Drive to Nowhere

Posted on Thu Jul 19th, 2018 @ 10:56am by Lieutenant JG Ciara Odette Miss

736 words; about a 4 minute read

Mission: Mission 0: Everybody Has A Story
Location: Earth, Nevada Desert
Timeline: ~MD 10 of 'Bynars Be Bygones'
Tags: Introduction, Ciara

The roar of the engine stuttered, revving down momentarily before growling back in an even deeper tone. A slight smile spilled across her lips as she wrangled the leather covered shifter knob down and to the right, before slamming it up into the proper groove, sending the vehicle into the highest gear. Her short hair was a mass of flying strands as the car charged down the empty and oddly well-maintained freeway, heatwave distortions rippling up around her in the empty desert, the only break being the snowcapped mountains surrounding the valley.

This was one of the best ways Ciara had found to relax in her hectic life, nothing like the blazing heat to jar her senses back to reality, combined with the zen-like mindset driving an actual vehicle you could feel a true connection with. A corner started to shimmer into view ahead, quickly approaching, and then being answered by a rapid downshift, braced turn, then lightning fast upshift to roar around it at breakneck speed. G-forces briefly hugged her body, driving her back in the leather covered seat, sending her heart thumping at a briefly higher pace.

A full and an almost goofy smile bloomed across her features as a wave of joy crashed through her mind and body, letting out a small 'whoop' as well, though it was stolen away by the wind as it escaped her lips. As the car settled back onto another straightaway, her thoughts drifted, figuring she had enough time for another 45 miles or so before she should consider stopping. The absent thoughts were dashed moments later though as the silver grilled radio chirped, breaking the beat of the deep thrumming beats which had been pulsating through it moments before.

"I still have this reserved!" She barked, flipping up her sunglasses as she squinted at the console, the music now having faded completely as it began to chirp steadily. "Wait... incoming from Starfleet Logistics?" Her face screwed up into one of excitement and also dread as she quickly applied pressure to the breaks, turning off the road into the red dusty sand. The car came to a halt moments later, kicking up a sea of particles as it did so.

Shutting the engine off, she leaned over and tapped at the grill of the radio, which sprung open revealing a far too sophisticated touch panel beneath. The bright colors of the LCARS system clashed with the car and the surroundings, but her eyes were instead focused on the bright and very official Starfleet emblem which was the main focus of the panel currently, with a subject line beneath flashing ominously "New Assignment, Confirmed - Ciara A. Odette". Her thin finger quickly reached for the 'access' tab beneath it, pausing an inch from the surface, hovering in anticipation as her chest was filled with a turbulent sea of emotions.

It's a ship, it's got to be a ship, maybe a posting out on the edge of the frontier finally, or a flagship, maybe even some experimental vessel, right? These thoughts sped through her mind, having been waiting all too long to get posted to her first 'real' assignment after her academy ship. Please, not desk work, not a starbase, something... something 'me', her mind urged before her finger flicked the accept button.

Eyes darting side to side, she gobbled up the rather short official communication, the only sound being the 'tink tink tink' of the cooling engine and the faint wind blowing through the long stretch of road. "Memory... Theta? Mostly AUTOMATED? Christ! Who did I manage to annoy in command for this?" Slumping back into her seat, she slapped the wheel with a bout of frustration and closed her eyes. "....It's a posting. It's a posting. Just... yeah, it's a posting. I need to read up on this place now... I..."

Trailing off she shut the radio grill cover with a firm push, and took the keys out of the ignition and tossed them onto the passenger seat, exiting the car with a confused expression. "Computer, end program, save current progress please." A pleasant chirp sounded, the scene fading away to be replaced by the cold glossy black of the starbase holodeck, leaving her standing there alone, arms being brought to her chest, crossing them as she stares towards the exit. "...It'll be an adventure?" She murmured, slowly walking out of the now quiet room in a distracted haze.

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