04-23-2024, 02:41 AM
The burbling din of conversation drowned out the gentle hiss of the doors opening. The sound hit Niels like a punch in the jaw. He wasn't bothered by the volume. It was the number of simultaneous conversations that had wrenched his upper back and neck muscles into tight knots. His face remained stoic, with only the slightest twitch of his left eye betraying the stress he felt. He took a deep breath to calm his nerves. He ran a hand through his dark chestnut hair attempting to bring some semblance of order to the wavy locks. He straightened his clean, pressed uniform jacket. He stepped into the fray.
Compared to the Charon, the Aquila was a behemoth, having forty-two decks to the former’s seventeen. Niels had already done some reading up on the new ship and was well aware of the size difference. He also knew about its dual warp cores and ablative armor, features the Charon did not have. He had studied the design specifications. He had even pored over the justifications for using the Yori-Moto systems over their Daystrom equivalents. Everything made sense on paper. He had felt prepared.
Yet, when Niels finally stepped aboard the ship he was struck by all the differences. At first, it was the little things. The slightly longer time spent in the turbolift to get to his new quarters. The deeper engine hum due to the larger ship’s lower resonant frequencies. Then, other implications started to set in. A larger ship meant more systems to maintain with more complex interactions between them. It also meant more people. The crew complement on the Aquila was almost two and a half times that of the Charon’s. That significantly increased his chances of having to attend functions like this one.
Glancing around the room, Niels spotted a relatively unoccupied area near a wall. It was an out of the way place where he could observe his surroundings. More importantly, it was a place where he could gather his thoughts before the inevitable chaos of social interaction came for him. He would have rather been in Main Engineering than Ten Forward, but his presence was required.
The command transfer ceremony was more of a tradition than an administrative necessity in Niels' eyes. That’s not to say he wasn’t happy for Captain Brooks. The man was a competent leader and well deserving of the recognition. It was just difficult for Niels to sit still and be idle. He knew that there was a lot of work he needed to do. Larger ships were more complex than their smaller counterparts. It would take some time for him to reach the same level of familiarity with the Aquila that he had with the Charon. But, he wasn't going to be making any progress in Ten Forward.
Niels tried to blend in with the background the best his tall, lanky frame would allow. With his back to the wall, he was in a good position to get a feel for the room. There were a few familiar faces, but most of the attendees he had never met. The thought of making numerous introductions sent a shiver through his body. As the captain had already arrived, the ceremony was sure to start soon. With any luck, it would be a short affair and he'd be able to sneak out and get back to work without having to talk to anyone.
Compared to the Charon, the Aquila was a behemoth, having forty-two decks to the former’s seventeen. Niels had already done some reading up on the new ship and was well aware of the size difference. He also knew about its dual warp cores and ablative armor, features the Charon did not have. He had studied the design specifications. He had even pored over the justifications for using the Yori-Moto systems over their Daystrom equivalents. Everything made sense on paper. He had felt prepared.
Yet, when Niels finally stepped aboard the ship he was struck by all the differences. At first, it was the little things. The slightly longer time spent in the turbolift to get to his new quarters. The deeper engine hum due to the larger ship’s lower resonant frequencies. Then, other implications started to set in. A larger ship meant more systems to maintain with more complex interactions between them. It also meant more people. The crew complement on the Aquila was almost two and a half times that of the Charon’s. That significantly increased his chances of having to attend functions like this one.
Glancing around the room, Niels spotted a relatively unoccupied area near a wall. It was an out of the way place where he could observe his surroundings. More importantly, it was a place where he could gather his thoughts before the inevitable chaos of social interaction came for him. He would have rather been in Main Engineering than Ten Forward, but his presence was required.
The command transfer ceremony was more of a tradition than an administrative necessity in Niels' eyes. That’s not to say he wasn’t happy for Captain Brooks. The man was a competent leader and well deserving of the recognition. It was just difficult for Niels to sit still and be idle. He knew that there was a lot of work he needed to do. Larger ships were more complex than their smaller counterparts. It would take some time for him to reach the same level of familiarity with the Aquila that he had with the Charon. But, he wasn't going to be making any progress in Ten Forward.
Niels tried to blend in with the background the best his tall, lanky frame would allow. With his back to the wall, he was in a good position to get a feel for the room. There were a few familiar faces, but most of the attendees he had never met. The thought of making numerous introductions sent a shiver through his body. As the captain had already arrived, the ceremony was sure to start soon. With any luck, it would be a short affair and he'd be able to sneak out and get back to work without having to talk to anyone.