Lt. Robin Hopper: History of the Hawk
Robin Hopper
((Peace Park – Amity Outpost))
The BBQ was beginning to wind down – though there was a definite possibility of it catching a second wind, if a glance at the ‘grill-master’ was anything to go off of. Robin had made her way away from the gaggle of officers that remained, standing and chatting, sipping their drinks – a breakout game of hackysack had even taken off amongst some of the junior Ops officers – over to a picnic table under the swaying branches of a tree.
There she sat, finally taking a moment to collect her thoughts, while she sipped on a hard iced tea. Sure, she could go home, but her mind was still swimming with the events of the past two weeks and how to make sense of it all, and she found it easier to think when there were other people around. Something about the emptiness of her apartment, comfortable as she had managed to make it, was an enemy to productivity.
Veers: Already back in blue, Lieutenant?
She looked to find the sound of the voice, saw Ensign Veers approaching her, and responded by raising her glass of iced tea in a casual ‘cheers’ motion.
Veers: I would have milked wearing command red as long as I possibly could.
Robin smirked and offered a little one-sided shrug.
Hopper: Well, you know – to be honest, I think blue’s more my color... That said, if you see me sashaying around my office in a red uniform, just pretend you didn’t notice. ::A wink, a light chuckle:: I’m just happy to be back… How about you, Ensign? What’s on your mind?
She took a sip of her drink.
Veers: Understandable. But anyway, one job related question, one random question, if you have the time.
Hopper: ::Looking around:: I’ve got nothing but time, Veers. ::Indicating the bench across the table from her:: Why don’t you take a seat?
oO Rather serendipitous, actually… Oo she thought, considering that Veers had just been the topic of conversation earlier that afternoon. Lieutenant Kivik had spoken highly of her following their time together aboard the Kitty Hawk during the war games – and, frankly, Robin had hoped to find time to meet with the young Trill woman. She’d certainly been ‘thrown in the deep end’ arriving almost in tandem with the Hirogen and the two hadn’t had much time to work together, let alone socialize.
Hopper: ::Resting her chin on her hands:: Alright, lay it on me.
Veers: Well the job related one is, other than seeing the doc for my physical and then Lieutenant Commander Carter for my psych eval, what else do I need to take care of for my in-processing? We kinda were off to the races within like two hours of me getting here. And the unrelated one… What is the Kitty Hawks namesake? I’m not too familiar with earth history… and I don’t believe there is an animal called a kittyhawk.
Veers laughed sheepishly at her second question, and Robin joined her with a gentle reassuring chuckle. She’d known only a handful of Trills in her time, and Veers was the first she’d met who was joined. From what Robin knew of the selection process, it was quite grueling and discerning. Only the best of the best made it through. She had, therefore, no doubt of Veers’ qualifications – or Cara’s for that matter – but she did enjoy seeing a hint of the young host’s personality, still with room to learn, showing through.
Hopper: ::Leaning forward:: Well, I think I’ll answer your second question first – because, frankly, it’s more fun than all that procedural stuff… I think, technically, the Kitty Hawk as we know it is named after an ancient earth warship – an aircraft carrier, to be specific. ::Smiling, shaking her head, slightly embarrassed:: Oh, and I just got why they named a carrier that… Kitty Hawk is also the name of the town where humans first achieved sustained flight in, well, an aircraft.
Veers: Response
Robin laughed again at the silliness of those early human forays into flight – compared to what humanity had achieved now, it seemed downright primitive… In fact, it was only about sixty years later that they landed a human being on the moon.
Hopper: Actually, I think that airplane was destroyed by a gust of wind, so they’ve definitely made some improvements to the technology over the centuries. Still, a ‘first’ is a ‘first’ and the town’s been famous ever since… ::Scrunching up her mouth, looking to the side:: I don’t know why the town was called “Kitty Hawk” though – so I suppose the mystery persists. ::Smiling back to Veers:: But I know someone who might know. I’ll ask him when I get the chance.
Veers: Response
Robin nodded, clasping her fingers in front of her on the table.
Hopper: Yes – well, like you said, you should really check in with Ikai– our CMO, Wong, and our Chief Counselor, Commander Carter… ::Thinking:: You’ll also want to check in with Security. I set you up with temporary access codes prior to the tour, to keep things running smoothly, but you’ll want to get properly in the system. Commander Iovianus can help you with that… ::Suddenly pleased:: Or maybe Lt. Iko, if you find her first.
Veers: Response
Hopper: Aside from that, the only other thing I can think of is making sure you’ve got an apartment sorted – I think I recall you mentioning one. ::Sipping her drink:: Any plans for a ‘housewarming’? Have you met your roommate yet?
Veers: Response
TBC
