" Wandering "
(Previous Post was Tiffany's "Not Feeling So Well")
==========
Stardate: 60324.0755
Setting: USS ANUBIS, Deck A4, Corridor
The young woman stood in front of the heavily armoured door leading to
the IGC… her thoughts fixated on the woman in charge of the section that
could be found on the other side. Of all the doors that could be found
onboard the ANUBIS this one had to be the most impressive… the most
intimidating, giving only a minute hint as to what waited behind.
The state of the art surveillance and annalistic hardware made the IGC a remarkable tool and gave the Scarab-Class a distinct advantage in the game of Intel. Despite the sophisticated equipment and highly trained personnel using it, the CO had found herself staring at the closed door for several moments without it opening. The redheaded woman could have easily reached for the control panel and announced her presence, or open the door herself, but she had not wanted to force her way in… she had just wanted to see if Enaii had been there.
While staring at the door that had defiantly remained closed in front of the CO, the young woman came up with countless reasons why she should just walk in and demand an explanation as to why she had spent the previous night alone with their daughter. As demanding as the work pertaining to the MERCURY might have been, it should not have been enough to keep the ILO from contacting her family… even if only to say that she would be working late.
Eventually Rikar turned around and left the metal barrier unchallenged having come up with a single reason *not* to do as she had wanted… her life-mate was none other than Lt. Cmdr. Enaii, a Level 5 Field Operative and the ANUBIS' ILO… and while in the midst of a mission all these things superseded the woman being a wife… a mother… or even a lover.
==========
Stardate: 60324.0815
Setting: USS ANUBIS, Sickbay
The young woman entered the medical facilities of the ANUBIS and stopped a few meters in as she took in the sight. It left as if it had been several lifetimes ago that she had been able to call a Sickbay *her* domain… then again it *had* been a lifetime away that she had been nothing more than an Ensign. Life had thrown more than a fair share or curveballs in the direction of the redheaded woman… and now here she was… CO of an Intel ship. No one in her family would have ever expected her to make it this far… especially not the woman herself.
"Captain Rikar… is everything alright?" Ens. Mei inquired as she made her way into the centre of the main treatment area.
"I'm fine." The young woman quickly replied, a genuine smile appearing on her pink lips. Whatever had taken place in the past had been just that… in the past, and it was about time for the new CO of the ANUBIS to start thinking that way is she was to survive in her new role.
"Good… you know I could have brought up my report on Lt. Dawson to the Bridge, you did not have to come all the way down here to get it." The Cns offered, jumping onto what she had expected to be the purpose of the young woman's visit to the Medical and Counselling departments which shared the same section on the ANUBIS.
"Actually I was down here to see how Ens. Summers had prepared her department, but since you have brought it up I will be happy to take that report… if it is ready of course." Sabrina quickly countered with, knowing better than to give a fellow Cns the chance to evaluate the situation and start to draw conclusions that would not kindly shine on the CO.
**Nicely done.** Susan scolded herself for having brought up David when there had been no official need to, at least not at that precise moment. After their discussion the night before, the Cns thought that progress had been made and that a breakthrough could be possible in the near future… that was of course pending what the universe had in store for them.
"I will let you get back to your work… I have places to be and people to see." The young woman offered in a humorous manner before she made her exit from the ANUBIS' medical facility en route for an undisclosed destination.
==========
Stardate: 60324.0845
Setting: USS ANUBIS, Main Engineering
When the doors to the heart of the ANUBIS opened, the young woman
seemed stunned by the fact that she had managed to find her way there. Rikar
had not wanted to be in Main Engineering… but several turns and turbolift
rides later she had inadvertently found her way here.
"Good morning Captain." T'Reni offered with the calmness and style reserved to a member of her race.
"Good morning Lieutenant… looks like everything is working as it should… guess David has you all working overtime polishing every square centimetre of the engines." The young woman offered, obviously uncomfortable with her unexpected presence in Main Engineering. Had the aCEO not seen and acknowledged the CO's presence, Rikar would have more than likely made a hasty retreat out of sight.
"Actually, Lt. Dawson has the entire Engineering staff working on becoming better acquainted with the schematics and technical specifications of the MERCURY." The Vulcan announced in a way that seemed to border on annoyed or suspicious, but Rikar quickly dismissed this as being an error in her perception… T'Reni being after all Vulcan through and through.
"Talking of him… where is David? I don't see him anywhere." The young woman inquired as she stretched her neck for a very brief moment, trying to make sure that the CEO could not see her from where she was. Sabrina had been surprised that she had not been able to see the CEO given his size and stature making him a hard to miss officer. In all honesty though, Rikar had not wished to speak Dawson on anything… not even official ship's business, but stating this openly to anyone would not have helped the situation in any way, shape or form.
"Actually, Lt. Dawson is not in Main Engineering… I believe he stated that he had some additional research to perform in regards to the MERCURY." The aCEO replied without showing any sort of emotions, which of course had been absolutely normal for the Vulcan.
**So we have a Sickbay without a CMO… and a Main Engineering without a CEO… that doesn't sound overly reassuring.** The young woman thought to herself before an inner voice pointed out that the bridge had been left without a CO or an ExO following her departure from it.
"Would you like me to inform him that you were looking for him?" The Vulcan logically asked, prompting the young woman to give a reply as fast as she could.
"NO! I mean… it won't be necessary… I was actually just passing by and found myself here. I have no reason to see him other than maybe confirm that the ship is ready for whatever is waiting for us out there… and by the looks of things I would guess that we are." The CO explained, trying as best she could to hide her discomfort, something that she failed rather poorly at.
"Are you actually expecting for us to find something waiting for us?" T'Reni inquired adding the customary raised eyebrow to emphasise her surprise. Given what had happened to the MERCURY and its crew it had been illogical to expect anything to still be there waiting for another ship or ships to arrive, Starfleet likely wanting to investigate what had occurred with vessels capable of taking care of themselves.
"Hope for the best and prepare for the worst." The young woman said, quoting a very well know axiom that had proven to be one of the eternal pieces of wisdom that all command level officers were instructed to memorize and follow whenever possible.
Not having anything to say in reply to the CO's last comment, the aCEO simply watched as the redheaded woman made her way back into the corridor as if she had never been in Main Engineering, an occurence that the Vulcan suspected the young woman had almost wished had not happened.
==========
Stardate: 60324.0915
Setting: USS ANUBIS, Deck 13, Stellar Cartography
As a former CSciO, the young woman knew her way around science
consoles, and it had not taken long for the ANUBIS' CO to call up on the 5-level high screen the section of space that they would be arriving at in just over 2 hours. The area of space where the MERCURY had been ambushed appeared
to be nothing special, holding no inhabited systems or anything that would
have made any ship want to be there.
As the CO diligently gazed upon the holographic representation of that section of space, Rikar could only guess that the MERCURY and its crew had somehow been lured there… how though would be a difficult question to answer since the recovered logs from the ship had not given any indications that the GUNDAM-Class vessel had diverted from a pre-established flight plan. Something mysterious had taken place and hopefully they would discover it before it would be too late.
"Computer… locate Lt. Cmdr. Maya." The young woman inquired of the computer, only now realising that the CSciO had not been in the room performing the kind of research that the CO had come to expect from the Shillian.
=/\= Lt. Cmdr. Maya is currently in the Astrometrics Lab. =/\= The computer promptly replied making the CO nod with a newly grasped understanding. It made sense that Maya had already been here and done all of this and that she had found something that had required the more specialized instruments located in the Astrometrics Lab, so curious as to what this discovery had been, the young woman headed for Deck 12.
==========
Sabrina Jones {sabrina_sweet@hotmail.com}
Captain Sabrina Rikar
Commanding Officer
USS ANUBIS, NCC-18501
"We are Grey, we stand between the Candle and the Star, between the
Darkness and the Light" 2005 post #279
-Entilza Delenn, Babylon 5
