Eastbound and down

Posted on Saturday September 1st, 2018 @ 14:32 hours by Volok & Mayterial Droz

Mission: Smugglers Need Not Apply
Location: Starbase 72, docking ring
Timeline: MD03, 1730 hours
2211 words - 4.4 OF Standard Post Measure

There was a busy atmosphere on the docking ring. The latest transport had arrived and most people went on their way in different directions as if it was their daily business. Some were looking around, gathering their bearings. One of them was a Vulcan who had packed light to get to this station in the shortest time possible, but didn't seem in a hurry. He ran his hand through his hair while taking in the surroundings. He had always found the directions aboard Starbases not efficient enough, but in his diligence he had studied the itinerary and floor plan to know where he needed to go. If only the shuttle had arrived at the assigned station had not been diverted at the last moment. Volok let out a small sigh and picked up his bag, the long walk to airlock 13 was underway.

"You look like a scholar, good sir. Can I interest you in an ancient artefact? Found on a failed colony. Pre-federation days. Not a better price in the quadrant!" The man that had gotten in the face of Volok was very intense with hair in disarray and an unwavering smile. He was showing him a PaDD with all kinds of images on it, he smelled vaguely of curry. Quickly he was swiping through the pictures of Arrow heads, swipe old tech, swipe ancient pottery.

Volok found his direct route obstructed by what appeared to be an astute salesman. He stopped and raised his hand to indicate he was not in the market for wares. "My apologies. I have no use for the items in your catalogue." He said, trying to get around him to be on his way. Though his eye quickly glanced over the display just to make sure his suspicion was just.

"Ah! I see!" The guy swiped back to the image that had drawn his attention. "You have a good eye, sir." The catalogue had come to rest on what appeared to be a fossilised lizard type creature. "It is of course one of the more pricey objects in the collection, but what a beaut! It's several million years old. I think you'll find it fascinating and it's a great piece to serve as a conversation starter." The smile on his face returned and he used his free hand to zoom in and out of the picture in order to show more details.

Volok looked at the pictures of the artefact. It caught his eye at first, looking similar to an item he had registered somewhere in his notes. But the zoomed in pictures clearly showed features than were not in line with the artefact from his data. Now only how to get rid of the man so he could be on his way. "Verification of authenticity has great influence on the value. I do not see any, so I must regretfully decline your offer." He said raising his hand again and attempted to continue on his way.

"You can trust me man, I'm a true patron of the arts. A connoisseur of the crafts! I would never sell you something inauthentic!" The guy was still following him, stride for stride, despite moving backwards through a crowded promenade. "You're on your way to some place new, right? Someone you want to impress, yeah? How great would it be to show up with a genuine artefact. A gift that has withstood the sands of time. That IS the sands of time!"

"Sir, I do not wish to be rude, but I have to be on my way." Volok said with a hint of urgency, not stopping his stride. He plotted a route through the crowd in the hope his follower would not be such a keen observer and not be able to keep up. Without looking back he said: "If you just forward your catalogue to my ship, I might be able to further examine your wares." There still might be something useful in the seller's list of goods, but the probability was slim at best. Airlock 13 was just ahead.

"You'll regret it, sir. Come find me once you realise what you missed out on!" The man seemed to lose him in the hustle and bustle of the crowd.

Mayterial had seen the last part of the exchange and couldn't help but chuckle to herself as Volok approached her. "What an amateur. Everyone worth they salt knows you don't try and scam a Vulcan. There's no passion, no irrational desires." She shook her head as she pushed herself off the wall and took a step towards Volok. "Good to have you here, doctor." She put her hand up in the typical Vulcan fashion but left the verbal part of out of it.

Volok returned the greeting. "Good to be here." he said, his eyes wandering off to the ship outside the airlock. It didn't look like it was built yesterday, but that was common for freighters. Great longevity for the long haul. "So that is the infamous S.S. Fawkes?" he asked looking back to Mayterial with hardly an expression of emotion. "How is the ... refit coming along?"

"That's a nice way of putting it." Mayterial turned and opened the airlock. She was happy that the Engineer had started his work on it and that by now they were getting some of the benefits from that. The air cycled through the ship again and slowly but surely different sections of the vessel were starting to see the lights come back on. They weren't ready to power up the Warp core just yet but when that moment came, she'd be ready. "We're trying to undo all the damage your precious Starfleet did to her when they turned her inside out. Which of course they topped off by silencing her engines for the better part of six months."

"I suspect turning them back on without proper precautions would cause a multitude of problems." Volok said. He wasn't much of an engineer, but it was common knowledge that turning off technology running for decades and restarting after a long cool down, was asking for blown relays and sparking panels. "And the rest of the crew? Have you found a full complement of able bodies?"

"I have found some here and there. Still need to sit with the Bosun and find our collection of eccentric but likeable deck hands." Mayterial came to the end of the corridor and up to the turbolift. "How about I show you the bridge first. The engineer should have most of the power flowing into there by now." she stepped inside the lift as it presented itself to her and waited for the Vulcan doctor to join her in the confined space.

Volok had to shift his bag around to comfortably fit into the turbolift. It was probably rated for four people, but that was an optimistic estimate. With his bag on the floor in front of him he looked around to take in the state of the ship as the turbolift sprung into action. It made a bit more noise than he was used to from the other ships he had served on.

"Are you regretting coming over yet?" Mayterial half joked as they stood still for a moment allowing it to go up to the bridge. The reputation for the Fawkes was not great, the vessel itself was not in a pretty shape and they were having a hard time rounding up warm bodies to keep her afloat in the darkness of space. This wasn't going to be a pleasure cruise for anyone involved, especially someone used to the luxuries of Galaxy class Starfleet vessels.

"My time on this ship has been too short to make that assessment." Volok said dryly, looking at Mayterial. "I have been on many different cargo ships on missions during my time with Starfleet, but that has been limited to short visits." he said thinking back to the relief missions during and after wartime. "Serving a prolonged time on a vessel like this will require some adjustments to my daily routine." he added as the turbolift came to a stop with a slight judder.

"Well, you know, first impressions and all that." Mayterial waited for the doors to part, the left one had been acting up all day, she gave it a swift bump with her uninjured foot to jiggle it loose from wherever it was stuck. It slid aside and she motioned for Volok to lead the way out, as he had to take his bag with him. She quickly followed. "The bridge is right down there."

Volok headed in the direction indicated by Mayterial. The corridor had quite the same cramped atmosphere as the turbolift. Cargo space over luxury, so every space that could be saved for more cargo, would have been saved for more cargo. "What is the time frame for our departure?" He asked, wanting to know how much time he would have to acclimate to the ship and familiarize himself with the rest of the crew.

"It really depends on when we can complete our crew complement and whether a contract is upcoming." Mayterial replied as they stepped onto the bridge. It was also a small area, a seat on an elevated step as per Cardassian design. Two consoles to the back on either side and a duo of control panels in the front for the Navigator and Signaller. "So this is the brain of the ship." She gave it a gesture with her arm to emphasise the importance of the location.

"It lacks the open floor plan of a Galaxy class starship, but it seems functional and efficient." Volok said, stating the obvious like a typical Vulcan, looking around the various terminals. He had been on various cargo ships while on missions, but never had to bother himself with the functionality of the bridge or the command structure aboard. He looked back at Mayterial. "Is the position of the first mate of this vessel on the bridge?" he asked, hinting at the lack of extra seats compared to a starship.

Mayterial pointed to the console on her right hand, next to the door. "This is a secondary command console." She then pointed at the one across the way, “That's Tactical." She pointed past the command chair, which was too obvious to point out, "Navigation's on the left, Signaller on the right. Though I'm quite sure it doesn't matter where they sit down." She allowed for a moment to have all of that sink in before turning, "Let me take you to your quarters."

"That is agreeable." Volok said with a slight nod, adjusting his bag to head in the opposite direction again. He took another quick glance around taking in the sights. The seats didn't seem up to Federation standard, but they at least looked like they had a sense of comfort. "Please lead the way."

Stepping back into the turbo lift Mayterial, it was only one deck down which they rode in relative silence. With a creak it slowed back down and opened up again. She stepped out and assumed Volok would be following her. The first door to the left opened to her and Volok. She swallowed hard at the sight. It was an absolute mess. "I'll clean it out for you." She said, an audible lump in her throat.

Volok quirked an eyebrow, upon closer inspection maybe even both, at the scene. The room looked like it was literally torn apart and some random junk thrown in for good measure. "The thoroughness of the Federation investigation crews is commendable." Volok said in slight amazement. "The cleanup crews however will not get a positive recommendation from me."

"I'll be sure to list it in our official review." Mayterial joked halfheartedly. She had avoided the first mate's quarters like the plague over the past three days, the air in there was still a bit stale because of it. There had been no need to be in there before now. She saw some of Meghan's clothes thrown about the floor, a book or two no longer on their stands. All cupboards pulled open, contents removed without much thought on where it landed, and a small statuette on the floor, head separated from the body. A pang in her gut as she stepped into the room and squatted down to pick up the two parts of the thing. The marble still cold to the touch. She took in a sharp breath through her nose and pocketed the trinket. She motioned with her hand, "I'll come by later and collect the rest."

"I will make an attempt to organize the contents of this room." Volok said, pulling his bag from his back and putting it in the corner of the room. It was about the only free spot on the floor. "After completion I can continue the exploration of this vessel and acquaintance myself with the rest of the crew."

"Make sure not to damage anything." Mayterial got up from her position on the ground and turned to walk past Volok, "Any more than it already has been."


OFF

Mayterial Droz
Captain
S.S. Fawkes

&

Volok
First Mate
S.S. Fawkes

"The questions don't do the damage. Only the answers do."