Cramped Quarters

Posted on Sat May 16th, 2026 @ 11:29pm by Lieutenant Varkl Brukh

580 words; about a 3 minute read

It had been a long day. Rushing to the Frontier after receiving the unexpected notice, rushing the warp core activation, departure and assigning the enlisted staff to routine tasks, all while keeping an eye on the power levels to gauge how well the aging ship operated. Finally things were running well enough that he felt able to turn things over to the most competent Chief Petty Officer on duty, and went to find his quarters.

Being a small ship, everyone but the CO and XO had shared quarters. According to the computer he was assigned to share with the acting Science Officer whom he'd not met yet. After wandering a bit on Deck 2 he finally found the correct door, the cramped room beyond was unoccupied, and showed no sign of recent habitation other than two duffels sitting on a narrow desk that had been sent over from Sentinel before departure. He recognized one as his own, opened it and stowed the spare uniform and civilian clothes in one of the two narrow cabinets beside one of the bunks - merely long niches in one wall, one above and one below. He picked the lower berth, picked up a PADD in his beefy hand and flopped down on the bunk.

Depressing a button on the surface causing it to emit a shrill 'beep' he began. "Computer begin personal log. Currently aboard the USS Frontier on patrol of the area around Sentinel Station. This little ship has exceeded my expectations so far, the team of Starfleet engineers that installed the new warp core did a fine job, and I think we may be able to reach Warp 5 for a short time if needed in an emergency."

He paused the recording for a minute or so to collect his thoughts, then continued. "The quarters leave a lot to be desired, but given the size of the ship naturally it's very spartan. I haven't had to share a berth since my days at the Academy on Tellar. My bunk-mate is a science officer that I haven't met, but I will guess he will be human. Time will tell if we can get along I suppose. It's cooler aboard ship than on the station so I'll have to keep my jacket on pretty much all the time to keep from freezing. At least it's warm by the main engines where I'll likely be spending most of my time."

Pausing again he lay back against the wall and realized he hadn't eaten since breakfast. Mid-day meal had been skipped entirely in the hasty departure activity. He pushed the button on the padd again "I'm going to have to find out where the mess hall is on this little ship and hope they have something palatable. If I miss any more meals I'll wind up being a case for the Dr., and it's more than likely she'll say I should miss more to maintain my weight! *laugh* I do admit that since arriving I have sampled quite a few Terran dishes, and I have added a few extra kilos so perhaps she's right. End log."

He laid the padd down on the thin pillow, stretched and took a deep breath. A quick consult of the ship layout on the computer showed where the messhall was, he zipped up his jacket and set off to see what fare could be had on this quaint little craft.
OFF
Lt. Varkl Brukh
Chief Engineer
USS Frontier / Sentinel Station

 

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