Episode One: Imagine the Unexpected
Captain Li of the U.S.S. Luna was in her quarters thoughtfully writing a letter of recommendation for newly promoted Lieutenant Warren when instead she should have been resting as the ship's doctor had instructed. Davies, the ship's chief medical officer, had offered Li a light sleeping aid earlier that evening, or so he claimed it was. However, even after consuming the mild drug, Li could only stare blankly at the dimly lit ceiling above her cot and occasionally allowed her gaze to drift to the wall that adorned her collection of eighteenth-century porcelains. But as her dark eyes continued to flutter across the ancient memorabilia, she was consumed by her thoughts of Lieutenant Warren. The Lieutenant was someone whom she had come to consider a close and dear friend through the past seven years aboard the Luna. But despite the Captain's disposition towards Warren, it was safe to say that more than half of the crew on the Luna despised the young woman.
When morning dawned on the Luna, Captain Li invited the Lieutenant to her quarters.
"Captain," the young Lieutenant politely nodded as she strode into the Captain's room wearing the signature uniform from Starfleet's operation division; an undeniably red tunic.
Causally sitting behind her computer console with her jet-black locks still draped behind her from the restless night, Li gestured at a chair in front of the table. "Please, sit," she said. "I have something I have to talk to you about."
"Yes, ma'am?" Warren gingerly sat, as if the chair was going to run away from beneath her. "What is it?"
"It isn't that bad," Li took note of the concern that filled Lieutenant Warren's emerald eyes.
"I doubt I'm being reprimanded for anything since it's usually Commander Hernandez's pleasure to do so," Warren joked with a coy smile, picking at the blonde bunch of hair tied behind the nape of her neck.
"Last night, I completed my letter of recommendation for you," Li straightened her back, tugging at the hem of her yellow tunic.
Warren shifted forward in her seat, giving the Captain a perplexed look. "Excuse me, ma'am?" she responded.
"There are several open positions on the Enterprise, one of those being in engineering-"
The Lieutenant quickly cut the Captain off, "-Excuse me, ma'am? What are you talking about?"
"Do you really want to spend the rest of your life stuck here? Serving on the Luna?" Li showed Warren a grim frown. "It won't be long before Hernandez is in charge, and you know she has it out for you…"
"What do you mean?" Warren's arms suddenly dropped to her sides. "Are you being promoted or retiring or-"
Li lifted a palm to calm her panicking crewmate. "It isn't anything like that, yet," she said. "In a year or two, who knows what will happen. I don't plan on spending the rest of my life on the Luna either."
"I thought you were recommending Lieutenant Ito for the engineering position on the Enterprise?" Warren questioned.
"Ito asked for a letter of recommendation, but I never agreed to write one for him. He is still within his rights to apply for the position, but Susanna… I think this would be good for you."
"I don't want to leave the Luna, ma'am." Warren lowered her face to hide her pained expression. "There's no way the Enterprise is going to accept me anyway."
"I know Captain Kirk and I know you," the Captain's frown slipped away and she forced a smile for her long-time friend, "and I know that this could be a new beginning for you; a chance to prove yourself."
"I don't want to prove myself," Warren muttered, but it was loud enough for Li to hear.
"You may have been an idiot half the time I've known you, but the other half you've been the most intelligent and compassionate person I have ever met." Li reached across the computer console and gave Warren a hard pat on the shoulder. "I believe in giving people second chances, and this is yours, Lieutenant. You can offer the galaxy so much more; I know you can. Stop wasting your time; stop wasting your time here on the Luna."
"You put too much faith in me, Captain," Warren spoke and lifted her chin.
"And you need to put more faith in yourself," Li's smile became genuine as she gave Warren another pat. "The Enterprise is the best ship in the fleet. New crew, new adventures, a new life. If you can't do it for yourself then do it for me. Do it for an old friend."
"I'm sure the crew of the Luna would be happy to see me go," Warren somberly admitted. "Even after the Romulans… I feel like they just hate me now more than ever."
"I don't want to agree with you, but you're right Susanna," Li shrugged and rested back into her chair. "We both know you haven't made a good reputation for yourself here on the Luna."
"If I didn't know better, I'd feel like you're forcing me off of the Luna," Warren sarcastically chimed.
The pleasant grin melted from Li's pale face as she responded, "Susanna… I hope you don't truly feel that way because you know I wouldn't do that to you. The Enterprise still has access to all of your records; it isn't going to be easy there either. But these people don't know you, so maybe they can know the good in you."
"Do you honestly believe they will accept me?"
"You are a decorated Starfleet officer, Lieutenant," Li said this as she rose from her chair. "No one can deny that what you did was an impressive display in bravery, intelligence, and compassion. Past mistakes aside, you have proven your loyalty to Starfleet."
Warren stood from her chair with the Captain. "Anyone else would have done the same," she said.
"But they didn't and they couldn't." Li walked around the console and clasped onto Warren's shoulders. "Do not attempt to dampen your own achievements. No matter what anyone has to say about it, remember that you saved the Luna. Not only that, you saved my life."