“Did you pack enough clean underwear?” the demand was abrupt, and interrupted Asher’s contemplation of the ships out of the huge windows. There were ships of all sizes and classes out there, but one of them was his. His first posting after the academy, and as such, the most important ship out there of all of them.

He rolled his eyes and shot a side look at his companion. “Yes Dad, I packed enough clean underwear.”

Thais Thane grunted in the back of his throat, and adjusted the pack over one broad shoulder. He was perhaps a hair shorter than Ash was now his son had stopped growing, but much broader in the shoulders. “Just checking. You know wh—“

“Yeah, yeah…” Asher full on rolled his eyes this time. “Seriously. I ran out of pants on camp when I was five! Do we have to have this every time?”

Thais shot him a look. It wasn’t the look of a starfleet commander, even though he had three shiny pips on his collar, but the warning look of a dad then their kid was tap-dancing on their last nerve. It was a look Ash had seen a lot in his life. An awful lot. 

“Okay, and you have your transfer orders?” Thais demanded. 

Ash refrained from sighing, and nodded, tapping his pack. His orders were on his padd, safely tucked away. Not that he needed a physical, or digital, copy. His orders to report for duty to the USS Manticore were in the system. 

“Yes Dad, I have my orders,” he said as they reached a turbolift bank. The Manticore was listed as this section, while his father’s posting, the USS Resolute, was over the other side. 

“Okay, good. And you know who—“

Asher cut him off. “My department head is Lieutenant Kovash, the chief helm officer of the Manticore. I have time to find my quarters and drop my gear before I have to head up to the bridge and report for duty.” 

He arched his eyebrow as they waited for the turbolift. “Unless you’d like to hold my hand to make sure I get to the right ship?”

“Cheeky pup,” Thais growled and, reaching out, hauled Ash in for a quick bear hug. “Just keep your head down, do your job. Mason’s a good guy, and a great captain.”

Ash nodded, swallowing his nerves. The fact that Raan Mason was his commanding officer wasn’t as scary as all hell, honestly. “Hey, you won’t be far away. The Resolute is in the same squadron, so we’ll be able to grab dinner occasionally, won’t we?” 

Thais grinned as he released his son. “Abso-bloody-lutely. And make sure you call me later, okay?”

“Yes Commader Executive Officer, sir!” Ash grinned as he snapped off a  llanarian salute. He’d never been in the military of his home planet, but his dad had been a long time ago, during the war. 

“Go on, get on with you!” Thais grumbled roughly, reaching out to ruffle Ash’s hair, which elicited a squeak from the tall young ensign. 

“Dad!” he complained, looking around. But no one was paying attention to them thankfully. Even though the corridors were packed, it seemed everyone was too busy heading where they needed to go to pay any attention to Asher and his dad. 

“Love you, son” Thais threw back with a wink, then turned to head off down the corridor. “Don’t forget to call! And call your mother!”

“Will do!” Ash chuckled to himself as the lift doors opened and he stepped inside. There was another ensign in there already, who looked up at Asher’s entry. He was young, and shorter than Ash. Human for a guess. 

“Hey.” He nodded in acknowledgement, then spotted the pack over the other ensign’s shoulder. 

“Transferring? Me too,” he said, lifting a shoulder to indicate his pack and ordered the level he needed from the computer. 

The human gave a tight smile. It was an expression Asher had come to recognise on the younger members of the Fleet, ones who had been assimilated by the Borg during Frontier Day. He was thankful he’d been out of range, protected from the signal. 

“Yeah, I’m transferring.” Then he shrugged. “Well, kind of. Most of my old ship’s crew have already transferred with our Captain to a new ship.”

“Oh? They transferred over before you?” He paused, then added quickly. “My apologies, none of my business. Nerves. My new CO is like a big deal where I’m from.”

The other ensign shrugged. “Don’t worry about it. I was back on Earth for a funeral. That’s why I’m late.”

Oh shit. Ash could have kicked himself. “I’m sorry for your loss,” he mumbled quickly. 

“Thanks.” Again that tight smile. “My twin, so cuts a little deeper.”

Ash felt like an absolute bastard and looked awkwardly at his feet. At least, the physical versions, metaphorically, he’d crammed both size thirteens right in his fool mouth. 

But then the other guy gave him an out. “What did you mean your new CO is a big deal where you’re from?” he asked, looking at Ash in curiosity as the lift came to a stop and the door opened in front of them. 

“Oh, we had this massive war years ago,” Ash explained as they headed down the corridor. Just like the lower levels, it was heaving with crew making their transfers but given his size, people tended to move out of the way for him. “And he was supposed to be our leader but his…” Shit, don’t say triplet, he warned himself quickly. “but his brother wanted to lead instead and started killing people. So big war, we won and my new CO is like, a war hero…”

He paused as they turned a corner, and there she was, the USS Manticore. 

“Isn’t she beautiful,” he murmured in awe, his gaze tracing her dangerous lines. The Manticore class was everything he’d ever dreamed of in a first assignment. It was one of the more tactical ships in the fleet, and for an ensign right out of the academy… a sign that his career was on the right track. “Imagine flying something like that…”

His companion chuckled. “I take it that you’re helm from that?”

Ash nodded, sliding the human a sideways glance. “Yeah, you?”

“Command yeoman,” came the answer. Then, “Wait… are you assigned to the Manticore as well?”

“Yeah.” He turned to find himself the object of scrutiny. 

“Tall… with that size,” the ensign muttered. “You’ve got to be Llanarian for sure.”

Ash grinned. “Yeah. Was it that much of a giveaway?”

“Yeah, well… that and the fact I know Captain Mason’s history. I’m Rennox,” he announced, holding out a hand as they queued for transport over to the Manticore. “The captain saved my life. A couple of times actually. Welcome to the Manticore crew.”