Just Watching Part 1

Posted on 03 Dec 2012 @ 9:21am by Lieutenant JG Richard Dillon

731 words; about a 4 minute read

Mission: M9: Rest, Recovery, and Reflection
Location: Starbase 80 Promenade: Corinthia Lounge
Timeline: Current

ON

Lieutenant JG Richard Dillon sat at the Corinthia Lounge on Starbase 80, the station which his new post the USS Achilles was docked. He knew little about his new home, something that unsettled him, as an Intelligence Officer he prided himself on knowing a great many things, also it was his job to know things, but not knowing much about his ship smacked his pride more than a tad.

He took a sip from the whiskey in front of him and tried to not cringe, it was one of the things he disliked most about himself, his Scottish grandfather had instilled in him from a young age to appreciate the authentic things in life, and to whenever possible avoid replicated beverages, especially whiskey, although he was only allowed to try it when he was sixteen, a replicator could not match the delectable aroma and taste of 18yr old Macallan, thankfully he had a few bottles stashed away in his personal gear.

He pushed the small glass away from himself and turned to look out the window of the lounge at the Promenade, he enjoyed people watching, in his line of work it was a necessity, he liked to guess what the people were like. He spent a few moments watching a group of Klingon, ‘Warriors to the core’ he thought to himself as the rambunctious group moved along joking and laughing loudly with each other, there was also a group of Ferengi arguing over prices with another group of human traders, Richard hoped the humans knew what they were doing.

Stepping out from the lounge he caught sight of himself in the polished surface of the window nearby, and a faint flicker of a smile crossed his face at his reflection. As he had yet to report for active duty he was in casual clothes, although they were not the latest in Earth fashion he thought they served their purpose. He had on his old combat boots, he’d worn them so often during the Dominon War that it felt natural to be wearing them when he wasn’t in regulation Starfleet Uniform, paired with the old boots was a dark grey tunic that reached just below his waist and a pair of dark trousers with leather padded knees, shins and thighs, and far more pockets that any other garment in existence, at least he thought. He was also wearing a black leather jacket, modelled after a late twentieth century design, one of the only items of clothing that he really cared about, a present from his grandfather for his twenty-first birthday. Anyone looking at him would have seen exactly what he wasn’t; they would have seen a traveller, a freighter crewman, a mercenary, anything but a Starfleet Officer, which is exactly what he wanted.

He wandered a bit through the station taking in the sights and sounds of the hustle and bustle of busy commerce, something he enjoyed doing anywhere he went, but soon he found himself near the docking stations, and knew he had to make a choice, should he head to the Achilles and make sure that his gear is squared away and try to report to either the CO or the XO, not that he knew much about either except that his new CO was actually a Commodore, not a Captain as he'd originally thought, but he also knew that the majority of the crew would be on the station instead of on the ship, taking in some much needed shore leave. He was still standing there when he heard a vendor calling from close buy, “Get your authentic Earth snack food here, anything from pies and pasties, to hot dogs, burgers and bacon sandwiches, get your Earth snack food right here.â€

A huge grin made its way onto the Intelligence Officer’s face, here he was untold lightyears away from the planet of his birth, and there was a human vendor selling bacon sandwiches, a true staple for any Englishman. Turning smartly on his heel he headed down the corridor where he heard the voice coming from, he’d decided he’d get a snack and wander around a bit more, see if he could a) find out anything useful whilst he still wasn’t in uniform b) find some of his new crew, what could possibly go wrong?

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Lt JG Richard Dillon
CIO

 

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