New Horizons

Posted on Wed Aug 21st, 2019 @ 12:08pm by Captain Jeff Smith & 1st Lieutenant Jasmine Allen & Lieutenant Paul Sharpe & Lieutenant Marc Madigan
Edited on on Wed Aug 21st, 2019 @ 12:10pm

Mission: A Day in the Life
Location: Various
Timeline: Current

[ON]

- Sharpe's Quarters -

After the starbase had returned to its current location and the freighter Captain's were allowed to leave a backlog of communications arrived, Paul was in his quarters looking at his wedding photo when his desktop computer came to life there were over fifty messages, most of them from his wife and family, he quickly read through them and smiled at his wife's messages, then to two messages from Starfleet one was some Security stuff, the other one which had been dated a month later was recalling him to earth for planetside posting.

Joy overcame curiosity as he knew his wife was currently on earth too, perhaps now they could have a proper honeymoon, with both being stationed on earth. He signed off on the posting acknowledging it, sent a recorded message to his in-laws and his wife saying that he would be coming home and then downloading the transfer order to a Padd and placing it on his desk, he went to pack his items up and arrange for his larger items to be shipped back home, but the arranging of collection for his larger items came after he made a list of them for the Transport department.

- Smith's Quarters -

Marine Captain Jeff Smith entered his quarters quickly took his boots off and dropped them to the right of the door and then just fell into the chair, it had been a hectic time, keeping freighter Captain's in line and assisting Security in keeping the peace, he longed for action, but not right now, he just wanted to put his feet up, but his desktop made a constant beeping sound indicating he had messages, grumbling he stood up stretched and plodded over to his desk and sat down and accessed his messages, unlike Sharpe he did not have many, there was some from his family but one message from SFMC HQ caught his attention, his interest piqued he opened it and as he read his eyes widened.

He had been recalled back to earth, he was surprised, but it was not unexpected he had been on 332 for a long time, he acknowledged the message and signed off, deciding he would get something to eat and drink first he went over to the replicator and got himself some food, he would list his larger items for transport and pack after he had eaten.

- Allen's Quarters -

First Lieutenant Jasmine Allen, known for her boundless energy entered stooped over-exhausted, she had never thought that she would find her stamina limit, but here she was feeling ancient.

"Well I suppose even I have limits!" she said to herself and taking off her tunic and boots she relished the cool feeling on her sweaty feet "Ahhhh!" she exclaimed and paused mid-stretch as her desktop beeped, curious she walked over to it and sat down and pulled up her messages, like others on the station there was a lot from her folks, but one particular one caught her eye, it was from SFMC HQ Earth, opening it up she read and re-read she had been recalled, initially she wondered why then realised she had been on the station more than six months, so the fact this transfer came in was not unexpected, she acknowledged the message then got to respond to some family messages.

It took her some time, but eventually, she was done, hearing her stomach rumble she decided to get her something to eat and drink before she packed or started to, she realised that she would have to list things for transport to take as she could not take the big stuff with her.

- Sharpe's Quarters -

Paul took a break from packing and listing his larger items to have himself something to eat and drink and to catch up on responding to his family messages, most of which were worried that all contact with 332 had vanished, so he had to let them know that they were all back where they should be and safe and that he will be coming home soon. He did this while he ate, he also remembered his mini-chiller unit in Security by his desk, he could not take the unopened drinks with him, so he would have to make them a present to someone, he could always get ahold of more.

Two-Day's Later...

With all belongings packed and in the cargo bay ready for shipping, all that was left in his quarters were essentials, he had passage on a transport that was leaving the next day, so he decided to go down to the local bar and have himself a drink. He had not long sat down when he heard his name called.

"Hey there Paul!"

As it was a familiar female voice he looked back and inwardly sighed, it was man mad Jasmine Allen with an unfamiliar male behind her, he knew she was a marine, and from the guys' posture, so was he, oO perhaps she will behave with him here! Oo he thought to himself, putting on a friendly smile he waved them over. As the pair stood next to him he stood up and cordially greeted Allen and offered his hand to the male.

"I am Lieutenant Paul Sharpe Security Officer, I know Jas here, but you are new to me!" he said.

The male took the offered hand and gave it a firm shake "pleased to meet you, Lieutenant, I am Marine Captain Jeff Smith I knew your wife, congratulations on the marriage by the way" Smith said with a smile.

"Yes congratulations Paul" Allen responded

*looking at Smith* "call me Paul, we are the same rank and off duty"

"You do the same" Smith said.

"What call you Paul?" Sharpe asked with humour, he saw a fleeting concerned look come over the marines face, so he smiled wider "apologies Jeff, my attempt at humour, was never good at it myself, my wife keeps telling me to get me some practice in" he responded as he lowered his hand.

"That is okay Paul, not everyone can be the class joker," Jeff said.

"speak from experience do we?" Sharpe quickly asked and saw surprise "I am quick with the quips" he clarified Smith simply nodded "please join me both of you" he added.

Both sat down and ordered themselves some drinks, Paul studied both of them as his mind worked on conversation avenues.

"So why are you pair in a bar known to deal with transit officers?" Paul asked.

"We have been transferred back to earth, you Paul?" Allen asked.

"Yup me too, been recalled to earth so I have, the bright side on this I will get to see my wife more, that is good and like you guys I have been here too long *pauses as he has a thought* you both have security clearances, yes?" he asked.

Both nodded with puzzled looks, but also with questions.

"We need to turn in our station security clearances before we leave," Paul said Jeff nodded but Allen being Allen mock pouted.

"And it took me so long to get those," she said.

"It is what it is, so what say we finish up our drinks and go see Madigan!" Paul said and the pair nodded in agreement.

Sometime later...

- Security Office -

Leading them into the Security all three entered Security and went up to Madigan "Lieutenant Madigan" Sharpe started.

Marc held up a finger while he continued to type with his other hand. He was just about finished up writing this particular incident report and wanted to finish it before he lost his train of thought. Satisfied with the accuracy of the information contained within, he filed the report away and brought his attention to the crowd around his desk. "Ah, Mr Sharpe. What can I do for you and your entourage?"

*raising an eyebrow at the pointed finger, while they were the same rank Madigan was a Department Head* Handing him his Transfer Padd "I am being transferred back to earth Lieutenant and I and my companions are here to turn in our Station Security clearances and such" Sharpe said as the two Marines handed their transfer Padds over.

"I and Allen are rotating back to earth for other reasons," Marine Captain Jeff Smith said as Allen being man mad as she was eyed, Madigan, Sharpe caught what she was doing and cleared his throat, Allen had the good sense to be embarrassed, Sharpe hid a smile.

Madigan took the PADDs and glanced over them. Crew transfers were usually a constant as officers rotated in and out. The orders certainly seemed to be in order. "Well, I think I can take care of this for all of you. It would just take a moment." Marc sat the PADDs down on his desk and turned to his computer console. Generally one of the department's yeoman could take care of this for them, but with Sharpe being one of his officers, he was glad that he chose to come by his desk. "Alright, it looks like you are all set." Marc stood and extended his hand towards Sharpe. "It was great working with you, Paul. I'm sure you'll do great things back on Earth."

Taking the offered hand, "thank you Marc" he said then looked back at his two companions "hey guys might I have me a moment with the Lieutenant here?" He asked.

Both nodded and left the office to wait outside, Sharpe turned back to Marc and released his hand and walked over to his desk to pick up his picture of his wife and from a pocket pulls out an old fashioned key.

Outside the main office, Jeff and Jasmine look at one another "so what do you think Paul wants to speak to Madigan about?" she asked.

Jeff shrugged "your guess is as good as mine if it was Alex his wife I could give an educated guess, but I barely know him so I got no clue, do you?" smith asked back.

"Nothing clean comes to mind," she said distractedly as she saw Paul go over to his desk and pick up a forgotten image of his wife and pull out an old fashioned key as Madigan closed in on Sharpe's old desk. "What do those keys open then!" she said to herself.

Jeff looked to see what Allen was seeing and he too became puzzled.

"Marc could you come here please?" he asked.

Marc closed out his console and secured it before getting up from his chair and making his way to Paul's desk. He eyed the photograph and the key in his hands. "What's that for?" he asked.

"For you", he simply said, "the Key to the old fashioned mini fridge I have, I cannot take them with me, but in there are two bottles of Andorian Ale, Romulan Ale and some Bajoran Spring Wine. I give these to you, I found such luxury items usually placate stubborn trader ship Captain's and informants, I have connection's to get such stuff, also the other key on this keyring unlocks a draw with my contact list of all informants in this sector of space and on the Starbase. They know I am leaving and I have told them to come to you with any information they may come across, use them sparingly and they are all reliable. *pause* I have over the years cultivated sources but have rarely needed to use them or the booze" he finished.

Outside the Marines see Paul holding a key up, now they were curious as to what it opened, sadly neither could lip read, it was not their wheelhouse, they would pester Paul after he exited the office.

Marc took the old fashion key and studied it in his hands. What Sharpe was handing over was certainly worth a lot. "I don't know what to say, Paul. I hope your informants won't turn on me when they find out I'm not you. I'll make sure I don't wear out my welcome."

"I have let them know who their new handler is, so there should be no problem, but as for that Romulan ale, it is still not legal in the Federation so as I mentioned should only be used as a reward or bribe" Paul paused as another thing came to his mind "Also that console over there *points at the console in question* was the console that I jury-rigged to keep working when we had that trouble in the storm, engineering still has not come by to fix it, I am surprised it has lasted this long" he finished.

"Don't waste the embargoed alcohol, and don't touch the hotwired console. Got it." Marc offered Paul a smile. "I'll take good care of it. If you're ever in the area, be sure to let me know. Arlene and I would love to have you over for dinner again."

*nods* "Thank you, Marc, I would suggest you light a fire under the butts of engineering to get the console fixed properly as the CoS would be none too happy if this office went up like a Roman candle now!" Sharpe said with some amusement. *drops into silence as he thinks* "is there anything else?" He asked himself and suddenly realized he could think of nothing further and held his hand out "again, Marc, it was a pleasure working with you, now that I have handed in my Security clearances and have my stuff ready to go, I shall leave you to carry out your duties, besides my transport will be here in three hours" he said.

Madigan shook Sharpe's hand one last time. "The pleasure was mine, Paul. Take care of yourself out there."

Putting his arm down again "you too Marc, be safe" Paul said and left the Security Office and joined the two Marines waiting for him outside the security office...

As the main office door closed her was bombarded with questions "so Paul what was going on between you two and what was that key for?" Allen asked.

Paul looked at the man-hungry female Marine "well it was the key to my cooler that had some strong alcohol in it, stuff I usually used to keep my informants happy. Well the Informants in this area anyway, I have been in Security long enough to build up a good amount of sources throughout Federation and Alliance space, even a few in unclaimed space the contacts that operated in the area around 332 AoO I handed them over to Madigan after notifying them in the change, so now my duties are settled here, let's go for a drink before our transports get here shall we?" Sharpe said.

Allen seemed satisfied with the answer and went to put her arm through is "Jasmine we are still in uniform and I am still married, I am sure that when we get back to earth and you have been debriefed you will be allowed to go out hunting for men" Paul said and notice Allen perk up and practically skip ahead of the two males, quietly to Jeff Smith.

"How do you put up with her Jeff? I mean she is man-hungry all the time, hell I do not know if she is just teasing or flirting half the time!" Sharpe said.

"When in combat or training, she is a different person, focused and dedicated, all Marines have outlets for stress and pressure, Jasmine is the life of the party, but when she needs to be she is very professional" Jeff responded as they followed slightly behind the female Marine. Paul looked at her practically skipping, he found it hard to believe that she could be a serious person, but that is what usually made the best Marines, those who did not stand out in a crowd.

- Transit area 1130 Hours -

All three were on their third drink when the tannoy came to life...

"ALL PERSONS DEPARTING FOR EARTH AT 1200 HOURS PLEASE LINE UP AT DEPARTURES," the computer voice said.

Looking at his three companions "well my friends looks like our ship is here" Paul said as he downed the last of his drink, the two Marines also downed their drinks. He left enough Latinum to pay for the drinks before they left the bar, all three headed to the temporary storage kiosk where they left their carry-on items until their transport arrived, now they picked them up and headed to departures.

As they lined up and advanced the moment the transport had docked, to their right some new arrivals from the transport were disembarking, there would be a short wait. During this time he looked around the Starbase Arrival and Departure area and was brought out of his musings by Jeff.

"Hey Paul"

"Yes, Jeff?" He asked looking at the man.

"Perhaps now you and your lovely wife will be able to have that proper honeymoon," Smith said.

"That is a good idea, Jeff, I know Alex would like one, last I heard she is now a Lieutenant Colonel and has passed her Advanced bridge command course at the Academy and is currently helping out the Tomcat in unclaimed space, according to the quick note she sent me, she is being tested and has been given temporary command of the USS Avant-Garde a Sovereign-class ship" Paul said.

Looking concerned "That is quite an advanced starship for a fresh ship Commander Paul!" Smith said.

"I know, apparently its official Commander is her acting First Officer and is assessing her command ability after all, simulations and book learning can only go so far, the real test is practical and I have no doubt should she seriously endanger the crew the actual Captain will take over should the need arise, I just hope she listens to her better nature, she is backing up her Cousin after all and if you remember she is very protective of those she cares about" Paul responded as the line started to move forward.

"I see" Smith simply said.

Eventually, all three showed their transit passes to the guard at the hatch and he nodded them onward, as they walked down the walkway they looked at the other ships docked inside the massive hangar area, compared to the combat ships stationed at the Starbase their transport was sleek and looked fast, but it was also a little smaller, eventually they entered the transport properly and were given directions to their transit bunks, as they approached an intersection where they had to part.

"See you both in the Lounge in an hour?" Paul suggested.

Both nodded and with a smile all went to different areas of the transit bunks, Paul found his and was pleased it was a bit spartan, but it was quite spacious, placing her carry-on down he went over to the desk terminal and sat down and keyed in his access code and sent word to his In-Laws on earth that he would get to them in a few days and then signed off. With this done he placed his toiletries in the refresher station and set up his alarm clock it was a wedding gift from his wife, it was an early 21st Century travel alarm clock, where she got it and how he would never know, but he thought it sweet, he looked at the time and decided he had enough time to do some meditation, his Vulcan teachers were indifferent about his ability to do Vulcan meditation, but he was praised by them in their way for a human who had the basic idea on how to do it, so he decided to get some practice in and took off his tunic and replicated a Vulcan Meditation lamp and placed it on a low table lit it and kneeled in front of it and started his Vulcan Meditation.

Eventually, the transports undocked and made its way out of 332, he jumped when the communications panel went off he stood up and walked over to it and pressed the connect.

"Paul where are you? Remember we were supposed to meet in the lounge!" the voice of an upset Jasmine Allen said, he looked at the time and silent cussed.

"I was meditating and time slipped by, I will be there directly, Sharpe out," he said and signed off, picking up his tunic and blowing out the light before putting his tunic on as he exited his quarters and headed for the Lounge.

[OFF]

Lieutenant Paul Sharpe
Security Officer (Promenade)
SB332

Lieutenant Marc Madigan
Section Chief (Promenade)
SB332

Marine Captain Jeff Smith[P: Sharpe]
14th Marine Btn
SB332

1st Lieutenant Jasmine Allen [P: Sharpe]
14th Marine Btn
SB332