Better To Be Bored

Posted on 01 Apr 2022 @ 3:29am by Petra Varelli Ph.D.

406 words; about a 2 minute read

Petra stretched out on her bed, the lights dim, enjoying the quiet for a few moments. "Computer, start log."

She waited for the chime. "Captain Saalm is off somewhere and the ship has been called to rescue some scientists. Since I'm a civilian, I don't know much, only that there's some sort of research facility that's gone silent somewhere and it's all classified.

I'm spending my time doing some peer reviews for papers and cataloging. The papers are mostly interesting, if a little dry. The cataloging is tedious as it's not my fiend of work, but it frees up those who are helping with research.

I'm just glad I'm not in Starfleet. It means I don't have to do the morning PT with some of the others, and I don't have to interact with Commander Tarin. I haven't met her, but I don't want to. I've heard people talk about her, and rarely is it good. Especially about the mandatory PT and the meetings in the middle of sleep cycles. Does the woman sleep? Maybe she's not human?

Watch, she'll turn out to be one of those humanoids who rarely sleeps. She doesn't seem to value sleep. She would have been good on the front lines during the Dominion War. I don't think she's ever worked with scientists before, and she doesn't appreciate the need for shore leave—or that she interrupted ours. I had a week of shopping planned, and I got one day.

I'm just glad I'll have some leave accrued when we get back, so if she stays with the ship, I can take a vacation. I'm sure she won't let the crew have any shore leave if she has her say. It probably makes us weak.

Okay, I'll stop. This will likely be edited or deleted if she finds out about it. Or I'll be spending the rest of this emergency helping Nesh in the mess. Or cleaning Petrie dishes.

So, except that the new commander needs to learn how to win friends and influence people, and my friends and I are in desperate need of a real break, everything is fine. I should probably meet with one of the counselors, though. Routine. Those of us who were on the two away teams seem to need a little TLC. Too bad Tarin didn't realize that. End log."

Petra looked at the chronometer. It wasn't too late. After that, she needed a drink.

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