Reporting in

Posted on Tue Jul 29th, 2025 @ 8:03pm by Rear Admiral Indi Hawk & Vice Admiral Sidra MacLaren

1,675 words; about a 8 minute read

Mission: Second Light
Location: Starbase 369

As the doors of the transport cruiser opened and the tube connecting the ship to the starbase, a whole new world opened for those aboard the cruiser. People started walking down the snaking tube, everybody looking around and marveling at what they were seeing. Most everybody was on their first visit to the newly minted starbase. Everybody took in the sight, walked onto the platform and tried to orient themselves to get to their destinations. A beehive of activity swung into action as soon as most people reached the dock. 

One of the last people to exit the ship, was a Starfleet Officer. Rear Admiral. Seasoned. Even though most people would have hated that description of themselves, she'd always liked it. She preferred the experience over the unknown of every adventure. Instead of looking around like most other people did, she seemed to be walking straight ahead. Instead, though, she was listening intently, her ears highly sensitive from being blind since childhood. Her eye implants made sure she could see most of the spectrum that most scanners these days offered, but she still preferred the information her ears offered her. As Indi Hawk reached the dock, she stepped to the side, away from the crowd, and used a moment to orient herself.

Having made sure that she was on a transport that wasn't communicated through official channels, she knew nobody would be waiting for her. Once she'd received the assignment, and had seen who she'd been reporting into, she figured this was the nicest way to do it. 

It didn't take her long to find the Fleet Command offices, such as they were during construction. She even found her way in the anteroom, and nodded to the woman at the desk. "Rear Admiral Hawk, reporting in." 

Sidra MacLaren had been at her desk, her chair leaned back alongside the long edge as her feet were propped at the very edge of the desk, just enough to keep them elevated without marking up the surface. Her green eyes were out of focus, her thoughts turned inward, reflective on her previous conversation with Captain Corbin. She could have done that better, should have done that better. Sidra was now resigned to trying to build that relationship up than she had been able to with their first encounter.

A chime, her comlink to Quen's desk, startled her from her musings. "Yes, Ensign?" Sidra sighed, not at the disruption so much, she'd rather a physical walk in. The Yeoman had access to see when she was meeting with someone, it was clear she was not, why the Ensign didn't just come in to say what she needed to say confounded Sidra.

"Admiral Hawk is here to report in, Admiral." Came the reply from the Ensign, a little cheery. Sidra blinked, still reawakening from her deep thoughts, "Who?"

She didn't even hear Quen's reply as MacLaren's brain finally started firing on all cylinders again and realized who it was, "Indi, send her in." There was an excitement there. It had been years, as it always was between their encounters, but Sidra had just a handful of people she counted as close friends. Indi had seen Sidra through the darkest time in her life, a time that few in her circle were even aware of. Indi had been a compassionate observer and guide throughout as Sidra rebuilt herself mentally.

Excited that Indi was here, Sidra went to swing her legs off the desk and stand. It was a great idea in theory, but in the time she had her feet propped up on the edge of the desk, they had fallen stone cold asleep. The lack of feeling in her feet hadn't been on her radar until she tried to plant them on the ground and put her weight on them. Sidra almost crumbled to the ground from lack of support and had to grasp the desk to keep from completely tumbling to the bare floor, wincing as she knew the needles that were about to come as the blood rushed back to her limbs.

Indi's eyebrow cocked in a very Vulcan fashion as she caught the stumble. Grinning, she stepped forward just enough for the doors to close behind her. "Getting old, are we?" she asked, closing the distance between them. By then, the other woman had recovered enough to make it clear things weren't serious. Closing the distance, though at least far enough out of reach for any repercussions that followed her question.

Sidra was fuming that Indi had caught that, even though she had recovered enough feeling to transfer more of her weight back to her feet and less leaning into the desk, her fingertips teepee'd against the cool surface to ensure her continued steadiness. The red flush of embarrassment and a flash of anger at Indi's comment, the kind only a friend could invoke, spread across her face, and she winced outwardly as the pins and needles sensation took over. The former security officer noticed the exact distance Hawk kept; it was strategic. "Are you actually afraid I'm going to physically lash out?"

"Wouldn't be the first time, won't be the last," Indi shrugged dryly. After a few more seconds, a smile broke through the surface. "It's good to see you, my friend. It's been way too long," she gestured around the office. "Looks like they found a new dump hole to keep us old ladies occupied for a few more years." Ladies. Right. As if either of them had ever felt like a lady. It sounded nice though. Distinct. As if they needed a distinct word to accompany their respective reputations.

"Never have I ever, while sober, laid a hand on you." A smile came across her face as she followed where Indi was looking; their time in Gamma Fleet on Starbase Raven was in a similar condition. "It seems that you and I can only work together in construction zones." MacLaren almost felt like testing her walking ability and moving over for a hug, but they weren't really huggers. "Damn, it's good to see you."

Sidra gestured to a less formal sitting area near the desk. "Sit sit." A thought crossed her mind as she remembered something, "And tell me how the hell you showed up without me knowing." Sidra's feet were well on their way to normal, the needles still there but fading; she went to the office door. "Ensign, is that, delivery I wanted for Admiral Hawk here?"

Curious about Sidra's question to the Yeoman, but not intending to go for the obvious intended bait, she ignored what she heard last and focused on the first question. Pulling a cushion closer to her chest once she was sitting in the comfortable chair, she felt herself relax a bit. Relaxing from a stress she didn't know she had been feeling. Maybe she had been more anxious than she thought about facing a new assignment with a new starbase and few familiar people. At least Sidra had made up a great deal for the ordeal it could have been without her. Forcefully blinking her eyes once, she tried to remember the question.

"I booked private passage on a transport cruiser. Starfleet had been kind enough to offer to reroute the USS Safari to bring me here, but I've never been one for the pomp and fanfare. I pulled a few strings to keep my name out of the books. If your Yeoman is half as good as my last one, she would have picked up on my name, even if I had booked passage on a waste freighter."

Sidra and Quen had a few words at the doorway where MacLaren had been informed the delivery had taken place and had been installed in Indi's office. Sidra motioned two fingers with a smirk, her attention fully back on Indi. She sat across from her, sinking back into the chair. The redhead smirked at Indi's underhanded comment about her Yeoman. "We'll see what you think of her in just a moment." Sidra was sizing up Indi, detecting some weariness there; they were getting older. MacLaren explained, "She's fresh. I've been here a week. Also, she's not security-minded. This one is trying to fast-track her way through command. Give her time." Sidra was willing to; there were flashes of brilliance there, and then moments of complete panic displayed by the Yeoman. Sidra reflected to herself about Indi; there were few people, even among her flag officer peers, she could be this easy with.

Quen came in with a tray and two bottles of Coke with the tops popped off. Sidra watched for Indi's reaction.

Indi's eyes went wide when the bottles came into view. It was an automatic behaviour, learned a long time ago to convey surprise by her eyes where actually her nostrils had picked it up long moments before. It was marvelous. Replicated coke was one thing, but she hadn't had a true bottle in a very long time. "You know how to seduce a woman, Sid," she smiled warmly as Quen set down the tray. "And thank you for managing this," she added more levelly to the other young woman in the room.

When a polite heart beat had come and gone, Indi reached forward to offer one of the bottles to her friend, and take the other herself. "Cheers," she raised it in a toast. Past, present and future respresented in the gesture.

"I have never leaned that way, but it's good to know I have a chance if I want." She chuckled, wondering about Indi's personal life and its state. There was lots of time to catch up, and she looked forward to it. "Cheers, friend. I'm glad you're here. Let's not visit the brig? I don't think that will be a good look for me this go around."

"I'll drink to that," Indi nodded, and for a peaceful while, they sat in silence and remembered all that was, and thought about everything that could be.

--

VAdm Sidra MacLaren
&
RAdm Indi Hawk

 

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