Civilians Abound

Posted on 07/07/2021 @ 6:40pm by

939 words; about a 5 minute read

Mission: The Mirror’s Edge
Location: Airlock 5, Civilian Check Point
Timeline: Just Before Airlock 6 Explodes

On:

To say that Lizzie hated these shifts overseeing the civilian sector would be a massive understatement. It was nothing but dealing with angry passengers, who wanted nothing to do but complain. However, someone had to do it, right? Ever since the start of the conference as more civilians arrived this job was growing into more and more of a headache.

"Come on down," she said to the crowd that had just disembarked, "please have your identification and travel plans ready when you approach the counter."

She looked down at the next person in line, "identification," she held out a hand, "anything you need to declare and how long will your stay be," she pointed to a console, "right hand on the terminal please."

Michaela gave her identification as she said. "Nothing to declare and as for the duration of my stay, well that depends if you have any empty store spaces available." She tried to be cheerful. It was obvious the lady behind the desk had a long day so far.

"I would assume we do," Lizzie smiled, "always room for more establishments. For exact details you would need to see the Civilian Affairs Office. It's on the first level of the Promenade, Section D," she looked over the identification, "Michaela, as you might be staying here longer, I'm gonna ask that you look straight forward into this display. We might as well get you set up as a permanent resident since we have you here. "

"What type of business are you interested in running?" Lizzie asked, as the computer scanned her hand printer and took a photo of her face.

"I'm going to combine two passions, Italian food, and holograms and turn those into a restaurant." She said as she made a mental note about needing to find the civilian affairs office.

"Now that's very interesting," Lizzie admitted, "I'm always up for a good bowl of pasta." She returned the woman's identification, "sorry, but with heightened security for the conference, we have to look in your bag." She gestured to the terminal where she could place her baggage. "I have to admit, I'm not sure how holograms fit in but count me as one of your first customers once you open."

Mika chuckled. She offered the woman her bag. "I didn't realize until I said it out loud that it sounds a bit scary. It's not. I'm just gonna use holograms as personnel. To cook, to serve, to clean. Things like that."

Lizzie set the bag on the scanner as the computer came to life analyzing the bag's contents. "All clear," the Security Officer stated as she gave the bag back to its owner. Lizzie handed the civilian an ID card, containing basic information. "If you head down to the Promenade you should be able to see what's available and get set up," she smiled, "they will also be able to set you up with an Apartment and such as well..." As she was speaking the floor below her buckled as Lizzie was sent to the floor. They were a bit disorientated as Lizzie attempted to stand back.

As the alarms started to sound, the communication panel next to Lizzie lit up like a Christmas Tree. "What the hell," she exclaimed as she held the side of her head. Looking at her fingers she saw a small amount of blood, realizing she'd hit her head on the way down. She looked at the other Security members, "lock it down, get people away from the windows. Till we know more, we treat this according to protocol."

Lizzie looked over to the station's newest resident, "are you ok, Michaela?" she asked.

After getting back up Mika was looking around in astonishment. What had just happened? It took her a few seconds to register the security officer's question. Was she ok? "Uhm..." She started as you looked at herself and tried to process if she felt ok. Did she have any pain? "I think I am, yes. What was that? Don't tell me this is normal on a space station? Like turbulence or something." She didn't know if she'd be happy living in space if this was a naturally occurring thing.

"No," Lizzie paused, "that was far from normal and not something we experience typically." The Officer looked to the crowd, "till we know more I am going to have to ask that everyone remain here," she looked at all the Security Officers present and nodded. It was a very subtle message, but they got it. "I am certain it was nothing, probably just an Operations error. But it's best to wait for the all-clear." She leaned over to their guests, as she picked up on the Engineering background. The lady wanted to deal with holograms, clearly, she understood this wasn't just a glitch.

"That all clear might take some time," she smiled, "you are probably gonna wish that you had remained on board that craft for a while." Overhead the sounds of general alerts and a message for all available assistance to airlock 6 rang out over the crowd.

Mika smiled. "Well, I always love a challenge."

Lizzie couldn't help but let out a small laugh and she attempted to keep things calm, "then you'll fit in fine here. Challenge is our middle name around here," she smirked. The station, and her crew, did have a tendency to find challenge; even when they were not exactly looking for it. "We shouldn't be stuck here long," she kept looking down the corridor, hoping to see if something was happening.

Lieutenant JG Elizabeth Shoe
Security Officer

Michaela Firenze
Owner Cacio e Pepe

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