha shift bridge rotation. Not that there's a lot to do at the moment."
"Yeah, 'cruise control' as humans would say."
"So the plan is to keep the reserves for the bridge on a long callout. Same goes for the support craft people, we're not going to be using any shuttles for a while, so let 'em enjoy the break."
"Understood, ma'am, anything else?"
"Oh, just give it a minute, I'm sure there will be."
"Oh, well would you look at that. Lieutenant, you have another visitor."
"Ah wonderful, send them on in Oron," Sullivan replied flatly to the departmental aide that had been working alongside her for most of the day. Looking up towards the entryway, a member of Operations stepped inside and took a quick glance around, his gold accents joining the rainbow of uniforms that had walked through the door that day.
"Hello Ensign, not often we get a visitor from Operations, how may we help you?" Lily offered a lazy, mid-afternoon smile as she leaned against the end of the table.
"Ma'am, I've been sent to tell you that the remainder of your belongings from the Gatineau have cleared inspection and have been transferred to your quarters. Lieutenant Vannan apologizes for the delay."
"Finally! Some good news, thank you," she replied, breathing a sigh of relief. "But you didn't have to come all this way just to tell me that, did you? Was there something else?" Lily stretched her arms above her head, muffling a yawn with her shoulder. In her periphery, she noticed his eyes wandering across her uniform, lingering in places that left little doubt about why he had "volunteered" to deliver the message in person.
"Something the matter with my uniform, Ensign?" she glanced in his direction.
"Uh, sorry Lieutenant, no," a startled response. He avoided making eye contact.
"Right, well, if that's all," she smirked knowingly, "have a nice day."
The doors slid to a close behind the departing crewman before Sullivan burst out into laughter and turned to her Andorian counterpart. "The more things change, the more they stay the same - boys will be boys," she muttered, words dripping with annoyance. "Kid about fainted when I looked at him."
"Yeah, and he wasn't the first one today either," Oron gave a single nod.
"Eh, whatever," Lily motioned in no particular direction. "Humanity has been evolving for millennia, but men sort of plateaued a while ago. We're still just apes under all of this glossy exterior."
"Mmm," he grunted. Whether he was in agreement or not was up for interpretation. Over the past few hours, the Andorian's energy level had fallen precipitously and with it had gone the effort in his replies.
"Geeze, tough crowd," she grinned at her colleague. "Alright, fair enough. It's been a long day and you're tired of my s---, I get it. Thanks for your help today Oron, couldn't do it without you."
"Nor I without you. Your existence gives my life meaning and purpose."
Sullivan blinked. She tried to stifle a laugh, which only had the effect of amplifying the hysterics once she finally cracked. The corner of the stone-faced Andorian's lips turned ever so slightly upwards into a grin.
"Ah, see! Got a smile out of you!" Lily fist-pumped as she exited the room, voice trailing off as she left the room and disappeared around the corner. "You're alright Oron, I don't care what anybody says!"
Stomach growling, Lily decided to make a beeline straight for the mess. Oddly, something about the previous night's dinner had not been up to the usual standard. Judging by the reactions of her colleagues, she wasn't the only one with that perception. Tray after tray of the chef's food went uneaten as people opted for the replicator instead.
For Sullivan, her day's work was winding down, and beta shift would soon be responsible for the bridge. Interacting with members of her department had eased some of the uncertainty she had about transferring to the Majestic. Conflict and challenges were sure to come, but by all indications the crew was more than capable of handling them. But for now, the only challenge on her mind was dinner.
Making a mental note to try and speak with the chef, Lily boarded a turbolift.
"Deck nine."
Lieutenant Lily Sullivan
CFCO
