“Sir, it’s a pleasure to meet you, Lieutenant Alex Jansen, at the helm of the Tinkering department.” Lieutenant Jansen said, recognizing their Chief Medical Officer when he stepped into the medbay. Lieutenant Jansen’s recognition was easily understandable, as the Vulcan before him sported three prominent full-rank pips on the collar of his teal uniform.

“Nice to make your acquaintance as well, Lieutenant. I presume you are referring to your role as Chief Engineer aboard the USS Blythe?” Suvak responded to the young, enthusiastic human engineer standing before him.

Lieutenant Jansen responded promptly, “In my experience, the job comprises 90% tinkering and a mere 10% of what one might traditionally consider engineering, sir. When those proportions change, it might well become the Engineering department for me. Speaking of tinkering, I hope you’ll find the medbay up to your standards, Commander Doctor?”

“Interesting,” Suvak remarked, his extensive 132 years of encountering ‘less-than-logical’ statements, what many humans even would consider as ‘stupid’, allowed him to discern this as a prime example. The Vulcan doctor continued, “As you have just observed, I have recently arrived at the Medical Facility, Lieutenant. I shall conduct a thorough inspection of the facility in due time and will apprise you of any deficiencies or concerns deemed pertinent. If that covers our discussion, I would appreciate the opportunity to become ‘settled,’ a term often employed by humans. Subsequently, I shall proceed to report to Captain Crowe and officially commence my duties as Chief Medical Officer aboard the USS Blythe.”

“Of course, Doctor. I will be prepared to receive your short list of suggested modifications in due time,” Lieutenant Jansen replied, his tone polite but with a hint of haste as he began to navigate toward the exit, his thoughts betraying his sentiment: ‘Another Vulcan with a proclivity for rigidity.’

After a span of time, Dr. Suvak found himself stepping onto the Bridge of the California-class starship, making his way toward the Captain’s ready room.

“Dr. Suvak, our Chief Medical Officer, I presume?” A human officer, his collar adorned with the insignia of a Commander, approached him with a hand extended in accordance with Earth’s customs.

Suvak, who had spent decades collaborating with humans in his Starfleet career, reciprocated the gesture and acknowledged, “Indeed, and I assume you are Commander Kiaran Patel, the Executive Officer.”

Commander Patel offered a confirming nod.

“Nice to make your acquaintance, Commander,” Suvak replied in turn.

“I anticipate our collaboration, Doctor. I’ve long held a deep admiration for Vulcan ethics, and having another voice of logic and reason among the senior staff is something I value greatly,” Patel expressed.

“As do I, Commander,” the Doctor replied, recognizing the conclusion of their exchange. With that, he proceeded on his path to the captain’s ready room and activated the door chime.

“Please, enter!” Captain Crowe’s voice resonated from beyond the door. Suvak stepped into the room, finding a muscular-looking Bolian Lieutenant in the midst of delivering a report to the captain.

“In summary, the biometric scanners are now up to the updated standards. There are no traces of ‘Borg’ or ‘Changeling’ DNA onboard. With the exception of two, all crewmembers have been accounted for.” the Bolian concluded.

“Thank you, Lieutenant Drevan. That will be all,” Captain Crowe acknowledged. With a nod in response, Drevan exited the room, leaving Captain Crowe to turn to Dr. Suvak.

“Look who the cat brought in, Doctor Suvak. Welcome aboard the USS Blythe. How was your trip up from Starfleet Medical, old friend?” Crowe’s voice bore a playful tone.

“It was hardly worth mentioning, considering Starfleet Medical’s location on Earth, Sir,” Suvak responded, unaware of the intended pun by Crowe.

“Allow me to offer my congratulations on your recent promotion to Captain, Sir,” Suvak continued.

Although Crowe maintained a smile, a trace of sorrow flickered in his eyes. “Thank you, Suvak. Though I’m still grappling with it myself. I lost Tharsis Station and three members of my crew that day, and yet Starfleet promoted me to Captain and entrusted me with the Blythe.”

Understanding the anguish behind Crowe’s words and having endured the loss of countless patients in his own professional journey, Suvak replied with infamous Vulcan logic. “You made the most logical decision, Captain. Your actions saved countless lives among the crew and on the surface.”

“Tell that to Lieutenant Brooks, Ensign Visitor, and Chief Petty Officer Auberjonois who still haunt my dreams every night,” Crowe replied, his voice slightly raised, his grip on the padd nearly causing it to crack under the pressure. The events of the ill-fated research station clearly continued to torment him. Suvak understood that all he could do at this point was to allow Crowe to confront his own pain, and he silently committed himself to be there to aid in the healing process when Crowe was prepared for it.

Following a brief icy pause, Captain Crowe gathered himself and redirected the conversation. “I encountered Lieutenant Jansen a short while ago, and he informed me about the extensive list of modifications you provided for the medbay. He seemed quite taken aback, considering his team had been laboring on it all week.”

“I’m confident the facility met an engineer’s standards, but my role is to save lives, not compromise them,” Suvak responded.

Crowe couldn’t help but chuckle at the stark Vulcan-like retort from the Doctor. However, his amusement was short-lived as the chime sounded. “Enter,” he called out, his voice slightly elevated.

Commander Patel entered the room through the sliding doors and reported, “Captain, Lieutenant Commander Arden and Cadet Solari have just arrived at the airlock.”

“Thank you, Commander. Kindly gather our essential bridge crew and make arrangements for departure. I’ll join you shortly,” Captain Crowe instructed.

“I should return to the medical facility,” Dr. Suvak noted, exiting the room alongside Commander Patel.

Shaking off thoughts of Tharsis Station, Captain Crowe took a sip of water before addressing the computer. “Computer, initiate a new log entry.”

The computer emitted a confirming beep in response, with a composed breath, Captain Crowe began to speak. “CAPTAIN’S LOG, Stardate 240105.17: This marks my inaugural entry as Commanding Officer of the USS Blythe…”