=Tarangor/Aeran Shipyard=
=Aeran System=
"Lieutenant, if I was a pessimest, I'd be concerned about right now,"
Rick said as he watched another piece of hull being laid onto the Rapier
by a team of engineers.
"Why is that, sir?" Lara Proietti asked.
"Everything is going too darn well," Rick replied. "We're finally producing
Lancers at more than acceptable numbers, ship repairs have gone
smoothly, within the month we should be ready to begin shipyard
expansion and after some speech therapy, I'm even feeling more
myself."
"So, what's to be concerned about?" she looked puzzled.
"That other shoe, Lara. The one that seems to drop when things are
going good."
"Murphy's law?"
"Exactly," Rick said.
It was times like this that Rick was glad to have Proietti around. She
wasn't exactly as close a friend as Jo, but he felt he could still have
a conversation with her.
She shrugged, "Maybe we're just getting that break we've longed
deserved. Things didn't start out so well around here you know."
Rick nodded, "Yeah, I suppose you ... you're right. But I've still got that
nagging feeling that won't go away."
She chuckled and smiled.
"You worry too much. Maybe you need a few days off," Lara finally said.
"Go down to planetside and relax. I grew up down there, so if you need
any advice on where to go ..."
"I'd love to," Rick said. "But Mai could give birth any day now."
"You nervous?"
"Very," Rick responded. "I just hope I don't pass out," or black out he
wanted to say. "When that day comes."
"You'll be fine," she said assuringly. "Deep breaths."
"For her?"
"No, for you," she chuckled again. "By the way, therapy seems to be
going great."
"Yeah, I just hope that starfleet is ready to give me back some sort
of department head position. Technically, I'm not even in charge
around here."
"No, but everyone seems to think you are. They're just glad to get
away from Utley. You can't even imagine some of the things she's
doing. I doubt your brother or Commodore Guzman even knows about
it. They're probably too busy with the war effort to even notice."
"Like what?" Rick turned to face Lara. He wasn't a big fan of the
starbase CEO and he knew Utley lothed him.
"Just ... I don't know ... stupid stuff. Nothing that will cause the
starbase to blow up or anything. It's just that morale in the
department is in such bad shape and she's the cause. She's
also been taking certain shortcuts in an effort to improve her
standing around here with the brass. She's also taking credit
for work that she refused to do herself."
Rick took a deep breath and sighed. He wanted to do something
about it, but there were a few problems. One of which was he didn't
have actual evidence. If he did, it would look like he was trying to
make a power play since he had been CEO before his abduction.
Then there was the fact that it would look like he was running to
his brother and complaining, which wouldn't go over too well with
the higher ups.
"She'll eventually screw up and then someone will take notice.
For now, we just have to do our jobs the best we can," Rick said.
Lara nodded, accepting that there was little Rick could do at the
moment.
"Come, lets take a closer look at the Rapier," Rick said.
She nodded again.
Commander Rick Rodgers
Assistant Engineering Officer
Starbase UNITY
attached to Tarangor/Aeran Shipyard
and
Lieutenant Lara Proietti
Assistant Engineering Officer
Starbase UNITY
attached to Tarangor/Aeran Shipyard
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