Comings and Goings
Another year, and another crop of cadets leave the nest to fly out to the stars. Some go Exploring...
"Have a seat, Ensign," said Captain Mbeki.
Jacqueline relaxed from her 'at attention' pose and carefully lowered herself into a chair. She looked across the desk at the captain.
Mbeki studied her for a moment, then looked at a PADD tilted so she couldn't see the screen. "Ensign Jacqueline Appel, newly graduated from the Academy. Homeworld Tobias's Rest. Security and personal equipment specialization. Special skills include a hand-to-hand combat specialization in... I didn't know the Academy would issue a certificate for 'lassos'. Certified as Explorer Corps ready and sent to the Odyssey for your first- correction,
second starship assignment." He paused. "You look confused."
Jacqueline took that as permission to speak. "Am I in trouble, sir? I didn't think the ship's captain had time for new ensigns... Lt. Harold said I might not see you in a month of Sundays, sir."
The captain smiled. "Usually true, but a mutual friend of ours has been keeping an eye on you. Commodore Thuir sent me a message and a mission log to read when you were selected for Team Odyssey. Said I should give you the once-over and see what the Academy had made of you. I suppose since Michel personally sponsored you to Starfleet Academy, he feels responsible."
Jacqueline perked up. "That's powerful nice of the captain- I mean, commodore. He always said he owed me for helping him out with those Yrillians, but I think he paid me back plenty. Letting me be a provisional cadet on the Miracht and sending me to the Academy... Commodore Thuir changed my life. When I got to the Academy, I swore I'd get Explorer Corps certified and come back to the Miracht. But, uh..."
She blushed slightly, mortified, remembering that this was the captain under whose command the Miracht had died. "The Odyssey is just as good." She bit her lip and looked to the side.
"She does do that," muttered Mbeki under his breath. Before Jacqueline could ask him what he meant, he continued speaking. "Ensign, it's all right. I miss the Miracht too. The Odyssey is a great ship and we're scoring a lot of points for the Federation, but I know how special the ship and crew that Michel left for me were. I only wish I could have reassembled more of the old Miracht team for the Odyssey, but Admiral Seruk would only let me grab a few."
"Yes sir. I reckon they'll all do well wherever they went," replied Jacqueline.
//
Off in the Gabriel Expanse, Lt. Commander Robert Yang sneezed before continuing to speak animatedly to his new commanding officer.
"Yes Captain Sulu, the Gabriel Expanse may be free of native intelligent life, but that just means there's no one to warn us about all the strange diseases we're bound to uncover. Why does the Sydraxian data we salvaged from Deva indicate they feared a plague, despite no evidence of any sickness? I believe this mystery, like so many others, has a biological answer!"
Brilliant man, thought Captain Demora Sulu, but she wished he did a little less grand-standing and a little more getting to the point.
//
"So I'm curious about something," said Captain Mbeki. He tapped the PADD. "Did you
deliberately select your Academy classes to try and get assigned to Away Teams? Because when I match your skillset against the 'balanced team' recommendations in Trevolt's Away Team Annex guide, it's like a copy and paste from one to the other."
"No sir; I just picked what seemed the best fit for me," replied Jacqueline, eyes focused straight ahead and honest.
"Hmm. Well Ensign, Commodore Thuir expects great things from you. Try not to disappoint him. Dismissed."
Jacqueline saluted and then left. Mbeki took one more moment to study her personnel file, and set a condition in his log system that would bring her name up if he ever planned an away mission involving wrangling animals. You never knew....
For others, the first step is a small one.
"Ah, hey excuse me!" said Dash sh'Rinboq.
The Amarkian woman she had hailed turned around, clad in featureless gray exercise clothing. The sweat on her face said she was just returning from a jog. "Can I help you Ensign?"
"Ah yeah, I'm supposed to report for Renaissance crew training around here tomorrow. I wanted to scope it out tonight, make sure I know where I'm going. Maybe sneak a look around."
The Amarkian pointed. "That's the building you'll want, over there. If you're part of the crew, you should already have access, but I should warn you that there's not much there there to see. I'm told that if you showed up six months ago they had a mock-ups assembled of crucial areas like the bridge and main engineering, but with launch of the actual ship so close they've packed it away in favor of training on the real thing. And you won't be doing that until next week, when Utopia Planitia reopens it to crew."
Dash stomped the ground in annoyance. "Awww. I graduate, and all my friends get sent to ships all over the Federation, and I don't even leave Sol system. Now I even missed the coolest part of the crew training."
The Amarkian looked amused. "Are you sorry you got assigned to the Renaissance?"
"What? No way! I get to be on the newest, hottest ship in the Federation. No one knows what this thing can do yet, and I get to be part of finding out. I can't wait until they let me get my hands on the Helm... it's gonna be so awesome!"
"Enthusiasm is good."
The Andorian ensign continued on, "And the best part is who they picked to be captain. It's Leaniss Larai! She learned how to run a ship from the best, Captain Nash ka'Sharren. If I learn from her, it's almost like I'm learning from ka'Sharren herself. She-"
Dash paused and looked more carefully at the woman in front of her. Pictured her without her hair pulled back into a ponytail for exercise and in a Starfleet uniform. Pictured her in a captain's uniform. Dash's face went several shades of blue paler. She snapped to attention. "She's you! Sir, sorry sir! I didn't recognize you sir!"
Leaniss waited for a moment, then waved her hand. "At ease, ensign. I was out of uniform, and I suppose I should be flattered you recognized me at all."
Dash exhaled carefully.
Then the captain leaned in close. "As to whether I let you 'get your hands on the Helm'...."
Dash gulped.
"I suppose we'll see about that, won't we?"
One by one they get to know their new family.
"Hi everybody!" said Ensign Mitchie Peh to the room at large as she walked into the Lexington's mess hall.
"Mitchie!" greeted a dozen people in unison.
She'd been on the ship about three days.
They find their niche.
Captain Samyr Kanil sat in sickbay, clutching her stomach. She could barely believe it. Ulcers. Years of spying at the edges of Cardassian space, risking destruction every day, and no ulcers. Now all the T'Mir had to handle was patrols of a treaty-defined border, and she got stomach ulcers. Likely stress, said the doctor.
She must be getting old.
A young ensign (weren't they all young these days) with the characteristic black eyes of a Betazoid walked up to Kanil with two small vials. "Please drink one of these and then the other one after dinner tomorrow, captain. You shouldn't have any more problems with those nasty ulcers for at least a year."
"You're new on board, aren't you ensign? You must be... let's see, Shayla Fluttrax." Kanil unscrewed the top of one of the containers and swallowed its contents.
"That's right!" said the ensign in surprise.
"Don't be so surprised. The T'Mir is a small ship, Ms. Fluttrax. I know all my officers."
Kanil started to stand up, but the ensign laid a gentle hand on her arm. "Eh, am I not good to go?"
"Captain, the medicine will get rid of the ulcers but not the stress that caused them. If you have a little time, I have something that might help."
The captain considered, It was her off-shift so technically there wasn't anything she needed to rush off to do. "All right, wow me ensign."
Ensign Fluttrax made a strange clicking noise, and a small furry creature ran out from a corner of the room, climbed up her legs, and snuggled into her arms.
"Is that an animal on my ship?!"
"This is Rary. He's a shombat. They're native to Risa, and they love people. Isn't he cuddly-wuddly?" Fluttrax jerked her head up, startled, and responded to a thought that Kail hadn't voiced. "Oh no, Captain, he's on board as an official therapy animal! I got permission from Doctor Redding, and Rary here has been vaccinated and checked."
"Therapy animal?"
"Like I said, Shombats love people. Why don't you try holding him for a while? It might make you feel better."
Kanil opened her mouth to refuse, considered, and then wordlessly held out her arms. Rary jumped into them, snuggled up to her, and immediately started purring. She began stroking the animal awkwardly. It did feel kind of nice.
Shayla beamed in happiness.
A lucky few go with their friends.
Ensign T'Wilit and Ensign Rartay Aronn stood next to each other, waiting to present their orders and board the USS Defiant.
"Really, it was quite a sight to see the lines on this ship as we approached. I do so enjoy the Starfleet aesthetic, don't you?" said Rartay.
"I didn't look. I was busy reviewing details of our new assignment," answered T'Wilit.
"You didn't- This ship is going to be our home for years, maybe. How could you not look?"
"I know what a Constitution-B class vessel looks like," answered T'Wilit.
There was a silent, chilly death glare from Rartay.
"Perhaps I should have looked. The ability to accurately visualize a vessel's could be said to have a strong correlation without being able to navigate its interior. Logically, I should have looked," said T'Wilit after a moment.
"Well as long as you acknowledge the mistake," replied Rartay, satisfied.
The hatch in front of them hissed open and a human man with a Lt. Commander's rank pips gestured them inside. He waved a PADD at them and it beeped as it read the information on their orders crystal and displayed it on the screen.
"You're ensigns T'Wilit and Aronn? Good, great, I'm Lt. Commander Hugo Church."
As the hatch hissed shut again, Church activated a communicator. "All right, they're on board. Set course and go to warp as soon as the runabout gets to a safe distance. We're behind schedule."
Church nodded to the two ensigns. "At ease."
"Sir, my experience outside the Academy is limited, but it is most unusual for new ensigns to be greeted by the second officer," said T'Wilit cautiously.
"Things are a little chaotic at the moment. For instance, I'm temporary first officer now."
"Oh my, did something happen to Commander C'Nerow?" asked Rartay, alarmed. She tensed slightly, as if ready for action.
"Not at all. I suppose you could say something happened to Captain T'Rinta, but not in a bad way. She's been sent off to take command of the S'harien. Her own five year mission, just like she always wanted. Unfortunately the Explorer Corps seems to have waited until the absolute last possible moment to decide. Captain T'Rinta had all of about four shifts worth of time from notice until she had to be off the ship and traveling to her new command, and I think she used every second of it. Still wasn't enough. In the meantime, until Operations in its infinite wisdom decides who will be the new captain, Commander C'Nerow is in charge."
As he talked, Church led them through corridors. He paused. "Oh, before I forget... Welcome to the Defiant!"
Then there are those who have not been cadets for a long time, but who may still have dreams to be achieved.
Far away, back in Sol System, Commander Reginald Bertholt got a message from an old friend. When he opened it, the content was a picture of Captain T'Rinta holding a PADD, which she displayed towards the camera. Her expression was careful Vulcan stoicism.
Curious, Reggie magnified the picture until the PADD screen was readable. It was a set of orders for one Captain T'Rinta to proceed to the USS S'harien to take command of a Five Year Mission of exploration.
As a Vulcan, T'Rinta wasn't allowed to grin, so Reggie did it for her.
Which was exactly why she had sent him the picture.
