Lt. Cmdr Robin Hopper — Loop Theory
Robin Hopper
((Warp Science Lab, SRC Level 7, Amity Outpost))
Hopper: Hey, you like noodles? There’s this little hole-in-the-wall place in my neighborhood, Chaoyang Noodle House. They make an amazing veggie lo mein. If you haven’t had dinner yet, that is… You can download that data onto a PADD and bring it with you.
Saavei: Lo mein... I did have that on Earth when I was in the Academy... ::she glanced towards the console once again:: ... though I do not wish to be remiss in my duties.
Robin waved towards the Ensign encouragingly. What was the point of living on a space station with all these amenities if you didn’t take the time to get out and enjoy them now and then, after all? oO I can always make it an order! Oo
Hopper: Come on – I’m buying. ::Chuckling:: Besides, as eager as I am to know more about your findings during the neutronic storm, don’t think I’m not also going to ask you about how you wound up here on Amity Outpost. What led you to Starfleet, Saavei?
Saavei: Very well, Commander. You are correct. Food would be in good recommendation. ::Saavei saved what she had so far to her PADD, tucking it under her arm and then turning back towards Robin:: Your curiosity is natural in light of my own.
She led the way towards the edge of the SRC ‘ring’ they were in, towards the turbolift that could whisk them up to the train and, from there, the Beijing district.
Saavei: I grew up in the ShiKahr province on Vulcan. Both my parents are in the Science Academy. I have an older sister and a younger brother. My grandfather also lives with my family. He suffered a brain injury during the Dominion War and is unable to care for himself.
Robin nodded as she called the turbolift with the press of a button. Two siblings and a veteran grandfather. She wondered, for a fleeting moment, what a Vulcan household was like, especially given that particular mix of circumstances, but she didn’t have long to chew on it, as Saavei continued.
Saavei: I was an impulsive child. I grew up reading about Ambassador Spock and his life. My parents encouraged my mechanical talents, my interest in Starfleet less so. My application was delayed as I was required to help care for my grandfather, then when I took the entrance exam the first time, I failed to gain admittance. I persevered and passed on my next attempt. Starfleet is where I feel my talents are best put to use. The Science Academy has ample applications for its membership. Perhaps it was when my parents took me to Earth with them when I was in my teen years and I saw Starfleet Academy for the first time. My parents believe I am displaying illogical romanticism but I disagree. And thus, here I am.
She smiled a bit at Saavei’s description of her parents’ disapproval. “Illogical romanticism” was about as accurate a description as Robin’s reasons for signing up… well, that and a few too many shots of tequila.
The story so far only brought them to the Academy – it still didn’t detail Saavei’s posting out here on the frontier.
Hopper: Was your ‘cadet cruise’ fun? I did mine under Lettie Ashwood, Captain of the USS Kepler – bit of a personal hero of mine, so I was already jazzed to be there. In our scenario we had to fend off a swarm of brain-eating arachnids while investigating a missing shuttlecraft… You?
Saavei: Commander Nilsen of the USS Octavia E Butler and Commander Kel of the USS Ronin were my proctors during the Academy. The majority of my time was spent being evaluated by the former. One of my fellow cadets, a Caitan pilot named JoNz, also serves on the Octavia E Butler now though we have not remained in close contact.
oO Hmm. Commander Nilsen? That must be Lhandon Nilsen… Oo They had met, albeit briefly, during the diplomatic officer’s brief layover on Amity as he helped settle in the new Ambassador. To be honest, Robin had had other things on her mind and wasn’t particularly keen on meeting the new Ambassador or her support staff anyhow… Nor was she pleased with the fact that their arrival in the quadrant had also taken her husband away.
The turbolift arrived and the pair stepped inside, Hopper still directing her rapt attention to Saavei as she pressed the door controls.
oO I should have probably been more welcoming… Oo Diplomacy had never been Robin Hopper’s strong suit.
Saavei: I digress. Our ship was struck by an energy wave of unknown origin and composition. Contact was lost with multiple decks and anomalous signals were being received from those levels. While Cadet, now Lieutenant JoNz, attempted to pilot the ship clear, I made my way towards Main Engineering with a small security team, including Commander Nilsen. The stations had been abandoned and the other crew were nowhere to be found. The warp core was in imminent danger of breaching and our Red Alert status was working against us.
This was, Robin could tell, quickly becoming a classic Engineer’s story. She’d heard many like it from Nathan as well – accounts of a mission where all he could really remember clearly were the various systems and their malfunctions, the mechanical solutions. As if one could discern everything about a situation from how many circuits needed to be re-routed, or the degree of misalignment in the warp plasma manifolds… She raised her brows, inviting more.
Saavei: By which I mean the warp core was generating an excess of power, but due to Red Alert shutting down non-critical systems like the holodecks, the damage to the vessel was preventing the power from otherwise dissipating. It was a problem of too much energy versus not enough. I began re-activating any secondary and tertiary systems we could access, and conscripted the security officers with us, as well as Commander Nilsen, to begin doing the same. It was an odd experience ordering a Commander to do repairs as a Cadet, but given the parameters of the simulation, I required his assistance in rerouting power to available outlets. He seemed amused by the situation. The warp core breach was averted once we could safely redistribute power to other systems and was then brought back under control without rupturing a coolant tank. I remained in communication with Lieutenant JoNz and attempted to provide energy to free the ship from its current entanglement. I am unaware exactly what transpired on the Bridge while I was below decks but the simulation ended and our efforts were declared a success.
At that moment the lift came to a stop. The doors slid open just as a train was arriving in the station. While they waited a minute for passengers to disembark, Hopper responded to Saavei’s account.
Hopper: I’ve had the pleasure of invigilating a few Academy finals myself now, on my rare trips back to the Alpha Quadrant, that is. Sometimes it takes hours, sometimes days – as long as it takes the cadets to adequately demonstrate how well they can handle themselves, apply their training, and demonstrate the necessary competencies under pressure. ::Smirking:: When they conclude before you even really know what’s happening, that’s how you know you’ve got a good batch.
((Shortly Thereafter – Blue Line Train, Amity Outpost))
Saavei: Immediately after graduation, I was assigned to Amity Outpost. I was given a berth on a transport vessel, the SS Rangoon, and began the six-week journey. I spent much of the time studying Amity and reading crew bios, to better familiarize myself upon arrival. I volunteered in the Rangoon engineering room along the way as well, otherwise the journey would have been... less stimulating.
The two officers stood across the central aisle from one another as they continued the conversation. Robin’s stomach was already beginning to grumble quietly. She’d had only a quick bite to eat on the way out that morning and it was getting to be her lunch time.
Hopper: I guess that’s one way to pass the time and stay sharp. On my first trip out I was too nervous to get much work done – though the amount of cola I was drinking every day probably didn’t help. I spent a lot of time memorizing the station layout and various personnel manifests… Of course, that was once I was already a Lieutenant. I can imagine things were different travelling here straight after graduation.
She left unstated that Saavei’s graduation also would have come shortly in the wake of Frontier Day. There was no denying things were… calmer… when Robin had graduated from the Academy with her PhD and transferred to the USS Wall Street.
Saavei: What is the phrase... 'to make a lengthy story short'? ::She didn't shrug but her head inclined slightly:: I have yet to be on a ship suffering an imminent warp core breach outside of a simulation, but the experience did lend itself to building confidence in my ability to be... creative... with solutions.
Hopper: Well let’s hope it’s a while before that situation comes up again, hm? There are less dangerous ways to put that ability of yours to the test.
Saavei: Brain-eating arachnids no doubt made for a more dynamic experience. I have noticed many humans suffer arachnophobia, as well. You said Captain Ashwood was a personal hero?
Robin couldn’t help but grin a little at the recollection. That entire exam mission was so vivid in her mind – one of her clearest and most-treasured memories from the Academy. Not the least of which was on account of who her CO for the exam was… Lettie Ashwood – well, Captain Nicolette Ashwood, she should probably say.
Hopper: She’s one of Theta VII’s best and brightest – Oh, that’s where I come from. It’s a little hick colony out on the edge of Romulan and Klingon space. They don’t produce an awful lot of Starfleet Officers there, and Starfleet Captains fewer still. In fact, Captain Ashwood is the only officer from Theta VII to ever attain the rank of Captain.
She made a self-stifling gesture – raising a hand enthusiastically, as if she could have kept going on for hours on the subject matter, before clenching her fist and lowering her hand.
Hopper: Let’s just say, there’s a school named after her there, now. I think that puts things in perspective.
Saavei: You speak highly of her. Is she still on active duty?
Robin’s brows rose, and she nodded excitedly.
Hopper: Oh, very much so! The Kepler is engaged in a long-term mission of scientific exploration in the Menthar Corridor. Not too different from my original posting aboard the Wall Street. I look forwarding to reading the published reports every month. Though, a part of me had hoped Captain Ashwood might ask me to join her crew when I graduated… ::Shrug:: A girl can dream.
Saavei: Did you remain in contact with many of the officers from your Academy days?
Biting her lip, Robin tilted her head side-to-side.
Hopper: Long-term relationships weren’t exactly my thing back in those days. I was… extremely career-focused, let’s say. There are a few friends I write too now and then, but for the most part, we’ve all gone our separate ways. Actually – as a bit of a funny twist of fate, Lieutenant Wong and I first met at the Academy, in a small weapons class. Neither of us were really in love with phaser training, and I think that helped us bond. It’s been really nice reconnecting with him here…
Saavei nodded, and Robin took that as a sign that perhaps she, too, had found a similar connection somewhere.
Hopper: What about you? Run into any old academy buddies here on the Outpost? Or have you kept them all as pen pals?
Saavei: I have not, no. I contemplated whether I should a moment after I asked you. I made several acquaintances during the Academy but no close friends. Starfleet is a large organization, however, and studying its history has made it clear to me that such associations have a habit of becoming a circular loop.
Speaking of loops – the train they were on was nearing Archer Station, their stop. That would drop them right at the ‘inner end’ of the Beijing District. From there, it’d be just a short walk to their destination and some totally worth-the-trip noodles.
Hopper: I was the same. Lots of friends, but few of them very close. There’s an inherent impermanence to a life in Starfleet that you have to accept – but that doesn’t mean you can’t make memorable connections or have fun experiences. You just need to temper your expectations… ::Chuckling:: Of course, things can also change over time. You can fall in love with a ship, or a station, and its crew.
Saavei: Response
The train slowed to a smooth stop and the doors opened. Robin gestured for Saavei to exit first and followed close behind. Around them were a collection of small shops, reminiscent almost of an informal marketplace, built up around the train station. While there wasn’t much commerce allowed in the district, there were some minor conveniences and charming little boutiques that contributed to the specific atmosphere of Amity’s ‘little Beijing’.
Between the buildings were several perfectly-paved roads lined with apartment buildings reminiscent of the Earth locale’s suburbs, stands of bamboo, and streetlights evoking paper lanterns.
Hopper: ::Pointing:: It’s just down this lane, here… You know, I regret not seeing more of Earth when I was down there. Like I said, I was very ‘focused’. I could have visited China, or Japan, or Mexico – all these places with so much history and culture that eventually found a way to unite under a common purpose while maintaining their diversity. It’s really a microcosm for what the Federation is all about. ::Shaking her head:: But, back then, I was more concerned about theoretical physics and not puking during zero-g training.
Saavei: Response
Rubbing her hands together, she turned a corner and indicated the noddle shop, just a few meters ahead of them. Already the spicy umami smells were wafting over towards them, beckoning them closer.
Hopper: I guess that nicely brings things back around to your neutronic storm findings… Want to look them over while we eat? I won’t step on any toes, but having not been present for the event, I’m sort of curious to get a better picture of what exactly went down.
Saavei: Response
TBC
