Commander Mira Novak sat behind the desk that took up more room in her new office than it absolutely needed to be a functioning piece of furniture. She’d arrived to Station Operations a full hour before she was actually due to report, her early assumption of duties a mixture of a somewhat fitful sleep and a desire to look over at least some of the station’s background and mission set before being asked to carry it out. A lukewarm cup of herbal tea sat not far from her, just slightly forward and to the right of Novak as she swiped at the holographic display occasionally to move on to a new report.

Unlike many newer stations, the Anchorage-class layout separated the senior officers’ offices from Station Ops itself, ringed around the deck’s perimeter. The one consideration that had been made, in her own office’s case, was that the layout of the door leading out of it and one leading into Station Ops sat directly opposite one another. Despite some other oversights in the design of the station, at least according to Mira’s view, she had nothing critical to say about how they’d arranged the command deck.

Another design characteristic of her office that she’d found useful but odd was the inclusion of a glass wall of sorts, rather than a traditional bulkhead. The door to her office was similarly transparent, at least from the inside looking out, giving Mira an unobstructed view of who was milling about outside her office and along the immediate corridor. The view from the outside looking in was warped and prismatic, giving it a decorative feel without actually alerting people that they were being observed or revealing what might be taking place inside. If anything, Mira thought it was a gaudy holdover from the design aesthetics of the early part of the 24^th century.

The door chime tinkling throughout the space drew her attention and focus from her suspended holographic screen to the figure standing just outside her door, that of Lieutenant Commander Vernon Reid. The way he had folded his arms behind his back and was subtly bouncing in anticipation for her eventual response irked Mira for some reason, though she couldn’t place why she was feeling such an emotion.

“Come,” Novak said with just enough volume to consider it a low bark. The doors parted, allowing the man to enter the space and cross the distance between the door and the desk resting near the back of the room.

“Good morning, Commander,” Vernon said with a genial smile, “I had a feeling you might pop up here a bit earlier than is on the duty roster. How did you sleep?”

“Good morning to you as well, Mister Reid,” Mira responded, deftly ignoring his question regarding her sleep, “I’ve been going over the station logs for the last month or so. From what I’ve seen, our station is engaged primarily in supporting goods distribution to and from the planet, as well as the local Talos Star Cluster… with the obvious exception of the exclusion zone.”

“Been busy, I see,” Vernon said, his smile remaining firm as he continued toward the desk and took a seat in one of the empty chairs in front of it. Mira allowed her right eyebrow to float up just a little but didn’t immediately comment on his lax attitude. Once he seemed comfortable, he continued, “Trade occupies the majority of our time here, yes. Between that and assisting with colonial affairs… which is kind of a misnomer since the planet hasn’t actually been a colony for the last hundred years or so.”

“Is there a reason for that?” Novak asked, her lips pursed as she did so.

“Tradition, more than anything,” Vernon shrugged as he answered, “Same as why the planet is still called M-11 by the locals almost two hundred years later. A point of pride for them now. I don’t think they’ve had a request to actually name the planet something else since the 2290s.”

“Uh huh…” Mira murmured in a less than impressed tone.

“We do play a small role in how the colony operates. We sit on the colonial council that happens quarterly, and there’s a governmental office on the station as well. It’s only a small one, a dozen or so staff. They mostly handle import and export financials and planetary immigration,” Vernon continued.

“Why are we part of the governing council?” Novak couldn’t hide the twinge of confusion from leaking into her voice.

“Again, tradition,” Reid responded almost immediately, “You’ll find that dealing with our local partners involves a lot of acceptance in matters labeled ‘traditional’. It does work to our advantage sometimes, though. You won’t be treated like an outside by the locals, since you’re stationed here now. There’s nothing on paper saying you’re one of them, but it has made life a little easier for all of the commanders that I’ve served with over the last six years of my stay. Our feedback is generally respected during council meetings and in daily life in general.”

“That doesn’t make sense,” Mira said flatly, “How did our involvement in colonial affairs become part of their traditions? I’ve never heard of such a thing.”

“Until I transferred here, Commander, neither had I,” Vernon chuckled, “But from what I’ve heard from some of the historians that will come up to the station now and then, it’s because at one point, Starbase 11 was really the only thing here. Everything was run by Starfleet, from the station down to the farms and mines. Subsequent generations never really forgot that, and it just works like that now. Some of the council members are actually the great and great-great grandchildren of the original colonists. And as you’re probably aware, Humans do tend to take their cultural heritage very seriously.”

“They do indeed…” Novak shifted slightly in her chair as she recalled her childhood, and the stories her mother used to tell her about her own ancestors for hours on end.

Reid clapped his hands softly, “That’s right, I remember you saying you were half-Human. I kind of forgot that for a minute. I guess I didn’t need to explain that last piece then.”

“It’s fine, Mister Reid,” Mira said dismissively, “And I do appreciate you providing me with your inherited knowledge of the station and the planet below. But I believe we’ve lingered on the subject longer than necessary, so let’s focus on the tasks ahead of us today.”

“Absolutely,” Vernon nodded and folded his hands into his lap as if to signal his readiness to shift gears.

“You mentioned yesterday that some of the senior staff have not been replaced after the positions were vacated, if I recall correctly,” Novak said in a much firmer voice than before.

“You do, ma’am,” Reid nodded, “We’re currently down a Security Chief and a Chief Scientist. The former is a bit of a strain on us, but the latter hasn’t hampered operations in any noticeable way. I checked into their status last night after we spoke about it, and they are due to arrive in a week or so, barring any major issues in transit.”

“Very good,” Mira nodded, checking off that item in her head and moving on, “What of the rest of the staff? How have things been handled on this station previously in terms of staff meetings and the like?”

“We usually have a full departmental staff meeting monthly, that’s both Chiefs and Deputies. That meeting’s used to brief the commander on division-specific business across the station. It’s generally very surface level stuff, nothing too deep to keep the meeting as short as possible. The commander, myself, and our OPS Officer generally had a morning sync to go over anything pressing, administratively speaking,” Vernon paused for just a moment to think before he continued.

“Either weekly, or if operations are a bit slow that month, bi-weekly we have the department head meeting. That covers more in-depth departmental issues that generally require input from the commander. But that was how our last Captain liked to run things, so just tell me if there’s too many or too few meetings and I can iron out the details for you,” the man finished, falling silent to allow the Commander to digest the information.

Novak gave the information she’d just received a full minute of contemplation before looking back up at Reid, “When is the next department head meeting scheduled as of now?”

“Two days from now,” Vernon said without having to even consider it, “Unless you’d like it moved up.”

“No…” Mira said after a brief pause, “In fact I think we should push it back until our two new staffers arrive. It will give everyone a chance to meet all at once and we can cover everything we need to without stacking everyone’s calendar.”

Reid nodded with a smile, “Sounds good. Can’t argue with an efficient approach.”

Novak’s eyes narrowed just slightly at the backhanded sounding compliment but continued, “And when will we be having the next full staff meeting?”

“That’s not for another two weeks,” Vernon responded, though his answer wasn’t as immediate as the last one had been.

“Then that works just fine as well. No changes needed,” Mira commented before looking past the man for a moment, “Was there a set time when the Ops Officer would meet with us?”

“Jak usually waits until after the formal handover between night watch and the morning rotation before stopping by. It usually gave the Captain and I enough time to talk about any personnel or station management business that didn’t need to be sent down the pipe to anyone else,” Reid commented with an easy-going smile.

“Jak?” Novak asked, her eyebrow rising up noticeably.

“Lieutenant Commander Jakrin Holv. He’s a Bolian, and likes people to call him Jak in pretty much any situation he can get away with being familiar with folks in. He’s careful enough about it in front of his subordinates, but anyone at his level or higher gets the spiel about us all being family and being formal just doesn’t suit us. Probably best you hear it from me before he launches himself at you for a hug or something…” Vernon said with a chuckle.

“Yes…” Mira said, feeling a ripple of revulsion at the thought of being embraced by an overzealous stranger, “Thank you for the warning. I would not find that at all pleasant.”

“Noted. Not a hugger,” Reid said with another soft chortle.

Novak couldn’t help but hone in on his slightly snarky comment, “Are there more members of the staff who are?”

“Members of the staff? No. Although Vahna can come off as slightly flirtatious in casual settings, I suppose. But she’s hard to pry away from Flight Ops, so those little glimpses of her personality in private are rare,” Vernon explained before leaning back just slightly, “I’m more worried about my wife. She is most definitely a hugger. And she might not listen when I tell her to leave you be the first time you two meet. I’ll just ask you for forgiveness preemptively.”

“Mm…” Mira grumbled through pursed lips before movement in the corridor caught her eyes. Reid caught the deliberate movement of her eyes away from him and glanced back, his lips curving into a smirk when he saw who was approaching.

“Speak of the devil,” the man chortled as he turned back around.

“…And he shall arrive,” Novak finished the phrase she’d heard from her mother more times than she honestly cared to admit. Instead of beckoning the Bolian to enter, Mira hit the small control key that opened the door. The Bolian took a step back at seeing the door simply swish open, but his forward momentum was soon regained and then some as he practically bounced into the office.

“A wonderful morning, Commander,” Holv greeted his new boss with a broad smile affixed to his vibrant blue face, “And good morning to you as well, Vernon. It is wonderful to see a new face aboard the station after our venerable Captain’s departure.”

“Morning, Jak,” Reid said with a smile of his own as he watched the Bolian continue right past the chairs they normally occupied in an attempt to round the large desk to greet their new Commander in a much more physical manner. Mira was suddenly thankful for the overly large furnishing, as it granted her just enough time to hold up her hand in a halting motion to stave off the embrace that had been incoming.

“If you please, Mister Holv,” Novak said with all the restraint she could muster, “I’m not fond of… being hugged upon a first meeting. Please understand, it is a personal boundary. I appreciate the sentiment, but let us simply leave it for another, more appropriate occasion.”

“Oh, of course, Commander, no offense taken at all,” the man said, his wide smile not so much as twitching at her refusal, “Everyone expresses affection in their own way, I completely understand.”

Mira almost muttered the words ‘do you?’ but kept them tucked away as she repositioned herself behind the desk. Jakrin abandoned his journey around the desk and sank down in the chair next to Vernon, his usual place during the morning sync.

“Try to remember that she’s not a hugger,” Reid leaned over and half-whispered to his Bolian friend.

“How is Tessa going to fare in that department?” Holv countered with a mischievous glint in his eyes.

Vernon sighed heavily at the counterattack he had no defense for. Instead of commenting further and digging himself an even deeper hole, he opted to slowly slide back to his previous sitting posture.

“As this is the first time we are having this sync together,” Novak said after Reid looked suitably recovered from the side conversation he’d just had, “I’d like to observe how you would conduct this meeting normally, rather than inject my personal preferences right away.”

“Fair enough,” Reid said before turning to Holv, “Start us off, Jak.”

“Happily,” the Bolian replied with a grin, “The most notable event from last night was your own arrival, Commander. I have already taken the liberty of logging your assumption of command with the various agencies in the local system that need to know, as well as informing Starfleet Command. Unless you have your heart set on a grand ceremony, the administrative legwork has already been done.”

Mira’s initial impression of the Bolian was blasted to pieces by the sudden shift in his demeanor and the efficiency he displayed in the execution of his duties. If he hadn’t started things off with such a grandiose display of absurdly familiar behavior, she might not have been so shocked at the juxtaposition. Vernon’s lips curled upward as he caught the tiny twitches of her face as she reconciled the two starkly different personas from the same man.

“He does that on purpose,” Reid said after letting the moment simmer a bit, “our last Captain had a much more…”

“Robust,” Jakrin offered.

“That’s it,” the other man nodded, “A much more robust reaction to his antics. All jokes aside, though, Commander, he is a very capable OpsO.”

“You’ll make me blush, Vernon,” the Bolian laughed.

Novak cleared her throat, “It would seem so. Thank you, Mister Holv, for taking the initiative to make my transition much more… smooth.”

“She’s not nearly as unflappable as most Vulcans are,” Jakrin commented, “And when did they start using contractions?”

“She’s only half…” Reid began to say before Mira spoke over him.

“I am half-Human, Mister Holv. I was raised by my mother, who is also Human. That is why I identify more closely with that side of my heritage.”

“That does indeed make sense. Thank you for sharing that with us,” Jak said with an appreciative grin.

“I already knew that,” Vernon muttered just low enough for Holv to catch but not loud enough for Novak to pick up on.

“If we might continue…” Novak stated with an edge of finality to their previous tangent.

“Absolutely,” Holv responded with a breezy smile, “Vahna has reported that several of our cargo loaders have started malfunctioning, leading to longer than normal load and offload times. She’s already placed four requests for us to send maintenance personnel, and her shift only started a half hour ago. Unless you have an objection, Commander, I will make that one of our priorities for the shift.”

“No objections,” Mira shook her head curtly.

“Excellent. That will actually take care of the next item on my list as well,” the Bolian said evasively.

Novak, despite his attempt, pursued it, “What matter does that address?”

Reid turned toward the Bolian with a small smirk as Jakrin responded with, “Teydra routed several complaints from the freighter captains regarding the delays in their schedules. Getting those loaders back in peak condition will address their concerns organically, so it is a matter that is as good as addressed.”

“Teydra being…” Mira looked to her XO for a response.

“Lieutenant Teydra Nireth, our civilian administrator. She’s our representative that handles complaints from the local population. She’s served here at least as long as I have, started out as an Ensign, worked her way up the ladder in our civilian affairs department until she was just… running it one day. Really good at it though,” Vernon explained.

“Thank you, Mister Reid,” she said before turning back to the Bolian, “While I don’t doubt your competence, Mister Holv… I would appreciate if you explain things in their entirety for the time being. Your institutional knowledge is valuable, but I won’t get a very clear picture of how things on this station interconnect if you gloss over details you assume I have.”

“That is more than fair, Commander,” Jakrin nodded, “I’ll remember that going forward. I suppose that’s a great lead in to my next item. I received a message from the 40 Eridani A Construction Yards this morning, just before I joined you two. It appears that we will be getting a Protostar-class starship assigned to us.”

“Isn’t that a scout ship?” Vernon asked with a raised eyebrow.

“That is one mission they can undertake,” Jakrin nodded, “But this particular ship is being assigned as a training vessel for Academy cadets. There was a separate data packet that was addressed solely to you, Commander, so I imagine there are details to this assignment beyond what is publicly available.”

“Do we have any other vessels attached to the station beyond our shuttle compliment?” Novak asked.

Holv shook his head, “We do not. That is partly why the message stood out to me. The last time we had ships attached to the station, it had just been recommissioned as the Anchorage it is today. Our location doesn’t exactly demand a large presence of ships, so it’s never been a hinderance to our mission. If anything, this will add something of a… complication to things.”

“How do you figure?” Reid asked with a small frown.

“Logistically speaking, the ship is small enough that we can house it in our internal docking port just fine, and the small crew compliment won’t put much of a dent in the supplies we keep on hand. All of that is perfectly normal and easily planned around,” the Bolian explained before his expression grew a bit tighter, “It’s the fact that we will be hosting cadets that might cause some issues. Even without knowing anything about the reason that ship is being sent here, I can just imagine that these cadets might be in need of some measure of remedial training.”

“Are you insinuating that these cadets might have some manner of disciplinary issues?” Mira asked.

“Not that, specifically. But there’s been little in the way of programs at the Academy in the last decade that post cadets in their third and fourth year at the Academy on an actual starship. I really don’t see this as an elite student pool getting advanced training… not when you look at the roster attached to the ship,” Holv continued.

“What’s wrong with the roster?” Vernon asked the question that was on Novak’s mind.

“Her Captain,” Jakrin said with a pause, “Is an Ensign.”

Mira and Vernon locked eyes for a moment before they both looked toward Holv, their faces almost a mirror of one another’s skepticism. The Bolian took their combined doubt in his words in stride, his face settling into a wry smile.

“You can look into it yourselves, but I know what I saw. And I’m just saying it now, that we’re going to have some kind of issue. What that turns out to be, I can’t say for sure… but I want it on the record when we find out what it is, that I called it here first.”

“Noted,” Novak said in a dismissive tone, “I will look at the information that was sent to me personally and decide whether your prediction was accurate or not.”

“I look forward to your findings,” Jakrin remarked with a nod of his head.

Mira turned to Reid, “Is there anything else we need to address this morning?”

“Unless you have anything more, Jak,” Vernon turned to catch the Bolian shake his head, “Then I think we’ve about covered it. I don’t have any personnel news to pass along, we already talked about our two pending arrivals. There haven’t been any major happenings on the station in the last week or two that haven’t already been handled before your arrival. So yeah, I think we can put this meeting to bed and get to it.”

“Very well,” Novak nodded, “Thank you both for this rather informative meeting. If I need anything from you, Mister Reid, I will let you know.”

“Sounds good, ma’am,” Vernon said before slapping Jakrin’s knee playfully with the back of his hand, “Let’s go grab some breakfast and let the Commander finish finding her feet.”

“A most inspired idea, my friend,” the Bolian said with a chuckle as he followed the XO out of the office. When the door closed behind the pair, Mira allowed her eyes to roll at their exuberance before reactivating the display screen that she’d been browsing since earlier that morning.