The evening meal rush had begun to settle aboard the Merrimack. The conversations of the crew filled the galley with the familiar background noise of a starship at rest — officers discussing duty shifts, engineers debating technical problems, and junior personnel enjoying one of the few moments in their day where they could simply be themselves.

Lieutenant Junior Grade John Reeves sat at a table near the aft section of the galley, his tray positioned beside a PADD displaying a half-completed security report. His dinner sat mostly untouched for the moment; a habit he had developed since joining Starfleet. Duty first, relaxation second.

He took a bite of his meal while reviewing the final details of his report, scrolling through the day’s security logs. The Merrimack had been quiet, but Reeves knew better than to mistake quiet for safe.

The PADD displayed the header:

SECURITY INCIDENT REPORT
Submitted To: Lieutenant Thalos ch’Ravik
Chief of Security — USS Merrimack
Submitted By: Lieutenant JG John Reeves
Security Officer

Reeves paused for a moment, considering his wording before continuing to type.

Summary:

Routine security operations remained stable during the assigned duty period. All scheduled patrols, access point inspections, and personnel verifications were completed. No unauthorized access attempts, security breaches, or safety violations were detected.

He took another bite of dinner, glancing briefly around the galley before returning to the report.

Observations:

Crew morale remains positive. Security presence continues to be maintained throughout key operational areas. Recommend continued monitoring of high-traffic locations during shift transitions to ensure proper access control procedures remain followed.

Reeves leaned back slightly, thinking over the last few hours. As a security officer, he understood that the reports were not just paperwork. They were the record of the ship’s safety, the information his Chief would use to make decisions.

He continued.

Recommendations:

Continue routine security sweeps of sensitive areas, including Main Engineering, Computer Core access points, and transporter facilities. Recommend additional security drills be scheduled in the coming weeks to maintain crew readiness.

After completing the final section, Reeves reviewed the report one more time.

He added his authorization code and prepared to transmit it.

Before sending, he allowed himself a brief moment to enjoy the rest of his meal. Starfleet life rarely offered many quiet moments, and he had learned to appreciate them when they came.

With a final tap, the report transferred to Lieutenant ch’Ravik’s secure queue.

TRANSMISSION COMPLETE.

Reeves picked up his fork again, finally allowing himself to finish dinner.

The job never really ended.

But for a few minutes, aboard the Merrimack, it could wait.

Lieutenant (Junior Grade) John Reeves
Security Division
USS Merrimack (NCC-2346)
Starfleet Command