Slowly moving through the ranks...

Posted on Sun Apr 22nd, 2012 @ 6:38am by Captain Cressidia Lane

897 words; about a 4 minute read

Mission: Orbital Yard Project Athena I
Location: Commander Cressida Lane's Office

Skylar walked through the promenade. He had a relaxed pace going, and seemed, relatively, at ease.

When the Commodore had informed him that Lyra had been commandeered for one of his projects, Skylar had immediately fell in to a relieved sense.

Right up until Jane Atwood walked up to him. She was good at that. Part of her charm.

"Yo, Bunny-boy. Get your but over here." She said, as she stepped out of her husband's shop. "Look, I get that I have to deal with your bloody repair schedule, but what's the big idea, setting Commander stick-up-the-bum on me?"

Skylar raised an eyebrow. "I apologize, Lieutenant Atwood, however I do not have an English to Atwood dictionary. Could you clarify?"

"Yeah, Executive Officer Barbie said she wanted to know how the Athena project was going, and woke me up." Atwood said.

"I did not 'set her' on you, as you so colourfully put it, Lieutenant, however I will go remedy her lack of information-"

"Can the long-winded Vulcany-wulcany explanation, and deal with your own superiors. I barely tolerate you." Atwood muttered, as she stormed off.

------------------

Skylar approached Cressidia's office, with a slightly raised eyebrow, still slightly confused about some of the euphemisms used in his conversation with Atwood. He pressed the door chime, and resumed his normal, properly guarded demeanor.

"Enter." Cressidia called as her door chime allerted her to the presence of another person. She was still intent on reading her files, since she didn't want to make another mistake as she had only just done a while before.

Skylar entered, and gave a slight bow to Cressidia. "Commander Lane, I have been..." he pondered how best to explain his conversation with Atwood. Finally, he discarded the attempt, after several seconds. "...informed that you wish to have a proper briefing, regarding progress reports, and various other avenues of questioning, regarding the Athena Project, and the Engineering Department. I am Lieutenant Commander Skylar, Chief Engineering Officer. I am at your disposal."

"Ah, that would be great to hear yes. So how is everything going with Athena?" Cressidia said, setting down her PADD and turning more towards Skylar.

"The project proceeds." Skylar said, nodding. "The over-all structure, as you can see, from observation ports, on the 'south' side of the station, is seventy four percent complete, and is nearly completely wired, as well. Personnel allotment has been hectic, to say the least, notably, in regards to lack of personnel, and keeping..." He paused. "...questionable officers, from access to any explosive materials. Work on the Athena project has been scaled back, however, due to various strange occurrences, which, I have reasonable intelligence to conclude, is a station-wide issue."

"Which officers would you say are 'questionable'?" Cressidia asked, having a feeling that he probably meant Lyra. A point to which she would probably agree that explosives and Lyra wouldn't appear to be a good combination in her mind. "How short is the work crew there anyways?" She didn't add the question she wanted to ask most, about how many other people had seen strange things, that would wait until after she had the information on Athena.

"I believe that you have met both officers, which have explosive tendencies, one way, or the other." Skylar said, with a raised eyebrow. "As to the work crew, the Starbase, itself, is, to be precise 0.019 percent staffed, for a work-load of such a class Starbase. Fortunately, we've acquired some... unique... strategies, in rectifying excess work overloads. As to the Athena Project, the SCE detachment is sporadic, but reliable, when necessary. I estimate that, given the project's magnitude, if we were to have, perhaps 20 or so, more capable officers, who know the difference between an EPS conduit, and a carpet, that it could be completed within 1.2479 Standard Terran Months."

"I see. I don't know how much I can do about the lack of staff, but I'll see if I could find you a few more people for temporary work there." Cressidia gave a pause there, just enough to allow her to take a deep breath. "Now what sort of strange occurances have people been having around here.

Skylar nodded. "To my knowledge, A pair of P-51 aircraft from Earth's history flew through the view ports of our Station's Chief Intelligence Officer, a variety of items have either appeared, from a past point in time, and later disappeared, or disappeared from current time, and reappeared at a later time. There have been reports, and personal encounters of other persons, places, or things, super-imposing themselves on our current frame of perception, without doing our realm any serious damage. I have not had opportunity to discuss this with the stations' science, security, or command departments, although the topic did come up in a discussion with the Stations' chief of intelligence." He did not elaborate any further on the last subject, and inwardly hoped he would not have to do so.

"Alright. At least I know I am not the only one with strange things appearing then. It is a topic I will most definetly have to bring up with the captain." Cressidia said. After a pause she continued, "If there's nothing else you are dismissed."

"As you wish, ma'am." Skylar said, with a nod.

Commander Cressidia Lane
Executive Officer
Starbase Typhon

Lieutenant Commander Skylar
Chief Engineering Officer
Starbase Typhon

Acting Lieutenant Jane Atwood
Engineering Officer
Starbase Typhon

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