Maxwell stood on the turbolift going to the bridge, with various thoughts running through his mind. This is his first command after being the chief science officer for various ships in the past. He waited nervously as the turbolift zoomed throughout the ship, where he would first meet his crew at deck 1, commonly known as the bridge. This was an opportunity that Maxwell could not pass up after having passed the bridge officer test with flying colors back on his old ship. He was promoted to full commander with two choices: be the team leader of a specialized team of scientists or be the commanding officer of a starship. He ultimately chose to command a starship, the U.S.S. Galileo, a Steamrunner-class starship, a frigate, which is nicknamed the “torpedo frigate”.

~ Maxwell, think. How do you make a good first impression with your crew? I mean… ~

Maxwell’s thoughts were interrupted when the turbolift opened, revealing the bridge. He walked out but was still in a daze, he heard an officer yell, “Captain on the bridge!”. Then Maxwell saw every officer stand and stop what they were doing.

Knapp said “As you were,” while motioning for the officers to continue what they were doing. Maxwell thought ~ That was certainly a first, ~ while walking down to the command chair. The sacred chair that every commanding officer of a starship sat upon. 

~ I guess it is now mine… ~

Kristen was a bit nervous holding the PADD while walking up to the commanding officer. Mustering up the courage, she started speaking: “Captain, reports on the operational status and some reports to sign, sir.”

Maxwell had this in thought: ~ Wait, what’s her name again… Uh, Krystal? Kristen? Yeah, Kristen! Gardner, if I’m not mistaken. Damn, I still need to review and get to know my crew… Anyways. ~ as seeing the executive officer walking towards him,

Maxwell commented “At ease, commander,” upon seeing the executive officers’ nervousness. 

Maxwell vividly remembered the day when he would receive his first posting and assignment as an ensign fresh out of the academy. It was a rather gloomy day coming from the campus in San Francisco. It doesn’t rain in space, now does it? Nor does it have sun shine. Maxwell remembered that he stood nervously waiting for his assignment, which he hoped was somewhat of a prestigious place to be. A starship with a long history and a fabled crew, perhaps? He could still remember the shocked face that he expressed when his name was called. His first assignment was on a Starbase?! His friends and classmates also shared the same sentiments, as out of their entire batch of cadets, Maxwell and one other cadet were the only ones shipped off to a starbase while the others were assigned to starships.

Knapp questioned, “Not every department is ready for departure yet, am I correct? Especially engineering, I believe. Still prepare us for departure at 1500 hours. It should be just some minor fixes, and they should be done by then.”

Gardner said, “Yes, sir. The engineering team still has some minor issues to deal with, but I will inform them that departure is at 1500 hours.” She then quickly stalked away.

Maxwell contemplated ~ Anyways, I suppose I got like a few hours before departure. Might as well go down to the departments and see how they’re holding up. Hmm, or should I review the crew roster first? I still have names to memorize after all. Then I’ll go down to engineering, then science and medical. Knowing the crew will be a crucial factor in working together with them after all, ~ before deciding to stand up and say, “Commander Gardner, you have the bridge.”

Gardner said “Aye, sir,” while walking towards the middle of the bridge, where the captain’s chair was located. Seeing the captain stand up, she immediately sat down, and all she had to say was that. She could really feel the power of the chair. Kristen was shocked at how comfortable the captain’s chair was compared to other chairs at the bridge or the whole damn ship.

Walking off to the ready room, Maxwell was still taking in the ship’s beauty. A ship named after the fabled seventeenth-century astronomer and polymath, Galileo Galilei. A Steamrunner-class starship was not something Maxwell expected to command. The Steamrunner is best known for being the Jack-of-all-trades, being a light cruiser but capable of all sorts of tricks that it has up its sleeves. 

~ Wait, do starships even have sleeves?! Anyways ~

Entering his ready room, Maxwell went to the restroom to wash his face before starting to review the crew files. Maxwell sighed, “It’s going to be a long day after all.” 

Before sitting down at his desk, Maxwell went to the replicator and asked for coffee. After that, he finally sat down at his desk and opened his computer. “Computer, access the crew manifest, starting with the senior staff and their respective files.”

A beep from the computer indicating it had been opened was heard. Maxwell started scrolling through the first file. Which was of the executive officer, Lieutenant Commander Kristen Gardner. 

Knapp requested, “Computer, access the personnel file of one, Kristen Gardner, with audio and visual outputs.” He was really curious as to what the commander had already achieved.

“Accessing the Personnel File of One: Lieutenant Commander Kristen Gardner… Species: Human/Bajoran, Age: 28.”

Knapp commented, “Huh, that’s certainly interesting. Just 28? That’s impressive.”

“Awards and recommendations: Starfleet Medal of Commendation, 2 times citation, Silver Cluster for Academic Excellence, Palm Cluster, Cochrane Medal…”

Knapp once again commented while feeling a bit shocked, “Cochrane Medal? That’s impressive. Only a few people from a specific field of science and engineering earn that award. It’s an award given by the federation council and its members.”

Maxwell thought to himself and said, ~ This is going to take some time, even with just the senior staff and department heads. I still have around 13 hours to do so, and I most definitely still have time to go down the… Well, everywhere? ~

Standing up, he went back to the replicator and asked for another cup of coffee, or two. Maxwell depended on coffee to live. He shudders, thinking about how his life would be if coffee didn’t exist.