Wednesday, February 17, 2016

Endangering the Mundane

Unofficial Literary Challenge 17 - Prompt 2 "Sheer Boredom"

+++

 Kathryn looked from the PADD with raised eyebrows to the two officers standing relaxed before her desk. The blonde female was relatively young wearing Science department colors on her uniform. She was lithe and her long blonde hair was styled with extra volume. The Vulcan’s short midnight black hair was a stark contrast to her uniform’s Operation yellow highlights on an otherwise traditionally black-colored uniform. Sitting, Kathryn put the PADD on her desk and crossed her arms, yet smiled approvingly as she reclined her chair.

“This is a great idea. Why not?”

Counselor Harrington’s smile seemed to brighten the room.

S’Rel’s typically neutral affect almost turned to grimace from the Captain’s judgment and cleared her throat indicating she was about to speak next. “Captain, we are currently on a system charting mission. This event would be a distraction from duty.”

Christa rolled her eyes slightly. “That is fully appreciated. From what I can tell, the Astrometrics teams are the ones doing most of the work and I’m sure they are relishing the experience. All fun and no play make Starfleet a dull -”. She shrugged searching for words, and then settling on the most obvious. “Fleet.”

Swiveling her chair toward the windows, Kathryn mused further on the arguments presented as she absentmindedly rubbed a finger against the rank pips on her collar. Solaris was resting at the second Lagrange point of the largest planet in the current system. As such, there was not much to see. Not being in motion for a few days while various probes and shuttles were used for deep-data scans and measurements did have some crew members itching for duties beyond expectantly mundane tasks. Although times like these are a part of the ‘job’, it was true that Astrometric personnel were the busiest. Even Kathryn caught herself looking for something official to do on occasion. At least her list of things-to-do-when-nothing-else-was-happening was getting shorter.

Looking back to the officers, Kathryn looked to S’Rel. “Your advice is always appreciated, yet I think a little distraction will be good for moral.” She then looked to Christa. “At the same time, the crew needs to stay focused on their duties. This must not have a time frame that will force decisions to be made that could endanger their original task and ultimately the ship. I don’t want discipline to falter because of this.”

Both officers spoke at the same time. “Yes, sir.”

“Christa, with that said, I’ll leave the details up to you. Make sure the Duty Leaders understand the importance to follow-up on their teams as scheduled and to reign in anyone having too much fun. Finally, I request that anything making the list not involve EVA.”

“Yes, Captain.”

Kathryn saluted from her chair. Christa and S’Rel saluted and walked out the room. The doors stayed open as Anthi walked in looking over her shoulder. The doors closed and she walked up to Kathryn’s desk. Pointing a thumb to the door, she asked, “what was all that about?”

Kathryn stood and wore a wry smile on her face. “Ever been on a scavenger hunt before?”

+++

Cast for crew:
Kathryn Beringer - Rachel Nichols
S'Rel - Morena Baccarin
Christa Harrington - Emily Bett Rickards
Anthi Ythysi - Katheryn Winnick

Friday, February 12, 2016

In A Name

Unofficial Literary Challenge 16 - A Future That Many Will Never See - Prompt 1

---

The wind crossing the bridge was strong enough to have pulled Kathryn’s hair bun apart. Long burgundy hair flowed from the invisible currents. A burst of air forced her to pull the satchel back over her shoulder while also tightening the grip on the long coat’s collar. Kathryn noticed that the guard wall, though solid, did not seem to block any of the San Franciscan wind gusting through the Bay Area. Her uniform boots clicked sharply against the ferro-steel of the walkway and seemed not to blend with the occasional roar from the transit tube five meters away. Wincing from the cold Kathryn kept her pace strong to ensure she was at the meeting spot on time. The closer she got to the apex of the bridge the more she could see the Orion invited to the ceremony. Staza Murai also wore a thick long coat in the style of the Klingon Empire colored black with grey highlights. Her verdant hair moved with the wind like Kathryn’s, yet the shorter style made it easier to fall back into place when the air calmed. Staza’s eyes were closed and she clearly did not want to stand on the Golden Gate Bridge longer than she needed to, if at all.

Smiling, Kathryn said, “thank you for being here.” She placed the metallic satchel between them. It landed with a metallic crunch and was clearly heavy.

Staza spoke through her teeth, “my pleasure, Captain. I have not waited long. Your message was a bit cryptic though, so I am very curious about this ceremony we are to attend. Especially here.” Staza looked around until another gust of wind pierced her discomfort, forcing a shiver and withdrawing into the coat as best she could.

A tube-tram zoomed past before Kathryn replied. “It’s just something I do when Solaris is in dry dock here at Earth.” She bent down and opened the satchel. Staza leaned over Kathryn’s shoulder to see the contents. Standing, Kathryn pulled out small silver metal rectangular slates approximately twelve by two by one centimeter. She placed the slates to the left hand, yet held one with the right. She turned it over until words faced her.

Kathryn looked to Staza, and then to the Bay River below. “Cameron Umbebu.” She threw the slate over-hand. It sparkled as it tumbled toward the water far below. After a few seconds she held another slate and read the name aloud before she threw it over the side.

Staza looked into the satchel again. “Forgive me, Captain, but there must be over one hundred of those plates.”

“You’re right, two-hundred-forty-seven to be exact.” She looked at another plate. “Tuomas Kernig”. The slate was thrown.

“This is a funeral ceremony?” Staza shivered from the wind again.

Kathryn looked to Staza, nodded and smiled. “It’s not much to look at, but I’ve already written the letters and visited families where I could. This is my personal way to say good-bye to the crew of my ship.”

“Why here?”

“All Starfleet crew start their formal career in the Academy, as you know.” Kathryn nodded in the direction of the campus to the south. “I think it is fitting they end their career here, instead of the unforgiving deep, silent, complete black.”

Another tube-tram sped past them before Staza said, “that’s very poetic. But why here, on this bridge?”

Kathryn reached for a few more slates. “Privacy.” She held the slates in both hands and looked at them for a few seconds. “I couldn’t do something like this on Academy grounds. Yet, I wanted to do something more for these crewpersons more than what regulations or traditions demanded. So, I made my own tradition. Their names on these plates, left in the waters near the Academy, make me feel like they will live forever, even when I’m gone.”

Staza nodded and looked down to her feet. “You really care for your crew. I’m … impressed.”

After a few seconds, Kathryn moved plates to prepare for another throwing and continued, “I chose to accept my rank, even though I may not have been the most qualified. It has been my decision to keep Solaris, even though I earned other commissions. My crew joined Starfleet by choice, knowing their lives could be cut short from conflict or accident. And some are on these plates because of my decisions. They gave up everything … for Starfleet. For me.” Kathryn looked at the name in her hand. “Regig Zthar”, and she threw the slate.

Looking away, Staza took a step to the side giving Kathryn command of the rail where she stood. “I knew Regig. He was kind to me when I first arrived to your ship.”

Kathryn looked over her shoulder. “For a Tellarite, that means something.”

“Captain, why did you invite me?”

“We’ve had our differences. But we’ve also worked through them.” Kathryn shrugged. “I’d like to think I’ve earned your trust, because you have earned mine. So, I wanted to share this moment with you.”

Staza smirked mischievously. “Now tell me why I’m really here.”

Kathryn turned to face the Orion. The wind swirled around them, blowing their hair wildly. Once calm, Kathryn said, “If the time comes, I’m hoping you will stand here and throw my name.”

---
Cast for crew:
Kathryn Beringer - Rachel Nichols
Staza Murai - Sarah Lind