Living After Midnight
Posted on 06/27/2020 @ 9:13pm by Captain Cian D'Anvers
Mission:
S1E3: Visit to Starbase 375
Location: Promenade, SB375
Timeline: Day 3 at 0005
Appreciation gushed from his mind as the ruinous vibrato of the courier’s engines finally mellowed. An ear-wrenching caterwaul ripped him from a solemn relief, glad he was there after what seemed like half of a month. Whatever the sound was however, Kieran later realised he wished he hadn’t been informed. Magnetised umbilicals latching onto the hull, grinding the small vessel into the docking pad.
Starbase 375 may well have been tossing a life ring to a drowning victim in an endless sea. He knew the complex barely granted enough clearance for a single vessel to pull into its internal bay, however this was not what he’d ever anticipated. It was an aged watchtower, for certain, but leaving anything to the void was not what he had in mind for a savoury arrival. What more could you do, though, save for beaming over — the external docking ports were retrofitted against the original schematics as it was.
Passage from Blue Horizon was succinct, as he anticipated, loosening the desire that he took an additional day for himself. Sherlock would have appreciated the Da Vinci Falls. He would have too, had he known travel would be a mere seven hours and forty-two minutes against his familiarity of just under a day. What bloody engineer had the crucial mind to strap a pair of overcharged nacelles to a ship of this size he had no clue. He hoped they would never cross paths; they and their mad hubris could go to hell. For now, Kieran was happy to be rid of it, considering half of the journey he was concerned the bulkheads would fly apart from the welded seams. Had this been what the liner coined when they recited a quip about having the fastest ships in the region? Maybe… there had to be validity somewhere; false advertising was a no-no.
Sherlock it seemed unfortunately was not doing much better, having curled into his arm and burying his head into the shirt. His attention perked as the civilians began disembarking, Kieran himself collecting their belongings from the overhead bin. Quickly, as he was eager to be rid of the ship, the marine exited the passenger compartment out into the receiving deck. He hung a quick left, stepping into the newly modernised refresher, thankful construction had finished since his last visit after Bajor. The pup leaped down from his arms, slipping underneath the stall door as the officer changed into a fresh uniform.
With but a shake of the head, he tucked his casual outfit away, pulling out a comb to style his hair as Sherlock investigated the plants near the sink and mirrors. “Hey, don’t you go getting us in trouble. Those are probably new. I’ll bring you to the arboretum before we leave.” Sherlock looked upward at him, curiously tilting his head as if he teasingly understood, tail wagging excitedly.
Leaning down to scoop him up, Kieran slung the repli-pack over his shoulder again, heading out to make way for the promenade. “You hungry? I’m hungry.” He looked at the chronometer on his wrist. “Still a few hours before we need to report in. Let’s get some food and bring you for a walk.” Ears perked up immediately at that word, the furry bum wiggling delightedly.
For the ensuing six minutes, he casually lanced through a familiar promenade, navigating to his favourite stall providing organic goods from Risa. It wasn’t common Kieran would pass up a freshly squeezed eeobar root, nor an accompanying fruit and vegetable medley. Odd, perhaps, for someone to see him of all people enjoying it, but it didn’t stop him from locating a table to ravenously devour the late meal. Sherlock rested quietly in his lap, pleasantly chewing on a treasure of his own: a protein snack he’d acquired from a store on one of the embarkments the Osaari had stopped at.
Satisfied with the break, he looked about, loosely rubbing a palm over his companion’s fur, delighted with the last unhurried look he would be able to enjoy before going aboard the Crazy Horse. As people wandered by, he cleared the table, once more lifting the pup up to his snoozing point on the diplomat’s arm. Bag in tow and ready for one last stop, he headed for the arboretum.
[Arboretum]
With about thirty minutes until his briefing, Cian decided to walk through the arboretum. There was a pristine beauty to the elegant, if somewhat artificial design of the station's arboretum. He remembered the planet of his birth and had spent long hours hiking in the deep woods in Maine. Elegance combined with symmetry and careful sculpture were qualities lacking in nature but appreciated nonetheless. Having spent so long in the artificial confines of a ship, Cian appreciated beauty wherever he found it. For the most part, botany had never been of interest to him beyond the rudimentary recognition of edible and not, poisonous and safe, but that did not preclude an ability to savor what was before him. And so, he walked the pathway, breathing in the peace of the place, until he found a small stone bench where he could sit for a few minutes.
Back on the ship, Operations was removing the crates he'd packed in preparation for their journey back to Earth. He could imagine the tear-stained welcome Leonie's treasures would receive and knew in his heart that it had been the right thing to do. The only thing he kept for himself was a small statue of Apollo, Athena, and Zeus. Strength, wisdom, and skill. Back in the early days, when he had tried to explain what his life had been like, the youthful Leonie had drawn many parallels to Sparta and on the anniversary of their meeting, she had given him the statute comprising three of the deities worshiped by the ancient Spartans.
His mind drifted, bobbing on the current of memory and loss, as he let go of the pain and breathed in the peace of the moment. He thought about the silence of his quarters and felt a reluctance to return that he shrugged off almost at once. A starship captain, who was required to attend to business at any hour, day or night, would probably not be able to manage a pet though the thought had momentary appeal.
In spite of its tranquil ambience, few chose to visit the arboretum during this time of night. The deck wasn’t particularly large, nor was it as extravagant as some of the gardens he’d seen across the Federation, but it did serve a relaxing purpose. Kieran was only too thankful he knew it existed, otherwise wondering what it might have been like for the young creature in his arms.
This would likely be the last real chance for any natural exposure to living flora. Non-holographic at least, unless the rare chance popped up for Sherlock to visit planet-side once. If they ever crossed onto that chance, which he supposed shouldn’t have been ruled out of the frame of mind. His new assignment was a science vessel after all, which had a powerful sensor suite for exploration.
Appeased once the doors closed behind him, the lieutenant placed the dog onto the grass, remaining nearby on the path as he let the innocence meander about. Investigating ever few centimetres with his ever-inquisitive snout, almost tacitly yipping if Kieran moved too far away.
Lost in his own thoughts as he looked over his white-pressed uniform, the lad straightened his collar, brushing out the sole lingering wrinkles. He wondered what the new crew would be like. The commander too, reflecting back to when he had thought over the dossier not a few hours prior. Would they be true to their profile, or surprise him? In due honesty, he hoped for the latter, almost always.
There was something to be said, which couldn’t be easily described in words for meeting someone. Especially someone you would be interacting with on the regular. That circumstance shifted with each passing, but it didn’t remove or lessen any hopeful anxiety.
Tugging below snapped him from his thoughts as he realised the canine was playfully attempting grab his attention, snagging the end of his pants. Tail wagging a few dozen metres an hour, Kieran laughed as he leaned down to pet the little guy, slowing as footsteps mildly grazed the emulated dirt behind him. He turned about, eyes immediately widening, tracing upwards to recognise the cerise collar, three silver pips keenly attached to it.
Uprighting smoothly, be brushed himself off once more, ensuring Sherlock was out of the way. The other individual appeared to be lost in thought, drawing worry if he had interrupted contemplation, as he loosely connected a familiarity with the visage of one of the earlier dossiers he’d read. “Apologies, sir. I’ll move to the other side, and leave you in peace.”
Cian rose smoothly to his feet, stepping back to give the canine room, and smiled. "Not at all. I'm due for a meeting, believe it or not, so its me that should be moving along."
A quick smile grew from the junior officer as he appreciatively looked over the puerile creature which had distracted his attention earlier. He nodded, granting a smooth of course as he studied the other's face. It looked familiar. "Of course. If I may ask, are you on leave here from the sounds of it? 375 tends to be one of the anchor points for the fleets out here. Although, I have to admit this is my first time here in this capacity, rather than accompanying someone else."
"Not on leave, no," Cian said. "My ship, the Crazy Horse, is here taking on cargo." The corner of his mouth curved upward as he considered the mutinous response of a crew that would only see shore leave at a starbase. "If we were on leave, it certainly wouldn't be here."
Kieran mused over the possibility, nearly laughing from the pointed comment. "That I could easily understand. Give me a planet any day. The Crazy Horse? I'm to be headed there in a few hours." Sherlock looked upwards from his post, curiously eyeing the new acquaintance. "Nachtgeist," the lieutenant offered, extending a palm. "I thought I recognised your face from the dossier, but I'm hoping this confirms it."
"Commander D'Anvers," Cian said as he extended his own hand. "In command of the USS Crazy Horse." People often did that, piled thoughts together in one answer, and he had become adept over the years in had spent in the Federation at sorting through it all. The last caught and held his attention. Personnel records were available to a select group of people though not generally open to any curious individual. Because you would serve on a ship, did not entitle one to peruse the personnel records of your fellow crew members. "And just how is it that you have access to my records?"
Lightly shaking the offered palm, Kieran smiled. "Pleasure, commander." He looked over the senior officer's face slightly, placing it to memory. There wasn't much to read, however making first impressions was always a worry to him. Particularly given his upbringing, and the fact his diplomatic career was only starting, over that of his previous one. "The FDC keeps a store of heavily redacted profiles. Anything sensitive is filtered out, but its purpose is primarily to give us a chance to recognise important individuals when we meet them. Useful for conventions, but not all-encompassing beyond an appearance or mannerisms. I apologise if I struck a nerve or caused worry."
"I wasn't aware that the Diplomatic Corps tracked starship captains," Cian said, "that's all. No matter. So you're to head our small diplomatic team?"
Kieran gently released the welcome offering an affirmative nod. "I would assume so, commander. As for the Corps...they have a thorough database for points of contact. Nearly all officers and anyone involved in politics have at least a basic profile. Just enough to ensure the diligent don't make fools of themselves by going in unaware." He shrugged. "What brings you to the arboretum, if I may ask, sir? I was just getting Sherlock a good bit of fresh air before reporting in later. Or at least the closest equivalent he'll get out this far."
"Taking in the ambience," Cian said before heading into the meeting. "There's a peace to this sort of a place that I don't often get to enjoy. At any rate, I should probably get going. It was a pleasure meeting you, Lieutenant."
Only able to concur, Kieran smiled. "That it is sir, for many I would suspect. The pleasure was mine. Best of wishes for your meeting. I look forward to seeing you aboard the Crazy Horse."
A Post by:
Commander Cian D'Anvers
Commanding Officer
USS Crazy Horse
and
1LT Kieran Nachtgeist
Chief Diplomatic Officer
USS Crazy Horse
