—- Starbase 72 —— 

Commodore Jalian smiled patiently. New captains, like Miss Cruz, often had issues when they realized that the line of command in Starfleet was not always a straight one. Lieutenant Commander Jake Dornall sat with a duffle bag at his feet grinning, clearly enjoying the Captain’s discomfort. 

“So I don’t get to know what my mission is?” Captain Adriana Cruz asked. 

Commodore Jalian continued to smile, “No, not until you launch and near where you are going. Lieutenant Commander Dornall will be giving you the assignment then. I know it’s not what you’re used to but it’s home Starfleet Intelligence wanted to handle this. You’re still the Captain, you still report back to me, but on this mission you’re taking your marching orders from Dornall.”

”The Seattle gets to do something important boss,” Dornall said still smiling.

”I have a team,” Cruz said, “I don’t need a new addition.”

”Ten new additions, we’re swapping out some of your security team, but my people will pull their weight,” Dornall said.

”I don’t like this,” Cruz said to Jalian who only smiled back.

”You’re the Captain, you’re in charge and it’s your ship, but the mission is Dornall’s,” Jalian said, “Now unless there’s any questions, I have a Galaxy Class ship to see off.”

She rose, indicating that the meeting was over, nodded to the Captain and her new Chief Intelligence Officer and headed out of the boardroom. The others followed her. Giving them both a nod she sauntered off for another part of the Starbase. 

”Well welcome aboard then Lieutenant Commander,” Cruz said, “We ship out tomorrow. I’ll see you on the Seattle.”

”Absolutely Sir,” Dornall said a grin still on his face, “I wouldn’t miss it for any world.”

Cruz nodded and headed towards her ship which was having the final touches completed after its run in with the Cardassians. The scorch marks had been buffed off the hull and the warp engine readied for its latest mission, one that she was not going to find out until she was well on her way, an odd feeling.

—- USS Seattle, Docked At Starbase 72 —-

She found her Chief Engineer Lieutenant Commander James Young and her Assistant Chief Medical Officer Doctor T’Rala in Engineering. T’Rala’s arms were wrapped around Young in a casual and intimate way. She let go when the Captain entered.

”At ease, grope each other, but do it respectfully,” Cruz joked. She knew that many members of her young crew were coupled off, and did not see it as an issue. They needed a way to relieve stress plus events had put her other shoe on her foot and now as Captain she was involved with her First Officer, after being a First Officer involved with her Captain.

”This is Seattle?” Cruz guessed at the silhouette of the skyline, one had been painted on all decks, showing different eras in Seattle’s history. 

“You can tell from the Space Needle, this is it in the 1990s, when the namesakes of our shuttles and Waverider were active,” Young said.

T’Rala who had only been to Earth a handful of times had not context for what Seattle was, so she said nothing. Despite her appearance, and her involvement with Young, she was one of the older members of the crew but Romulans aged far slower even when raised by humans on a human colony.  

“Ready to leave Young?” Cruz asked, knowing the answer already, but preparing to be surprised if he had a curve ball to throw at her. 

He nodded, “We passed our inspection yesterday, the Seattle is ready to go, the last of the crew should be back on-board tomorrow. Your new First Officer is already bedded in, as much as Andorians settle anywhere.”

He did not mention Donall and the new Intelligence team, but then he likely did not know about it quite yet. 

“Alright, I’ll go speak with Commander Shraa,” Cruz said then nodded farewell to both as she signaled for a turbo lift to take her to deck 1 and her XO’s new quarters. Or rather the new XO’s quarters.

— First Officer’s Quarters —-

“Come,” newly demoted Commander Shraa Th’risris said as her door chimed. The disgraced Andorian former captain looked around the quarter as Captain Cruz entered. She was not happy with the new assignment but it was better than being drummed out of Starfleet or worse so she was grateful. She also knew that this was her own fault, and not Adriana’s and all that Cruz had done was figure out how to best keep her in Starfleet after hitting that ambassador.

Still knowing that this was not Cruz’s fault and acting like it were not the same thing, “These are small, my old quarters on the Obama were much bigger, even my XO had bigger rooms.”

”Well we’re not as comfy as on your old milk truck, but these are exactly the same size as mine,” Cruz said.

”What is a milk truck?” Shraa asked.

The door hissed shut behind Cruz, “I don’t know, something that takes milk which a drink us humans like from cows which are a mammal that makes it to the people who want to drink it I guess. Milk runs are a saying, it means an easy safe run that any starship could do.”

”You calling me a coward Cruz,” Shraa asked.

Cruz smiled, “I wouldn’t dare, I saw you fight to the death on your home moon remember?”

”How was the Commodore?” Shraa asked.

”I can’t really talk about it, not yet. You joined at an interesting time, that’s all I’ll say,” Cruz said.

”If I can’t have a decent sized room I should at least have interesting voyages,” Shraa said.

Cruz sauntered up to the tall Andorian woman and leaned up to kiss her, “No personal chefs either.”

”What?” Shraa said feigning surprise, she’d figured that by the fact that less than 100 people were on the crew.

”Nice beds though,” Cruz said taking off her Starfleet uniform top.

”I’ll need a tour from the Captain,” Shraa said using her strength to push Cruz onto the firm mattress.

—- Chief Diplomatic Officer’s Quarters —-

Lieutnaenant Yi Zhang helped the new Chief Diplomatic Officer move her bag into her quarters, along with a box of physical books. He set them down with a thud, and glanced at the spines, asking “What is a Hobbit?”

”It’s umm, a mythical creature from a book. About language and Earth legends and stuff,“ Lieutenant Diya Acharya said, not wanting to explain too much, but knowing that if she started truly explaining it she would just keep adding context.

”Ah,” Zang said, nodding as if he understood what that meant. He was trying to make a good impression on the new officer to the Seattle, but felt that maybe he’d insulted her. Or something, it was not clear.

”It’s umm, sequel is one of my favorite stories,” Acharya said, “Lord of the Rings, have you heard of it.”

Zhang shrugged, “I’m not much of a reader, my mother made me read some Chinese classics from ancient Earth but I don’t know. Nothing called Lord of the Rings.”

”One of my mothers was an English teacher, this was her favorite book,” Acharya said, “It was written by a Professor in England during the Second of Earth’s World Wide Wars. Or just after. It‘s about his experience in the first one.”

“Why did Earth keep doing that? Almost destroying itself to plant flags on territory?” Zhang said shaking his head.

”I could explain it to you a bit,” Acharya said, “I mean over a drink, or something.”

”Sure, let’s go I’ll show you Nine Forward.”

”I thought,“ she said, “This ship only has eight decks.”

”We do,” Zhang confirmed.