Ideas
Posted on Sun Jul 26th, 2026 @ 9:32pm by Ensign Julia Vonner & Ensign Shanice Winters
Edited on on Wed Jul 29th, 2026 @ 1:18pm
1,230 words; about a 6 minute read
Mission:
Tales of the Twenty-Third Century
Location: Starfleet Academy
Timeline: Three days after "Graduation 2292"
Shanice returned back to the student dorms at the Academy. It had been three days since graduation which most of that time was spent with her parents. After saying her goodbyes to them, she was now back where her longtime roommate was waiting. Their assignments for their first postings were about to be sent out in the next minute or so.
Clad in jaunty, academy-themed athletic wear, Julia was seated at their shared workstation. She didn't acknowledge Shanice's entry, an uncharacteristic occurrence explained somewhat by the terminal screen displaying the standby splash page.
"Bitte antworte mir einfach," she purred at it, rocking back and forth.
Walking over, Shanice walked over to her roommate and grabbed her by the shoulders, shaking her a bit in an excited manner. "The moment of truth is almost here regarding our assignments."
Julia flinched at the touch, fixation with reaching her parents snapped. She consigned her third attempt to futility with a stab at the cancel key before turning to Shanice, terrified of unfurling a potential spectacle before an audience.
"Hey," Julia laughed breathily. "I figured you'd join the assignment call remotely."
"Yeah, but I wanted us to be together when we got on the call," Shanice insisted. "The last four years we've shared this space together. Who knows we may end up on our first assignment together."
Julia flashed a smile. Shanice had been one her most consistent supporters and sharing a sanctuary with her throughout took how much Julia cherished her to rare depths. Hearing that she intended to be here despite her parents having streaked in from halfway across the quadrant abated Julia's fear of that sentiment being folly.
"I hope so," she said, putting a hand atop one of Shanice's, "even though it probably won't be just the two of us to a room."
"Anywhere any particular that you're hoping to end up?"
"I volunteered for deep space exploration. But I don't think I'll be selected."
"Don't be so negative. Most aren't trying to be on a ship for years at a time. So, make this work in your favor. Personally, I hope to end up on the frontlines near Klingon space. A lot of stories to be told out there. A gold mine for a reporter."
"More like a coal mine," ribbed Julia, knowing it wouldn't affect Shanice's perspective one bit. If her roommate was willing to debate her veteran father, a late bloomer like her stood no chance. "And I'm just being realistic with myself. Few may want to be on a ship for years, but it's not as if there are a lot of opportunities to begin with."
"We're the class of twenty-two ninety-two," Shanice countered. More than capable of turning coal into diamonds. And if not at first you and I will eventually to where we want to."
"I didn't say it'd never happen. But the current geopolitical situation makes it more likely I'm assigned somewhere near Klingon space."
"I don't foresee peace happening anytime soon, so the Klingon border is where you're likely to end up."
Julia sighed. She'd barely heard of Klingons prior to attending the academy. Most everything she'd learned about them since offended her sensibilities and the simulations hardened that into abhorrence. Now it looked as if the inception of her career would rely upon her ability to bear them.
"I did enroll knowing that possible," she conceded, mindful that Starfleet's prioritization of defense in the region was widely credited with deterring a full-scale conflict. "If that's where I'm needed, I'll go."
Hearing an alert on the computer, Shanice opened up the board as the assignments came up. Looking for her name, she sighed, clearly disappointed. "Assigned to Jupiter Stations."
"It's not permanent," Julia consoled, otherwise unsurprised. The diplomatic corps was inherently slower to turnover compared to most other departments within Starfleet. "Or Nimbus III."
"So where did you end up?"
"USS Santorini," Julia instantly intoned thanks to their letter-adjacent surnames. A ship, which could be anywhere. Her desire to determine specifics was briefly overrun by a thought she turned to Shanice to share, hopeful it'd be more successful at comforting her.
"Jupiter is one of Starfleet's leading R&D facilities, isn't it? I'd think some of the stories you want to tell will come to you if they aren't already there."
Shanice thought about her best friend's words carefully and finally allowed herself to smile. This would be a posting that she would somehow make work in her favor. "There's a silver lining in this somewhere and I'll make it work." Looking at the orders to the posting, the Ensign would have to report for duty in four days.
Turning her attention back to Julia. "What class ship is the Santorini?"
"Krakatoa," she read from the headline of Santorini's registry page. "Are you familiar with it?"
"Not familiar with that," Winters admitted. "Considering my line of work, I really should familiarize with all classes of ships."
"You know the main classes!" Julia teased, mindful of how much she relied on Shanice for their initial Naval Science courses. "The variants are what's hard to keep track of. The Krakatoa is a variant of the Abbe designed to provide infrastructure support in areas that are either too far or dangerous for the merchant marines."
Her breakdown was validated by the manifestation of the information she sought. A star chart appeared on the terminal, then zoomed onto a seven-sector block comprised of the notorious intersection of Federation, Romulan, and Klingon space, the beginning of the equally infamous Federation-Klingon Neutral Zone, and adjacent Federation territories.
Julia chuckled darkly and sank her face into her hands.
"Glad to see that you're extremely excited about your assignment," Shanice chuckled. "Going to have to contact you a few weeks into your assignment for an interview."
"You can go instead," Julia proposed, turning back to Shanice with scant hint of her facetiousness.
"Seriously doubt they would allow me to take your place. But I might see if there's a way I can venture out to other places outside of Jupiter Station to chance stories."
Julia spun back toward the terminal. Travelling to the Triangle from Earth would take most of, if not an entire month for even the fastest starships, so she was curious about how Starfleet planned to get her out there.
"Was?!" she squealed at the answer, springing into standing.
"Calm down," Shanice responded, placing a hand on her shoulder. "You'll get to where you need to be."
Julia whirled to Shanice and clasped her shoulders.
"I have to go now!" Her expression was equal parts excitement and terror. "The ship ferrying me leaves Spacedock in three hours!"
"Before you going running off to the space port, it might be a good idea to pack some things."
Julia stared at Shanice as if she just declared herself a Flat Earther. She knew her soon-to-be ex roommate was just trying to keep her grounded. However, Shanice also knew this room contained her life ever since estranging from her parents. She wasn't so frenetic as to leave her personal effects to chance, especially when her post was weeks away at maximum warp.
"You don't say," the pilot chuckled, pulling the other woman along by a hand. "Come on, I need your help."
Ensign Shanice Winters
Media Relations Officer
Starfleet Academy
&
Ensign Julia Vonner
Flight Control Officer
Starfleet Academy
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