The ready room onboard the Argo was neither small nor huge but right in between. It had a desk near the middle of the room and a lounging area next to the window. It included a bookshelf full of books Serel had collected over the years and loved to sometimes just read to unwind after a long day. Serel was sitting at his desk, drinking a hot cup of green tea while reading incoming reports from the away team. They had just completed their mission assisting a colony within the old Romulan Neutral Zone that needed supplies and medical assistance.

The Nighthawk reported they would be ready to depart within the hour; they had been there assisting them. Serel lifted his cup to his lips to drink when the door chime to his office sounded. Taking a quick drink, he set the cup on his desk and let out a sign before responding. “Enter,” he replied as the ready room doors opened to reveal Commander Meihui entering.

“What can I do for you?” Serel asked as he looked a tiny bit annoyed at the interruption. They had not been working together for very long, so they were still unsure of each other’s personalities and quirks to know how both were feeling.

“Sorry to disturb you, but you have received an incoming transmission from a Commodore Dex of the USS Saratoga,” Meihui responded with a soft smile as she stood there, unsure what to do next.

Raising an eyebrow, Serel couldn’t help but wonder why she didn’t just call him over the communication channel but wasted the steps of coming directly to his ready room to inform him of such a transmission. However, he kept his thoughts to himself, not wanting to appear petty. “Very well, patch her through,” Serel responded, waving her on, his curiosity piqued.

A few moments later, his computer screen changed to the face of an older Trill woman on the other end. “What do I owe this pleasure, Commodore?” Serel asked, looking at her with a soft smile and being polite, though he was truly curious about why she was contacting him.

“I hope I am not contacting you at the wrong time, Captain,” Dex responded as she sat there. Her expression was neutral, and she looked at the younger captain before her.

“Not at all,” he responded with a raised eyebrow.

“Good,” Dex replied sharply. “Effective immediately, the Argo and Nighthawk will be assigned to my squadron. I want both of you to head towards Starbase 93 to meet up with the rest of the ships.” Dex ordered just as she sent him the orders. She began to study his reaction, which seemed not to be much.

Pulling up the orders, Serel raised an eyebrow briefly before looking back at the Commodore. “How come? Why are we suddenly assigned to a squadron with four other ships?” He asked with an annoyed tone. Serel was blunt and didn’t care who the person was, and that always seemed to land him in the hot seat more than on one occasion.

“I would watch your tone,” Commodore Dex replied sternly before moving on. “It is all in the orders you have received,” she added.

Silence filled the channel for a few moments as Serel began to read what had been sent over more closely than just scanning through it. “Very well,” he replied, looking back at her. “Is there anything else I can help you with?”

“That is all for now. We will see you in a few days.” Dex replied, and just like that, the computer screen went black.

Serel rolled his eyes as he brought up the orders and began to read them. Just as he finished reading, he heard the sound of his door again chiming. “Come,” he spoke a little louder than usual, showing how annoyed he was with getting interrupted from his work twice within a short period. “How often do I have to tell you to use comms instead of just coming in here?” Serel asked without looking up to see who it was, as he assumed it was his first officer yet again.

“Sir?” Commander Ashtin Coulter replied with a tilt of her head with a look of confusion on her face.

Serel noticed the difference in the voice of the person who responded and looked up to see that it was, in fact, not his first officer. “I do apologize. I thought you were my first officer,” Serel replied as he stood up.

“Sorry to bother you,” Ashtin replied with a soft smile as Serel just waved off her comment as if it wasn’t a big deal. “Did you get orders to report to Starbase 93 to join the Saratoga Squadron?” She asked, looking at him. She seemed confused by the sudden change in orders she had just received.

“Indeed,” Serel replied with a sign of frustration.

“Well, at least we will be assigned together,” Ashtin replied with a grin.

“True,” Serel replied, as they had been working together for the last couple of months. “Is the Nighthawk ready to depart?” Serel asked, looking at her.

“We are,” she replied with a smile.

“Good, we better depart then,” Serel replied, nodding before they both left the ready room. Ashtin arrived back on the Nighthawk, and soon, they were jumping to warp and heading towards Starbase 93.