VI
Captain Colin Becker gazed moodily out of the window in his ready room, looking at the view of scattered stars without really seeing them. Soon, he would leave Starbase 182 behind and begin his first mission. He would decide the fate of his crew alone. There was no all knowing Captain to rely on to show him the way. There was only himself.
The buzzing of the door chime distracted him from his brooding. It beeped insistently, twice, forcing him to tear his gaze away from the lonely darkness outside. He sighed and pushed aside a cup of coffee that had long since grown cold.
"Come!" he called out half heartedly.
A tall, dark haired man entered, his penetrating blue eyes hooded, making it impossible for Colin to guess what he was thinking. He paused as he stood directly before him, as if taking his measure as a commanding officer and making a silent judgement. Briefly, Colin wondered where he stood in his appraisal.
"Commander Mark O'Conner reporting, Sir. I apologize for not greeting you on your arrival but I was not made aware of your presence on board until quite recently." His expression darkened as he thought of the incompetent Ensign Kro on transporter duty who had recieved the full force of his wrath just moments ago.
Colin looked at the man before him with interest. So this was his excecutive officer----from what he could recall of his dossier, Mark O'Conner came well recommended, but with a wild streak that would bear watching.
"It's a pleasure to meet you. Please sit down."Colin gestured to a chair across his desk.
"Thank you, sir." Mark sat where the Captain had indicated and produced a stack of PADDs which he placed in a neat pile on the desk before him.
"I've taken the liberty of compiling the ship's system status into a report for your perusal. There are also several maintenence repairs which require your signature."
"Repairs? Already? This is a brand new ship. "Colin sighed, reaching for the stack.
"According to Engineering, Utopia Planetia was in such a hurry to make the commissioning deadline that it did a slapdash job on our secondary systems. The CEO has her staff working round the clock to find and rewire the glitches."
Colin nodded absently as he thumbed through the PADDs. It appeard that Mark O'Conner had kept himself quite busy since his arrival.
"Is the senior staff aboard yet?" he asked suddenly.
"Yes, sir. All but the CMO....Dr. Mirana Keset."
Colin frowned. "What's keeping her?"
Mark shrugged. "Transportation problems, it seems. There are several asteroid storms in the Dela sector, where she was last posted, forcing a delay for all ships travelling through this time of year."
"Hmph. So be it. I'm planning an introductory dinner tonight for all senior staff excluding our doctor, it seems. We'll be working closely together and I would like us all to foster a good working environment. I'm hoping this dinner will encourage that."
"What about Dr. Keset?"
"I'm hoping she'll be able to join us before we leave spacedock. Otherwise a replacement may be in order."
"Do you need any assistance with this dinner that you are planning, sir?
For the first time during their meeting, Colin smiled. "Why, yes Exec. I would appreciate that."
VII
Captain Colin Becker put down his knife and pushed away his plate. For a replicated meal, he decided, he hadn't done a half bad job of planning the menu. So far, his brief stint as Captain seemed to be a success. Sipping his tea contentedly, he surveyed the room, matching each face with the personnel files he had studied directly before dinner. He was curious about the team he was going to work with--for better or for worse, they were stuck with each other. At least for the near future.
To his left sat his XO, Commander Mark O'Conner, who was having an animated discussion with the chief navigation officer. Ensign Delor Kovos was a recent Academy graduate, and the expression on the face of the dark haired, dark eyed unjoined Trill as he spoke to Mark was worshipful. Colin chuckled to himself as he watched the younger man's obvious admiration. It hadn't seemed that long ago when he had been in Delor's shoes.
Across from Delor sat Lieutenant Commander Naeve Sevril, his chief Ops officer, and a stunning green eyed blonde. Working with her would undoubtedly be easy on the eyes, he thought wryly. As he observed her, he noted that both she and Mark went out of thier way to avoid eye contact or conversation with one another. Colin had yet to decide if this was a cause for concern.
Naeve was speaking to Lieutenant Commander Turek, his chief of tactics and security. Although the Vulcan remained expressionless, it was evident the evening of 'small talk' was beginning to wear at him. Joining in the conversation was Lieutenant JG Daniel Ryan. His CSciO was a sandy haired man with boyish facial features and a shy smile and Colin immediately approved of the way Naeve took pains to involve him in her discussion.
Next to him sat Lieutenant Rhianna Jorrell, a beautiful, dark haired blue eyed woman whose Vulcanoid features were slightly softened by her human genes. She sat somewhat apart from the others, sipping her tea quietly, and pretending to listen to the conversation Mark and Delos were having. The woman was obviously a reluctant participant in tonight's get together and looked as if she would rather eat a pound of lemons than remain at the dinner table one moment longer.
As if sensing she was being observed, she looked up and locked her electric blue eyes with Colin's . Almost immediately, she flushed to a pale green and averted her gaze, staring fixedly at her tea cup. She brushed her hair self consciously over her ears and did not look at him again.
There were only two staff members missing. The doctor, who was en route SOMEWHERE in the Alpha Quadrant, he would meet later. The Counselor, well, he didn't have one. Actually, that wasn't true. He had a hologram. During the Dominion War, the Counseling major was not emphasized at the Academy, causing a shortage. It churned out pilots, tacticians, and doctors galore, but Counselors were less of a priority. And so, as there were none available for reassignment on his ship, they had built him one instead. He made a mental note to activate the counselor program as soon as Prometheus left spacedock.
For now, he was content to sit back and watch. He had discovered long ago that sometimes, more could be learned about people by observation than interaction.
VIII
Mirana listened with only half an ear as the pilot hailed the Prometheus and announced thier arrival. After the string of crowded shuttle flights she had been on, it felt strange being the sole passenger; but the pilot was making a special trip just for her. Starfleet aparently wanted to get her to her new assignment in a hurry---the Prometheus was getting ready to leave spacedock.
Once the pilot concluded his communication with the larger vessel, he turned to her and grinned. "They're expecting you, Doc. Quite anxiously."
She grinned in return, snatched her duffel from an overhead compartment, and stepped up to the transporter pad.
"Thanks for the ride."
"Any time." he said as he looked at her appreciatively. The slim, petite red head didn't look much like a doctor.
"Good luck."he pressed a switch in front of him and said, "Prometheus, one to beam over."
********
Mirana stepped off the transporter pad and gave herself a moment for the disorientation that frequently accompanied rematerialization to pass.
"Welcome aboard, Dr. Keset." Mirana only just now noticed the Ensign who stood to her left. "May I show you to the bridge?" he offered. "The Captain would like to meet you."
"That would be fine." Mirana said and followed the Ensign into the corridor to a turbolift around the corner.
She glanced furtively at her reflection in the chrome 'lift door. Her uniform was a bit wrinkled and she tugged at it in an attempt to smooth it out. Hastily, she tucked a few strands of auburn hair behind her ears and stepped out onto the bridge the moment the doors opened.
She glanced around the room, her eyes falling almost immediately on the tall man standing in the center of the room, leaning over a console with a Trill. He seemed unaware of her presence.
"Dr. Mirana Keset, reporting for duty, sir." she announced.
All heads turned to her with expressions of curiosity and welcome. Colin looked up and smiled.
"At last, Doctor. We've been anxiously awaiting your arrival, and now that you're here, we can be on our way." He crossed over to her and offered his hand, thier eyes meeting.
At the touch of his hand, Mirana inhaled sharply. An unexpected flood of emotions washed over her so suddenly she was unable to deflect them all. Her eyes widened, her expression mimicing his own. She did not know how long they stood that way--it seemed an infinity befoe he wrenched his hand away to break the contact.
"You're Betazoid." he said flatly. The welcoming smile was gone, he now regarded her with wary dark eyes.
Her mental shields had been reinforced almost immediately since the contact had been broken, but she was shocked at the intensity of his emotions. *This shouldn't be*, she thought. Although highly empathic, until this moment Mirana had never been able to sense such strong mental echoes through the barriers ethics required she uphold.
"No sir. Only partly. My mother was human."
"I see." he said quietly, attempting to hide the acute discomfort he felt in her presence.
Suddenly aware of the fact that the bridge crew was observing the entire exchange, he forced a smile. "Well. Once again, welcome." he said politely.
"Thank you, Captain."she inclined her head.
"I'm sure you would like to see your quarters and settle in. Please dont let m e keep you." The discomfort remained, yet he seemed unable to break eye contact.
Mirana did it for him, offering an equally polite smile before she turned away towards the refuge of the turbolift. She'd gotten off on the wrong foot with the Captain and she didnt quite know how. Or why.
Naeve Sevril had been observing the exchange with keen interest and was almost irritated when a message flashed across her screen, breaking the spell.
"Captain, there's an incoming message from Starbase 182, Priority One." she announced.
"On screen." Coln ordered, relieved to have something else to occupy his thoughts. Dr. Keset was certainly...disconcerting.
Naeve paused as she looked at her screen, then shook her head. "it's on a private channel sir, from Starfleet Command."
"Very well, I'll take it in my ready room." Colin crossed the bridge in several strides, the door to his office sliding firmly shut behind him.
Naeve exchanged glances with Delor Kovos and tapped her fingers impatiently against her console. Barring an unforeseen catastrophe, it could only be their mission orders. She and the bridge crew waited for what seemed an eternity as they stared at the ready room doors and willed them to open. At last, Colin appeared, his expression neutral as he ignored thier curious faces. His gaze settled to rest on the navigator.
"Mr. Kovos."
"Sir!"
"Are we cleared for departure?"
"Yes, sir!"
"Excellent. Take us out Ensign, and set a course for the Mavaki system, warp 3."
"Setting course, sir."
"Engage."
IX
When Colin Becker entered his ready room, he was not surprised to find his senior staff already assembled and speaking in hushed tones. Apon his arrival, an anitcipatory silence descended on the group as all eyes followed him to his seat. Although they had had a chance to meet informally at the dinner he had hosted, they were still learning how to interact with him and each other. Thier mssion would be the first opportunity to discover how well they worked as a team.
"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. Thank you for being prompt. "he paused to survey the group once more."
"I have recieved a communique from Admiral Vasik. We have orders to proceed to the Mavaki system immediately. Our ETA is 3.5 hours."
"Isn't the Mavaki system close to the Federation-Klingon border?" Naeve asked.
"Yes, it is. There are no colonies or Starfleet installations in this sector of space but we have one unmanned outpost that monitors any unusual occurances and relays the information back to Starfleet."
"Let me guess. There was recently an unusual occurance." Mark commented.
Colin nodded. "Starfleet has been analyzing the data the outpost has been sending and there has been a recent increase in Theta radiation in the area. A significant enough increase to concern Starfleet Command."
Colin paused to allow his staff to absorb the implications. Elevated Theta radiation levels were commonly associated with photon torpedo emissions.
"Have we recieved any distress signals?" Daniel asked.
"No. And to our knowledge, no Federation or Starfleet vessels are reported to be in system. We're being dispatched to investigate."
Colin glanced at his senior officers again, noting their growing excitement with approval.
"That is all. This meeting is dismissed."
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