Why Did You Volunteer?

Posted on Tue Oct 20th, 2026 @ 6:49pm by Lieutenant JG Kalina Johnson & Crewman Paul Randall

Mission: The Forbidden Waters-5
Location: Shuttle Bay
Timeline: BACKPOST

"Your late crewman, did you get lost at the replicator?" Kalina said with a big teasing grin on her face. She had one question on her mind, but she was going to wait to ask it.

"My apologies, ma'am. I may have taken a wrong turn. I'm not quite sure, but it seems likely, as I should have been here on time."

"I was teasing you, Crewman," Kalina said, with a big cheesy grin on her face. She gave him a data pad. "Here is a list of things for you to do."

"Oh. I have noticed a lot of the people I have met seem to want to jest with me about things. Not sure why. I wonder if it's because I am a crewman. Anyway, I will get right onto this list."

Paul commented.

"It's called small talk, well at least in my case. Any questions about the assignment?" Kalina asked out to him, as she shook her head, his heat comment was a little out there for her liking.

"Only one. Do you want things done in order as listed, or can I use an order that seems more logical based on the tasks? "

"As long as it gets done, I want to get out of here as soon as possible." Kalina suggested, as she started to inventory a locker near his position. She shook her head in disbelief, "how many self sealing stem bolts does a ship need?"

" Were you asking me or was that a rhetorical question? If the former, I'm not entirely sure what they would be used for on a starship. " Paul replied.

He began cataloguing the contents of several containers.

"I'm glad I'm not the only one that thinks that." Kalina said worth a big grin as she continues to scan each one.

" If I am honest, I'm not entirely sure what a Self Sealing Stem Bolt is for. " He added.

"Me neither but I'm also not an engineer I'm just so pilot. I'm better at breaking things then keeping then keeping them running." Kalina said in a playful voice.

"Ah. A friend of mine is also a pilot and has a habit of breaking runabouts. I don't think he's into double figures yet but at his present rate, I give him another three months before he is."

Kalina was a little confused by his response, she wondered what he meant, when he said, as she repeated back to him. "Double figures?"

"As in the number of shuttlecraft he's managed to damage."

"Well lucky for us neither of us are mechanics so we don't have to worry about it just at the inventory it." Kalina pointed out to him.

" I guess we should be grateful for small mercies." Paul added.

"Mercy huh, I think more like not my problem. Or yours either. We were told to count this mess, not fix it." Kalina pointed out to him.

"Exactly. " He added as he continued to log the items around him.

"The work is not going to finish itself." Kalina said, as the two of them continued to finish the task assigned, as the scene fades way.