"Lo" and Behold

Posted on Tuesday May 5th, 2020 @ 21:26 hours by Lozen Nachtnebel & Mayterial Droz

Mission: Safe Passage
1453 words - 2.9 OF Standard Post Measure

Lozen's first impression of the Fawkes gave her the cramped feeling of being inside a cave. The Cardassian design made for sloping corridor supports and a distinct favoritism for dull bronze, aspects which accented the ships lighting in such a way as to be reminiscent of a torch-lit castle from some medieval land. But, as May showed her around, Lo found herself increasingly "at home". Something about the ship spoke of "personality." She could almost sense the many lives that had lived there across the years, and of course the presence of the current crew could even more easily be felt. Little signs of long term habitation were everywhere: cooking smells wafting through from the galley, a wooden nameplate, hand carved, hanging above a crewperson's cabin door, a burst of laughter from a closed room.

"How long have you had her?" Lo asked as they took the turbolift from Deck Six and headed for Deck Five. They had started the tour-proper in the cargo bays, working their way toward the bow and the bridge.

"About four years now," Mayterial slid her hand over the nearest turbolift wall as she answered, "I had been doing odd jobs, all around the quadrant, after leaving the fleet." She shrugged, "nothing felt like home until I met the old girl." The doors opened and they got out on deck five, "The most interesting thing on this deck is Engineering and the computer core. Neither of which are very advanced. A refitted warp five engine, Federation tech, and a similarly ancient computer core," She stood in front of the computer core door and opened it, "the engineer has done quite a good job of making sure it's in optimal condition. Plus the parts are cheap and in abundance."

"She's a beauty," Lozen said. She meant it. Something about old ships like this made her feel warm and safe, like being in the forgotten rooms of a museum. It seemed to be something of a reminder as to the lastingness of things, of the way some pieces of the universe could be inscribed in such a way that their voyages through history were longer-lasting and more filled with subtle potency than most. She smiled, catching the edge of her melancholy mood and it's poetic bent.

"They made so much from these little ships," she went on. "The Cardassians, I mean. I read about weapon refits, troop transport capabilities, even advanced scientific modules. It's a real workhorse design. Doctor Barindal at the Academy spent a whole semester going over the basics of Cardassian ship construction and he loved the Groumal most of all. "Tough little ships" he called them." She laughed at the memory, her gaze still fixed on the outdated computer core interface.

"Well, that they are," Mayterial didn't want to comment on the fact that most of those accomplishments were achieved through Bajoran slave labour. This wasn't the time nor the place, "Perhaps it's best if I showed you the licensed crew quarters, get a feeling for the living arrangements on the boat. The messhall and showers are also on that deck." She motioned for Lozen to step back out of the computer core and guided her back over to the turbolift. For the most part the Groumal consisted of cargo space, more cargo space, and a corner set aside for cargo space. Seen one, you've seen them all.

"Sounds good."

Lo Followed May out of the computer core and past a long series of short corridors leading to the outer hull's storage compartments. It felt like being inside of a honeycomb. They entered the turbolift and began to slowly ascend the ship's spine toward the bow and the crew compartments.

Lo glanced at the woman who would soon be the person she reported to, took orders from. May's long, raven-black hair complemented her light complexion but Lo found herself primarily drawn in by the betazoid's dark eyes. Finding herself staring, Lo looked around for something to say. "So, what sort of work will you be looking for if I come aboard? I'm assuming you'd want me to start handling supply acquisitions and the like?"

"You're basically a spider in a web, in the middle making sure to stay in touch with everything and everyone. Engineer needs supplies to keep us flying, Master-at-Arms needs supplies to keep us safe in case of raiders, Physician needs supplies in case of the sniffles," Mayterial noticed that Lozen had been staring at her eyes, but tried to ignore it, "We'll also be taking on passengers, you'll need to make sure that if there's any special needs, we can fulfil them. Make sure everyone has a room, both crew and passengers," She shrugged slightly, "in case of emergencies you'd be in charge of sequestering the passengers, keep them out of our way."

Lo nodded, having expected a more complex job description than what might be found on a Federation vessel. "Independent life really requires 'all hands on deck' doesn't it? Well, I know you read through the dossier I included in my job post, managing a heavy workload won't be a problem for me. I still have friends and contacts from the Fleet, too, which means I can probably get the crew better supplies than most. How often do you run passengers?"

"We're trying to get everything in place to pick up that part of the business. It's untapped potential for us and a nice steady stream of income on top of our cargo runs. It's relatively low effort, high reward." Since these were people that were paying a fraction for what they normally would for a passenger shuttle they'd accept lower-quality service as well, "As long as we can keep them from going hungry, we're relatively safe." They stepped out of the turbolift and she walked up to the Quartermaster's chambers, opening it with her access code, "These would be your quarters." She stepped aside allowing Lozen to take a look inside.

Lo stepped into the room, the lights gradating up smoothly to reveal a small yet comfortable space: a single bed overhung with an open-faced storage compartment occupied the wall directly in front of her. She liked that; after spending her last few years sharing a room with another junior officer, it made her nearly giddy to think of having her own private space. To the left, a double-tiered desk space and comfortable-looking chair offered a space to work privately, another luxury she had not been afforded aboard the Alcatraz. She stepped in and turned around, taking it all in.

"It's nice," she said. She tried to keep from sounding too enthusiastic. "It's been remodelled from the Cardassian standard. Less... sparse than I'd imagined."

A small smile crept over Mayterial's features, this was going better than imagined, "We do our best to make things comfortable for everyone involved." She kept to the door opening, allowing Lozen to step through the room without her interference, hoping that would help with her imagining making it her own, "what you do in here is your own business, you can arrange it however you like."

Lo faced May again, catching just the hint of a smile on the woman's face. "Well, I guess this brings us to the big question?"

"Oh..." Mayterial feigned being flustered, "I'm very flattered that you would think of me that way, but what would our parents think?" She laughed a bit at her own joke.

For half a moment, Lo utterly failed to catch the joke and she felt her heart rate climb in panic. But then she caught the edge of the joke and immediately felt ten kinds of stupid. She made a mental note to seek out and spend more time around betazoids -- if she became this flustered every time she encountered one of her mother's people, there were going to be some embarrassing moments in store. So, grinning widely, she played along.

"Oh, well, I'm sure mom would approve but dad would be frightfully angry. Him expecting me to settle down with a local boy and all."

Mayterial laughed a bit at that, "So, am I looking at my new Quartermaster?" She pulled the conversation back to the actual topic.

Lo held out her hand, palm open, and smiled. For the first time since she met May, she felt a little at her ease; perhaps laughter really was the best medicine.

"If you'll have me?"

Taking the hand May gave it a proper shake. There was a moment of familiarity between them. She wondered if they had met before somewhere, or if there was something else that created that connection. "It would be our honour."

[OFF]

Mayterial Droz
Captain

&

Lozen Nachtnebel
Quartermaster

S.S. Fawkes