Departure Notice

Posted on Sat Feb 8th, 2025 @ 11:45am by Captain Rovak & Commander Alex Flynn

976 words; about a 5 minute read

Mission: The Serpent's Tooth [3]
Location: CO's Office, CIC - DS13
Timeline: MD01 - 0900

Alex entered quietly and lit a cigarette once she confirmed that Rovak had finished his breakfast. She took her usual seat opposite him, he was as usual busy reading something that had shoved it's way to the front of his to-do list.

"Good morning. Have you seen the reports from life sciences? They believe they may have discovered some manner of space-borne bacteria several AU's away from the other side of the anomaly's aperture." Rovak asked Alex, looking at her over the top of his glasses.

"I hadn't. Shame we won't have time to look, next shift is in a few hours. On the subject of life sciences, we got a transfer request." Alex said.

"Who?" Rovak asked, bringing up the request on his desk's holographic system. He received so many notifications as CO of a station this size that it was impossible to keep them all in order.

"Imkahatt." Alex said, exhaling a cloud of smoke that her drone caught with its forcefields.

"Hm. There's no reason listed beyond change of scenery, did she discuss it with you?" Rovak asked.

"Says she wants something safer. Like the badlands. Or the Delta Quadrant." Alex said, doing her best to sell the sarcasm Brade had given her.

"Understandable. I am surprised there have not been more such requests. I assume someone is available to step in?"

"I'm thinking Ensign Nimah. Also an anthropologist. Also a Cardassian, but with a whole lot less baggage." Alex explained.

"Very well. Give her the option, if she refuses we can request a replacement with our next load of arrivals." Rovak suggested.

"When will that be?" Alex asked, knowing the info was somewhere in their systems, but that Rovak's Vulcan recollection would be simpler.

"If they remain on schedule, some time in the next 24 hours. After that, not for several weeks."

"Who's here next?" Alex asked.

"Swiftsure. Reliant-class, Captain Eliss."

"Haven't seen Bob Eliss in a hot minute. Maybe they'll have someone to spare." Alex mused, flicking ash from her cigarette in the drone before taking another drag. "Not a huge ship, but who can't do with one less xenoanthropologist."

"Us, currently." Rovak countered.

Alex couldn't help but gesture agreement. "What else is up?"

"Several arrests on the promenade last night. Klingon/Romulan disputes, primarily. An overdose at the wintergarden requiring emergency treatment." Rovak read off the report he'd received from Thul.

"Isn't that a restaurant?"

"The portion on deck 95 is a restaurant. Officially there are other bars, event spaces and storage facilities. I do not know of anyone who has visited the other levels."

"Shouldn't we be checking? What if it's drugs of addiction? What if it's slaves? What if it's omega particle bombs?"

"The passive sensors would detect such things while maintaining their privacy."

"Suppose they know how to trick the sensors? They are a clever lot." Alex said.

"There are sufficient ethnic tensions without Starfleet officers forcing their way into property that has been Romulan homeland for a decade or more because of mere suspicion. I have encouraged Lieutenant Thul to pursue a reactive response, rather than a proactive one. Do you disagree?" Rovak asked.

"Well. No. But I can't switch off that first-year security part of my brain. Wanting to know what more than passive scans will show. And you know that someone's going to have some freaky deathweapon stashed away for a rainy day. Tebok's as likely as any. You don't get to be head of the promenade merchants without making some enemies"

"Civilians have a right to privacy. Romulans insist on a particularly high level, which the law allows them. But I understand the phenomenon you describe. I do not lack for desire to know myself. But we must give them the benefit of the doubt."

"Fine. But don't come crying to me when we all get sucked into a singularity."

"I would not expect to. What does the rest of your day entail?" Rovak asked.

"Medical paperwork. Registrations, confirmations, S'Lace has had a job of work that I've got to rubber stamp most of, but she's making headway. Inspect the work on the Faraday. Having lunch with Singh, The Spot has a catfish Saa recommended that is actually quite extraordinary." Alex took a final drag of her cigarette and butted it out in the drone, which consumed the detritus."

"Then I'm with Ops for the rest of the afternoon, taking Gaz's place on an allocations meeting for the next quarter, so that'll probably take us until knock-off." Alex replied with relative ease. Slar made her life very easy with his scheduling and presentations. The least she could do was remember it.

"If I were capable of envy, I expect I would feel it. I have a review with Admiral Gali over subspace radio, then meetings with the Romulan and Klingon Ambassadors. They have it seems refused to work with Lieutenant Onda in Ambassador Velt's absence. Then visual ordnance confirmations ahead of the Swiftsure arrival. Reactor activation inspection, which I believe I am taking as a favor to you." Rovak noted.

"We're just lucky I suppose. Charmed life. I'll be off then? Don't want to let the chance for a one-smoke meeting to pass me by." Alex said, standing up.

Rovak took his glasses off, standing up also, together they walked out to the space between their offices that led out into the cavernous command centre. "Give my regards to Lieutenant Singh. It may be worth noting that he has had a death in the family recently."

"Righto. Ciao." Alex said, moving back into her own office, where a literal stack of padds awaited. Slar was lining up a third stack, Alex exhaled. She grabbed the nearest one and sat at her desk, lighting up yet another smoke.

"I will be in the radio room." Rovak called out to Lieutenant Frak, who he'd left in charge.

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