Commander Raelin Korvath stood in the sole transporter room aboard the Relentless, waiting for her new squadron commander. The battle had been quick, and the remaining three Tougun Network ships had fled. Two were now being processed by squadron security. She played with the Bajoran earring in her right ear, unusually nervous. Crawford was an unknown. The Relentless crew had been together for six months, bonding quickly in the tight spaces of the Defiant-class. Operating on various border assignments, there had been freedom. The reassignment to Task Force 21, and its rimward squadron, felt like a signal. Or a message. The transporter whine began, and the figure of Fleet Captain Peter Crawford appeared. Raelin extended her hand. “Welcome aboard the Relentless, Fleet Captain Crawford.”
He gripped her hand, returning her eye contact. “Thank you, Commander. I apologize that we couldn’t properly introduce ourselves on the station. Tougun’s Network is becoming more than an annoyance.”
Raelin replied with a nod and led him out of the transporter room, down the corridor and up a deck to her small ready room just off the bridge. He sat down across the desk from her, tapping a PADD on his boots. “Welcome to the squadron, by the way. In our rush to get out here, I wasn’t able to clarify your assignment with us.” He handed the tablet over. “We originally had Relentless partnered with Denver, Mackenzie, and Perseverance. However, just in the last four hours there’s been escalating reports of the Tougun Network stepping up attacks and raids in the outer reaches of our colonies.”
She scrolled through the report. “We did some workups on our way out here on him and his history. He doesn’t have much good in him.”
Peter shook his head, his face remaining focused. It wasn’t a laughing matter. Tougun was a menace. “That’s the polite way of saying it, Commander Raelin.”
She cracked, “He’s a downright bastard, then. And that’s polite for us, sir.”
Crawford had read up on the crew. Six months ago they had come in pairs from various assignments. Border patrols, interdiction operations, and plenty of intelligence work that had walked a careful line. The Relentless had been a Fourth Fleet experiment in bringing them together. See if they could work together. To see if they’d succeed. He felt his face flush at the language. He’d read the evaluations. They were as good as advertised with some room for improvement. “I appreciate the politeness, Commander.” He sat back in the chair. The ready room was small but adequate. Mementos adorned the limited wall space. “I’ve solved your chief medical officer troubles.”
The Bajoran commander wrinkled her nose. “That’s the ugly bit of us. Wondered when we’d get around to it.”
Crawford chuckled lightly. “Ugly is certainly a word. You’ve burned through three chief medical officers in six months. The last one made a formal complaint. Since the transfer paperwork was approved before the complaint, jurisdiction fell to me. There may have also been something about dumping it in my backyard so they didn’t have to deal with it. Beggars can’t be choosers. We need the Relentless. The complaint and attached documentation were quite enlightening.”
She felt her swagger stumble slightly, and she leaned forward. “I don’t suppose we come out looking or smelling like roses, do we?”
He scoffed. “You come out, to borrow your vernacular, smelling like shit, Commander Raelin. I spent my childhood on a farm. I know how that smell can linger.”
“Oh,” was all she managed in reply.
Crawford pointed at the PADD he’d handed to her. “Your lack of contention is appreciated. ” He waited a moment before he said, “I’m assigning Lieutenant Edrea Stroude to Relentless.”
Raelin asked, “No warnings? No conditions?” The name of the officer wasn’t important to her. What was in the small print did.
He pushed his chair back and stood. “This conversation was your warning, Commander. Lieutenant Stroude is your condition. I’m taking my time on the complaint investigation. This is your chance to prove some people wrong.” There was an intensity in his voice, and an unnerving force that momentarily filled his eyes. “Don’t ask what happens if you prove them right. There’s a commodore above me that appreciates that type of behavior even less than I do.”
She blinked and belatedly stood at attention as he stared her down. “I understand, Fleet Captain Crawford.”
He raised his eyebrows, punctuating his parting statement, “I hope that’s the truth, Commander. For your sake and mine.” The door closed behind his departing figure, and Raelin sat down roughly in her chair.
“Well, shit.”
