Chapter 3: To Boldly Go
"But what if there is a leak while she's here? I cannot afford to let a leak happen on her first day! It would be a disaster!"
"Pogeni, my sweet, there is not going to be a leak."
"Or an overload! There has been slight deviance in the core's temperature above the normal baseline for almost…" The panicked Saurian paused, her large eyes blinking down at the diagnostic terminal in front of her. "Six hours! Six!-" She turned to the nearest crewman, an unfortunate Human. "This is unacceptable! Richards, I told you to correct this at least three hours ago!"
The poor man nearly jumped out of his skin and nodded, rushing toward the ladder that would take him to the upper level of engineering. "R-Right away, Lieutenant! Sorry, Lieutenant!"
Halen let out a sigh and ran a hand over her head, feeling the long ridge that crossed her scalp. She was a Bolian in addition to being the ship's surgeon… among a few other titles. That same hand then came down on her mate's shoulder, giving a soft squeeze.
Pogeni tensed up under her touch for just a moment before she felt the Saurian relax. "Pogeni… You have been scuttling up and down this entire deck for over a week now. I doubt if there is even a single centimeter of Engineering that you have not personally inspected. The core is perfectly stable. The maneuvering thrusters are operational. Everything is in order."
Halen circled around her wife, putting her arm around her and quickly leading her out of sight into one of the terminal alcoves. Her other hand came up, lightly stroking along her jaw. She knew how stressed her mate had been these long months. Ever since the near loss of the ship during the Borg attack, Pogeni had been a nervous wreck. Poor sleep, nervous ticks, obscene caffeine intake…
"Thank you." Pogeni whispered, her eyes searching the room. No doubt to confirm that they were unwitnessed. Their marriage was hardly a secret among the standing crew, but the newer members and, most certainly, their new Captain might have something to say about them both being stationed on the same ship. It had taken a lot of pulling of strings to let them stay on the Jubilant after their relationship had become public knowledge.
"Be calm and glad, my sweet. Our captain will surely be impressed by your dedication and the state of the core. And even if she isn't, know that I am." Halen smiled and pressed a quick kiss to the side of Pogeni's face before stepping away. "I should head back to sick bay. Wouldn't want Captain Orsoy to think the doctor jumped ship, would we?"
Pogeni's mouth hung open for a moment before closing. The Saurian gave a determined nod and stepped back out into the main pathway. "R-right… Right. I'll see you tonight."
"Not if I see you first!"
"Captain on the bridge!"
Jenya felt herself stiffen out of habit. Years of standing at attention when such a call was made had ingrained the action into her as an instinct. Now though… Now she was the cause for the call. As T'Pirra and Marshall took their places, she entered the bridge with a slower, more determined step. This moment was critical, after all.
How she represented herself to the majority of the bridge staff and, by extent, the crew as a whole. How approachable she might be. How reasonable, intelligent, caring… The next few minutes had the potential to set the stage for how things were going to be run on her ship for the next three years at a minimum.
"As you were." Jenya ordered calmly. The crew relaxed, but none truly went back to what they had been doing. They were all watching her, anticipation clear in their expressions. They all wanted to see what was to come next.
Keeping her face neutral, she moved across the bridge. She ran her hand along the railing dividing the pathway at the back of the room and the standing stations from the lower section of the bridge where the command seats and conn station lay. Picking her hand up at the end of the railing, she glanced at her fingers, pleased to find a lack of dust. She let her eyes linger though, examining the monitor bracelet on her wrist. An orange band… she would need another hypo or an infusion within the hour… She needed to make this quick.
Finally she made it all the way down to the front of the bridge, standing in front of the main viewscreen. She looked around at her crew, doing a quick test of her memory as she swept her gaze across all of them.
The engineering station was currently unmanned. Likely Lt. Pogeni was down in main engineering. Lt. Commander T'Pirra was at the tactical station with her arms folded behind her back. Her stoic outward look was betrayed, however, by the twitching of her tail. Something had clearly gotten the Caitian's mind working.
Then there was Mylarri at her post at conn. Somehow she had beaten the senior officers to the bridge… Which only became more confusing the more Jenya thought about it. Mylarri's build meant she did not properly fit into the turbolifts… Jenya held back the confused frown that threatened to cross her lips, pushing the feelings aside and maintaining her neutral expression. She would ask the lieutenant about it later.
Commander Marshall had taken up position beside the XO chair, but was not sitting. He, like the others, was watching her. At the ops station a young ensign was still standing at attention. No doubt this man, who Jenya was pretty sure was Garret Chang, was the one who announced her presence on the bridge. She had to admire the enthusiasm, but she did hope he would relax quite a bit before the end of their journey.
Finally there was the science station. Manned by a… rather lovely Arcadian woman. She had wide, pallid blue eyes and skin that looked soft as velvet. If this was her chief science officer, Lt. Commander Renka Drynn, then Jenya might be in trouble… Especially with the gentle look she was receiving from the woman at that very moment.
Jenya's eyes darted away and she cleared her throat. She folded her arms behind her back, puffed out her chest ever so slightly, and let her face relax into a kind smile.
"Good morning. My name is Captain Jenya Orsoy. I am going to be your new commanding officer. To give you some background, I started my career in Starfleet Medical and eventually made my way into the command track. My most recent posting was as first officer aboard the U.S.S. Treadwater. And before anyone asks; yes, that includes during the Romulan attack and no, I will not be discussing it."
She watched all the expressions on the bridge, her eyes darting from face to face. Sure she had not shared any new information, but still. She wanted to see how they all took to her. Only Garret seemed… disturbed. His nose was scrunched in the way Human noses tend to be when confused.
"Mr. Chang." She addressed the Human directly, snapping him back to attention.
"Yes sir!"
Jenya sighed silently, internally lamenting the Starfleet protocol demanding everyone take on the 'sir' and 'mister' roles. Time to eliminate that problem outright.
"Mr. Chang, I understand protocol dictates you call me sir, but I'll have to ask you to make an exception for me. Can you do that, Ensign?" She asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Yes si- Uh…. Yes ma'am."
"Thank you, Ensign. Now, if you please, open a shipwide channel. I want to address the crew before we depart."
Ensign Chang nodded and turned his attention to his console, his posture finally relaxing as he set up the comlink. "Channel open, Captain."
Okay Jenya… Now's the moment.
Jenya steadied herself for just a moment, collecting her thoughts. She noticed an encouraging smile from Mylarri and felt herself relax just the smallest amount.
"Attention all hands. This is Captain Jenya Orsoy. To those of you who, like me, are new to our ship, I say welcome. It is my hope that, with the help of those who were here ahead of us, we can make this place into a kind of home. I understand the hesitance and, perhaps, resistance those of you who have been here longer might feel regarding my assignment here. Let me make something clear from the very beginning."
She paused, taking a breath and considering her wording… She really should have practiced this speech first.
"There is no I on this ship. We sink or swim. Fly or fall together. All departments, all crewmembers, everyone aboard is now a part of something bigger than any one of us. This means that we cannot afford to be picking at one another. We cannot afford to be obstinate… And it means that we certainly cannot afford to ignore those around us. This includes myself."
Jenya began to pace, an old habit surfacing as she wore a determined smile on her face.
"My door is open to anyone at any time. All I ask in return is the respect you already show to Commander Marshall, Lt. Commander T'Pirra, and the rest of the senior staff. We are going to be together for the next three years, we might as well get to know one another. I like to think I can be good company."
"Our mission, as you are aware, is simple. We are to point our nose toward the unexplored sections of the beta quadrant, beyond even Romulan territory and go onward. Farther and farther. Mapping as we go. Our mission is one of pure exploration. We are mandated to seek out new and exotic forms of life. To find and study new cultures and new civilizations. To boldly go where no one has gone before."
"On our journey we will likely be cut off from traditional comforts we are all familiar with. Our path takes us beyond the Romulan territories and around, past the far side. We are to investigate every signal, every sign of life outside the empire. Seek new friendships and knowledge."
"So thank you. Thank you all for coming with us on this journey. And now… Prepare to depart."
Jenya signaled for Garret to cut the comlink and the ensign obeyed. She turned to Mylarri and gave a grin. "Ready to see what this bird is really capable of, Lieutenant?"
Mylarri returned the grin and nodded. "Yes Captain. I just need a heading."
"Make for the edge of the typhon expanse, best speed." Jenya moved around the lower railing and up to her chair. She hesitated only a moment before taking her seat and crossing one leg over the other.
"Course laid in, Ma'am."
Jenya smiled, giving a gesture of the hand as she spoke.
"Onward."
AN: Thank you for keeping up with the story! I hope you are enjoying!
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See you next time!
