“One last thing,” the captain said, grabbing the attention of the ship’s senior staff. “Commander Pressly and I will be traveling to Starbase 93, and while we are away, Lieutenant Commander Alder is in charge.” Captain D’Antonio was more than happy to grant his crew four weeks of shore leave. After all the fleet had been through over the past year, he was surprised it had taken them this long to give them this time to recover. Sadly, he wouldn’t be here to enjoy it with them.

“Away?” asked the Klingon at the table. Commander K’Tal had joined the crew shortly after Captain Nitus had informed them that she was being transferred to an Alita-class heavy cruiser. He elected to join an old colleague as his new chief strategist. “Where are you two going?”

“And for how long?” asked the ship’s medical officer. Commander Blix was asked by D’Antonio directly to take the helm of the ship’s medical department. With Nitus revealing that she was receiving a new command, it served as the perfect opportunity for him to be transferred.

As the eyes of the table fell upon him, the captain landed back into his chair. Despite having been in the center chair for over a decade, he still hadn’t gotten used to a hundred, let alone a thousand souls relying on his command.  “Fleet Captain Mitcheel has invited every ship in the task force to Devron to enjoy time together on board one of the holodecks, but since we had already made plans for Hosthal. I thought it best not to uproot the entire crew’s plans. Opting for just me and Will to be in attendance,” he said as he drank some of the dark liquid in his mug, the creamer doing little to reduce its strong flavor.

“We will be traveling in the Orchid both there and back,” the stalwart xo stated pointedly. This was Pressly’s first assignment as a ship’s executive officer, and upon meeting him D’Antonio knew it would be a long time before he was able to get him to open up.

D’Antonio nodded before adding, “We will be returning in a week.” Looking around the table he saw the officers he had begun to become familiar with for the last month. Despite him learning them, they had yet to learn each other. Some like his Chief strategist and security officers have had a long history, all of it bad. He hopes this could be the start to reverse that so that they could more easily work together. But that is a tall order.

“Okay,” said Lieutenant Commander Adler. “When will you be departing?” She asked him. She was not eager to be in charge of over a thousand souls. Even if they were only going to a world in the heart of the Federation, there were still dangers out in the black.

“As soon as we’re finished here,” D’Antonio responded. He knew how unhappy Adler was with this arrangement; she had always told him it would be a long time before she even thought of occupying the center chair. Yet this would be the fourth time he had put her in a similar position.

“Of course you will,” she said, sighing heavily. “Safe travels then.”

“Trying to get rid of them quickly, huh Commander,” the ship’s medical doctor joked.

Adler cut her eye at him in response causing D’Antonio to smile to himself. “We should be leaving anyway. Let’s go Number one,” he said as he stood from his chair at the head of the table. “Oh and commander please return my ship with a relaxed and rejuvenated crew, preferably with everyone’s friends or at least not at each other’s throats,” he stated looking between K’Tal and Darwin.

“I’ll try captain,” Adler responded as the two exited the conference room.

Commander Pressly followed the captain into the bridge turbolift. The doors closed with a soft hiss as the lift began its journey towards shuttlebay one.

D’Antonio leaned against the wall as he eyed his number one. Pressly stood rigidly, hands clasped behind his back, eyes fixed straight ahead. The captain smirked as he started to speak, “You know, Number One, most people heading to rub shoulders with the TFs elites would be excited or nervous. Not looking like they’re bracing for a warp core failure.” He said to him trying to break the tension. The two barely knew each other and the xo did not make it easier to get to know him. Choosing to put up a wall instead of a gate.

“I see no benefit in shore leave at this time. It is inconvenient, we are merely weeks into rebuilding efforts why stop this momentum to…” he paused as he searched his brain for the right wording. “Lounge.”

D’Antonio chuckled at the commander’s remarks. “You sound more like a Vulcan than my wife,” he said humorously.

Raising an eyebrow, Pressly turned to the captain questioning. “You’re married?” he asked. He would have never figured given his reputation across the fleet including that of the third and seventh. They all knew of Captain Giovanni D’Antonio’s many sexual escapades.

“What?,” he asked jokingly. “I don’t look like a family man to you?” Smiling brightly as the doors of the turbolift opened as they arrived at their target. He stepped out first leaving a puzzled Pressly in the lift.

“Are you coming Number one?” D’Antonio asked as he looked back to see if he was still in the lift. The two men walked down the corridor a short ways before reaching the shuttlebay entering it they made their way to the Orchid, a Arrow-class Runabout. Entering it D’Antonio took the controls choosing for someone not to pilot the runabout hoping he could bond with his XO before they reached Devron. But that too would be a tall order.