On The Move
Posted on 17 May 2021 @ 6:27am by Lieutenant JG Harper Matthews
Mission:
Patching up the Copernicus
Location: Transport Ship en route to USS Andromeda
880 words - 1.8 OF Standard Post Measure
Word had came down that that Andromeda had been asked to assist the USS Copernicus and instead of a nice seamless transition from base to ship, or ship to to ship, Harper would be stuffed in a sardine can of a transport to get her to her new posting.
Her interim posting on the USS Aerosmith as its Chief of Security had ended with their own chief coming back from maternity leave. Lt. Commander Costner had been pleased with how Harper had ran her department for the last 6 months with minor improvements on fitness shown after a quick review.
Harper had enjoyed the role immensely and knew that she did not want to give up the reigns now that she'd held them for just over half an Earth year. When she knew it was coming to a close she had applied for a transfer to the USS Andromeda as its Chief Security/Tactical Officer but never thought she had a chance in hell of getting it.
'Believe in yourself and others will follow.' Ava, her mother, always said.
Harper would always roll her eyes at that pearls of wisdom her mother would hit her with. It was almost as if she'd swallowed a book of old fashioned sayings and had them cued up for every occasion. Her mother was always her biggest fan and also her harshest critic. She wanted Harper to succeed but not at the expense of doing half a job.
She was pushed in high school to take part in sports, hence her volleyball and field hockey. She ran in the track and field team purely as an outlet to free her mind from stress. Surfers Paradise Beach was an absolute perfect place to run. The beach itself was stunning, the sea on one side glistening under the hot Australian sun and on the other the bustling city that she called home, even if she did live in the suburbs.
Harper would get lost in her head, she'd put music on and just run for miles. The soft sand under her feet a welcome cushion to the tarmac and hard surfaces she'd train on. It was strange that her coaches would say to train on soft surfaces as it was better for the joints but then make them run on harder surfaces but she never questioned it.
She has her own holodeck program that she takes with her everywhere she goes. The Gold Coast always follows, and Paradise beach is always a haven.
Even now she had her headset on, music playing. She had quite an eclectic taste ranging from rock to country, pop and r'n'b. Right now it was country...
Her eyes were closed but she felt a presence in front of her. A sensory perception that made her open her eyes to see someone mere inches from her face. Harper had gotten that lost in her own mind, in the music that she'd lost track of time.
Harper lifted one of the ear pieces up and cocked her head to the man, "What's up, chief?" she asked.
The man looked puzzled, "What?" he asked.
Harper pointed to his rank insignia of Chief Petty Officer, "Chief, you are a Chief." she laughed.
"Oh right..." he laughed back as he caught the flash of her smile.
"We are just about to dock with the Andromeda, Ensign. I could see you were in another zone, didn't want to end up taking you back to Starbase 308." he continued.
"Thank you, that's very nice of you and as much as I've loved this trip..." she began sarcastically. "I want off." she finished as she felt the transport shuttle land.
There was an announcement from the pilot to let them know it would be a few minutes before they would open up but to prepare for disembarkation.
"So, what position are you here to fill?" the Chief asked. "Ops? Engineering?" he asked totally skipping over the actual department in yellow she was there for.
"Security." Harper replied with a nod as she placed her headphones into her bag.
"Ohhh..." his tone dropped.
"What?" Harper asked, "You're not harbouring a stowaway on board, are you?" she joked.
"No..." he said a little relieved. "I just heard the new Chief is an ensign, a young one too. I heard she makes her security teams run laps until they puke." he said raising his eyebrows and shaking his head. "Can you imagine?" he asked.
Harper stood and threw her bag over her shoulder. "I'll be sure to hand out buckets at the end of each corridor when I start my drills then." she said as she turned to the now jaw dropped man. "And not everyone is sick..."
You could tell he looked like he'd just put his foot right in his mouth and she was enjoying the moment.
She placed her finger under his chin and pushed it up so his mouth would close. She then smiled playfully and flicked the bottom of his chin. "See you around chief. Safe travels."
With that she walked off with a bounce to her step and as her feet his the floor of the Andromeda she looked around and smiled. A new beginning.
Ensign Harper Matthews
Chief Security/Tactical Officer
USS Andromeda
