There are fewer occasions in the life of a Starfleet Captain that can eclipse the feeling of bringing out a brand new vessel. Walter Reynolds had risen through the ranks swiftly. As a Commander aboard the USS Franklin, he had impressed the top brass onboard and at Starfleet Command and when the Franklin was decommissioned, Walter was offered the chance of a lifetime. A promotion to Captain and his own command.

He’d read a lot about the new California class of vessel and their design as a multi-faceted explorer, designed for second contact, diplomacy and exploration. He’d been called to Starbase Bravo to witness the final stages of the build. Though the ship was built at Utopia Planitia, the final fittings were made here. 

He headed down the main promenade of the Starbase and adjusted the fit of his uniform, admiring the fourth pip now adjoined to his collar. As he headed to the docking bay, he let out a huge breath as he saw her, the USS Oakland, his ship. This would be the first time any member of the ships crew would board her. He felt honoured, excited and a little overwhelmed as he walked through the tunnel to the ship.

As he headed onboard, he looked around the corridor. This was his ship, his home. He would be commanding this vessel from now on and he would be ultimately responsible for his crew. For the shakedown cruise, there would only be a skeleton crew, but one day, the ship would be full and bustling. That day would be glorious and he couldn’t wait. 

He headed down the corridor, stepping over loose cabling, tool boxes and equipment, he could see many engineers working on the consoles, screens and electrics onboard. The ship felt like a construction site still but he knew how fast these guys worked and knew it would be perfect very soon.

Walter nodded to the engineer by the turbolift. 

“Is the turbolift operational?” he asked and got a “Yes Sir” in response. As such, he headed inside and issued the command… “Bridge please…” and the turbolift whirred into action taking him to the one place on the ship that he felt would be the most important in his career.