Smile (Old Dog Log)

[Crash Calestorm 0]

Tifa Kvar -> ::Pings Cale.:: +Cale+ Captain, we are approaching the Gygax system.

Capt Calestorm -> ACTION> a very large barrier of gray black mist is surrounding the system

Tifa Kvar -> ::Puts the image on screen.::

STSF_Scooter -> ::stands from her usual place next to Tifa's console:: That's...not a nebula...

• 05.14.12 Comanche Creek Chat

I exited MARDET Ops and double timed it through the main access corridor for marine country. Jarheads out and about for duty activities and training runs sidestepped and grabbed bulkhead, giving me plenty of elbow room. Those not immediately aware of Incoming Captain were made aware by a Non-Com who barked out ‘make a hole!’.

 

A buck private in black BDUs reacted to the verbal command, getting out of my way while punching the bulkhead mounted call button for a turbolift; it arrived just as I cleared the corridor and slid into the confines as the entry door whooshed open. I managed a quick nod of thanks towards the Buck before the ‘Lift doors closed again.

 

Alone, my mind raced for several seconds: the incidents with Redjac, the classified extraction assignment, Operation: Lost Souls - another classified shindig, Lord save me from Need to Know and the offices of Starfleet OSI and SPECOPS - the planned shore leave for the crew, and the current situation with the Gygax system.

 

I felt my shoulders and back tense in a spasm, the soreness really concentrated in the usual spots: the left shoulder and lower back area. Focusing the nervous energy and thoughts, I rolled my neck, rotated my shoulders, and did the quick breathing techniques the Doc had taught me.

 

I knew I’d have to swing by the Med Bay eventually and have her do that thing she did with the pressure point Vulcan magic stuff. My stomach growled and I made another mental note: food, not more caffeine. Stimulant intake only went so far when a body needed sustenance. Despite the travel time to the Gygax star system, I’d not made a one hundred percent effort for my usual down time or de-stress techniques. I did get some sleep, thank you very much.

 

With the Commander recovering, and the prep-work for the various missions and assignments and situations, time kept moving forward and so had I. Old Dogs and all that.

 

I’d worked my way up within the command ranks and I’d wanted the position of starship commander, but I also respected the position; it wasn’t all about the pretty gold tunic with the silver rank stripes on the sleeves. If anyone ever tells you that command is easy, they are full of sh*t - pardon my French - and will get you killed, eventually. You should run like hell in the other direction and/or apply for a transfer out of their department, off their ship, out of the battalion, whatever.

 

The turbolift signaled arrival at the destination; I shot out of the tube onto the bridge and stopped dead in my tracks as I caught sight of the visual on the main view screen.

 

I cocked my head to one side, placed my hands on my hips, and smiled. Sometimes in this business, you just had to smile.

 

“Well, Folks, that’s…not a nebula.”