Getting Familiar with His New Home

Posted on Mon Dec 16th, 2024 @ 11:40pm by Chief Petty Officer Aryx Thorne

596 words; about a 3 minute read

Mission: Lost Out Here in the Stars
Location: Thorne's Quarters and Main Engineering
Timeline: MD001 - 1000 - 1045

The corridor on Deck 2 was just as narrow and utilitarian as the rest of the ship Aryx had seen so far. His quarters weren’t hard to find—third door on the left, marked with a simple panel that displayed his name: CPO Aryx Thorne. He smirked at the sight of it. It had been a long time since he’d seen his name attached to anything that wasn’t a disciplinary file.

“Well,” he muttered, keying in his clearance code, “home sweet shoebox.”

The door slid open with a faint hiss, revealing a compact but functional room. The single bunk was recessed into the wall on the left, a narrow desk and chair on the right, and a storage locker at the far end of the room. There was also a small restroom with toilet, sink and shower. The decor was plain, but Aryx wasn’t expecting much more. Nor did he really care much about decor.

He dropped his duffel bag onto the bed and took a moment to inspect the space. The ventilation system hummed softly, and the lighting was bright but not overbearing. It was clean, at least, though the faint scuffs on the floor panels told him this room had seen its share of previous tenants.

Aryx unzipped his duffel and began unpacking. A few changes of uniform went into the locker, along with his toolkit and a small holoframe. He tapped the frame, and a flickering image of his mother appeared, smiling proudly in front of their old house in Montana. Aryx placed it carefully on the desk before stepping back to admire his handiwork—or what little there was of it.

Once his things were squared away, Aryx headed down to Deck 3. The hum of the warp core grew louder as he got closer. Main engineering wasn’t large—barely more than a rectangular space with the warp core at its center, flanked by some control consoles and diagnostic panels. A workbench cluttered with tools sat along the back wall, and a few lockers were bolted to the side for spare parts and personal effects.

Aryx stood in the doorway for a moment, taking it all in. The warp core’s steady pulse filled the room, its soft blue glow casting long shadows on the bulkheads. The space was cramped but functional, with every tool and console within easy reach. It wasn’t glamorous, but Aryx didn’t need glamorous. This was his domain now, and it felt right.

“Not bad,” he muttered, stepping inside and setting his toolkit on the workbench.

He moved to the main console and tapped a few buttons, pulling up a systems diagnostic. The warp core was stable, but the readings suggested it could use a recalibration to improve efficiency. A few power relays were operating below optimal capacity, and one of the plasma conduits showed signs of wear. Nothing catastrophic, but enough to keep him busy for the next few hours.

Aryx grinned, rubbing his hands together. “Alright, Dawes. Let’s get to know each other.”

He spent the next twenty minutes familiarizing himself with the room. He checked the tool inventory, inspected the diagnostic equipment, and even peeked into the cramped jeffries tubes that ran alongside the warp core. Everything was in decent shape, though he could tell the ship had seen its share of hasty repairs.

This was his space now, his responsibility. And he was ready to prove, to himself and to everyone else, that he was exactly where he belonged.

Chief Petty Officer Aryx Thorne
Engineer
USS William Dawes

 

RSS Feed