Back to the Basics of Exploration

The North Carolina is getting back to its roots of exploring space

New Faces

Various locations on the ship
2401

Grant found himself walking the corridors of the ship again. 

He had already visited Engineering to see how the staff were getting along with the new Assistant Chief. Grant had been able to bring some of his crew from his previous command when he transferred to the North Carolina, and Jamison had been one of them. Kyle was, without a doubt, one of the best Engineers Grant had ever known.

His next stop had been Astrometrics to see how Campbell was settling in. Campbell was another transplant. The young man had been hesitant about the transfer but Grant had been able to persuade him to come along with the promise if more adventure than he could ever handle.

There were a few others that he hadn't got around to seeing yet but they were definitely on his list of things to do. For now, he decided to make his way to the Bridge. He entered the lift and called for his destination.

“Bridge.”

The doors parted as soon as the lift halted and he stepped out.

“Captain on the Bridge!” yelled a young Security officer.

Grant smiled and waved his hands in a sit down motion. “As you were.” he added.

Everyone returned to their work and the First Officer stepped over to her seat as she vacated the new COs.

The Captain made his way over and stood in front of it as he observed the Bridge crew. He knew the former Captain of the North Carolina, and also knew that, much like himself, he would have only had what he considered the best personnel. It was one of the reasons Grant had agreed to the posting. He trusted Krolo's instinct.

The first meeting with his new Senior Staff had been a bit tense in the beginning but there had been a video message from Krolo that endorsed Grant. After hearing the words of their former CO, they seemed to relax and accept Grant as one of their own. They truly didn't have much choice but it helped smooth things along.

He gave an approving nod after one more look around before finally coming to rest in his command chair. The ship had been in dock while making the crew changes and now that everything was complete, it was time to get back to the basics…..Exploration.

“We've been cleared for launch, Captain.” announced the Helmsman.

“Proceed, Lieutenant. Take us out at your leisure.” he said.

Got to trust them. he thought. If Krolo could, so can I.

Helm simply smiled at the opportunity. “Aye, Sir.”

And just like that, the USS North Carolina was off and running.

Making friends (Pt 1)

Mess Hall
2401

Jamison entered the Mess Hall to find that a fair amount of the Junior Officers had had the same thought…..food. 

As he glanced around, he saw the twin Bolians sitting together despite the tension he had seen between them the last few days. One had just returned from home. He hadn’t asked the reason due to not wanting to get into the middle of whatever the issue was.

He noticed his old friend, Campbell, sitting with Nurse Poloma and the First Officer’s daughter Leana Tod. He gave a slight nod when Campbell waved him over, just as Barrett from Security asked to join them. He retrieved a tray that contained a thick juicy cheeseburger along with some fries and a drink. He greeted everyone as he approached and took his seat. 

“Really!” exclaimed Campbell just before turning to Kyle. “Dude. You won’t believe who her parent is.”

Jamison gave the young scientist a strange look. “Everyone knows she’s the XO’s kid.”

Campbell released a quick laugh. “I meant her father.” After getting another strange look from Jamison, he continued. “Doctor O’Conner.”

Jamison’s head quickly snapped around to the teenager. “The Doc and XO are married?” he asked in disbelief.

“No. They just used to be a couple a while back and I’m the by-product.” she said teasingly.

Jamison looked around the table and saw everyone giggling.

“I never would have guessed that.” he told them as he began eating his meal.

Making friends (Pt 2)

Mess Hall
2401

The twins sat at a table and ate their meals in silence. There hadn’t been much conversation between the two of them since Xifel had returned from their father’s funeral. 

“Isn’t that the new Engineering Assistant Chief?” Xifel asked his brother with a nod toward the other table.

Xifer replied without even turning his head to take a look. “I guess.” He scooped up another spoonful of his Bolian tomato soup and continued eating.

Xifel placed his glass back onto the tray that sat in front of him and grabbed it by the sides. “Well, I’m going over to say hello,” he told his slightly older brother. “Feel free to join if you’d like.”

With that, he stood and approached the other table.

“Mind if I join all of you?” he asked.

The young Bolian wasn’t at all surprised when the First Officer’s daughter looked up and responded. “Xifer. Of course. Please do.” she said with a smile.

To this day, the twins still hadn’t figured out exactly how, but Leana Tod had been the one person aboard the North Carolina who had been able to tell them apart almost immediately upon their arrival.

“Thank you, Leana.” he replied as he took a vacant chair. Turning to the two other men, he extended his hand and introduced himself.

He began asking them about their previous adventures and what it was like to serve under Captain Burton. They talked and laughed as they ate and drank together. Xifer hung on to every word the two older officers were sharing. If there had ever been any doubt in his mind about him remaining in Starfleet, it was quickly subsiding. He wanted to have the same sort of adventures they had. Now more than ever, he wanted to travel both the known and unknown Galaxies. Meet new species. See new planets. Hell. He might even learn another language or two. 

When there was a break in the conversation, Xifel looked over to the table he had shared with his brother earlier only to realize that Xifer had already left the Mess Hall. It saddened Xifer that his relationship with his brother was so strained. He was hoping to be able to work on that while they were out exploring the universe together. He turned his attention back to the others and tried to enjoy the moment.

New Beginnings Pt1

Captain's Ready Room, Briddge
2401

Will sat at the desk in his Ready Room and marveled at his new Command. He had recently taken over the center seat of the USS North Carolina after the previous Captain had retired. When he first got the offer to lead the crew of the Rhode Island class starship, it was a part of the Humanitarian Operations of Starfleet but it had soon been assigned to another department so now Will found himself, his crew, and their ship currently parked at Deep Space 47. They were taking on some supplies and new personnel to replace the ones that had transferred off before the move.

The officer in charge had told them they would be ready to launch in about three days. Will was using the downtime for the basic Commanding Officer tasks that needed to be done. He was reading personnel files, inspecting the crucial areas that needed the most attention, and meeting some of his staff who were still aboard. Most of the junior officers had taken advantage of the R&R their new CO had offered and made their way over to the station.

Needing a change of scenery, Will stood and walked out onto the Bridge.

“Captain on the Bridge.” someone called out, followed quickly by Will’s reply. “As you were.”

He walked the circumference of the Bridge and took a few seconds to watch the few officers that were there. Eventually, he made his way to his seat and took it.

“Everything alright, Sir?” asked the young Ensign manning the Operations station.

Will smiled and began to turn around before looking slightly to his front left where the station was located. He wondered how long it would take him to get used to the layout of this new bridge.

“Everything is fine, Ensign. Thank you for asking. I’m just taking everything in and still marveling at the wonder that is Starfleet.”

The Ensign looked at his Captain as if he was wondering if he needed to contact Medical. As an Ensign, he knew what the CO was talking about but he assumed the Captain had been long enough to be over the euphoria.

Will caught the man’s face and smiled again. “I know. I know. I should be used to it but some things still leave me in awe.” he lifted his PADD and began learning about more of his crew.

New Beginnings Pt2

Food (DS 47 Resturant)
2401

Xifel was sitting at his table nursing his meal and the coffee he had brought in from next door from Beans’d. As he pushed the food around on his plate, a voice cut into the silence from above.

“Mind if I join you?” asked the ship’s pilot.

“Go ahead. No one else is,” he said solemnly.

The young Asian woman pulled out the chair and took a seat. “Are you still down about Xifer leaving the ship?” she asked.

Xifer was Xifel’s identical, Bolian twin. They had always been together from the day they were born.

“I just can’t believe he transferred. We’ve never been apart before. I knew he was upset when I got promoted but enough to transfer. I just don’t know what to do without him.” replied Xifel.

“I’ll tell you what you’re gonna do,” answered Xi. “You’ll take some time, heal, and then buck up like the Starfleet officer that you are and carry on. It’s what he’d want you to do.”

“You’re right. Thank you for the talk,” he said. “That was exactly what I needed to hear,” he added as he smiled for the first time in days, stabbed his fork into his meal, and finally began eating.