The Tedium

Posted on Sun Nov 22nd, 2009 @ 12:14am by Commander Jordan Gunning

Mission: Into a Devil's Heart
Location: Chief of Security's Office [Deck 6]
Timeline: MD07 1843hrs

[ON]

Allison sucked in air through her teeth. The bank of screens in front of her constantly flicked to different images of various guest quarters where the crew of the Sierra were being held pending transfer. She began to play 'Guess the deck' by picking put the slightest difference in interior design which noted the guest quarters on different decks. She pushed herself back in her chair and placed her feet on the desk. This isn't the work for a Lieutenant.

Jordan's feet pounded with a dull thud on the carpeted floor of the corridor as he approached his office. He had performed the checks on all guest quarters and made sure the protective forcefields were on a rotating modulation- they weren't getting away that easily. One of Lucas' team had reported a disruption in the field surrounding a jeffries tube access port which Starfleet designers had clumsily positioned in a few of the rooms. He had soon made sure there would be no problem with that. Unfortunately for the rather jobsworthy Ensign who decided to make a break for it they were no longer in need of the room, being in sickbay being treated for a broken jaw.

Dillen had been stuck in the brig all afternoon monitoring Lieutenant Commander Brown. She was one of the new crewmembers who came on board at Starbase Ronin and had therefore never met the man. She had no sympathy for him and had spent the day in silence, saying very little to a man who, for all intents and purposes, had nothing but disdain for the crew she was sworn to protect.

The doors of the security office hissed apart as both Dillen and Jordan stepped through the them at almost exactly the same time. The security teams of the Iapetus were responsible for carrying out regular checks but the senior staff were now free to do as they pleased. Of course, none of them would.

"Lieutenant Cathcart. Report." Jordan said in the most forceful way he could muster as he brushed through the doors.

"Absolutely nothing to report, sir. Apart from your run in with one of the ensigns, of course."

"Saw that, did you?" Jordan was trying not to sound smug and failing on every count. "Come on, you're off duty. Go and have some free time and report for duty at oh-eight-hundred tomorrow morning."

Allison left without saying another word; she had been so bored watching the same screens that she did not want to wait in case Jordan changed his mind. She left the office and made straight for the lounge. The rest of the security staff were left in the office staring blankly at each other. Jordan tapped things into his PaDD in a hasty effort to arrange the rest of the nights security rotation while Dillen tapped her hand on the back of a chair, fully expecting to be allowed to leave.

"Okay, Dillen. On duty at oh-seven-hundred here, okay?" Jordan asked, almost into himself- still absorbed in the PaDD's contents.

"Aye, sir." She said, snapping to attention. She made her way out of the office and immediately headed to the turbolift. "Deck seven."

Jordan placed the PaDD down on the desk and passed from his personal area of the office into the main monitoring area. "Chief Abrahams. You're in charge of the night-shift. You know where I am if anything goes wrong- don't hesitate to call me. Make sure that the security subsystems are checked regularly: if they're going to try and get out then that's going to be their first port of call."

Jordan left the office and stood in the corridor for a moment. He sighed deeply as he pondered his next action. He had been on his feet for almost twenty hours and he felt like he'd collapse if he did not sleep. He found himself moving slowly towards the turbolift. As the doors closed behind him he found himself uttering the words, "Deck seven." One drink can't hurt.

[OFF]

Lieutenant Jordan Gunning
Chief Security & Tactical Officer
USS Iapetus [NCC-83721]

NPCs
Lieutenant (JG) Allison Cathcart
Assistant Chief Security & Tactical Officer
USS Iapetus [NCC-83721]

Ensign Dillen Vantas
Security Investigations Officer
USS Iapetus [NCC-83721]