Come When Called

Posted on 04 Feb 2018 @ 6:49am by Ensign Callin Mastrel
Edited on on 05 Feb 2018 @ 10:27am

787 words; about a 4 minute read

Mission: Episode 15 - Emanation
Location: Rigel II - Avondale Production Facility
Timeline: MD 102, 1145 Hours

[ON]

A whispered prayer left the young man’s lips as the turbolift doors let him out onto the detour he was taking here in the shipyards. The last time he had heard that voice, it had been such a disappointment to know that she wasn’t going to be coming to his Academy graduation. Though Betazed wasn’t that far from Earth it was a matter of timing and need. Yet two weeks after his ceremony and now he was hearing her voice. Callin didn’t know whether he was more worried or excited.

Bright, and alert, Callin hurried down the corridor following the gently pulsating lights on the walls that led him to his destination. The beckoning blue glow pointed the way after a simple verbal request of the computer though it had warned him of heavy foot traffic.Callin seemed not just alert, but aware. Shining black eyes scanned everything he could see, taking it all in, the ship, the people, the particular shade of beige that Starfleet had decided should go in this section of the ship. It wasn't just Callin's eyes that were so active, but his other senses as well. His nostrils flared as he breathed deeply the cool air of the vessel, occasionally a hand would reach out to brush a wall or panel. Yet, that awareness went deeper too.

Everyone was rushing around, getting ready, reporting here and there to a superior officer, or for an interview so they might have a superior officer on board this new ship or any number of a thousand different tasks that supported an organization and bureaucracy as vast as Starfleet. Yet, for all the bustle, and for all his unseemly haste, Callin never bumped into anyone as he rushed around corners or slipped through the crowds.

He knew where their minds were, even if he couldn't see them, and it let him reach the mess hall in half the time it might have otherwise. Slender, not quite a reed, with a triangular build but and a spry step, he had been moving fast ever since the call had arrived. Okay, really, he was running, but he was quick, lightning quick as he darted through the crowds, provoking shouts of distress or anger as he nearly ran into people. He had to hurry, they didn't understand. If he didn't come when she called, there was no way he was going to survive long enough to meet whatever official he had to submit his application for the Galileo-A.

As soon as he skidded to a halt, just inside the communal dining room, Callin straightened his slightly askew blue uniform. He smoothed down his hair which had grown a little wild during the run. A quick glance in the reflective surface of a structural support beam that fell just short of being decorative but was surely functional assured Callin that his brand new full, golden, ensign's pip was gleaming bright enough to make any Academy instructor squint at the glare (or so Callin figured, though likely they'd just likely grunt and muse of the priorities of youth).

A woman had been waiting patiently for him, tall and slender with her dark hair done up in a spiral upon her head, wearing snug yet demure dress that had a sheen reminiscent of pearls, black eyes impenetrable as she watched Callin straighten himself out and begin to approach her. There were a fine web of lines around the corners of her eyes and creased that framed her mouth as well, but she looked strong and healthy, not a touch of grey in her hair yet, her chin raised and her manner poised. For all that she came from humble backgrounds, she might rival some human noblewomen in a holodrama when it came to poise.

Was she judging him? Proud of him? Callin couldn't tell, and he hesitated to reach out to the woman who was the undisputed head of his household. She hadn’t agreed with his decision to apply for the Academy after he graduated school, but she had supported him when it was clear his mind was made up. Callin hoped she had come here to wish him well, to see him off before he was gone only Deities knew how long, years maybe. Maybe never to come home again.

Callin stopped short of her chair, close, with a searching look in his gaze as he stared at the woman, his body language telegraphing his deference. Somehow, after all these years among the humans, Bolians, Andorians, and other races he had gone to the Academy with, it seemed easier to just say, "Hello, Mother."

[OFF]

Ensign Callin Mastrel
Science Officer
USS Galileo-A

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