Log Matsiyan 19817-2237

[Matsiyan]

Personal Log, Lieutenant-Commander Conrad Matsiyan, ONI, FNS, BUPERS,
Acting CO TSN Viper, 4th L.D.
Stardate: 19817-2237

Computer, listen to me! Lights. No! Dimmer.

Oh stars. Again. Play nocturnes, quietly, run me a shower, prep a calming chai and pause.
[Log paused]
The same nightmare again, helpless on the bridge of Viper, red light blinking inexorably, held in a pirate tractor, no homings, energy less than ten percent, thirty percent of the ships nodes damaged. MedBay telltales are alight by all DamCon crew. Manoeuvring thrusters show a relentless zero function. Horizon warps towards us. A rogue pirate beam hits her and she disappears in an incandescent blaze hurling life-pods in all directions.

There is no other friendly on the plot and a half dozen pirates turning our way. I know to the centimetre and degree of heading where the lifepod access is behind me. I know exactly which locker the moka pot is nestled in. And I know no one friendly will take the pod onboard before its systems fail.

Only ever got this close on the Manticore mission before and that was well behind enemy lines and out of uniform. But then, it wasn’t me in The Chair, in an unfamiliar ship and with an unfamiliar crew. Hope I’m burning this away.

Let me try to expunge so I can sleep. Haven’t had a chance with all the paperwork associated with commanding a ship as a senior officer.

I reviewed, edited and approved the ONI reports compiled by Lt.Sr. Hall and Lt. Vaj. I prepared the press bulletin for the Fleet News Service and cleared an interview with some archeo-astrophysicist. I also liaised with Commander Zolmar over a statement he wished to issue which frankly reminds us why we fight. Then there were the ONI planning sessions with the analysts on probable operations upcoming. I prepared the ONI conference briefs on those and created the executive summaries for the Senior Officers meeting.

Aramond was taking a crack at the paperwork somewhat neglected by van Leigh, so I pitched in and went through all the rigmarole of gaining access to Personnel files all over again. That at least meant I was able to gather up a bunch of awards proposals and get those onto the S.O. agenda. There were some record updates missing which I was able to catch and verify from prior S.O. minutes. I was able to simplify some of the review work by creating a concise view of officer/vessel assignments and automating its integration with the S.O. agenda and also the Division Vessel Overview, which I was able to interface into the R&D/Supply database.

ONI Section Blue also pulled me aside for an interview. They seem mighty jumpy about, well mostly the Kraliens, who they seem to be principally interested in, but the Unuks seem to have them rattled too. I suspect they are scrambling to explain why they don’t have a better handle on their operations. But frankly, they are rapidly catching up.

They finally noticed the strange sensory anomalies I’ve been having lately, despite the fact they are minor and Medical can find no somatic cause or ongoing effect. They also seem to have picked up on my strange ESP with Mundy, though what that has to do with how I like my coffee baffles me.

The analysts uncovered the Zolmari’s information about the Order’s Oracular visions last shift, but I had a distinct sense that the Boys in Blue already had a good idea that’s what was going on. Maybe they have been working back from the Artefacts themselves. I’m pretty sure they interviewed Mundy too. I had the strangest sensation of a lack of presence for a while, like a cold stone wall stretching away in all directions. What particularly disturbed me about the interviews was that they felt almost like a recruitment assessment. Thing is, I don’t get the impression Section Blue offers its agents much choice in what they will be doing where. Mind you, that quiet blue Deep Ops frigate they have parked in a discreet corner of the shipyards looks like it would be fun to perform an engineering review on. I’ve never seen a hull like that and she looks very lightly equipped for her size. At least, light in all the equipment I’m familiar with.

So recording my impressions of the shift’s missions comes hard, especially since I already know what Mundy felt worth sharing with her computer. Let’s see; escorting the diplomats to Hjorden, chasing after the Kralien marines who very nearly rescued their seer from detention aboard Promethean, and the raid to take out the USF base before they assemble any larger a force to cause mischief with our xeno-relations on the border.

That one had Mundy twitching. She still doesn’t know what Sanjeev is up to and this time, again, she was sitting Weapons for a USF engagement.

On the plus side, ECS Asia’s care package means I will be in a fit state to face several future shifts.

Ccomputer, you can cycle the chai cup. Lights out.
[End log]

[Draeco]

//read and enjoyed.

[Adele Mundy]

// @Matsiyan, I knew you were going to say that.

[Author]

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