“Bridge.”

The faint hum of the turbolift filled the air. This was to be her first time officially stepping onto the bridge as Captain, with the crew awaiting her. O’va couldn’t help but notice a minute pang of anxiety nagging away at her. But it mattered not, as there were much more pressing issues before her. The newly refit Solvang was now under her command. That may sound great to some, however any good engineer knows that a ship with more than one refit could turn out to be a nightmare.

A litany of systems that lack unified integration.

The task of unifying those systems falls upon the Chief Engineer, whose demeanor she found slightly peculiar when discussing the addition of old salvage to the ship, as if it were commonplace to do so. However, his previous command had given him the most glowing of recommendations.

Perhaps I will reserve judgement until I read his report and see his work. What would father always say? “We listen, and we don’t judge.”

The turbolift doors whooshed open, catching O’va amidst her thoughts.

Again, with father’s old quotes and references…”That’s one small step for man…”

Captain O’va stepped out of the turbolift, greeted by a boatswain whistle, followed by Commander Marcus Thornes’s announcement.

“Captain on the bridge.”

This was also her first time meeting her First Officer.

“Welcome aboard the Solvang, Captain.” Thorne greeted her with a warm smile, and a firm handshake. He stood a full ten centimeters taller than her, with an athletic build, but his demeanor was incredibly welcoming and sincere.

“Thank you, Commander.”

She scanned the room, and was met by the young, bright faces of so many fresh ensigns, eager to get underway. For many of them, this was their first posting. And for one of us, it is their first time being Captain. It all felt so surreal. I did earn this, after all. Even if I made it here faster than others.

She proceeded down to the Captain’s chair, and gracefully lowered herself into it.

This chair is terrible.

She looked down at the seat beneath her. The cushion was a hard black rubberized material, and had little to no give under her weight. There were also stains.

I should have sat in this beforehand. Did any other Captains ever encounter this? Or did everyone simply feign comfort? I will have to be discreet about my dissatisfaction until I can do something.
The Solvang’s previous captain, a Thaassen Melkor, was the same height as O’va, but considerably heavier, weighing in at 86 kilograms compared to her 61 kilograms.
Mekor was much heavier than I, perhaps he preferred a firm seat. This was certainly not a standard chair. Perhaps this was some attempt at humor?
She unfortunately had to cast aside her discomfort for the time being. The bridge crew was looking to her, awaiting her first command. There is an easy solution to this.
She made it appear as if she were monitoring the status of several systems on the chair’s screens very quickly, and promptly stood up.
Captain O’va stood in the center of the bridge, her hands clasped behind her back.

Gracing the sides of the viewport were a lattice of drydock arms and repair gantries.

“Status report, Commander,” she said evenly.
“All stations report ready, Captain. Engineering confirms the warp core is at nominal output. Docking clamps released and standing by.”
“Very well. Helm, take us out, one-quarter thrusters.” Her voice carried the quiet authority od someone who had done this many times before. But this time, it was her in the chair. Or rather, standing in front of the chair.

The young ensign at the helm acknowledged, their fingers dancing across the controls.
“Thrusters engaged, Captain.”

The ship gave a subtle shudder as the Solvang‘s thrusters engaged. The California class vessel began to drift forward, the skeletal structure of the drydock decreasing in the viewport, a fresh field of shimmering stars replacing it.

“Steady as she goes. We’ll be clear of the drydock in ten seconds,” Thorne announced.

He does have a very commanding, but approachable presence. Captain O’va had observed him walking around the bridge, quietly checking on the bridge crew, quietly offering words of encouragement.
She stepped closer to the viewport, past the helm and operations console, her outline showing up in stark contrast against the shimmering starfield.

But something was still nagging away at her, she needed to speak with Chief Engineer Wu in private.
“Once clear of the drydock, lay in a course for Qualor II, and get us underway. I’ll be in my ready room. Commander Thorne, you have the conn.”
O’va watched as Commander Thorne took a seat in the captain’s chair. She noticed his posture was very rigid, and is certain she saw a look of discomfort flash across his face for a millisecond. I knew it.

The captain tapped her commbadge, “Chief Wu, please meet me in my ready room. We have much to discuss. Bring your report for the surplus yards.”

“On my way Captain.”
The door to her ready room whisked open, and she breathed a sigh of relief once the door closed behind her. Crossing the room, she collapsed into the chair behind the desk, its new, plush cushion marking a stark contrast from the unyielding captain’s chair on the bridge.

The door chimed.

“Enter.”

Chief Engineer Wu stepped through the door. It was actually the second time he had been in that room – the first was during his early initial inspection. The captain had decorated it with some of her belongings in a tasteful manner. It was an interesting mix of artifacts – ancient weaponry, encyclopedias, vintage hand tools, but one thing caught his eye. A gongfu tea set, laid out on a bamboo tray. There were two gaiwan, one Yixing brewing pot of unglazed clay, and the other porcelain. One Gong Dao Bei, and three tasting cups. There was several containers of tea, but one bore a handwritten label – Lapsang Suchong. Wu was impressed, that was clearly an authentic tea set. It seems O’va preferred tea is the smoky Lapsang Suchong, hence the unglazed Yixing pot. The porcelain pot must be for guests who don’t prefer the bold flavor of the smoked tea.
“Lieutenant Commander Wu, please take a seat.”
“Do you have the report with your salvage proposal and integration plans?”
“Yes captain.” He handed the PADD to her, and took a seat across desk from her.

Half of me hates this part. The other half knows it is necessary. Mother always excelled at chastising father when he was doing something she considered illogical. Here we go.
“You impressed me with your brilliance when I saw that preliminary salvage report. The systems you listed – I cannot think of anyone I have ever met who would have been able to bring so many different pieces of technology together like that. But let me be clear, rank and file is paramount aboard this ship. You breached procedure when you boarded the ship several days before the approved boarding date. While I appreciate your early inspection aboard the ship, it did go against that protocol. Yes, you did upgrade the intruder sensors afterwards, which is beneficial, but the ends do not always justify the means. Need I remind you, proper chain of command is that such actions must be submitted via the chain of command through Commander Thorne for approval first, with the exception being exigent circumstances in which you report directly to me. And unfortunately, actions do have consequences. I expect a comprehensive technical audit of all the modifications you have made to my ship by the end of the day.”

“Aye aye, Captain.”

“Dismissed.”
“Oh, and Chief…thank you for the chair.”

He looked back at her over his shoulder, smiled, and nodded before leaving the ready room.

She sunk back into the plush cushion, and pulled up the PADD containing his report.