Arrival at Legacy

[Amanda Rose]

Arrival at Legacy
Postby Amanda Rose » Sat Feb 08, 2014 12:48 pm

July 4, 2261 approximately 0900

The day was here! The day was finally here! Captain Cynthia Lynette Jackson's excitement could barely be contained. Only a sense of duty to her fellow officers to maintain decorum while all the brass, or as the Captain called them "the Old Fogeys," were around. Well, it was not only the Old Fogeys for whom she had to maintain decorum. Her First Officer, Commander Phil Wilson would likely give her several words about how a Captain should behave and well as several throat clearing sounds at what he deemed to be appropriate moments.

As dour as Phil could be, Cindy was not about to be denied her pleasure or the moments with her ship before its final inspection. At noon would be the Christening and then Legacy would be on its own for five years. Cindy only hoped it would be longer. There was no more exciting thought than exploring the universe and those places which nobody else had explored. And soon, Phil would be with her, likely reminding her on how she had to keep a stern face and telling her how she could not fraternize with crew.

She touched the Legacy, relishing its smooth feel. Cindy wondered whether she was touching parts that were of her former ships, the Mayflower and Newton. Her mind flooded with reminiscent images of her time on those ships and the crew members with which she served. Then, her belly filled with a fire and anger at how one evil future Romulan from a different future reality destroyed them. Yes, Legacy was well named. She would uphold it. Her crew would honor those ships and their name would not be forgotten.

Cindy sighed. This time, her sigh was a mix of sadness and anticipation. She flung her long platinum blonde hair behind her with one practiced shake of her head and tried to remove the wide smile from her face. It was time to be serious and Phil would expect nothing less. However, when Legacy was away it would be a different story, she thought to herself with a smiling creeping back at the ends of her mouth. She just hoped that Phil was not nearby to catch it leaking out.

[Amanda Rose]

Postby Foxy » Sat Feb 08, 2014 1:04 pm

July 4, 2261 approximately 0917

Commander Phil Wilson paused just before the embarkation tube, taking in the view. Legacy was beautiful, in her own way. Yes, if you were picky, you could make out the slight difference in colouration in places where Starfleet Engineering's finest had performed, quite frankly, a 'cut and shut', taking the best bits of the flotsam and jetsam and throwing them together to make the best of what they could.

His hand wandered down to where his leg met its prosthesis, gently following the seam along.

"You and me, girl, we're going to get along just fine," he murmured to the ship, then with a quasi-salute from his walking stick, he set off down the tube to his new life.

He closed his eyes before triggering the door mechanism, taking a deep breath as the door slid open - ship-smell, classic, clean but tinged with machinery, electricity and the odours (thankfully mild) of its new inhabitants.

He opened his eyes.

[Amanda Rose]

Postby Amanda Rose » Sat Feb 08, 2014 2:29 pm

Cindy heard the unmistakably opening of the turbolift and turned immediately over towards it. She looked and saw the familiar gait of Phil. She gave a warm smile without thinking and called out, "Phil! Good to see you this morning! Today's the day."

The scent of her perfume hit him just ahead of her reaching him - light, flowery, jasmine and wild strawberries. Apt.

"Good to see you too...Captain." It was a gentle reminder and he had a feeling it wouldn't be his first. They were on board ship now and she would need to be mindful of the example she was setting. He did, however, follow it up with a smile. An honest one - it really was nice to see her again.

"Oh, Phil," she answered with a light tone telling him not to worry. "It is not like there's anyone around. I mean, not really. I was just giving a last look at our baby before we take flight. She is amazing! Really, she is."

Cindy paused and switched to business knowing that Phil would be uncomfortable with complete informality. "So, did you have a chance to look at the manifest?"

"Yes...yes, I did," he replied with a sigh. "Looks like it isn't just the ship that's made of odds and ends...."

Cindy threw back her hair and laughed. "Oh, honestly, Phil! You worry too much. Besides, I'm really interested in having as much diversity as possible. It will help with understanding all the other diversity out in that big black unknown. Don't you think?"

tag - Phil

[Amanda Rose]

Postby Lucasausems » Sat Feb 08, 2014 6:27 pm

July 4, 2261, approximately 0920

Ensign Luke Osswell regarded the closed airlock somewhat ponderously. So this was the ship that was going to be his home for the next 5 years. 'A ship or a prison?', Luke wondered silently within himself. He felt the datapad in his right hand, containing the transfer orders from the USS Roddenberry to the USS Legacy. Many a starfleet officer would have jumped at the chance to be a part of this mission. A 5 year mission, exploring deep space, encountering new worlds and civilisations. Sounds like a dream come true.

It also sounded as a cunning manouvre to get Luke out of the way for the next 5 years. 5 years trapped on a vessel out in space. Away from Earth, away from Starfleet, away from the Federation and its politics. Someone up there had pulled a lot of strings to get Luke transferred to this ship, which in itself was already an indication of the scope of the diplomatic incident he had caused with the Caitians. He had known from the beginning it was wrong to have an affair with the Caitian ambassador to Earth, but she wouldn't hear no for an answer. Luke tried for a while to resist her nuances, but his defenses weren't much of a match for his lower intelligence, and in the end he found himself in her bed at night, and again the night after that.

Did he love her? No, he didn't think so. Besides, she was an Ambassador, he only a recently promoted Junior Lieutenant, just a few months out of the Academy. In fact, he felt something akin to resentment now that he thought back to it, back to her. She was older, she was an experienced and well-respected diplomat. She was everything he had one day hoped he would be, back when he still had dreams of becoming a diplomat himself. She should have known better. Should have known what was at stake. Should have been aware of the consequences. Maybe she was... Maybe she didn't care...

Maybe she just wanted him. A young toyboy to play around with.

But even cats can't play forever and it was only a matter of time before they were discovered. Oh the shame. Oh the dishonour. A young low-ranked Starfleet flyboy with an esteemed senior Caitian diplomat? It was not thought possible before. Neither would it be again, or else Luke would not have been standing where he was standing now, demoted, off to god knows where. He had lost contact with the Caitian ambassador, they wouldn't allow him. He's not even sure he would've wanted to stay in touch anyway. The last he heard was that she was transferred back to Cait. The Cait system had only made first contact in 2249 and just recently joined the Federation. Within that short time Caitians had already gotten a reputation for their sensuality and promiscuity which the Caitian government was trying its very best to downplay to the public. So, as expected, stories about a Caitian diplomat and her Starfleet flyboy couldn't come at a worse time. A formal complaint was issued from the Caitian government to the Federation Council and the Earth ambassador on Cait was hauled on the carpet. Fortunately for Luke she took full responsibilty, declaring in a statement that it was she that made the advances and that Luke had at first resisted her attempts. That had saved his career, at the least. Instead he was demoted back to Ensign and put on a ship that would take him far away from the public and, which was likely the main reason, the press.

Luke also blamed himself. He should've been stronger, should have resisted harder. Instead he followed his penis and now look where he was. He took a step forward and the airlock opened. He stepped on board.

Could've been worse.

Could've been an actual prison cell.

[Amanda Rose]

Postby KendleRJ » Sat Feb 08, 2014 7:15 pm

July 4, 2261 0930
USS Legacy - Deck 6

"2 and a half hours!"

Ensign Navkiran Khangura felt like she was elbow deep in some last minute calibrations and minor repairs. Frankie, aka the Legacy, had been cooperating, grudgingly as they ran him through his paces. Her tool kit spread on the floor, she grabbed the necessary parts, cinched them to her belt and began climbing. Engineering had been systematically verifying the power junctions, and she and her teammate had been alternately staying down and recording readings or heading up, taking them directly from the conduits. It was a tedious task, but if there was anything Nav knew, it was that tedious mattered little in the face of the consequences. They were making sure that the ship would be a viable home for the crew for their long term mission.

She figured it was more or less to get them used to the ship, to finding things using the layout diagrams, and also to learn the Starfleet procedures and protocols for their reports. They were Ensigns after all, and this was her first posting. She kind of felt bad for him waiting below, but they wouldn't do this forever. It only felt like it. Maybe this was testing their mettle, and helping them figure out if they were really cut out for being Starfleet Engineers. It wasn't all excitement and adventure.

So, she did what she usually did when tedium took over... she hummed. A catchy tune meant to keep her focussed and remind the man on the ground that she was still up there, doing her job, and not nodding off against the hull. Leaning against the smooth wall, she popped open the small hatch and attached her equipment. It looked clean in there, but somehow, as Nav closed up everything and climbed down, she wiped the back of her hand against her forehead and left a swath of inner Frankie goop in its wake. For her, it was like a second skin.

They had been at this since 0 dark 30 this morning; caffeine her only friend at that time of the day. Some sadistic humourist was calling out time over the comms, marking their countdown with a glee that rivalled some of her exam proctors. There were only... she checked the pad in her teammate's hand and sighed. Two decks left. In two and a half hours. It could be worse. She didn't know how, but she was sure that it could be, and changed her thought process to not call the possibilities into being before them.

"C'mon," Nav said, packing up her kit and ready to climb down another level, "they won't calibrate themselves." By the time their team was done, she'd know this ship inside and out, which was perfectly acceptable for an Ensign with an eye for advancement. She stopped short because she almost ran into him. He wasn't moving but was staring at her. "What?" she asked, wiping her forehead again with the opposite hand, smoothing the goop fully across her brow. Wiping her nose gingerly, trying to avoid the mess, she managed to spread it down and across and into the hollow of one cheek. "Better?" she asked, looking him in the eye.

"Um..." he said, looking away to turn and climb down first. "Sure. You look fine." He almost managed to keep the laughter out of his voice.

Somehow, that didn't inspire her with confidence...

[Amanda Rose]

Postby Foxy » Sun Feb 09, 2014 3:37 pm

Cindy threw back her hair and laughed. "Oh, honestly, Phil! You worry too much. Besides, I'm really interested in having as much diversity as possible. It will help with understanding all the other diversity out in that big black unknown. Don't you think?"

"That's one way of looking at it..." Phil admitted. "And diverse is definitely the word." He had looked through the manifest - so many Ensigns, fresh faced and well-intentioned, but yet to have their corners rubbed off. And the Huanni. That was going to be interesting. All those hours with the counsellor were going to earn their keep there. And the experienced folk who had been busted down the ranks for various acts of insubordination ranging from the trivial to the arrestable...

"Oh, come on, Phil. Out with it. I know you. Something is bothering you more than normal."

"Fine," he stood still, looking her in the eye. "You are about to take command of a hastily constructed Lego set staffed by kids and psychos and, believe me, I'm counting myself in that definition."

Again, Cindy laughed heartily and somehow prettily at the same time, throwing her hair back in the process. "Honestly, Phil, that's not true and you know it. Sure, we may have some inexperienced folks on the ship but we were that way once upon a time. And you, of all people are not psycho. You're one of the finest on this ship. By rights, you should be in my position and you know it."

Phil snorted. "I'm not sure I'd want to be. The pressures of command? You're welcome to them. I'll be right behind you, covering your..." oh dear, that could be misconstrued rather easily couldn't it, "well, you know... I've got your back."

Cindy snickered a bit. He was so proper, so often. Sure, he had loosened up a bit with her and he still had a ways to go but she would take what she could get. "Now, Phil, I'm not some young pup anymore. I have been a Commander for two years before this promotion. Even so, I would not anyone else covering my back side." She gave a Cheshire grin at Phil, wondering how uncomfortable that would make him. It was probably best she did not torture him so much before they left or he might bolt. Deciding this, she switched back to business. "So, a Huan on our ship! I don't think another vessel has one. What do you think of that?!"

Phil's nostril's flared briefly. "Providing he doesn't eat raw steak in front of me, or crack jokes about me being tasty, I'm sure we'll get along famously..." He hadn't had any traumatic flashbacks or even bad dreams in a couple of years now. Heck, if he was honest, since Cindy had made him start eating meat again, but even so being up close with a felinoid who could appear in front of him unexpectedly... He really hoped he could cope with that.

Cindy gently scolded, "He's not Kzin and he's on our side. Don't you go down that route again. Besides, I personally requested him to be on this ship.

"Personally? What was it that piqued your interest?" Phil appreciated the curiosity of meeting a representative of one of the newer member races of the Federation a much as the next former diplomat, but as a crew member? What was she expecting him to bring to the party?

"Well, he's got a different point of view and he's cute in a feline sort of way. I think that he might be able to help us if we meet another feline species. He also seems to have some decent medical skills. Sure, he has temperament issues but maybe that public relations officer who fancies herself a psychologist can help with that." Also, she could be kept out of my way so I don't have to deal with titles and can run this ship better.

"Yes, about her..." Phil frowned. "What's with that? Are we supposed to be some kind of advertisement? They're taking a hell of a chance there. We could just as easily put the Next Generation right off the whole idea of joining up!"

Cindy shook her head a tad disappointed. "I don't know. I do not like the idea of being checked up on. That's what it feels like to me. I mean, if they do not trust me, why give me a ship?"

"What, like some kind of политический руководитель?" Phil didn't have a full working vocabulary in Russian, but the military terminology, such as this one, that he had. I

Cindy gave a quizzical look at Phil. "You know that I can't understand you when you start spouting Russian...." She put her hands on her hips, showing her slight frustration. "Care to translate?"

"The supervisory political officer responsible for the political ideology on board a vessel like a submarine back in the 20th century. Kept the military in line if they started getting... anti-establishment ideas... No, I very much doubt that they'd undermine you that way. Why give this to you only to take it away again. Now that WOULD be bad publicity."

Cindy nodded. "Perhaps you're right. You are the tactical expert. I just have instincts and my vibe with this one is not right for some reason."

"Well, whatever their reasons are, I'm sure we can manage to keep her busy enough. There's going to be a lot of playing things by ear on this trip. How bad can one more be?"

Cindy's enthusiasm returned, "Oh, and that we will. I wonder what we will find first. What do you want to find?"

Phil grinned, "Oh, the usual - new life, new civilisations, someone no one's even thought of before..."

Cindy decided to tease Phil again, "Someone nobody has thought of before? Like you never thought of me?"

"I'm still not completely certain you aren't a figment of my deranged imagination," Phil chuckled. "Except that even I'm not warped enough to have come up with you."

Cindy gave a short laugh at that. "Maybe you need a greater imagination," she replied with a wink.

"Touche," Phil replied. "So, have they given you a direction to head in?"

"No. Maybe they do not care as long as we go somewhere unexplored? That does not seem likely, though."

"It's a big universe. I'm sure we can find a few interesting corners in it. Obviously not in the Euclidean sense," Phil added hastily.

"Of course not," she said with a laugh. She sighed, "So, have you inspected the ship to your satisfaction? I know that I just want to touch every part of it."

"Not yet," he admitted. "Want to show me round?"

"Absolutely!" she answered enthusiastically. "Why don't we head to engineering first? Probably should make sure that all is well there, or we are not going very far."

Phil performed an ornate bow, "After you, sir... ma'am... Have you decided which you prefer?"

"Yes," she answered. "I prefer Cindy," she said as she started leading Phil to the turbolift. Oops! I let that out a bit too early.

He waited for the lift door to close before he commented. "Seriously? This bunch of newbies and you are going to let them start off on first name terms? What next - are you going to let them vote on whether we raise shields or not?" He almost spluttered, but part of him had expected it, based on her previous demonstrations of her dislike for formality, although he had thought that as a Captain, perhaps she would finally accept it as a necessary evil. It appeared not.

Cindy closed her eyes trying to pretend she had not been so stupid to let this out now. She knew that Phil was going to chastise her for this at some point. However, she had hoped that she could hold this off until they were in space when he would just have to accept it.

"Of course not, Phil. But, you know, we're going to be out there for five years. People are not going to be near home and we are going to only have each other so wouldn't it be better if we all were more comfortable with one another?"

"I'm clearly going to be spending the next five years worrying about your definition of the word 'comfortable'..." he observed wryly, as the turbolift door opened into Main Engineering.

(Taggles Engineers!)

[Amanda Rose]

Postby Jake Sjet » Sun Feb 09, 2014 4:05 pm

July 4, 2261 10.15

+++

“Oh guys, you don’t have to do that!”

How often had Keth Soban said that this morning? To be honest he had lost track ever since he had been roused from his bunk at 5am by his fellow crewmates. The construction crew of the San Francisco dry dock station were a hardy bunch to be sure, a tight knit community of people who knew the person standing next to you could save your life. And yet Keth had never seen them so…animated in the task of not only preparing his breakfast, but also seeing him on his way.

Almost five years living amongst humans, and they still found surprises for him to marvel at. Though none as fascinating as Velcro mind you, all things in perspective.

“Oh its no worry Keth,” came the voice of Commander Falshua, who even whilst suffering a broken arm in a sling was gamely pulling along his small part of the baggage train. Keth looked over his shoulder at the four other members of the San Fran’s command crew who had granted him the honour of an escort from the dry dock to his new posting. IN fact come to think of it looked less like a honour guard and more like a prisoner transfer.

Lugging two carryalls was Lieutenant Farmer, whose skin tone had just begun to turn back to its correct shade of healthy pink after an unfortunate mix up during his lack medical check-up. Though in Keths defence Humans and Tellerites smelt vaguely the same, so the mix up was a honest one. And Ensigns Tovar and Bhurckoff were both holding one end of an equipment case, there eyes darting about in a panicky fashion, as though fearful that some predator stalked the decks of the USS Legacy.

“We just want to make sure you made it here without any trouble. We’d hate for you to miss the ships departure and have to stick around with us.” Farmer continued on, using a tone of voice that made Keth very well at ease. He often heard it from his commanding officers, especially if delicate work needed to be done. He had yet to figure out if that was some sort of reaction to his honour position as medical officer, or was some sort of weird human language practise like the accent of the Scottish or the weirdness of Canadians.

Keth was of the mind that the only sane sentients anywhere in the galaxy were the Huanni, but he might be a little biased.

“Erm? Keth? I…er…” Bhurckoff began to say, as he and his fellow ensign handled the large equipment case down onto the deck “I..I just wanted to, to say it…er…I mean this is a five year mission you’re going on right?”

Keth nodded slowly.

“To explore strange new places, places very far, far away from here?” he went on, a strange note of hope entering his voice. No doubt this was a human tradition of wishing on another well in their future endeavours, a practice Keth could very well get used to with the amount of people hoping he enjoyed his posting on the Legacy.

Keth nodded again.

“Oh thank God.” Tovar let out in a rush of air, to which he received a number of hard stares from the other officers who had been Keths honour guard. Clearly aware that he had made some error in speaking out of turn, Tovar’s face went white as he looked at Keth “I mean you-er! I mean your case, it was heavy. Like, real heavy. Very thankful I put it down. Much thankful.”

He gulped.

Keth frowned, reached down and easily plucked the large carry case up by its handle. At nearly a hundred pounds of dead weight in equipment it didn’t seem all that heavy to begin with, but Humans were from a low gravity planet to begin with so he forgave them.

“Oh. Yes!” Keth said, putting on the show of support for his fellow officer as he mimed the incredible weight he must have thought he was carrying “You really out did yourself carrying your end Ensign Tovar, thank you.”

The others smiled politely, and Tovar simply gulped again.

Keth turned about and admired the large engineering deck space he had been escorted to. The vaulted ceiling high above was nearly hidden away behind pipes and conduits, but there was a sense of space to it: a smell of freedom. For the first time in many months, Keth stood straight up. At six and a half feet of height, most corridors and work spaces he had been assigned to had forced him to hunch over slightly. Now he could stretch out, from the tip of his tail to the whiskers before his nose. He felt the vertebrae along his back popping with released design, a delicious rich purr arising from his throat as he did so.

The sudden in take of breath and a ‘Steady’ from the Commander made Keth’s ruff of a mane flatten in embarrassment: he’d exposed himself, again.

He looked down at his hands and wiggled the digits, the wickedly pointed claws pushing out from the pads making little ‘shink!’ noises as he willed the muscles to retract them. On Huan such a display would be a serious social gaff, and here on a Federation starship it was a regrettable reminder of how far he was from home. And here he was, exchanging one temporary home of the shipyard to one of a Starship. He sniffed, a wet sound that promised tears and the fierce hugs for one and all.

“I don’t know what to say!” he sniffed again, trying not to let any tears show as he turned around with his arms out stretched “Come here-…guys?”

For a man with a broken arm the commander was moving with surprising speed and grace. And Keth was very much pleaded to see Ensign Tovar’s limp was not slowing him down in the least. The other two were keeping pace, making their way back hurriedly to the shuttle bay. Well Keth had to admire their work ethic for wanting to get back to rebuilding the Starfleet. Keth began to pick up his bags and cases, and looked around the ship that would be his new home.

That was when he sniffed properly, allowing the scents and aroma’s the ships environment to sink in fully. There was vacuum grease, the ozone scent of high voltage, and of course the ever present funk of human sweat that was not a wondrous bouquet to behold. But beyond all of that, like a gold coin resting beneath the silt of the rivers bottom, was a most delicious and ambrosias smell.

Someone had coffee! His ears twitched a little, almost looked like miniature radar dishes sweeping to and fro before they locked onto the direction the scent was coming from. Surely his new Co would not bemoan him being late to report in if he merely went towards the source of the smell….to make sure the owner of the cup wasn’t in danger of scalding themselves. Yes, yes that sounded most reasonable.

And so, cases and all, nearly seven feet and fur and good intentions went on the prowl within he bowls of a antimatter powered starship. But to quote the last CO of Keth’s who had sent a memo to the captain of the Legacy: No backies.

[Amanda Rose]

Postby T-Prime » Sun Feb 09, 2014 11:00 pm

"You're kidding, right? The Legacy. That hacked together pile of scrap?" Lt. Williams asked with a mixture of disgust and amusement.

"No Williams, I'm very serious. You're not a very popular man around HQ you know, and you're service record isn't exactly pleasant reading material. Half the Admiralty want's you booted out, the other half wants you stuffed in the stockade until you're eligible for retirement. Hell, Admiral Parker wanted to take you out behind the JAG office and have you shot."

"In my defense, Admiral Parker is an ass."

"You see? This is exactly the kind of thing that has landed you in this situation in the first place. Luckily for you, your actions at Vulcan have already made it to the News networks, and Public Affairs has convinced the Brass that their ideas for you would be disapproved by the general populace. So instead we give you your choice of assignments. And your choices are five years out of the Admiralty's hair on the Legacy, or a voluntary discharge."

"Well damn."

"Look on the bright side Williams. I hear they salvaged some of the crew quarters from the Odyssey. Maybe you can get your old bunk."



The Legacy was a nice ship. A credit to the skill of Starfleet's corps of engineers, but all TK saw was the instrument of his exile. All he could do was shake his head as he traversed the umbilical tube to the airlock.

"Williams, Lieutenant. Tactics." He reported to the clerk on duty.

"Welcome aboard, Sir." She greeted pleasantly as she scanned through her files. After a brief moment she handed him a datapad. "Here is your berthing and duty assignments. Have a nice day."

"Yeah, I'll get right on that." He replied and began wandering the corridors.

[Amanda Rose]

Postby KendleRJ » Mon Feb 10, 2014 12:14 am

Nav stood in all of her goop-covered glory in front of the turbolift, hair twisted up and out of her way, fanning out like miniature sun rays in a chestnut brown burst. She was leaning over the datapad in her teamate's hands verifying their completed tasks when the door opened suddenly. She was a deer in headlights, caught by surprise that it opened at all, and was even more surprised when two people emerged. Not any two people either as she swallowed hard, noticing the uniforms and markings.

"Captain!" she said, a little louder than she meant to, and saluted, turning to the man standing beside her, walking stick in hand. "Commander!" she said, saluting once more and standing at attention. If there was anything Starfleet had drummed into her head, it was discipline, chain of command, and respect.

She was in uniform at least, but after crawling around the ductwork for a few hours, wore Frankie's inner grime like a badge of honour. Awkwardly, she noticed when she saluted them, stray globs landed neatly on their uniforms with a few strafing the floor for good measure. She smiled dazzingly, still at attention, and tried to ignore the black beaded droplets. Not the kind of impression she had hoped to make, but well, there was nothing she could do about it now.

Her hair unwound itself in a slow tumble, brown eyes sparkling with a mixture of barely contained humour and embarrassment as she waited, a picture of what she hoped was a hard-working Engineer. But she could easily be seen as a grease monkey that stumbled on board instead, and waited, still ramrod straight as she felt a distressing trickle inside her uniform rolling down her arm.

Tags to Phil and Cindy (and anyone else who might be wandering by)
Yep. Welcome to Engineering...

[Amanda Rose]

Postby Amanda Rose » Mon Feb 10, 2014 8:57 am

Cindy was about to giggle at the Ensign but she knew that Phil would disapprove, so she choked it down, managed a smile and saluted back before quickly telling the Ensign, "At ease."

Unlike Nav, the Captain was dressed in her grey dress uniform due to the Christening ceremony scheduled in less than three hours. However, unlike some women in Starfleet that would opt for dress pants, she chose a grey dress skirt. The effect of the skirt was to make Cindy's six feet in height feel much taller by highlighting her long strong, yet feminine legs. She tugged a little at each long sleeve, as if making a statement about uniform. However, in reality, Cindy felt the sleeves were stifling and she longed to get into her sleeveless gold uniform.

Again, she stifled a giggle as she wondered what her crew would think of a Captain that wore a sleeveless gold uniform with the standard skirt. She knew that she would likely hear the talk soon but for now, she had an engineer to address.

Cindy inspected the engineer, full of grime and again stifled a giggle. Engineers were an odd breed. Often times their loyalty was more to the ship than to the Captain. This ensign appeared to follow that general rule. Cindy therefore knew that the ship was in good hands.

A warm smile flowed across Cindy's face as she said, "We were just taking a last look around the ship before we headed to the ceremony. Tell me, ensign, what is your name? And will Legacy be ready to leave timely?"

tag - Wilson and Nav (or anyone else arriving at Engineering)