He sat very still, on the edge of his bed. “His” bed… it was brand new to him, it could’ve very well belonged to anybody else. His quarters were bare, his pack sitting behind him holding the flittering regards of his affections tightly. He couldn’t be bothered to think about such things at the moment.
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His gaze remained steady, piercing the port that gave way to Earth, a brilliant blue marble, and the thumbnail of a bright white/gray giant; Luna.
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Tristan Halloway was born on that thumbnail, Armstrong City, and here he sat in its unnerving gaze, attempting to match it. It felt imperious, and somehow it felt like Luna knew it, too.
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“The time is 0700 hours,” the computer chimed cooly. Tristan had been up for hours, his first assignment aboard a starship leaving him with nerves that could shatter duranium. The reminder shook him from his thoughts, a quick hand through the coif of his dark hair helped shake the cobwebs loose.
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He stood and made his way to the bathroom, taking one last look over his uniform and appearance. His hand grazed over the gold in his communicator, the yellow of his shoulder. Tristan’s brown eyes flicked from shoulder to shoulder, examining every minute detail and symmetry. It was now or never. Today was the day.
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Tristan breezed through the corridors of the Challenger, it wasn’t until he got moving he felt his stomach wince at the artificial gravity. Nevertheless, he pressed on, the corridors feeling a bit cavernous compared to ships he’d been on in his younger days. The only ships he had known. The Challenger felt like a cruiseliner, by comparison.
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Filing into the turbolift, he flicked through his PADD for the relevant information about his department head, a Lt. Vras, chief engineer.
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“Andorian, male…the universe is… fiction?” Tristan mumbled to himself, recalling a brief recollection of Lt. Vras’ work.
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“…Real piece of work, this guy,” he smirked as he gave his uniform one final tug as the turbolift doors gave way to main engineering.
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Engineering was already abuzz with junior officers frantically pacing about; Tristan carefully cutting through the static of pace. Rounding a corner toward the main core, he came upon an Andorian engineer, about his height, gazing at the warp core from the bannister, his back to Tristan. Even from here, the Andorian’s skin was lit a brilliant blue by the core. Tristan paused, took a breath, and stepped forward next to him, soaking in the hue of the warp core of the Challenger.
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Tristan noted the pips of Lieutenant, this indeed was Vras. By the time he looked up, the andorian’s eyes were already piercing through him.
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“Good morning sir. Cadet Halloway, reporting for duty, with orders, sir.”