Disclaimer: I own the Qurunians.
Back in the ready room of the Champion, Captain Larson had deactivated his panel and moved it to the side. Then he took a moment to look at Ensign Hopkins.
Having a realization, she asked him "Captain, you didn't ask me in here just to test my ability to open up a secure line, did you?"
"No, I did not." he admitted. "I just felt that you and I had a bit of catching up to do. We haven't spoken since that time I paid a visit to your class at the Academy last year."
"Not much has been going on since I graduated." she began. "My work on Alpha Centauri has been most uneventful. But I managed to keep Ziruto's and a few other places in balance while I was there."
"And now you get to do something far more exciting than that." said Larson. "When we make first contact with any new species, you'll be the first one to saw 'Hello' in their language."
Hopkins said "That does sound a lot more exciting than Alpha Centauri. However, Captain, when you told me I was one of the most talented translators you ever saw, I had no idea you were impressed enough to make me your linguistics expert."
Larson shrugged and said "From what you demonstrated, I believed you would be able to have a conversation with a cat or a dog by now."
"I thought of trying that." she told him seriously. "You'd think by now the universal translator could work on them."
"Compared to many other species we have encountered, dogs and cats are still very mysterious organisms to us." Larson pointed out. "Even though they've been on Earth for almost as long as we have, you never really know a lifeform until you can speak to them face-to-face."
"I can relate with you there, sir." Hopkins concurred. "Is there anything else you wished to discuss?"
"As a matter of fact, there is." Larson replied. "I would also like to know of the nature of your friendship with Lieutenant Casey. It is just friendship, correct?"
"Yes, Nick and I are just friends, sir." she assured him. "Our relationship won't interfere with our duties on the bridge or the rest of the ship."
"I believe you." said Larson. "I know that you have no trouble keeping your priorities in order. However, I would like to know- and forgive me for intruding on your personal life- were you and the Lieutenant ever more than 'just friends'?"
"You are well within your rights to ask that question, sir." Hopkins understood. "And yes, we were more than 'just friends' for the second half of the term when we were both at the Academy. In fact, I'm thinking of pursuing that relationship with him again. That is, if it is alright with you, sir."
"Ensign, you don't need my permission to revive the relationship you shared with Lieutenant Casey before he graduated." Larson assured her.
The two of them stood up and left the ready room.
Hopkins went to her station and took her seat. As Larson walked to his chair, he said "Mr. Casey, pull us out of orbit."
A few adjustments were made here and there, and Casey declared "We're out of orbit."
"Good. Now enter that course for Kinnalia V into the helm." Larson ordered him.
"I already have, sir." the Flight Controller reported.
Larson sat down in his chair and said "Engage."
The Champion veered to the direction of Kinnalia V and cruised en route for the planet at Warp 8.
Larson turned to his Second Officer and asked him "Patrick, would you care to estimate you long it will take us to arrive there?"
"I'd love to, sir," responded the young Lieutenant Commander, "but I've never seen the Kinnalia planets on a starchart before. Do you suppose you could bring one up for me?"
There was a computer console set in-between the Captain's chair and the Second Officer's chair, and another one in-between the Captain's chair and the First Officer's chair. Larson activated the former of the two consoles and brought up a starchart that had both Alpha Centauri and Kinnalia V on it. After taking a moment to study the chart, Wood asked "How precise would you like to know, sir?"
"Do it down to the minute." Larson suggested.
"Okay." said Wood. "In that case, I believe it would take one day, four hours, and twenty-seven minutes at our current velocity."
"Alright, then we have forty hours to get ready for our first assignment." Larson concluded. He explained to Wood "Tom told me that we would be going on our first mission as soon as we had a full senior staff."
"I see, sir." said Wood. "I look forward to it."
In sickbay, Dr. Rizux was documenting an interesting plant specimen he had come across before he had arrived on the Champion. Dr. Keller was taking the time to take a reading of the specimen's vitals.
"You'll be pleased to know that your plant is very healthy, Dr. Rizux." Keller announced to the Crenaran scientist.
"Thank you for letting me know, Dr. Keller." Rizux expressed his appreciation toward the holographic physician.
Keller noticed that Rizux had something on his mind other than the plant. He decided to ask him what he was thinking about. Rizux's response was "I'm curious about the Captain's choice for the First Officer. Why would he want someone with such a major mark on her permanent record being on this ship as a subordinate to him alone?"
"I'm more curious about why he seems so determined to have her as his XO." Keller revealed.
"I'm sure he has his reasons." Rizux speculated. "By the way, I noticed you, too, voiced a little disapproval about his selection. Where did you ever hear of Commander Sanderson and her past?"
"The incident she was sentenced for is in the ship's database." Keller answered. "In addition to the experiences of hundreds of physicians and medical procedures, my memory is composed of everything in the ship's archives."
"I would predict that you are programmed to be as loyal to duty and protocol as any other Starfleet officer." Rizux theorized. "Therefore, it would make sense why you would have some displeasure about the Captain's decision.
"You are correct, Doctor." said Keller. "You took the words right out of my mouth. I am as dedicated to Starfleet principles as any organic officer is. However, I believe I can come to accept Commander Sanderson."
"I believe I can manage that just as well." said Rizux.
The two of them soon dropped this subject and returned to studying the planet specimen.
A few decks below, Miral and Nobema were walking down the corridor. Then were about to turn in for the night. While they walked, Nobema asked her best friend "Do you know anything about Commander Sanderson?"
"Not much, except that she was involved in something that involved the Cardassians and the Breen." Miral answered. "And she spent ten months in a Federation holding cell for it."
"I noticed that you don't share your parents' dissatisfaction with Captain Larson's pick." Nobema noted.
"In my opinion, they are both being hypocritical." Miral explained. "My father was thrown out of Starfleet for falsifying reports, and my mother was expelled from the Academy for failing to abide by the rules of conduct. But their time on the Voyager was essentially a chance of redemption for both of them. They were both reinstated when the Voyager got home, and after an awards ceremony a week later, my mother received a commission of full Lieutenant, and my father was promoted to Lieutenant Commander."
Nobema then developed a hypothesis: "Maybe that's why the Captain wants Commander Sanderson on board. In addition to her experiences, it could be that he wants to give her a chance of redemption."
"That sounds like a reasonable assumption." Miral agreed. "But why would the Captain take such a thing like that so seriously?"
"I don't know." said Nobema. "Perhaps he'll tell us in time."
"Perhaps." Miral agreed.
The two of them made their way to their quarters. Everyone on that ship slept soundly that night as the ship cruised to Kinnalia V.
Almost forty hours later, Commander Sanderson was leaving her room in the mines of Kinnalia. She took a moment to look back once and reflect on the past three weeks she had spent there. She had been stuck leading a team to conduct research on the psychological effects of isolated dilithium mining. Now she was being offered a position on a starship by Michael Larson himself. She had only known him by his reputation of being very understanding and patient, and how he had overseen the admission of two new planets into the Federation.
All of a sudden, her combadge beeped. "Hale to Commander Sanderson." came from it.
Sanderson tapped her badge and said "Sanderson here."
"The Champion is in orbit, ma'am."
Sanderson turned and left the room behind for good.
On the Champion, Captain Larson was in Transporter Room 1. Ensign Nobema was at the panel and Dr. Keller and Lieutenant Commander Wood were standing behind him. A few moments later, Nobema announced "Captain, we are receiving a transmission from the planet. Commander Sanderson is standing by."
"Then by all means, bring her aboard, Ensign." said Larson.
Nobema nodded and went to work on the transporter. A moment later, a flash of blue light appeared and Commander Sanderson materialized onto the platform. Captain Larson looked at her and said cordially "Welcome aboard."
As she stepped off the platform, Captain Larson held out his hand to her. She looked down at his hand, and then she took it in hers and shook it firmly. Then she took two computer chips out of her pocket. One of them she gave to Larson while saying "Commander Ashley Sanderson reporting as ordered, sir. I am glad to be aboard."
Larson nodded. Then he introduced the two men behind him: "This is my Second Officer, Lieutenant Commander Patrick Wood and our Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Keller."
Sanderson gave Keller the other chip, which contained her medical profile, and shook his hand and Wood's hand. Larson then moved back to the transporter panel and said "And this is our Operations Officer and Transporter Chief, Ensign Nobema."
Nobema and Sanderson shook hands. After they had, Larson asked "Shall we proceed to the bridge?"
"Of course, Captain." was Sanderson's reply. "But I'll need to place my bags in my room first."
"That's all right." Larson told her. "Place them back on the transporter. Nobema, beam the Commander's luggage to her quarters."
After this process was done, the five members of the senior staff in that room made their way to the bridge.
When they got to the bridge, Larson introduced Sanderson to Halrinso, Casey, Hopkins, Miral Paris, Marquez, and Rizux. Every one of them except Halrinso gave her a friendly handshake. Halrinso gave her a "friendly" handshake and an unreceptive glare. But she was used to that kind of glare. Larson had convinced Tom and B'Elanna to be affable when they met her. They had decided that Larson was right about getting to know the Commander instead of simply judging her based on her permanent record.
Soon, everyone had taken their seats except for Commander Sanderson. Larson held his hand over it and told her "It's yours."
She slowly approached it and sat down. Once she had gotten settled, Larson said "Mr. Casey, set a course for Ferengi space and engage at Warp 9."
"Ferengi space, sir?" said the confused helmsman.
"According to Fleet Admiral Paris, the location of our first assignment is just beyond their borders." Larson explained.
"Very well, sir." Casey input the course and the Champion headed for Ferengi territory.
Later in the mess hall, Commander Sanderson was eating lunch by her own in the mess hall. A few people had given her an unfriendly glare in that room, but most of them had been more accepting of her.
When she had just finished eating, Commander Wood and Ensign Nobema came into the room. They wanted to talk to the Commander and get to know her better. They approached her and asked if they could join her. She let them sit down with her. They quickly got into a conversation.
"So, you're the first Romulan in Starfleet?" she asked Nobema.
"That's correct, Commander." Nobema confirmed.
"And what about you, Mr. Wood?" she asked the Second Officer. "You graduated after just your second term?"
"The Federation Council saw it appropriate." he told her.
Casey and Hopkins had been sitting at the next table eating their own lunch. They had been listening to the conversation, and they decided to ask Sanderson something they had wanted to ask her ever since the last senior staff meeting. They turned to her and Hopkins said "Commander, there is something we would like to know."
"What would you like to know?" asked Sanderson.
Casey and Hopkins briefly looked at each other, and when they looked back at her, Casey said "Why were you sentenced to ten months in prison in the first place?"
"You mean neither of you know why?" asked the Commander.
Both of them shook their heads. Neither Wood nor Nobema knew the reasons either.
Commander Sanderson sighed, but she did know that someone would have approached her eventually about this subject. She decided to just get it over with. She sat up and she began explaining her story to the young officers. She told them: "It was eleven years ago when I was serving aboard the USS Gainesville. I had the rank of full Lieutenant at the time. We were on a deep space mission beyond the wormhole that leads to the Gamma Quadrant. Soon, we made first contact with a technologically advanced species known as the Qurunians. They are a remarkably intelligent species, and they are centered so much around peace that they almost make the Federation look as untrustworthy and violent as the Remans by comparison."
Ensign Hopkins raised one of her eyebrows, indicating that she was clearly interested in that fact about the Qurunians. Commander Sanderson continued: "They extended their cordial hand to the crew of the Gainesville and allowed us to observe their technology. Captain Ewotto actually offered them for a few of them to come back with us to Starfleet Command. He believed that they would make a great addition to the Federation. But the Qurunians politely declined. They told us how they never join any sort of interstellar organization because of some fear they have. It's essentially a fear of power- they worry that too much power and authority would cause their people to become corrupt in time."
"A very interesting theory." said Casey. "Have they ever actually joined any form of association?"
"Not to my knowledge." replied Sanderson. "You see, they are a something of a spectator species. They watch other species and learn from their actions how they should progress or how they should not progress."
"Please, go on." Wood requested.
Sanderson continued: "After we left Qurunian space, we reported our findings to the Federation Council. However, news of their existence and achievements quickly spread throughout the Quadrant. The two that were most interested in their technological advancements were the Cardassians and the Breen. Pretty soon afterward, there were reports that the two races were planning to revive their old alliance from the Dominion War and attack the Qurunians. Their goal would have been to enslave them and force them to make more technology for the Cardassian Alliance and the Breen Confederacy."
"What happened next?" asked Nobema
"These reports of the coalition were confirmed a few weeks later." Sanderson explained. "The Qurunians were becoming desperate then. They pleaded for the Federation to give them assistance, but the Federation Council said that the Prime Directive prohibited us from getting involved in these affairs. I was disgusted, but everyone had been ordered not to get involved in this matter. The Qurunians actually understood our principles, and submitted that they would never allow the Cardassians and the Breen to use them to make weapons and warships. They proclaimed that they would all die before they allowed their technology to be used for violent means."
"A noble people." Wood noted. "What happened after this?"
"Well, you see, the Qurunians were one of the most impressive species I had ever seen." Sanderson told the young officers. "I could not let them become enslaved and exploited by two of this quadrant's most violent and destructive races. I decided that even if no one else in the Federation would do anything, I would do something about it."
"What did you do?" asked Nobema.
Sanderson went on: "By that time, I already had about a month's worth of shore leave accumulated. I told Captain Ewotto that I would be taking about two week's worth shortly after news of the Cardassian-Breen alliance leaked out. He accepted my request and I went on vacation. But you see, I did not have your typical vacation. Instead of travelling to Risa or another ideal vacation spot, I took my shuttle near the borders of the Cardassian Alliance and the Breen Confederacy. I spent the first week of my 'vacation' intercepting messages sent from the Breen to the Cardassians and the Cardassians to the Breen. After I intercepted them, I would encrypt the message in a type of code that had no syntax whatsoever, and then I would see to it that the messages reached their intended destinations. The indecipherable messages had the Cardassians and the Breen distracted. While they were busy with that, I spent the other week leaking just enough information about Breen and Cardassian weaponry to the Qurunians so that they would be able to defend themselves from both races combined. You see, the Qurunians possess no weapons at all; what I gave them would help them fend off their two greatest threats. Before anyone could even threaten them, the Qurunians were already fully ready to fend both of the hostile species off."
"I'd imagine that they called off the attacks pretty quickly?" assumed Casey.
"They did." said Sanderson. "Shortly after I returned to the Gainesville, there were reports that the Cardassians and the Breen were at each other's throats. Apparently my encoded messages had done more damage than I had hoped for. Both races had believed that the other had given the Qurunians the information regarding the weaponry and created a covert alliance with them. Within a week afterwards, they were almost ready to go to war with each other."
"Oh my God." said Hopkins.
"Starfleet Intelligence had determined that it was a Starfleet officer that had sabotaged their messages and provided the Qurunians with tactical information about Breen and Cardassian weapons." Sanderson went on. "I knew it would only be a matter of time until they discovered who, so I finally admitted what I had done to Captain Ewotto. Next thing I knew, I was being court-martialed. The Federation Court knew I had done it so save the Qurunians. You see, there are more Qurunians than there are Cardassians and Breen combined. But I had almost started a war between the Breen and the Cardassians. Even though they had resolved the conflict before they went to war, the Federation Court wanted me to take some time to ponder on how things could have turned out differently. So they gave me that time: ten months in a holding cell. And before that incident, I did not have a single reprimand on my permanent record."
"How is it you managed to stay in Starfleet afterwards?" inquired Casey.
"Well, during my sentence, the Federation Council took time to think about the morality of my actions." Sanderson told him. "They realized that I only did what I did to save a civilization that was doomed to choose between enslavement and annihilation. Just before my sentence was finished, they had decided to reinstate me. But I was stripped of my rank and given a formal reprimand. It's taken me this long to achieve the rank of Commander."
Casey, Nobema, Wood, and Hopkins were shocked. Quite frankly, none of them liked the Cardassians or the Breen at all. Sanderson just looked around at them and asked them "Are you four still comfortable with the idea of having me as your First Officer?"
"Absolutely." answered Hopkins. "I'm sure I can speak for all four of us when I say that."
"I won't treat you any differently, ma'am." Wood guaranteed the Commander.
"You still have my respect, Commander." said Casey.
"What you did was noble." Nobema asserted her. "You risked everything to save a whole civilization."
"And just out of curiosity, Commander," said Hopkins, "Do you have any regrets about what you did?"
Sanderson shook her head and told them "Ten months in prison and my spotless Starfleet reputation were a small price to pay for the safety and survival of an entire race." Right after she said that, she stood up, picked up her tray, placed it on the counter, and left the mess hall. Nobema, Hopkins, Casey, and Wood just watched her as she left. Now they knew the Commander's story. All four of them still held out hope that she would accept Captain Larson's offer.