Turbolift Tango: Starboard
Posted on 02 Dec 2025 @ 1:31am by Lieutenant Michael "Mickey" Ballentyne
Edited on on 02 Dec 2025 @ 2:22am
551 words; about a 3 minute read
Mission:
Opening Transmission
Location: USS Proteus: Starboard Turbolift
Timeline: 2259: Immediately following #1 ‘Hey Mickey’
Tags: Ballentyne, Foster, Proteus
[ USS Proteus: Starboard Turbolift ]
The Turbolift doors swooshed open and the freshly shorn (and shell shocked) Lieutenant Ballentyne entered the carriage much to the dismay of Commander Foster. Ballentyne twisted the handle, “Deck 7” and waited for the familiar rattling hum to start in what was otherwise silence.
“Oh Mickey, I errr…” Foster trailed off and sighed before beginning again, “Computer: stop turbolift.”
Ballentyne took a slow, deep breath, visible only by the slight tightening of his jaw, before rounding on her. “So, come on and give it to me” he challenged her, “anyway you can!”
“You know, Mickey.” Foster jabbed him in the chest with her index finger. “Other juniors would just shut their mouths and say ‘thankyou, sir’ and if I was you, I would get some practice in pretty damn quickly.”
He shook his head. “Don’t give me that line after everything we’ve been through together; everything I’ve seen.”
Foster gently slapped Ballentyne across the face and jabbed him in the chest again, "We don't talk about that alien epidemic, you promised!"
"I wasn't talking about that retorted Ballentyne" his eyes widening and turning a paler shade , "You know I'd never normally..." he trailed off looking anywhere except her eyes. He knew it was a cheap distraction technique from her and he was still angry.
Foster inhaled through her teeth and tapped her balled fist gently against the carriage bulkhead. “Alright. It’s the Old Man and it’s my fault. He wanted to take you to Aryabhata, he loves you like a son. But here’s the thing, Mickey, I am double-hatting there as Science Chief and Number One.”
“I didn’t ask for this, any of it”, Ballentyne replied. "And now, that arse is going to be all over my arse for three years!"
“No, but we’re doing a five-year mission on Aryabhata and you’re ready… well…” she looked down her nose and admired Mickey’s new and slightly wonky hairline, “just about ready” she corrected, "to run the show here" and gently patted him on the head.
“And Threlox… he’ll be… errr… good for you.” Foster supressed a smirk. “He’s a former science officer himself, a good one the Old Man says.”
Ballentyne took a step backwards out of Iris’s reach. “Don’t you patronise me”.
“Look, Mickey. Threlox and Proteus need you. The Old Man says Threlox is brilliant, but has… well… his limits and can bite off more than he can chew sometimes. If Proteus is going to survive, it needs someone who can do what we do”. She smiled sadly at him.
The anger seemed to leave Ballentyne; he sighed and leaned against the scuffed bulkhead of the turbolift while Foster gave the order for the lift to resume. They rode in silence for a few seconds.
The doors swooshed open too soon and Foster smiled sadly. “I’ll miss you, my little hobbit.” She patted Ballentyne on the head again and added, "Don't mess this up!" and abruptly skipped off down the corridor before he could catch-up with a retort.
OFF:
Lieutenant Michael "Mickey" Ballentyne
Chief Science Hobbit, USS Proteus
also as:
Lieutenant Commander Iris Foster
Outgoing Chief Science Officer, USS Proteus
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