A Change of Scene
Posted on Fri Apr 3rd, 2015 @ 9:52am by Captain Aidan Rackham
Edited on on Fri Apr 10th, 2015 @ 8:39pm
Mission:
The Night Cries
Location: Gallant Star Hotel, Brooks Street, Pike City
Timeline: 2278.45: 1500hrs.
The simple cardboard box was beginning to sag in the spring showers as Aidan Rackham carried it into the lobby of the Gallant Star Hotel on Brooks Street. He turned back toward the street and pulled the hood of his coat down. He had heard rumours about just how wet it could be in Pike City and had taken enough heed to bring a rain jacket.
The hotel itself was little more than a dosshouse. Cestus III had only been part of the Federation for a few years and there were very few starships of any sort passing through. He nodded pleasantly to the receptionist and mounted the few stairs toward the first floor.
Luckily- perhaps unluckily- for the new crew of the Farragut, Starfleet had just opened its first administrative centre on the surfact which meant that their mission would launch from Cestus. The Farragut herself wasn't due for another day so the streets were awash with ill-disciplined enlisted men and women getting their last party in before five years with the 'Black Widow'.
He chuckled a little to himself as he unlocked the door to his room. The Black Widow. It was a nickname that many of Elsa's peers thought they had given her during her command of the Pilgrim. The truth was she had spread it herself to put the fear into them, those stuffy old bastards. The adventurers, the philanderers. She had no time for Kirk and his ilk.
He shed his coat and regarded his shabby room for a second. There was always a way to tell you were in a terrible hotel- the wardrobe had a code lock on it to make sure you weren't robbed the second you left the building. He sat down on the edge of the bed and felt himself begin to slide into the sagging area in the centre of the mattress. Far from the worst bed he'd ever slept on but he still couldn't help but imagine what had happened to the springs.
It was the contents of the box which cheered him up. For the last eight years he had spent every day forced into disgusting tunics with hideously fitting trousers and boots which formed into the bottom of each leg. It was- without a doubt- the worst thing he had ever worn, but all that was about to change.
He excitedly lifted the top of the cardboard box, dropping its soggy form on the carpet and a wide grin spread across his face as he lifted the deep-hued scarlet jacket from the box. From tomorrow this would be his duty uniform and it was a looker.
The jacket was double-breasted and seemed to have loads of different straps, pips and badges to attach to it. It felt luxurious, much unlike the cheap polymer his current uniform was made from. He reached the undershirt, much thicker and much more luxuriant than previous incarnations. The long and short was that he was suddenly excited to be seen as a Starfleet officer again.
He found a little container within the box. It was sleek, shiny and black with a small push-button on the side. Pressing it caused a small tray to slide out and reveal a beautiful gold pin with the Starfleet delta in the middle and a vibrant panel. Coupled with what he assumed was his new rank pin, Rackham was in awe.
He would have been happy with anything which didn't have him seeking out new life and new civilisations in his pyjamas.
Commander Aidan Rackham
First Officer
USS Farragut
