"First Impressions"
by Lt. Korn Zaje
Lt. Cmdr. Shirik Lektar - Ops Chief
Location: Shuttle Bay
Stardate: 58806.29, 07h30
***
As the shuttle landed on the shuttle bay with a reassuring 'thud', Zaje waits in anticipation for the ramp to open. This is the first time on the Vanguard and he's very much looking forward to seeing what security protocols are in place.
His last posting on the USS Zeus under the enigmatic Captain Ewan Rodgers had been a baptism of fire. Thrust into action after an accident left the previous Senior Security Officer incapacitated, Zaje had stepped up and impressed his former captain. He hoped to do the same here.
Stepping down the shuttle ramp, he looked around. "Hmm, nobody to check my credentials. Slightly lax." Zaje makes a note to pick this up with the CO later.
Now, he really wants to check out the ship's weapons system, but really needs to get rid of his case. The dossier stated Chief Lektar is the Ops Chief in charge of quarters. He hits his comm badge. "Korn to Lektar....."
Shirik was in her quarters, in the middle of breakfast when her commbadge chirped. Korn? She glanced at her PADD to find his name. "Ahh..." she murmured to herself. Tapping her commbadge, she replied, "Lektar here."
"Sorry to disturb you so early Sir. This is Lt Korn. I have just arrived and I believe I need to contact you to assign me some quarters. I'm eager to get going Sir."
Korn hoped he didn't sound too eager. But having been away from a ship, even for a short time, he was raring to start work.
"That's not a problem. Where are you now? I'll meet you," she said, hastily finishing the last of her breakfast and moving to the replicator to recycle everything before scooping up her PADD and heading out the door.
"Thank you Sir. I am currently on Deck 4, by the shuttle bay." Zaje hated waiting around not being of use, but needs must.
"On my way," she said, already on her way to the turbolift.
It was only a few moments before she arrived at the shuttlebay and made her way towards the new Security Chief, her gaze already studying him, taking measure of the man. A Bajoran. She had her misgivings, given her interactions with Bajorans in the past, especially Bajoran Security Chiefs. She cast those thoughts aside. This was not Ben, although he did bear a superficial physical resemblance. "Lt.... Korn, is it?" she asked. She was never sure which name was the correct last name for a Bajoran. "I'm Lt. Cmdr. Lektar. Welcome aboard. I can show you to your quarters. Once you've settled into your new office, I'll have some things to go over with you."
"Reporting for duty Commander. It's an honour to be chosen for this posting." He could see the slight pause in the Commander before she greeted him. Shrugging it off, Zaje stands to attention. "I'm eager to take stock of the ship Commander. Whilst I appreciate the mission is of discovery, we can never be too prepared."
"Indeed," she agreed. "Seldom do any missions go smoothly or without surprises, in my experience. Come. Your quarters are on Deck 2 starboard, and the brig and armory is located on Deck 3."
She led the way to the turbolift. The ship was small and compact, everything seemed a short walk to everything else. "Deck 2," she said after they'd entered the lift. It was a short ride to Deck 2, where she stepped out and led the way a short distance down the hall. "Your quarters are here. Next door is the counseling office, and just across the hall from your quarters is the nearest escape pod location."
Arriving on Deck 2, Zaje turned to Shirik. "Thank you Commander." Zaje hoped he wouldn't need the escape pod any time soon, but better to know the location should he be caught napping. "Shall I get settled in and then come and find you? You mentioned you wanted to discuss some things with me?" Eager to get a glimpse of the defensive and offensive systems without a chaperone, Zaje makes a small bow of his head. "I don't want to take up too much of your time."
"Yes, but I think they can wait until you're fully settled in. I'll catch up with you later. If you have any questions about anything, feel free to ask."
"Maiden Voyage"
Captain Varissa sh'Orthamu, Commanding Officer
Lt. Cmdr. Greggory Griffith, First Officer
Lt. Korn Zaje, Chief Tactical Officer
Lt. Cmdr. Shirik Lektar, Chief Ops Officer
Lt. Cmdr. Raikon Achaea, Chief Engineer
Lt. Cerys Rowan, Chief Science Officer
Crewman 1st Class Dagh bim Braffin, Pilot
(Other characters as needed)
Stardate: 58807.11, 08h00
Location: Bridge, USS Vanguard
***
The time had finally arrived. The warp engines had been brought online and run through a series of tests, all the supplies and equipment for the ship's launch was in place, and her crew was mostly complete. Everyone was at their posts on the bridge preparing to leave Utopia Planitia.
Shirik sat at her console monitoring systems as the ship prepared to launch. She was a bit nervous as she'd not spent much time on a bridge position except during Gamma shift. This was her first launch. "Captain, we have received final clearance from Launch Control to leave drydock." she reported.
Raikon chirped in after her "All systems nominal, main power is online, engines are ready and warp drive is ready to go."
He was proud of his team. The last few weeks they put in some hardwork to get the ship ready and now everything was running perfectly. He looked over his shoulder to see what the rest were doing while keeping an eye on his own console.
Cerys rested one hand on the edge of the science console, more to remind herself she was standing still as the Vanguard prepared to move out of dry dock. She always got motion sickness.
This was it.
For years, she had imagined this moment on the bridge while buried in xenobotany texts. Somehow the real thing was quieter than she'd expected.
Except, of course, inside her own head.
In her head, an orchestra had decided today required a full overture. French horns swelled. Strings climbed. Percussion waited just behind the curtain, ready for the instant the ship cleared the dock. If someone had opened her skull, they might have found an entire symphony packed between her ears.
She glanced around the bridge at her new colleagues. Everyone carrying their own mixture of excitement and responsibility. Soon these strangers would become like family.
Cerys drew one slow breath, fingers dancing lightly over the science controls as the sensors fed out information.
Let's go find something wonderful, she thought.
The imaginary timpani rolled.
The familiar hum of a starship readying for departure is a strange familiar comfort for Zaje. He watches the bridge closely, reminding himself to keep calm. "Deep breaths Zaje" he whispers to himself.
Watching the tactical console, reports flood in.
"Tactical systems are green Captain. All stations report ready for departure"
The familiar rumble of the warp engine that had become such a calming, centering vibration for Varissa was humming -- the pitch, the cadence all new -- but the familiarity was there. This was a Federation vessel like all the others she'd served with. This one was just hers. Hers and her crews. This was the USS Vanguard. They needed a bit of pomp and circumstance; this was her coming out party and the galaxy was watching.
Captain sh'Orthamu ran a finger down her control panel before standing from her seat and looking to each of her senior staff members and tapping the comm on the left chest of her uniform.
"Computer -- patch me through shipwide comms, please. I'd like to address the entire crew for a moment..."
The artificial voice of the ship confirmed her order before she took a deep breath and continued.
"This is your captain speaking. I want all of you to remember this moment as we pull away from the shipyard and Mars and everything familiar. Not every crew gets to christen a ship, so this is one of those times you'll be telling future generations as they look at you with awe in their eyes and adventure in their hearts. We are the USS Vanguard. Our ongoing mission? To explore places known and unknown -- to conduct science to better understand this existence -- to meet new beings and discover new wonders the likes of which we do not yet comprehend. That's our job, people -- to define the undefineable. To explain the inexplicable. To chart the unknown. To find logic in the illogical. I am not a scientist -- but I'm in charge of making sure each and every one of you is given the space, resources and security to do your science -- stuff. I will be with you every step of the way as your personal cheerleader and ringleader, so do not hesitate to come to me with ideas and suggestions and whatever else you are cooking up in those brains of yours. I welcome it! I'm a fighter pilot that just has the experience to make a ship run the way it needs to. I'm your captain and you're my crew. I work for you and you work for me -- and we're going to have a hell of a lot of fun doing what we do. We are the Vanguard; we lead the way where others only dream to follow."
Another deep breath -- and the Andorian sat down, letting the shipwide comm halt.
"Alright, team -- let's let those ample nacelles breathe a little bit. Slow and steady away from the dock. Once we get far enough out, it'll be warp nine on my mark towards Alpha Centauri. We have a little delivery quest with some supplies before we get into the meat and potatoes."
Shirik looked up in surprise. Warp 9? Already? She glanced at Raikon, she hoped the new engines were up to it. They were about to find out.
Greggory sat upright, a small smile on his face as he listened to the captain's speech. As she finished, however, he crooked an eyebrow at her orders.
"Helm, take us out, 1/4 impulse. Once we're clear of Mars' gravity well, full impulse to the Oort Cloud."
Buying a few minutes to execute the next stage of her orders, he leaned over slightly as he spoke softly to Varissa. "Captain, I don't recall anything in the mission report that said this was an emergency situation. I understand you're used to going as fast as a fighter will carry you, but is Warp 9 warranted?"
Braffin had the same sour expression dragging at his tusks since he sat down at the helm. During the Captain's speech he gave a curt glance back over his shoulder, parting his jaw like he might say something, but turned back to his station grumbling inaudibly.
Initially he made no acknowledgement of Griffith's order. As if suffering from time dilation, he suddenly perked up several seconds late. "Aye, sir," he grunted, fingers racing from button to button as if to make up for lost time. A flurry of beeps later and he added: "One quarter impulse." Already the Red Planet was dwindling, the shipyards becoming a remote blemish across his face.
Raikon caught Shirik's glance after listening to the captain's speech. He gave her a "it's alright" nod. Turning towards his console he started sending messages down to his team in engineering. "Prepare yourself going warp 9, keep an eye out on the field integrity" a few seconds later a beep from his console let him know the team received and acknowledged the message.
A wry grin grew on her lips as her right antenna bobbed towards Greggory.
"Just making sure you're paying attention, numero uno. Don't want any of you to be sleepwalking through important moments. Quite right, Lieutenant Commander -- let's adjust that warp to a more modest three-point-seven so that we don't get our wrists smacked by brass straight out of the gate."
Shirik kept all her opinions to herself. The captain made an unusual order to test her crew. That's something she's never experienced before. She focused on monitoring ship's systems as the impulse engines came online and the Vanguard began to move smoothly out of drydock.
As Dagh accelerated to full impulse, Mars faded into just one star of many on the viewscreen, only notable for its red hue and relative brightness. After a few minutes he turned in his chair to the Captain, still wearing the same scowl.
"We're clear of the planet's gravity well, sir. Standing by for warp speed."
Greggory nodded to the Captain's remarks. He checked his own side panel to monitor the ship's systems as they crossed the outer planets. "Everyone, remember that this is a shakedown cruise. Let's make sure everything is working before we stress-test her. All departments, status report before we clear the system."
Shirik studied her console and spoke softly into the commlink to her department before reporting, "Operations reports all ready. Computer core standing by for warp."
A deep breath in --
-- and out.
"Time to see how she purrs." Varissa called out, leaning forward with a fingergun towards open space on that brand new viewscreen. "Helm: engage the core."
"Aye, sir." Braffin grunted.
He turned back to the helm and with another flurry of beeps keyed in their heading. Mars, already just a red smudge on the view screen, fell even further from the Vanguard until finally submerging into the sea of passing starlight.
"Warp one... warp two... warp three... warp three point seven." Grimacing at the console, he hesitantly looked back over his shoulder. "Our ETA at Alpha Centauri is... fifteen days at current velocity, Captain." He added to himself in a barely audible grumble, "Human space. So much for exploring..."
"Delivery quest," Cerys thought with an amused smile.
It was an unexpected way to describe their first mission. And she was curious.
She looked up from her science station toward the captain.
"Captain -- if I may, what exactly are we delivering? I'd love to know whether Science should be preparing for anything beyond enjoying the ride."
Zaje is surprised to hear the Captain's description of the mission. He and the security team haven't had any information passed to them regarding any cargo.
It's also the first time Zaje has noticed the Captain and Ops Chief are carrying blades on the bridge. He makes a mental note to discuss this with the Captain later.
Hearing Lt Rowan's query, Zaje chips in.
"It would be also useful from a security point of view to understand the cargo we're carrying. Do we need to make any special arrangements?"
Raikon was half listening to the chatter on the bridge, the warp 9 bit was a bit weird. He was looking at all the data that was coming in from engineering and the current performance of the ship. It was all looking good.
"Engineering, Tactical, Science. I'm still waiting on those status reports," Greggory said, holding back all but a hint of frustration. He was trying not to make an ass of himself on this first collective shift of the command crew, but he didn't appreciate being ignored. "Helm, you were specifically ordered to wait until we had left the Sol system before going beyond Warp 1, no matter how eager you are to get out of 'human space,'" he emphasized, indicating he had overheard the Tellarite's grumbling.
With his side panel, he sent off a quick acknowledgement of Ops, with an extra "Thank you" to Shirik for being the only one to not ignore his commands.
Distracted by the mysterious cargo, Zaje snapped out of it when hearing the Commander's tone. After a few presses of his console, he sent the tactical report to Lt Cmdr Griffith. Status report showing all green.
"Apologies Commander. Tactical reports all green. Deflector shields at the ready, phaser banks calibrated and photon torpedo launchers prepped."
Cerys felt her cheeks warm. She had let herself get distracted by the excitement of the launch.
First impressions matter, Rowan.
"My apologies, Commander. Science is fully mission capable. Long-range sensors, internal sensor arrays, stellar cartography, and laboratory support systems are all operating within normal parameters. We're ready for departure."
As she returned to her console, her gaze drifted briefly across the bridge.
She'd caught herself earlier thinking that these officers might one day become family. Perhaps they would. But families weren't built during stirring speeches or maiden voyages. They were built in long nights, impossible problems, shared victories, and the quiet moments in between. And all that is still yet to come.
Raikon looked up from his console and gave a side glance towards the commander. A little bit surprised as he gave a status report not long ago, but an order is an order.
"All systems nominal, main power holding steady, the matter-antimatter reaction is balanced and operating at peak efficiency. Warp field is holding and cruising at 3.7, Sir."
Dismissing the typical Tellarite rudeness -- the only way in her experience to deal with Tellarites -- she turned to the science station with a smile.
"Typical supplies, nothing we should be too worried about." She hummed to Cerys, then looking to Zaje with a quirked brow. "Not sure how this slipped by you and your team, Chief, but from now on I don't want a single piece of cargo entering this ship without being inspected. We're still working the bugs out of our system here so I'll accept this oversight at present, but have a team inspect the supplies and make sure everything is above board. Our new motto for security is 'better safer than sorrier', am I clear?"
She let out a sigh before addressing helm once more.
"Helm, once we've stress tested at three-dot-seven please coordinate with engineering to get us up to a smooth cruising pace of warp six. I think we would all appreciate getting finished with working out the kinks so that we can actually get to the science and exploration that this vessel was built for."
Rissa then turned to her XO and nodded. More firm than she would be, but they would need to work out those bugs not only in the system but with the crew, as well.
"I have the full manifest of the supplies, for any who may need to see it," Shirik offers. "I did a cursory inspection when they were brought aboard, but I'm sure not as thorough as our Security Chief would have."
She tapped a silent "You're welcome." to Griffith's panel but stayed otherwise focused on her console.
"Thank you Captain. I can assure you it won't happen again."
Zaje looks towards Commander Lektar and nods. It felt like she was helping Zaje's blushes. He quickly sends a message to one of the security teams to check the manifest and complete a security check.
Shirik caught Korn's look, and his blush, but her expression didn't change. She tapped on her console and sent the manifest to the security console for his review.
Greggory acknowledged the Captain's nod with a slight smile. "Agreed. I'll coordinate with Engineering to set up a proper stress-test after we finish our delivery." He looked over his shoulder at Raikon as he spoke, his gaze a little warmer as he made eye contact.
Good -- very good. Rissa felt a swell of pride in her chest for being able to delegate all of those responsibilities. With a flick of her fingers and wrist, she was pulling up star charts for their journey on the view screen, estimating arrival times and a course that would avoid any stellar bodies or debris.
"Steady on." She quietly said aloud, turning to her number one. "Griffith -- my apologies that we weren't able to rendezvous on Utopia Planitia. I would've liked to have a bit more time to coordinate before we took off, but -- I suppose it is what it is. Let's plan a meeting where we can outline my game plan for the crew and go over the brass tacks. Would you prefer talking after our shift tonight or before our shift tomorrow? I'm happy to remain flexible while we're taking care of mundane tasks and I prefer a slightly lax relationship with my first and second officers unless we're in go-mode."
Raikon gave a slight nod to the commander. The team will get it done no worries. This was the Vanguard's shakedown cruise. Stress testing and encountering teething problems were bound to happen. Looking back at his console no apparent issues were there.
"She's looking good at warp 3.7. Ready when you are helm."
Braffin huffed at the First Officer's backseat piloting but managed to hold his tongue for once, albeit with a restless tapping of his foot.
At the Lieutenant Commander's report he snapped his head back, answering brusquely, "Heard."
...after a beat he turned more sheepishly and, clearing his throat, added, "Err, sir."
Foot at ease, he took the reins of the helm and glided one finger across the console, a satisfying chirp from the computer confirming the input. The stars dragging across the viewscreen began to fly past, as if each was a ship like Vanguard. Ironically, they were moving faster as they fell around the galactic core, unlike Vanguard trapped in its own warped bubble of space.
"We've reached warp six," Braffin said, glancing uncertainly between the Captain and Chief Engineer. Eventually, he settled on the Chief. "How's the core looking?"
Raikon smiled as the crewman corrected himself. Tellarites can be abrasive sometimes but he does appreciate the directness -- they don't like faffing around. The Vanguard sped up to warp 6 and Raikon's display and graphs on his console were starting to go up a few notches.
"She's purring like a kitten. All systems are still nominal and working within parameters. Warp six confirmed."
"Love it. LOVE that communication! Familiarize yourselves with your shipmates, as far as the superior officer is comfortable. I want this ship to be tightly knit... we're far too small to get lost in a numbers game. I'm gonna be working with the senior staff to be shuffling shifts every month or so so that nobody is a stranger and we can all work together at all times, especially at red alert. We're going to be a well oiled force when the going gets tough, and you all aren't here on accident. I hand-picked this crew because I see something special in each of you... and I'm going to drag that success out of everyone. Helm, Engineering, please keep comms open with each other while on shift so that we're Johnny-on-the-spot. Comms, let HQ know that we're -- what was that you said, ECO? 'Purring like a kitten'? I like that... she does have a handsome little rumble to her, doesn't she?"
Greggory offered the captain a soft smile. "We've got plenty of time to get to know each other's command priorities. This is still a bit new to me, so I had my hands full coordinating with all the department heads. After shift tonight would be great, so I can include anything that comes up in my morning announcements."
Greggory had to focus on his console and take a deep breath to avoid reacting to the captain's enthusiasm as she spoke to the deck. He agreed with the sentiment, especially the idea of making sure any arrangement of crew were prepared for emergencies, but there was a bit too much energy for his taste. "I'm sure Ops will be on top of coordinating between Control's inputs and Engineering's performance." He gestured to the main viewer, showing the captain's course. "Might I suggest reaching out to fleet coordination to find us an open bit of space after we leave Centauri to do some tactical drills." Normally, he'd have just used the holodeck for drills, but with the ship's systems needing stress testing, might as well take care of both at once.
Shirik's eyes were on her console, watching everything. "All systems nominal, power usage normal," she reported. "ETA to Alpha Centauri at current speed 2 days, 19 hours."
"By the Book"
Lt. Korn Zaje, Chief of Security
Lt. Cmdr. Shirik Lektar, Ops Chief
Location: Security Office, Deck 3
Stardate: 58807.14, 15h45
***
Shirik was not looking forward to this meeting, for a number of reasons. Capt. sh'Orthamu's departure made it necessary. She was not going to go to the new captain with this, she was going to do it right this time. Well, technically, she hadn't gone to the captain with it last time either, the captain had just taken it up herself. She wondered if she'd ever gotten the chance to notify Korn as she said she would.
She found herself standing before the door of the Security office. Alpha shift would end in 15 minutes so she wanted to get this done before he was off duty. She straightened her back, took a breath, and stepped inside.
The small but muscled black-skinned woman paused a moment to let her violet eyes sweep the room. Her hair hung in a tight white braid down her back. She carried a PADD in her left hand, and a sheath strapped to her right thigh held her blade within reach but mostly out of obvious view. Her eyes found Korn at his desk and for a moment she just looked at him as old memories began to resurface. Bajoran, dark hair, the air of authority about him... It brought her back 9 years to the first moment she stepped into Ben's office to have this same conversation. The moment that changed her life. But this was not Ben. His eyes were not the same color as hers. She shook off the memory and approached his desk. "Lt. Korn," she greeted. "Do you have a moment to discuss something?" she asked.
Zaje sat deep in thought, scrutinizing security reports. Should the new captain query anything, he wanted to be ready. He didn't hear the Commander enter his office, so was slightly startled when she spoke. Not fitting for the Chief of Security to be surprised so easily.
"Of course Commander. How can I help?"
"You have no doubt studied my security file, as I have studied as much as I can about the rest of the crew, and I presume you are aware of my people's custom of always carrying a weapon with them?" She paused to be sure her presumption was correct before continuing. "My preference is to wear my Kemla at all times, and while I understand that may not be possible because of security protocols, at the same time, I feel rather... naked without it. Captain sh'Orthamu also carried a blade, and when she saw mine she immediately approved my carrying it, and said she would inform you. I have no idea whether she did or did not, but in light of her departure, I thought it best to go through proper channels for approval. I can answer any questions you may have about the blade itself or anything else.." she trailed off and decided to settle herself into a chair. Her every movement was unconsciously graceful, the result of years of proper training in how to carry herself as a member of the Royal House combined with her innate grace and agility. She was more lean and muscular than one might assume she'd be, unusually so.
Zaje listened closely to the Commander. He'd made a mental note to speak with her about the weapon, but circumstances had overtaken his priorities. Still he'd made an attempt to familiarize himself with the Commander's culture, including the need to carry, what he assumed, were ceremonial weapons.
Thankful the Commander had taken it upon herself to make the time to speak to him. "Of course Commander. As a Bajoran, I am familiar with customs which are not necessarily 'compatible' with Starfleet protocol," he replied as he touched his earpiece.
"I appreciate you speaking to me regarding this, and for what it is worth, I have no objections to you carrying the blade. If I may ask, what does the blade signify?"
"On my homeworld," she said carefully, "Many people are armed. Assassination attempts are common, especially among the Noble and Royal Houses. My blade is a Kemla, and is an item unique to me." She stood and slowly slid the 8-inch blade from its sheath to lay on his desk for examination. It was made of some sort of gleaming black metal, with a serrated back, a barbed tip, and a small channel running its length. There were runes etched into its length. "A Kemla is only possessed by those of high standing. This one was crafted by Drokar's finest bladesmith, and the runes indicate my House and standing. It is a priceless artifact, and has saved my life on numerous occasions." Her expression when she looked at the blade was almost one of affection.
Zaje studied the blade carefully as he listened to the Commander's explanation. He'd seen all manner of weapons in his time, but there was something primal about a blade. A memory of the Cardassian occupation flashed in his mind. Scenes of torture and brutality ran past his mind's eye. Shaking it off, Zaje met the Commander's eyes. "I appreciate you sharing this Commander. I would, if you would be willing, like to take some sparring sessions with you. It has been some time since I've had a quality opponent. I am quite 'skilled' with a Klingon Mek'leth."
More memories of Ben came unbidden to her mind, their blade spars. How can Zaje share so many traits with him, she wondered. Are all Bajorans like that? She shook off the thoughts once more. "Very well. It's the least I can do for you approving me to carry my blade." She reached to carefully pick the knife up once more and slip it into its sheath.
"I appreciate that Commander." Zaje always thought he was a good read of a person. It had helped him throughout his career, but there was something which made the Commander almost impossible.
"Was there something else Commander?"
"Indeed. On previous postings I worked with the Security Chiefs on new encryption algorithms based on my native language. If you are interested I can send you the notes on what we worked out to look over."
Ever one for enhancing his security, Zaje smiled warmly at the Commander.
"That would be very helpful Commander. I myself have developed high level encryption processes, but I am always keen to develop this further. You can never be too careful. Shall we schedule our first sparring session following conclusion of our maiden mission?"
The warmth in his smile disarmed her. That too reminded her of Ben. She didn't like it one bit. She nodded. "Schedule it sometime on a Beta shift, and just send it to my PADD. I'll place it on my itinerary."
The Commander's demeanor was almost impossible for Zaje to read. Was this normal for them? Was he being too overfamiliar? He'd always tried to be friendly and cordial with those in command, it made for much smoother communication and decision making. Zaje noted to keep his professional boundaries in place firmly with the Commander.
"Beta shift. Noted Commander. Thank you for stopping by, I don't want to monopolize your time."
"I know you must be busy as well," she said, her gaze now back on her PADD. "We'll converse later." With that she exited the Security office, and didn't let out her breath until she was out in the hall with the doors swooshed shut behind her. She hadn't wanted to agree to the spar, not with him, with someone who so easily triggered memories of Ben. But he had agreed surprisingly easily to letting her keep her Kemla and she felt obligated to agree in return. She wondered whether he hadn't read her security file or decided to decide for himself. Either way, she was glad. Even that was like Ben. She frowned to herself and focused back on her task list, heading away and deciding to stop into the mess hall to eat and work.
Zaje waited for the doors to close before letting out a puff of air. The interaction had left him feeling at odds, but he couldn't pinpoint what was causing his 'unease'. Admittedly, this was the first Drokari he'd met, so his frame of reference was pretty limited. Still, she had agreed to a sparring session and was willing to give some pointers on encryption protocols, which was welcomed.
Hopefully, given time, he'd be able to work on their relationship. At least as much as you can with a senior officer.
Shaking his head, Zaje focused back on his console. "Focus Zaje. Focus."
"First Mission"
Captain Lea Adele Chevalier, Commanding Officer
Lt. Cmdr. Greggory Griffith, First Officer
Lt. Korn Zaje, Chief Tactical Officer
Lt. Cmdr. Shirik Lektar, Chief Ops Officer
Lt. Cmdr. Raikon Achaea, Chief Engineer
Lt. Cerys Rowan, Chief Science Officer
Crewman 1st Class Dagh bim Braffin, Pilot
Lt. T'Lol, Chief Flight Control Officer
Lt. Iryna Nakhimova, Asst. Chief Flight Control Officer
(Other characters as needed)
Stardate: 58807.14, 08h00
Location: Bridge, USS Vanguard
***
Alpha Shift had just begun the morning after arrival at Alpha Centauri. The ship had arrived at 0300 and the Gamma shift crews had begun offloading cargo.
As Shirik took her position at Ops she went about checking on the ship's status and the cargo unloading progress. "Captain, the cargo teams report they're almost done offloading. Two Flight Control Officers should be coming on board as well."
Cerys glanced up from the science station with a faint, curious smile.
"Do we actually know what we've been hauling around all this time, or is it one of those things I'm better off not asking about?" She tilted her head slightly. "And has anyone heard when we're getting a mission briefing? Alpha Centauri is far too interesting a place to arrive without at least a little mystery attached."
"I did offer the full manifest to those who needed it," Shirik points out. "It was nothing out of the ordinary, equipment and materials for the University and its labs, and replacement parts for the colony infrastructure."
The turbolift doors swooshed open to unload the red-clad Tellarite. Even by Tellarite standards his eye bags were sunken, as if his eyes were hiding in the caverns of wrinkled skin. Braffin sat down at his station with a barely concealed yawn, taking a moment to blink in the marble on the viewscreen.
"Wonder what these flight controllers are gonna be like." He had shown a habit of doing that over the past few days: thinking aloud. Thankfully nothing rude came out this time. "Hopefully not like that weasel on the Firesword," he grumbled a moment later. Well, nothing too rude...
Shirik raised an eyebrow at the sleepy Tellarite arriving late for his shift. She expected Griffin may have words with him about it. Luckily for him, she was not his boss.
Raikon sat at his duty station, tapping away a report on the ships first endurance warp 6 run while keeping a eye on the live readings.
Nothing exciting is happening at the moment as they were in orbit around the planet.
Greggory walked onto the bridge, looking around at those coming on shift and those waiting for their relief. He nodded to the person sitting in the command chair, relieving them and taking over until the captain arrived. On his way over to his seat, he made eye contact with Shirik, giving her a faint smile.
"How'd the ship do on her first prolonged run, Cmdr Achaea?" he asked, looking towards that end of the bridge.
Shirik met Greggory's gaze when he entered the bridge, acknowledging his faint smile with a small nod of her head before turning her attention back to her console.
Stopping mid sentence in his report Raikon turned towards the XO.
"We had to do some tweaking along the way, minor adjustment nothing to worry about. Something to be expected after a major refit."
Turning back to his console he continued filling in his report. "You'll have my report within the hour Sir."
Regarding the full manifest of items the Vanguard had been transporting, Iryna answered Commander Lektar seated to her left without looking up from her console.
"Da, da. Lots of tings. Big tings. Smoll tings."
The words came out absently, almost automatic. A moment later a yawn escaped her before she could stop it. She tapped at the flight controls with no real urgency, just enough to confirm the attitude control thrusters were still holding Vanguard steady in position.
The soft hiss of the turbolift drew her attention. Crewman Dagh stepped onto the bridge—her Tellarite counterpart in the flight control department.
"No. Not like furry leetle veasel," she replied in a flat, deadpan tone, her thick Russo-Ukrainian accent blurring the edges of the words until they nearly ran together. She spun the chair just far enough to give him a brief nod of acknowledgment. The gesture was polite enough, but the heavy blink that followed made the sleep deprivation obvious.
Gamma shift—her first aboard Vanguard since transferring from one of the Alpha Centauri outposts—had been long and relentlessly dull. A handful of minor course corrections. A few adjustments to the reaction control thrusters. Mostly just reading through the endless engine-maintenance reports. The quiet had drained what little energy she had left.
Mercifully, it was almost over. Lieutenant T'lol would be along any minute to relieve her.
Then the turbolift opened again and Commander Griffith stepped onto the bridge.
Iryna's hazel eyes flicked toward him for a quick, appraising glance. A second later she spun back to face her console, suddenly very busy with the controls, determined not to give him any reason to comment on her wandering attention.
"Good morneeng, Comandeer." she said over her shoulder to the moderately-tall XO.
A beep sounded on Shirik's console. "Commander, there's an incoming message from Admiral Calloway at Starfleet Command. He wants to speak to you." She looked mildly surprised and looked up to see how Griffith wanted the call handled.
"Glad to hear she's holding up, Commander. I'll be eager to read the full report." He warmly nodded at Raikon as he turned back to the Engineering console.
As he approached the front of the room, he glanced down, looking longer once he noticed who was currently at the helm. "Lieutenant Nakhimova, welcome aboard. I'm glad to see our additional crew made it over already."
Upon hearing the chime of the intraship comm, he turned and made eye-contact with Shirik. "To me? If the Captain hasn't already reported to the bridge this morning, I suppose I'll take it in the ready-room," he concluded, striding toward the door.
"Yes, sir." She tapped in the commands to transfer the call there.
Upon entering the room, and sparing a quick glance to make sure the captain wasn't lying in wait, he approached the desk and turned the monitor around, accessing the admiral's message.
"Commander Griffith," Admiral Calloway began, "I regret to inform you that Captain sh'Orthamu was called away on a family emergency. As this is not an emergency situation for your ship, your record doesn't warrant a field promotion. Another captain has already been dispatched from Alpha Centauri. You'll find the transfer orders and command authorization attached to this message. Starfleet Command, out."
Greggory stood there, reading the orders. He took a deep breath, understanding how things looked from Starfleet's perspective.
"Griffith to Bridge. We're going to be in orbit a bit longer than expected. Shirik, notify me when our latest transfer comes aboard." Taking the seat at the desk, he quickly began reading his new captain's official record, preparing himself.
After a few minutes Griffith's message came back. Shirik nodded even though he couldn't see her. "Aye, sir." she acknowledged.
Shortly behind the Commander's arrival, the turbo lift once again whooshed open quietly. Stepping onto the bridge; One green haired, Vulcan Lieutenant, hands clasped behind the small of her back. T'lol paused for a moment, taking in the bridge. Personally she thought the sudden transfer from Starfleet HQ had been slightly rushed, they'd had plenty of time to inform her of her new orders long before Vanguard had actually reached the station after all, which would have allowed her to report to the commanding officer ahead of her first shift. Orders, however, were orders. In her brief scan of the bridge, her eyes alighted upon the highest ranking officer present and moved to the Ops Officer.
"Lieutenant Commander Lektar? Lieutenant T'lol, Chief Flight Control Officer, reporting for duty." The Vulcan spoke softly, but clearly, standing ready at attention. There was an undeniable catch in her accent, specifically the way she pronounced the rank. LEF-tentant, not LIEU-tenant.
Shirik raised a very Vulcan-like eyebrow in response, her violet gaze taking in this Vulcan with odd-colored hair before flicking to the blonde currently at the helm and the sleepy Tellarite still on the bridge. "It seems there has been some miscommunication as to the shift assignments for flight crew," she muttered, looking down at her console and tapping keys. "Lt. Nakhimova, you are relieved until Gamma shift. Crewman Dagh, you have been reassigned to Beta Shift as of now. Please report back to the bridge then, and do try to be more awake. Lt. T'Lol... welcome to the bridge."
Then tapped her commbadge. "Commander Griffith. Our Chief Flight Control Officer has just arrived, if that's the transfer you were waiting for..."
It'd been little more than four hours since the emergency subspace communication from Admiral Calloway had come in. Lea's orders had changed, and she now found herself assigned to take command of an entirely different vessel than the one she'd originally set out for. Circumstances, as Admiral Calloway had explained, were of such an extraordinary sort that the situation demanded a certain degree of adaptation on his part, and more importantly, on hers. Of course, it had frustrated Lea, as she'd spent the previous two weeks getting properly acquainted with the personnel files and schematics of the Intrepid-class USS Ticonderoga, only to be given command of the Nova-class USS Vanguard and its personnel instead.
A part of her thought to refuse the orders, not because she didn't appreciate the opportunity to command the Vanguard, or that she felt slighted by missing out on the Ticonderoga, but rather because she wondered if this was the Universe's cosmic way of telling her to delay accepting command just a bit longer.
After all, she'd refused several previous offers.
But then a little voice at the back of her mind convinced her otherwise. Alexandre always had a way of finding the silver lining whenever things seemed dour, and she could imagine him trying to spin the 'cosmic interference' narrative on its head; after all, what if this had been the Universe's way of making sure she ended up in the right place?
Lea stifled a laugh, smiling a bit broader as she glanced at the crewman standing beside her in the turbolift cabin. "How long have you served aboard the Vanguard, Crewman Finley?" she asked him politely, the soft lilt of her French accent lingering in her voice. He had been assigned by the on-duty transporter chief as an escort.
"Not long, Ma'am," he replied.
Lea nodded appreciatively, affording him a generous smile as the whirring sound of the lift came to a halt. "Thank you." She stepped forward as the doors parted at the seam and, with a confident stride, emerged onto the bridge of the Vanguard. The scarlet-red of her uniform shoulders and the four golden pips on her collar caught the light, easily identifying her as Captain. With a wry smirk, Lea caught the tail end of something being said by the dark-skinned woman seated at the Chief Operations station. "I don't believe that to be the case, Commander," she responded, her crystal-blue eyes gazing across the bridge to gauge at least some of her crew.
"Commander Shirik! This is Captain Chevalier," the crewman explained as he followed after the Captain, a small PADD in hand that contained transfer orders for the newest Captain of the Vanguard. He briskly moved past Lea and approached Shirik.
Lea once again afforded a courteous nod, this time at Commander Shirik.
Iryna had all but checked out of the repartee going on around her among the other officers, catching something about an incoming message from the Admiral, and the subsequent arrival of a Vulcan Lieutenant.
Her eyes felt dry, her head throbbed, and she ached for bed.
But at the mention of her name, she blinked back to focus, spun a quarter-turn to her left, and glanced at Commander Lektar, then to the aforementioned Vulcan. Two and two suddenly clicked; Lieutenant T'lol had arrived, and Iryna's first Gamma-shift aboard the Vanguard could indeed come to a merciful end. "Ura, nareshti!" she exclaimed energetically, her Russo-Ukrainian upbringing sneaking through once more — or rather, "Hooray! Finally!" in Federation Standard. Pushing up from her station, she stood and brushed her skirted uniform down once with both hands before she made way for her superior to take over the conn.
"Good morning, Lieutenant," she said, affording T'lol an appreciative smile.
An instant later, her gaze shifted to the turbolift at the aft-starboard position as an officer she'd not yet met emerged, followed by a crewman she also hadn't met. The woman seemed to have an air of confidence about her.
Another Captain? Iryna raised an eyebrow before she glanced to the Vulcan.
Shirik looked up, her expression an odd mixture of surprise and annoyance. "That's Commander Lektar," she corrected. Her expression went neutral once more as she accepted the offered PADD, and even while looking it over was already calling the ready room. "Commander Griffith, Captain Chevalier is here..." she said. She couldn't help but wonder what happened to Captain sh'Orthamu, whose absence this morning she had noticed.
Raikon finished the last bit of his report and sent it off to the appropriate channels. He had added a addendum for Commander Griffith knowing he would appreciate a more in depth technical brief. Running his hands over his face to get the sleep out and refresh himself after typing the report he turned around in his seat on time seeing a unfamiliar face striding into the bridge and introducing herself as the captain.
"Captain on deck!!" Raikon called out getting out of his seat and standing at attention.
Shirik managed to refrain from rolling her eyes as Achaea jumped to his feet.
Greggory stood up from the desk when Shirik sent her first message. He closed out the personnel files before heading towards the door. He hadn't made it five steps before her update came through. He nodded to himself and strode purposefully onto the bridge.
A quick glance at the collected group of flight officers gave him a moment of pause, but he turned and walked up to the newest CO, offering a handshake. "Captain Chevalier, welcome aboard. May I presume that Admiral Calloway already gave you our first assignment?"
He looked around at the assembled officers, in various states of attention. "Did you want to address the elephant in the room, or should I?"
"Thank you Commander." T'lol replied to Lt. Commander Lektar before giving a nod to Lieutenant Nakhimova as she made space at the Conn and settled in. "Good morning Lieutenant." she replied formally. Taking in a moment to acquaint herself with the ship's position and attitude, T'lol immediately set about changing the controls to her own preference with a few quick, experienced inputs, setting them up as a preset she could freely change for the default at the end of her shift.
She was interrupted however at the announcement of a captain on the bridge. Stopping, T'lol looked up from her station towards the turbolift, with the aforementioned typical Vulcan arch of an eyebrow. It was unlikely anyone would recognize surprise on her face, but she was.
As the brief scramble of shift change went on for a few seconds, her Vulcan Chief Flight Officer taking the place of a blonde she assumed to be the assistant, Lea was trying to put names to faces using what little she'd managed to learn of the crew so far.
Lektar at Ops. T'lol taking the conn. Nakhimova coming off duty. Achaea at the Engineering station? It would take time to know for sure.
Gently, she then cocked one eyebrow higher than the other as she observed Commander Lektar's reaction to the crewman, who'd just committed the faux pas of getting the woman's rank and preferred name wrong. A small curl soon appeared at the corner of her lips as she sensed the relative annoyance displayed by the Chief of Operations, a recollection of the brief perusal of her personnel file that Lea had managed to sneak in; indeed, she was living up to her reputation already. Lea knew she'd have to keep an eye on that and, if necessary, clamp down, but as it was, the firm correction was far from overboard compared with what she might have permitted.
An instant later, her focus shifted to a bearded man who stood and called the bridge to attention in recognition of a Commanding Officer's arrival on deck. Word seemed to travel fast, Lea surmised, as she realized the proverbial cat was out of the bag.
"That's quite all right, Commander. At ease." She afforded him an appreciative nod.
Simultaneously, she caught the stifled sarcastic roll of a pair of lilac-tinted eyes from the corner of her own azure ones. Her gaze returned to the woman with obsidian-dark skin seated at the port side of the forward console.
Yet as the portside-aft doors slid open once more, Lea heard sure-footed steps approaching her with a steadfastness quite heavily tinged with authority. "Commander Griffith, thank you!" She accepted the offered hand politely, and though she sensed a masculine, if also pensive, firmness to his grip, she reciprocated a bit more gently, acknowledging his strength without feeling the need to match it. "Indeed, the Admiral has informed me of our situation, and our orders. Please..." The soft lilt of her accent lingered in her voice as she released his hand and motioned for him to take his station at the XO's position.
"Commander Lektar, if you would please open a ship-wide channel, that I might address the crew regarding Captain sh'Orthamu, and our orders." Her eyelids narrowed ever so slightly, as though to further gauge the Chief's reaction.
Iryna, painfully aware of the siren call of her bed all the way down on Deck 4, blinked her heavy eyelids as she took up a position near the aft-starboard turbolift, content to linger just a moment to see what this was all about.
Though an instant later, at the call to attention from Commander Achaea, Iryna found herself similarly inclined, like Lektar, and about to roll her eyes at the overt formality. She thought better of it, and instead pushed off the bulkhead with her shoulder to stand a bit straighter rather than keep slouching. Yet when Commander Griffith returned, and this time she'd actually noticed him, she found herself a bit more interested in observing due protocol. She cleared her throat and adjusted her stance, hands at her sides.
By this time Shirik's expression was back to the neutral one she usually wore, her attention now on her console as the Captain addressed her. "Yes, Captain," she said, her ebony fingers deftly tapping in commands. The console beeped in response. "Channel open."
Cerys had been studying her science console for long enough that she was beginning to resent it for having nothing interesting to report. But she kept noticing the empty space at the center of the Bridge. Where exactly is Captain sh'Orthamu?
She still hadn't decided what she thought of the Captain. There had always been something about her that left Cerys vaguely unsettled, though she had never managed to identify anything more concrete than a feeling, which was terribly inconvenient for a scientist.
Then the bridge snapped to attention as someone announced "Captain in the bridge!" Cerys looked up as an unfamiliar woman entered. Oh. The way everyone reacted answered at least one question. Well. That's new.
And, rather embarrassingly, Cerys felt herself relax. She immediately frowned at herself. Don't look relieved. You don't even know where the woman went. Transferred, perhaps. Reassigned. Something perfectly mundane. Possibly eaten by a spatial anomaly, but we're not rooting for that. Still, the relief remained.
Then came mention of an Admiral, new orders, and apparently a ship-wide announcement concerning Captain sh'Orthamu. Cerys abandoned all pretense of working. Right. So not a routine personnel shuffle, then.
Her attention shifted fully toward the unfamiliar Captain, curiosity rapidly overtaking everything else. Who are you? And, perhaps more importantly: What happened to the last one?
Raikon gave her a quick nod and "Ma'am" before sitting down again behind his console. He didn't care about the looks or eye rolls he elicited. He found sometimes discipline a bit lax in Starfleet but found it was always up to the captain to enforce or not.
A little show of respect to a newly arrived Captain is one of them...
Lea's hand went to the Starfleet delta pinned to the left side of her uniform, a faintly audible chirp sounding as it activated and connected to the ship-wide channel Commander Lektar had just opened.
"Attention, all officers and crew of the USS Vanguard, NCC-76381. I am Captain Lea Chevalier. Effective immediately, I am assuming command of this vessel by order of Admiral Calloway. I cannot speak to the specific details regarding the absence of Captain sh'Orthamu, only that she has been relieved of duty for a personal matter, at her request." Pausing a moment to let what she had just revealed sink in, Lea cast a wide gaze across the bridge to the various officers at their respective stations. "My expectations are that you will continue to serve this ship, your fellow crew, and the Federation with the same professionalism you showed during your brief time under her command. Thank you. Chevalier out."
With that, Lea tapped her commbadge once more to close the channel. Her gaze once more went to Griffith. "Commander, our orders state that we are to travel to the last known position of the USS Kepler, an Oberth-class vessel that has gone missing while en route to chart a nebula near the Bandari system. Please see to it that we are ready to be underway within the hour, and notify me accordingly. You have the bridge." A short nod later, Lea stepped past her XO and through the aft port-side door which led out into the access corridor, her intent to retreat to her new ready room so she might report to Admiral Calloway, and perhaps settle in just a bit.
Once the doors parted and Lea stepped into what was now her ready room, she let out a deep exhale and glanced about, feeling a sense of ease, excitement, and wonder at what lay ahead of her and her crew at the start of this journey together.
T'lol blinked as she processed what their new Captain had said, watching her head to the ready room, before T'lol gave herself a slight shake and returned her attentions on her console. A few more inputs and a mental note to contact Varissa at the end of her shift were made. Brushing a few strands of green hair from her eyes, she glanced up at Commander Griffith "Course laid in for the Bandari System, Commander, helm standing by." The Vulcan then returned to her console, adjusting attitude thrusters as needed.
Shirik closed the channel once the Captain finished her announcement. She was no stranger to last-minute reassignments so thought nothing of it. But she wondered what had happened to Capt. sh'Orthamu that she had to leave so suddenly, and that left her with an issue she would have to address soon. She would have to find the Security Chief after shift.
Greggory shook the captain's hand, the gentle but confident grip reassuring. At her gesture, he walked over to his chair, though he didn't actually sit, yet. Looking around the bridge crew, he couldn't help a small smile when he saw Iryna waiting by the turbolift, curiosity warring with her obvious fatigue.
As he listened to Captain Chevalier's address, he nodded along at the information he already knew, meeting the captain's eye with a firmer nod. "Orders received, Captain. I'll see to it." He waited until she had left the bridge, then turned to Shirik. "Commander Lektar, do one last check with the quartermaster, make sure all the supplies and personnel we're expecting have been transported up from planetside. Once that's complete, we'll set out. Commander Achaea, I believe you already said Engineering is ready for whatever we ask of the engines?"
After getting helm's report, he nodded. "Good to hear. Take us into a high orbit in preparation for departure until Ops gives the all-clear, then engage at Warp 7. Lieutenant Rowan, work with astrometrics to give us likely locations the Kepler may have drifted to, or any marginally hospitable planets between their last reported location and the Bandari system where they may have sought shelter. I want your report by the time we arrive," he finished, turning from the Science station to finally take his seat.
"Aye sir." Shirik started tapping at her console, asking for status reports from her crew and checking manifests herself. "Coordinates of the Kepler's last known location have been transmitted to us," she reported. "Sending them to Helm. The last of the cargo is being offloaded now. We should be ready shortly."
Seated comfortably at what was now her desk, Lea had already logged into the computer terminal with her credentials, and as the databases updated, she sipped at a tiny cup of espresso.
"Computer, shipboard time, please?" she inquired.
"The shipboard time is oh-eight-twenty-two," the computer answered.
With a succinct nod, she took another sip to finish the last of her much-needed caffeine boost, and after setting the cup back onto its saucer, she snatched the accompanying bit of chocolate biscotti and popped it into her mouth to munch on as she scrolled through the list of files that had so far been transferred. She worked quickly, highlighting those the Admiralty had forwarded with regard to their mission, and began sending them out to their respective department heads as additional briefing material. Simultaneously, she began making requests for status updates from each of them, wanting to ensure their departments were ready for whatever lay ahead.
When she resumed scrolling through the other information that had been forwarded, one file in particular — marked Captain's Eyes Only and sent by Admiral Hargrove at Starfleet Intelligence — elicited a sigh from her.
She'd read it once already, recalling the concerns voiced regarding a particular member of her new senior staff, but truth be told, Lea wasn't sure how much stock she could put in everything it warned of. Lea had dealt with Starfleet Intelligence at times during her career, especially during the Dominion War, and knew well how oversensitive and suspicious they could sometimes prove to be. Sure, there had been times when that suspicion was warranted, but she couldn't help but wonder if this was truly one of those times. In a way, the brief from the Admiral read as though it had been tinged with a heavy sense of xenophobia, and that troubled her immensely.
Regardless, she knew she would have to make her own assessments, and swore to herself that she would not let her sense of impartiality be tainted by what she'd read, no matter how potentially distressing some of it appeared to be.
The captain of a starship had to be fair in her judgments.
Raikon turned slightly in his seat and responded to Commander Griffith. "Yes Sir, she's ready to go on your command." Turning back to his console Raikon resumed his work. There wasn't much to prepare — the engineering team were ready to be underway.
T'lol nodded wordlessly, adjusting their position for departure. "Updating projected course," the Vulcan stated after a moment, her console pinging as it received the coordinates from Ops while Vanguard settled into her new, higher orbit smoothly. "Course plotted," T'lol said, glancing at Lt. Commander Lektar. "Standing by for Warp 7."
Cerys remained at the science station while the new Captain addressed the ship, doing her best impression of an officer who had absolutely not spent the previous several seconds wondering who the hell this woman was. Lea Chevalier. There. Mystery solved. One mystery, anyway.
Captain sh'Orthamu's absence was apparently due to a personal matter, and she had been relieved at her own request, which was an impressively efficient way of using several words to convey almost no information whatsoever. Cerys raised an eyebrow. Excellent. Glad we cleared that up.
Still, sh'Orthamu was apparently all right. And it made Cerys feel considerably less guilty about the small, undeniable sense of relief she'd experienced upon learning someone else was sitting in the command chair. Then Chevalier mentioned the USS Kepler. Missing. Cerys turned immediately back to her console. Oh.
An Oberth-class science vessel had stopped communicating en route to a nebula survey. This was, objectively, terrible. It was also the most interesting thing Cerys had heard in several days, which was an uncomfortable occupational hazard of being in Starfleet.
Commander Griffith began issuing orders. When he reached Science, Cerys turned toward him and nodded. "Aye, Commander. I'll have Science ready for departure and a preliminary assessment of the Kepler's last known position before we arrive."
She turned back to her console and pulled up the available astrometric data. The first thing she discovered was... Nothing. Cerys frowned. She widened the display. Still nothing. The Kepler had stopped communicating in an apparently empty region of space, roughly two light-years short of the nebula it had been traveling to study. No star. No planet. No conveniently enormous spatial phenomenon sitting at the coordinates with a little sign reading MYSTERY HERE. Well. That's inconsiderate.
She pulled the map farther out. The nearest stellar system was NXT-3002, the Bandari system, a G-class star with seven planets and two moons. It lay well away from the Kepler's last known position, and roughly seven light-years from the nebula itself. Cerys opened the system record. Then paused. The most recent sensor chart had been conducted by the USS Bangalore. Seventy-five years ago. She stared at the date. Oh, good. Archaeology.
Cerys began pulling up the Bangalore's original survey data anyway. Seventy-five years wasn't terribly long on an astronomical scale. On a Starfleet-charting scale, however, it was long enough for the universe to have developed several new and exciting ways of being unpredictable.
She returned to the Kepler's last known coordinates. Empty space. That bothered her. Not because empty space was unusual. Most of space was empty. It was arguably space's most defining characteristic. But starships generally did not stop communicating because they had encountered an especially aggressive patch of nothing.
Cerys brought up the Kepler's intended course and traced it toward the nebula, then across toward Bandari. Perhaps there was a connection. Perhaps there wasn't. At this distance, she had no justification for inventing one simply because it made the map more interesting. Very tempting, though.
That familiar spark of scientific excitement had already begun, and seeing the names cooled it immediately. She looked at the Kepler's crew manifest sitting quietly beside the telemetry. Names. Departments. Scientists who had probably been sitting at consoles much like hers when whatever happened had happened. The puzzle suddenly felt rather less abstract.
Cerys returned to the Kepler's final coordinates and began assembling her preliminary report. The curiosity was still there. Of course it was. She couldn't switch that part of herself off. But now it had somewhere useful to go. She stared at the little marker representing the Kepler's last known position.
All right. Where did you go?
Zaje met eyes with his new colleagues after the new captain's announcement. Whilst he hadn't had time to engage with Captain sh'Orthamu, he liked how she had conducted herself, albeit slightly unorthodox.
His ears pricked up further at the mention of the USS Kepler. It's never a good sign when a Starfleet vessel fails to report in on what should be a routine mission. There were too many variables to factor in to make an assumption about what had happened.
"Captain, if I may, I'd like to run some battle and defensive drills whilst en route. I would rather be prepared in case we encounter any less than friendly contacts."
Zaje quickly sent a message to his security teams to compile dossiers on the Kepler crew.
Once the cargo transfer was completed, Greggory straightened in his seat. "Alright, Helm. Take us out. Warp 7, engage."
"Captain Chevalier," he called over the comm, "we have left the Alpha Centauri system. We should arrive within 48 hours."
Turning to his tactical officer, he made eye contact. "I trust that will be enough time for some drills in the holodeck? Work with Engineering for a systems check. We'll have to push the live-fire drills until after this mission, assuming we don't end up doing a trial-under-fire. But I'll make sure that's in the schedule the next time we're not short on time."
"36 hours, Commander," Shirik said from her console. "We should arrive at approximately 2000 hours tomorrow."
Inside her ready room, Léa had just returned the empty espresso cup and saucer to the replicator housing for recycling when the stars beyond the viewport blue-shifted and began to streak past.
They had gone to warp.
"Captain Chevalier, we have left the Alpha Centauri system. We should arrive within forty-eight hours," came her XO's voice over the comm.
"Yes. Understood, Number One. Thank you." Léa replied after tapping the commbadge pinned beneath her left shoulder. She closed the channel with a similar gesture, then turned to take in the ready room once more, wondering how she might give the space more of her own personality. She recalled Captain Halladay explaining that a few mementos from one's past could make subordinates feel less threatened when reporting there—and, at the same time, make an irate admiral feel a little less intimidating. A two-fold defense, he had teased.
The memory of her former CO brought a smile as she exhaled softly.
Pleasant as the distraction was, Léa knew she had more pressing matters to attend to. Most notably, she still needed to name the Vanguard's Second Officer, a role that had gone unfilled under Captain sh'Orthamu. She had gone over her senior staff a number of times, and three names stood out as candidates for 2XO. First was Lieutenant Commander Achaea. He was experienced and seemed poised to make a jump to the command track, but Léa disliked the idea of depriving the Vanguard of her chief engineer so early in a mission. Second was Lieutenant Korn, another experienced candidate. His tactical expertise and service as security chief made him a natural leader, though he would need a promotion if selected.
Léa took her seat and activated the terminal on her desk, bringing up the dossier of the third candidate she had in mind: Lieutenant Commander Lektar. Like the others, she had experience, and as chief operations officer, naming her 2XO was a natural fit.
With a deep sigh, Léa shook her head, dismissing something still nagging at her.
Knowing she did not have all the answers—and recalling how often Captain Halladay had relied on her advice for difficult decisions—she decided to follow in his footsteps.
She tapped her commbadge. "Commander Griffith, please report to my ready room."
Zaje met Cmdr. Griffith's eye. "Of course sir, there will be ample time, thank you. I will work with engineering as you suggest. She'll be ready for a fight...should the need arise."
He didn't like leaving things unprepared. It's always been drilled into him to be ready for the unexpected and he'd made it his duty to try and cover all eventualities. "Not this time Zaje, not this time" he thought to himself.
Greggory sat in his chair as Alpha Centauri fell away behind them, looking over department reports and shipboard incident reports.
A short time later, he got a call from the captain. "On my way, Captain." Standing up, he quickly swept his eyes over the bridge crew. He tried, to varying degrees of success, not to linger on any particular face as he reviewed what he had read in personnel files.
"Commander Achaea, you have the Conn." After receiving acknowledgment, he headed towards the ready room.
Stopping just inside the door, he announced himself. "You wanted to see me, Captain?"
"Aye, Sir. I have the conn." Raikon replied leaving the engineering station and sitting down in the captain's chair.
He noted the change of command in the logs. He relaxed in the chair, there wasn't anything to do at the moment but keep the current heading and wait to arrive.
At the sound of the doors opening, Lea looked up from the reports she had been reading at her desk. "Yes. Please, have a seat." She motioned toward either of the chairs on the opposite side of the desk.
"Commander..." She paused a moment, leaning back in her chair, her eyes shifting to the viewport and the stars streaming by outside. "...I wanted to make something clear to you about my expectations for you as my Executive Officer." She knew better than to obfuscate the sort of guidance and advice she would want from her Number One, and she decided against mincing words with Griffith. She needed to be forthright about any concerns she had, and in turn trust him to act with the confidence she would expect of her right hand. Her own experience as an XO shaped her decision-making here.
"I have read your files. I have seen the mission reports from Captain sh'Orthamu. They were, of course, satisfactory - but I want to avoid the mistake of making assumptions." Her gaze returned to him. "You should know that I intend to count on you for your honest opinions, because I will in turn share my own, whether or not they ruffle feathers. If we are going to be successful in this mission, and in any future missions, then we must ensure that the command relationship between captain and executive officer is one of trust, and a willingness to embrace that honesty. I am not looking for a yes-man when decisions need to be made. I will want your input."
After a short pause, she allowed her expression to lighten slightly. "Of course, I am not asking you to be obstinate either. There is a balance a Number One has to find in the role, and I am sure you will find it."
"But for the time being, can I count on your due diligence with regard to the honesty I am seeking from you?"
At the captain's address, he walked across the room to stand across the desk. Stoically, he listened to her concerns. "I understand the difference between time for debate and time for unification, Sir. In the spirit of honesty, permission to speak freely?"
"I have always heard that a captain's first obligation is to the mission and a first officer's obligation is to the ship and crew. I intend to offer advice and question your orders on that principle. Once your orders are final, however, I will carry them out to the best of my abilities, in the best method available to me. If there's a way through a tough situation, we'll find it together."
"When we're in this room, you're always free to speak, Commander." Léa answered, giving her full attention to her new Number One, her crystal-blue eyes intent on his mannerisms as he began.
He could—and would—speak his mind, she realized immediately.
Good, she thought.
A moment later, when he had finished his carefully measured declaration, in which Léa found more than a little common ground, she offered him a modest smile of affirmation. "I'm glad to hear it, Commander. And indeed, if you can abide such an arrangement—as you have outlined, and as I have put forth—then I don't see why we wouldn't find success together." She laced her fingers together, set her hands atop her desk, and leaned forward a little, seemingly pleased by this early exchange with the man she would have to rely on more closely than anyone else in the weeks and months ahead, however long her assignment to the Vanguard lasted.
"Now, I understand Captain sh'Orthamu had not yet named her second officer, and I would be remiss if I allowed our ship to enter circumstances that might threaten the chain of command without completing that task. We do not know what awaits us in our search for the missing Kepler." For a moment she glanced right again, at the stars streaming past the ready-room viewport. "And as I am to rely on you as my first, you—should something happen to me—would have to rely on someone else among our senior staff to act as yours. Which is why I would like your input in naming them."
She leaned back a little, her hands parting as she reached for a particular PADD among several on her desk. "There are three names that immediately stand out to me as suitable candidates: Commander Achaea, Commander Lektar, and lastly Lieutenant Korn."
She set the PADD at the front of her desk for Griffith to review. "All three have potential, but each comes with drawbacks. Commander Achaea is our chief engineer, and may already have his hands full. Lieutenant Korn would need to be promoted if we named him, though that is a minor issue. And Commander Lektar..." Her voice trailed off for a moment as her thoughts returned to the warnings she had read in the private communiqué from Admiral Hargrove at Starfleet Intelligence. "...as chief of operations, naming her second officer is a natural thought, though I'm not sure how familiar you are with her history. Suffice it to say, some concerns have been raised."
Léa leaned back once more, crossing one thigh over the other as her hands came to rest in her lap. "Can I assume Captain sh'Orthamu approached you with this dilemma before her resignation, and have you had time to consider these options?"
She tilted her head slightly, inviting a response.
Raikon sat quietly in the Captain's chair, looking over the latest engineering reports on his PADD. He was glad to see that the months of work refitting her had paid off and that everything was operating within parameters. The last hour had been quite uneventful.
In the meantime, someone from the engineering team had replaced him at his station monitoring Engineering.
After a few moments, he rested the PADD on his lap and looked to his left toward the operations station. He felt it was time to have the various stations report in.
"Commander Lektar, anything to report?"
"One bioneural gelpack has gone offline on Deck 6, but the new automatic systems rerouted as expected," Shirik reported to Achaea. "The affected pack is being replaced now. I'll begin analysis on why it malfunctioned once it's available. Other than that, all systems seem to be functioning normally."
As the conversation moved to a more lengthy topic, Greggory took the seat in front of the captain's desk. "Fortunately, Captain sh'Orthamu had already requested such a discussion before her untimely departure." Pulling out his own PADD from a pocket along his thigh, he called up his prepared report, syncing it with Lea's PADD.
"Raikon Achaea certainly has the experience to be the 2XO, but I know personally how busy being Chief Engineer can be. He's a fine bridge officer and can handle the CONN, but in an emergency, I wouldn't want to take his focus away from coordinating engineering teams. Korn Zaje has a similar problem, although his command experience seems rather recent."
Greggory shifted in his seat as he read the final report on the captain's PADD. Finally, he pushed it back towards Lea and looked at her confidently. "Honestly, no one knows this ship as well as Commander Achaea and myself EXCEPT Shirik Lektar, probably better if you include personnel alongside technical systems. She's just as capable of coordinating departments as she is balancing systems, so adding the duties of XO wouldn't distract her from her position at Ops. She IS a bit abrasive, but she stays calm under pressure and is capable of making the hard decisions.
"I'm aware of her history, both before joining Starfleet and the disciplinary actions in her record. We worked together for a while aboard the Constellation and I can attest that, while she might react strongly to personal threats, she doesn't use violence without provocation. I've never even seen her draw her Kemla unless training or fighting off a boarding action."
He offered a bit of a smile to Lea. "She's a strong-willed, no-nonsense officer who isn't afraid to speak her mind, just like what you asked of me. There's no one on this ship I'd rather have backing me up as my XO."
As her Number One finally took the offered seat, Léa leaned back in order to give him the attention his diligence seemed to demand. She listened closely to his summary of each of the three candidates she had mentioned, his analysis apparently in line with her own as he read from a report that had been prepared for her predecessor.
It was safe to say that Léa was already feeling comfortable with her new XO.
Naturally, when he reached the last of the three, one eyebrow lifted slightly higher than the other as she found herself relieved to hear some positive feedback that could counterbalance the more cautionary warnings. When he finished, Léa allowed an approving smile to tug once more at the corners of her lips. "It sounds to me, then, that you have a preference in mind—and, generally speaking, it is in alignment with my own. I have no doubt that Commander Achaea and Lieutenant Korn could prove themselves capable second officers, but given the circumstances, it would seem that Commander Lektar is the favored choice."
She paused a moment, letting a beat of silence settle before her crystal-blue eyes shifted toward the viewport, then back to Griffith. "I will take some time to consider all factors, after which I will make my decision. Soon. Thank you for your input, Number One. That will be all."
Léa leaned back, her smile genuinely appreciative as she looked at him.
Greggory sat in silence as Lea quickly processed his report. When she began to talk about their analysis being in general agreement, he caught the use of "could prove themselves." Probably not the kind of split responsibilities that could be trusted with the ship.
"As an addendum, I would recommend Achaea and Korn for Away Missions, would give them more experience taking the command lead and getting crew from different departments to work together.
"I am grateful you put such trust in my opinions, Captain. She is indeed, my favorite choice," he said with a straight face but a slight twinkle. "I'll help get any other information you require." Pushing himself up from the chair, he turned toward the door that would release him onto the bridge, but stopped just outside of its trigger range. "Captain, please don't share this brief when she talks to you. Thank you for your understanding. If there's ever anything you want to share, you know (or the ship) where to find me. Maybe we can decompress over a meal."
As the door opened, he stopped again. "I'll let you know when we arrive, or whenever something decides to interpose themselves in our narrow stretch of vastness." With that, he returned to his place on the bridge, settling in for a long flight.