Posted by Lieutenant Lauren Shan (Doctor) in XO Office - Sign my leave and don’t ask questions
Lauren heard the familiar beep sound at 0400 hours. Unlike most on the Atlantis, she was not asleep. Lauren preferred the graveyard shift because it gave her time to pursue her side interests. The day shift had too many people stumbling into Sickbay giving her little to no time to do her thing. Reaching into her desk, Lauren pulled out her personal PaDD. It was a gift from Lt. Commander Jessica Teller and full of goodies that kept her under the radar. Aedan Teller had two sides and the non-OMAP CEO allowed her to do what she needed to do.

Lauren picked up a stylus as she clicked open the message.

Encrypted Transmission: Priority Alpha
Origin: [REDACTED]
Destination: Shan.Lauren@OMAPindustriesmedicaldivision

Stellar Coordinates: Sector 9.4472, Vector -3.118, Grid Ref: XZ-77.114.4
Celestial Marker: Fourth planet of the Ilythos Binary, designated Erevos-IV.
Approach Path: Align trajectory with pulsar beacon at RA 17h 33m, Dec -34° 15’.

Clandestine Addendum (cipher-layer key: Wright-09):
“Trust no transmission unless it bears his seal. When the constellations fracture into three, follow the silence—not the light.”

End of Transmission
Signal auto-purge in 12.3 seconds.

Lauren jotted down the information and read it again memorizing the important facts. The message was obscure enough no one would understand it but encrypted enough that it would appear odd if tagged. This was why it would be auto-purged. It gave her plausible deniability if discovered. Checking her watch, Lauren stood up and walked into the main area of sickbay. “I gotta run to the bridge. Comm me if anything comes up,” she said. Nothing was going to come up. Sick bay was dead and the few patients in it were being monitored by the nursing staff.

en was an early riser. This morning he actually took the advice of the doctor to not put too much strain on his knee. That meant he couldn’t do his corridor run with the backpack full of sand.. That said, that was likely how he caused his knee issue in the first place; he was not going to be outdone by recruits even if half his age and more. So, instead of being out running on the chosen random deck he had made his way to the bridge instead. Relieving the duty officer early he had sat and brooded. Getting older was not a desired state today. He was, thus, cranky.

Entering the turbo, Lauren brought up the senior staff roster. Seeing the XO on the bridge only made this easier. Taking the turbo to the bridge, the doors opened to exactly what she expected. The green command staff logging in hours when things were as dead as Sickbay. Jen was sitting in the command seat and Lauren walked up without a second thought. “Sir can I have a moment,” she requested. With everyone in bed, the ready room was empty and a perfect place to get the signature she needed.

Lauren Shan doctor.

The lift doors swished open. It was a single person exiting. He knew that from the sensory receptors from his antennae but didn’t turn about. He tried to take in the ‘music’ of the bridge. It was rather different from most of his career with weapons fire and detonations happening around him. His reverie was interrupted by .. his head turned. A doctor. Oh gods, did they put a transceiver in him in his last visit and he was getting checked up on for moving around too much too early? A slightly suspicious look crossed his features before he cleared it to a neutral mask. “Yes, doctor. Is there a problem?” He rose to face her, possibly anticipating going somewhere. There weren’t many physician visits to the bridge this early. She could have commed up if there was an issue. Was it the Captain?
- Jen, XO