Episode 1: Echoes of Ambition

Presented with an exciting new opportunity, Captain Kauhn jumps at the chance to join the USS Hypatia as her new commander. As the senior staff assembles, the Captain makes a difficult choice that leads to an uncomfortable reunion with his former Captain.

1 – Loyalty Rewarded

USS Lakota
Stardate 24016.6

Within an instant of the transporter materialisation process completing, Captain Giarvar Kauhn of the Buran was practically sprinting down the steps of the transporter pad into the welcoming arms of Lakota’s executive officer and his good friend. A warm embrace between Noli and himself was what he needed after months with a crew he was still getting to know. Eventually releasing each other from their tight grip, they stayed interlocked at the arms and smiled at each other.

“It’s good to see you,” the Captain grinned, delighted to see Noli in person for the first time since he’d rescued her during the Frontier Day chaos, causing the blonde to blush involuntarily. Noli was not known for emotional outbursts or becoming embarrassed, but Giarvar thrived on the understanding that he, and he alone, was able to make her break character.

“We’ve missed you,” she whispered, squeezing his arms gently, in such a way that suggested perhaps it wasn’t so much the proverbial ‘royal we’ as opposed to, maybe, just her? Shaking off the feeling before it could progress any further, she stepped aside and gestured for the doorway. “I can’t believe this is your first time aboard Lakota,” she quizzed, leading the Trill from the transporter bay.

“Keziah never invited me before,” Giarvar shrugged, falling into lockstep with his friend.

“It took her some time to adjust to being here,” Noli admitted while rounding a corner on approach to the turbo lift. “Lakota is a fine ship, but she’s no Hathaway, after all…”

“Romaes really lucked out there, huh?” Giarvar nodded, following the Bajoran into the turbo lift and watching her intently as she gave the order to head to deck one.

“I always figured we’d probably end up back there once her repairs were complete,” Noli pouted as she slumped against the railing around the lift and placed her hand on either side of her for support. “I miss the old days. Prida. Or’uil… you.”

For a split second, Giarvar could have sworn the blonde’s eyes glistened. Perhaps it was the lighting of the lift reflecting off the metallic surfaces around them. Or maybe it was something else?

“Well…” he shifted a little, running a hand through his thick, wavy hair. “I don’t think it was ever in the cards for me to come back,” he frowned, his left hand fingering the fourth silver pip on his collar playfully. “Kinda need your own ship when you get one of these,” he added with a smirk.

“Or three…” Noli added cheekily, in reference to the fact that he’d already commanded three different ships in the short time he had been a Captain.

“Two,” he told her sternly, yet playfully. “That time on Hathaway doesn’t, doesn’t count…” he said between shakes of the head.

For the next minute or so, the two friends shared nothing but flirtatious remarks and eye movements until they were interrupted by the arrival of the turbo lift at deck one. Emerging from the lift, all sign of playfulness was long gone as the Bajoran led the Captain to the ready room and handed him over to the care of her superior.

For approximately a half hour, Kauhn and Nazir regaled each other with tales of their early days aboard their respective commands. Whilst Nazir lamented Lakota not being Hathaway, Giarvar reminded her that all had needed the clean break. Whilst Kauhn moaned about the size of his tiny scout ship, Keziah recited the old adage of ‘it’s not the size that matters, but what you do with it that counts.’ When their conversation eventually turned to the recent events along the former DMZ, the elder Trill went to great lengths to express her thanks to the Captain for helping her enforce the Quasaris sector’s blockade.

“I saw that the Hypatia arrived this morning to reinforce the quarantine,” the spotted gentleman lifted his chin and tilted his head towards the behemoth of a vessel outside the viewport; a ship so large it looked closer than it was.

Standing from her seat behind the ready room desk, the Fleet Captain stood at the viewport and gazed at the enormous starship before them. “I’m told she’s forty-five decks,” Nazir began as Giarvar joined her, leaning on the window frame to gaze out at the Sutherland-class cruiser. “Over two hundred science personnel and a massive medical department,” she told, folding her arms across her chest.

“She’s certainly impressive,” Giarvar nodded, subconsciously echoing his superior’s stance. “Not sure I’d want to take a hulk like that into combat though,” he laughed with wide eyes regarding the mighty vessel.

“You’ll have to avoid battles as much as possible when you’re out there,” Nazir sighed, slapping her friend on the shoulder and then returning to her chair.

Her words were not lost on Giarvar, the man spinning on his heels and giving her his full attention, almost as if the impressive sight beyond the viewport had never existed. “You mean the ‘royal you’ of course,” he asked with great curiosity. When she spun in her chair to look up at him with a sheepish smile, the Trill’s eyes widened further and his jaw almost dropped to the carpeted decking.

“Your orders, Captain…” Nazir finally responded, rising from her seat and holding out a data PADD across the desk to where Giarvar was slowly rejoining her. “You are hereby requested and required to relinquish command of the Buran, effective immediately, and assume command of the Hypatia,” she grinned, “orders sent from the very highest echelons of command, from Fleet Admiral Duncan himself.” She shrugged her shoulder and pursed her lips in a way that playfully mocked her subordinate for receiving orders from the brass – something highly unusual in the current organisational structure of the fleet.

“I… I don’t know what to say…” for once, the usually assured and reliable orator was lost for words. Taking ownership of the data PADD, he had to read the words carefully to ensure his friend wasn’t playing a practical joke on him. When he was, at last, satisfied, he slumped into the chair behind him and placed the PADD on the desk. “I haven’t even done anything to deserve such a job,” he whispered, looking up at Nazir in a state of confusion.

“You do yourself a disservice,” Nazir told him, returning to her seat. “You do not question your service to Starfleet, yet you do not blindly follow orders. You show loyalty where, perhaps, it is not deserved,” here she was certain he’d make the connection to their service together and the loyalty he had always shown her, even when she was new aboard their previous posting and didn’t deserve the friendship he showed her. “But most of all… you see things, Giarvar, things that that others do not. Things that make you the perfect choice for such a prestigious assignment.”

As he listened, the spotted man could feel himself getting choked up at her kind words, his eyes welling up until he had to let out a cough and sneak a moment of composure. Looking back at her, he smiled graciously. “Thank you, ma’am. I won’t let you down,” he responded, offering her a hand in gratitude.

“You never have Giarvar,” she grinned, shaking his hand vigorously, “you never have.”

When they had finally released hands and Giarvar had composed himself, they took the opportunity to gaze at his new ship from the window once again. A thing of beauty, the Hypatia had long nacelles sweeping aft from her stardrive, a far cry from the stunted profile of her predecessor, the Nebula-class. From their vantage point, they were clearly able to make out the integral warp nacelles that permitted her saucer to achieve modest warp speeds when separated from the secondary hull. Perhaps her most striking feature, however, was the enormous sensor pod sat atop the primary hull. It was a thing of beauty, even for a starship aficionado such as himself.

“She’s currently under the command of a Vulcan named T’Prynn. You haven’t got much of a senior staff, so you are free to recruit from within the squadron,” Nazir told him while he gazed at his new home, “with the only restrictions being you can’t take Noli, and whoever you request gets final approval from me.”

“Understood ma’am,” he nodded, then finally turned to her. A startling realisation hit him. “What about the Buran? What happens to her?”

“T’Prynn will assume command of Buran and return it to Starbase Bravo. Anyone you don’t take with you will remain aboard,” the Fleet captain revealed, a confirmatory nod signalling his understanding of the situation. With their conversation dwindling now, and the sense of wonderment finally abating, the younger of the Trills found a new feeling filling his body. A feeling of excitement and anticipation.

It wasn’t the first time he had changed commands in the last few months, but this time, something felt different…

…like he had a renewed sense of purpose.

This time, it felt special.

2 – Stacking the Deck

Transporter Room / Observation Lounge
Stardate 24016.6

Andorians were not known for their patience at the best of times, but keeping one holed up in a transporter room for nearly fifteen minutes, without explanation, was a surefire way to ruin whatever was to come. Especially one as feisty as Tharia sh’Elas. Especially without even so much as a hint as to the purpose of her visit aboard the Hypatia in the first place. It made the job of the transporter chief very uncomfortable as he watched her watching him. Then she would pace around the room. Tap her feet. Scowl. Or, growl. It was hard to tell with her when she got angry. Not that the transporter chief wanted to ever find that out again.

Leaning on the console with both hands spread wide apart, glaring at the man behind the controls, Tharia finally opted to speak again. “How much longer are you expecting me to stay here, in this room, without explanation?” she growled.

Before the transporter chief could respond, a familiar voice behind her answered. “I’d say approximately ten more seconds,” the voice laughed, to much confusion from the angry Andorian.

“You?” she asked incredulously, brows furrowed and antennae drooped. Her hands fell to her hips as her demeanour took a less sinister, more confused stance. “What are you doing here? I thought you were on the flagship?”

Waving her towards the door, Giarvar smiled. “Come on. I’ll fill you in on the way,” he told, then swiftly exited the bay and into the corridor.

“On the way?” Tharia called after him, confusion setting in now. As she gave chase, she shouted after him again.

“On the way where?!”


Letting out an almighty exhale, the Andorian slumped into the chair to the captain’s right around the ornately carved table that dominated Hypatia‘s observation lounge. “Well, I wasn’t expecting that,” she frowned, folding her arms across her chest. “Not that I’m not happy for you, though. Congratulations,” she quickly reiterated, placing a hand on his arm and squeezing for a second.

“From one great ship to another,” he smiled and waved an open palm across the data PADDs that littered the table. “So this is where I’ve been – working out who I want to fill the vacancies on my staff. Captain Nazir has given me leave to fill those vacancies from across the squadron, and I want your input, if you don’t mind?” he asked her, sitting forward and drumming his fingers on the work surface.

“I’d be honoured,” the Andorian nodded, sitting forward and mimicking his stance. “Where shall we begin?”

“Let’s start with this one,” Giarvar plucked the PADD nearest to him and passed it across to her. “This is my suggested XO candidate,” he told her.

Taking the PADD from the Trill, Tharia was stunned when the face glaring back at her was incredibly familiar. “Me? There are almost a dozen people on this list, some you are closer to and have more history with,” she asked him, tilting her head as she looked up from the storage device.

“History doesn’t always make a person the right candidate,” the Captain relaxed into his chair and steepled his fingers before his lips. “I need a foil; someone I work well with, who will challenge me but will respect my command. You’ve shown, albeit briefly, that you can fulfil that role perfectly. I want you, and more importantly, Hypatia needs you,” he concluded.

After a few seconds, Tharia put her thumbprint upon the document and slid it across the table to the Captain. “Might I suggest we narrow the list down by working out who Nazir won’t release, and more importantly, who we feel would be a match for our command,” she smiled, pulling her chair in and, together, the real work began in earnest.

By the time either of them next looked at a chronometer, nearly four hours had passed. Discussions had been largely fruitful and diplomatic. Some minor disagreements had occurred (who would want a Vulcan counsellor?) but, for now anyway, it seemed like a definitive target list had been drawn up for every vacancy on the ship except one; Chief Tactical Officer.

They had gone back and forth for the better part of an hour as they weighed up two candidates for the role. Even on a science ship like Hypatia, tactical would be a role of significance, and whoever they chose needed a calm head on their shoulders. Both had gone straight in for officers aboard the Lakota, in a move that would surely rile up the squadron commander, but that had to be at the back of their minds since their objective was to build the best possible command team for their ship, not those of the squadron. As such, Giarvar had picked the Ungeat, Or’uil, who was an officer he knew well from his time on the Hathaway. Tharia had gone for Lakota‘s incumbent tactical chief, nominating Commander Peri Anya for the role aboard Hypatia. Both had merit, both would be huge losses for the Fleet Captain and massive gains for them, but it was the one decision they couldn’t agree on, or even compromise on. It was getting to the point where Giarvar was about to pull rank when Tharia let out a wicked grin. A grin that caused the Captain to raise an eyebrow of concern.

“What?” he cautiously asked.

“Why don’t we let her decide?” the Andorian folded her arms atop the glass surface. “We want one of her people and we’ve narrowed it down to two excellent candidates. Let her be the bad guy and decide who she values the most,” she grinned sadistically.

“Don’t you ever use that evil brain of yours against me,” Giarvar laughed, relaxing back in his chair again, “but your idea has merit. When we submit the list to her, we’ll add them both on and see who she picks,” he nodded in agreement.

Over the next half an hour, they discussed issues of tedium; timetabling, duty shift patterns, and even staff pet requests. The work had indeed begun in earnest, but now all they could do was wait for the squadron commander to give her blessing to the appointments.

3 – Musical Starships

Various
Stardate 24016.6

Whilst many would have thought the maintenance of auxiliary craft would have been below a Lieutenant Commander who spent most of her time on the pristine bridge of the ship, Maddison Burton didn’t. She had always been hands-on, way back to when her grandfather had her rebuilding lawnmowers and kitchen appliances in her early years. But as she slid out from beneath her latest project, the dark-haired human covered in grease looked up at the figure staring down at her, wondering if she had indeed heard the Andorian correctly.

“Sorry, can you repeat that?” Maddie asked as she rose to her feet while sticking her right index finger into her ear and twirling it. “I think I got some grease in here but I could have sworn you just asked me to transfer?”

“You heard correctly,” Tharia nodded, arms folded across her chest, regarding the woman closely. “Captain Kauhn and I have reviewed your personnel file and we think you’d be a perfect fit for Hypatia‘s needs,” the Andorian let out an uncharacteristic smile as she tried to make the woman feel like a million bars of latinum. 

Reaching for a rag draped on the hull of the Type-12 shuttle, the brunette began wiping her hands. “And what needs are those, exactly?” she asked.

Relaxing her stance, the Andorian had to think on her feet after being put on the spot. “We’re going to some of the most dangerous and volatile areas of space; areas any pilot would love to test their piloting skills in. All while under the watchful eye of our friends the Klingons,” sh’Elas elaborated.

Maddie watched the blue-skinned woman closely while she spoke, and gave the offer some consideration. It soon became clear she had made up her mind.

“Dangerous and volatile you say?” she dropped her shoulders and offered a hand to the Andorian.

“I’m in.”


“Quit it!”

Upon being scolded by her slightly more senior colleague, Lieutenant Italia Ruas ceased spinning on the chair in front of the Captain’s desk and let out a huff. Having been summoned to the room together nearly thirty minutes earlier, Ruas and her medical colleague Akaria Okan had been sat waiting patiently for the Captain’s return from Hypatia.

“I heard someone say that the Captain had been chastised by the Fleet Captain and was being relieved of his command,” the Italian revealed, much to the incredulity of her Risian friend.

“Don’t be absurd,” Akaria scoffed, “do you think he’d have summoned us here if he was no longer in command?”

“Well, not likely,” a deep, masculine voice spoke from behind the two, and the women immediately jumped to their feet upon recognising the Trill’s familiar drawl.

Rounding his desk, Giarvar smiled, taking note of the two significantly different facial expressions: whilst Italia didn’t seem to care that their conversation had been at least partially overheard, Akaria looked more than a little flustered. “And you’re at least partly right Lieutenant,” he told the two women standing opposite him.

Exchanging glances, the two females grew concerned at the words the Captain had shared, and flared at him, almost begging him to elaborate further. Instead, he slid into the chair behind his ready-room desk, and then gestured to the chairs behind them in a welcoming manner. The Captain finally acquiesced to their request once they had appeased him by taking their seats.

“I am being relieved of my command here,” the Trill spoke, causing Italia to shift forward to the edge of her seat and the Risian scientist’s jaw to drop.

“Merda! Che scherzo assoluto. Come hanno potuto Nazir farci questo?” Italia ranted in her native tongue, rising from her seat to pace the room a little. When she eventually calmed enough to stop, she glared across at him. “We’ll fight her Giarvar,” the Italian’s smooth tone masked the ferocity of her words, but her words had not been mistaken by the Captain, who threw his hands up in surrender to placate the diminutive warrior.

“No fighting is required, Lieutenant. I may no longer be in command here, but I’ll be over there instead,” he grinned, pointing to the window across from them, where Hypatia gracefully sat in full view. “I’ve been reassigned, not removed from command.”

When the reality set in, the two women looked at each other again, out briefly at the Hypatia, shared a quick nod, then looked back to the Captain. The senior of the two spoke for the pair this time. “Captain, we wish to transfer with you,” Akaria told him, placing her hands on the desk between them, her tone making it sound more like an order than a request.

“Oh you do?” Giarvar grinned. “Bloody good job I’ve already requested you both, isn’t it?” he revealed, drawing smiles from the two.

For the next ten minutes, the three officers discussed various topics: the fate of their current posting upon their departure; the significantly improved medical facilities Akaria would be blessed with upon her transfer; and the lack of repairs or refits that Italia would have to be involved in. Once the conversation was over, Giarvar gently caressed the arm of his desk chair and rose to his feet.

“I’ll miss this place,” his brows furrowed sadly, and then he led the way out, followed by two excited women deep in conversation about what awaited them upon their arrival at their new assignment.


Studying life-changing bacteria was something Commander Onsas D’orr lived for, which was ironic since the bacteria he was looking at had done far more than change life so far; it had destroyed the lives of everyone it had come into contact with since its initial discovery on one of the Cardassian colonies in the former DMZ. While Onsas had been late to the party thanks to Lakota being first on the scene, he’d dedicated every waking minute since to studying the virus that had decimated the workforce of the Quasaris Biofabrication Centre and beyond. After all, how could he be the one to cure the plague and have his name printed in journals across the galaxy if he was beaten to the cure by someone else?

It was that dedication to the cause that had seen the Captain come calling on this particular evening. He’d entered the room several minutes ago, observing the massive Xelliat who was deep in thought and conversation with himself. So deep in fact that the brute had no idea the Captain was even present until a deep cough caused him to look up from the microscope his deep, sunken eyes had been glued to.

“Captain, my apologies,” his voice was calm, and measured; it was something he had taken years to perfect so that he didn’t come across as too intimidating – his body frame did that for itself.

“Any progress?” Giarvar asked, moving across the room to join the scientist at his station, waving away the apology with a smile.

“I’m afraid not sir,” the larger man frowned, slumping back into his chair. “In the absence of a dedicated xenobiology lab and specialist equipment, my analysis is hindered significantly.”

Perching on the edge of the desk when Onsas had been working, the Captain folded his arms across his chest and stared at the floor. “What if I told you I could get you access to the entire science suite and staff aboard the Hypatia?” a smile crept across his face as he slowly, purposefully looked the science man in his deep, brown eyes.

“I’d be amazed that you had been able to pull such strings with her Captain,” the Xelliat laughed, relaxing in his chair.

“I know the Captain very well,” Giarvar shrugged.

“And what, prey tell, does this Captain want in return for their graciousness?” He suddenly sat forward, his look menacing and his words fearful. “They don’t want the credit, do they? I’m already starting a paper on this thing…”

“No credit,” Giarvar stopped the larger man in his tracks. “All he wants is you to do your best work… as his chief science officer,” the Trill smiled sheepishly, and watched the Xelliat’s mouth drop.

“I… uh… I’d normally jump at the chance for such a posting… Sutherland’s are the creme de la creme of the scientific world these days… but I couldn’t leave here…”

For once, the normally subdued giant was quite animated, shocked even, and Giarvar could see he was struggling with the suggestion, so felt the need to end the charade. He placed a gentle hand on D’orr’s large bicep and calmed the scientist. “It’s ok, Onsas. It’s me. I’m the Captain asking you to go to Hypatia,” the Trill smiled reassuringly. Or at least he thought he had.

“You… want me to leave, sir? Have I done something to offend you? Are you not satisfied with my work? I’ve been trying my bes…”

Giarvar jumped in for a second time. “Onsas! It’s me. I’ve been reassigned to command of the Hypatia, and I’d like you to join us there as my chief of science.”

Onsas D’orr’s mighty frame melted into the backrest of the flimsy chair that only just supported his ample body. “Thank the gods!” Relieved, he finally smiled, and nodded in agreement.


By the time Tharia crossed the bridge and entered into the observation lounge, Giarvar was already there, tapping away at a data PADD and making updates to some personnel files.

“Burton’s in,” the Andorian grinned as she slid into her chair, “I also took the liberty of talking with Kiras and Iddar while I was over there. They’re in too,” she revealed, referencing to other promising candidates they’d discussed as possibilities for other roles on the ship.

“Ruas and Okan were about ready to fight the Fleet Captain if I didn’t let them come over here,” Giarvar laughed, leaning backwards, “and poor Onsas nearly had a heart attack when he thought I was transferring him here as punishment for something, but all three are on board. Things are taking shape nicely,” he placed the data PADD down and held the arms of his chair as he twisted from side to side slowly.

“Any word on our candidate for tactical?” sh’Elas asked, reaching over the table for a glass and pouring herself a glass of water. She waved the glass at the Captain, who politely declined.

“Nazir was pretty adamant there was only one option there,” Kauhn shrugged, “I’m told Peri wasn’t thrilled at the prospect of leaving the Lakota so soon. Nazir almost had to give her an ultimatum of sorts, but she has transported aboard and is stashing her stuff,” he reached forward and slid a different PADD in her direction.

Picking up the device, the Commander read the contents with some interest. “I see news travels quickly,” she smirked, “almost two dozen additional transfer requests. And this one, Linn Mora, is an interesting one,” her antennae dropped as she looked at Giarvar for elaboration.

“Yeah,” the Trill nodded. “He’s a funny one. Had a couple of senior roles across the operations division, but always seemed to get passed over for newcomers. He thought he’d nailed down the engineering role on Lakota, but Prida’s return has seen him drop down the ladder again. Maybe a fresh start somewhere else is what he needs?” he was looking at his XO for her input, or was it for permission?

“Well, if you want him, let’s get him,” Tharia agreed, signing off the idea by sliding the Bolian’s service record back to him.

For a short while, the two conversed some more about the profiles of officers already on the Hypatia, such as the Vulcan engineer who had seemingly been in the fleet for nearly a century, but it was becoming quite clear that they had assembled quite the band of intrepid explorers for their mission.

They were soon interrupted by a female Vulcan, T’Mia, who was the assistant operations chief. She wandered into the observation lounge and stood to the Captain’s right. “Excuse me, Captain. Your communications request to the Delta Quadrant has been approved. You may proceed at your discretion,” she advised him with a curt nod, before departing the room.

“The Delta Quadrant?” Tharia asked with raised brows. “Who do you know in the Delta Quadrant?”

Rising to his feet, the Captain slapped her gently on the shoulder. “Never you mind,” he smirked, and headed for the door. “I’ll leave you with those personnel files, shall I?” he laughed, retreating from the room.

Tharia scoffed as she picked up the next personnel file in the pile and put her feet up on the table.

“Yeah, you do that Captain. Not like I have anything better to do…”

4 – Long Distance Communique´

Ready Room
Stardate 24016.7

Ripping open the front of his uniform jacket, Giarvar marched straight up to the doors of his new quarters at such a pace that if he had been so much as a nanosecond earlier, he would have face-planted the doors and required a trip to sickbay. As luck would have it, his movements were timed to perfection and he crossed into his private abode with all the grace of a bounding gazelle. The early hours of a new command were often spent trawling through paperwork, meeting new crewmates and getting to grips with things a bit closer to home; sending intergalactic communications was pretty low down the traditional list of tasks for a new commanding officer. Not today, however. Giarvar was a firm believer in the phrase ‘knowledge is power’, and if he was going to get knowledge about the task he had just accepted, it was widely known there was only one reliable source of information in the entire fleet. She just happened to be thousands of lightyears away in a different quadrant.

Slinging his jacket over the back of his sofa, he grabbed the vest variant he felt far more comfortable in and pulled it over his shoulders as he took his seat at his workstation. “Computer,” he commanded whilst zipping up his vest. “Link with science station bravo and commence communications link up”

“Working…”

Watching the screen as the computer did its thing, he couldn’t help but question something for a moment. Did Hypatia sound… sexier… than usual? The voice was more sultry, less nasal, and far more pleasing on the ear.

“Link established. Activating communications channel.”

Shaking off his distraction, he sat on the edge of his seat, tugged at his collar, and waited for the face of his contact to appear.

It was the face of a Deltan who appeared on the desktop display screen.  Judging by her collar, she was also a four-pipped captain in command crimson. The sound of her first words decayed into garbled noise while her image was distorted by interference.  By the time the subspace video link stabilized, her words became clearer too.

“–invigorating to meet you, Captain Kauhn, even if only via a MIDAS array,” Taes said, with a warmth to her smile.  “I believe I read a paper you wrote about mapping stellar surfaces.  Otherwise, it came as a surprise that you wished to speak with me all the way in the Delta Quadrant.”

“You read my paper?” Giarvar grinned. Knowing that a scientist as distinguished as Taes had read his paper made him feel incredible, but also validated. He’d not received a lot of feedback, but the feedback he had received was generally positive, and knowing a distinguished officer such as her had read his work was the greatest feedback; it meant his work was spreading to wider circles.

Constellation is equipped with the newest generation of metaphasic shields,” Taes replied, nodding as she spoke, “and my next assignment is to study a rare Wolf-Rayet star in the Gradin Belt.  Your theories are well-researched and conceptually sound.  I even challenged my engineers to make one of them a practicality in our work to come.  You’ll be the first one in the alpha quadrant I’ll send our sensor logs to.”

Giarvar hung on the Deltan’s every word, eyes tracing her lips as she spoke in her beautiful dialect. “I look forward to reading your findings,” he grinned, nodding in all the right places. “I had help from some talented individuals, but I’m glad the theories are proving accurate.” He was so thrilled by her revelation that he almost forgot the reason for his communication in the first place. When he did remember, his face changed a little.

“I hope you don’t mind the call, but I was reaching out in hopes of receiving some words of wisdom from you about something,” he smiled sheepishly, hoping his request was not an imposition on the woman and her ship’s important mission.

Taes inclined her chin at him.  “We starship captains are all alone on each of our ships.  We can only survive if we seek community in one another.  It would be my privilege to impart whatever wisdom you might find in my words.”

“Thank you,” he smiled in appreciation, “I came to you, especially, because I’ve recently assumed command of the Hypatia, my biggest and best challenge to date.” He finally seemed to relax, resting against the backrest of his chair. “Going from a Rhode Island to a Sutherland is a massive change.”

Nodding effusively, Taes said, “I remember that feeling well.  When I first captained the USS Sarek, I had been in command of a Springfield-class starship.  With that one, each time we dropped out of warp, I sincerely feared it would be our last.  The EPS grid of that ship was a tangled hyurin-warren behind the bulkheads.”

Hypatia is my first science ship,” the man told her, “I’d love any advice you might have? Sutherland-class or science ship-wise.”

Taes steepled her fingers and she narrowed her eyes.  She breathed in deeply through her nose and then let out a slow breath.  And then she smiled.

“Allow me to ask you a question first,” Taes said.  “What is your level of comfort with asking for help?  Be supremely honest with yourself, even if not with me, a stranger.  In how much trouble do you need to be before you’ll admit defeat and release a distress call?”

That was… not what he expected to be asked. He’d never been one to shy away from seeking the help of his colleagues when he’d been a department head, or even when he was an executive officer, but he was a commanding officer now – it was expected that, for the most part, he would have the answers to any situation. But, he knew the key tenant of being entrusted with a ship and crew was to do what was in their best interests. “When the time comes, whatever that time or situation might be, where I cannot protect my people, or do what is right, then I will have no problem with seeking help. But, I would exhaust all of my options first,” he confessed.

“Coming from a Rhode Island, you will exhaust all options much more quickly now you’re in command of a science ship,” Taes told him.  “Although the Sarek was deployed to the Delta Quadrant for the blood dilithium debacle, we spent much of our time hiding from the Devore.  You may need to reflect on how deep a well of humility you hold within you.”

“I think you are quite right,” the Trill smiled, nodding respectfully. “Starfleet has offered to assign us an escort for missions where we might need them. I will be sure to avail myself of such support wherever and whenever we may need it,” he added confidently, perhaps the first sign of his willingness to seek the support of others.

Nodding gently, Taes said, “And what of your truth you already contain?  Where does a city-sized laboratory on nacelles fit within the formation of your own ambition?”

Well, that was a loaded question if ever he heard one, but he owed it to himself, as well as his learned colleague, to tell the truth. “It probably sounds ridiculous in the current age of space exploration, but I just want to visit new places, meet new people. I want to find things that challenge our understanding of the cosmos,” he gave a child-like grin, hoping he didn’t sound too crazy.

Squinting at Giarvar, Taes asked, “Why would that sound ridiculous?  That is the mission.”

“I feel like too many in Starfleet have forgotten our mandate in recent years,” the Trill sighed, his demeanour changing as his annoyance showed through for the time being. “All I hear from younger ones these days is the stuff they learnt in the war with the Dominion, how they felt fighting for the Federation against the Borg, or how they wish to protect us during tensions with the Romulans, the Klingons, even the Cardassians. I don’t hear about them wanting to find the next wonderful civilisation, or visiting the newest star. Why be the next Spock when you can be the next Kirk?” he scoffed in frustration.

Taes smirked.

She said, “It sounds, to me, like it’s time for you to make some new friends.  It can be meaningful to make friends with the youths among your crew, but it isn’t always going to be possible.”

“I’d very much like to count you among one of those new friends Captain,” the Trill nodded in agreement, “if that would be acceptable to you?”

“Yes,” Taes said with a slow nod, “You can count me among your friends.”

“Then I hope to avail myself of your wisdom again soon, my friend. I’ll let you return to your exploration of the Delta Quadrant,” the Trill smiled. A short while later, beyond the pleasantries and well wishes, Giarvar couldn’t help but feel a sense of calm he had not felt for an age.

A calm that would soon be shattered.

5 – A Parting of Ways

Bridge
Stardate 24016.7

Waiting anxiously for the turbo lift at the end of deck two, Giarvar found himself tapping his foot in frustration. He wasn’t used to waiting for turbo lifts these days, especially at this late hour of the day. Such was the hour that he hadn’t even bothered to put his uniform jacket on again, opting to remain in the vest that he’d got comfortable in for the conversation he had shared with Captain Taes a short while earlier. He’d hoped to sit down and enjoy some peace after a manic day, maybe even sort through the belongings that had been dispatched to him from the Buran, but he’d had no such luck; just as he’d started, the communications array summoned him to the bridge. But he was in danger of never making it there if the turbo lift never sho…

Suddenly the doors to the lift parted, revealing a dark-haired woman who was paying no attention whilst slipping her gold jacket over her arms and tying her hair back in her usual slick ponytail.

“Commander,” Giarvar nodded to the tactical chief, who suddenly stepped aside and made way for her new commanding officer.

“Sorry sir,” Peri smiled sheepishly, dropping her arms to her side, before realising her jacket still wasn’t zipped up. A few seconds later she looked like the presentable figure he’d met earlier in the day. “I wasn’t expecting to be summoned at this time,” she told him apologetically.

“You too, huh?” Giarvar frowned, turning from the woman and looking at the door as it resumed the short journey to the bridge. Whatever had caused him to be summoned to the bridge had now piqued his curiosity thanks to the apparent need for the tactical chief to be present several hours before the start of her next shift.

When the lift arrived at its destination and spat them onto the top level of the bridge, both shared a look of confusion. They were surprised to see that the room was far from a state of chaos. There were few people at all. It was, after all, Gamma Shift and a smaller bridge crew to be expected, but given that both had been summoned, they’d expected it to be significantly busier.

The only other senior officer present was the Risan medical officer who had drawn the short straw in logging her additional experience time during the current bridge rotation. It was all part of her desire to be certified as a bridge officer, but she hadn’t expected to be running boring night shifts.

Clocking the arrival of the two other senior officers, the Commander took a step away from the Operations station. “Sorry to call you sir,” Akaria began, “but there’s a transmission from Lakota.”

“And I couldn’t read it in my quarters?” Giarvar glared at the woman, perhaps fractionally more menacing than he had intended, the woman flinching a little as she realised the mistake she’d made.

Peri remained silent as she stood, and watched, too tired to even chastise the poor medical officer for her misdemeanour.

“You better put it through,” Giarvar sighed as he stepped up to one of the tall, free-standing stations between him and the command circle. A few seconds later, Akaria had ordered the duty officer to put the message through.

As he read the wall of text, the Captain’s expression changed, from one of frustration to one of genuine concern. Watching him, Peri herself grew anxious. Something had got the Captain’s attention, and not in a good way. Perhaps they owed the medical chief an apology?

When he was done reading, Kauhn summoned Peri was a wave and stood aside to let her read the contents of the message. Just like the Captain before her, the Bajoran grew more concerned with each line of text she read.

“We should help him,” Peri told the Captain immediately after she had stopped reading. “Hypatia has a far superior medical suite than Lakota does.”

“Perhaps,” Giarvar mused, folding his arms across his chest, “but Lakota can get him to his people a lot quicker than we can. And, no disrespect to our medical team,” he nodded and smiled sheepishly at the CMO, “they know Or’uil better over there.”

Peri knew better than to challenge the Captain and nodded in respect of his words. She knew that he was just as concerned for their former colleague as she was, if not more so, given the time they had shared on the Hathaway before the Frontier Day changes. Whatever differences they had with the Fleet Captain after today’s events had been washed away with the news of Or’uil’s illness. Bygones had to be bygones when one’s health and safety were at risk; especially since all any of them were doing was to look out for their people.

“Contact the Lakota and let them know we’ll assume their position in the patrol as soon as they depart,” Giarvar told, looking towards the relief officer at Ops. “Let them know we’re here if they need anything in the meantime.” He let out a sigh, leaning on the console. “I’m heading back to my quarters. Peri, you have the bridge. When the shift is over, get some sleep. We’ll delay your next shift. Akaria,” he turned quickly, not giving the tactical chief any time to respond, “wake the XO and inform her of the change of orders. Let her know she has alpha shift and she’s to relieve Commander Peri as soon as is feasible. Then I want you to get some sleep… just in case we need you.”

“Aye Captain,” the medical officer nodded respectfully, handing over the proverbial baton of command to the Bajoran tactician before disappearing into the turbo lift with the Captain.

Out in the ocean of space, two of Starfleet’s finest starships flew in formation one final time as the Quasaris star began to emerge from behind the fourth planet in the system. As the sun’s rays lit up the heavens, the mighty Lakota veered to starboard and gradually picked up speed while Hypatia remained on course, steady and true to the end. A fitting end to the squadron and one final parting of ways between friends.