Posted by Lieutenant Maria Beckett (Chief of Security) in Step Into The Light - Out and bout (OPEN side sim)

Posted by Ensign Rika Nishizumi (Doctor) in Step Into The Light - Out and bout (OPEN side sim)

Posted by Ensign Rika Nishizumi (Doctor) in Step Into The Light - Out and bout (OPEN side sim)
Posted by… suppressed (7) by the Post Ghost! 👻
<snip>
“I’m sorry I brought up bad memorise” Rika said kindly. Space was so dangerous even now when travelling through it was the norm. Ships, people even whole colonies get lost all the time to some strange space phenomenon. It reminded Rika of sea travel, eve though it too was the norm it still could slap you down. She should understand why so many people fear space.

“If you find anything i would love to hear about it. Maybe intelligence thought there was some tactical or navigational information, that was too dangerous to be handled by anyone else” she said, she had been wandering that very question for a long time. Of course she had put feelers out, though unofficial channels but nothing came of it.

“Either way it was in vein. 250 lives lost for nothing, and people still think my mother should have just brought the device to its destination.” she added shaking her head “Idiots”

Ensign Nishizumi (Doctor)

Maria nodded slowly with a grimace. “If there’s anything I find, and I can get clearance to share it with you, I will. You deserve to know as much as you can.” She shook her head. “And it might not have been in vain. But whatever it was, it was dangerous. There’s a chance it’s been quietly recovered but who knows.” The lietutenant heaved a small sigh. “I kinda hope they didn’t though. It sounds like something that’s better left in darkness and silence.”

Lt Beckett, COS

“My mother blasted the thing into a sun. If it survived that I would be very surprised. And I hope no ones stupid enough to recover it if it did survive. It was damaged before imagine what it would do now,” Rika said with a grimace.

“Sorry. you’re new to the ship and the first person you bump into delves into their past. Did you need help with anything or maybe a tour?” Rika asked after a short pause. she was eager to change the subject.

Ensign Nishizumi (Doctor)

Maria waved it away with one hand. “Well then I’m sure the device is destroyed,” she said mildly and with some relief if not hope. “And delving into the past is part of the job. It’s nice to actually connect with somebody for a change. Even if it’s just for a minute. A tour would be nice, though I don’t want to impose. You looked busy and pretty deep into what you were reading.” Truth was, she could navigate the internal layout just fine, after ten years in Starfleet. While she’d not been on a Memorial-class, they all shared similar design philosophies and, of course she could get the computer to guide her wherever she needed or wanted to go. BUT… A tour from the Ensign would give the security officer a chance to see the ship through someone else’s eyes. Get to know her through one of the other crew. And that was invaluable.

Lt Beckett, COS

Rika smiled. “No trouble at all,” she said kindly. “I was just double checking the final details of a few business contracts I recently acquired. You can never be too careful,” she added as she started to walk towards the nearest lift.

The lieutenant inclined her chin in a silent ‘ah-hah’ sort of look. “Gotta keep an eye on business. It’s gotta be tough balancing your duties at Starfleet, and managing to handle the upper-echelon duties of an interstellar corporation.” Maria fell in step with the young woman with an easy grace.

Rika shook her shoulders “I’ve been raised for it since my grandfather adopted me. I’m used too it now but it can be hard. I remember in the academy trying to prep for an exam at the same time i was expected to memorise a few business contracts, long ones. I had stayed up for hours, I was so stressed because I had my exam. Then had to go to my Grandfather and recite the contracts form memory with out any mistakes. it was to prove I could do both, I passed and he said he was proud of me. He had me sign the contract that would allow me to take over the company the next day.” she said it was clear it had been a stressful time, but Rika had been raised to think it was her duty.

“Anywhere in particular you’d like to see,” she asked.

“Hah. It’s your tour. Why don’t you show me something about the Memorial that’s a little special to you? I mean, the labs and such are probably nice, even for an Escort ship but… I’m looking for something besides just work stuff.” She gave Rika a friendly, knowing smile. It was a chance for the girl to show off something personal.

Lt Beckett, COS

A mischievous smile graced her face. “Then I hope you don’t mind climbing,” she said as she turned away from the lift and opened a Jeffries tube hatch. Climbing inside, she motioned for Beckett to follow her. The climb was long and twisted through tube after tube after tube, going up some ladders and down others. Rika looked back throughout the trip to make sure the COS was behind her and that she was ok.

Maria had no trouble following. In fact, climbing around in the tubes, the innards and maintenance spaces of the Memorial brought back old memories. She’d grown up on her family’s ship, making cargo runs. She’d played in these kinds of spaces, then worked in them, patching ODN relays and EPS conduits and more. Only back then they had felt like hallways. Coming back to them as an adult, she still had room to work, but it was much more cramped. Yet, it was familiar and comforting.

Eventually they reached a section where four tubes met at a cross and Rika stopped. the area was tall enough to stand in and wide enough for a couple of people to stand next to each other. There was a small porthole in one of the bulkheads about halfway up. Stars could be seen through it, on the floor was a clearly added rug and a few battery-operated fake candles. Rika sat down cross-legged on the rug and motioned for Beckett to do the same.

“This is where I come to if want to get away from things, meditate for a few moments. I find it relaxing and a place I don’t have to worry about the numerous duties I have,” she said softly. “It’s literally the quietest spot on the ship,” she added and it was, if one stopped to listen for a second. Nothing could be heard but a soothing silence. It was easy to see that if you sat there and looked out the porthole, you would feel like you were in space.

Ensign Nishizumi (Doctor)

<BUMP>

The tube intersection was a welcome reprieve from crawling and dragging through the tubes. The intersection itself was spacious by comparison. Rika’s little nest, even more so. It was cozy, and rather quiet. They’d ascended a long way, so she imagined they were somewhere in the primary personnel decks. At least what she could visualize from the layout of the ship and the tubes they’d taken.

Settling down across from Rika, she nodded. “I can see the appeal,” she said, leaning back against the bulkhead. A sigh escaped her as she turned over the situation and various regulations. This wasn’t really a crew area, and not meant for recreation or any kind of habitation. The Memorial’s standard crew compliment was a meager 250 compared to the Mythology or the older Galaxy-class ships. And she was significantly smaller, being about half the size, with a quarter of the crew. There were long stretches of corridor when you might not meet a single soul coming and going. At the same time, significant portions of the ship’s internals were taken up by mission specific fittings and of course equipment. She was a battlecruiser, not a luxury vessel.

This really wasn’t an area the Ensign was supposed to be in. She wasn’t with Operations, especially Engineering. At the same time it wasn’t a hard “off limits” area. She wasn’t breaking any laws or causing a safety risk. A mild security concern maybe. It wasn’t hard to make the leap from here to sneaking around, spying on others, or engaging in smuggling. A nice little out of the way spot like this? You could store a few crates to offload somewhere else.

None of that seemed to fit Rika’s agenda though. Wanting somewhere quiet, out of the way, to not be bothered? A space she could decompress in and be alone? That was pretty much the opposite of criminal behavior. Even healthy and necessary.

And Rika knew she probably wasn’t supposed to be there, in a general sense. The young woman was a doctor, and extremely focused, and intelligent. She didn’t need a lecture. And she knew the risks when she brought Maria here, and she’d made a solid bet.

The Lieutenant snickered under her breath to herself after a few moments. “Clever. Just… don’t let the engineering team catch you in here. They might pitch a wall-eyed fit. And then I’m having to deal with a Captain’s Mast myself, and last thing I need is to get knocked down a rank, or to rot in the brig for a couple weeks.”

Lt Beckett, COS

((Sorry for the delay. Bunch of crazy stuff has happened in the last week or two.))

Rika smiled “I have never seen an engineer here, there are no mission critical systems here. Only some of the power lines and facility systems for some of the quarters, that aren’t being used right now” she said simply

“Besides if our chief of security has no issue with me being here, I doubt engineering will.” she said emphasising Maria’s job “I learnt of this spot from the previous XO, Commander Jade Jones. it was her sanctuary and now I like to think of it as mine” she added after a short pause.

Ensign Nishizumi (Doctor)