The Caitian gulped as his alarm clock sounded. Today was the day. He’d worked hard for years at Starfleet Academy and today he headed to his first ever posting. He stood from the bed, rubbing his eyes with his clawed paws and yawned, his long feline tongue flopping from his mouth as he finally got to his feet.

He headed towards the mirror, checking himself a moment, running his paws through his mane fur to try and make himself look reasonably appropriate for the day, but nothing seemed to stick the way he wished it to. He shrugged as he reached to grab some underwear, pulling it over his legs and tucking his tail where the gap required before reaching for his cadets uniform. 

It’s true, he was no longer a cadet, but he had been informed to wear this until reporting onboard where he was told the operations team would have arranged for him to have permissions to replicate the correct uniform for duty in his quarters which he’d be sharing, as is usually the case for junior officers.

Pulling on the cadet’s jumpsuit, he brushed his teeth and fangs in the mirror before grabbing his bag. He hated how the jumpsuits felt as his tail often got caught up in the legs, but alas, he knew the new uniform would be a two piece, small victories.

Once ready, the Caitian Ensign headed from his room and walked the long corridor of the Starbase towards the shuttlebay.

The shuttlebay felt cold. Not the usual coldness of a cavernous grey room but there was a definite chill in the air. Perhaps Engineering were having issues with the heating as so often happened on Starbases such as this. Alas, the fur of the young Caitian kept him warm at least as he stepped down the steel infused steps from his shuttle to the floor of the bay.

Travelling via shuttle had made up much of his last year, ferrying between Starbases, the Academy and his home world on Cait, but now he arrived for a mission of the utmost importance. But this felt different. He was heading to a Starship for his first posting, Counsellor aboard the newly launching USS Oakland, a California class vessel about to head on it’s first ever shakedown cruise. To say he was excited would be an understatement.

As he boarded the shuttle and took his seat, he watched out of the window as it launched into the stars, a sight he hoped never to be bored of. He knew not what would make up his next few weeks, but he knew it would be an adventure of a lifetime.

Here he was, Starbase Bravo. It was HUGE. The young Caitian Ensign had been sent here to wait until called to board his new vessel. The USS Oakland was the newest California Class starship and was being finished here. Just a few small additions and adjustments and she would be ready for her shakedown cruise.

Freki was evidently excited to be joining a brand new ship and wondered if it would have that “New ship smell”. He’d been lucky to be assigned the role of Counselor aboard the vessel, not many Ensigns got such a great duty posting. Usually on a starship like this, there would be a Chief Counselor and a department beneath them but shakedown cruises tended to be short and only require a small complement of crew to begin with.

He was sure that when the shakedown mission was over and the ship returned to base, a full crew would be installed on the ship and he’d have a Chief to report to. For now though, the office was all his!

Walking down the promenade, he admired the modern yet bustling atmosphere, taking it all in as he saw people from all species, all kinds of planets and all walks of life. There were Starfleet, as well as civilians, there were shops, cafes,  docking hangars, the works. He had no idea where to look first.

Seeing a sign for guest quarters, he headed in that direction, deciding to find his room first. At least then, he could relax and await the next stage in his onboarding. He could really use a Raktajino….

There are fewer occasions in the life of a Starfleet Captain that can eclipse the feeling of bringing out a brand new vessel. Walter Reynolds had risen through the ranks swiftly. As a Commander aboard the USS Franklin, he had impressed the top brass onboard and at Starfleet Command and when the Franklin was decommissioned, Walter was offered the chance of a lifetime. A promotion to Captain and his own command.

He’d read a lot about the new California class of vessel and their design as a multi-faceted explorer, designed for second contact, diplomacy and exploration. He’d been called to Starbase Bravo to witness the final stages of the build. Though the ship was built at Utopia Planitia, the final fittings were made here. 

He headed down the main promenade of the Starbase and adjusted the fit of his uniform, admiring the fourth pip now adjoined to his collar. As he headed to the docking bay, he let out a huge breath as he saw her, the USS Oakland, his ship. This would be the first time any member of the ships crew would board her. He felt honoured, excited and a little overwhelmed as he walked through the tunnel to the ship.

As he headed onboard, he looked around the corridor. This was his ship, his home. He would be commanding this vessel from now on and he would be ultimately responsible for his crew. For the shakedown cruise, there would only be a skeleton crew, but one day, the ship would be full and bustling. That day would be glorious and he couldn’t wait. 

He headed down the corridor, stepping over loose cabling, tool boxes and equipment, he could see many engineers working on the consoles, screens and electrics onboard. The ship felt like a construction site still but he knew how fast these guys worked and knew it would be perfect very soon.

Walter nodded to the engineer by the turbolift. 

“Is the turbolift operational?” he asked and got a “Yes Sir” in response. As such, he headed inside and issued the command… “Bridge please…” and the turbolift whirred into action taking him to the one place on the ship that he felt would be the most important in his career.

It had been a whirlwind. Graduating the academy was a big step of course, but it was just the beginning of a life of adventure.

Jade had finished close to the top of the class but under the radar, as she always strived to be. She was not one to go for the attention or the big deal. She just wanted to do a good job and be recognised accordingly.

This, her first day onboard the Oakland, would be special. She would be meeting her superiors, getting to know a brand new ship of this new California Class vessel. It’s mission, for second contact, diplomacy and exploration.

As she stood on the precipice of the barrier between starbase and ship, she let out a deep sigh of nerves before stepping onboard. The clean air, the smell of new ship, the white of the walls. This ship was top of the line and fresh and she loved it.

Her first port of call was to check out her quarters. She had already been informed that as a junior officer, she would likely be in shared quarters with another Ensign or a Midshipman and she was fine with that. More the merrier right?

It had been a tough few weeks adjusting from being a dutiful cadet to a fresh fledged Ensign but she was excited for the opportunities ahead. She was going to see the stars, the planets, meet new species, negotiate, even fight. Exhilarated, she headed to her quarters.

The room, split in two bedrooms with a shared living area, was nice, spacious and comfortable. Arriving first meant she could choose the first bunk. She chose the room on the port side and set down her bags, sitting a moment to take in the gravitas of the situation.