Joint Personal Log | Lt Novak, Ens Maxwell | "Accidental Intruder"

Posted on Sat Aug 23rd, 2014 @ 10:02pm by Lieutenant Henry Novak & Ensign Robyn Maxwell

1,984 words; about a 10 minute read

Mission: In the Dark
Location: Deck 5, Crew Quarters
Timeline: Current

= Junior Officer Crew Quarters =

The tall, blonde-haired figure of a man dressed in a Starfleet uniform hurried down one of the many corridors on Deck 5, his eyes glued to the padd in his hand. The other hand tugged at the strap of the bag slung over his shoulder. There was a slight weariness about him, the kind that usually accompanies long travel times, and an air of impatience as he made his way towards his destination... wherever it was.

Henry glanced up to correlate his surroundings with the schematic on the padd he was holding, the little dot on the displayed map moving forward each time he took a step. He blinked his eyes in an attempt to dissipate the headache that had started forming at the front of his skull a few hours earlier, but it made no difference. Neither did trying to identify his surroundings by sight, because so far every corridor in this section of the ship looked exactly the same.

He took a deep breath and looked back at the map. All he wanted to do after his long journey to get to the Vindicator was find his quarters, take a relaxing shower and hopefully a quick nap before he reported in. If the schematics were correct, he was almost where he was supposed to be. Just another left turn at the next intersection and he'd be there.

At last he came face to face with a door and double checked the number on it with the one he'd been given by the quartermaster: it matched. "Open," he said and the door did just that. Henry sighed with relief as he stepped inside. As the door closed behind him, he unshouldered his bag and dropped it on the sofa.

Exhaling, he flopped down on the sofa next to his bag and took a look around the room. It was dark inside, but he often preferred low lighting and didn't bother to turn it up. He noticed the silhouette of what appeared to be frames of holographs on a nearby shelf and wondered if they had been left behind by the previous occupant.

Getting up from the sofa, Henry took his bag and wandered into the bedroom. A rotating beacon from the shipyard periodically cast a beam of auburn light into the room. It reminded him of old lighthouses as he opened the wardrobe and took off his jacket. Pulling his undershirt over his head, he stopped midway and looked at the shelves and hanger space inside the closet, noticing that there were already clothes packed inside it.

Robyn arrived on Deck 5 and with misplaced confidence set off in what she thought was the direction of her new home only to find herself totally lost and having to resort to asking a passerby. Finally home again and planning a snack supper, a shower and a long sleep, she let herself in but came to a sudden halt just inside her door.

Something was not right.

She knew it at once through some unexplained sense which caused her to pause after a couple of steps.
The only person she had been expecting was from maintenance but it was obviously not the answer for the rooms were in darkness and they wouldn't make non emergency calls at such an hour.

"Computer..lights" she said in quietly.

"That's strange," Henry muttered to himself as he looked at the clothes. Suddenly a light from the living area caught his attention and he nearly tripped over his feet as he thought he saw someone step inside. But, when he looked again, there was no one. "Hello?"

Robyn bit her lower lip and in silence moved towards the bedroom door from where sounds of movement and a low voice came. The place was unlit. She stopped just outside the door which would, she thought, give her a chance to call for security if necessary and peered into the gloom.

Henry quickly pulled his undershirt back on and carefully stepped closer to the bedroom doorway. "Hello? Is anyone there?" he called out again. Then, realising he had modern technology at his disposal, rolled his eyes at his own stupidity and said, "Computer, is there someone else here?"

"Detecting two biosignatures," the computer replied. "Lieutenant Henry Novak and Ensign Robyn Maxwell."

Henry paused. "Robyn who...?" He looked down and noticed a bag at his feet, one that wasn't his own. Picking it up, he noticed it felt empty.

Whoever was in the room had approached the doorway. Robyn held her breath and looked around for anything to use as a weapon. Sadly there was nothing to hand. "Stop right there!" she said, sounding far more brave than she felt.

Heading into the living area, Henry didn't immediately see anyone but when he turned around he nearly jumped out of his skin when he saw a woman standing behind him. "Holy sh— who the hell are you?"

"I could ask you the same." she replied "...and what are you doing with my bag?"

"This... is yours?" Henry asked, looking down at the bag and for first time noticing - in full light - that the room he was in was almost fully decorated. He glanced back at the shelf with the holographs on it that he first noticed when he came in and saw in one of them the same woman that was in front of him.

"It certainly isn't yours." she retorted. "Who are you and what are you doing in my quarters?"

"Er... my name is Henry Novak, I just arrived on board," he explained. "Well, a while ago, it's just taken me a long time to find my quarters... which are supposed to be these ones."

"That doesn't make sense. at all." Robyn said. " For a start there were no lights on when I came in and why were you sorting through my things in the dark? In fact I think security should handle this."

"Hang on! Let's not involve security just yet," Henry protested calmly. Last thing he needed on his first day was a run-in with security over a mistake. "I didn't know they were your quarters, honestly. I came in - the computer let me in, so it read my biometric signature - the lights were off because I like the dark, suspicious as that may sound. I've had enough of bright lights today so I just wanted some peace and quiet. I didn't know it was your stuff I was going through, I thought maybe they'd been left by the previous occupant. Obviously, though, they're the currant occupant's..."

"Obviously." Robyn replied.

"Let's see what the computer says," Henry offered. "Computer, who's quarters are these?"

"These quarters belong to Lieutenant Henry Novak and Ensign Robyn Maxwell," the computer responded promptly.

Henry held his hands up to emphasize his innocence. "See? I'm not some random intruder, though I don't blame you for thinking that."

"But...but....that's not..." Robyns face was clouded by a frown. "That's not possible!" she managed to splutter. "These are 'my' quarters. I've never even 'heard' of you! This is a huge mistake."

She realized that it was indeed just that and that this Henry Novak had entered her quarters not as an intruder but genuinely believing it was where he was meant to be.

"I'm sorry." she said, sounding more her normal self. "It's just that coming home to find a strange man sifting through my belongings in the dark was a bit... disconcerting. I'm sorry I snapped at you but we need to sort this out."

Henry nodded. "Of course, let me just grab my stuff..." he said as he quickly dashed back into the room and grabbed his jacket and his bag. "There should be a quartermaster on duty, so he should be able to help us." He looked at Robyn carefully in the light for a moment, then asked. "Were you on the civilian transport that came in earlier? You sat next to a man who was complaining a lot about his luggage?"

"I did have that misfortune, yes." Robyn replied. "It was a long night" she added darkly.

After a few minutes and one or two wrong turns, the two new officers managed to find their way to the quartermaster's officer. "Hello," Henry said to the man behind the desk. "We're looking for the quartermaster?"

A rather short man stepped out from behind the desk and looked them up and down as if he were sizing them up. "The quartermaster isn't here right now, but I can help you, I'm a quartermaster's assistant. Petty Officer George Willoughby at your service."

"Great, there seems to have been a misunderstanding," Henry explained. "We were assigned to the same quarters." He handed his padd to the petty officer who looked it over and frowned at it as if it were quite offensive.

"Let me run this through the system," he said, moving to the computer terminal and typing in the details. "So, you mean you two are not supposed to be sharing?"

"No we're not" Robyn replied instantly then giving Henry a sideways glance.

"No, we've never even met, we just came in on the same transport," Henry tried to explain. "There was nothing mentioned about sharing or adjoining quarters. Not that I have any objection to sharing, I just find it strange that a full lieutenant and an ensign who don't even know each other would be put together."

"Yes, hmmm, I see," George nodded his head as he listened to Henry's explanation, glancing back and forth between him and Robyn. "Let me check the system again..."

"I'm really sorry about all this again," Henry apologized to Robyn. "I'm sure you're just as tired as I am and want to get some rest."

"It's not your fault." she replied "..and I'm sorry if I sounded offensive. I mean I'm sure you'd make a fine room mate...for the right person." It was all so ridiculous once the shock of finding an intruder in her room had been explained that there now seemed to be a glimmer of amusement in the situation.

"Ah, here we are. Yes, it appears that Ensign Maxwell was assigned the wrong quarters," the quartermaster's assistant explained. "Her quarters are the same number, except on Deck 6, one deck below. It seems there was a mix-up with the system for some reason. I do apologise, Lieutenant Novak. Ensign Maxwell, will you please move out of Lieutenant Novak's quarters?"

Robyn began to form a reply but could think of nothing to say for she could hardly refuse when the system had sent 'her' to the wrong place not could she demand a senior officer make way for her.

"No, no!" Henry objected quickly. "Just give me the quarters on Deck 6." Last thing he wanted was to uproot someone else, and all he really cared about now was a shower and a bed, no matter where it was.

"Are you sure, Lieutenant? I could easily ask—" George began but Henry interrupted him.

"Just give me the damn quarters please!" Henry snapped. He took a deep breath to calm himself and then smiled at George. "Please, Mr Willoughby."

"If there's no objection from you, Ensign Maxwell?" George asked the doctor.

"Errrr....no..no ofcourse not." She turned to Henry. "Its very kind of you but I can easily grab an overnight bag and move the rest of my things tomorrow."

"Of course, there's no rush," Henry smiled. "Whenever suits you."

"Good, then that's settled," George said and quickly made the change in the system. "If there are no further—"

But before he could finish his sentence, both officers had already greeted each other and left separately to end off what had become a rather long day for both.

= End Log =

Ensign Robyn Maxwell
Medical Officer
USS Vindicator NCC-78213-E

Lieutenant Henry Novak
Flight Control Officer
USS Vindicator NCC-78213-E

 

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