A Sky Full Of Stars
Posted on Wed May 14th, 2025 @ 4:46am by Cadet Junior Grade Lien & Lieutenant JG Callin Mastrel
Mission:
Take My Hand
1524 words - 3 OF Standard Post Measure
Much like his Academy application, the afro-headed Only hadn't actually expected to get selected by the fleet internship program. Especially not in his third year, which was the first year cadets were even eligible to apply.
Just, the door you don't knock on... right?
Now, he was on a shuttlecraft, waiting to report aboard his very first starship!
Glancing down at his padd, the boy tried to refresh himself on the details. It had all been overwhelming. And not just the travel from Earth, though the connection at Deep Space Three had been more confusing than it needed to be. He'd hoped for a Parliament-class or maybe a California-class ship, but had assumed he'd get an Inquiry. With so many going into production, lots of engineers were getting tapped for Inquiry-class projects.
The Vesta-class hadn't even been on the proverbial radar. And, now that it was, the size of the ship made the already daunting prospect of his first shipboard assignment even more intimidating.
As the shuttle landed, the boy was jostled a bit -- managing to grab his duffel bag before it went tumbling onto the deck. As the shuttle ramp lowered, he got his first glimpse of the Vesta. He was used to seeing people mulling about in uniform. But those were usually cadets. These were all Starfleet officers.
Drawing in a deep breath, he steeled himself. It was like his first day at the Academy all over again. He'd waited a long time for this. He could this. Maybe. Possibly.
The boy gathered up his things and tried to find his spot at the end of the line that was shuffling toward where a lieutenant was processing everyone's orders.
When it was finally his turn, the lieutenant gave a skeptical look as he asked, "You lost, cadet?"
"Cadet Lien, reporting for duty!" the boy announced, passing his padd over and then snapping to attention.
The lieutenant seemed nonplussed. "Field study. Great. I'm sure your supervisor will be thrilled," the officer offered dryly, as he read over the transfer documents. "Lien. Is that a first or last name?"
The boy's mouth fell open, though his expression changed several times as he pondered just how to answer that. "Uh... it's my name?"
"Uh huh," the lieutenant remarked, stamping the orders and handing the padd back with the words, "Follow the yellow line."
"Thank you. I'm excited to..."
"Keep it moving, Lower Decks," the lieutenant snapped, instantly propelling the boy into motion.
He wouldn't get very far, or much of a chance to deal with what might be overwhelming, before a bundle of energy in a Starfleet uniform and pale-blue collar popped up out of the crowd in the shuttlebay. "Cadet!" All smiles and big, happy black eyes, the junior lieutenant weaved around containers on their way to the cargo bay. "Cadet Lien, hi! Welcome!"
"Sorry I'm a little late, you wouldn't believe the traffic on Deck 4 today! I had to take the shuttlebay elevator as they moved one of the Type 8's back into storage, and it might have been faster to just jump on top of the cargo coming through on its way to Deck 5. Hi! I'm Callin." The enthusiastic greeting cut short, as if any of it was supposed to have made sense, and with an expectant look on the pilot's face.
The boy jumped back, surprised. Then confused. Then surprised again. "Oh, you're my orientation liaison," Lien realized. What was his name again. Peeking down at the padd in his hands, the boy looked back up as he asked, "Lieutenant Mastrel?"
Yes, it was a question. No, he wasn't sure.
"I think I said that," the lieutenant agreed. "Or... well, maybe not exactly that, but, close enough! I'm Callin, please, and if it's alright I'll call you Lien. So much more efficient wouldn't you say? Speaking of, we better get going. So much to do, such a big ship, and all of that." He held out a hand, not to shake, "Want me to carry your bag? So weird, right, how tired we can get just going somewhere?"
The afro-headed boy just blinked. Was this a test? Was he being graded? Would there be a quiz later? "Yes... uh, sir," he uttered finally, waffling between 'Callin' and 'lieutenant' and deciding to take the third option.
The offered hand was met with less skepticism, but the boy still shook his head. "Thank you, but I've got it, sir," the boy answered cheerfully.
As the two made their way, Lien following closely after Callin, the boy asked, "Have you been on Vesta for very long, sir?"
The enthusiastic smile took a bit of a curve, perhaps more amused, but he led the way back through the busy shuttlebay deck with practiced ease, "Not long! I think maybe that's why I got picked for this. Oh, watch out for that grav-sled, there we go..." He paused to let some personnel hurry ahead of them pushing a mass of sealed containers over towards the cargo transporter, and swept a glance around the bay as he asked idly, "If I ordered you to drop the 'sir' with me, how long would that last you think?" Everything looked like productive, controlled chaos, and earned a nod of approval before they moved on.
"Uhhhh..." the boy uttered, looking away as Callin questioning dropping the 'sir.'
"Right, so, first stop your quarters, which aren't that far from here, so you can offload. Then a trip to Engineering? Tour of the Bridge? Check-in with Sickbay and get the usual out of the way? Your pick!"
"Engineering?" the boy opted, even though it came out sounding like a question. The idea of touring the bridge sounded nice, but when would he ever go there?
"Warp core here we come!" Callin hurried on, longer legs taking him strides ahead before he realized he might need to moderate his pace a little bit. Shortening his stride he waited for Lien to catch up before they headed through the doors and out into the rest of the ship, though he didn't stop chatting. "Did the records and stuff come through with your quarters location? I uh, actually don't know where they are. Huh. And I had to rush through reading your record when it came through, you have no idea how busy we've been! There was something... odd? About yours. Like it had a whole bunch of addendums, or additional attachments." Callin's grin, which seemed almost perpetual so far, along with how fast he could talk, twisted up wickedly, "Are you one of those cadets getting disciplined left and right but never quite managing to get kicked out?"
The thought of seeing an actual warp core was exciting. All the ones that Lien had worked on had been training simulators.
"Huh? Oh... no, sir. At least, I don't think I've ever been in trouble," the boy stammered, as Callin seemed to question the Only's academic standing. Did the lieutenant know something that Lien didn't? Was there a secret demerit system?
Glancing down at his padd, the boy remarked, "I did notice my quarters assignment changed a few times." Scrolling down to find the information, he read aloud, "Deck nineteen, section seven."
Lowering the padd back down, the boy remarked, "I was kinda hoping for deck thirteen. It'd make going to engineering easy." But that was probably reserved for people with more rank. "But, I noticed it's near the maintenance bay. That'll probably come in handy."
"Aw, it's alright, Lien, Deck 19 isn't that bad." Callin sounded convincing, right? It was probably nothing, really, about his record, except perhaps just how many applications had piled up for the cadet to get in. He led the way into a turbolift, "Why don't we go by Engineering first then, since it's on the way. By the way, that was less than three minutes. Before you started back up with the 'sir' thing."
The boy gave a weak laugh as the lieutenant led the way. As the turbolift doors closed, he tried to make conversation as he asked, "What about you? Where are you quartered, sir?"
"Callin," he repeated as they took the short trip on the swift life. "I'm on Deck 8," the pilot supplied, and then, as the turbolift began to slow to head back in the other direction, he winced and called out, "No, Computer, we're still going to Engineering. I was just... right." They turbolift resumed, giving an almost frustrated sigh.
"Anyways, hope you have fun while you're here! Cadet cruise is stellar. Who knows, maybe you'll get to experience your first real space battle, and have an amazing story to tell your classmates when you get back to the Academy. Or get to see some sort of terrible, humanoid-eating-sentient-plant-being on an away mission."
As the turbolift opened and Callin strolled out, the afro-headed boy just stood there with a blank expression on his face.
Neither of those things sounded like a good thing.
