Lieutenant j.g. John Reeves sat alone at a corner table in the crew lounge of the USS Merrimack. The evening meal period had thinned out, leaving only a scattering of off-duty personnel enjoying quiet conversations beneath the warm lighting and polished bulkheads of the Mariner-class vessel.

A plate rested in front of him containing a perfectly cooked ribeye steak, roasted potatoes, and a side of vegetables replicated to his usual specifications. Reeves preferred simple meals. Years aboard starships and starbases had taught him that consistency was often underrated.

The security officer cut a piece of steak and took a bite while reading a padd held in his left hand.

The report scrolling across the screen detailed a cargo inventory discrepancy discovered during a routine audit. Three containers scheduled for transfer at the ship’s last port of call had been logged twice by separate departments. Nothing alarming, but enough to warrant Security’s attention until the matter was resolved.

Reeves calmly worked his way through the report.

No rush.

No assumptions.

Just facts.

His eyes moved line by line through the documentation, comparing timestamps and authorization codes. Every so often he paused to take a sip of coffee before returning to the data.

A pair of junior crewmembers walked past his table.

“Evening, Lieutenant.”

Reeves glanced up and nodded politely.

“Evening.”

The two continued on their way.

He returned to the report.

The discrepancy wasn’t theft.

Wasn’t sabotage.

Wasn’t even negligence.

After several minutes he identified the issue: two cargo specialists had entered the transfer from different terminals during a communications outage. The system had failed to reconcile the duplicate entries before transmission to Operations.

Reeves allowed himself a faint smile.

Problem solved.

He tapped a few commands into the padd.

Findings: Administrative duplication caused by simultaneous cargo processing entries during a communications interruption.

Security Threat Assessment: None.

Recommended Action: Correct inventory records and notify the Operations Department.

He transmitted the report to the Security Office and set the padd down beside his plate.

One less problem for the ship.

Reeves finished the last of his potatoes and leaned back slightly in his chair. Around him, the lounge carried on with the familiar rhythm of starship life—officers discussing duty assignments, enlisted crew sharing stories from their shifts, and the low hum of conversations blending with the distant vibration of the Merrimack’s warp engines.

For a few minutes, Lieutenant j.g. John Reeves simply enjoyed his meal and the rare quiet that existed between security incidents.

Experience had taught him those moments never lasted forever. On a starship, there was always another report waiting.

Lieutenant Junior Grade John Reeves
Security USS Merrimack NCC-2346