I meant to have this done by the time our Curiosity-class was done, but as Project Khufu starts finishing up and we get towards another year, here's a story for that upcoming year!
Odessa, Ukraine, 2168
Taisa sat on the porch of her darkened home, the curtains inside drawn shut and the lights outside extinguished, and looked up at the stars, as she did every night before bed.
Her home country had become a remarkably peaceful place in the time she'd spent away from its soil, returning to agrarian roots as it became the breadbasket of Europe, western Asia, and the Middle East. The soil, with Vulcan and Telarite technology, became clean again, and fields of grain stretched as far as the eye could see. But the field of stars was ever the object of her attention, the air clean enough now to allow her to see it in a way that wouldn't have been possible even two or three hundred years ago.
It also allowed her to see, it seemed, the shooting star moving with far too much intention that fell through the sweep of the stars and came to rest up the road from her house. A part of Taisa wanted to retreat inside, wait out whoever was foolish enough to come calling at this time of night.
'Or,' she mused, 'perhaps someone was smart enough to wait for this time of night.'
Sure enough, someone advanced up the trail to her home, a flashlight in hand cloaking the Starfleet member only in enough shadow to obscure their face and rank.
The voice that spoke, however, told her everything she needed to know. "I wondered if you were still doing this, Captain Shevchuk."
Taisa smiled slightly. "You know me too well, Weston. Was I really so important to pull you away from the Warspite?"
Admiral Weston Halifax stepped onto the porch, amber eyes glinting alongside his slight grin in the repositioned glow of the flashlight. "Actually, yes, captain, seeing as she's in for her scheduled yearly maintenance. As much as I appreciate the view as well, could we go in and talk?"
Taisa sighed as she stood from her comfortable porch chair and opened the door to the dimly lit home. "Please, Admiral, just call me Taisa. I'm neither a Starfleet captain nor a Shevchuk anymore."
"I see. You got married?" Weston said quietly as they turned on a kitchen light and sat at the table. "Can I guess who it was?"
"No," Taisa said glibly. "But I'm pretty sure I can guess why you're here."
Weston sighed as he nodded. "You always were a sharp tack."
"Well, as much as I've wanted to get back up there," Taisa began, "there's always been the fact that, frankly, my name's still probably considered bad luck when it comes to the captain's chair. But…"
She paused and sighed as she brushed blonde hair away from uncertain green eyes. "Now I have a husband. Two little ones, all waiting for me in bed."
There was a quiet shuffle, and Taisa and Weston both looked into the hallway, Taisa smiling slightly as she saw the two inquisitive pairs of eyes looking out at them. "Or at least," she said as she stood, "they should be in bed. Ashley, Jill, you're very daring with school in the morning…"
She paused in front of her daughters as she regarded the man behind them, short brown hair tousled as brown eyes gleamed with both amusement and all-too-slight guilt. "Leon… you've got work in the morning," she said with playful reproachfulness.
Leon stepped forward into the light, kissing Taisa gently. "You know we wait up for you when you go out and watch, schastlivaya," he said, knowing that Taisa would chuckle softly at the word.
"Ah, Leon," Weston said, drawing the attention of the couple back to him and his now wider grin. "I wondered why you stopped being Commander Kennedy around the same time as Taisa."
Taisa and Leon sat back at the table after a moment ushering their girls back to bed. "We met while I was recovering from that skirmish out past Aldebaran," Taisa said. "He was waiting for a new vessel, too. It was all we needed to start talking. We both celebrated when we were announced as captain and XO of the Burya. And we mourned when it was destroyed. Leon was there with me through the worst of it, sticking up for me, however much good it might have done. And he was willing to resign with me. That's when we knew we loved each other."
Weston smiled warmly. "I'm glad to see you both doing well. And, in fact, I think I'm able to extend my offer to both of you."
Leon frowned. "Wes, we've got children to look after. A home to tend to. We can't just walk back into the stars and away from this."
"I understand," Weston said with a quiet sigh. "But the fact of the matter is that the Romulan War didn't just burn through our ships, it burned through our crews. Starfleet needs people, good people. It needs people like you two. And honestly… it's willing to bend the rules to make that happen."
As Taisa and Leon's brows rose, Weston continued. "We could put you on the same ship. Hell, we could probably even make you captain and XO like you were supposed to be, and Command would only do some grumbling and griping."
"When we could be away for months, years at a time in an NX?" Taisa asked. "Missing our children?"
Weston smiled slightly. "I've got you covered there. You see, our new class of ships, the Curiosity-class, is starting to really come out of the docks. Scientific surveyors that are meant to go around Federation territory and look at cosmic anomalies, unexplored solar systems, and other scientific curiosities. It's not meant to range terribly far on its own, and your children could be housed at the nearest starbase or friendly planet. They'd likely never be more than a year away if that. They'd be able to stay here on Earth while the surrounding sector gets investigated."
Taisa and Leon were silent for long moments, looking at each other and speaking in a way that Weston could never hear.
Finally, Leon sighed quietly as he looked back at Weston. "We'd need to have time to make sure the house is in order."
"We can give you that easily," Weston said assuringly.
"Good," Taisa said. "So, this ship, what's his name?"
. . .
Space. The final frontier.
These are the voyages of those who strike out… and explore.
Their enduring mission; to seek out new life and new wonders throughout the galaxy.
To boldly go where no one has gone before.
. . .
3 Weeks Later
Captain Taisa Shevchuk (using her maiden name for her role) and Commander Leon Kennedy sat inside the shuttlecraft as they headed towards the waiting spacedocks of the Utopia Planitia Fleet Yards, a scattering of drydocks that had been built up rather heavily as the war with the Romulans reached its end. Both were somewhat busy looking down at crew manifests and ship overviews.
"She should be coming into view in a few minutes." Admiral Halifax said, sitting across from them and looking out the window at the shipyards.
"She'll be quite a sight, it seems," Leon said as he looked at his tablet. "Some of the best scientific suites I've ever laid eyes on, a warp engine almost capable of reaching Warp 7, brand new phaser emitter banks, shield emitters…"
Taisa frowned slightly. "De… Commander," she said. "Take a look at this."
Leon leaned over to look at the tablet that Taisa proffered, and Halifax arched a brow. "Is something wrong?"
"No," Taisa replied, looking down at the picture of Lieutenant Tana Raona. "I'm just a little… surprised, is all. What's an Orion woman doing as the chief engineer of the vessel? I wasn't under the impression that we were on good enough terms to have people immigrating here."
Halifax sighed quietly. "I'm surprised you hadn't heard about Lieutenant Raona. She and her husband applied for political asylum after running away from their master's death. She's been through a real rough time, but she stuck it out all through the academy and has proved herself thus far. I think she'll be a fine addition to your crew."
Taisa nodded, but even still, the thought of an Orion being aboard her ship in any capacity unsettled her. The Orions had largely earned their reputation as thieves, con artists, and slavers. But she still needed to give the Lieutenant a chance.
"Here it is."
The trio stood as they came into sight of the drydock, and saw their ship come into view, the name Sojourner emblazoned on the hull under its bridge. Below its name was the designation 'NCC-497'.
"Wow…" Taisa said quietly as they went across a scenic route that stretched the length of the ship. "She's almost as big an NX."
"We built her to do her job well," Halifax said with a proud smile. "Your 70 crew members are the best we can find from every branch of science that we can think of out there. I do have to admit, the competition for getting onto one of these ships has been fierce."
"I'm sure they're all capable," Leon replied. "When are we taking her out?"
"The scientists are making sure that the various labs are fully stocked for their first time out in space, along with final engineering checks before she leaves the dock. From what I've heard, it shouldn't take much more than a day and a half to get your ship out into the void." Halifax said. "They're particular like that."
"I suppose that's not unreasonable," Taisa said wryly as they slowed to dock inside the rearward bay of the ship. "I'd hate to be missing a beaker or calipers when it might take us away from whatever anomaly is the focus of the day."
They landed gently in the shuttle bay, the shuttle doors opening to the shrill tune of the bosun's pipes. Taisa was, by her right as captain, first out of the shuttle, a line of red tape demarcating the shuttle's 'dock' from the rest of the ship.
The boarding party was comprised of 5 crewmembers, all wearing uniforms that reflected Taisa's, a blue flight suit with a stripe of red, teal, or yellow going down the chest. There was talk of going completely monochromatic with shirts and black pants, but the notion seemed somewhat cartoonish to her. In the middle of the party, a green face stood out amongst the others, her black hair done up in a braided bun.
Taisa paused before the red tape, the woman in teal at the head of the boarding party turning to face her. "Permission to come aboard," Taisa said to the woman.
"Permission granted." the woman replied, and Taisa and Leon stepped over the line.
They looked back at Admiral Halifax, who remained behind. "I'll be heading back to the Warspite now. Good luck to you Captain Shevchuk, Commander Kennedy."
With that, he turned back to the shuttle. "Farewell, Admiral," Taisa said, nodding and looking back at the woman before her. "I would assume that you're the senior officer aboard this vessel then?"
"Lieutenant Commander Halsey, head of the sciences division aboard this vessel." she looked over at the others in the boarding party. "This is Lieutenant Redfield, chief tactical officer, Lieutenant Raona, chief of engineering, and Ensigns Liss and Jacobs."
Taisa studied the crew members intently, the ensigns regarding her with a somewhat guarded look. There were likely still stories going around about her bad luck. But she was stuck in now. No time to worry about that. "Lieutenant Commander," she said, Halsey straightening to attention, "Commander Kennedy and I would like a tour of our command, just so we know the sort of vessel we're coming into."
Halsey nodded. "I'd be happy to give you a tour of the ship. If you'll follow me?"
. . .
Commander Leon Kennedy was impressed with the ship so far. The personnel-graded transporter was still something of a sticking point with him, knowing how unreliable it used to be in the past for anything beyond cargo. But, if it was as safe as the scientists they toured with claimed, then it would likely be useful, once they figured out what to do with it.
The tour was well and truly over now, and Kennedy was in the lone rec room/lounge of the ship taking in the atmosphere of the vessel as the final checks continued. There were several crew members in the rec room at the moment, some quiet conversations going on around him.
"I'm telling you, we're going to have to be careful."
The words drew Kennedy's attention to the two men, Redfield and another man, as they talked, Redfield continuing. "I had an uncle that served around the captain on the Endeavor. After that skirmish, everything she touched went wrong. I'm not saying it's all her fault or anything, but we should keep an eye on things."
Kennedy sighed quietly, standing and walking over to the two men, who paused as they looked up at him. "Commander," Redfield said. "Can I help you?"
"Is there a problem with Captain Shevchuk that she should know?" he asked.
Redfield and the ensign looked at each other before Redfield sighed. "Word still gets around about the Endeavor and the Burya. About the both of you. About how you stuck up for her. And about how you two are married now. Didn't know they allowed that these days."
"Our situation is a strange one, I agree," Kennedy replied. "But I will challenge any rash or foolish decision that she makes, same as if she were just my captain. It's what the duties of command expect of us. And she has nothing but your best interests in mind. She will give what is necessary to make sure that this ship functions well. Can she, and I, expect the same of both of you?"
There was a flicker of challenge in Redfield's eyes as he stood to attention. "Yes, sir." he finally said after a moment.
Kennedy nodded. "Thank you, Lieutenant Redfield. I'll let you get back to your drinks."
With that, he left the rec room, pondering the situation. Redfield might need to have an eye kept on him, just to be sure the crew would remain orderly.
. . .
Captain Shevchuk entered the main engineering section of the ship, the massive warp core dominating the space as engineers of several kinds attended to it, their ministrations and conversations mixing with the powerful hum of the core.
She looked around, walking over to a pair that studied a tablet near one of the nacelle computer banks. Lieutenant Raona and the other engineer looked up at her as she came to a stop in front of them. "Lieutenant," Shevchuk said, "may I speak to you in private for a moment?"
Raona looked at the man beside her. "Henson, can you take care of this for me? I'll be back as soon as I can."
Henson nodded as he took the tablet, Raona walking alongside Shevchuk for a moment. "I must admit, Captain, I wasn't expecting you to come and see me this soon. Am I being accused of something?"
"Knowing this ship like the back of your hand," Shevchuck said with a slight smile. "Care to prove that accusation to me to find us somewhere quiet and out of the way?"
Raona blinked, then looked around the room. Shevchuk waited patiently, knowing that the lieutenant had been here since they'd laid the keel of the ship. After a moment, Raona pointed up at a raised platform with a room on it, no doorway to impinge on the ladder that led up to it. "There's the internal gravimetrics station. It's usually empty around this time, and won't be staffed for another 30 minutes until the next tests of the gravity generators and internal detectors. Does that work?"
Shevchuk nodded. "I'll trust your judgment," she said as they made their way to the ladder. In a moment, they had their privacy.
"So…" Raona said slowly, "what do you want to talk to me about?"
Shevchuk looked down at the tablet she'd carried in. "I have to admit, I'm somewhat impressed by the number of accusations formally and informally leveled against you."
Raona's cheeks flushed a brighter shade of green. "And all of them have been proven false," she said firmly.
"As the records note." Shevchuk deactivated the tablet and set it aside. "But official records can only tell me so much. So, tell me your story."
Raona blinked in evident surprise. "Well… what do you want to know?"
"I want to know how a brilliant young mind came to us from such an unexpected place as Orion." Shevchuk paused and smiled. "No judgment. Heaven knows I've received more than enough myself to not be sympathetic."
It was silent for a moment before Raona sighed. "I and my sisters were young. Not much more than 10, 15 at the most. Our… matriarch, let's call her, Artesia, was raising us to become proper Orion courtesans. Art, music, dancing, homemaking. How people worked and how to make them work for you. Then, our home on Verex III got some new prisoners. Members of Starfleet."
Shevchuk's brows furled for a moment, then she nodded slowly. "That's right. Enterprise had some of her crew abducted by Orion slavers. T'Pol told me about her time there."
Raona nodded. "We met with them briefly before they went up for auction. One of the men, an Ensign… Pierce, briefly interacted with us, along with another Ensign. Kelsey was her name. They were scared, clearly. But there was something… more to them. It entranced me, to see a woman in a uniform speaking to a man as an equal. It must have left an impression on Artesia as well."
"And you escaped?"
Raona nodded. "Artesia poisoned our master. It was a bold move, almost as bold as securing his ship and my… well, my love. After that, we ran, my sisters and even Artesia deciding to make their lives on other worlds along the way from here to Verex. But Naasrev and I, we went all the way to Earth and requested political asylum. And eventually, I was able to join the organization that so inspired me."
It was silent for a moment as Shevchuk took the story in. "You've had quite the eventful life." she finally said quietly.
Raona chuckled. "That's putting it lightly."
"And this Naasrev, he's your boyfriend, correct?"
"Well, he's my husband, now. What we have is… well, a rarity where we're from." Raona paused as she pulled out a physical picture, showing an Orion man somewhere on Earth, dressed in a sharp business suit and holding what looked like a diploma with a wide, almost child-like smile. "He's back on Earth, studying to enter the Daystrom Institute. It's been his dream ever since we've arrived."
"An accomplishment to be proud of." Shevchuk paused. "So, do you… remember your matriarch's teachings?"
"They're part of how I got this far," Raona admitted. "My time with her and my sisters, harsh as it was, is something I cherish."
"So what makes such an expert people person decide to go into engineering?" Shevchuk asked. "Regardless of your appearance or origin, you sound like you would have been a rising star in the diplomatic corps."
Raona was silent for a moment as she looked around the room, filled with instruments, displays, and consoles. "Because the machines don't care what you look like. What preconceived notions there are of you and your people. All they want, all they need, is for you to make sure that they work properly. And they repay you without snide remarks or begrudging attitudes. It's a nice change of pace."
Shevchuk nodded slowly. "I can see what draws one to such a position." she paused for a moment. "Hell, if I was as mechanically inclined, there's a part of me that would probably be right here with you."
Raona looked somewhat surprised as Shevchuk continued. "But I know what it's like to have people drive you somewhere you shouldn't be due to preconceived notions, however true or false they are. Hell, I let them win when I retired. I admire your perseverance against those odds. All that to say I have your back. I'm looking forward to seeing how you make this ship run."
Raona smiled slightly as she nodded, Shevchuk able to see the tears in her eyes. "Thank you, Captain."
"It's what we're here to do." Shevchuk smiled. "Might as well do it well."
. . .
The captain's chair was an interesting change from her last command, a somewhat more plush thing, though not too soft. Captain Shevchuck found it strange for the moment, but she'd get used to it. She always did.
At the moment, as the final checks drew to their close, Shevchuk waited for the word from her commander.
Commander Kennedy looked back from his station. "All decks are reporting ready, ma'am," he said. "Waiting for your orders."
Shevchuk nodded. "Thank you, Commander." she paused as she looked over at the bridge's communication station. "Ensign Travers, shipwide, please."
Ensign Travers nodded, and the speakers played the bosun's pipes. "Channel open, ma'am."
Taisa took a deep breath as she considered what to say. "Sojourner, this is your captain speaking."
She paused for a moment. "Space has always been a great equalizer. Our first forrays into its depths were fraught with peril and personal risk, and regardless of where one comes from, it demands our excellence. That has changed little in the intervening centuries. But first and foremost, space has always held the captivation of the curious ever since we first looked up at the night sky. Now, we travel this sea of stars, searching out her mysteries, as our forefathers have in the past. Would that they could see us now, striding out into the space that they looked up at, to reveal their secrets and learn more about this wondrous galaxy that we, and all peoples, call home. I look forward to seeing what revelations come of our time sailing this eternally vast sea."
She cut off the comms, looking out at the bridge as they began their final preparations. "Dock control is reading ready, ma'am," Travers said.
"Helm is ready." Ensign Issacs said from his station.
"Tactical ready," Lieutenant Sanders said from his station, "and course out of dock is laid in."
"Maneuvering thrusters, Ensign Issacs," Shevchuk said, "and take us out of the dock."
"Aye ma'am, taking us out of dock. Thrusters at stationkeeping."
Shevchuk waited patiently as the ship hummed a little more insistently, the thrusters activated. "Thrusters ahead. Take us into the sea."
The thrusters activated, and the ribcage-like dock slowly slipped out of sight around them.
After long moments, Ensign Issacs spoke again. "We've cleared dock, ma'am."
"Power to impulse thrusters, full impulse." Shevchuk nodded as they sped up, rotating in the chair to look over at Lieutenant Commander Halsey. "Lieutenant Commander, are there any points of interest that we're being directed to?"
Halsey looked at her station for a moment, then back at the captain. "There's an anomaly logged about 4 lightyears to our galactic southeast, along with several unsurveyed systems in that direction."
"Then that is where we shall go," Shevchuk said. "Helm, lay in a course for that anomaly, Warp 5."
It was quiet for a moment as Issacs plotted the course, a moment that Shevchuk savored with a slight smile. 'Damn,' she mused, 'but it's good to be out here again.'
"Course laid in, ma'am. Ready for warp."
Shevchuk nodded. "Fly away."
The stars warped around her, and in that instant, she felt like she truly had wings again.
