Repairs
Posted on 26 Dec 2020 @ 9:22pm by Lieutenant JG Samantha Cavendish
Edited on on 01 Jan 2021 @ 3:11pm
Mission:
M1 - Emergence
Location: Main Shuttle Bay Shuttle storage Lifts
Timeline: MD6 - 03:30
1220 words - 2.4 OF Standard Post Measure
Early. Sam had to admit there was something to be said about getting the early shift and being able to do repairs with no one else around.
She had changed into the coveralls that were required and now hung on a line in the main shuttle lift, her welding torch in hand. So it was not hanging off an ice cliff, nor was it flying a shuttle around the outside of the station on a repair review, but it was quiet, and alone and she was very happy with being alone.
She had several lifts in disrepair and needed them up and running sooner rather than later if they were to be able to launch more than those shuttles in the main bays. And if she got them repaired rather than waiting on Engineering, it would be better all round. Engineering had other systems to fix. Slipping the visor of her headset down she lit the welding torch and got started.
2 hours later, she climbed out of the lift tube and ran a diagnostic. She was deeply engrossed in the program that she did not hear the man come up to her. Until his hand touched her shoulder.
Sam jumped and spun. "Bloody hell Morris!" she snarled. "What are you doing sneaking up on me?!?"
Morris smirked and then sneered. "You have a comm call Cavendish. You might wanna take it."
"Funny" She drawled back. "My comm never pinged."
"You were in the lift tube. You would not have received it."
Sam stopped herself, just, from rolling her eyes at Carl Morris as she finished the diagnostic and shut it down. "Lift Tube 1 is good to go." She told him. "I sent confirmation of this to operations. I will take the call and then go work on lift tube 2."
Morris gave a shrug. He was not here to repair things. "Fine. I have to take a shuttle out for a repair survey. Make sure you get that lift tube repaired before Ops has a fit."
Samantha ignored the last of his commentary and moved off towards the Shuttle control office.
She settled into a chair in the office, again glad to be alone in the office. She tracked the shuttle leaving, with Morris at the controls for a moment and then turned to the Comm. She toggled it on. "This is Lieutenant JG Cavendish." She said calmly.
[["Lieutenant Cavendish. Please hold for a call from Betazed."]]
Samantha frowned. Sure she was half betazoid, but she rarely had dealings with people on Betazed. Even her mother's house, the 18th house, she rarely dealt with due to the fact that her mother had basically cut off all ties with them when she had married Samantha's father.
"Patch it through." She said calmly.
The screen changed and Samantha found herself facing an elderly woman. "Ma'am? I am Lieutenant JG Samantha Cavendish, I understand you wished to speak with me?"
[["Yes. You are a daughter of Joseph and Mia Cavendish?"]] the woman's tones were cool.
"Yes Ma'am. Though you would be hard pressed for them to claim me" Samantha figured it was best to be honest with this woman. She studied her. Deep brown eyes, luxurious sliver hair, that, Samantha was sure had been a deep brown, when the woman was younger. She could see that this woman had been a beauty in her day.
[["Your mother was Mia Saita before her marriage?"]]
"Yes I believe so Ma'am."
[["Good."]] the woman nodded. [["I am Emilia Saita, head of the 18th house of Betazed. I am your great grandmother"]]
Samantha felt her lips twitch slightly. "My great grandmother?" she asked "I must profess to surprise, that you would contact me. I have 3 older siblings who are of higher profile than I, and who are closer to my parents and would be able, most likely to speak with you about the family."
[["I do not wish to speak with them Samantha. You are who I wish to speak with,"]]
Samantha let her face show her confusion. "Ma'am. I am not sure why."
[["My granddaughter was the 4th child of her family. Did you know that?"]]
Samantha shook her head. "What I know of my mother's family would barely fit on an old fashioned palm card." The same could be said of her knowledge of the Cavendish side of her family. Her siblings all had good relations with her paternal grandparents, Sam was lucky to get a birthday card
[["Her mother was heir to our family seat before her demise."]]
Sam had to bite back the question of when did her grandmother pass. But she need not have worried, the woman continued.
[["Your maternal grandmother died in the Dominion war."]]
Sam did the math, she would have been about 5 years old then.
[["And our house lost several others. My husband, my sons and sons in law, our family was decimated. Your mother returned to Betazed after the war but only stayed long enough for the remembrance ceremonies. You would have been too young them to remember."]]
"They would not have taken me anyway Ma'am, my parents would never have considered me to be an asset in the family, not even at such a young age."
Emilia knew this. But then she knew everything about her great granddaughter. And about her family.
[["Well I am different from them, I am inviting you to Betazed."]]
Sam had to breath slowly. "Ma'am, that is indeed a nice thought and I thank you for it, but I am newly assigned here at Obsidian Command and my next shoreleave is not for several months."
[["Then that is when you shall visit."]] Emilia stated firmly. [["And I will not take no for an answer"]]
"Of course Ma'am. I will organise it with my department head." Samantha said. It would be nice to go to a quiet planet and she... "Ah... just me right? You know my family and I do not speak?"
[["Yes I am aware. They are not invited."]] Emilia had spoken with the older Cavendish children and their parents and even with the youngest girl. She had not been very impressed and her granddaughter Mia had been pretty snarky towards Emilia when they had spoken. Even though Mia knew that the family estate on Betazed was fairly extensive, she had no desire to give up her career on Earth as a politician and neither did her husband.
"Oh.." Sam nodded. "Ma'am... is there a comm frequency i can contact you on?"
[["I will send it to you. I look forward to you calling me Samantha."]]
"Yes Ma'am" Sam said and then the connection was severed. Sighing she stood. She had repairs to do, and then she would do some research on Mrs Emilia Saito, head of the 18th house.
Samantha gathered her tools and her harness and headed for the second Shuttle lift tube. Repairs first. Family second. She had to focus on her work.
She put her cable into the slot and began her descent into the tube. Yes, work, work would do the trick. Settling in Sam, threw herself back into her work. Though deep in the back of her mind, she wondered how long it would be before she got another abusive holo call from her parents.
