A New Home

Posted on Fri 28th Jun, 2019 @ 4:01pm by Lieutenant Commander Dallas Briggs
Edited on on Sun 11th Aug, 2019 @ 12:33am

1,097 words; about a 5 minute read

Mission: A Diplomatic Affair
Location: Deck 28, Senior Officers Quarters
Timeline: MD 4, 0930

Dallas received approval for his request for transfer and orders came back for him to report to a starbase close to the Klingon and Romulan borders. Very far from the Cardassians and the Breen. No doubt there was someone behind this as there had been behind all the other covert missions that he and his late wife had done.

The new posting was Starbase 109, also known as SB109. It wasn't one of those puny starbases, like the science or observatories. This was a full-sized one with tens of thousands aboard, not to mention all the visiting dignitaries, ambassadors and even colonists. This was a busy place, and there was a massive security team.

USS Magellan, an aging Ambassador-class starship commanded by a very resourceful captain, William Britain, would take Dallas to SB109. The ship was making a supply run and was also tasked with shuttling people to various starbases and outposts along the Klingon and Romulan borders, which was a long milk run. Thankfully, Dallas didn't have to make the trip up the Romulan borders.

Magellan had finally reached Starbase 109, though it had seemed to take forever. Dallas was definitely ready to get off the ship. He had used the holodecks, when he could, used the gym every day, and the decks? He nearly wore a hole in the deck plating and knew the ship by memory after all the running he did.

Victoria didn't run with him; after all, ghosts don't run. Sometimes she would show up at the gym and talk to him. It had been a year since her death, and he was still in a bad place. She wanted him to be happy, to move on with his life, and maybe that was why she was still there.

Dallas grabbed his bag and was one of the first to exit the ship. The station was massive and an easy place to get lost, even with computer terminals everywhere to help, and colored lines on the bulkheads. Dallas had his own PADD to guide him. He had heard stories of the Promenade and how massive it was, that it had everything one could imagine needing.

His first stop would be the Housing Office in Operations. He needed assigned quarters and to clean up before meeting the the present Security Chief. He arrived at Housing and it was busy, as always. Some people looked up at Dallas as he came in, but only one of them greeted him, "Hello, how may I help you..." the man squinted, "Lieutenant?"

Dallas approached and handed him his PADD, "I'm a transfer, and I need quarters, please." Dallas smiled and looked around the room as the man took his PADD and inspected the orders.

"Very well, Lieutenant, I have you billeted. The location will show up on your PADD. Let me get you a com badge." The petty officer went to a safe and placed his hand on the biometric scanner. Once it opened, he pulled out a new com badge, carefully closed and locked the safe, and came back. "Computer, recognize the bio signs for Lieutenant Dallas Briggs, Assistant Chief Security Officer, standing directly in front of my duty station."

=^=Bio signs recognized and assigned to Lieutenant Dallas Briggs, Assistant Chief Security Officer,=^= came the response.

"Computer, assign the com badge in my hand to Lieutenant Dallas Briggs," the operations NCO said.

=^=Com badge assigned and active for Lieutenant Dallas Briggs,=^= the computer replied.

"There you go, Lieutenant. You're all set." He handed Dallas the com badge. "I'll have your belongings transported to your quarters from Magellan." He extended a hand to Dallas.

Dallas shook his hand, "Thank you, I appreciate that." He smiled at Vicky as he left the office and went out into the busy corridor. "Want to go check out the new quarters?"

"Of course I do," the ghost of his wife responded with a laugh. "I'm sure it's in need of something to make it homey. What better for that than I?"

It would have been fun to set up house on a station like this, but she was limited in what she could do. Interacting with a computer keyboard was an impossible frustration, and she couldn't even issue voice commands, as the computer was among the things in the universe which didn't recognize her presence. She sighed, thinking there ought to be something more to her existence than passivity. She would have to make decisions and then get Dallas to implement them, all for his own good and comfort, of course.

"Indeed, you are the best at those ideas. I look forward to your dressing up the place and making it comfortable." A few minutes later they were at the door to his ... or was it their ... quarters and opened the door, putting his fingerprint into the thumblock system. "After you my dear."

Looking around the quarters that had been assigned, Victoria was impressed. "This is far better than married quarters on Magellan," she said, "even XO quarters. I think I'm going to like your new duty station." She poked her head into the bedroom and the head, then came back out to find Dallas messing with the environmental controls.

"The bed looks comfortable, and you can actually opt for a water shower. If I'd known the advantages a starbase provided, we'd have transferred a long time ago!"

Dallas laughed, “We would have moved here a long time ago, that’s for sure.” He continued to look around the room. “It sure is nice.” He looked at the ghost, “I wished you could be here with me, really be here.”

"If wishes were latinum, the Ferengi would all be rich," the ghost replied gently. "We had sixteen years, and now we have ... whatever this is. We can't live in the past, nor in the future, but we have today, so ... let's go shopping! Plants, I think?" She looked around again and nodded her head, "Yes, definitely plants, and maybe a nice big picture right over that table against the wall. Or are you tired? You have rather been running from place to place since we arrived. And what am I thinking? You have to report to your department head." She smacked her forehead, and her hand passed right through. It was somewhat disconcerting to watch.

Dallas shook his head, "I don't have to report for another day or so. We can do whatever we want to do today." He smiled at the ghost, "If you want to go shopping, we can do that." He looked around, "This place does need a woman's touch."

 

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