Ship's Business, Part 1: A New Navigator

Posted on Tue Feb 14th, 2023 @ 10:09am by Captain Tristan Faust & Lieutenant Commander John Stryker II & Lieutenant Thraxina

1,069 words; about a 5 minute read

Mission: Mission 2: Rendezvous At Starbase 10
Location: Starbase 10: Promenade
Timeline: M2 MD04 (2268.6.06) 1300

The quaint coffeeshop on the Starbase's promenade was rather full. The atmosphere was comfortable and the prices were a bargain. Even though it was shore leave for the crew, ship's business still popped up here and there. Captain Faust had been busy working with Zon, the ship's personnel officer shuffling people around, preparing promotions, readying commendations and finally filling some key positions on the senior staff.

One of the first was the ship's new navigator, Commander Stryker. Tristan had yet to meet the man and he figured it helped brining Lieutenant Thraxina in on the first meeting. They two of them would be spending hours sitting next to each other every day. Also Thraxina and their former navigator never got along. Tristan didn't want to talk too negatively about a man being dealt a medical discharge but there was always something off about the guy.

Oh well, it was a new day,he thought to himself as he sipped on his expresso.

If the Captain was worried about his Navigator and his Helmswoman getting along, he needn't have: the two of them were marching up the steps toward the café in perfect cadence this very second, and deep in conversation. Meaningful conversation. Not about where they came from or what their favourite song was or if their folks were 'still with us'. Stryker and Thraxina were talking about adjusting the Navigation and Helm circuits so that if one of them were disabled, it would be easy to take over the full panel at the press of a candy coloured button.

They had planned to pull the plating off the main helm station as soon as they got to the ship and the Lieutenant Commander had dumped his bags, but then they got the call to meet Faust at some café on the Base. Well, it was about time the new man on board met the Skipper.

The way that Thraxina bore herself in her newly solid-braided uniform before the Captain showed that she considered herself very much On Duty, even here. She stood to attention in the bustling café and gave a smart. "Sir." She let Stryker introduce himself.

"Captain, Lieutenant Commander Stryker reporting as directed." He stated. "My orders, Sir." And presented his orders to the new commanding Officer. He awaited on his new CO without any unnecessary verbiage, He had said what was required until the Captain spoke to him as was his custom.

"Commander, welcome... Well I suppose welcome to the crew at least as we aren't aboard ship," Tristan responded as he stood up, "Please relax." He smiled. He looked at Thraxina, "Thanks for coming lieutenant and again congratulations."

"Thank you, Sir. I somehow thought we would have done this on board, but I understand repairs are underway/" Strler responded.

Thraxina felt suddenly awkward: On Duty, she could do, she had been in some sort of military service since she was 16 years old when it was deemed that she would never reach the levels of Beauty and Intelligence of a ‘Work of Art’ in her hedonistic society and she had been commissioned as a junior officer in the Stratos Sentinel Guard. Discipline in that little staffel made Star Fleet practices look like an Edenite love-in.

Off Duty, properly off duty, with her friends, that she could do too, only too well, as several of the bouncers in the nearby bars on the Star Base could attest, especially that big Tellarite she’d had the one night stand with.

But this, this was awkward - neither one thing nor another. She opted to ere on the side of formality. “Thank you, Sir.” she said quite stiffly.

"Relax lieutenant," the Captain responded, "We're all on shore leave even if this is technically a meeting. Besides I need my senior staff to be comfortable enough talking with me to give me frank advice and do what is necessary. You've displayed you can do that already." He looked at the two who were still standing there, "You both may have a seat," he said.

"Thank you Sir" nodded Thraxina and took the most upright seat she could find. She laid the electronic clipboard she had been carrying across her knees and looked about as relaxed as an electrocuted tribble. Luckily, with two senior officers present, she would be seen and not heard unless specifically addressed. Shore Leave bedamned, she wasn't about to get drunk and start dancing on the table.

Stryker smiled and took a seat, looking about casually and then back to the Captain. "I don't remember ever reporting to a ship not on the line, wherever that might have been. Quite the change, and a pleasant one I would add. The Lieutenant and I had gotten acquainted on the ride here." He mentioned that even though the Captain knew she had been the shuttle pilot.

“Yes, Sir.” Thraxina put in “we had another of those nuisance calls cut in to the official communications channel on the return journey. It has been logged.”

"Well I'm glad to hear you've been able to get acquainted," the Captain responded, "We've already had so many crew rotations and we've only just left spacedock... And wonderful, I wonder how they tap in..."

"It's someone called Xon. Apparently some of the kidnapped crew met him at Exar Station. It sounds like an advertising jingle, but there might be a more sinister purpose to the broadcasts." she added, then shut up, this was really Faust and Stryker's meeting, she was just there to provide window dressing.

"As I had suspected during our trip here, we discussed the interruption, the Lieutenant had not said anything about some of the crew being kidnapped by this slug." Exar Station, Stryker knew of it, but it was one of many he had not visited in his previous assignments. Different quadrants, different Stations.

Like away missions: Captain Chiotis was rarely included on away missions, but Stryker led just about every other one. But that was just Chiotis, every C.O. was different in that regard. Faust, on the other hand, always wanted to be where the action was.

"Ugh, Xon has always been an interesting entity to deal with," the Captain sighed, "I've had... Dealings with him in the past on previous assignments. He's actually fairly harmless although he's a nuisance... He's probably calling me for that favor..."

To Be Continued...

 

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