Shoulda just stayed in bed (Roll Call)

Posted on Fri Jan 10th, 2025 @ 6:46am by Lieutenant JG Damien Blackford

Mission: Season 6: Episode 5: A church beyond heaven
Location: USS Elysium
506 words - 1 OF Standard Post Measure

Damien's first clue that today was going to be 'one of those days' should have been when he first woke up. Or, more precisely, when his alarm failed to go off, and he overslept. Admittedly, not by much. But enough to cause him to practically jump out of bed and promptly faceplant the floor after tripping over his shoes that he had failed to pack away properly the night before. That, in retrospect, should have been clue two.

Then when his shower decided to crap out on him halfway through... Well, he probably should've crawled back into bed at that point, declared the day a failure, gone back to sleep, and tried again tomorrow. Alas, he had work today that needed completing, and bunking off probably wouldn't go down well with his Head of Department. So, after managing to jury rig the shower just enough for him to finish, and alerting the Engineering team to the malfunction, he decided that maybe, just maybe, a quick workout, before starting his shift, might be just what the Doctor ordered.

But it turned out it wasn't just what the Doctor had ordered. It seemed the universe had it out for Damien today. Treadmill? Incline and speed kept increasing no matter what he did. Static bike? Pedals seemed almost fused together. Rowing machine? He couldn't remember the last time he tried pulling on a rope that taunt. But the icing on the cake? As soon as Damien gave up and got off the machine, someone else would climb on and it would work perfectly. And the cherry on top of the icing? It seemed like even the replicators had it out for him. All he wanted was a simple cup of tea. But apparently, that was too much to ask today. First attempt? Practically burnt his taste buds off. Second attempt? Like drinking an ice cube. And the third attempt? Black coffee. He didn't even know how that was possible.

And that was what brought him to now. When he'd finally started his shift, he'd been assigned to check the weapons locker and make sure everything was where it should be, and that nothing was missing. Once again, it should've been simple enough, but it seemed even the ship itself had it out for him today. Just lots of little things. Doors not opening for him. His access codes not authorising him to enter areas he knew damn well he was allowed to be in. But when he tried to show someone, it worked the first time. It was almost like the universe was saying, 'No no. That's our little secret fuck up.' So, he simply resigned himself to his fate.

8 hours later, with the shift over, and finally, back in his own quarters, he headed straight to his bed, trading his uniform for his pajamas, and collapsed onto the bed. Today was just one of those days that had to be written off. He sighed, closed his eyes and rolled over. Hopefully, tomorrow was going to be better.