A Storm by Any Other Name

Posted on Mon Jul 23rd, 2018 @ 1:55am by Lieutenant Erin Whitlam PhD & Cadet Junior Grade Emma Phelps

Mission: Weathering the Storm
Location: Sensor Control Room

The sensor control room was buzzing with anxiety-boosted activity as the crew poured over the incoming sensor data on the incoming ion storm. Most of the data collected since the alarm was raised hadn’t changed anything. The storm was still out there, it was still on course for a direct hit on the starbase, and its intensity was still going to cause problems.

Lieutenant Erin Whitlam had been detailed to remain in the SCR and oversee operations there, which she was doing from the vantage point of the raised platform at the back of the room the overlooked all of the consoles. She stood imperiously at a guardrail, her eyes glued to the master situation display on the far wall of the room over which rolled the latest telemetry from all of the starbase’s sensor suites.

“You know,” Erin said to the cadet who was standing at her side. “You found this storm, so they may let you name the thing.” She smirked before adding, “If we survive, that is.”

Emma was deep in thought, and almost missed Whitlam's statement. After a moment it suddenly hit her like a ton of bricks. "Really? You think they'd let me name it? All I did was see something on the display." She dismissed the idea, but secretly her mind was suddenly racing with ideas about what to name the storm.

Erin nodded, "Yeah, and that something was a great big ion storm bearing down on us," she said, gesturing around them at the activity. "Seems only fair that you get to name the thing you discovered." She turned and regarded the cadet, who was clearly running through ideas in her head. "Come on, Cadet. What would you call it?"

She shrugged. "The Archan Ion Storm is pretty boring, if you ask me. And I don't know if I'm vane enough to name it after me. At least not yet," she added with a laugh. "How about 'The Great Calamity of 2392'?"

"While I have no doubt this storm will do some damage," Erin said with a quick shake of her head, "I think it's a bit too local to be known as a 'Great Calamity'." She thought for a second before continuing with a calm smile. "If you don't name it after yourself, maybe name it after someone else then? A way to ... memorialise a person who had a brief, disastrous impact on your life, perhaps?"

"I like that idea," Emma replied with a shrug. "But I'm not sure who I would pick. I did have an instructor at the Academy that I wasn't too fond of, but I wouldn't say he had a disastrous impact on my life. Besides, I wouldn't want to give him the satisfaction." She thought for a moment. "What would you name it, Lieutenant?"

"I had one instructor at the Academy who would fit the brief perfectly," Erin said, her mind wandering back to that one semester. "A few of us astrophysics majors took an elective course called 'Biochemistry in Vacuum-based Energetic Particle Fields', which was run by Professor Zendroth. I don't know if he's still at the Academy, but he absolutely hated the fact that some cadets found his course and signed up for it. He basically spent lectures berating us for interrupting his research by making him teach a class on space bugs." She grinned and shook her head. "He was such a pain in the ass! We probably provoked him a bit, but he sure made it tough for us."

Emma tried to restrain a giggle. "He's still there. I didn't take his class, but I heard some horror stories. The entomologist cadets seemed to like him, so he must know his stuff. But heaven help you if you're not into insects."

Erin smiled and shook her head, the cadets recollection sparking her own little reminiscence. She glanced at the main tracking console, seeing the outer front of the storm getting closer and closer. "Well, you must have had your own Zendroth. Or maybe another cadet who just annoyed the hell out of you? Or you could go a completely different direction and name it after someone you admired? Or a pet dog?"

Emma thought for a moment. "I did have a pet dog, but I don't know if I should name it after him." She looked around the room to see if anyone was close before lowering her voice. "He had these ears that stuck straight up. So I named him Spock." Her cheeks grew rosy as she confessed to Whitlam. "I was a bit of a dork when I was little. I wish I could say that I grew out of it."

"Somehow, I think you'd get strange looks if you named this destructive storm after the guy who brokered peace with the Klingons," Erin replied with a purposefully arched eyebrow.

"Yeah, you're probably right," Emma replied, laughing. "I'll have to keep thinking about it then."

A little yellow status light on a nearby console flickered to red, drawing Erin's attention away from the conversation. She peered at the console and took a deep breath. "Well, it may have to wait now," she said, turning back to the cadet. "It's about to hit."

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Lieutenant Erin Whitlam PhD
Science Officer

Cadet Junior Grade Emma Phelps
Cadet Science Officer