writerverse Challenge #07: "In the Service"
Title: In the Service
Word Count: 1, 019
Rating: PG
Original/Fandom: Original (sci-fi, set late 23rd century)
Pairings: none
Warnings: none
Summary: Timothea Winslow had never actually decided what to do with her life.
Notes: This is actually a bit of a character study for the main character of my original novel.
In the Service
Timothea Winslow had never actually decided what to do with her life.
‘Deciding’ sounded like she’d sat down and thought about it, considered her strengths, weighed the pros and cons of each choice, then selected her career.
Tim, however, hadn’t done any of that. Somehow, she’d always just known that she would grow up to become a scientist and, one day, command a ship in the United Earth Space Fleet.
Science had been her calling since before she could remember. Tim’s mother liked to tell stories that she had started examining things as soon as she could walk, subjecting every situation she encountered, every object she found and every person she met, even her new brothers and sisters, to the same scrutiny. For her part, Tim couldn’t understand why everyone didn’t want to know how the universe worked.
Her particular brand of science was astronomy, which later evolved into astrophysics. She’d always dreamed of the stars, and the Space Fleet was the best way for her to get there.
The Winslows had been in the Service for generations, since the Space Fleet had been the United Nations Planetary Force, and before that the United States Air Force- all the way back to a great-great-several-more-greats-grandfather who had served with Washington in America’s Revolutionary War. The disciplines they picked were always different- through the years, there had been Winslows in engineering, medicine, psychology, there had been pilots, explorers and tacticians, as well as many others who had been seduced by science.
Tim had also never doubted that she’d succeed. She knew she’d have to work hard and study hard if she wanted that center seat one day, but she never for a moment thought she wouldn’t make it.
Still, she had never been particularly ambitious, and that had caused some people to underestimate her. All through school, Tim had believed more in learning than in grades; she always did well, but she didn’t push herself to be the top of her class the way other students might. She studied other things, too, just because she could. Her natural curiosity had only increased in time, and she kept getting better instruments to use.
Getting into the Space Fleet Academy was an important step, but not a hard one. Tim’s older brother, James, was already a midshipman there, studying medicine, so she knew what to expect. She took not only the astrophysics and aeronautical sciences classes required for a future ship’s science officer, but any others she could fit into her schedule, geology and chemistry being her favorites. Of course, she hadn’t forgotten about commanding a ship someday, and added a Command Logistics minor to her already-impressive course schedule.
Tim Winslow graduated the Academy near, but not at, the top of her class, just like high school. It was still enough to earn her a place as Junior Science Officer aboard a Space Fleet cruiser. A series of promotions and transfers followed, each to a better position, a more prestigious posting. Not that Winslow cared much about prestige, but every new ship usually had better equipment and more interesting assignments.
However, it wasn’t until her promotion to full lieutenant and a transfer to the cruiser Libertas that she found something she hadn’t even known was missing from her plan- someone to share her goal with.
Not that newly-minted Ensign Namir Barrie wanted to be either a scientist or in command of anything. He was an engineer down to his bones, always tinkering and designing and wanting to make things work better. His new captain, not to mention the Chief Engineer, weren’t exactly sanguine about that tendency, but Winslow admired it.
At least, she did eventually. When they first met, she was mostly annoyed, because Barrie seemed to disagree with every idea she had. But after an incident involving Barrie’s service weapon, an impenetrable force field and Winslow’s shoulder, they realized that disagreeing didn’t have to make them enemies- it could, in fact, make them fantastic friends.
“So you really want your own ship someday?” Barrie asked, in his crisp British accent.
They were sitting in her quarters, drinking hot beverages- tea for him, coffee for her. It had become something of a routine for them, to share a drink after finishing their duty shift.
Winslow grinned. “I really want my own ship someday,” she said. “You sound like you don’t believe me.”
“Oh, I believe you, Tim,” he assured her. “But you don’t sound like any of the other officers who want to become captains.”
“Ah, that’s the difference,” she said. “They want to be a ship’s captain, but I actually want to command a ship.”
Barrie frowned. “What do you-? No, I think I get it. They want the title of captain, whereas you want the job.”
She beamed. “Yes, exactly! Most people think I’m crazy.”
“Don’t get me wrong, I think you’re crazy, too,” he said, with a smile. “But I also believe wholeheartedly that you’ll make it. If you set your mind to something, Tim, you don’t let anything stand in your way. So, if you want to command a ship, I believe you will. Someday.”
“Thanks, Namir.”
“One thing, though- when you get your ship, you’ll need an engineer, right?”
“I’ll need the best,” said Winslow, leaning over to bump her shoulder against his. “Which is why you’re coming with me.”
Winslow’s family had always been great supporters for her, parents and siblings alike, but there was something even better about having someone to take the journey with her.
And a short few years later, Winslow stood on the bridge of the hauler Telemachus, a hundred-year old ship that had been, until a few days ago, been at the top of the Fleet’s to-be-decommissioned list. Telemachus still needed some repairs and was waiting for her support crew of midshipmen from the Academy, but she belonged to Winslow and that was enough.
Her new first mate came up beside her and rested a hand on her shoulder.
“See?” said Barrie. “I knew you’d make it.”
She grinned. “Let’s see what she can do.”
He grinned back. “Aye aye, captain.”
THE END
Current Mood:
cranky
Word Count: 1, 019
Rating: PG
Original/Fandom: Original (sci-fi, set late 23rd century)
Pairings: none
Warnings: none
Summary: Timothea Winslow had never actually decided what to do with her life.
Notes: This is actually a bit of a character study for the main character of my original novel.
In the Service
Timothea Winslow had never actually decided what to do with her life.
‘Deciding’ sounded like she’d sat down and thought about it, considered her strengths, weighed the pros and cons of each choice, then selected her career.
Tim, however, hadn’t done any of that. Somehow, she’d always just known that she would grow up to become a scientist and, one day, command a ship in the United Earth Space Fleet.
Science had been her calling since before she could remember. Tim’s mother liked to tell stories that she had started examining things as soon as she could walk, subjecting every situation she encountered, every object she found and every person she met, even her new brothers and sisters, to the same scrutiny. For her part, Tim couldn’t understand why everyone didn’t want to know how the universe worked.
Her particular brand of science was astronomy, which later evolved into astrophysics. She’d always dreamed of the stars, and the Space Fleet was the best way for her to get there.
The Winslows had been in the Service for generations, since the Space Fleet had been the United Nations Planetary Force, and before that the United States Air Force- all the way back to a great-great-several-more-greats-grandfather who had served with Washington in America’s Revolutionary War. The disciplines they picked were always different- through the years, there had been Winslows in engineering, medicine, psychology, there had been pilots, explorers and tacticians, as well as many others who had been seduced by science.
Tim had also never doubted that she’d succeed. She knew she’d have to work hard and study hard if she wanted that center seat one day, but she never for a moment thought she wouldn’t make it.
Still, she had never been particularly ambitious, and that had caused some people to underestimate her. All through school, Tim had believed more in learning than in grades; she always did well, but she didn’t push herself to be the top of her class the way other students might. She studied other things, too, just because she could. Her natural curiosity had only increased in time, and she kept getting better instruments to use.
Getting into the Space Fleet Academy was an important step, but not a hard one. Tim’s older brother, James, was already a midshipman there, studying medicine, so she knew what to expect. She took not only the astrophysics and aeronautical sciences classes required for a future ship’s science officer, but any others she could fit into her schedule, geology and chemistry being her favorites. Of course, she hadn’t forgotten about commanding a ship someday, and added a Command Logistics minor to her already-impressive course schedule.
Tim Winslow graduated the Academy near, but not at, the top of her class, just like high school. It was still enough to earn her a place as Junior Science Officer aboard a Space Fleet cruiser. A series of promotions and transfers followed, each to a better position, a more prestigious posting. Not that Winslow cared much about prestige, but every new ship usually had better equipment and more interesting assignments.
However, it wasn’t until her promotion to full lieutenant and a transfer to the cruiser Libertas that she found something she hadn’t even known was missing from her plan- someone to share her goal with.
Not that newly-minted Ensign Namir Barrie wanted to be either a scientist or in command of anything. He was an engineer down to his bones, always tinkering and designing and wanting to make things work better. His new captain, not to mention the Chief Engineer, weren’t exactly sanguine about that tendency, but Winslow admired it.
At least, she did eventually. When they first met, she was mostly annoyed, because Barrie seemed to disagree with every idea she had. But after an incident involving Barrie’s service weapon, an impenetrable force field and Winslow’s shoulder, they realized that disagreeing didn’t have to make them enemies- it could, in fact, make them fantastic friends.
“So you really want your own ship someday?” Barrie asked, in his crisp British accent.
They were sitting in her quarters, drinking hot beverages- tea for him, coffee for her. It had become something of a routine for them, to share a drink after finishing their duty shift.
Winslow grinned. “I really want my own ship someday,” she said. “You sound like you don’t believe me.”
“Oh, I believe you, Tim,” he assured her. “But you don’t sound like any of the other officers who want to become captains.”
“Ah, that’s the difference,” she said. “They want to be a ship’s captain, but I actually want to command a ship.”
Barrie frowned. “What do you-? No, I think I get it. They want the title of captain, whereas you want the job.”
She beamed. “Yes, exactly! Most people think I’m crazy.”
“Don’t get me wrong, I think you’re crazy, too,” he said, with a smile. “But I also believe wholeheartedly that you’ll make it. If you set your mind to something, Tim, you don’t let anything stand in your way. So, if you want to command a ship, I believe you will. Someday.”
“Thanks, Namir.”
“One thing, though- when you get your ship, you’ll need an engineer, right?”
“I’ll need the best,” said Winslow, leaning over to bump her shoulder against his. “Which is why you’re coming with me.”
Winslow’s family had always been great supporters for her, parents and siblings alike, but there was something even better about having someone to take the journey with her.
And a short few years later, Winslow stood on the bridge of the hauler Telemachus, a hundred-year old ship that had been, until a few days ago, been at the top of the Fleet’s to-be-decommissioned list. Telemachus still needed some repairs and was waiting for her support crew of midshipmen from the Academy, but she belonged to Winslow and that was enough.
Her new first mate came up beside her and rested a hand on her shoulder.
“See?” said Barrie. “I knew you’d make it.”
She grinned. “Let’s see what she can do.”
He grinned back. “Aye aye, captain.”
THE END
Current Mood:
cranky