Bug Boy, at your service
Posted on Tue Feb 3rd, 2026 @ 2:45am by Lieutenant Christopher Blake & Hunter Hawkin
Edited on on Wed Feb 4th, 2026 @ 9:42am
2,128 words; about a 11 minute read
Mission:
Episode 2 - The Sins of History
Location: Shuttlebay - Deck 8 - USS Artemis
Timeline: MD014 1100 hrs
Curiosity.
It was what drove Hunter. It drove his passion, his love for bugs, creepy crawlies and insects, his excitement for life and everything in it.
And curiosity is what had brought him to where he was today: getting ready to step off the shuttle on the USS Artemis, his first posting in a Starfleet capacity as a civilian Forensic Entomologist.
Hunter couldn’t help but notice that the polished floors he was standing on in the shuttle bay shimmered with the reflection of the stars beyond the docking gates, and the murmur of the crew combined with the hum of the magnetic loaders gave the whole area life. Adjusting the strap of the bag he’d slung on his shoulder, Hunter's hand tugged at the collar of his shirt and felt the restrictiveness of it even though many would consider it loose because of his height and size.
A moment of adjusting everything anxiously and then looking around kind of lost obviously had the desired effect as a Petty Officer in maroon deviated from her path and came over to talk to him with a smile on her face, “Let me guess, first posting and…” she drew the and out as she looked him up and down, “You’re a civilian? What department are you with?”
“Um,” Hunter was in a momentary stupor as he forgot exactly what he was there for. “Yeah, I’m the new Forensic Entomologist, so part of the Science department. You’re right on both counts of being a civilian and it being my first posting. I was kind of not allowed…”
“Save it, Bug Boy.” The Petty Officer laughed as she cut him off from talking by holding up her hand, “Entomology. That is to do with bugs, right? Anyway, I’m Kyra, one of the shuttle bay crew. If you’re with Science, I’m thinking you’ll be,” she squinted as if trying to remember, “somewhere between decks five and seven for your quarters, and I think deck eleven for where you’ll be working? I don’t know, I can’t remember offhand all of the decks and where everything is.” Kyra laughed again and shifted her stance from one foot to another. “Who are you, anyway?”
“Oh, yeah,” Hunter cleared his throat slightly. “I’m Hunter Hawkin. It’s a bit of a weird name, I know,” he shrugged as he pushed his glasses back up the bridge of his nose, “but I like to think it suits me. And yes, entomology is to do with bugs.” That was the simple explanation but he didn’t elaborate because he didn’t think she’d care enough.
Kyra simply raised a brow in slight dismissal, “Right. Hunter Hawkin, bug expert. I need to get back to work but it’s been lovely to meet you and I’m sure I’ll be seeing you around at some stage or another. Before I go though, you’ll want to see the 2XO, Lieutenant Blake to get your official greeting. He's also the Chief Flight Control Officer, so one of my bosses, and is pretty decent. Don't know where he is though.”
Hunter simply nodded and swallowed before he spoke again, “Well, thank you. It was nice to meet you too, I'm sure I'll eventually find my way around the ship and where Lieutenant Blake is without too much trouble.” He watched as she walked away after a wave goodbye and then he was left on his own.
Eventually managing to find his way to where the computer said Lieutenant Blake would be, which was Holodeck 3, Hunter stood outside the door and made sure he was looking as presentable as possible: his long sleeve shirt was tucked in and rolled neatly and evenly at the elbows, pants weren't tucked into his shoes, and the commbadge was straight.
The anxiety Hunter tried to keep suppressed when it came to meeting new people started to rear its head in his chest and Hunter had to take a deep breath in and out to calm it down before doing anything else.
Pushing his glasses back up to the bridge of his nose for what seemed the umpteenth time that day, he pressed the chime and waited for a response to come from within.
The door opened with a hiss to show the inside of a delta flyer. The horizon line twisted and rolled around as the shuttle executed a barrel roll. At the pilot seat, Chris Blake focused on the controls and didn't look back as he spoke. "Come in and take a seat."
"Uh, okay," Hunter did as he was requested and sat at the available chair as he watched the other man handling the ship with perfect precision and confidence. Yeah, flying was not for Hunter; he'd be happier as a passenger. "I'm Hunter Hawkin, and I'm the new Forensic Entomologist with the Science department. I thought I'd come and introduce myself to the Command team before I headed to see the Chief of Science."
"Oh, the Captain should be in his ready room if he's not on the bridge." Chris replied quickly as he brought the shuttle back parallel with the horizon. He paused for a moment as he remembered his recent assignment. "Oh right, second officer." He tapped the panel and allowed the shuttle to slow and hover. "Sorry, that's still new to me as well."
"Chris Blake, Flight Control." Chris turned in his chair and offered his hand the the newcomer. "You'll pardon my asking, but what exactly does a Forensic Entomologist do? Most I know about the Blues are that the medics are curious about implants." He tapped below his optical implant and gave a lopsided grin.
"Ah," Hunter shook Blake's hand and looked at the controls, "I don't know a whole lot about implants so you're safe with that. I examine insect activity on corpses to help determine the time of death. Blowflies, beetles, maggots—they tell a story that the body can’t. It’s not all crime scenes, either. Sometimes it’s disaster recovery or wildlife cases. Wherever insects intersect with the law, that’s where I come in.” He shrugged and then added, “It’s part science, part detective work. You wouldn’t believe what a bug can reveal.”
Chris leaned forward in his chair as he listened. "Now, I barely understand a word of that, but I like your enthusiasm over it. I can see the interest and use in it though, using as aspect of nature to help solve a mystery and such."
"Given the right circumstances, could you back track a terrestial shuttle route? Say it goes through some different biomes, there might be proof." Chris wondered aloud, thinking of how this could fit in with his own knowledge.
Hunter thought about it for a moment, his brow furrowed slightly. "I've personally never had to do that, but yeah, as long as there's enough evidence then we would be able to track it. Tell me though, what's it like with some of the missions this crew goes on? I've heard a lot of good things about the Artemis and some of the cases you guys work on are next level."
Chris shrugged. "I've been here a short time by comparison to some. Last big case was getting a Cardassian target. Went all over trying to get him because there were people that didn't want us to have him."
"Almost blew up one of our shuttles in a cover up attempt." He said with a shake of his head. Still, he managed a bit of a smile. "Still, wouldn't have it any other way."
Hunter's eyebrows raised at the blowing up of the shuttle comment and he adjusted his glasses again, "That sounds... intense. I'm curious to know how my skills and knowledge would play a part in something like that." The self-doubt started to creep back in a bit.
Chris shook his head. "Don't fret that. Not everyone is suited for everything." He motioned to the simulated shuttle around them. "I'm a pilot. Not much good in a courtroom, but I hone my skills and keep up with the latest information so that when I am needed, I perform to the best of my abilities without any doubt."
"Same as you, keep your skills sharp so that when you can help, you're the expert and you do what has to be done." He finished with a lopsided smile. "You're in the right place to grow, Hunter."
Hunter accepted the compliment with a nod and a smile. "I'm pretty sure I'm the only entomologist on this ship, so I guess that would make me the expert in my field. I will admit though that I would like to get back to studying eventually once I've learnt all I can from being here."
"Studying entomology or something else?" Chris asked as he raised his eyebrow. "Some universities and academies will often allow for studies abroad. If you find your place here, don't feel you need to leave just to continue your studies."
He patted the console of the holographic shuttle. "I say that knowing full well that a lot of my profession can be done by distance, unless I wanted to get into experimental craft or the engineering side of things."
"Well," Hunter took his glasses off to give them a bit of a clean with the edge of his sleeve and looked up at his surroundings. Everything looked remarkably duller, like the colour had been washed away, even if it was mostly varying shades of grays with the tiniest hints of colour. "This is true, I hadn't thought of that kind of aspect before." He hadn't even considered there would be other avenues he could get into within Starfleet where he'd be able to continue with studying. "Have you ever considered it, branching out, I mean?"
"Oh," Chris replied with a lopsided grin. "I've considered it. Thought about engineering once or twice, but aside from how to make things faster I realized I don't really have any interest in it. I'm quite content in the pilot seat, regardless of the craft."
Turning his attention back to Hunter, he continued. "Did you get everything figured out with your quarters, shifts, and kit? Not sure how familiar you are with the Luna class, but Artemis has a few interesting modifications as well."
"I've managed to get my quarters figured out, don't know what you mean by kit, but I've got my shifts," Hunter replied with a nod. "I believe they're the night shifts? I mean, I'm not complaining because it'll hopefully be nice and quiet so I can get my work done without interference or distractions. But in regard to the ship itself, can you tell me more about it?"
"Artemis?" Chris smiled. "It's a good ship. A unique one as far as mission parameters though. We not only track down and find criminals, we also have the facilities and crew to hold them and try them for their crimes. The science labs are where folks like you will find the evidence and proof we need to get to the truth while I just make sure we get to where we're going in one piece."
Folks like you, that was always worth a laugh. "Well then, I should probably leave you to it and I go find these folks and get myself sorted out with them on what they would like or need me to help with then." Hunter stood up and smoothed out his clothing to get it looking good again. "Thank you for your time, Lieutenant, it's helped a lot."
"Any time Hunter." Chris stood up as Hunter got ready to leave. "If you have any issues settling in or finding something on board, let myself or one of the command staff know and we'll help. If it's something I don't personally know I will point you toward someone who will know."
Chris offered his hand and a lop sided grin. "Welcome to the Artemis."
"Thank you," Hunter nodded and shook the other mans hand, "Enjoy your holodeck time." Leaving it at that, he turned and left the simulation before heading back down one of the corridors to find his way back to one of the science labs and his quarters.
A Joint Post By
Lieutenant Christopher Blake
Chief Flight Control Officer, USS Artemis
Second Officer, USS Artemis
Starfleet Criminal Investigations Unit
Hunter Hawkin
Forensic Entomoligist, USS Artemis
Starfleet Criminal Investigations Unit
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