Paperwork and Models

Posted on Sat Dec 14th, 2024 @ 11:20am by Lieutenant Commander Steve Ryan
Edited on on Sat Dec 14th, 2024 @ 11:22am

Mission: Through the Looking Glass
Location: Deck 2 - Senior Officer Quarters

Steve sat at his desk, reviewing a stack of PADDs from the various departments. The new position came with plenty of bureaucratic tasks, but he didn’t mind. He actually enjoyed working through the science lab's requests just as much as poring over the stellar cartography data for their current mission.

He was engrossed in Command's latest dispatch when the door to his quarters swooshed open. Startled, he looked up to see Deborah walking in, her smile as fresh as ever.

“Hey! Didn’t your parents teach you to knock before entering someone’s room?” Steve teased, setting the PADD he’d been reading down on his desk.

Deb snorted. “I did knock, twice. But you were probably too busy reading to notice,” she said, glancing at the paperwork scattered across his desk.

Steve shook his head in mock despair, but he couldn’t help returning her smile. “Well, I suppose I should be grateful for the interruption. A break from work might be exactly what I need.”

“Oh, definitely,” she replied, stepping closer with her hands clasped behind her back.

“What brings you here?” he asked, leaning back in his chair.

“I was just stopping by to visit my favorite XO,” she said with a playful lilt.

Steve laughed, shaking his head. “Is that so?”

Deb grinned and took another step closer. “Actually, I wanted to say how proud I am of you. Your promotion caught me completely off guard! When you told me the other day, I thought you were joking.” She laughed, and Steve joined in—it was exactly the sort of prank he might have pulled.

“But I didn’t come empty-handed,” she continued, her eyes sparkling. “I wanted to give you something to celebrate this milestone.” She revealed a small package from behind her back and handed it to him.

“You didn’t have to do this,” Steve said, his voice softening as he took the gift.

“C’mon, just open it,” Deb urged, practically bouncing with excitement.

Steve carefully unwrapped the package. Inside the box was a beautifully crafted model of the Plex's vessel, the salvaged ship from Babel that had been his first command.

“This is...” he said, his voice trailing off in disbelief.

Deb nodded, grinning. “Your first command.”

“How did you...?” Steve began, but Deb cut him off, eager to explain.

“I started with the scans we took of the ship, both on the ground and in space. I cleaned them up, optimized the design for 3D printing, and voilà...here she is!” Her smile radiated pride.

Steve’s eyes filled with joy as he carefully placed the model on his desk. Then he stood, pulling Deb into a tight hug.

“This is the best gift ever,” he whispered, holding her close.

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Lt. Cmdr. Steve Ryan
XO USS Montana

Ens. Deborah O'Donnel
Engineer