Scottish Serenade

Posted on Monday April 15th, 2019 @ 2:35pm by Captain Cayne Morrigan & Ensign Murray Campbell-Mckay
Edited on on Thursday May 23rd, 2019 @ 11:06am

Mission: Welcome to Union Mining Station Number 42
Location: Various
Timeline: September 14th, 2421

ON:

The sudden jolting of the docking moors clamping onto the shuttle, rattled the young Union officer out of his bunk, and had nearly sent him rolling off onto the hard cold decking below. However, his reflexes were fast and he was able to grab onto to something to avoid the potential embarrassment of arriving at his new posting with an urgent need to visit the medical bay. The comm system aboard the shuttle was already static due to interference from the plethora of nebulae in the star system as well as interference from the high density of ores being processed from the various moons. This new posting was a Union Mining Station after all. “Attention passenger Murray MacKay… Ensign Murray MacKay, we have arrived at old Union Mining Station 42. Please disembark at your earliest convenience,” the voice of the pilot came over the comm system.

“Aye, I’ll get righ’ on that,” replied Murray as he leaned, pressing one of the buttons on the comm panel near his bunk. It only took him a handful of minutes to throw a uniform on haphazardly. He looked a bit disheveled, but from what he had read about his new Commanding Officer, the man had almost an equally sordid past as Murray had. However, somehow the man had been able to climb the ranks whereas Murray had seemed to have pissed off enough individuals to stall his career. His uniform was red, that of Union Defense/Security personnel, an officer’s design with one solid bar on either collar. He wore the markings of an ensign, matching his youthful appearance.

However, Murray was not just any security officer. He was a handful of years post graduation from Union Point. His new posting at Union Mining Station 42 was as the Station’s Chief of Security. It was a rather high position for such a low ranking officer, but it was what it was, and Murray knew he had to take responsibility for that. He had practically sabotaged his career well before it even began.

****

It came time to face the music and Murray thought to himself No matter how bloody awful this goes, mate, ye gotta keep ya chin up. Don’ this bastard get the better of ya. Admiralty gave ya this assignment an’ he’s stuck with ya no matter what. The young officer proceeded with his ascent up the small winding staircase and had quickly arrived outside his new Commanding Officer’s office.

Murray gave an awkward knock on the door as it slid open, detecting his presence. Apparently not secured, thought Murray. He practically stumbled into the room where his commotion snagged the attention of a silver haired fox. Either he’s a wee bit older than I was expecting’ or this place really is the soul suckin’ garbage pit they warned me it was, thought Murray who quickly came to attention.

“Sir,” said the ensign, his Scottish accent easily detectable from the first syllable and every one after as he pressed on. “I’m Ensign Murray MacKay, yer new Chief of Security. I reckon they’ve told everythin’ about me, an’ might I add Sir, that I do look forward teh servin’ under ya,” added Murray, knowing full well that his new Commanding Officer had probably been given a copy of his service record, past performance evaluations, and some paperwork with colorful choice words used to describe him and his limited potential.

Captain Cayne Morrigan had been trying to sort out the mess that was Mining Station 42’s paperwork. He wasn’t sure if the last Captain was keeping paperwork, or if he’d just given up. None of it seemed to make any sense. There were large chunks of it missing, if it was ever filed at all. It was one of the things that the Union was breathing down his neck to resolve. All the technological advancements in the world and they still couldn’t keep their paperwork straight. First, he had had to sort what was left of the old crew and second, he delved into the records. He was up on calling one of them to his office and asking questions they probably couldn’t answer either when his door slid open and a red-headed teenager in Union red stepped into his office.

Cayne sat back in his chair and looked at the younger officer. He had little to no idea what the man was saying to him or if that was even English that he was speaking. It sounded Irish or Russian or something. He thought that maybe in all that frog gargling he might have heard Chief of Security, but he wasn’t sure. He hadn’t been aware that the Union recruited so young either. The Chief of Security looked like he might be 12. He quickly rifled through the stack of data tablets in front of him. “Uh… yeah… Chief of Security… Chief… of… Security... oh yeah! Here you are!” He lifted a tablet from the stack and looked at it then looked at Murray, making sure the pictures on the profile matched.. “Ensign… Murray MacKay. Right? That’s your name right?” Cayne wasn’t sure if the boy spoke English, but his service record was rather full of red marks.

“Aye Sir, that’s me. Ensign Murray Mackay, Chief of Security reportin’ for duty,” replied the young ensign with a dashing smirk. “That’s what me files says righ’?” asked Murray, with a little worry if something had been changed and the Departmentship had been pulled out from underneath him.

Murray studied the man’s facial expression as he looked at the paperwork. “Is there a problem?” asked the young Security Chief. “I can’t help but notice you are buried in paperwork an’ don’ look too pleased,” commented Murray.

Did he ask about the paperwork? Cayne looked up from Murray’s file and smiled. The smile was a little strained. “Yes, the paperwork… is… a mess. It looks like your file is in order though. No problems. Do you know where your office is? I can show you if you like.” He started to rise from behind the desk. Right now, anything was a welcome break from the mess the former staff left him. “Maybe you can help get the security grid up and running again… I honestly don’t know if the damned thing is working or not. Although, none of the doors seem to lock. Did they tell you what happened here? If they didn’t I’ll tell you… if they did… I’d like to try and keep that from happening again… if you can think of any measures we can take that will help with that. I would love to hear them… or you know… just do it… I mean you do it… put security things in place, that is…” He came around from behind the desk, prepared to give Murray a tour, even if he didn’t understand what the boy was saying to him.

“Ye know Union Command, Sir. They don’ tell ya a bloody thin’. Then they just send ya wherever they damn well please,” replied Murray. “Now, I may have heard a wee bit about a miner’s revolt and a dead Captain,” added the young man. The whole thing sent shivers down his spine. He was not all too keen on dwelling on that thought. “Mutiny aboard a Union ship or station is highly rare, but with us lettin’ those damned Moclans into the Union… who is ta say what will happen. I don’ trust anyone or anythin’ that doesn’t urinate once a day at least.”

The young Security Chief permitted his new Commanding Officer to lead the way with a small simple gesture. “Feel free to give me the grand tour, Sir. I’ve never served on a station before let alone one of these wee old minin’ stations,” confessed the young ensign. The unspoken fact of the matter was (and it was evident from his personnel file), was that Murray had hardly served on anything before, and yet Union Command had him delivered to Union Minion Station 42 with orders to report as Chief of Security.

“Sorry about droppin’ in on ya like this. We were able to transmit requests for dockin’, but communications was static at best. Pilot reckoned it was an adverse effect to the high density congestion of the nebulae in the sector… and the ores from the moons,” added Murray. “Are we minin’ dysonium out here, Captain?” asked the much younger officer.

Cayne squinted at Murray. “Yes, the Union is very much like that…” He felt like maybe he was getting the hang of the accent. “Dysonium… yes and some other things I’m not familiar with yet,” Cayne admitted freely. He lead the way out of the door and onto what appeared to be the command deck. “So… this is the control center.” Cayne spread his arms to include all of the large wide room with it’s various consoles. “I’m not sure what all these things do yet, aside from generalizations. All the stuff on the left side keeps track of what’s happening on the planet… then all this in the middle is for the actual mining facility… and all that on the right is for the station. I’m sure you saw the giant rocks on the way in… everything here is built around those rocks… so it’s actually hard to get lost. Everything goes in a circle. If you get lost… keep going. You’ll come around to it again.”

He turned on his heels and lead the way out of the command center through two double doors, his boots clicking loudly on the metal grating that seemed to cover most of the floor. Outside there was a walkway that they took around to the next area, all around the walkway was forcefield which made it look like they were exposed to space. It was probably a little alarming the first time. “Yeah, just relax… this isn’t the only one like this. You’ll get used to it… unless you’re afraid of heights and then it will keep making you sick. Cause there’s no avoiding them. It’s Morrigan, by the way. Cayne Morrigan.”

Murray did feel a little uneasy around the force fielded area. He let out a bit of a whistle. “Woo,” he said shaking his head. “That is quite a sigh’ aye it is,” commented the ensign. “I’m not afraid, Sir, but I’m not comfortable either,” admitted Murray. “Just makes me feel a bit anxious is all. Seems like a real test of faith walkin’ through this way,” he added.

Cayne nodded. “It’s quite the view. There’s two more on other sides of the station. You’ll get used to it,” Cayne assured him again. He did indeed feel like he was getting the hang of the young man’s accent. “So how long have you been in Security?” He had looked at Murray’s file, but he couldn’t remember what it had said. It also made for easy small talk.

Murray looked at Cayne and studied the man’s physique and body language. He was unsure how to approach the response except the easiest most direct way. “All my adult life, Sir” he answered simply enough. “Which has only been a wee bit ta be honest with ya, Sir, but it’s what I went through Union Point for” added the young man.

They made their way across the bridge and into the next part of the station. The emptiness of the commander center was in stark contrast to the next area. People were everywhere. The first space they entered was wide and open and seemed to be the place to eat and take a break and socialize. “So this is the mess hall… there’s been some people from the planet who’ve decided to vendor up here to the station and the miners… I haven’t done anything about it because I really don’t see a problem with it. It gives us a chance to try some different things to eat.” He shrugged. The variety of people was rather impressive.

“Aye, an’ I cannot wait ta try some of it,” commented Murray, though his eyes narrowed in on some of the vendors. “Though I am not too sure all of these people are the most savory of folk...it’s looking rather seedy in here, Sir,” observed the young security chief.

Cayne looked around the large room as if he was considering a piece of art or a glass of fine wine. He even rubbed his chin like a critic and nodded. “Yes, I would have to say I agree with you. To be honest, I don’t really know the rules about selling goods on a Union Station… I’m sure there are some, but I’m buried in years of jacked up paperwork and I don’t have time for that.” He looked over at the man standing next to him. It did just occur to him that this was his new Security Chief, again. He had read the file, sort of. Hell, he’d just looked at it and had already forgotten. He was starting to feel like he might want to considering getting his shit together if he was going to make this work. If he did a good enough job, maybe it would lead to better posting again. Maybe not. Considering. “You can help with that… yes?” He started across the room.

Murray took a deep breath and let out a soft shallow exhale. “Well…” he replied scrunching his nose a bit as the whiff of some of the food hit him. “Aye, I can certainly try, Sir,” replied Murray as he thought a lot about himself in his youth, that checkered past of his they he carried everywhere he went. “There’s probably no better person. I know my way around places like these… people like there. We don’ wanna issue eviction notice to them all jus’ yet. Some of them will be useful to keep aroun’.”

“Of course… and people are rather accustomed to having them around. Which is, in part, why I haven’t done anything about it. I have to try and keep the peace. The last guy that had my job wasn’t so lucky,” Cayne said, pulling a little at his collar, as if that thought made him nervous, as well it should, the last guy was dead.

“Aye,” replied Murray shaking his head and hanging it in solemn gloom of honor for the deceased man. “I heard they were still picking up pieces of him an’ scrubbing the remains from the bulkheads,” Murray added, unintentionally grimly. “Ye needn’ worry. I won’ let em get ya like that, Sir. Just make sure ye don’ piss off the miners.”

Cayne looked sidelong at the smaller man. “I appreciate that. That’s the other problem we have to take care of. The miners are still on strike. They haven’t worked since the last crew was here… although currently they are also all off the station. So we at least have control of it for the moment. They’ve had no one to negotiate, but now that you’re here… maybe I can do that safely. They are sending the next round of crew soon. You’re the first to arrive.”

"Aye," replied Murray, mulling over the situation. "They may be a wee bit white faced and green eyed when they return. The miners that is," commented the Chief of Security. "I reckon they won't be too pleased to know the Union has placed a new authority figure so soon righ' after they revolted against the previous administration. They won' like it, Sir, an' they will be greedy wantin' more for their labor."

Cayne nodded again. "You are correct, although the Union is willing to make some concessions to meet their strike demands... they're not going to meet all of them either. So, they're going to have two reasons to be displeased with me." He snorted and smirked. "It won't be the first time people have been displeased with me." He looked at the Security Chief again, wondering if he was even old enough to know whom he was currently speaking to and what Cayne had done to land himself here.

"That's the way the dice roll on command from what I've gathered, Captain," stated the young man in Union red. "You may be used to pissin' people off and dealin' with unruly folk, but have you ever sat in a room with a bunch of people who directly or indirectly had a hand in the death of Jelly?" added Murray. "We're still scrubbin' em from the nooks crannies" confessed Murray.

"Yes, Sir. I have. For many years actually." Cayne was, of course, speaking of his time spent in prison. "I've actually spent time in a room with people that did much worse, if much worse is such a thing." He sighed. "We're just going to have to make the best of a bad situation, Ensign. Are you prepared?" Cayne doubted the young man was anywhere near prepared, but there was really no choice.

The ensign shook his head, a non verbal response towards the negative degree. "No" he said bluntly. "If ya are askin' if I'm prepared for another miner riot, I'll be honest with ya righ' now Sir an' say neigh. I haven' got my new security an' defense personnel yet an' I don' entirely feel the ones who served here before are entirely competent" added Murray.

He looked at the man reassuringly with his gaze. "Bein' ready an' bein' prepared aren' the same thin' with me, Sir. Am I prepared... no, but I'm ready for it."

:END

 

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