Welcome to Enterprise
Pike turned to Tilly and smiled warmly. "Welcome to the Enterprise Cadet." He placed her bags on the floor and turned back to the assembled officers. "Status?"
"All systems green for launch tomorrow night. All crew now on board." Una replied.
He absentmindedly rubbed the stubble on his chin. "Anything that can't wait an hour?"
After the murmurs of "No sir" Pike started for the exit. "Number One walk with me."
As she left with the Captain, Una signaled to the young ensign who was standing to the side of the group. The young woman walked up to Tilly and smiled. "I'm Annabelle Vaughn, but everyone calls me AB. We'll be roommates." AB picked up one of Tilly's bags and gestured towards the door. "Let's head to our quarters. I'll help you settle in."
Tilly had completed her six-week cadet training cruise. It did not prepare her for the hustle and bustle in the corridor as crewmembers rushed to and fro, sometimes alone, usually in groups or two or three, shouting questions and answers to one another. "Is it always this busy?" She asked, stopping and turning 360 degrees to take in the hubbub as those behind maneuvered around her to avoid colliding.
AB grabbed Tilly's arm and pulled her against the wall as an antigrav unit carrying engineering equipment sailed by. "The hallways are usually more crowded, but alpha and beta shifts are both on duty right now running final system checks." AB frowned and shook her head slightly, "Though it is typically less noisy. Things will get busier now that Captain Pike is back on board – and quieter. His presence tends to calm everyone."
After weaving through the throng, they finally reached the turbolift, which opened, as if on command, as they arrived. "We'll wait for the next one," Tilly said after scanning the packed car. There didn't appear to be space for one person, much less two with luggage.
"Nonsense!" AB responded, waving her hand at the group and speaking in her best southern drawl. "Y'all scrunch in now, otherwise our newest colleague will be waiting an hour to get to her room." After shifting and squeezing and more encouragement from AB, they were in the lift and the doors slowly closed.
"Everyone this is Cadet Tilly, she just arrived. Tilly meet some more folks." There were various hellos and welcomes, all kind and friendly. An Andorian in the back asked, "AB, you were in the shuttle bay when the Captain arrived. Is it true he's going to push up the launch to tomorrow morning? Or even sooner?"
AB shrugged. Then the public address system chimed three times, signaling a ship wide announcement. The chatter in the lift quieted as they waited. "Now hear this, Delta shift report to your duty stations. Repeat, Delta shift is now on duty."
A tall lieutenant in the blue uniform of sciences and medical said, "Looks like we have our answer." At the next stop, the lift emptied of all but Tilly, AB, and the Lieutenant in blue as the others dispersed to their stations. He held out his hand to Tilly, "Hi, I'm Matt Zali. Where are you headed?"
"Deck 11." AB answered.
Tilly shook his hand. Matt, a full Betazed, even with his firm barriers in place, could sense her nervousness and lingering embarrassment. Noticing her body language, he decided his species' mind-reading ability wasn't needed to interpret her apprehension. "It must be overwhelming to go, in only a week, from Academy finals to an assignment on the flagship."
Tilly nodded vigorously.
"She also came in with the Captain." AB added.
Matt chuckled. "Hopefully, he spared you any loops and rolls. Sometimes, when he is flying, the Captain likes to outwit the gravity generator."
"We flew around – and through – Enterprise. It was beautiful." Tilly responded, still in awe.
When the lift halted, Matt gathered up Tilly's bags and followed AB's lead to their quarters. After he placed the luggage near the closet, he turned to Tilly and said, "It was nice to meet you Cadet Sylvia Tilly. Welcome to Enterprise. Ask for me tomorrow when you come to Sickbay for your physical." He inclined his head slightly to them both and left.
Matt had the typical physical characteristics of his people – dark curly hair and eyes, lean, lithe build, and he moved with a flowing grace. Oh yeah, and the simmering sexuality he couldn't completely bank.
Tilly sighed and slouched down onto one of the three beds. "He's dreamy."
AB echoed Tilly's sigh. "Yes, and Betazeds are rumored to be very skilled in the bedroom arts."
"It was nice of Lieutenant Zali to carry my things." Tilly mused. Then she remembered who else carried her bags today and sat up, ramrod straight. "Oh no. I was so thrilled to be on Enterprise, I ran off the shuttle forgetting my luggage until the Captain brought it. This is mortifying! I so wanted to make a good impression! I'll probably never see the Captain again, and now he will always remember me as the cadet who overpacks. And expects someone else to get the bags." She stopped for a breath. "Though it was nice of Captain Pike, I wouldn't have expected that from my Captain."
"Yeah," AB responded, "Pike and Zali's mamas raised them right."
ooooo
Once they were in a turbolift, alone, because the Captain doesn't have to squeeze into an occupied lift, Pike turned to Una. "Explain."
"We had an opening, and I chose the best resource."
His eyes narrowed slightly. "Despite knowing how I feel about cadets serving on deep space vessels?"
"Yes." Una responded and then thought to herself, I know all the reasons you are against it, the objections you voice publicly and the cause you never speak of.
Pike sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "I believe cadets can make valuable contributions to the ship, crew, and mission. But a posting on a deep space vessel, at this point in their careers, is unfair. They don't yet have the experience to know if such a long and distant assignment is the right fit. They are drawn to an idealized view, such a mission sounds romantic and adventurous, and don't consider the dangers and consequences. There is no nearby starbase to let them off if they cannot cope with the … unique challenges of deep space."
"But we have a three-month posting before leaving for our next long-term assignment. That's a natural exit point."
He tilted his chin slightly upward. "You know as well as I do that can change in an instant. That we could abruptly be ordered to the next quadrant at top speed with no time to offload crew. And what if the neutral zone doesn't remain quiet? Why shouldn't I send her back for reassignment for her own well-being and safety?"
So the rumors are true. Command isn't sending Enterprise for a patrol cruise to shake out the new systems. Command is sending The Flagship of the Federation as a message – and a warning. Una thought.
"Chris, Sylvia Tilly is special. She may appear to be an awkward teenager, but she is ready. I am certain of it."
Her switch to a personal tone communicated volumes. Does Una, perhaps, see herself in this young officer? As the lift halted, he decided. "Very well. She can stay for three months, as arranged. Please assemble the senior officers in my quarters at 1900. Move our launch to 0500 tomorrow." With those orders issued, Pike exited the lift.
Una decided to wait until tomorrow to inform the Captain that Tilly will be serving as a part-time yeoman to him helping Mia Colt, in addition to her duties in Engineering.
ooooo
AB was helping Tilly unpack and stow her belongings. "It's too bad you won't get to meet Nick today, our other roommate. He's a navigator on Delta shift. And Pixie, Jancis, and Mark. Though you will meet Pixie tomorrow in Engineering. They are in the room that adjoins ours. We share a living area."
"Is it common on Enterprise to have three sharing a room?"
AB shook her head. "We took on 50 new crewmembers after this last refit, so space is tight. The crew compliment is 430, the largest outside of a troop ship or hospital frigate. Now only the Lieutenant Commanders and above have their own rooms. Our quarters are in a great location – there's a mess hall and a gym on this deck, just two sections away." AB flashed an impish smile. "Both are good for late night chocolate and coffee runs. Oh, do you like coffee? I live on it."
Tilly grinned. "I've been known to drink an expresso or two, or three, or four."
"We are going to get along great then. What's your first task in the morning?"
"Security briefing and then a physical. My meeting with Commander Una was pushed to the afternoon." Tilly said after checking the schedule Number One sent her.
"Good, I can walk you to Security on the way to my post. If you are lucky, Commander Bengsston will handle it personally. He's our Chief."
Tilly was starting to look a bit dazed from information and experience overload.
"That's enough unpacking for now." AB stated firmly. "Let's get dinner before the mess hall is packed."
ooooo
Pike, now shaved and in uniform, greeted his senior officers – Una, the CMO, Louvier the Chief Engineer, Spock, and Isak Bengsston. He motioned for them to sit.
Doctor Phil Boyce, the CMO, asked, "Why the early departure?"
"You are about to find out." Pike answered. "This briefing is classified. A redacted version will be given to the senior staff and then the rest of the crew tomorrow. Starfleet Intelligence has uncovered evidence of a credible threat from the Romulans." Pike paused to allow the group to absorb the news and react to it.
There had been no interaction with the Romulan Star Empire since the neutral zone was established 90 years ago. After a brief flirtation with conquest and a hard lesson from the Federation, the Romulans had settled into a quiet, regional power. Though there was concern that …
Una put the pieces together first. "The Tholians? An alliance?"
"Possibly. And increasing message traffic detailing plans to annex systems close to the neutral zone but on the Federation side. They appear to be hoping we won't notice. Or betting that a handful of resource poor, non-strategic systems are not important enough to merit a Federation response. Enterprise's patrol of the neutral zone will communicate that we have noticed." Pike paused again, waiting for questions. Then continued. "If the presence of Enterprise is not enough to encourage the Romulans to abide by the peace treaty, if they don't back down, if they and the Tholians do form an alliance with aggressive intent, Enterprise will lead a battle group to prevent any encroachment into our territory."
