Returning Home and Preparing for the Next Adventure

L_Cy

As the runabout came into Starbase Bravo's comm range the Senior Cadet that had been dispatched to pick her up from the Radiance pinged her small quarters and informed her that they were on approach to the Station. She garbled a reply as he had woken her up from a deep sleep. She had stayed awake the night before for much to long reviewing a find that one of her colleagues still back on planet xy-5201 had just sent her. 

Deep below the surface they had found an additional eco system completely separate from that of the surface, the caverns it had been found in were filled with extremely high levels of salt in the water, resulting in high levels of ammonia and no extra oxygen in the water. All meaning of course that it was yet another species on this higher than average oxygen atmosphere planet that had life unassociated with carbon and oxygen as a basis for life. Luckily this discovery would make very little impact on her suggestions for this world and the basis for her doctorate research would remain in tact and that she would be able to move on to a new project and hopefully a new world after submitting and then defending her ideas for the establishment for a small luxury vacation world on this little out of the way planet with very few resources that was incredibly lush.

Groggily she pulled on a fresh uniform and ensured that everything else was packed in her small quarters. Stripping the bed she felt the soft touch down as the runabout settled within the station. Home sweet home she thought. Well at least for a little while hopefully not to long though. Just as she was about to leave her room there was a light knock at her door, “Ma’am we’ve landed, I brought you a cup of coffee if you like.” It was the Senior Cadet.

She toggled the door open, “Good Morning Langstaff, that landing was wonderful and I barely felt a thing.” She spoke as she accepted the outstretched mug of coffee that he clearly had made up for her earlier as it was cool enough to sip carefully. Stepping out of the room he fell in step just behind her.

“Ma’am I have been assigned to you for the following week to assist in anything you may need as you settle back into the station and prepare to defend your Colonization report. Is there anything I can assist with immediately, could I arrange the luggage with all the samples to be sent to your quarters perhaps?” He spoke quickly and eagerly, the senior cadet had just finished at the academy the week before he had been dispatched to pick her up, he had completed a degree in biology and had applied to continue his studies and go on to the medical Academy the following academic year. 

“That would be wonderful Langstaff, did they transmit any orders as we were landing, or perhaps any messages?” She was hopeful that her parents may have sent a message to let her know about the planet they had just found and what their preliminary report may have for her.

“No ma’am.” He crisply responded as they stepped off the run about, she made for the turbolift immediately as Langstaff fell behind and started to speak to the deck crew. Stepping into the turbo lift she pressed the button where her small personal quarters were located, she felt the whoosh as the lift took off to her destination. Thoughts whirled through her mind about her report, the new discovery may not make an impact, but it brought the question up that despite the fact that she exceeded the guidelines of information gathering prior to assembling the report they still found something they hadn’t expected right at the zero hour. No she thought to herself don’t go down that rabbit hole that is not what you're getting up there to talk about. You are getting up there to defend the methods used in coming to the conclusion that this small lush planet was suitable for a vacation world and should not be used for industrial or colonization means but as a retreat and recuperation planet.

As she exited the turbolift she was brought back by a year and a half to just before she had left and had hugged friends and colleagues goodbye just before shipping out with Radiance.  The time had flown by, she thought to herself as she approached her quarters. Pressing the key to open the door she walked in, of course it had been cleaned in the days prior to her arriving back to the station, the tiny quarters were the same ones she had been in since she had completed her first year with Star Fleet academy. Everything where she had left, her work space in the corner calling to her to make final adjustments to her proposal. 

Resisting the urge to sit down and immediately start working she instead dropped her small personal bag on her bed and walked into her small bathroom, deciding just before she starting her ablutions of the morning she quickly wrote a note and taped it to her door instructing Langstaff or whomever brought her luggage up to go ahead and start bringing it in and putting against the same wall her work station was on. With that done she returned to the bathroom and quickly went through her routine. Dressing into her uniform she felt much better and much more awake feeling both the effects of the coffee and the clean feeling doing their magic.  

Coming out to her main room her things were already set up and Langstaff was standing there awkwardly waiting for her.

Giggling lightly to herself, as she said “Langstaff you could have taken a seat and relaxed a little.”

“It's alright ma’am, while you were busy a msg came for you, Captain Murray would like to see you at your earliest convenience. He wants to go over your proposal prior to your presentation to ensure you're ready.”

“Thank you Langstaff, that’ll be all for today.” She came to attention and gave him a salute dismissing him for the day.

“Thank you Ma’am, I will see you tomorrow 0900 here?” He asked while returning the salute.

“That will be fine. Have a good day.”

“You to Ma’am.” with that he was gone. 

Lucy left her quarters and made her way to the closest cafe and grabbed a quick breakfast before heading to Captain Murray’s office, her mentor throughout her senior years at the Academy and now as she completed her Doctorate.