USS Endeavour: Punch it

San Francisco

15 Jan 2245

Never had Paul thought that sitting in the Captain's chair would fill him with so many mixed emotions. Sure, there was the element of pride and power that went with the chair. The sheer fact that it was in an area all of its own and was well equipped with buttons, switches, switches and lights galore meant that it had a sort of presence all of its own, and this definitely affected the person sitting in it. But it was true what they said. With great power comes great responsibility. Everyone looks to the chair for orders. You get one thing wrong and they can haul you in front of a judge and jury within the week, strip your captaincy, and strip all of your qualifications. There was that, and also the fact that these people trusted you with their very lives; their existence – all down to one man in a chair, and they were all willing to take that risk.

'Well, this is nice' Paul thought to himself, gripping the armrests and swiveling around. Faster and faster… 'fuck, I can't stop!' Jamming all of the buttons at once, he came flying off of the chair and into the console.

"Captain?" his French first officer looked disapproving at the man leaning over the console.

"Amazing ship, huh?" that trademark smile and nervous laugh came as the reply.

"I suppose you were just… finding out the ship's capabilities first hand, sir?" A raised eyebrow and one arm behind his back, the two men shared a look before Pierre strode out of the bridge doors and into the turbolift.

After scanning the array of lights on the panel, it was obvious to Paul that there were only a couple of things he could do before his bridge crew came up and joined him for the mission at hand. Clicking the button for the in-ship communicator, Paul decided to check on how things were going. That's what captain's do, right? After a few years watching Matthews, Paul had a vague idea of what was expected to happen. But Matthews had style, presence… popularity. And Paul… well he had a smart-ass Frenchman as his second in command and a crew who hadn't met until today. Some of them hadn't even met yet. Well, we can't all have immediate glory… right?

"Engineering, this is the Captain, are we all ready to take off?"

"Captain, Commander Donnelly here. All warp engines and impulse engines have just finished their testing; I'm ready to head towards the bridge whenever is convenient, sir," the soft British accent resonated through the comm systems. 'At least she knows what she's doing' he thought to himself.

"Med Bay, are we all stocked up and ready?"

"Aye, Captain – all is well down here, coming up now" the Irish lilt said matter-of-factly.

"Okay…." Another button press later, and he simply sat waiting for his crew to come and join him.

Before he could even return to his thoughts, a tall Vulcan man strode onto the bridge, hands behind his back; his back straight and his eyes firmly on the Captain.

"Sorek! Commander" he instinctively held out a hand before retracting it. Looking at it funny and putting it in his pocket wouldn't look weird, right?

"Captain Andrews. I have filed the first status report in the ship's Science log. All instruments are correct and functioning, and all recording equipment has been checked accordingly."

"Well… Good work" he offered the taller man a smile and a nod. The response was one of… heck, who knows, but he didn't look too annoyed.

Before the conversation could go any further (as though it had that capability), a shorter figure poked her head out of the turbolift, a big smile peeking out onto the bridge. Paul practically leaped towards her, a human, another human – and one who wasn't so serious. A God-send.

"Ready for the voyage, Commander?"

"Absolutely, everything's in place, and it looks like that's where I'm sitting it out for the most part," she smiled and gestured to the chair next to the engineering console. He smiled back at her, before remembering that Sorek was watching him closely.

"I do not believe we have been formally introduced, Commander," he looked right past Paul to Ava.

"Indeed not, Commander. It is a pleasure to meet you, I am Chief Engineering Officer Ava Donnelly-Alexander," she bowed her head slightly and gave the Vulcan salute. Sorek mirrored the gesture and simply said: "I am Sorek of Vulcan," – 'no way!' Paul thought – "Chief Scientific Officer aboard this vessel."

The two Chief Officers looked at each other, Ava a picture of kindness and acceptance of all, and Sorek… well Paul was sure he was accepting of her too, it was hard not to be. A third man came bumbling through the doors, smiling, but obviously tired.

"And they said it's hard to get lost on a Starship!" he laughed to himself; Ava drew up a smile, as did Paul.

"This is Dr O'Hara," the captain turned to the two officers, arm wrapped around the shoulders of the Irishman.

"Indeed, we have met before, captain," Sorek chipped in, as Ava nodded in agreement. The doctor simply smiled and stood beside the captain's chair, beckoning him to sit down – they would be leaving soon.

Donnelly and Sorek sat at their respective posts as more cadets and lieutenants trickled in from the turbolift doors to take up the piloting, course plotting and communications. Finally, a Du Pont's figure stood on the other side of the captain.

"Course laid in to get this medical aid to Venga 4?"

"Yes sir, course already laid in"

Paul looked around his bridge to see the faces… and the backs of some heads of his crew. This was actually happening. It wasn't all just a dream. 'I am actually Captain. I AM CAPTAIN OF THI…'

"Captain, we 'ave been ready to leave for some time now, I suggest that we proceed?"

Yanked from his thoughts once again by his first officer, he cleared his throat and gestured to the pilot in front of him.

"Punch it"

Reviews always welcome.

Adventure on Venga 4... doesn't always go as planned... watch this space :)