Saffiya Nassar spun in her chair, looking at the chronometer whenever she completed a turn. There was still plenty of time, which somehow was more of a stressor than relief. She wasn’t a last minute type of person and preferred to be organised, but having nothing to do while she waited for the remaining minutes to tick by was unexpectedly agonising. 
She glanced at the table in the centre of her ready room. It was decorated in a subtle but (as she found) nice way that was a mixture between formal and celebratory, and there were different dishes, appetisers and drinks from varying cultures and parts of the galaxy ready to be sampled. Several fancy-looking small boxes remained on one of the very few shelves that offered a tiny bit of storage capacities, containing decorations and one or two shiny new pips.

The Cupertino’s last mission hadn’t been a mission at all. The ship had been sucked into a subspace aperture and barely made it out in one piece, but it had showcased the strength of the crew. And in Saffiya’s opinion, it should be celebrated and rewarded. Which was why the crew was on shore leave while the ship itself underwent repairs, while a few of them had received an invitation to this very special event. Saffiya’s only regret was that two of her very valued crew members couldn’t attend – Hina, BLADE and Keller.

Hina had returned to the USS Kongo to sort a few more things before she said her final goodbye to it, BLADE was being repaired by a specialist, and Lieutenant Keller was still in stasis. Saffiya monitored Keller’s condition closely, and was in frequent contact with Hina, which made it less disappointing to not have her here right now. But then, Hina had given her a somewhat unusual, but interesting idea as to how to fill up those empty seats. Rather than just inviting her senior staff, Saffiya had invited the crew she had worked most closely with – that meant Lieutenants Vargas, Pereira, Seta and Sydin, Doctor Trova, and Ensigns Leski and Velix. 
All of them had done amazing work, and she wanted to make sure they felt appreciated.

Mostly because she wouldn’t have a chance to show them her appreciation in the following mission. Because Saffiya was transferring away from the Cupertino.

It had come as a shock, but not as a surprise. When she had arrived on the ship only a few weeks ago, she had a feeling that there was something off about Captain Jurev’s departure, and a few days ago she had found out that BLADE had sent him into involuntary retirement to Risa. Now he was on his way back to reclaim his command, and Saffyia would be given a different one. It was a little daunting. But she had learned a lot during her time on the Cupertino, and saw the change in an overall positive light.

The door slid open, and Saffiya got up.

“Welcome.”, she said as Ensign Velix and Lieutenant Pereira entered together. The dress code in the invitation had been semi-formal, and both science officers adhered to that – in the way only science officers could. Pereira was formal in his dress uniform. Ensign Velix was… well, semi. As in, the dress was so revealing that it could only be described as her being ‘semi clothed’. Okay then.

“Hi Captain.”, smiled Velix and Pereira nodded politely. “Thank you for inviting me – I’ve never been invited to something like that”, the young Trill beamed, and Saffiya returned the smile.

“Well, it’s the first time hosting something like this as Captain.”, Saffiya admitted. “So we have something in common.”

After a few moments, the other invitees too arrived, all of them expressing pleasant surprise at the invitation. And before long, the food was being eaten, the beverages investigated, and casual conversation ensued. Despite the stress leading up to the event, the atmosphere quickly became lively and relaxed, and Saffiya felt a sense of pride watching her crew unwind and enjoy themselves.

Doctor Trova leaned in towards Lieutenant Vargas. “So, have you decided to follow up on the question of your half-Cardassian heritage?”

Lieutenant Vargas nodded. “Yes, I have. I reached out to Starfleet’s archives and started digging into the records. It’s… complicated. There are a lot of gaps, and some records were intentionally obscured. But I think I want to know if I got… actual biological family on Cardassia.”

Trova nodded thoughtfully. “Have you considered reaching out to the Cardassian Union? They might have records that Starfleet doesn’t.”

Vargas sighed. “I have considered it, but it’s a delicate situation. The political climate is still tense. I’m worried about drawing too much attention.”

Saffiya joined the conversation, her interest piqued. “If you need any support, Lieutenant, don’t hesitate to ask. Your heritage is part of who you are, and it’s important to understand it.”

Vargas smiled appreciatively. “Thank you, Captain. That means a lot.”

Nearby, Ensign Leski and Lieutenant Pereira were deep in conversation about the subspace anomaly that had nearly torn the ship apart.

“Can’t believe we made it out in one piece…” Leski sighed, shaking his head. “I still can’t wrap my head around the readings we were getting.”

Pereira nodded, and furrowed his brow in thought. “The fluctuations in the subspace field were unlike anything I’ve ever seen. We were lucky to have such a skilled team. And a little… luck on our side.”

Leski chuckled. “A lot of luck, I’d say.”

Pereira nodded and turned to Ensign Velix.

“You did good.”, he told her, and the younger woman blushed. 

“Thanks. And thanks for not being mad I was your team lead.”

“Less work for me.”, Pereira smirked. “So, what’s your next project?” He asked, taking a sip of his drink.

Velix’s eyes sparkled with excitement. “I’m working on a new method to analyze subspace distortions. The data we collected during our last mission could lead to breakthroughs in understanding subspace anomalies. What about you?”

Pereira smiled. “I’m focusing on refining our sensor arrays. The last mission showed some gaps in our detection capabilities. I want to make sure we’re better prepared for the next encounter.”

Saffiya turned to join another group, where Sydin and Seta were also talking about their last mission.

“I thought we were done for.”, Sydin laughed.

Seta nodded. “It was a close call. But we faced the challenge and came out stronger.”

Saffiya raised her glass. “To the Cupertino and its incredible crew. May we continue to face challenges and emerge stronger, no matter where we go.”

The crew raised their glasses, and a chorus of agreement echoed around the room.

“That said, I have a few things to say, and a few annoucements to make.”  
Silence, but not the usual tense kind that had greeted her upon transferring to the Cupertino. Saffiya sat her glass down and retrieved the boxes she had prepared earlier. She handed each to its recipient, keeping only two for herself.  
“Doctor Trova. Your work in sickbay was unlike anything I’ve ever seen before. You were able to deal with casualties far beyond sickbay’s capacities, and set up rapid response team within minutes. You and your team saved countless of lives, and might very well have saved the life of a young Cardassian. Lieutenant Sydin, your expertise in Cardassian culture and customs has helped us navigate a the retrieval of our away teams. And when the demand arose, you stepped into others roles as they were required. Lieutenant Pereira and Ensign Velix, your discovery regarding the unknown particles was what eventually allowed us to escape the subspace tunnels. Ensign Leski, you are probably one of the most gifted pilots I have ever known. You navigated us through the debris field, and eventually into the aperture to return to normal space. Lieutenant Vargas, without you, that Cardassian ship and everyone on board would have died. The ship was disabled, and you were instrumental in getting it functional enough to follow us through the aperture. And Lieutenant Seta, your support and advise to myself and the rest of the crew in such a stressful situation was invaluable.”, Saffiya said, then paused. “Thank you.”  The assembled crew nodded their thanks, appreciating their captains words. And the recognition that came with it upon opening the small boxes containing the corresponding ribbons. Only Sydin appeared to have mixed feelings, but then, Sydin had mixed feelings about everything.

“I got two more things here, and three more things to say”, said Saffiya once the thanks and congratulations had died down.

“Ensigns Leski and Velix. If you would please join me here.”, she continued, and waited for the two young offers to make their way around the table and to her. “I’ve said it before, and I am happy to say it again – you did amazing.”  She opened the last boxes, containing one shiny pip each. “And I think the promotion to Lieutenant Junior Grade is more than deserved.” She attached the pips according to their recipient, and grinned as Leski stuttered his thanks, and Velix turned very very pink.

“Well done!”

“Congratulations!”

Once more, Saffiya waited for the cheers to die down and the freshly minted Lieutenants to take their seats again. Now came the hard part. Hard for her. Not for anyone else, really.

“I know many of you have been worried about Captain Jurev. You will be pleased to hear that he has been located on his way to Risa – involuntarily. And since his retirement wasn’t of his own choosing, he will be returning to the Cupertino in the next few days.”  “So you’re leaving again?”, Seta asked incredulously.

Saffiya nodded. “Yes. I have been reassigned to the USS Valkyrie. I … will miss the Cupertino, but I am happy Captain Jurev wasn’t harmed.”  While her officers confessed their gratitude, Saffiya had to do her best to suppress tears. They were certainly not the most perfect crew in Starfleet, but she certainly wasn’t Starfleet’s best Captain either. But together, they had made it work.

She was incredibly curious to see where their paths would lead them.