This is a Fan-Fiction Based on Star Wars. I do not own Star Wars or represent it's owners (LucasFilm) in FanFic is Not For Profit so please don't sue!
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The Journal: Chapter TWO
Ensign Travis Folen is alone in his quarters unpacking the personal belongings from his pack. A small speaker on his desk quietly plays a music file from the database. The air on board a Star Destroyer is constantly recycled, and while Imperial Engineers insist that no one can tell that it is not truly "fresh air" Travis believes he can. The lack of windows in the quarters on this deck make it hard for most Junior Officers to fight off the feeling of claustrophobia and for Travis the combination of mildly stale recycled air and being in an enclosed space is starting to take its toll.
Travis walks over to the environmental controls at his personal Computer Terminal. He puts the controls for the in room ventilation to maximum. Above him the vent shakes slightly as the motor spins up. However the rattling does not subside as the vent motor falls into a steady rhythm and Travis takes a deep breath as he tries to calm the annoyance building inside him.
"State of the art ship, mainstay of the Imperial Fleet and their air conditioning system still rattles?" Travis says to himself.
He stands up on top on his bed and reaches up to unscrew the ventilation cover to see what's causing the rattling. As he removes the last latch, removing the cover and placing it on the bed, he spots the source of the noise. A small black book is inside the duct and resting against the side of the duct wall. He cocks his head slightly when he spots it. He removes it and drops to the bed below landing in a seated position.
He runs a hand along the smooth leather cover over the embroidered initials "V.V."
Travis opens the small book and spots a small note written on the inside of the cover.
"To my beautiful V, may this journal offer you comfort amongst the stars." –Mom
Travis considers the implications of reading the journal, a blatant violation of privacy, but then he also wonders who would leave their journal hidden in these quarters in the first place? Maybe the owner forgot about it? He assumes the previous owner was likely an Ensign who was assigned these quarters before he arrived. He convinces himself that reading a single entry might help him determine who the owner is in the hopes of returning it. He opens the first page and looks at the date of the entry.
"1-13-2ABY"
"This was only seven months ago…" Travis says quietly to himself.
"Entry 1:
I'm not very good at this. I've never been one for keeping a diary so hopefully I'm doing this right. I suppose it doesn't matter since no one will read this anyway! Where to start? I've just arrived on board the Dark Star about a week ago. It's been really busy getting settled and I finally got around to unpacking, just to find this journal waiting for me in my bag. Seems as though mother snuck it in before I left Talus…"
"Ok so this person is from Talus. Not really much to go off of." Travis says as he slowly nods his head.
"…but at least her gift was sweet whereas the gift my little brother decided to sneak into my bag was not. It seems his obsession with insects continues! He decided to send me on my way with a parting gift of several dead Sand Beatles. Yuck! Someday when he gets older I will get my revenge by telling all of his girlfriends about the times he would wet his bed! That's one of the best parts about being a big sister, you get to torture your little brother in all sorts of devious ways!..."
"Ah, so it's a woman. That should narrow it down." Travis says with a smile.
"…"To be honest though I do miss him, and my parents. I knew it would be hard to leave everyone behind but I just had to join up. The academy taught me the importance of the Empire, and the opportunity to serve was a no brainer for me. Father wasn't so thrilled but it was my choice and even though he didn't agree with the mission of the Imperial navy I hope I have made him proud none the less. I'll never forget that smile on his face when he first saw me in my uniform.
Well, duty calls, I have to get down to the docking bay before my Lieutenant decides to reprimand me! Hopefully I'll keep writing! V-"
Travis sits back against the wall and closes the journal. Not a lot of clues to go off here. Maybe someone on this deck knew who was in these quarters before him. It's worth a shot at least. Travis stands up, he puts the journal on the desk and heads for the door. As he steps out he looks around the corridor. It's far less crowded than before. Perhaps earlier was a shift change he considers. He spots two male Ensigns walking in his general direction. He approaches them.
"Hello. I'm Travis Folen." Travis says as he extends his hand to them. "I just arrived on board today."
The two Ensigns stop and smile at him, one takes his hand and shakes it.
"Hey there Travis, I'm Ensign Vic Morall, and this is Ensign Tomax Walsh." Ensign Morall says as he motions his head to his friend beside him.
"Good to meet you guys." Travis says as he shakes Ensign Walsh's hand as well.
"Where's your post?" Walsh asks.
"I'm a relief officer for the Ventral Turbolaser Batteries." Travis says as he folds his hands together behind his back. "What about you guys?"
"I'm an Aviation Maintenance Duty Officer. I work down in the maintenance bays under Commander Lousen, supervising the repair teams for the TIE Fighters." Morall says.
"I work in Stellar Cartography as a supervisor, programming navigation courses and charting stellar phenomenon." Walsh says.
"What he means to say is he doesn't do anything." Morall says with a laugh as he leans towards Travis.
"Whatever Vic, it's pretty busy down there!" Walsh insists.
"Tomax, you and I know the Nav Computer can do your entire departments duties and we wouldn't even notice the difference." Morall says.
"Whatever…" Walsh says as he shakes his head and looks away.
It's clear these two have had this debate before and Ensign Walsh is not in the mood. Travis decides to change topics.
"You guys know who was in that room before me?" Travis says as he points to the door to his quarters.
"Hmm, 34? No, I don't think I've seen anyone in that room for months." Morall says.
"Some girl was in there a while ago, but I don't know her name. I think she got transferred or something." Walsh says.
"Why? They leave a mess for you in there?" Morall asks.
"No nothing like that, just curious." Travis says.
Behind them a female Ensign is approaching. Her dark brown hair is wrapped tightly under her officer's cap, her figure is slender but fit and all three of the men look at her as she passes. Travis's heart skips a beat momentarily when she stops at the door to his quarters and hits the call button.
"That her Walsh?" Morall asks quietly.
"No, I don't know who that is." Walsh whispers back.
"I'll see you guys around." Travis says as he nods at Walsh and Morall then turns around and approaches his visitor.
Ensigns Walsh and Morall smile at Travis and continue making their way down the corridor. As Travis approaches the unexpected guest she turns to face him.
"Can I help you?" Travis asks as he approaches.
"I'm looking for Ensign Folen." The female Ensign says.
"You've just found him." Travis says with a smile.
The female ensign smiles back at him. Travis notices the small muscles around her eyes squint ever so slightly with her smile, her eyes are a deep blue, and Travis can feel himself being pulled into them as they look at him. She is beautiful and Travis has to push the thought aside for the moment. He's been on board for less than a day, there's simply no time for him to become infatuated with a beautiful girl.
"I'm Ensign Dayana Nevran." Nevran says. "I'm going to be working with you in the Ventral Turbolaser Battery. "
Travis suddenly feels a wave of strange emotion sweep over him, a mix of relief and dread.
He's unsure whether the fact he'll get a chance to work with Nevran is a blessing or a curse. Will he end up head over heels for her? Travis has a bad habit of falling for girls far too quickly, something that has blown up in his face more than once, but he's always been fortunate to not have the fallout carry over into his professional life. This would be different. He'll have to do his best to see her simply as a fellow officer, keep his distance so to speak, and refrain from getting too close to her.
"It's very good to meet you Ensign Nevran." Travis says as he extends a hand to her.
"Call me Dayana." Nevran says as she takes his hand and shakes it. "I'm not on duty right now. I was wondering if you'd had a chance to eat yet? If not I can show you down to the Officers Mess?"
"I'd love to." Travis says. Inside he's realizing keeping distance from this one might be more difficult than he thought.
As they make their way to the Turbolift Travis makes a strong effort to avoid looking at her, he glances around the corridor instead.
"Nervous?" Nevran asks.
"I'm sorry?" Travis says as he turns from his wandering gaze to meet her eyes looking at him again.
"You seem nervous." Nevran says. "I know it can be intimidating, your first day on board, but it'll be fine. You'll get the hang of things pretty quickly."
"Oh yes, I hope so." Travis replies with a smile and quick nod.
"Great now she just thinks I'm a nervous Ensign who's intimated by the big bad ship." Travis thinks to himself. If his brother were here he'd punch him in the arm for being such a fool.
As they enter the Turbolift, Ensign Nevran hits the button for deck 35. The doors close and the lift starts moving. The inertial dampeners work well and the two barely feel the sudden acceleration.
"So, tell me about our team." Travis says.
"Well, there are a total of 9 crewmen and officers in each of the ventral side Turbolaser Battery Control Stations." Nevran explains. Travis watches as her hands move around and gesture forms for her words as she says them. "You've met Lieutenant Dorien. He's our CO of course. Then there's you and I. The Fire Controlmen. Petty Officer Nom Onasi and Petty Officer Erran Cormin. Then there's the Gunners mates. Crewmen Arix Longstar and Alluria Creel. Those are the two that will be on during your shift. And then of course there's the children."
"The children?" Travis asks as he cocks his head, his eyes squint under furrowed brows.
"Yes, Crewmen Callista Redd and Wolam Alder." Nevran says. Her hands seem to reach out and choke invisible necks. "They're the Gunner's Mates that I get to deal during my shift. They are so immature. Lieutenant Dorien seems to like them though. He says they "lighten the mood" or something. It takes all I have not to deck them right in the face!"
Travis leans back as Ensign Nevran throws a fast punch at another invisible imaginary foe.
"But you won't really have to worry about them." Nevran says with a smile as she turns to Travis. "Lieutenant Dorien says I'm over reacting."
"So many names, I hope I don't forget any." Travis says as he turns away from Ensign Nevrans eyes.
"Ah yes. It' took me a while too." Ensgin Nevran says. "But you'll be fine. Fortunately you can get away with calling most of our team "crewman"."
"That's true." Travis says as he slowly nods his head.
"Oh and I almost forgot." Ensign Nevran says as she excitedly waves her finger. "There's also our Damage Controlman, Crewman Olan Nafeel. Though technically he works in both stations 1 and 2. So we only see him half the time. He sort of comes and goes as the maintenance needs arise."
The lift arrives at deck 35 and the doors open. Travis looks around and realizes the trip seemed to take longer than expected. He has already gotten so lost in the sweet sound of Ensign Nevrans voice that he wasn't paying attention to the proper passage of time. In all likelihood though, the seemingly long trip was probably more to do with the fact that Ensign Nevran talks really fast.
"Here we are, come on." Nevran says as she exits the lift in a fast walk. Travis does his best to keep up with her pace.
The Ensigns get into a small line behind several other junior Officers. Eventually they reach the food service trays where small selections of various dishes are available. Travis recognizes a few of the items and decides to stick to those instead of trying his luck with something new. He picks up a small carton of blue milk as he reaches the end of the service line. The Ensigns pass through a small doorway to the seating area, overhead a small sensor detects the Ensigns identity through a scan of the Officers Disk in their caps. It beeps as they pass and automatically tracks their food selections in the weekly allotment database. Travis looks at the scanner as they pass.
"What happens if I run out of my allotted rations?" Travis asks as he follows Ensign Nevran to a table nearby.
"Then you'll be eating the slop they give the NCO's." Nevran says with a smile. "But don't worry, unless you eat five times a day you're unlikely to go over your allocation."
Travis sits down across from Ensign Nevran. She smiles at him and he quickly looks down to his food.
"Do you know who had the quarters I'm in? Before I arrived that is?" Travis asks as he takes a small spoon full of the mashed Topato's on his tray.
"No sorry. My quarters are on deck 24. I don't know anyone on your level." Nevram says as she sips on her coffee. "Why do you ask?"
"I found an old personal item in my quarters. I was hoping to return it to the owner." Travis says as he looks around the mess hall. There are about 15 other Officers currently dining.
"What's the item?" Nevran asks.
"Just a book, nothing special." Travis responds deflecting the question. "Do Ensigns have access to the crew manifest database? Maybe I can track them down."
"Basic access yes. It may be your best bet. You could always ask Lieutenant Dorien to find out for you also." Nevran says.
"It's not really a big deal. Don't worry about." Travis says. "So how long have you been on board the Dark Star Ensign?"
"Dayana." Nevran says.
"I'm sorry. Dayana. How long have you been on board?" Travis says with a smile.
"About 6 months now." Nevran says as she takes a bite of a strange purple soup from her tray. "So far it's been smooth sailing. Not a whole lot of action. But I hear Lord Vader has the fleet deployed all over the galaxy now, looking for the Rebels. I hope we end up being the ones to find them. Would be a nice change of pace to see some action down there."
"Well hope you don't mind but I'm hoping we don't see action until I get my bearings." Travis says with a laugh.
"You've got one week sailor." Nevran says, her eyes stare at Travis. "Then you're on your own, action or not."
They both share a laugh. They spend another hour chatting in the mess hall before Travis asks Ensign Nevran if he can escort her back to her quarters. She declines and they say their goodnights on the lift when Travis gets off at level 23.
Ensign Nevrans beautiful smile is dominating his thoughts as he slowly strolls down the empty corridor back towards his room. He realizes he is already falling for her and shakes his head as he tries to clear his mind. When he reaches his quarters he enters. The door closes behind him. The music is still playing from the small speaker and the Journal is still on his desk. He sits down at the desk, picks up the journal and opens it up.
"Entry 2:
So far so good! It's been about a week since I wrote my previous entry. Things are going really well on the Dark Star. I've met a lot of great people. My Lieutenant told me I was very pretty today. Normally I would be concerned since he's my commanding officer and all but it felt sincere and honest. For now I'll just enjoy the boost to my ego.
Today we had an Imperial Dignitary come aboard on a Lambda Class Shuttle, I never learned who just that it was a Moff. It was my first real experience at running the docking procedure. I was really nervous but the Lieutenant was really helpful and everything went smooth. Its very nerve racking knowing that yours is the voice of the ship, when talking to ships docking with the Dark Star! Fortunately father taught me how to put on a serious voice when I need to.
I met a nice guy today too. An Ensign from Engineering. We had dinner in the mess hall and stayed there for 3 hours talking! He listened to all my stories from home and then told me about his home. Turns out he comes from an ocean world! I told him I was a pretty good swimmer and that I was on the swim team back at the academy. He's challenged me to a race later this week. I know he'll be faster than me but it should be fun. I didn't even know they had a pool on Star Destroyers. He told me it's for the ground troopers to train in aquatic environments. I asked how he would get access to that facility but he told me its better that i don't know all the details. How devious! Anyway, just wanted to say, everything's great! V-"
Travis leans back in the chair. Still not a lot to go on. Initials, gender, home world and general date that the journal was written. He turns on his terminal and starts browsing through the ships manifest database.
Right off the bat he finds 863 Officers with the initials V.V. After eliminating the males, he's left with 402. Eliminating the Senior Officers above Lieutenant he gets it down to 180. Unfortunately the information in the database is limited and doesn't specify date of arrival on the Dark Star or Home Planet, at least not with Travis's access. 180 is not a horrible start but that's still a lot of V.V.'s to sift through. He'd have to keep reading if he really wanted answers. But not tonight. It's been a long day and his eyes are getting heavy.
Travis puts the journal in the drawer of his desk then turns to look at his bed. The vent cover is still on his bed from earlier. He leans down and picks it up. Suddenly he notices a small data disc taped to the inside of the cover. He removes it.
It's a standard datadisc, used all over the Empire. He puts it on the desk and stands up on the bed and returns the vent cover to its proper location. As he gets off the bed he sits back down at the desk and puts the datadisc in his computer terminal. A prompt appears on the screen.
"Enter Access Code:_"
Travis sits there for a moment. Unsure what may be on the disc, and having absolutely no clue with which to base a guess at a pass code he removes the disc and puts it in the drawer next to the journal. His eyes are heavier now and he decides to leave the mystery for another day. He quickly changes out of his uniform and gets into some sleep wear. As he settles into the bed, he cannot help but day dream of Ensign Nevrans eyes as he drifts of to sleep.