YAPMR in Geosynchronous Orbit

Posted on Tuesday, 30 June 2020 - 10:05am by Lieutenant Aristede Hobbes

Mission: Operation: Jabberwocky
Location: Starbase 118
Timeline: Day 0

It was widely known that Lieutenant Gil Lapid, having obtained the lofty position of Chief Engineer for Starbase 118, kept a firm grip on his department. Privately, newly arrived Lieutenant Aristede Hobbes thought of it as more of a stranglehold. How else to describe an individual with mannerisms bettered suited to a martinet than an engineer who routinely cashed in favors to divert individuals that he saw as talented only to keep them working at menial tasks. Lapid, who could pontificate on nearly any subject, was proud of his training regimen that required a six-month 'breaking in' period. Hobbes thought of it more as an pitiful attempt at crushing an individual's spirit if not their very soul.

And so, it was without much surprise, that Hobbes, who had queued up with the rest of Gamma Shift engineers, saw that he had been assigned to 'yet another preventive maintenance routine.' Not that he minded particularly; preventive maintenance was a necessary part of the department's daily routine. Nor did he particularly mind being relegated to the Jeffries tubes on Gamma Shift. If nothing else, it limited the amount of time he had to spend in proximity to Lapid. That was always a good thing. Then too, because Lapid's training regimen had little to do with logic or consolidation of tasks, Hobbes often happened upon another engineer crawling through on a similar mission.

What he minded was being diverted in the first place. He had grown up on the Bershard freighter among a spirited and dramatic group of friends and family; he had worked hard from his first day at the Academy for the chance to return to space, this time on his own terms. The Steadfast had provided him with a wealth of experience and then his reassignment orders arrived. Not a ship this time, a starbase. Not because he had failed but because Lapid hoarded talent like a dragon like Bezor used to talk about, the vast scaled bulk of the creature curled possessively about his pile of glittering, sparkling treasure.

The gamma shift engineering team accepted their assignments with the grumbling humor of a group that was waiting for Starfleet to come to their collective senses. The ensign in charge of the team smirked, a favored expression, no doubt preening himself in congratulations at having won Lapid's favor. Privately, Hobbes would rather do the scut work but then he was stubborn that way.

[Later]

"So, I'm thinking about putting in for a transfer."

Hobbes nodded. The Jeffries tubes had become a sort of floating office not that he had any position to speak of on this base. He was sitting, long legs stretched out in front of him and crossed at the ankles, beside an open access panel and a spread of tools. His expressive mouth quirked upward into a wry smile as he said, "So say we all but you know how it goes."

Weyan grunted his acknowledgement while meticulously arranging the tools in his kit. "I know, I know," he said as he raised his hand in a gesture that presumably was meant to ward off the rational arguments that Hobbes had ready to go.

"Look," Hobbes said as he picked up a spanner and passed it over to Weyan, "I've investigated the regs on this. Have to serve the minimum of one year unless you can find someone with a higher rank than Lapid and his human resource cronies to put through a request." He caught Weyan's hopeful look and immediately shook his head. "I do not have that kind of pull, I'm afraid."

Weyan groaned as he thumped his head against the tube wall. "Me either." He did a bit of mental calculation and added, "That means eight months and 23 days to go."

"11 months and two weeks for me," Hobbes said quietly. For a moment, the days and weeks ahead seemed to stretch endlessly before him and he could almost feel the mood between them drop appreciably. He shook it off and smiled, thankful as he often was for the life lessons he'd received from the professional merrymakers on board the Bershard. "Look at it this way, at least you'll be leaving before me."

Weyan chuckled as he closed his kit and prepared to crawl further along the tube. "Thanks for listening." He studied Hobbes for a moment. "Do not understand why you aren't Chief somewhere." He mock-saluted then headed off to his next stop.

Hobbes watched him go and waited until he was well out of range before whispering, "Me either."

OFF:

Lieutenant Aristede Hobbes
Nobody Special Gamma Shift Engineer
Starbase 118

*YAPMR + Yet Another Preventive Maintenance Routine*

 

Comments (1)