Ensign John Kendrick - Once More Onto the Bridge

[Jon Van Pelt]

((Turbolift – En route to Bridge – USS Khitomer))

The hum of the turbolift felt louder than it should have.

John leaned against the wall, one hand braced on the rail, the other wiping the sweat from his forehead. Sleeves rolled to the forearms, collar damp with sweat… his uniform wasn’t exactly regulation at the moment. But he didn’t have time to care - not today.

For the last several hours, Khitomer had been turned into a lifeline, hauling people out of a place called The Crack. Transporter rooms were cycling nonstop. Cargo bays had become triage units. Replicators were choking under the demand.

And Ops… Ops had to keep it all running.

Kendrick had been bouncing between decks, coordinating shuttle intake, shifting power grids, reallocating medical inventory, and rerouting internal comms so evac teams could stay connected.

Now - for the first time since the evac began - he’d been ordered to report to the Bridge.

He could feel it creeping in. Not dread, exactly, but a sharp tension in his chest. It had been over a year and a half since he’d last stood on the deck of a starship bridge. The Eagle, the Juneau - almost felt like ghosts now.

oO And now I’m back. Oo

The turbolift slowed.

He took a breath.

The doors hissed open.

He hesitated - only for a moment - before stepping through.

((Present, Bridge, Deck 1, USS Khitomer, low orbit of Alpha Trionus II))

John’s boots crossed the threshold of the Turbolift precision, but his eyes lingered, taking in the layout, the stations and the movement of the officers on deck. 

He straightened slightly as his eyes found the center seat. Fatigue tugged at his shoulders, but habit took over.

Shayne: Get anyone still in the facility back on board. Red alert! Mr. Stros, signal battle stations. Stow breakables and secure the radish officers. Helmsman, take us to the defense perimeter.

Stros / Bridge: Response

Hobart: =/\= Hobart to Michaels. Party guests are on their way. How many more to go? =/\=

Michaels: =/\= We are nearly finished with our work, sir. I could do a more accurate estimate if I knew how many more "guests" are coming. A minimum of ten minutes though I would prefer an hour.=/\=

Hobart: =/\= Acknowledged. If you can speed it up, do so. =/\=

Michaels: =/\= We will do what we can, sir. No promises. No Lies. =/\=

Morda: =/\= Bridge, This op involves a bit of transporter juggling in and around at least Cargo Bay 4. Recommend Deck 14 become an exclusion zone for all personnel except security personnel and damage control parties. =/\=

Finding a window of opportunity amid the hectic goings-on, John stepped over to the Captain.

Kendrick: Captain Shayne, Ops reporting in. Evacuation is holding steady. 

Shayne: Response

Stros/Bridge: Response 

Coming from behind the Captain, a voice called out to him. It was Lieutenant Commander Hobart, Khitomer’s XO.

Hobart: Operations, I heard? ::Smile:: Got a job for you. Get on the comms and tell Lieutenant Torado she's got 15 minutes to get her marines—and whoever else is still down there—out.

John gave a short nod, swallowing the lump in his throat.

Kendrick: Aye, sir.

He moved to the Ops station, hands brushing over the LCARS surface, tapping into the comms relay as he opened a direct line to the surface.

Shayne / Stros /Bridge: Response

Kendrick: =/\= Lieutenant Torado, this is Khitomer. You've got fifteen minutes to wrap it up. Time to bring everyone home. =/\=

Torado: =/\= Sorry, wrong number. =/\=

He blinked, caught off-guard for just a second - and then couldn’t help the small, tired smirk that pulled at the edge of his mouth.

Kendrick: =/\= Glad to hear your sense of humor’s still intact Lieutenant, but the clock is ticking. =/\=

Torado: =/\= Alright. Fifteen minutes. You want us to bring you something? Carton of milk, maybe? Are we out of eggs? =/\=

Kendrick: =/\= Negative. But if you find decent coffee over there, you’ll be a hero by the time you beam back. =/\=

His fingers danced over the console again, rerouting transporter priority to pad six, verifying that the medical teams were standing by. There was still a lot to do. But somehow, standing here - even in exhaustion - it felt like something had clicked back into place.

Hobart / Shayne / Stros / Bridge: response

TAG/TBC

——— ● ———

Ensign John Kendrick 

Operations Officer

USS Khitomer (NCC-62400)

J239801JK3