= Aeran III =
Natalia drifted on her back in the lukewarm water of the natural pool and stared up at the blue sky dotted with fluffy white clouds, some that looked like sheep, others that looked apples and even one that looked like a communicator badge. She stretched out her arms and swept them through the water, her legs paddling slowly up and down. The air was humid and hot and the water was ideal to cool her down.
She'd decided to take some time off when the Chimera returned to Unity. Natalia found herself missing fresh air and ground beneath her feet and planned a visit to Aeran III. Spending so much time in space, one tended to forget what it was like planet-side, and a holodeck never really did compare. She wasn't the type of person that usually let stress get to her, but with a full-blown war going on and the Chimera being involved in dangerous missions, she couldn't help but feel a little more tense than usual.
What also bothered her slightly was the discovery of one of Outpost 0071 by the Romulans. Afterwards she questioned herself on whether or not she had overseen any detail during the deployment of the outposts of which she had been in charge. Of course, it had been a risk from the start and SSF knew that. The chances that the Romulans could discover the outposts were high, but it was stilled deemed worth the risk by SSF Command.
The outposts had delivered important information so far, being capable of detecting Romulan fleet movements that have proved to the Federation's advantages in border conflicts. But now they were compromised and their usefulness reduced... at least until SSF decided what exactly to do with them, if they hadn't already.
She always wondered to herself just how much Task Force Command knew about the war that she herself didn't. As the Flagship's XO she was pretty much in the loop, but her clearance didn't go up to Flag level and she wasn't privy to all information, as was the case with all XO's. Maybe it was just as well she didn't know everything; she could do her job without knowing all of it, and more knowledge could just be a further burden, something anyyone could do without.
It was probably time for her to get back to Unity, but Natalia decided to relax in the water a little longer. There was luckily no rush, no one needed her immediate attention today and, hopefully, nothing was in imminent danger of collapsing or blowing up without her presence.
= End Log =
Commander Natalia Trzetrzelewska
Executive Officer
USS Chimera NCC 96899-C
