The shuttle thumped into its dock, shaking Cassidy awake.  She pushed herself up and pulled her hair tight and together. The pilot spoke from the cockpit, “Starbase Bravo, last stop.  Lieutenant Commander Cassidy Montgomery.”  She gave him a half wave as the docking door hissed and then rumbled open.  The journey to this massive station had been personal, but she wasn’t convinced she’d ended up in the right place. ~You didn’t want to wander the stars anymore~ she thought to herself.  She’d spent most of her career on starships.  It had recently started to annoy her, and she’d been unable to shake the desire to stand still.

“Welcome to Starbase Bravo.”  She smiled wanly and handed over her PADD to the dock officer.  He checked her assignment and tapped the screen on his PADD, “You are confirmed, Lieutenant Commander.  Congratulations on the posting.”  A half-hearted shrug was her response as she weaved her way through the crowded station.  Frontier Day was weeks away, and she could sense the hustle and bustle was underway.

The Deputy Director of General Medicine position appealed to her because it was a director-level job on a station.  She hadn’t realized how massive Bravo was until she started studying it after sending her application.  She glanced at her chrono – it was nearing midnight.  She wasn’t tired and decided finding her office was the next best thing.

It was a good-sized office and a desk empty outside.  She would have an assistant or a yeoman…or something.  She wasn’t sure how to feel about it.  Her initial reaction was to manage it alone as she had always done.  Cassidy knew that was the perfectionist part of her trying to take over after being shoved back behind a metaphorically locked door.  She’d have to fight the urge to do everything.

“You’re her!”  Montgomery turned to face the voice.  It belonged to a young ensign who looked excited with a broad smile.  “Your our new Deputy Director!”  She inched closer, “I’m Ensign Geraldine Parker…and I’ve been assigned to you.”

Montgomery put up a weary hand, “Ensign Parker…how did you know I would be here?”

Parker’s smile faltered, but she pressed on, “I made sure to check your arrival time and set an alarm.  I wanted to make a good impression.  It’s my first assignment.”

Cassidy looked the young woman over.  She was dressed in a fresh uniform, and at first glance, she was impressed.  The shoes, the pips…it was very polished.  “Well, you get points for impressing me, Ensign Parker.  You ever sleep?”

Parker’s smile widened, “I’m really good at managing my sleep schedule Lieutenant Commander Mont….”

Cassidy raised her hand again, “Just call me Doc Montgomery…or Doc Cas. Or Deputy Chief.  You’ll run out of breath every time you talk to me.”

The young ensign blinked a few times.  Then asked, “Would you like ma’am or sir?”

Cassidy laughed out loud, “You are precise. I’ll give you that.  Let’s go with sir if you need it.  Ma’am sounds serious…let’s wait until things get serious.”  She stepped in front of her office door, and it opened.  She moved to step through but turned to her new assistant, “The next thing you can do is get some coffee, find the luggage with my office stuff, and find me a report on what I’m coming into.”

Parker gave a thumbs up and was off on her mission.  Montgomery threw herself on the couch, “What did I get myself into?”