Star Trek: Falcon
Light in the tower
1. The Falcon
The metallic hull of the sleek starship seemed to glow in the pale light of the distant sun. Its' form was more compact and streamlined than the usual Starfleet ships. The new DaVinci-class starship, the first of its' kind, was oval, but with a pointy front and flat underside. The most striking feature was the position of the warp nacelles; they were attached directly to the hull. Captain William T Riker briefly wondered whether this design was necessary for the speeds the ship was capable of, or if it was just what the designers liked. He decided to ask them when he got the chance. Right now he just wanted to enjoy the view. He was in a shuttlecraft, moving towards the larger ship's shuttle bay. He sighed happily. "What a sight," he said. He wasn't really addressing the young ensign sitting next to him, but she answered anyway.
"It sure is, sir." She smiled and looked out the view port too. "It must be quite a feeling, sir," she said, "seeing your brand-new starship like this for the first time."
Riker returned her smile and repeated her words. "It sure is." He leaned back in his seat. "Twenty five decks of shining metal filled with some of Starfleet's finest crew and most advanced technology." He paused for a second. "Your area is command, isn't it, Ensign?"
"Yes, sir, it is."
"Then I'm sure you will experience this yourself one day," he said, his gaze still on the hull. His smile grew wider as they passed over the letters on the hull spelling NCC-78054 FALCON. The Falcon. His ship. His smile wasn't really captain-like but he didn't care. This was not something he would be experiencing again any time soon.
Docking seemed to take ridiculously long time, Riker thought, even though he realized it didn't take longer than normal. He was just more eager to get off the shuttle than he normally was. When the hatch finally began to open, he straightened his uniform and got ready to board his new ship. He wore a grin as wide as the one he'd worn on his wedding day, and his delight was just as evident. A woman in her early forties, with clear blue eyes and blonde hair swept up in a casually elegant style, was waiting for him outside the shuttle.
"Welcome aboard the Falcon, Captain," she said. The formality of her words and stance were contradicted by the smile that was gracing her lips.
"Thank you, Commander Shelby," Riker said and stepped out. He looked around. There really wasn't much to see in the shuttle bay apart from the gray walls and a few crates stacked in a corner, the gesture was merely symbolic. "She's not the Enterprise, or the Excalibur," he said, still smiling "but she's not half bad, is she, Commander?"
"No, Captain," Commander Shelby answered, lifting her head to look around too, her smile growing wider. "I have a feeling that the Falcon and I will get along just fine."
"Good," Riker said. "Now, how about a cup of coffee in my ready room?"
Shelby simply nodded and gestured for Riker to lead the way. They walked in silence through the corridors, taking in the sights. Riker had seen the interior of the ship before, but it had been full with construction workers then. Panels had been stripped off, wires had been hanging loosely from the walls, and he'd had to zigzag between the tools that had been strewn all over the floor. Now it was finished, apart from final calibrations of various computer systems, fine-tuning of the sensors, things like that. Most of the senior staff was already in place, getting to know their respective departments before the rest of the crew came aboard. The only exception was the Security Department; the whole security force was already installed. And now the command team was in place too.
Will Riker and Elizabeth Shelby had first met ten years earlier, during much more harsh circumstances, and with a lot more competition between them. However, when the Borg captured Captain Picard, Riker had assumed command of the Enterprise and had made Shelby his second in command. Since then, Riker had great respect for her abilities, and it seemed the feeling was mutual. Still, he had been surprised to learn that she had applied for the position as his First Officer on board the Falcon. Entering his Ready Room, he decided to be blunt and ask her.
"I heard you turned down a promotion to the rank of Captain in favor of serving on the Falcon. May I ask why?" Riker asked as he stopped for a second to admire the view. His ready room, as well as Shelby's office and the conference room, was on Deck One, on the absolute top of the ship. Below them lay the Bridge. The huge view ports on the opposite side of the room revealed a spectacular view of space on the ship's port side. On the left side of the room were a couch and a small wooden table, to the right the desk and an old wooden bookcase. Riker smiled. That had been his request. He was a child of the 24th century in all ways but this one. He liked real, old-fashioned books, and he liked wooden furniture.
Shelby just smiled at his question. No doubt she had been anticipating it. "Of course, Captain," she said, moving to sit down on the dark blue couch. She looked up at him as she was sitting down, her blue eyes sparkling. "Two words. Slipstream drive."
Riker smiled too as he stopped by the replicator to the left of the door. "Of course. Coffee?"
"Yes, please. With cream."
Riker got Commander Shelby's coffee and a cup of spicy Betazoid tea for himself, and then walked over to the couch. "You do know that we can't use it, don't you?" he said, referring to the slipstream drive, a propulsion system that would make it possible for the Falcon to travel faster than any Federation starship ever had done before. They hadn't been given clearance to actually use it, though.
"Yet," Shelby said, accepting the cup. "Only until the tests are complete."
"If the test results are positive," Riker said. She hadn't changed much over the years, he thought. Still eager, still adventurous. But she was also disciplined and Starfleet to the core. She'd make an excellent First Officer.
Shelby smiled. "I heard the last results were pretty good," she said and sipped her coffee. "So," she said after a moment's silence, "how come you haven't accepted a promotion yourself until now?"
Will Riker smiled over the rim of his cup. "They never offered me a ship quite like the Falcon before," he answered, his blue eyes sparkling. "Speaking of which," he said, putting his cup on the table, "would you like to join me for a tour of the ship?"
Shelby smiled. "Absolutely."
They took the stairs to the Bridge on the deck below them. The first thing to catch Riker's attention was the dedication plaque. He stopped for a second to look at it.
Let us go boldly where no man has gone before.
The legendary words of Zephram Cochrane, the man who had built Earth's very first warp ship, seemed truer than ever. If they were given the clearance to use the slipstream drive, they certainly would go where no humans had gone before. The prospect of exploring the unknown was what had made Riker join Starfleet to begin with, and the Falcon would let him explore places no human had ever seen before. The smile that seemed plastered to his face grew wider. He looked up to find Shelby studying him.
"Wait till you see the rest of the ship," she said and smiled.
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annika@ebox.tninet.se
www.twentysevenandfortyone.cjb.net
Light in the tower
1. The Falcon
The metallic hull of the sleek starship seemed to glow in the pale light of the distant sun. Its' form was more compact and streamlined than the usual Starfleet ships. The new DaVinci-class starship, the first of its' kind, was oval, but with a pointy front and flat underside. The most striking feature was the position of the warp nacelles; they were attached directly to the hull. Captain William T Riker briefly wondered whether this design was necessary for the speeds the ship was capable of, or if it was just what the designers liked. He decided to ask them when he got the chance. Right now he just wanted to enjoy the view. He was in a shuttlecraft, moving towards the larger ship's shuttle bay. He sighed happily. "What a sight," he said. He wasn't really addressing the young ensign sitting next to him, but she answered anyway.
"It sure is, sir." She smiled and looked out the view port too. "It must be quite a feeling, sir," she said, "seeing your brand-new starship like this for the first time."
Riker returned her smile and repeated her words. "It sure is." He leaned back in his seat. "Twenty five decks of shining metal filled with some of Starfleet's finest crew and most advanced technology." He paused for a second. "Your area is command, isn't it, Ensign?"
"Yes, sir, it is."
"Then I'm sure you will experience this yourself one day," he said, his gaze still on the hull. His smile grew wider as they passed over the letters on the hull spelling NCC-78054 FALCON. The Falcon. His ship. His smile wasn't really captain-like but he didn't care. This was not something he would be experiencing again any time soon.
Docking seemed to take ridiculously long time, Riker thought, even though he realized it didn't take longer than normal. He was just more eager to get off the shuttle than he normally was. When the hatch finally began to open, he straightened his uniform and got ready to board his new ship. He wore a grin as wide as the one he'd worn on his wedding day, and his delight was just as evident. A woman in her early forties, with clear blue eyes and blonde hair swept up in a casually elegant style, was waiting for him outside the shuttle.
"Welcome aboard the Falcon, Captain," she said. The formality of her words and stance were contradicted by the smile that was gracing her lips.
"Thank you, Commander Shelby," Riker said and stepped out. He looked around. There really wasn't much to see in the shuttle bay apart from the gray walls and a few crates stacked in a corner, the gesture was merely symbolic. "She's not the Enterprise, or the Excalibur," he said, still smiling "but she's not half bad, is she, Commander?"
"No, Captain," Commander Shelby answered, lifting her head to look around too, her smile growing wider. "I have a feeling that the Falcon and I will get along just fine."
"Good," Riker said. "Now, how about a cup of coffee in my ready room?"
Shelby simply nodded and gestured for Riker to lead the way. They walked in silence through the corridors, taking in the sights. Riker had seen the interior of the ship before, but it had been full with construction workers then. Panels had been stripped off, wires had been hanging loosely from the walls, and he'd had to zigzag between the tools that had been strewn all over the floor. Now it was finished, apart from final calibrations of various computer systems, fine-tuning of the sensors, things like that. Most of the senior staff was already in place, getting to know their respective departments before the rest of the crew came aboard. The only exception was the Security Department; the whole security force was already installed. And now the command team was in place too.
Will Riker and Elizabeth Shelby had first met ten years earlier, during much more harsh circumstances, and with a lot more competition between them. However, when the Borg captured Captain Picard, Riker had assumed command of the Enterprise and had made Shelby his second in command. Since then, Riker had great respect for her abilities, and it seemed the feeling was mutual. Still, he had been surprised to learn that she had applied for the position as his First Officer on board the Falcon. Entering his Ready Room, he decided to be blunt and ask her.
"I heard you turned down a promotion to the rank of Captain in favor of serving on the Falcon. May I ask why?" Riker asked as he stopped for a second to admire the view. His ready room, as well as Shelby's office and the conference room, was on Deck One, on the absolute top of the ship. Below them lay the Bridge. The huge view ports on the opposite side of the room revealed a spectacular view of space on the ship's port side. On the left side of the room were a couch and a small wooden table, to the right the desk and an old wooden bookcase. Riker smiled. That had been his request. He was a child of the 24th century in all ways but this one. He liked real, old-fashioned books, and he liked wooden furniture.
Shelby just smiled at his question. No doubt she had been anticipating it. "Of course, Captain," she said, moving to sit down on the dark blue couch. She looked up at him as she was sitting down, her blue eyes sparkling. "Two words. Slipstream drive."
Riker smiled too as he stopped by the replicator to the left of the door. "Of course. Coffee?"
"Yes, please. With cream."
Riker got Commander Shelby's coffee and a cup of spicy Betazoid tea for himself, and then walked over to the couch. "You do know that we can't use it, don't you?" he said, referring to the slipstream drive, a propulsion system that would make it possible for the Falcon to travel faster than any Federation starship ever had done before. They hadn't been given clearance to actually use it, though.
"Yet," Shelby said, accepting the cup. "Only until the tests are complete."
"If the test results are positive," Riker said. She hadn't changed much over the years, he thought. Still eager, still adventurous. But she was also disciplined and Starfleet to the core. She'd make an excellent First Officer.
Shelby smiled. "I heard the last results were pretty good," she said and sipped her coffee. "So," she said after a moment's silence, "how come you haven't accepted a promotion yourself until now?"
Will Riker smiled over the rim of his cup. "They never offered me a ship quite like the Falcon before," he answered, his blue eyes sparkling. "Speaking of which," he said, putting his cup on the table, "would you like to join me for a tour of the ship?"
Shelby smiled. "Absolutely."
They took the stairs to the Bridge on the deck below them. The first thing to catch Riker's attention was the dedication plaque. He stopped for a second to look at it.
Let us go boldly where no man has gone before.
The legendary words of Zephram Cochrane, the man who had built Earth's very first warp ship, seemed truer than ever. If they were given the clearance to use the slipstream drive, they certainly would go where no humans had gone before. The prospect of exploring the unknown was what had made Riker join Starfleet to begin with, and the Falcon would let him explore places no human had ever seen before. The smile that seemed plastered to his face grew wider. He looked up to find Shelby studying him.
"Wait till you see the rest of the ship," she said and smiled.
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annika@ebox.tninet.se
www.twentysevenandfortyone.cjb.net