Graveyard shift
Posted on Fri Aug 23rd, 2024 @ 4:14pm by Master Chief Petty Officer Marcus Grey Horse & Lieutenant JG Brade Imkahat & Staff Warrant Officer Umet'Okan & Petty Officer 2nd Class Vinnie Ompwok & Petty Officer 3rd Class Atrali & Lieutenant T'Vek
Edited on on Wed Aug 28th, 2024 @ 3:47am
786 words; about a 4 minute read
Mission:
DownTime [1]
Location: CIC, Deep Space 13
Timeline: 0235 Hours - MD02
“I like this chair. There’s a grandness to it. Like the throne of a great king.” Master Chief Grey Horse said, as he completed another rotation in the eye-catchingly large piece of command furniture. It was quiet in the CIC on delta shift. Only six of them sat in the circular forward section of the command platform's upper level, which they'd started to refer to as the bridge, as much by old habit as practical reality. 'Upper command centre forward mezzanine platform' didn't roll off the tongue quite so well.
“Quite so, sir. Imperious! Majestic!” Petty Officer Atrali agreed with squawking enthusiasm.
The Romulan T’Vek ignored the Chief’s comments, focusing on the empty sensor feeds. He hated CIC duty.
“ To Jem’Hadar, there can be no majesty in a chair. They are decadent. Soft. Weak. Culturally speaking.” Umet’Okan opined from the security station.
“You wanna see good chairs? The Periggula system. Periggulans have 90% of their nerve endings in their asses. They don’t skimp on the chair, believe me. We could kit the whole CIC out! Nobody would want to sit anywhere else. I know a guy, chief.” The Engineer Ompwok told Grey Horse as he reached the point in his rotation to make eye contact.
“I may have to visit this Periggula. But until then, I am very satisfied.” Grey Horse stopped rotating, facing forward at the main screen, currently set to the widescreen mode that extended 180 degrees in front of the command chair, stopping just before the furthest forward command stations on the left and right of the room. "Anything new from the probes?"
"Nothing." Lieutenant Imkahat responded flatly. "The spot we're linked to is in deep space. The stellar cartography we're seeing doesn't match anything on record, or any projections we can put together."
"Has anybody got a theory about where we might be?" Grey Horse posed the question to the room, spinning round once more as he said it.
"A distant part of our own universe. To travel through dimensions is the work of the divine, we would not be worthy of it as mortals." Umat'Okan responded very quickly.
"It's pointless guessing. We barely have enough data to say for sure that those are stars we're looking at. It might be the attraction illusion of something more advanced than the last thing that came through that hole and tried to kill us." T'Vek surmised.
"Use your imagination, Mr T'Vek. That's an order." Grey Horse said to T'Vek with a jocularity the Romulan did not reciprocate. T'Vek did not look up from his console or say anything further.
"We will have the first data from the nearest objects by end of shift." Imkahat reported, not wanting to speculate. She didn't want to say it to the ebullient Chief of the Port, but she agreed with T'Vek. They knew nothing.
"I hope its a universe where there's only broads. On Deep Space 9 one time, I did a holosuite program like that, ehehe." Ompwok laughed sordidly at his own recollection.
"That would be quite something. Have any of you met Doctor T'Zor? Her people are sexually monomorphic, a race of life-giving parents. To humanoid eyes, they are an all-female culture." Grey Horse observed.
"A female culture, it's a good idea. But an entire universe with only women, that's far less ideal." Imkahat observed.
"I have met this Doctor T'Zor." Umat'Okan announced when the conversation lulled. "She is capable, socially, and sharply intelligent. I expect she will quickly form friendships. I read that her people are mighty warriors. I should like to know her better."
"There's been talk of a poker game the XO is putting together to help her bond. You should all come along, if you play." Imkahat told the assembled duty staff.
"This poker, it is a combat sport?" Umat'Okan asked.
"No, cards." Imkahat said flatly.
"But there is victory to be had?" Umat'Okan was wary now.
"Victory, glory and spoils. But we won't play for anything richer than a nice meal's worth of gourmet replicator rations each." Imkahat explained.
"Your terms are acceptable. I will crush any competitor, and emerge victorious even at the cost of my own life." Umat'Okan said confidently, with minimal awareness of how odd he sounded.
"I might have to come along too. My brothers and I spent many hours as children with only a deck of cards and a pocket full of rocks to keep us busy." Grey Horse told Imkahat.
"I shall also play! Yes!" Atrali responded at an inappropriate volume.
"Let the XO know you're interested. She'll be happy to have you." Imkahat said, though she secretly wished Atrali hadn't agreed, she didn't want to have to wear earplugs.
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