Chapter 5

"Here she comes," said Patel.

She, North and Thorpe were assembled in Llamrei Station's docking control room to receive the Velikan and its crew. At Patel's announcement, North watched out the wide viewport as the pale sleeper ship crept into sight.

Like most of the DY line, the Velikan resembled a large submarine with a barrel-like section slung underneath and warp nacelles jutting out from the rear.

The old spacecraft pulled up alongside them like a great whale coasting lazily in the ocean, so that their airlocks were aligned, and North could clearly make out the ship's name and registry printed on the side. He took a moment to admire the classic vessel - all function and no frills; a symbol of humanity's early yearning to explore at any cost - while Patel finalised the docking procedure on her console, applying the holding clamps and extending the umbilical tunnel that would connect the Velikan to the drydock.

Thorpe interrupted North's silent admiration. "Oh, before I forget, sir: I got word back about our most recent personnel requests."

"Oh?" said North. Staff were almost as difficult to acquire as equipment this far from Earth.

Thorpe grinned. "They've been rushed through. We'll be getting a new complement at the end of next month."

North raised his eyebrows in mild surprise. "That's quick." Suspicion started to darken his mind. "Did they say why?"

"Command said we were overdue. We're even getting a few experts to make up for it."

"Experts?"

"Yeah, a couple of top xenoanthropologists to help study the Draco. They were just sitting around on research assignments at the University of Alpha Centauri, my old turf." Thorpe chuckled. "I can swap stories with them."

North merely nodded. Again, there was a connection between Starbase 1's good luck and Alpha Centauri. He couldn't ignore the feeling that Thorpe's influential father may be pulling strings for them.

North had tried to further investigate their fortunate forthcoming delivery of stem-bolts, to discover who originally purchased them and why the order had now been cancelled, but that information was confidential. He could have invoked his Starfleet position to force the ECA to release said information, but that would have been ethically dubious. He also did not want to call unnecessary attention to what might have just been a coincidence, in case others suspected that North was benefitting from favouritism.

But the coincidences were starting to make North uncomfortable. He had no desire to skip to the head of the line because of some shadowy political dealings. It would also make it seem as though Captain Thorpe's commendation was North's attempt at a bribe.

The thought that such rumours may already be circulating around the fleet churned North's stomach.

"Airlock sealed," Patel reported, snapping North back to the present situation.

Out the viewport, North saw Captain Mike Volland exit the Velikan's airlock and carry his hefty frame across the clear umbilical tunnel with a lackadaisical pace.

"Sure isn't in any hurry," Thorpe quipped.

Eventually, the doors of Llamrei Station's airlock hissed open to admit Volland.

"Permission to come aboard?" he asked, gruffly.

"Granted," said North. He stepped forward with his hand extended and was met with a limp handshake. "Captain Volland, a pleasure to have you here. This is my First Officer Captain Thorpe and Chief Engineer Commander Patel. Welcome to-"

Volland immediately turned to Patel, ignoring North, and pointed his thumb over his shoulder towards the Velikan. "There's micro-fractures along the secondary hull; use titanium to patch it up, none of your fancy duranium or you'll upset the structural integrity field. You're also gonna need to replace part of the transtator assembly. Do you have 47-Fs?"

Patel gave a tight smile. "Yes, Captain. I've been reading up on the DY-1200-class in preparation for your arrival. We've sourced all necessary components, and my team-"

"You better get started," Volland interrupted. "We've got a long journey ahead of us."

Patel gave North a look which conveyed that she was none-too-pleased with Volland's surly attitude. North nodded in return, relaying both agreement and permission.

"Yes, sir," Patel said firmly. She called some of her engineering staff to the docking port over the comm and made her way into the connecting tunnel with a toolkit.

"Will no one else from your crew be coming ashore, Captain?" Thorpe asked, trying to lighten the mood.

"They're all still asleep," said Volland, brusquely. "The ship wakes the CO first; I didn't see a need to disturb anyone else."

North and Thorpe shared awkward glances. North gestured for Volland to follow him to the exterior airlock, so they could be shuttled to the surface, but Volland remained in place, staring out the viewport, hands on his hips.

"Your crew is mainly astrophysicists and stellar cartographers, isn't it?" North asked, also trying to keep a casual air.

Volland grunted in the affirmative. "Should probably have someone check them out too. Medical readouts looked fine to me, but I'm no doctor."

"I'll see to it," Thorpe said.

"I was a stellar cartographer for UESPA myself, many years ago now," said North. "I understand that sector one-eight-four has a lot of interesting phenomena to study: Pulsars, quasars, nebulae. Even a magnetar. You'll want to keep your distance from that though; no repair stations so far out." He chuckled.

Volland frowned and took on a scolding tone. "A magnetar's magnetic field is so powerful it would rip our atoms apart. There'd be nothing left to repair."

"Of… course," said North. His small joke had either gone unappreciated or unrecognised. He gave Thorpe another weary look before turning back to Volland. "Well, shall we to the base? We've prepared guest quarters for you until repairs are completed…"

"You must be joking," said Volland. "I'll be staying up here, to keep an eye on things. Got to make sure you Starfleeters don't go ripping my ship apart."

North was prepared to assure Volland this would not be the case, when Patel's engineering crew arrived. Volland led them into the airlock, barking orders at them.

"Somebody woke up on the wrong side of the stasis unit," said Thorpe, with a smirk.

North sighed. As if he didn't have enough to worry about, Captain Volland was apparently going to be difficult too. He considered discussing his troubles regarding Secretary Thorpe with his First Officer, but decided against it. The younger Thorpe had his own issues with his father; there was no sense in adding to them.

Hopefully it would all blow over soon.