Cam stepped into the bustling hangar bay, the metallic clangs and low hum of machinery enveloping him. Among the organized chaos, he spotted Ensign Prax engrossed in conversation with an individual wearing the unmistakable attire of an engineer. Recalling their encounter just the day before, Cam navigated through the maze of activity to join them.

As he drew closer, he observed Ensign Prax’s subtle fidgeting and the earnest gestures of the engineer. The air was charged with anticipation, and Cam couldn’t resist a mischievous smile as he chimed in, “Ensign Prax, how are those nerves treating you? The time has come to prove those confident assertions of yours.”

Old habits die hard, that’s what Cal had told himself when his habit of fidgeting with cadet pins had developed into an unconscious twisting of his sole Ensign pip when not actively doing something. A disapproving look from Petty Officer Sinclair told him he was doing it again, the older engineer having taken the freshly commissioned officer under her wing somewhat. At the arrival of Lieutenant Solari she made a casual exit stopping a few times on her way further into the hanger to inspect other small craft. Cal turned to face Cam.

”Nerves are one thing, learning to manage five lifetimes worth of habits and tics is something else entirely.“ he smiled as he spoke, directing Cam to follow him toward a smaller workspace within the expansive hanger.

”the replicator is just finishing up synthesizing the new missile pod deployment attenuators. Shouldn‘t be too long before she‘s ready for the shakedown. I forgot to ask does your fighter have a name?“

“We haven’t decided on one yet,” Cam replied to the Ensign with a smirk. “‘Thankfully’, our mileage hasn’t quite hit the mark for that just yet.”

Cal smirked back “well then, I guess you’d better start thinking. It’s bad luck to do a shakedown cruise with an unchristened craft. Especially a vessel like that” Cal gestured as he spoke, the sound of the replicator fading away as the last layer of the complex component materialized. The safety barrier having barely retracted before Cal pushed himself past it to load the twin attenuators onto an anti-grav lift.

”shall we?” He gestured further into the vast hanger bay. “17A is ours, Shenzi‘s fighter is just about ready too, set it to run a level 2 diagnostic on the power grid. last thing we need is an overload to short out everything” he mumbled as he spoke awkwardly pushing the grav lift deeper into the expansive shipyard.The Ensign’s voice buzzed with excitement, but as Cam delved into his thoughts, the chatter softened to a gentle hum. Moments later, he gracefully slipped into the cockpit of his newly assigned Apsara-class ship. The metal beneath his fingertips felt cool and reassuring. Consoles flickered to life, displaying a flurry of activity, yet Cam remained oblivious. His mind was consumed by a silent debate over the perfect name for his vessel – the earlier conversation with Ensign Prax had stirred something within him.