Dawa paced the length of her ship, propelled by her nervous energy. She was almost ready to go.

She had the craft: the USS Ophiuchus, an Orion-class runabout that would get them to the secured research facility and back as a brisk warp 8.

She had the cargo: horrifying pieces of former Borg capable of doing who-knows-what, safely secured (she hoped, oh she hoped).

All she needed was the crew, and she stared out one of the runabout’s windows, hoping that at least one of them would emerge from the busy crowd of dockworkers and flight personnel.

Stepping up into the craft, Arwa looked calmly around and saw Dawa. “Ahh, Commander, everything okay? You seem to have seen a ghost?” She walked to one of the seats and sat down. “If you require someone to talk to, feel free to talk to me. I am present during the journey.”

“Ah!” Dawa smiled in relief and propelled herself into the seat directly next to Arwa. It wasn’t even the pilot’s seat. “Lieutenant el-Imam, right? It’s so nice to meet you. I’m so glad to be able to help you with your research project! And hey, the more the merrier on this trip as far as I’m concerned!”

Giving a firm nod to her. “Yes, that is the right attitude, and thank you for allowing me to participate in this social research. It is not every day that I get approval for such an observation.” Arwa smiled in her direction.

Irric strode onto the Orion-class vessel, the weight the perilous task they were about to embark on evident in his stride. He had been ordered to carve out some free time in his busy schedule to oversee security on this particular mission, momentarily setting aside his ongoing investigations.

Inside the vessel, he caught sight of the pilot, Lieutenant Commander Vlček, deep in conversation with a woman donned in a striking teal uniform. Irric observed their interaction for a moment before making his approach.

“Lieutenant Commander Nuni,” he introduced himself with a nod, “I’m here to ensure the safety of this mission and provide my tactical insights as needed.”

He shifted his attention to the woman dressed in teal, his curiosity evident in his expression, and remarked, “Speaking of security, I had no prior knowledge that a scientist would be accompanying us on this mission.”

Looking at the commander, Arwa smiled. “Counselor, and last minute call.” She kindly corrected him, “I am Lieutenant el-Imam, Deputy Director of Counseling at Starbase Bravo. A pleasure to meet you, Commander. I might state my position, but for this mission, I function as a counselor with the aim of observation.” 

Irric’s lips tightened as he absorbed the Lieutenant’s explanation. His discomfort was evident in the slight furrow which seemed to deepen his ridge, but he understood that altering the situation was beyond his authority. He pivoted to face Vlček, his eyes reflecting his concern as he asked, “Is the object securely in place?”

Dawa nodded emphatically. “Double and triple-checked by Lieutenant Gideon, the officer who recovered it from storage, and then by myself, but I’d greatly appreciate a third set of eyes on the cargo. Get a pro to confirm that I’ve secured it correctly. You can’t really be too careful, right?” she said, her words rushing together the more she spoke. She overlaid her last question with a bubbly laugh that skirted uncomfortably close to panic at the very end. She swallowed it down with a grimace as she thought about the counselor directly over her shoulder.

Irric’s dissatisfaction manifested in a low, exasperated grunt. The unfolding situation left him deeply uneasy, with a determined stride, he withdrew from the conversation, his gaze set on the cargo he needed to inspect.

Seeing the tension onboard made Arwa take notes and started to tap away on her PADD to gather information on this piece of research. She looked eventually up. “How long would this flight take? Out of curiosity.” She smiled in Dawa direction. 

“Oh, uh, about 36 hours there and another 36 hours for the return trip at maximum warp,” she said with a weak smile.

Irric rejoined the group, a confident smile playing on his lips as he observed, “Seems like we’re all set.” His eyes wandered around the ship’s interior, a hint of nostalgia in his gaze. “It’s been a while since I’ve had the chance to lay my eyes on an Orion-class vessel, let alone had the opportunity to travel in one.”

Dawa breathed a sigh of relief. Having the cargo triple-checked had put her mind at ease, and now she had an opportunity to get back to the topic of something she knew and loved: starships.

“Well then you are in for a treat, Commander!” She practically jumped into the pilot’s seat and began the final pre-flight checks. “Hitting warp 8 in a vessel this small is a hell of a trip. You’ll find it either intolerable or exhilarating, there’s no in-between.”

Right on cue, the voice of flight ops chimed in through the comms. “USS Ophiuchus, you are cleared for departure.”