CHAPTER ONE
There was a bustle of activity at the Starfleet Academy headquarters. Many cadets had just received their field assignment orders from Academy Superintendent Admiral Brand. Several of these cadets were heading toward a special landing zone nearby where a large vessel was making its final approach for landing at this very moment.
"Cadets bound for the Enterprise and Akagi, report to shuttlebays one and two. Cadets for the Hornet, report to landing pad B," came an announcement over the intercom.
As it grew closer to the cadets, they could see the markings that identified it as a starship of the United Federation of Planets. It had four warp engine nacelles, an odd looking object attached to the underside of the saucer section, and a bright blue deflector dish. As the landing struts came out of the lower part of the hull, the ship's registry could be identified, as could the name of the ship. Cadet First Class Amy Yates looked and pointed when she could recognize the registry number and clearly read the name of the ship.
"N C C seven-four-six-five-seven! USS Hornet!" she squealed with delight as she read it to her fellow cadets with her.
The other cadets flocked around her and watched with eagerness, joy, and a little apprehensiveness as the vessel finally touched its landing struts to the sturdy superstructure of the landing area. The last of the atmospheric microfusion thrusters had fired, in order to cushion the landing even further.
"Amy, are you sure you can tame that beast of a starship?" asked her friend, Cadet Second Class Traci McLoughlin.
"Traci, you were with me when we took the Wolf 359 command test. You tell me," Amy retorted.
"Sorry..." Traci said quietly. Then, she perked up a little, and she gently took Amy's arm. "Amy, have you read up yet on this Captain Enor?"
"No. Why'd you ask?"
"I heard he graduated after only 2 and a half years, and got immediate first officer posting on the...." she paused, in thought, "Gettysburg."
Amy's eyes widened and stared at Traci in disbelief. "D....D.....D...Did I just hear you correctly???" she stammered. "Did you just say that he got a first officer position RIGHT out of the Academy???!!!"
Traci nodded, and gave Amy a hug, to help ease her startledness and whispered, "It's going to be okay Amy. If you ever need a hug, talk to me, your Trill 'counselor.' I'll always be here for you."
Amy returned the hug, and brushed a tear on Traci's red top of her cadet uniform.. Shortly after that, a transporter beam whined, and a medium height man and woman materialized, both of which wore Starfleet uniforms, and before they got through being reconstructed at the molecular level, Amy could see both had the subtle mottled spotting going from the temples, down the sides of the face, at the hairline, and down their necks, that marked them as Trills. When they finished materializing, the cadets instantly went to attention.
The man there looked the cadets over, and they could see he wore a Starfleet captain's uniform with a red collar. He smiled at each one of them, then to the whole group.
"As you were," he said politely to the cadets, which promptly let out a sigh of relief. "I am Chris Enor, commanding officer of the Hornet, and I welcome you all to your field duties onboard the Hornet. After I make sure this roster is correct, we'll proceed with the tours."
He scrolled down a PADD that he had with him, and read off the cadets' names, one at a time. Each cadet there responded with "Here" if they were there.
"That takes care of it. All of you are accounted for. First of all, I want to introduce the head of our new botanical lab, Lieutenant Molly Kallandra."
She came closer, and nodded, and smiled to Enor as well as to the cadets.
"The botany lab will be open for those who have special projects in plants, herbs, and anything else in the botany field."
The cadets nodded to her, as she went down toward the Academy complex, to say hello to some of her former instructors.
Enor continued, "Cadets, feel free to roam about the ship, but I expect you all to be ready and at your assigned posts by 1700 hours. We'll be lifting off then." He turned his attention to Amy. "Cadet Amy Yates, for this field assignment, unless we end up in an emergency, such as an attack, a distress call being received, or anything that falls under the category of 'not ordinary circumstances,' you will be in command. I will offer advice as you ask for it, but that will be the extent of it."
He smiled and extended his hand to Amy, who extended her hand and they shook hands.
"Congratulations, 'Captain' Yates. Report to my ready room once you have gotten settled in, so I can go over the mission with you."
Amy smiled and replied, "Aye sir."
Traci could see that Amy was getting a crush on her field commanding officer, and tried to suppress a rather powerful urge to laugh, but didn't say anything to Amy or to Enor, although he recognized the look on her face, and that said it all.
"The rest of you, once you have settled into your quarters, report to the officers you have been assigned to for a rundown on what the Hornet can do, as well as the control layouts," Enor added.
The cadets nodded, and prepared to be beamed aboard the ship.
Enor tapped his commbadge. "Enor to Hornet, beam up the cadets in this group."
"Aye sir," came the voice of Transporter Chief Helen Kraimer.
"Energize when ready lieutenant," said Enor.
"Energizing now captain," she said.
A pattern of blue-green lights touched the cadets' midsections and spread in opposite directions, one set of two energy spheres going up to their heads, while two more went down to their feet simultaneously, and shortly, the cadets were engulfed in the transporter beam, and vanished.
Moments later, the cadets rematerialized on a large transporter platform, larger than what most starships had. It was a special evacuation transporter, that was also used for wide angle transports to and from the ship, and was used when there were many people to be beamed aboard or off the ship.
* * *
There was a bustle of activity at the Starfleet Academy headquarters. Many cadets had just received their field assignment orders from Academy Superintendent Admiral Brand. Several of these cadets were heading toward a special landing zone nearby where a large vessel was making its final approach for landing at this very moment.
"Cadets bound for the Enterprise and Akagi, report to shuttlebays one and two. Cadets for the Hornet, report to landing pad B," came an announcement over the intercom.
As it grew closer to the cadets, they could see the markings that identified it as a starship of the United Federation of Planets. It had four warp engine nacelles, an odd looking object attached to the underside of the saucer section, and a bright blue deflector dish. As the landing struts came out of the lower part of the hull, the ship's registry could be identified, as could the name of the ship. Cadet First Class Amy Yates looked and pointed when she could recognize the registry number and clearly read the name of the ship.
"N C C seven-four-six-five-seven! USS Hornet!" she squealed with delight as she read it to her fellow cadets with her.
The other cadets flocked around her and watched with eagerness, joy, and a little apprehensiveness as the vessel finally touched its landing struts to the sturdy superstructure of the landing area. The last of the atmospheric microfusion thrusters had fired, in order to cushion the landing even further.
"Amy, are you sure you can tame that beast of a starship?" asked her friend, Cadet Second Class Traci McLoughlin.
"Traci, you were with me when we took the Wolf 359 command test. You tell me," Amy retorted.
"Sorry..." Traci said quietly. Then, she perked up a little, and she gently took Amy's arm. "Amy, have you read up yet on this Captain Enor?"
"No. Why'd you ask?"
"I heard he graduated after only 2 and a half years, and got immediate first officer posting on the...." she paused, in thought, "Gettysburg."
Amy's eyes widened and stared at Traci in disbelief. "D....D.....D...Did I just hear you correctly???" she stammered. "Did you just say that he got a first officer position RIGHT out of the Academy???!!!"
Traci nodded, and gave Amy a hug, to help ease her startledness and whispered, "It's going to be okay Amy. If you ever need a hug, talk to me, your Trill 'counselor.' I'll always be here for you."
Amy returned the hug, and brushed a tear on Traci's red top of her cadet uniform.. Shortly after that, a transporter beam whined, and a medium height man and woman materialized, both of which wore Starfleet uniforms, and before they got through being reconstructed at the molecular level, Amy could see both had the subtle mottled spotting going from the temples, down the sides of the face, at the hairline, and down their necks, that marked them as Trills. When they finished materializing, the cadets instantly went to attention.
The man there looked the cadets over, and they could see he wore a Starfleet captain's uniform with a red collar. He smiled at each one of them, then to the whole group.
"As you were," he said politely to the cadets, which promptly let out a sigh of relief. "I am Chris Enor, commanding officer of the Hornet, and I welcome you all to your field duties onboard the Hornet. After I make sure this roster is correct, we'll proceed with the tours."
He scrolled down a PADD that he had with him, and read off the cadets' names, one at a time. Each cadet there responded with "Here" if they were there.
"That takes care of it. All of you are accounted for. First of all, I want to introduce the head of our new botanical lab, Lieutenant Molly Kallandra."
She came closer, and nodded, and smiled to Enor as well as to the cadets.
"The botany lab will be open for those who have special projects in plants, herbs, and anything else in the botany field."
The cadets nodded to her, as she went down toward the Academy complex, to say hello to some of her former instructors.
Enor continued, "Cadets, feel free to roam about the ship, but I expect you all to be ready and at your assigned posts by 1700 hours. We'll be lifting off then." He turned his attention to Amy. "Cadet Amy Yates, for this field assignment, unless we end up in an emergency, such as an attack, a distress call being received, or anything that falls under the category of 'not ordinary circumstances,' you will be in command. I will offer advice as you ask for it, but that will be the extent of it."
He smiled and extended his hand to Amy, who extended her hand and they shook hands.
"Congratulations, 'Captain' Yates. Report to my ready room once you have gotten settled in, so I can go over the mission with you."
Amy smiled and replied, "Aye sir."
Traci could see that Amy was getting a crush on her field commanding officer, and tried to suppress a rather powerful urge to laugh, but didn't say anything to Amy or to Enor, although he recognized the look on her face, and that said it all.
"The rest of you, once you have settled into your quarters, report to the officers you have been assigned to for a rundown on what the Hornet can do, as well as the control layouts," Enor added.
The cadets nodded, and prepared to be beamed aboard the ship.
Enor tapped his commbadge. "Enor to Hornet, beam up the cadets in this group."
"Aye sir," came the voice of Transporter Chief Helen Kraimer.
"Energize when ready lieutenant," said Enor.
"Energizing now captain," she said.
A pattern of blue-green lights touched the cadets' midsections and spread in opposite directions, one set of two energy spheres going up to their heads, while two more went down to their feet simultaneously, and shortly, the cadets were engulfed in the transporter beam, and vanished.
Moments later, the cadets rematerialized on a large transporter platform, larger than what most starships had. It was a special evacuation transporter, that was also used for wide angle transports to and from the ship, and was used when there were many people to be beamed aboard or off the ship.
* * *
