Silence's Awkward Timing

Posted on Thu Jan 28th, 2016 @ 2:03pm by Cadet Junior Grade Aric Blake

Mission: By Dawn's Early Light
Location: Shuttlecraft Argus
Timeline: Prior to Sojourners' Arrival

ON:

The looming duranium umbrella of Starbase 332’s massive spacedock wasn’t difficult to miss as the small shuttle raced towards its destination, dropping from warp. AJ sat there, clutched PADD in hand, lost in his own thoughts and lightyears away from the din of verbal and psychic chatter from within the cabin. Finally recognizing the vessel’s final approach, his eyes fell back to the scrolling communique in front of him than offer any amount of joyful emotion swelling from the ship’s occupants.

AJ had caught the first shuttle from DS-3 that morning to the far-flung reaches of the borderlands where 332 called its home. Unfortunately, he wondered if half the station had the same idea he had by catching the early morning flight. He’d hoped for some peace and quiet, instead he had a three year old little Orion boy bouncing over the seat in front of him playing an incessant game of peek-a-boo for most of the journey.

Ten incredibly long hours. Ten incredibly long hours of peek-a-boo.

At one point AJ had considered programming the PADD’s small holographic projector to pop up a particularly gnarly Gorn. However upon further consideration, and the boy’s unflinching persistence, AJ considered it would only encourage him to bounce out of the seat and into his lap. As the green skinned boy popped up again, this time grasping what appeared to be a knitted Vulcan doll, AJ sighed and pushed back into his own chair. He resisted trying not to smile too fondly, if only in the thoughts of his own brother. If there had been a consequence to leaving home, it was in having left Chance behind.

Settling back to the text before him, AJ tapped the screen off and stowed the device dismissively. Coming here wasn’t entirely a bad situation for him. Earth certainly wasn’t home and it was doubtful anyone would have missed him either there or back on Betazed. It was principle, if anything, which had irritated him. The lab he’d reserved exploded, and with it several priceless relics of historical note. Reports had clearly shown that he wasn’t there, the thought passing through his mind as his eyes rolled unconvincingly away from the truth.

“Attention passengers,” the comm sparked to life, quieting the cabin. “We have arrived at Starbase 332 and will be landing within shuttle bay twenty-three. At this time we ask that you...” the standard disembarkation announcement continued to drone on while AJ’s thoughts drifted once more. Peering out the port hole towards the massive floating metropolis, he wondered if this would be the place he’d find what he had been looking for.

“Wait…what,” the pilot’s failure to terminate the comm shifted the mood within the passenger cabin, her voice defensive and obstinate as another comm channel drifted into the back of the shuttle speakers.

“Shuttle Argus, prepare for immediate assisted landing,” without missing a beat the shuttle’s hull rocked in response to the ionic grasp of a tractor beam enveloping the craft. “Scans show your long-range comm array is inoperable, Argus. This is a no-fly,” the comm finally cut out resulting in a rising din of chaos among the passengers.

Raising a suspicious brow, AJ hadn’t noticed until just this moment. There was an absence of the usual trade and support traffic in or around 332’s perimeter. Silence’s hand was taking its firm hold and he was being drawn further into its grasp whether he liked it or not.

OFF:

Cadet Junior Grade Aric “AJ” Blake
Starbase 332