Lost in space

Posted on 31 Aug 2025 @ 9:38pm by Ensign Mira Quinn & Ensign Vel Zodeil
Edited on on 31 Aug 2025 @ 9:44pm

1,077 words; about a 5 minute read

Mission: Fractured Accord
Location: Somewhere

=/\=

If Ensign Mira Quinn would have had to define her feelings at the moment she stepped onto the deck of the USS Arawyn, it would have had to be: tense excitement.

Tense, because she was starting something new. She had no idea what she was getting herself into.

And excitement, well... for the same reasons. She was starting something new and she had no idea what she was getting herself into.

She knew she was ready and capable. Now was her chance to prove it.

It was barely a month ago that she had graduated from the Academy. She had originally planned to go back home during her graduation vacation, but then she had received the notice that she had been accepted to serve on the Arawyn. She barely had time to report aboard before the ship was off to its first mission.

The first thing she noticed as she moved through the docking port of Starbase 369 was the silence. She had been on starships once before, on her way to Earth, to Starfleet Academy. But those were mostly cargo ships with little space for passengers. Their engines were usually loud enough to be heard throughout the ship. This was different. There was a slight hum, more of a feel than a sound, but nothing else.

She started to calculate her distance from the warp core, when she noticed that the Operations officer stationed at the docking port was looking at her.

She snapped to attention. "Ensign Mira Quinn, reporting aboard, sir."

"Ensign." He looked through his information. "Your quarters are on Deck 8, section 6, quarters 8694. You are to report to Sickbay for medical clearance and after that to your Department Head." He paused for a smile, "Welcome to the Arawyn."

"Thank you, Sir." Mira smiled back. Though she wasn't sure how much of his smile was perfunctory. He was probably standing there for hours welcoming new crew.

Beyond him, the corridor stretched out till it met with another cross corridor. She wasn't even sure what deck she was on. She opened her mouth to ask for directions, but then decided against it. She would manage.

"Still trying to find your bearings as well?" a voice asked from behind Mira.

Ensign Vel Zodeil had come to a stop a few feet away from the other woman. She'd checked in with the Operations officer just a few moments after the other Ensign had been allowed entrance. From every looks of it, they were both in the same boat. Literally. They got onto the boat, but now they had to navigate their way to an actual place. Navigation had never been her strong suit. She'd get lost in her own apartment if she wasn't careful. As such, she had been very glad to see a puzzled Ensign in front of her. A possible partner in crime.

Mira smiled at the other ensign. "It should not be too much of a problem. Where do you need to get to?" It was always easier to help somebody else, and she had a general idea where she needed to go. Once she figured out what deck she was on.

Waiting for an answer, she continued down the corridor, trailed by Vel, and once out of sight of the docking port, she stopped by a ship's screen. "Computer, what deck are we on?"

"Deck 3," the computer answered. It even showed a little map of the ship, with a blinking red dot showing "you are here".

"Mira," Mira turned to Vel. "Quinn. I'm in the science department. So where do you need to get to?"

Vel was about to answer the first question, but then fell in stride with the other woman. Being on the lookout for clues together certainly beat trying to figure it out alone.

As the display helpfully displayed their location, she tried to dig into her memory to figure out the way to go. It took her a moment that an answer was required from her in the conversation. "Vel, Vel Zodeil. Helm department. My quarters are on deck 8, section 6, quarters 8694."

"You're kidding?" Mira grinned, "so i'm your roommate." She was relieved to know who she was sharing a room with.

Mira pointed to the map of the ship, "This should be simple, the lifts are over there and should take us right where we need."

=/\=

After twenty minutes, Mira was willing to concede that it wasn't that simple. In fact, she was starting to wonder whether she hadn't made a serious mistake. Until now, ships were part of a journey to elsewhere. Even in the Academy she hadn't spent much time on a real starship.

Now, she would be spending the next few years in one. and the way it looked now - she'd spend it wandering around corridors that all looked the same.

She turned a corner which was supposed to bring her to section 6, but looking at the numbers at the door, she realized they were in section 4.

She glanced at Vel besides her. "I think I'll be setting up camp here... "

Vel had been walking besides her new roommate as they had been coming up with ways to arrange and decorate their new quarters. She'd never shared her quarters with only one other person, being used to there being at least four of them. It was nice to have enough room, literally and figuratively, to give your own touch to a place.

"-wha?" she asked when Mira suddenly changed topic. Setting up camp? Granted, she'd been walking blindly next to the other woman, convinced she knew where she was going. Obviously not. "What do you mean? Setting up camp? What with all the plans we've been making? A tent wasn't included in the things we were getting for our new quarters! I want to take a bath," she whined. For a Helm officer, it was really disastrous how she got lost all the time. Looked like they would indeed be setting up camp if Mira couldn't get them home.

"Our quarters have a *bath*?" Mira eyed Vel. She's been reading up on the Sovereign class, but didn't think to read up on crew quarters.

"You're a scientist," she said under her breath. "Think scientifically."

She looked down the corridor, then in the other direction. Both sides seemed to stretch endlessly and did not offer a clue as to where section 6 was located. After a moment's hesitation, she started down one corridor. "Well then, let's get that bath."

 

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