Ship Shape and Bristol Fashion
Posted on Mon Aug 11th, 2025 @ 6:30pm by Ensign Vesper Wells
1,084 words; about a 5 minute read
Mission:
Prologue
Location: USS Guinevere
Timeline: 2388
Yeoman Vesper Wells had no sooner arrived on The Guinevere and set her bag down in her new quarters before the insistent beeping on her terminal notified her of files that needed passing to the Commodore.
She sighed, taking a moment to look around her new quarters with wistful eyes. She wanted to change after her long journey. And she wanted to explore her new room. And unpack. And settle in with a decent cup of tea. And cake.
“Start as we mean to go on, I guess,” she gave a wry chuckle to herself, pausing just long enough to check herself in the mirror. Deft fingers tidied her long, blonde hair behind her ears. She would usually at least half pin it back, but needs must.
She limped the couple of steps to her desk, transferring office commands to the workstation so she could download the files to a PADD, signing each one off.
“Computer, where is Commodore McEntyre?”
“Commodore McEntyre is in his Ready Room.”
Casting a final longing glance back to her new room, she caught hold of her elegant, black cane, using it to stabilise her limp as she moved back out, setting course for the turbolift.
As the lift hummed its way through the ship, Vesper took the chance to speed read through the files. Reports, of course. A couple of minor corrections and streamlining adaptations later, and she was approving them just as the doors opened. Her eyes were still on the PADD even as she approached the Ready Room door.
Vesper only looked up as she came to a stop in front of it, taking a subtle, soft breath to alleviate the fluttering of nerves at meeting the Commodore for the first time. Her hand lifted to check her collar wasn’t crooked before she tugged her jacket to ensure it was perfectly straight...and then pressed the chime.
Silence.
Vesper’s blue eyes narrowed just a touch as she tried again, but to no avail. A glimmer of worry stirred in her at not even having access denied, as would have been normal if he was in there but engaged.
Letting herself carefully in with concern, she stopped stock still in the middle of the office at seeing it empty. She glanced back to the now closed door as if it could answer the riddle.
She must have literally just missed him. They probably almost crossed paths on the way.
Sighing softly at herself with frustration, she made her way carefully around the desk to set the PADD on it, ready for him to pick up when he returned.
Vesper had fully intended to leave immediately, but she couldn’t help but glance around the workplace of her new Commanding Officer. She’d read his file, of course. Honourable. Unshakable. Inspiring. But seeing his office gave more of a perspective than a file could.
It wasn’t messy by any stretch of the imagination, just lived in. Without even realising she was doing it, she straightened some rogue PADDs up on his desk, setting any that were low in power to charge, ready for use. The rest of the items on his desk were next, being carefully shifted and tidied to make sure he had space to work. She took special care over what appeared to be family pictures, just adjusting the angle so he would have a more direct view of the lovely images when sat in his chair.
Her eyes fell on a beautiful book, her fingertips touching the aged cover with care before she lifted it to check. Military History, volume VIII. Quickly identifying the gap on the bookshelf, she slotted it carefully back to ensure it remained safe with its companion books. Without even thinking about it, her finger nudged an impressive set of framed medals to ensure it was completely straight. On the way back, she hooked a couple of styluses back into a heavy marble pot.
Gathering the other report PADDs that were scattered across the desk, she glanced at the title page of each, shuffling them swiftly into date and department order, before returning them onto the desk in a single, neat pile.
Her hand found an empty cup and she lifted it to take a cautious sniff. Coffee. Strong. Black. She set the cup for recycling before replicating a clean one, along with a small, insulated jug of steaming hot espresso, setting them onto the desk ready for him.
Her eyes went to a few stray, blonde hairs on the back of his chair. Without thinking twice, she swiped her sleeve over it, the static of the fabric lifting the hairs off. She didn’t mind; she intended to change for a nap as soon as she got back to her quarters after all.
Readying to leave, Vesper paused in front of a picture to double check her reflection, her fingers teasing a stray wisp of hair back to neatness. She peered closer with a slight frown, noticing a smudge on the glass. She breathed on it to mist it up before using her cuff to rub it away.
As she stood back, only then did it dawn on her...she’d been tidying Commodore McEntyre’s office like some overzealous yeoman.
And even if she was an overzealous yeoman, she didn’t want to *look* like one.
She forced herself to stop, taking a soft breath as she rested on her cane and checked her work. Vesper gave a nod of approval at the sight, a soft smile settling on her features at the feeling of satisfaction and hope it gave her to be...well, helpful, for lack of a better term.
Heading out, Vesper limped a little heavier on her return to her quarters, the length and fatigue of her journey to the ship catching up with her. As soon as the doors to her quarters were closed, she tossed her uniform for recycling, pulling a real cotton, oversized shirt out of her bag to sleep in.
Easing herself on to the bed, Vesper set her cane aside before grimacing as she pulled her weak leg up with her hands. She settled it, letting out a shaking breath through the discomfort as she lay back. Despite the twinging pain, her eyes closed heavily as she thought on the Commodore’s office, the kind of man he might turn out to be and the adventures her first posting promised.
_ _ _ _ _
Ensign Vesper Wells
Yeoman
USS Guinevere
(PNPC Moriarty)
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