08-23-2026, 04:15 PM
(This post was last modified: 08-23-2026, 04:33 PM by Ethan Diaz.)
== Wardroom 3 ==
Following the sudden end of the team-building exercise, Ethan decided to spend an hour or two in the wardroom, at least until he could figure out something better to do. Admittedly, he was glad for the opportunity to spend time on something else besides getting his feet wet in some pitch-black cave. Lieutenant Mala had invited everyone to Ten Forward for drinks, but given his rank and the fact that he didn't know the group too well, he decided it was probably wiser to stay with the other midshipmen. Plus, if his suspicions about there being an early departure proved correct, then Jez and Cologero and their friends probably wouldn't be drinking for long.
The wardroom was a bit noisy, but still fairly relaxed. Lieutenant Parker (who'd proven to be a bit of a prickly character thus far) was on duty as Secretary. Aside from three or four other deck officers, the table was mostly occupied by midshipmen. Ethan found a chair at their end of the table and was greeted by a few folks he recognized. There was Vetillio, a reserved but cordial Bajoran whose cabin was a few doors down from Ethan's. He worked under some surgical specialist in Sick Bay. Then there was Fletcher, a wisecracking Weapon Systems Officer from a career fleet family; he'd spent pretty much his entire life on a space station. At the moment, he was losing rather badly in a game of Four-Fold Fathshii to Midshipman Levitt, a student of biology and zoology. She went to Starfleet Academy, Udane, and won a SOTEC regional prize in the 400-meter dash.
"You're back early," Vetillio remarked, turning the page of his dog-eared copy of Tears of the Last Sun, a famous 22nd-century romance novel.
"Funny thing, actually--the XO stepped in and cut it short. Hey, Fletcher."
"How goes it, Diaz? Five, and six." He flipped over two cards in front of him so that they were face down.
Levitt grinned, flipping two of her own cards. "Seven and eight. You're on a roll today. What is that, ten losses?"
"I just learned this stupid game two days ago, cut me some slack. Sorry Ethan, what were you saying?"
"We didn't actually do much. The XO had this whole search and rescue scenario set up--you guys should've seen it, it was an insanely intricate program--and we were basically working through a couple of clues she'd left behind. We were on the right track, but then she ended the whole thing out of nowhere before we even got on the shuttles."
"You weren't on foot?" Levitt asked.
"We would've been at some point. There was a cave system that we were supposed to search--apparently Commander Velaul designed all of it herself."
"If she set the whole thing up, then why did she--?" Vetillio started, before setting down his book with a bemused expression. "Something came up, clearly. She probably had to speak to the captain about something."
Fletcher paused as well. "It can't be orders though, right? I mean, we just got here."
Vetillio glanced at Ethan, his brow raised. "Sounds like a question for the helmsman."
Ethan grinned. "That's a good one. Like they're gonna tell me. What I do know is that we're on Outbound Status--"
"Everyone knows that," Levitt put in. "Did you hear them say anything? Who's the comms officer on your shift?"
"Uh--Lieutenant Plaskett, I think? He's not gonna tell me anything, he's all the way on the other side of the bridge."
Fletcher leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms. "You guys can think what you want, but it's probably an administrative issue. We're still taking on supplies, so I doubt Expeditionary Command is going to task us with anything right now."
Ethan raised his hands. "Look, guessing won't tell us anything. All I'm saying is the XO had to step out, and she was off-duty with the rest of us, so at the very least it was something important."
"Or urgent," Vetillio offered, which made Fletcher roll his eyes. "You guys are acting like they're about to sound General Quarters or something. So someone threw a wrench in the rotation. Big deal."
"Oh, ye of little faith," Levitt replied.
Just then, a chirp sounded from every single comm badge in the room, and the four of them all reflexively glanced downward. It was an all-hands call, and that meant the Old Man was on the line.
[Aquila to all crew, urgent recall, recall to all stations within twenty minutes. Brooks out.]
Every single officer sprang from their chair as though they had just been electrocuted and made for the door. "Clear the room!" Lieutenant Parker snapped, pointing a threatening finger at the midshipmen. "Get to your stations, and do it fast. If you're a relief, check in with your primaries. Now go, all of you out!"
"Aye aye, sir!" The other officers responded with one voice. Ethan barely had time to notice the other midshipmen staring at him, and it wasn't until he was out in the passageway sprinting for the nearest turbolift that he realized why. Sounding recall usually meant something was wrong. Seriously wrong.
And if something was seriously wrong, whoever was on the bridge would be expected to address it first.
>>> Bridge >>>
Following the sudden end of the team-building exercise, Ethan decided to spend an hour or two in the wardroom, at least until he could figure out something better to do. Admittedly, he was glad for the opportunity to spend time on something else besides getting his feet wet in some pitch-black cave. Lieutenant Mala had invited everyone to Ten Forward for drinks, but given his rank and the fact that he didn't know the group too well, he decided it was probably wiser to stay with the other midshipmen. Plus, if his suspicions about there being an early departure proved correct, then Jez and Cologero and their friends probably wouldn't be drinking for long.
The wardroom was a bit noisy, but still fairly relaxed. Lieutenant Parker (who'd proven to be a bit of a prickly character thus far) was on duty as Secretary. Aside from three or four other deck officers, the table was mostly occupied by midshipmen. Ethan found a chair at their end of the table and was greeted by a few folks he recognized. There was Vetillio, a reserved but cordial Bajoran whose cabin was a few doors down from Ethan's. He worked under some surgical specialist in Sick Bay. Then there was Fletcher, a wisecracking Weapon Systems Officer from a career fleet family; he'd spent pretty much his entire life on a space station. At the moment, he was losing rather badly in a game of Four-Fold Fathshii to Midshipman Levitt, a student of biology and zoology. She went to Starfleet Academy, Udane, and won a SOTEC regional prize in the 400-meter dash.
"You're back early," Vetillio remarked, turning the page of his dog-eared copy of Tears of the Last Sun, a famous 22nd-century romance novel.
"Funny thing, actually--the XO stepped in and cut it short. Hey, Fletcher."
"How goes it, Diaz? Five, and six." He flipped over two cards in front of him so that they were face down.
Levitt grinned, flipping two of her own cards. "Seven and eight. You're on a roll today. What is that, ten losses?"
"I just learned this stupid game two days ago, cut me some slack. Sorry Ethan, what were you saying?"
"We didn't actually do much. The XO had this whole search and rescue scenario set up--you guys should've seen it, it was an insanely intricate program--and we were basically working through a couple of clues she'd left behind. We were on the right track, but then she ended the whole thing out of nowhere before we even got on the shuttles."
"You weren't on foot?" Levitt asked.
"We would've been at some point. There was a cave system that we were supposed to search--apparently Commander Velaul designed all of it herself."
"If she set the whole thing up, then why did she--?" Vetillio started, before setting down his book with a bemused expression. "Something came up, clearly. She probably had to speak to the captain about something."
Fletcher paused as well. "It can't be orders though, right? I mean, we just got here."
Vetillio glanced at Ethan, his brow raised. "Sounds like a question for the helmsman."
Ethan grinned. "That's a good one. Like they're gonna tell me. What I do know is that we're on Outbound Status--"
"Everyone knows that," Levitt put in. "Did you hear them say anything? Who's the comms officer on your shift?"
"Uh--Lieutenant Plaskett, I think? He's not gonna tell me anything, he's all the way on the other side of the bridge."
Fletcher leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms. "You guys can think what you want, but it's probably an administrative issue. We're still taking on supplies, so I doubt Expeditionary Command is going to task us with anything right now."
Ethan raised his hands. "Look, guessing won't tell us anything. All I'm saying is the XO had to step out, and she was off-duty with the rest of us, so at the very least it was something important."
"Or urgent," Vetillio offered, which made Fletcher roll his eyes. "You guys are acting like they're about to sound General Quarters or something. So someone threw a wrench in the rotation. Big deal."
"Oh, ye of little faith," Levitt replied.
Just then, a chirp sounded from every single comm badge in the room, and the four of them all reflexively glanced downward. It was an all-hands call, and that meant the Old Man was on the line.
[Aquila to all crew, urgent recall, recall to all stations within twenty minutes. Brooks out.]
Every single officer sprang from their chair as though they had just been electrocuted and made for the door. "Clear the room!" Lieutenant Parker snapped, pointing a threatening finger at the midshipmen. "Get to your stations, and do it fast. If you're a relief, check in with your primaries. Now go, all of you out!"
"Aye aye, sir!" The other officers responded with one voice. Ethan barely had time to notice the other midshipmen staring at him, and it wasn't until he was out in the passageway sprinting for the nearest turbolift that he realized why. Sounding recall usually meant something was wrong. Seriously wrong.
And if something was seriously wrong, whoever was on the bridge would be expected to address it first.
>>> Bridge >>>