For the first time since her arrival on the USS Cupertino and taking the position as new Commanding Officer barely a week ago, Saffiya Nassar too the center chair feeling like she and her crew – or at the very least her senior officers – had connected. The first few days had been marred by a series of misunderstanding, misinformation and misinterpretation, and while not all of these issues were solved, it was a common goal that united the crew.

A computer potentially compromised by a semi-hostile defence engine, and a Captain and first Officer forced to make their departure seem like retirement, but never making it to their destination. So this was as much of a rescue mission as it was a diplomatic endeavour. Of a sort, anyway.

“Sir, we will reach Captain Jurev’s last know location in three minutes.”, reported the helm, and Saffiya gave a curt nod. “ Keep an eye out for anything unusual. Ensign Velix, keep the sensors at maximum sensitivity.” “Aye, sir.”

There was a moment of almost companionable silence as they came closer and closer to their destination. “Thank you for doing this.”, said Keller, the Cupertino’s Chief of Security who seemed to finally warm up to the new Captain. Saffiya turned to her, giving the statement of appreciation a faint smile. It represented the general sentiment of the crew, and while Saffiya wasn’t happy with the place it came from, she was glad that some of them had become comfortable enough to speak up about their concerns and feelings.

Even if Saffiya wasn’t a very touchy-feely person herself, they all had them, and addressing them was a foundational piece of keeping people content.

“Of course.”, she simply said. “It’s a nice chair and a nice ship, but this …” she jutted her chin towards the viewscreen “Always comes first.”

“I’ve learned not everyone thinks that way. Even in Starfleet.”, Keller said, a little more quietly. Which, of course, didn’t make the statement less true. Despite all of Starfleets good intentions, it still attracted career driven individuals and generally unpleasant people. Saffiya had met a few of those during her tenure on the vessels she had previously served on. And when, years ago, she had aimed for the position of Chief Engineer, she had almost become one herself. Almost.

“I do. And that’s what matters.”, she sighed. “And if you ever find yourself in a situation where you have to work with someone who does not, find someone who does.

Then again, she knew that Keller had done exactly that. Or wanted to do that when she and the rest of the crew had worked against Saffiya and made Jurev’s predicament a problem they decided to handle on their own.  Saffiya understood the intention behind it. And with the response she had just given Keller, she hoped the let the woman know that she wasn’t holding a grudge.

And it seemed like Keller understood what her new Captain was trying to tell her without actually saying the words.

“Thank you.”

“Captain Jurev is lucky to have a crew that looks out for him.”, she said, finishing the conversation as she returned her attention to what lay ahead. “So let’s make sure we get him back.”

Back from whatever had happened to him – and back into the chair that belonged to him.

“Captain, I’m detecting anomalous gravimetric readings. The distortions are off the charts.”, stated Velix with equal measures of urgency and excitement in her voice. While Saffiya wasn’t above being excited about interesting natural phenomena, she had secretly hoped for this to be a fairly straightforward mission with the Captain alive and stranded on some kind of mildly interesting moon. But if she had learned one thing, then that there were very few coincidences in the galaxy. Or rather, there were a lot of them, they just never seemed to apply to any situation she had ever been in.

“Could it be connected to Captain Jurev’s disappearance?”, asked Keller, voicing her Captain’s exact thoughts.

“Possibly.”, replied Saffiya and reclined in her chair, suddenly feeling as if the temperature had dropped a few degrees.  “Alter course to investigate. And get me Hina-… I mean, get me Lieutenant Morishita here.“

Hina Morishita, an old friend of Saffiya, had initially come to the Cupertino as Engineering consult. But considering the lack of a First Officer and her problems with the crew, Saffy had promoted her – much to the woman’s disdain. But that was a problem for future Saffiya. Right now, they had different things to deal with.