With a mug of hot Deka tea in one hand and a PADD in the other, Captain Cambil Bexa rolled her shoulders backwards as she read the latest departmental reports. She was sitting in her ready room, behind her desk catching up on the administrative work she was trying to keep ahead of. So far, the Themis was operating as expected, and everyone appeared to be settling into their new roles. She had to admit that this new ship was certainly a welcome change. Though it was large, it wasn’t as massive as the Odyssey, but on the other hand, it wasn’t too small to feel cramped. It reminded her of the famous children’s tale from Earth’s past about a young girl who had stumbled into a house and struggled to find the almost perfect chair, bed and food to eat.  

In the background of the room, she was playing a soothing musical composition played by a tivara. It was light and calming. While she was the first officer of the Odyssey, she had walked in on James McCallister listening to similar music. She had caught him humming songs and knew that he shared a similar passion for music with his son, Theo. At that point, the chime went off, and she instantly answered it by telling her guest to enter. Placing the PADD down, the golden brunette Bajoran captain turned in her chair to see the doors parted open allowing her first officer to enter.

“Tremt,” She greeted. “Are you okay?”

The Betazoid man nodded as he approached her desk. “We’re almost approaching System V-D-Q-five-oh-five, captain.”

Finishing her tea quickly, Cambil sat up straight and placed her mug down. “Thanks for the heads up. Are we all good to go?” She asked as she stood up, pulling her uniform jacket off from the back of her chair and putting it on. 

Hunsen nodded. “We are and T’Rani wanted me to tell you that our new Valkyrie fighter wing is ready to be deployed.”

Zipping up her jacket, Cambil nodded. “That’s good to hear, I know James is eager to see them show off their stuff while we’re here.”

“Indeed,” Hunsen said in a nonchalant tone. 

Noticing the way he said that, Cambil paused before she clipped her jacket together. “Something wrong with our squadron commander, Number One?” She hadn’t used that phrase for him yet, but it felt like a good enough time to use it to establish a boundary between her and her first officer. One she had hoped she didn’t need. “I’m not detecting an issue with your former commanding officer that I need to be aware of?”

Hunsen shook his head and sensed the change in Cambil’s emotions, this caused him to change too. “No, ma’am, sorry.”

Feeling an ounce of sympathy for him, Cambil got it. “I understand it must be hard for you, Tremt, I do get it. When I left the Odyssey, I wondered if I had made the right choice. Was I making too much of a sacrifice? And I know you’ve given up a lot, especially with Louwanna, however, I need to know if you’re able to do your duties or not?”

Hunsen stood up straight in front of her. “I can, captain. I’m sorry.”

Fastening her uniform jacket, and flicking her long straight hair behind her, Cambil appreciated the response. “Thank you, Tremt, but I want you to hear it from me. Whatever happened between you and the others during the last mission, you must find a way to discuss it. If not, then it will consume you and you won’t be the first officer, I want.”

Hunsen paused before he said anything. “Then I need to be honest and upfront.”

“It’s about time,” Cambil indicated for him to take a seat on the sofa opposite her desk as she moved around to join him. “I read Fleet Captain McCallister’s after-action report. You can’t be blaming yourself for what happened, Tremt?”

“I do and I don’t,” He replied as he sat on the edge and rubbed his hands together. “I hurt not only Louwanna, but the captain, and his sons, plus I put Max and Tobias’ youngest son in danger.”

“You were under the influence of an infant bioplasmic lifeform who was high on blood dilithium,” Cambil reminded him, but soon realised those words would never be enough for him to forgive himself. “Listen, Tremt, however hard it is to understand what happened and why you couldn’t control yourselves will only become more difficult if you continue to beat yourself over this. Yes, it happened, but you need to come to terms with it. You and Max are best friends, you were James’ first officer for a brief stint while he commanded the Avenger, you are Imzadi to Louwanna. These people are important to you as much as they are to you.”

“Don’t you think I know that?” He asked in a louder tone and stood up in frustration. Pushing his fingers through his hair he walked over to the window and gazed out of it. “I’m sorry, captain. I didn’t mean to blurt that out.”

Cambil smirked. “When it’s just us, is this sort of situation, then I’ll allow it a few times,” she stood up herself. “But Tremt, I’ll say it again, you need to come to terms with this. You’ve got to live with it.”

He turned to her. “The thing that scares me the most is that if I’m capable of doing what I did under the influence of an alien lifeform, what else am I capable of?” 

“Not any of what you and the others went through,” Cambil assured him. “Remember, you weren’t alone and others, like T’Rani, and Samris, were all affected by it.”

He sighed. “You’re right.”

“I’m the captain, I’m always right!” She returned with the same grin as she crossed her arms. “Now, is my first officer able to join me for our first mission or am I going to have to relieve him?”

Hunsen shook his head. “You won’t need to do that, ma’am. I’m ready.”

“Good,” she said as she motioned for them to leave her ready room. “As I’m still giddy at the huge ship that Starfleet has given us!”

Reading the latest crew medical evaluations, Remi Forbes was walking towards his office when he stopped by the replicator and ordered an Earl Grey tea. After picking up the drink, he continued his journey but stopped when the door to sickbay opened, and Lieutenant Decter Jines entered. 

“Decter, please state the nature of the medical emergency,” Forbes said as he carried on into his office.

Chuckling somewhat at Forbes’ lame attempt at humour, the Rutian operations manager followed Forbes and presented him with a PADD of his own. “I just wanted to let you know the last of the medical supplies we picked up at the Markonian Outpost have been stored away for you. Here’s your inventory.”

After putting his mug down and the other PADD he had been reading, Forbes took the device from Jines. “Thanks, Dects,” He offered Jines the armchair on the other side of the desk before he sat down. “How are you finding your new job?”

“Exhilarating and exhausting,” Jines said as he sat down. Rubbing his left lobe, he looked at Forbes, “And you?”

“Same,” Forbes replied. “Though the crew is pretty new to the Themis, there’s not many who have not served in at least one assignment before coming here.”

“Yeah, I noticed that too. Captain Cambil has assembled a reasonably experienced crew. No fresh green graduates from the academy.”

“So far,” Forbes stated as he took a sip from his tea. “Once the crew has established itself, then I reckon we’ll have our fair share of cadets and freshly squeezed ensigns.” 

“The only good thing about joining the Themis that I’ve enjoyed so far is the larger quarters.” Jines shared. 

“Really? I don’t see the difference between what I’ve now compared to what I had on the Odyssey.” Forbes said in between sips. “In fact, I kind of miss the larger medical complex on the Odyssey.”

“You were spoilt with the Odyssey’s huge sickbay,” Jines stated.

“That I was,” Forbes admitted. “Though, at least here, I get to make the shots.”

“Another positive?” Jines checked. “That said, I am finding it weird not checking things over with Lukiz.”

Forbes nodded. “I know what you mean, I’m expecting to hear Doctor Slyvexs call out for something or to tell me I’ve made the wrong choice.”

“It’s weird, isn’t it?” Jines asked. “I mean to be working without a net after all these?”

“It is, but it is exciting,” Forbes revealed. “Have you met our new chief engineer, yet?”

“Brash?” Jines checked. “Yeah, he seems quite impressive. I’m certain he and Commander Hunsen will get on like a house on fire.”

 “Has he said anything about everyone else on the senior staff being from the Odyssey?” Forbes checked. 

“Nope,” Jines answered. “Well, not that I’ve heard, but I’m sure it might be in the forefront of his thoughts.” 

“We should bring him in the fold sooner rather than later,” Forbes suggested.

“What do you have in mind?” Jines asked.

Forbes took another sip before replying. “Samris and I were going to organise a weekly senior staff poker game.”

“Poker?” Jines repeated, sounding confused.

“Yeah, it’s a game with cards and chips. A bit like tongo but without a spinning wheel and latinum strips.” Forbes said. “It may break the ice and bring us all together a bit better. T’Rani and Abbej are in. I’ve got to work on Cline, so if you work on our Tellarite chief engineer, I’d appreciate it.”

“Consider it done,” Jines agreed. “What about the captain and commander?”

Forbes paused before sipping again. “You know what, I never thought about it.”

“You can’t leave them out,” Jines said. “Can you?”

The doors to stellar cartography opened up and instantly, Abbej looked over her left shoulder and was surprised to see T’Rani entering. “T’Rani, are you here to surrender now before our poker game tonight?”

Raising one eyebrow, the Vulcan pilot looked at the Boslic scientist with a blank expression. “That is quite an illogical statement, commander.”

“I’m just teasing you, T’Rani,” Abbej said with a chuckle before resuming her work. “What can I do for you?”

T’Rani had paced across the long catwalk to where Abbej was working on the central podium. “We are about to enter System V-D-Q-five-oh-five and I wanted to confirm that the lateral sensor array will be allocated to support the monitoring of our fighter squadron as they undertake their first field tests.”

Picking up a PADD and focussing on her work, the chief science officer nodded. “The allocations for the lateral sensor array have already been handed out, T’Rani. The fighter wing will be well monitored.”

“Thank you, but I would like to request sole use during the tests,” T’Rani stated with her hands now clasped behind her back.

Abbej laughed at that before looking up from her PADDs towards the pilot. “Oh, you’re serious.”

“Quite.”

“T’Rani, I cannot allow sole custody for the most advanced sensor array on the Themis especially when the rest of our mission is a mapping exercise. I’ve already got planetary science asking for as much use while astrometrics and stellar cartography are fighting for a large amount too. Everyone has access to the same amount, that’s final.” Abbej insisted.

Appearing dissatisfied with that response, T’Rani stiffened her neck before replying. “Then I will need to take this matter up with Lieutenant Commander Jen then.”

“Jen?” Abbej questioned. “Don’t you mean Jines?”

Realising the faux pas she made, T’Rani was frustrated with herself but kept her posture. “Indeed,” she admitted as turned on her heel to leave the lab.

“T’Rani,” Abbej called out for her. “If the captain agrees to us using probes, then I can give you more access to the array.”

Hearing the suggestion, T’Rani nodded before the doors closed behind her. In her thoughts, she automatically decided she would need to meditate for longer tonight, she found herself slipping up with things like names ever since she became pregnant. Her focus was not as sharp as it once was. Doctor Forbes had called it her ‘baby brain’ which she knew she did not have, but it was just a human term of affection for why mothers forget certain facts. 

She definitely needed more meditation. Her mind wasn’t the only thing requesting a break from work. Her back and feet were feeling discomfort too.