End of shift

Posted on 28 Jun 2024 @ 6:56pm by Lieutenant Commander Temerant Bast

509 words; about a 3 minute read

Mission: Stranded

The soft music of Johan Sebastian Bach filles the room as Chief Anya Bergman fetched her plate from the replicator. Her shift had just ended a few minutes ago, and she was happy to kick off her boots and she'd her uniform, slipping into a soft robe. She was looking forward to a quiet evening, punctuated by a scheduled call with her son. His last message mentioned he would have news to announce. Chief Bergman could only hope that this time her dreams would come true. Erik and his wife had been trying for months. Maybe this time...

It was hard to be apart from her only son. She'd given everything for him. She'd been destined for a brilliant career in Starfleet, but once she'd graduated from the Venice Science Academy, a brief dalliance with a striking young officer from Alpha Centauri had resulted in the arrival of that little bundle of joy. She'd made the decision not to attend Starfleet Academy with a newborn to take care of, and instead had opted for a career as an enlisted crewmember. And she'd never regretted her decision.

Now, at close to forty years of service, having risen to the rank of Chief Petty Officer, she might not have the authority or the privileges of even a lowly Starfleet Ensign, but she had the respect of her peers, and her seniority afforded her the luxury of a junior officer's suite. Granted, it wasn't as large as an officer's quarters could be, and it was in the lower half of the Cygnus's saucer section, but it was cozy and comfortable, and she didn't have to share it with anyone else.

She placed her dish of mushroom risotto on the table, next to a glass of syntheholic Pinot Grigio, and took a deep breath, exhaling softly to let out the day's stress. Her department chief, Lieutenant Lisald, had been incredibly strung out, and involuntarily he had transfered some of that stress on his staff. They had all spent the day getting the computer ready to receive and analyze the freighter's navigation logs.

She reached for her glass -

And suddenly the deck lurched under her. The glass flew away from her, and crashed against the bulkhead, its contents splattering against a reproduction of a Van Gogh her sister had given her.

Anya Bergman found herself projected against the ceiling, trying her best to brace herself, instinctively protecting sensitive areas like her hips. At her age...

There was a loud sound in her ears that lasted all of a tenth of a second. There was a strong rush of air, and she looked at the Van Gogh on the wall.

The picture was pulling away from her.

Or rather, she was being blown away from it. The outer hull had been blown away. Chief Petty Officer Anya Bergman sped away from the USS Cygnus in the vast emptiness of space. Her final thoughts, as she realized what was happening, was that she would never know the wonderful news that her son wanted to announce....

 

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