ENSIGN (A Starship Hope Prequel)

CHAPTER 3

"Lieutenant Chance," Commander Jones greeted him in exasperation. "So glad you decided to join us. As it seems neither of you can tell time, I'll be putting you on galley duty with Ensign Pinet. As you're also out of uniform, I'll be putting you down for an extra day."

"Yes, sir," he said. Then, to her mortification, moved to stand beside Dana.

She kept her eyes on the Commander as everyone lined up to receive their duty assignments for the morning. Ensigns didn't get challenging assignments until they were able to prove themselves. Not that it mattered. She'd already gotten on the Commander's bad side.

"You could have at least woken me up this morning," Chance whispered, tilting his head her way.

"I had someplace to be."

"I see. It's like that, is it?"

"Pinet," Commander Jones said, interrupting any further sniping, "you'll make yourself available immediately for the bridge, where you'll meet with Lieutenant Commander Davis regarding your shift rotation."

Dana's mouth fell open. She shouldn't be on a shift rotation this early, and everyone knew it. There were murmurs from the remaining crew that Commander Jones silenced with one angry eye and the deliberate crossing of his arms. Dana closed her mouth and focused on the ground in front of her.

"You have your assignments for the day. Dismissed!" Commander Jones didn't even wait for them to leave before he turned his back.

The cadets hurried off to get to their assignments. Dana headed in the direction of the bridge. No doubt her father wanted to see her that morning before sending her on her way. It was unfortunate she hadn't gotten rid of the bags under her eyes from her graduation celebration night before.

Chance trailed her. "You're Ensign Pinet, right?"

Dana didn't answer him. From the stares Wade received from the female crew members, she was sure he was used to having whoever he wanted. She had no plans to be another patch on his vest. Guys like him got bored and moved on quickly. It wouldn't take long for his interest in her to fade.

Bonnie raced to catch up with her, linking her arm around Dana's. "Can you believe it? Less than a week, and we'll be off the ground," she said, her joy bubbling over in a giggle.

Bonnie saw the wink Lieutenant Chance gave her as he passed them, tugging her closer.

"Who's that?"

Dana rolled her eyes. "No one," Dana said, loud enough for him to hear. "I'll see you later in the mess."

"Of course," he said with a parting smirk. "I can't wait to hear all about it."

"We haven't gotten room assignments," Dana said, pulling herself free from Bonnie and getting out her tablet, checking her schedule for the week.

"No, but didn't you get the bridge announcement?" Bonnie asked. "It arrived sometime last night with instructions. We won't get cabins until the day we launch, in case someone doesn't make it past their first week."

"There's optimism for you," Dana huffed. "I brought my bag and everything." She lifted it for emphasis.

"That's easy. Just leave it with your dad." Bonnie nudged her, then rolled her eyes.

"I don't know..."

"It's time to put those connections to use, girl!"

Dana felt her hackles rise. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"The only person who can safely get a room is you. You're not going anywhere." Bonnie shrugged. "The rest of us will have to fight to stay."

Dana couldn't hide the hurt those words caused. "You can't be serious... After everything you've seen, do you really believe that?"

"There's no way you can be that dense. Your. Father. Is. The. Captain," Bonnie said slowly, emphasizing each word. "He chose you for this assignment. He's giving you access to the bridge on your first day. Do I have to spell it out for you? The rest of us will be sitting in offices and conference rooms memorizing technical specs while being quizzed on procedure before we ever get to lay our hands on a control panel." Bonnie gave her a pitying look. "Don't let it bother you. We'll talk later."

Dana staggered back a step, unable to find the words to voice her protest. Instead, she clamped her gaping mouth closed again. If even her closest friends thought she'd received special treatment as the captain's daughter, she didn't stand a chance in setting herself apart from her father.

Dana lifted her chin as she continued marching in the direction of the bridge, stationed on the opposite side of the hangar. Her father would be disappointed, but he had to listen this time. They weren't scheduled to launch until the end of the week. There was ample opportunity for reassignment to another ship.

The Atlantis lay horizontal in the dock to make it easier for maintenance crews to do their work on the craft. Technicians raced across the catwalks and scaffolding with tool belts and bags, seeing to the repairs. Dana's eyes traveled up the side of the ship. Even while lying prone, it was bigger than any craft she'd ever flown—designed for deep space travel and one of a kind. The Atlantis had been her father's ship far longer than it had ever been any other captain's. He oversaw every inch of any projects before, during, and after the ship returned to the ground. His lengthy dinner conversations on the subject bored her mother, but Dana had been enthralled by the stories of the ship that had carried them securely from one part of their galaxy to another.

While Dana was staring up at one of the cabin windows, imagining what went on inside, she crashed into someone, sending them both spinning. Her tablet slipped out of her hand, hitting hard against the ground before bouncing to a stop.

"Oops, so sorry!" she said quickly, kneeling to pick up the device.

"No, it was my fault," the other man said, bending down and snatching up the tablet before she could, passing it to her. The hand belonged to a face she knew well, his blue eyes wide with surprise when she finally met them.

"Kristoff?"

This was the last place Dana had expected to see him, and she glanced around as if he might be lost. She noted his new mechanical clothing and the proper bag of tools slung at his hip.

"No need to panic. I'm not trying to sneak onto the Atlantis. I work here now," he said, reading her confusion as suspicion.

Dana winced. She hadn't meant to question his access.

As he brushed past her to leave, she reached out, putting a hand on his arm to stop him, firm, but undemanding in its grasp.

"Wait, it's not like that. I wasn't accusing you of anything. I'm just surprised to see you, that's all."

His eyes shifted away from her face, unconvinced.

"I'm sorry. Give me a break," Dana pleaded, wanting things to be right between them again. Wishing there was something she could say to tear down the wall between them. "We haven't talked since graduation."

"I think you and I both have somewhere else to be," he said, glancing at her tablet, then back to her face before pulling free of her grasp, and storming off in the opposite direction.

***

This was hard to write. I've lost a friend over something out of my control before and it hurt for a long time before I had to move on. Give me a thumbs up in the comments if something like this has ever happened to you.