Grounded for refit
Posted on Thu Jun 22nd, 2023 @ 11:36pm by Colonel Ezekiel Bagwell & Lieutenant Samuel Carrington & Lieutenant JG Dustin Reynolds & Lieutenant Commander Anna Bagwell & Commander Sarah Rodgers & Lieutenant JG Aubrey Miller
Edited on on Thu Jun 22nd, 2023 @ 11:37pm
3,624 words; about a 18 minute read
Mission:
Episode 116 - "A Bounty of Trust"
Location: SB 400, USS Falcon, Various
Timeline: MD2 - 1630 hours
It had been 17 days since the USS Falcon pulled in for dock. He was still trying to get used to the fact that his ship was temporarily out of commission. She was undergoing refit. He hated being grounded to the station. He preferred to be out in space exploring. Deeper still in his office when he heard the intercom go off. "Come." He called out figuring it was probably Sarah telling him his time to go.
"Captain." Sarah said as she walked in. "They are waiting for the two of us to depart." She could tell he was unsettled. So was she. Sitting at a station wasn't her idea of fun.
"it's just a bynar sweep, they can wait a few minutes." Zeke suggested to Sarah. He took another long look at the ready room. For the past couple years this had been his home.
After the refill it'll be coming home again, but he had heard rumors that Starfleet was looking to retire out ships, and the shift was a really high maintenance cost. He hoped a Falcon would make the list.
She is a good ship." Sarah spoke up, sensing he felt the same way she did. "We can only hope for the best for now and accept what Starfleet does." She walked around as she talked. "I can't think about it."
"I suppose being on a station will have its advantages, I can plan for my wedding." Ezekiel suggested to Sarah. He was trying to look at the bright side of this temporary setback.
"There you go." Sarah grinned. "I can't wait to see you in a money suit."
"Money suit? I do not own a money suit, Commander." Ezekiel said, wondering what she was talking about?
"Monkey suit." Sarah corrected herself. "You all dressed up looking good for your bride, pulling at your collar."
"I'm glad you clarified that cuz I was trying to figure out what a money suit is." Ezekiel said with the nervous look on his face, he should have known that he was kicking himself for not knowing that.
Sarah grinned at him. "To be fair, it's not a term used by a lot of people." Her father said it a lot.
"Sorry for not keeping up on the latest social coqoluisms." Ezekiel admitted to her, as he started to head out to the bridge.
"Unless you spent time around my father I doubt you would have ever heard it before." Sarah smiled. "He hated dressing up."
"Well maybe someday we can invite your father on board, if that would be all right with you. It almost 4 years I still have not met your parents, and for that matter you haven't met mine but mine will be coming to the station I would like to invite you to meet them maybe have dinner with me and Anna." Ezekiel asked. He was making an effort to get to know his first officer better.
"I will invite him." Sarah said with a smile. "We are very close. He always supported me in what I wanted to do."
"I hope that was not to forward of me, I am trying to work on my social skills. I want to believe that taking this command has helped me improve them." Ezekiel said. Making first contact was easy, making long term friendships for him was hard. Mainly due to his limitations.
"It wasn't." Sarah assured him. "My dad has wanted to visit for a while I wasn't certain how you would feel about it."
"our line of work I guess doesn't really allow us to have very many visitors does it." Ezekiel said Thank himself at the Falcon was more of a patrol ship they didn't really do first contact diplomatic mission or escorting of any kind he mainly just observed and reported a lot. Not that he minded much, he liked it well organized and efficient shift and so far he had managed that with the help of Sarah. It had been a remarkable three almost four years.
“I don’t remember us ever having one.” Sarah commented. “It helps that we serve off the base, there is a lot to do here if we had to leave visitors here while we went out.”
"Because we haven't we've gone for one mission Patrol to the next one and then a few combat missions in between." Ezekiel pointed out to his first officer Sarah.
"We have been going nonstop." Sarah agreed. "What are we going to do with all this downtime?" She grinned then. "Well at least you will be busy."
"Me? Only with planning a wedding your secondary role is strategic operations officer so no doubt they're going to have you busy in that field for a while." Ezekiel said thinking to himself, he wish he would be that busy for a while. He hated down time.
"I can embrace that." Sarah said with a sympathetic smile."Why don't you and Anna have a quiet wedding. You could still have Bremer do it."
"actually we got Fleet Admiral Mike Bremer to do it." Ezekiel say with the bakery on his face.
"There you go." Sarah nodded."Make it simple if you don't want a circus."
"sadly, it's going to be a certain show I heard it's going to be big." Ezekiel suggested to his first officer.
"How does Anna feel about that?" Sarah asked. She would he surprised if that was what Anna wanted."
"Overwhelmed, I know she understands the stakes. This is her special day. And in part my special day." Ezekiel said with a warm smile.
"If I ever get married it will be a quiet wedding." Sarah said quietly. With just my friends there."
"I thought the same thing. something I feel that alot of weddings are all about display of status. To make a big spectacle of yourself to make you feel better about life, to have your one moment in life, where you're the center of attention." Ezekiel pointed out to Sarah. He knew this moment would be there's.
"I understand." Sarah nodded."I just want my wedding to be more intimate, surrounded by those who really know me."
"I hope you get that." Ezekiel said with a warm smile. Yes yeah because he is a command officer that's why he has sweating will give me a big spectacle. He embraced it versus trying to change it.
"We don't always get what we want." Sarah said with a laugh. "You and Anna's wedding is proof of that."
"I tend to look at the things I do have control over, versus the things I don't have control over. What that said I still get to marry the love of my life my soulmate. And I do anything for her." Ezekiel pointed out.
“When you say that I can see why you are putting up with the circus.” Sarah nodded. “I feel for you though.”
"sometimes things are just out of your control, you learn to roll with punches or take a bunch of time off and do it your way and have a lot of people upset at you when you come back."' Ezekiel suggested he can kill themselves that his wedding was treated more of a diplomatic function by the day.
"I get it." Sarah nodded. "Especially in your position. The huge wedding is expected."
"deep down the MP for a smaller wedding but I'll get what I can, I'm just happy to be marrying my soulmate." Ezekiel find it out thank you girls help this is probably the first time he's actually had a personal conversation with his first officer. For the past 4 years I've pretty much had civil basic conversations light surface conversations.
“It will be fine.” Sarah tried to assure him. “Before you know it you’ll be married and starting a family of your own.”
"That is the plan, let's just hope the universe can behave itself for a few months." Ezekiel said, he wanted nothing to get between him and Anna.
“That’s a tall order lately.” Sarah said with a smile. “I will hope that everything falls into place.”
"I just have faith it will, and I'm going to be damn sure to do everything I can to help that process." Ezekiel said with a smirk l.
“Then it will.” Sarah grinned. “No one, not even the gods would mess with you.” She smiled at him, seeing the look on his face.
Ezekiel wanted to ask what God you believe him, but that didn't seem to be a good idea. He noticed yet a lot of people don't like talking about religions. In his experience afraid of people handed to start fights.
Ezkiel did not believe that Sarah was that type of person but he didn't want to take any chances.
“Look at me.” Sarah said with a laugh. “Being all sentimental and all. It’s a good thing we rely on ourselves and not luck or some superior being will swoop in and save the day.”
"I find this refreshing, after 4 years we can finally open up like this to each other. For that number one I am deeply grateful." Ezekiel said to her. He like this moment it was his new favorite between them.
"As long as we have served together I decided it is fine to open up." Sarah explained. "I realized that though we say we are friends we don't know thar much about each other."
"That's my fault, I tend not to open up too much about my personal life." Ezekiel pointed out to her, but offering no context.
"It is true." Sarah nodded. "But I have done nothing to break through those barriers either."
"I appreciate what you're trying to do, this is on me." Ezekiel suggested to her.
He knew he had to own up to his mistakes but he would try to work on them in the future.
"Let's look forward and leave the past behind us." Sarah suggested. "We can't fix it only do better."
"Agreed." Ezekiel said as a scene surgery fade away.
"How did your meeting go with Captain?" Sam asked Sarah. He knew that she had a meeting with him, and that the Falcon would be offline for a few weeks maybe months depending how the refit went.
"It was good." Sarah smiled at him. "We had a good conversation about when and for the first time our personal lives."
"You got him to open up, that is incredible." Sam said, he was impressed.
“It was not all that hard.” Sarah admitted. “All it took was for me to make the hard step into expressing some of my personal things..” she smiled. “We agreed to work on it more.”
"I think you're being modest that's what I love about you."Sam said to her. You're the very caring and compassionate person but yet she was an honest person and didn't really like too much attention on her. Probably why she wanted to strategic operations in the first place.
Sarah’s face lit up as she smiled back at him. “You always know the right thing to say and how to encourage me.”
"I do my best too, your worth it." Sam said feeling a little cheesy with his response.
Sarah smiled at his response. “I am glad we are getting refitted.” She said. “But I miss being on board already.”
I hate being grounded but if I'm going to be grounded at least it's with you, who knows maybe I can play a few of the shuttles to and from the planet below get some flight time in." Sam suggested to her.
“See you have a positive attitude.” Sarah replied. “And you have something to turn to that will keep you busy. I am at loose ends at the moment.”
"that is not how I saw this conversation going, I imagine that you would have been like no how dare you go on a flyboy mission and leave me on the station." Same thing with a big green on his face. He was seeking a little attention, wanted to know if she was going to miss him if he did go on a flight.
“I don’t want you to go.” Sarah said, looking in his eyes. She would miss him and she let it show. “But I love you enough not to hold you back from doing what you love. I know you would go crazy if you couldn’t fly.”
"Things we do for the people we love." Sam said with smile on his face. He wondered how he got so lucky with Sarah.
“It feels good though.” Sarah admitted. “That we both are willing to do things to make the other happy. That’s how relationships are supposed to be and I am lucky to ah e you.”
"When do you have to report back to strategic operations?" Sam ask him to have some time to themselves today.
“Tomorrow at four.” Sarah replied. “So I am free for almost a full day.” She smiled. “What would you like to do?”
"We really haven't explored the station much." Sam pointed out here in the 4 years that they lived here they barely went from their quarters maybe to the promenade a little bit and then back to the ship. He was kind of curious to know what else was around or maybe actually fully explore the promenade not just a couple places that had good smelling food.
“Then let’s explore.” Sarah smiled. “Maybe we can find a new place to have lunch while we are out.” She also wanted to do some shopping but she wasn’t mentioning it just now, he could be surprised.
"I would like that." Sam said as he reached out for her to pull her close to him.
Sarah hugged him tightly and whispered. “I am looking forward to this down time for us to spend together.”
"I'm free right now." Sam said as he pulled her close and lean in to give her a kiss. The scene starts to fade away.
Sarah kissed him back, looking forward to their time together.
Dustin was one of the last people to leave the USS Falcon. after the captain and the first officer left he stayed behind to surrender control of the ship to the station's Corps of Engineers. The ship was undergoing much needed refit which meant that he was going to be temporarily reassigned a Starbase 400 on a semi permanent basis. Like most of the other senior staff he also had developed a relationship with a member of the Falcon crew. Justin and Aubrey has really become close over the last few years. It got to a point where they said to move in together. Luckily for them though all their stuff was already moved over. "Are you going to be helping the Corps of Engineers or are you going to be or assigned to another task?" Dustin asks his long time girlfriend Aubrey who happened to be in the chief engineer of the Falcon.
"You think I will let them work on our ship without being there to oversee them?" Aubrey grinned. "I'll be there during the day and once I'm done I'll be looking for you."
"Still think it's not fairly you're the that the only one on the crew that can be on the ship." Dustin pointed out to her. He was the security chief. But now he just felt like a low-ranking junior security officer.
“I fought tooth and nail.” Aubrey explained. “They still didn’t want to do I went to the captain. He pulled some strings and got me to stay.”
"well I feel comfortable at least one of us is going to be on the ship." Dustin said, he didn't want to start a fight with her and he was grateful that she was going keep an eye on their ship.
“I will see what I can do.” Aubrey said after a moment. “Once we settle in and get to work I will bring up why I feel they are amiss not having you there.” She felt for Dustin and could see it bothered him.
"I've learned once the car of Engineers I made up their mind don't even try to get them change your mind cuz usually they'll screw up on your repair." Dustin pointed out to her.
“That is why I will be there.” Aubrey spoke up. “First sign of trouble I will contact the captain. The ship means almost as much to all of you as it does to me.”
"I feel they're going to try to decommission her." Dustin said. He had heard of rumors. That the fleet was being retrofitted the new Fleet migration system in that their shift wasn't compatible now without a major overhaul. The USS Falcon would have to be gutted and rebuilt up.
Aubrey immediately became irritated. “That is what they always pull. Out with the old and onto the new. Sometimes new isn’t better!”
You heard that they're getting the Titan soon, right?" Dustin told her, he heard that they were turning her into a full cruiser not just a science cruiser.
“Yes.” Aubrey nodded. “And I am looking forward to seeing that cruiser.” She looked at him. “But we are talking about the Falcon right now.” She wondered if the captain knew. He wouldn’t hide that from her would he?”
"You are really?" Dustin asked a little surprised. You're the big fan of the luna class design. But he tried to imagine it from her perspective, from an engineering perspective changing a shift from one class to another would probably be a huge feat of engineering talent and skill.
“See it.” Aubrey replied. “Ships for an engineer are like a painting for an artist. I want to see the completed cruiser. It doesn’t mean I will like it.”
"if you don't like the painting then why you make the picture?" Dustin suggested to her twisting her own words against her. You didn't like the idea of converting a well-designed sleep looking shift into something completely new.
“I didn’t make it.” Aubrey replied. “If I did it would be sculptured to my sight and recommendations. It doesn’t mean I can’t appreciate someone else’s work.” She smiled at him.
"I see, don't let them change the Falcon at all." Doesn't suggested here was a disappointing look on his face. He really hated the fact that they were gutting s noble ship like yhe Titan.
“I don’t intend to.” Aubrey assured him. “All and any changes will be brought to the captain.”
"I'm going to hope you do that."Dustin said it was a smile, knowing that he could trust her.
“That is one of the reasons I used to remain with the ship.” Aubrey explained to him. “I don’t trust anyone with her, especially my engines.” She had a look in her eyes that she wasn’t kidding.
"Anything going to happen, you will know about it first then you'll hopefully let me know and then the captain." Dustin said has he looked back into her eyes.
“I will immediately.” Aubrey nodded. “And I will prevent them from moving forward until I hear from you or the Captain.”
"oh come on you know I'm teasing I don't have any authority, but the captain does." Dustin send thinking it was very nice of her to keep him in the loop."
“You are the security chief.” Aubrey spoke up. “You will know what I know and if asked you protect the ship and crew.” She grinned at him. “I am a part of the crew.”
"I cannot protect you if I'm not permitted to be on the ship while she undergoes retrofit or a refit whatever they decided to do to the Falcon." Dustin pointed out to her.
"Good point." Aubrey replied. She grinned then. "I am allowed to bring two personnel with me. You are one of them." She waited to see his reaction.
"I'm not an engineer or an operations officer. I would love to go with you, but you should not handicap yourself by bringing me along. I can contain my ego!" Dustin said, thinking that was very sweet of her.
“I also know from working with you that you are handy with tools.” She looked at Dustin. “What better plans do you have?”
"A bit of an over statement. I am a tool boy, you tell me the tool and I retrieve it." Dustin said with a smile. He knew very little about Starship engines.
“That works for me.” Aubrey insisted. “I can be the most unorganized person at times.” It was true that she sometimes was but generally not with her tools.
"I want to spend time with you too but I also want the Falcon back as soon as possible." Dustin said hoping that maybe she would choose someone else that will help get their ship back to them faster.
“I will check and see where my crew has been placed.” Aubrey replied. “It there are two available I will have them assigned to me. If not, the offer is open.”
"You're not going to let me win this one are you?" Dustin asked her with a big goofy smile. It was adorable watching her fight to keep him on the ship despite the fact that he wasn't supposed to be on the ship according to the Corps of Engineers.
"No." Aubrey smiled. "You know when I set my mind on something I don't change it very easily."
"It's one of your traits, that I love about you." Dustin said, as the scene starts to fade away.
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