In the sorrow of death is the proof of love, of the bonds that exist beyond our reality, beyond spacetime, matter and energy that makes the universe real. But the pain felt in achieving that proof, of fully appreciating the bonds that tie people together, had proved too much to bare for many on the Starship Ulysses. The tragic passing of their friend, their Captain, in the most horrendous of circumstances, had caused the crew of the mighty Galaxy-class ship to splinter. Some, like Lieutenant Prida and Commander Noli had taken a leave of absence to get their heads together. Commander Gor had resigned from Starfleet completely, taking the time to go home and see his family. Many others had jumped at the chance to move ships and join the USS Intrepid on a new adventure, far away from the tragedy that had befallen them and under the command of a former colleague. But for the officers queuing in the transporter bay of the USS Scarborough, they had not been given the choice. They had been directed to report for reassignment to a vessel in need of their specific talents, and had shipped out rather rapidly, expecting to meet Venture at Starbase 11. A premature departure for the Sovereign-class explorer to deal with a possible Gorn distress signal had seen their arrival delayed, but they were finally on the brink of reporting aboard their new ship.

For Lieutenant Linn Mora, this was the first time he had been on a ship not overseen by Commander Gor in years. He’d served with the Tellarite on the Temeraire, and before that, the Fitzpatrick, assignments that took him back just over ten years. He’d probably known Captain sh’Elas less than anyone on the Ulysses crew, having always distanced himself in a bid to keep their relationship professional, but that didn’t stop the Bolian from feeling her loss just as much as the others. He’d held her in the highest of regard, a respect he had for very few people, and he knew she would be sorely missed by many.

For his blue-skinned companion with the white mane and the antennae atop her head, the loss of the Captain probably felt worse. Tempestava th’Zorati, or ‘Tempa’ as her friends called her, had only ever served under the command of the Andorian Captain ever since graduating from the Starfleet Academy complex on Mellstoxx III almost two years ago. Whilst her career had been relatively uneventful by some comparisons, the young Aenar had blossomed of late and become an integral part of the rotating bridge crew on the Galaxy-class starship, having followed sh’Elas from the Santa Fé, to the Temeraire and finally to the Ulysses. She felt the loss of the Andorian deeply, and had even been involved in transferring the Captain’s remains back to their homeworld. But, like her Bolian colleague, a move to Venture allowed the youngster a fresh start, even if she would have preferred to perhaps join the Intrepid with her friends.

The queue to transport to the renowned Venture was significantly longer than either had expected, held up by departures from the Sovereign-class vessel as well as those intending to board the ship. By the Bolian’s estimation, they were still a good few minutes away from transport. 

The older Betazed woman arrived last. ‘Oops, that’s embarrassing,’ but she had had a lot of things to handle. She pulled along her cart full of medical supplies, a few PaDDs, and extra uniforms. You never knew what you might face. With a quick cadence, she stepped aboard the transporter. Moments later, she rematerialised aboard their new ship. At full attention, she rose to her full height, and spoke. “Lieutenant Commander Lahki Bakshi, CMO, reporting for duty. I apologize for my tardiness, the delivery of the supplies took longer than expected.” She smiled a little-it was nice to be back on such a renowned ship. She took a seat nearby, and waited for final pass downs.

Linn and Tempestava shared an awkward look, made all the more awkward by the fact that one of them was blind, and yet they still understood the ‘look’. Eventually, though, the Bolian stepped over to the woman and offered his hand. “Hi there,” he grinned, “Lieutenant Linn Mora. I’m the new Chief of Operations.”

Lakhi smiled warmly at the man. “Nice to meet you,” she took in the other person’s appearance. “And you, too, Ms.” She was polite and friendly, trying to pump the feeling of calmness into the room.

Moving closer to the transporter pad, the Bolian assisted his Aenar colleague along with him, but stopped to gesture for the new Chief Medical Officer to join them in this cycle of boarding. “There’s space for another, Doctor,” he smiled.

Lakhi nodded, and stepped next to them. “Thanks. I am looking forward to this. It will be nice to be back shipside.” She didn’t elaborate.

“Venture is a new challenge for many of us,” the young Aenar smiled, looking toward the Doctor whilst being guided to her particular pad by her Bolian counterpart.

In a matter of minutes, the three (accompanied by a further four people at the back of the pad) rematerialised on the transporter pad of their new starship. Just looking around the room they now found themselves in, they could tell they had upgraded.

“Well,” Linn smiled as he took Tempa by the arm and guided her from the pad, “I’m sure we’ll see you around soon, Doctor?”

After a few minutes, they had arrived not he new ship, and Lahki felt her stomach tighten a little, with a mix of excitement and also trepidation. She was picking up mixed signals from everyone, and it was a little bit overwhelming. She forced her mind to be blank and calm, grabbed her cartful of stuff, and headed off to find the MedBay. “Yes! Hopefully on this side of the Sickbay.” She turned back, and went to the left.