Into the Blue
Posted on 31 Dec 2017 @ 2:06pm by Lieutenant JG Zitla
857 words; about a 4 minute read
Mission:
M-14 New Beginings
Location: Delores (Private Shuttle) - en route to DS5
‘Starfleet must be really desperate if they made you a department head,” one of Zitla’s sisters said with a grin.
‘Kensa,’ Einl, their mother, said in an exaggeratedly scolding tone, ‘Zi has worked hard for everything she has and will go to whatever length she needs to fulfil her duties.’
‘We know, Mum,’ Kensa and the other sisters said in unison.
Zitla listened to their good natured banter from a banque at the side of the cabin. Her legs were drawn up and her attention, most of it anyway was focussed on the padd propped against her thighs. It was the third time she had read through her department manifest that morning, and she wondered herself if it was too big a leap to make. She couldn’t blame her birth sisters for enjoying a joke at her expense.
She laid the padd aside and stretched out her legs, “They can’t be that desperate Ke, otherwise they’d have contacted you,’ Zitla said sticking her tongue out at the same time.
‘Here you all are, and so grown up,’ Einl said with a shake of her head, ‘if you can keep it down just a second I’ve had a note from the pilot, we’re on our approach to deep space five and will come out of warp in about twenty minutes. A short cruise at impulse and …’
As always Einl was interrupted by a chorus of loud yawns and snoring sounds. Zitla knew she did not take it seriously, it was the way they always were when they were together alone.
Zitla wondered if it had been the right thing to do – borrow one of the shuttles from the bank of Bolius for a sisterly jaunt. A few days at warp then a few days living it up on the space station before she was given a proper send off. Her mother had insisted and so had her birth sisters. She smiled to herself – a rendezvous with a Starfleet runabout might have given a quicker journey but it would not have been nearly as much fun.
‘Look!’
At Kensa’s insistence they all dashed to the portside window. Zitla joined the family, though seeing a planet grow from a speck to a glowing globe was nothing new to her.
She thought Pangaea particularly beautiful, M class, sixty seven to seventy two percent water by her guesstimate it had a high percentage of water it would be fascinating to explore, but she had not spent any time to even study what basic data was known – she was not to be stationed here but would soon be on her way aboard the USS Phoenix.
Involuntarily Zitla released a sigh as they crested the planet and the station came into view but it was not the architecture of the Celestial class behemoth that caused the release but what she saw beyond.
Zitla shuddered recalling a tale one of their grandmothers had told – that some Cardassian women found it acceptable to wear Bolian skins as a fashion statement, but that was not all. In the briefings she had crawled her way through there were other issues here. One on its own and the planned trip would be okay but with so many factors – that would be like swimming in a lava field.
She could not allow it to happen.
Amidst a babble of voices Zitla drew her mother aside and explained what she had seen, and what she now knew.
Einl nodded and left the cabin.
‘Where’s she off to? Kensa asked, ‘Do you think she’s booking us a table at the casino?’
‘Or dinner reservations?’ another of the sisters chimied in.
Zitla forced a smile, ‘Who knows,’ she shrugged.
A few minutes later Einl returned. Zitla could see that her expression was serious. She sidled over and engaged in a hurried and hushed conversation before the others noticed. But notice they did and the light hearted babble that had filled the cabin for days was sucked away as if someone had opened the airlock.
Einl’s decision was met with complaint and argument; Why can’t we stay at the station? Why have you dragged us here if we’re going straight home? This isn’t fair? Why does SHE get to go and we don’t?
But none of those protests came from Zitla.
‘Stop!’ Zitla cried in frustration as their mother tried to mediate,
‘Listen, all of you. There is a small Cardassian fleet skulking just far enough away to make its presence known and we just heard there have been some terrible things happening in that place. I would not have wished to make this journey without you. You have all been with me all my life and before it. I will not put you at risk for a few days of drinks and shopping. Mum will explain it all to you on your way home. The shuttle will refuel, and I will transfer directly to the USS Phoenix. I will not set foot in that place at this time. It has been arranged.’
Lieutenant JG Zitla
Chief Science Officer
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