[Main Shuttlebay]
When the alert came, Solluk was just wrapping up the daily flight checks on the Tigris. He had spent so much time with the runabout lately that he felt the Tigris was his own personal vehicle. It had taken him to Psi Epsilon, it had brought him back, and he'd even used it as a private study facility when he'd felt the need to escape his noisy roommate at the Academy. It was illogical to become attached to a vehicle, of course.
But Solluk was gradually growing accustomed to the idea that life did not need to be logical all of the time.
As the ship's alert was echoed within the cockpit of the Tigris, he sent a brief query to the bridge, where Galloway held the flight console.
He hadn't had time to sit down with Lieutenant Galloway and thank him for the opportunity he'd been given. There had been a few times while taking his courses that he'd been tempted to give up. Security wasn't bad, but the Engineering was brutal, with mathematics being required that rivaled his astrogation finals. But whenever he considered surrendering to the pressure, Galloway's enthusiastic encouragement had given him the sense of obligation he'd needed to push through.
In the end, Solluk had graduated near the bottom of his Engineering class.
But he'd graduated. He had his extension certification, which could open doors in the future within Engineering (or Security, if he ever decided to go that route.) His department head and his Captain had shown faith in him, and he hadn't let them down. Though Solluk's parents had seemed unimpressed with the news of his certification and his subsequent promotion, he had learned that his fellow officers and crew could fill in for the validation that emotional beings usually gained from family.
Emotional validation that his own family was not equipped or inclined to give him.
Now, some unknown threat had placed the ship on alert, and he stood by, ready to launch should the need arise. It might be months or even a year before he got the chance to take a role in Engineering and expand his career into new realms. In the mean time, he intended to be the best pilot he could be. For him. For them. For the fleet.