The Terespiner Variant
Prologue:
The expression on Admiral Nunuq's face was that of a solemn man.
Captain Yenkar instantly rearranged his features to mirror the seriousness of his commanding officer. He had first believed orders for the mission to be a practical joke, but a call from Admiral Nunuq was something of a rarity in Starfleet. The missions were always high-class and important. For a moment, Sir Yenkar wondered why Ninuq had even bothered with him, considering the esteem, or lack of esteem, as the case may be, that his peers held him in. Then, he swept that thought away, disregarding it completely.
"When are we scheduled to depart, Sir?" Yenkar asked, changing his tone to match the sobriety of the Admiral.
"Five point Zero-Zero tomorrow. It's a very critical mission, Yenkar, you'll be assigned the best of the best." Nunuq said.
"Yes, sir. Thank you, sir." Sir Yenkar returned uncomfortably. Sometimes having the 'best of the best' meant a very dangerous mission.
Seeing the Captain's look, Ninuq asked sternly, "Any questions, Captain Yenkar?"
"Yes sir. I was wondering… I saw the roster, and well, it looked a little bit… short." Sir Yenkar commented critically.
"The team needs to stay small. You have your instructions. Report to Starfleet headquarters for further information before you depart."
"Yes, Sir." Yenkar nodded, and the Admiral's face slowly faded from the wall-viewscreen.
The captain sighed. He examined the assignment one final time before resigning himself to it. This wasn't the kind of mission you messed around on- he would have to be extra careful. Sir Yenkar thought through his plans quickly as he made his way to the bed in his personal quarters. Obviously, he would need to meet and get to know his crew, and the ship would need to be outfitted properly, if it wasn't already done. It would also be a good idea to really familiarize himself with the mission instructions before getting underway. It was a very strange mission, as far as he could tell.
He glanced at the clock, realizing that it was approximately Twelve point Zero Zero. One thing was for sure—he would need lots of caffeine in the morning. Reaching over, the captain set his alarm for Four point Four Five. He lay back against his standard-regulation pillow. Captain Sir Yenkar rubbed his eyes tiredly, sighed, groaned and surrendered himself to what little sleep he could find.
,