[Personnel Shuttle USS Franklin - En Route to SB 234: UNITY]
Lieutenant Henry Boyd finished typing in the trajectory for the Franklin's transit to SB 234. He glanced over his shoulder to the back of the small craft where the Marine was busy working on an open phaser rifle. They had a day and a half left in space at this shuttle's top speed - so they might as well start up a conversation, Boyd thought.
"So where are you headed off to go?" Boyd said, turning around in his chair as the computer took over operations.
Channer looked up from his phaser to nod at the Lieutenant, noting his existence, then returned to his work. "Scheduled to meet up with my ship at UNITY," he replied simply. The rifle's beam nature had long since been traded for a pulse variant. Davis absent-mindedly wondered why they were still called PHASed Energy Rectification rifles. Some engineer somewhere probably had trouble coming up with another acronym.
"Starship duty, huh?" Boyd said. "I wish I was so lucky. Instead I get the personnel runs between UNITY and Bragg. I swear its the most boring run in the war." The marine didn't appear interested, or even the least bit sympathetic to Boyd's situation. "So what ship are you being assigned Chief of Security to?"
"The Chimera," Channer said, still distracted.
"The flagship huh?" Boyd said. "Now that's an honor there. You must have some good experience under your belt to get that spot."
This caught Davis' attention, and raised his eyebrows. "It's the flagship? I guess I am way behind. As for experience, the Dominion War screwed alot of boys up, turned us into your average angry marine. Got booted out for being 'too aggressive.' I guess that's gone from a record blemish to a position qualification."
"Yeah," Boyd said before turning back to he controls or a second to check on the latest intrasystem telemetry, "War tends to do that." He swiveled back around, "Well, sir, we have thirty-six hours until we arrive. There's a replicator and a bunk in the back - next to the lavatory." He lat part he added a gesture toward an nondescript door toward the rear of the fore compartment. "Make yourself at home."
"Thank you, L.T." he said, cracking a smile for the first time. He gestured toward his dismantled rifle. "Going to finish up getting this new issue modded to Recon specs, then I'm down for a hot meal and a hand of poker, if you'll join me. Computer cheats like a bitch."
[End]