Running Dry

Posted on Wed Dec 5th, 2018 @ 12:09am by Commodore Jane Saulitis

Mission: Run Afoul
Location: Various corridors/ Lounge
Timeline: MD 3 1900 Hours
1264 words - 2.5 OF Standard Post Measure

Brushing a strand of hair that had come untucked from her bun, Jane sighed as she walked back towards her quarters from the holodeck. She hated running and didn't know what had possessed her to try it tonight. Now she would certainly sore tomorrow, she felt completely worn out and wasn't getting any of the benefits yet from the workout. In fact she felt worse than when she'd started and her throat was terribly dry. A quick stop at the lounge should be allowed, shouldn't it?

There were few things more frustrating than a ship on it's maiden voyage thought Ensign Jenkins as he was finally able to pull himself away from his work. The operations officer had developed a knack for setting up starships once they left the station, the factory defaults for almost every starship were never meant to function in the real world. The short version of his story was that he hated his job, it was always such a struggle to untangle the systems in order to get them to work how they were needed. Almost barging into the Captain, he apologized, "So sorry, Captain. It has been one of those days."

"It's all right, Ensign . . ." It took Jane a moment for her brain to switch subjects and find the right name, but she prided herself on knowing just about everyone on her first ship. "Jenkins." He looked a bit out of sorts. "Are you all right?"

"Just keeping myself busy, getting the new ship space worthy," Jordan replied as he mustered a smile. "What about.. how are you, Captain?" he asked as he almost forgot his manners.

"Fine," she answered. It was the expected answer and what most everyone used when asked the questions, whether it was true or not. "Tired," she admitted. "Thirsty." Jane finally added. "Care for something?" She allowed herself a small smile wondering if that would freak him out, sitting at the same table with his commanding officer.

"I have to... sure, that would be lovely," Jordan replied. He had actually wanted to be alone, but when the Captain asks, you had better join. "What do you recommend, ma'am?"

"I don't drink much so you're probably not going to like my recommendations. But I've never objected to others indulging. Tonight I think I'll just stick with one of my usual habits, an iced Terellian tea. I love the spice that gets added to it. It's about as close as I get to adventurous." Jane picked a table and sat down with her face towards the exit so she could see who was coming and going.

Giving a shrug, Jordan replied, "I think that will be two of those." Feeling the need to explain himself a bit, the operations officer added, "I can get called upon at any time, it's become a habit not to drink anything while I'm on a starship."

Jane smiled. "Of course. How are you settling in since coming aboard?" She knew she shouldn't talk about work in such a setting but it was what most people expected. Asking personal questions was a startling to junior crew members though she was tempted to do so in this case.

"This is the busiest part, settling in comes later. New ships always need the most..." Jordan then trailed off. He was about to explain the situation to the Captain as though she were just some stranger who knew nothing about starships. "Give it a few more days and things will be more cooperative."

"No," Jane said still smiling. "I really want to know what's on your mind. Ignore the pips, we're in the lounge. I'm just an ear." She crossed her legs and leaned back in the chair as if the image of her getting more comfortable was going to make any difference in him wanting to tell her things.

Stepping back his statement a bit, Jordan reassured the Captain, "It really isn't a big issue. All new launches are like this, the factory specifications don't always agree with the real life needs of a ship. It takes some time to calibrate the systems to the ship, and there are some who find it hard to accept."

"I'm not recording this," Jane couldn't help but laugh. "That's one thing I miss about being in command, being able to actually get into the bowls of the ship and assist with repairs and refits. Not that I did a whole lot of that as a pilot, I always liked helping out though. I'm afraid if I did that now I'd probably give Mr. Murphy a heart attack."

Chuckling a bit as he fought the urge to ask the Captain to refrain from helping, Jordan took a sip from his drink to calm himself. "You're probably needed elsewhere anyway," he responded as a joke. However, there was some truth to the notion that Captains did have a knack for disappearing whenever things got a little inconvenient.

"Yes, sitting on the bridge and looking stern in case anyone sneezes." She sipped her drink and marveled at how easy the conversation seemed to be for her. Jane wasn't usually one to be so chatty though she was fond of listening to people converse.

Conversely, talking with the Captain was an excruciating event for Jordan. He didn't like authority as much and had been through more than enough Captains who were only there for the prestige. Narrowly avoiding the smug remark of isn't that what all Captains do, he smiled a bit. "You aren't like most Captains."

Jane raised her eyebrows a bit. "Is that good or bad?" She knew Hak believed in her but Jane doubted her abilities quite a bit sometimes. She wondered where that statement fell.

"I don't know yet," Jordan shrugged. It wasn't necessarily that he doubted the Captain, he had just never seen her in any real action. "You'll get your chance before you know it."

"Hmm," she said swallowing. Her nerves creeping back into the conversation before she could stop them. "I guess that's true." Jane clasped her drink tightly and tried to think of something else to talk about. "Where do you call home if you don't mind me asking?"

"Honestly, wherever I'm stationed," Jordan answered. Realizing that his answer may need a qualifier, he added, "I was born in a starship's Sickbay, so home doesn't really have much meaning." Shruggig his shoulders a bit, he asked, "What about yourself?"

"I hadn't left Earth until I was in the academy. I grew up on the shores of Flathead Lake in Montana. Beautiful place, I highly recommend it for a shoreleave spot if you have the time someday. Don't spend too long though. You'll end up like me."

"I may have to visit," Jordan smiled awkwardly. He was not used to getting so much conversation time with a Captain.

Jane's communicator beeped and she returned his smile. "And real life makes an appearance. It was nice to have met you. Feel free to stop by my office if you need anything but it looks like I should be going." She stood, gave him one nod of her head and headed back towards the double doors of the lounge.

Taking another sip of his drink as he nodded his appreciation for the Captain's visit. This was most definitely a different kind of ship. He wasn't sure how he felt about all of this, but it was something that would make him think.

OFF:

Commander Jane Saulitis
Commanding Officer
USS Majestic

Ensign Jordan Jenkins
Operations Officer
USS Majestic