Everything about the work Vex had been committed to over the past month had been wrong. From the invasion of a primitive society to the secrecy surrounding the research of the Tkon beacon he and his compatriots had found upon Koruku III, more and more questions were being raised in the Trill’s mind and all the while the levels of secrecy surrounding the matters at hand grew greater and greater.

It was convenient then that he had been called to the office of Starbase 72’s commander, Commodore Jalian. Not exactly a woman of formality, it was rare for Jalian to meet with anyone in her office that she didn’t absolutely have to. Yanrel knew then that he was being called for something more significant than a simple chit-chat. Had he made the wrong call on Koruku III, was he to face a reprimand, a court-martial, or something worse?

As a woman whose career was built upon the legality of the Federation, Vex knew that her words came not just with authority but with experience and knowledge. Her ruling on his actions during the fleet action were to be nothing short of absolute.

He barely had time to collect his thoughts before the turbolift hissed to a halt and the doors slid open. Stepping out, Vex found himself in a waiting room, heavily decorated with a variety of landscape paintings and potted plants of many origins, as well as rather happy looking holo-photos depicting the commodore in pleasant company with the various denizens of the Starbase.

“Commander Vex?” a Trill woman from behind a small L-shaped glass desk inquired. She was young and didn’t appear to be a member of Starfleet. Her trademark spots, which ran from the top of her head down, were shown off by her high-and-tight ponytail.

Vex nodded in the affirmative and with a polite smile, his arms folded behind his back as they often were.

“Commodore Jalian’ll see you now.” She replied.

The door in front of him hissed open pneumatically and within, he saw a Saurian woman sat behind a similar small, glass desk. She was entering information rather hastily on a PADD and occasionally looking at a display monitor to her right.

Vex stepped through and stood at attention. The office was much like the waiting room appeared, lively and with a variety of plants, pictures, and paintings.

“Ah, you must be Yanrel!” the Commodore exclaimed.

“Yes ma’am.”

“Fourth host of the Vex symbiote, am I right?” She continued.

“Yes ma’am.”

“Ah, grand! I do like to know at least a little bit about all the senior officers under me. Now then, we should get down to business! Would you like anything before we start? Tea, a snack maybe? Maurian’s Deli down in the Arboretum makes the most wonderful little things he calls ‘flapjacks’. You absolutely must try one! I can send for some if you’d like?” She rattled off.

“No, no, that’s quite alright ma’am.” Vex replied, raising his hand in declination.

“Oh, very well. Well at ease there, Mr Vex, at the very least. We don’t want you pulling something before you’ve left the office now, do we? Please do try to relax, you’re not in any sort of trouble, far from it in fact!” She continued as Vex’s stance scarcely slacked at all.

She motioned to the seat on the opposite end of the desk before bridging her scaley fingers, a broad smile across her reptilian features.

Vex took the seat that was offered, though he did little to hide the perplexed look upon his face.

“Mr Vex, I am pleased to have invited you here to offer you your first command!” She said with an increasing degree of excitement. It seemed almost as if the good news was hers and not his to receive.

“A command, ma’am?” Vex almost stuttered.

“Yes, that’s right! You’ll be captain of the USS Nova. She’s small and a little old but she’s a fine vessel, the namesake of her class, in fact! She was last captained by a Mr Mzuzi Nazari for about 4 years, though he later went on to captain the Nautilus…”

Jalian continued to speak at length about the varied history of the Nova and its crewmen, including how each one of their careers had progressed. Yanrel remained polite and engaged and did his best to feign an interest in what was being said, though honestly his mind was now utterly enraptured by the prospect of what had been laid in front of him. Never in all of his lifetimes had he ever actually been the captain of a Starfleet vessel. Burza was of course First Officer aboard the Forester and even held command of the vessel on occasion, but to be the captain of a vessel was such an incredible privilege and responsibility to be granted.

The possibilities of what he might encounter out there in deep space from the chair of his humble ship were inspirational in their limitlessness.

“Sorry Commander, I probably shouldn’t keep babbling on like that.” Jalian finished.

Yanrel’s thoughts were brought then straight to the moment as his attention returned to Jalian, and with that return of attention came the questions he had been asking himself the whole time he had been heading towards her office.

“Uh, it’s quite alright ma’am. Though, I must ask,’ he paused, taking a moment to consider his next inquiry, ‘permission to speak freely, commadore?”

“Oh of course. Please, speak your mind.” She returned in her usual warmth.

“About our mission to Koruku III. What dire situation could Starfleet ever possibly be placed in to require us to take such frankly heinous actions so terribly in contradiction with the Prime Directive? What was so important about that planet that we were forced to open fire on a civilian population of a pre-warp society?”

Jalian shifted uncomfortably in her seat and averted her gaze for a moment, as if she had been awaiting such a question and did not much relish the thought of giving a sufficient answer.

“When we conclude this meeting, Commander Vex, I shall reveal all. As the captain of a Starfleet vessel, it is your duty to know the truth of the omega directive, and why it’s secrecy and classification is so imperative to all of our continued survival.”

The tone of her voice audibly changed, as did her countenance. She was tense, and her response was laced with a formality uncharacteristic of such an open woman.

Yanrel paused for a moment before offering a simple nod in acknowledgement.

With that, her usual smile returned, as if a dark cloud that had hung over the room, conjured by the question, had been blown aside for a moment.

“Anyway, aren’t you excited to hear what your mission is? I know I would be!” She continued in her typical exuberance.

“Ah yes Commodore. Please, continue.” Vex responded. The weight of the Omega question still sat heavy on his shoulders, but he would bare the burden of it for the while. This was, after all, a good day for him otherwise.

“The alpha and beta quadrants are vast, Commander, and there is much even within charted Federation territory that hasn’t been fully explored. Several of our larger ships in the past have discovered planets of interest to the Federation within our own borders that simply haven’t been given the time to be explored fully. They’ve managed to hash out a quick survey before moving on to other matters to which their attention might’ve been better spent. It’ll be your job to return to those planets and conduct full surveys of them. They could potentially be the locations of new colonies or of potential scientific or historical interest to the Federation. Either way, the Nova will be the one to make those determinations. You’ll be getting your hands dirty with botanical and soil analysis, environmental mapping, meteorology, geological studies, paleontological and anthropological discoveries. Ah, it’s so exciting Commander! I’m jealous of you, I really am! You’ll be out there, doing what Starfleet does best! Discovering new and strange things about the worlds we know so little about and expanding our knowledge of our own little corner of space! You’ll be provided with a dossier of planets and spacial anomalies to investigate and we do hope to see detailed reports on each of them. Of course, as Captain, it is at your discretion where you go first and how you handle each situation, but we look forward to seeing your studies of each.”

Vex could barely contain his own excitement at the prospect of the work before him. Finally, after years or service aboard vessels of varying missions, Vex could finally dedicate his time, knowledge, and experience to pursuits more in line with his own interests. He pictured himself hacking his way through jungle thickets to find ancient tombs long since claimed by nature’s growth. He imagined himself trekking through great deserts and amongst the ruins of what were once wonderous ancient cities of alien design now lost to memory and untrodden upon for thousands of years until his arrival.

“That sounds amazing!” he finally blurted out, unable to find anything more restrained and respectful to say.

“Doesn’t it just!?” Jalian responded, sharing in his enthusiasm.

“Now then, there are just a few matters we need to go over. Your responsibilities and duties as Captain of a Starfleet vessel, certain protocols and additional items of training you will need to go through before you can be left to your own devices- don’t worry, we can handle all of that here at the Starbase, you won’t be sent away or anything- and, among other things, your, uh… concerns regarding the Omega directive.” She added, standing up out of her seat and casually strolling around the office.

Yanrel stood from his seat in kind, and returned to his usual semi-formal stance, his arms firmly folded behind his back.

“Of course, commodore.” He said.

“Great! Let’s get started then, shall we.”

Word had spread rather quickly among the junior officers of Yanrel’s assignment to the Nova, and already many of the station’s personnel were checking their PADDs and posting bulletins to see if they had received a position onboard. The ship herself may have been small, but she carried with her a significantly larger reputation. The namesake of her class, the Nova had been a spearhead of scientific discovery alone in a black sea of warfare and expansionism. With the war against the Dominion changing the face of the Federation almost irreparably, and tensions rising among the Romulan Free State, Cardassian Union, Breen, and Tzenkethi, and now the crisis of the Tkon only just passing, it was indeed a welcome sight amongst Starfleet to see a scientist heading a science vessel on a journey of exploration and discovery within the Federations own borders.

At last, after several days of reshuffling and miscommunication, Vex’s intrepid crew of 81 had been assembled in to a full manifest. With such a small crew under one’s command, Yanrel was afforded the rare opportunity to get to meet with all of them on a single occasion, and foster a sense of unity that would seldom be possible aboard a much larger vessel. To that end, he had called for a gathering of his new crew at the gazebo by the lake of quadrant C in the arboretum.

He of course was first to arrive of the Nova’s personnel, and sat patiently on one of six chairs set out upon the gazebo for himself and his senior staff, a symbolic gesture to be sure; Though it was likely that the crew would almost certainly come together to be a tight-knit group of daring explorers, the boundaries between senior staff and junior officers had to be maintained and a level of respect and authority among the departmental leaders remained vital for the operation of the ship.

Little sooner had Yanrel arrived and begun to flick through several notifications on his PADD than the first of his senior staff showed up. A Vulcan woman, dressed in Starfleet’s blue scientific colors, approached the gazebo and stood firmly at attention.

“Captain Vex.” She began.

Vex offered her a smile and a polite nod as he rose to his feet and set the PADD down.

“Doctor Isong, USS Nova, Chief Medical Officer.”

“Good afternoon, Doctor Isong,’ Vex replied, offering her a hand, ‘there really is no need for all this formality. This is, after all, a casual meeting of the Nova’s crew. Please, at ease if you would.”

Doctor Isong’s stance did not alter in the slightest, her form still rigid and immovable in ceremony.

“Permission to speak freely, captain?” She asked.

“Speak your mind.” Yanrel replied.

“This meeting is a most illogical use of the crews time, captain. With a vessel of such small size, would it not seem likely that the entire crew will eventually meet with each other anyway simply due to their proximity to one another? This meeting here at the arboretum seems like an unproductive use of your crew’s attention.”

At this, Yanrel laughed a little under his breath. He was glad that his crew was to include at least one shrewd and emotionally cold Vulcan amongst its complement. Their apparent vacancy of personality and infinite pool of curt advice, whether it was welcomed or not, certainly helped balance out an otherwise ambitious and passionate crew.

“Doctor, this event today is more than just a simple meeting of personnel. It’s an occasion, an event that we’ll hopefully all remember, something that’ll bring us all closer together. It’s a chance for us all to bond over this exciting new thing that we’re sharing in. It’s about establishing morale and working on building an understanding between the entire crew. I’m sure you can understand the need for us to enjoy at least one nice moment all together, can’t you?” He asked her.

“Perhaps not, but as my captain, I will put my trust in your judgement, however illogical it may seem.” She replied passionlessly.

Yanrel merely offered her another smile. She took her seat in the gazebo and the two sat quietly for a short while, merely looking around the arboretum and experiencing the day it offered, not saying a word more to one another.

It relaxed Yanrel considerably to be surrounded by so many growing things and he sighed contently as a gentle simulated breeze rolled through the green fields, carrying on it the scent of fresh flowers and pine wood. Isong remained unmoved, but he noticed her eyes occasionally stray from one area of their surroundings to another. He didn’t make mention of it, but he almost felt as if she was registering her own emotional responses to the stimuli around her.

Several officers began to arrive on the green, each saluting Vex before he motioned for them to be seated on the grass. A few officers even brought picnic baskets and blankets, which pleased their captain to see.

The next to step up to the Gazebo was a rather relaxed looking younger Denobulan man.

“Ah, you must be Captain Vex, eh?” He asked with a broad grin and an incredibly warm tone. He leaned forward and offered Vex a hand, which the Trill took before having it firmly shook.

“Lieutenant Brot, sir. I’m your new chief of operations.”

“A pleasure, Mr Brot.” Yanrel replied.

“You know, I’ve never worked aboard a Nova before sir. My last posting before this was the USS Odyssey. I mean I don’t need to tell you what a gorgeous ship that was, sir. It was state-of-the-art and you could get lost in its Jefferies tubes for weeks at a time. I mean even it’s main engineering bay was the size of a small factory. But a Nova sir, that’s gonna be a whole new challenge, isn’t it? I’ve got barely a handful of engineers and limited resources to work with. I’m gonna have to get real good at wearing a lot of hats, I reckon.” Brot said.

“I think that’s true for all us, lieutenant. I’ve never been much of an engineer myself but I reckon I’ll have to learn a few tricks before my time aboard the Nova is through. Yes, I believe that ship will make a well-rounded crew of us all.” Vex replied.

Brot took his seat and the two spoke casually whilst Isong read over files on her PADD, quite content to ignore and be ignored by all other conversation. Brots enthusiasm and relaxed attitude helped the captain feel at ease as he continued chatting with him on all manner of subjects as more officers began to pour in to the gathering. Like the two senior staff, the crewmen who had arrived were now talking with each other too and Yanrel could already see budding friendships and work relationships forming between the various members of his small congregation of officers.

Vex and Brot’s conversation, which had drifted in to the realm of their favored vacation destinations, was finally interrupted abruptly by the loud clearing of a throat next to them. Both turned to see a tall Andorian woman looming over them, her arms firmly crossed and a scowl upon her face.

“Captain Vex?” She asked.

“Yes indeed; and whom might you be?” He replied. Brot simply continued to stare vacantly.

“Lieutenant Perial Sh’atia sir, chief of security.” She said bluntly.

Yanrel stood up to greet her. Both were of an exceptional height, and on an occasion rare for him, they locked eyes at an even level for a moment. She had a commanding presence about her, almost threateningly so, and she seemed to dominate the space. All within the gazebo visibly shrank around her, even the otherwise impassive doctor, and for a moment there was an awkward silence.

“Shall I take a seat, sir?” She finally asked.

“Ah, yes. Yes, of course.” Yanrel replied, as if breaking out of a trance.

Perial gave a quick nod and then, without looking at the others assembled, took a seat near the edge of the structure and sat, starring out in to the gardens unmoved with her arms still crossed.

Several more officers arrived, lead by a rather talkative human man of clearly east Asian descent.

With a parting laugh, he left the group and stepped up to the captain.

“Ah, you must be Captain Vex. Name’s Man sir, Man Sun-Woo. I just found out today that I’ll be your chief science officer for our upcoming assignment to the Nova. I’m looking forward to sir, I gotta say. I’ve always wanted to serve on a Nova. Can you imagine it sir, our brave, curious crew heading out there on our own, just waiting to see what we can discover!? It’s gonna be great, I can tell! Oh sorry, I should probably shut up and let you talk.” He blurted out.

Vex laughed. The spirit of his young science officer was infectious and he couldn’t help but feel more alive around him.

He motioned towards the one free empty seat, save for the one to the captain’s left hand, and Sun-Woo proceeded to take it. He was sat next to Brot, and the two immediately greeted each other and began talking as if they were old friends, despite only having just met for the first time.

A single detail of the gathering had not gone unnoticed to Vex. Practically all of his crew were present at the arboretum save for a slight number, one of which was his apparently elusive first officer. He had read her file just a couple of days prior, as soon as she was assigned to the Nova. Raksha Chandra was her name, a Human from New Deli, Earth, and an officer praised for her engineering genius and can-do attitude. He thought it odd that she wasn’t present already, and it left him feeling concerned; Concerned for the integrity of his second-in-command and her willingness to engage with her crew and with him.

He stood from his seat and raised his hand. The crew, whom were talking amongst themselves rather loudly and enjoying various ensembles of picnic food, wine, and other potables (alcoholic or otherwise), one by one started to settle down quietly and look up at him, with others audibly hushing their compatriots as conversations drifted in to a few silent chatters.

“My friends, the crew of the USS Nova,’ he began with his loudest voice (which is to say, not much louder than his regular speaking voice), ‘it is my greatest pleasure to welcome you to—”

He trailed off as his eyes caught the sight of a face he knew hurrying along the grass. It was Chandra, and she nervously stepped her way through the crowd before reaching the gazebo and standing behind him, a look of utter embarrassment in her awkward expression.

Vex continued.

“It is my greatest pleasure to welcome you here this afternoon. I am Command Yanrel Vex, your captain for this assignment. I have brought you all here today not because I needed to but because I wanted to. I wanted to see the faces of each and every one of you, the people whom one day I might call a friend, an ally, and whom might someday be responsible for my life.”

At this, a moment’s silence followed as the murmurs amongst the crowd resumed until the Trill’s speech recommenced.

“You would not be on this assignment if you were not the greatest that Starfleet has to offer. As a member of this crew, I expect the absolute best from each and every one of you, just as you ought to expect the best from myself. Look around you now.’ he said, and a number of the crew complied, ‘each one of you is responsible for every other person you see around you, and a time will come when each one of you will be called upon to assist your colleagues, your comrades, as our journey of exploration continues. We’re only a small complement, and though our ship is small, it falls on all of us to ensure it runs smoothly. This means that my tactical officers will undoubtedly find themselves in engineering from time to time, handing hypo-spanners to our engineers and conducting much-needed maintenance in the Jefferies tubes. Engineering officers, I don’t doubt I’ll find you in sick bay when times are tough, conducting tricorder scans and dealing with minor injuries and non-life-threatening issues our crew may find themselves in. Helm officers will be found in the science labs, and our science officers might be found at the helm. Each of you will be expected to be the barer of many titles and to bear the brunt of many duties if it means assisting your fellow crewmen; but make no mistake, you will come away from your time aboard the Nova, our Nova, a greater officer than you could’ve ever imagined. Not only will we discover new and incredible things about our universe, but you might yet discover something new and incredible about yourselves. You will unlock talents you never knew you had, and I have full confidence that you will become a Starfleet crew worthy of story and of legend! Never in my four lifetimes have I ever been so humbled and so honored to be charged with leading such an incredible group of people in to the great black beyond. Please, enjoy this afternoon with one another. Get to know one another and share in this experience. My thanks go out to you, crew of the Nova.”

At the conclusion of his speech, a Benzite stood up with a glass of wine in his hand.

“To the crew of the USS Nova.” He said aloud, and held his glass high. Those gathered with drinks in their hands toasted them with a series of clinks and the chatting slowly began to recommence, along with a few rounds of applause.

Yanrel slumped back in his seat and turned his head towards Chandra, who had also quietly sat down, as if trying to shrink to the point of being unseen.

“Glad you could join us, commander.” He said with no small hint of sarcasm.

“I’m sorry sir,’ Chandra began excitedly, ‘there was an issue with the dilithium power sequencing matrix that needed to be addressed! I didn’t trust those dullards to half-ass it so I went and oversaw the maintenance myself. I didn’t think it’d take as long as it did, I’d planned on being here before you!”

“Commander, I appreciate your attention to detail and I know that particular quality was the reason you were given this assignment, but you’re the executive officer of a starship now. Your duty is more to me and to your crewmen than to a warp core and EPS conduits now. If you were really that concerned about it, you could’ve had Brot oversee the fix while you were on your way here.” Yanrel said.

“Huh? Someone say something about me?” Brot responded, turning away from Sun-Woo.

Yanrel chuckled and raised his hand dismissively.

“Yes sir. I understand sir.” Chandra responded.

“Well! We’re all here now, I suppose. We’d best enjoy it while it lasts. Tomorrow’s our first day of work, and the first voyage of the Nova with it’s new crew, not to mention my first day as captain.” He said.

“You’ll be fine, sir. Besides, I’ll be there to kick some ass and point angrily for you if things go awry.” Chandra responded.

“Yes, that’s what I’m afraid of.” He smirked.

The meeting on the green had been an enjoyable experience for all. Though the senior staff had begun the afternoon by keeping themselves separate from the rest of the crew, they eventually left the gazebo and started mingling with the rest of the junior officers. Drinks were drunk, stories were told, and everybody present had a decidedly decent time.

Today though was the day of destiny. The USS Nova was scheduled to leave Starbase 72 that afternoon. Yanrel had finally gathered the last of his things in to his trusty duffle bag, with most of his other possessions either being given away, shipped to storage, or already loaded aboard the ship. He stood silently on the tram which was headed to the upper levels of the space station and the internal spacedock for which the Starbase’s class was named.

For the first time since receiving his assignment to the Nova, nerves began to take hold. It was real now, and all that had been decided was final. He was about to become a captain of a Starfleet vessel, and the lives of those 80 other crewmembers were about to be on his shoulders. He trusted his senior staff to be at his back, but he still knew very little about them save for what he gleaned from his meeting with them at the arboretum

The tram ground to a halt at the docking ring station. Yanrel gripped the strap of his duffle bag tightly and took a deep breath, stepping out onto the familiar floor of the departure lounge.

The area was, as always, absolutely heaving with individuals coming to and fro, with even more civilians and officers alike materializing and stepping out from the transport pads.

The vast atrium spanned several floors and all about the massive wall of windows, various gangways could be seen travelling to different craft or various runabouts.

The largest of all these visible craft was a ship that left Yanrel speechless. Even amongst the bustling crowd, he dropped his bag and starred in disbelief. There, in the dead center of the massive viewport, surrounded by runabouts and shuttlecraft, was the Nova. Though it dwarfed all of its companion ships by a considerable measure, the Nova was still small enough to fit in the immediate vicinity.

He took a moment to just stop and look at it. It was absolutely beautiful, and all of Yanrel’s nerves and trepidations faded away to feelings of absolute pride and privilege. This was his ship he was staring at, and he thought it was perfect.

After a moment, he collected his things from the ground again and headed for one of the turbolifts which ascended to the third floor. There, above the center gangway, a projected sign projected the title ‘USS Nova’ in bold lettering. Below it, Yanrel could just about make out the faces and familiar forms of individuals he had had at least seen at the meeting in the arboretum. Confidently, he marched across the walkway to the tunneled entrance and stepped through. Looking out of the windowed gangway, he could see a great array of different starships above his head, below his feet, and all about himself; Ambassador-classes and Intrepid-classes and an Odyssey-class and a Luna-class, filled his field of view either side. The gargantuan inner dock itself was no less impressive this time around than it had ever been. Stretching with a scale beyond the size of a city just in that quarter alone, it was a monstrous amphitheater to which Vex would be comparable to an beetle scurrying about it.

Ahead of him, the comparatively minute Nova grew closer and closer as he could see the entry hatch open dead ahead.

He stepped on through the open door undisturbed, that is to say for all of about a minute. Suddenly, a young ensign spotted him and shouted “Captain on board!”. This call was parroted across the corridor along with several cheers from a few familiar faces.

“Sorry about that sir. Just a little something we agreed on. Figured it’d be good to let the ship and the crew know when you were coming aboard. We figured with the Nova being as small as it is, word’d reach the bridge before you did.” The ensign said, a young Trill man, probably in his early 20’s or so, who stood a about a foot shorter than Vex and sported bright blonde hair.

“Haha, it’s alright Ensign. Glad to be aboard.” Yanrel responded.

He worked his way down the corridor, his crew all visibly tensing up or standing at attention as he passed them, before reaching the turbolift.

Several crewmen joined him in it, all also showing a similarly nervous disposition.

The whole experience made Vex very uncomfortable. The idea of his crew standing on eggshells around him every time he came near was not a pleasant thought. He wondered if it would always be this way or if people might finally begin to relax once they had gotten to know him.

“Which deck are you headed to, sir?” one asked him.

“Uh, deck 1.” He responded, trying to recall the layout of the ship in his mind.

The top deck housed the bridge, his ready room, his personal quarters, and the Nova’s unique project control center, all of which were rooms he foresaw himself spending a considerable amount of time.

“Computer,’ the officer began, and the ship’s internal computer responded with its customary bleeping, ‘deck 1.”

The doors hissed closed as the turbolift began moving with a calming whirring sound. Yanrel had barely had time to gather his thoughts and consider something to say before the doors hissed open. He was used to turbolift rides taking long enough for at least some casual conversation. It was odd to him to arrive at the destination so soon after entering. Yet another thing to grow accustomed to on this vessel, he felt.

He strolled out of the lift and was immediately faced with a room labelled ‘Captain’s Quarters’ dead ahead of him. Shrugging, he stepped in as several officers behind him also left the turbolift and turned right.

The room itself was surprisingly spacious for such a small ship. It had a decently big twin bed, a sofa, several tables with chairs, and even a desk for him to work from. He noticed that several of his plants from the station had already been brought on board and placed in his room, as had several other of his personal items. Sighing with contentment, Yanrel threw his dufflebag on the bed and took a seat on the sofa. Craning his neck back, he looked out of the viewing window as a deep shadow fell over his room. Far above him, a massive Galaxy-class ship slowly moved through the space dock. Though his ship was comparatively small and vulnerable, he felt safe aboard it, as safe as he ever did in his quarters aboard the great space station.

At last, with a stretch, Vex stood and left his quarters, hanging a left and stepping through the door on his immediate right. He would deal with his personal effects later, he thought to himself, after the more pressing business was dealt with.

“Captain on the bridge.” An officer called from a science station as he walked out on to the perfectly circular room that was the ship’s bridge.

Immediately, his entire bridge crew stopped what they were doing and turned on the spot to face their captain.

“As you were.” He said politely. Stepping across the room and down a rampway to a lower level, he stood before an empty chair.

Next to it, Raksha Chandra was sat, who briefly stopped looking over a readout on one of her chair’s consoles to look up at Vex.

He took a deep breath in and out before turning and taking his seat for the first time in any of his lives in the captain’s chair, the seat from which he would command his vessel, his ship.

“Comfortable, sir?” Chandra asked with a grin.

“I’m sure I’ll settle in to it. What’s our status?” Yanrel replied.

“We’re still waiting on a few crewmen to board, sir. Most of us are settled in to our positions quite nicely though.”

“Check in with each of the departments, would you? I want to make sure there are no hitches somewhere along the lines before we leave.” The captain asked.

Chandra tapped her combadge.

“Brot, how’re looking in engineering?” She asked.

Down in engineering, Brot handed his PADD to one of his operating staff as his small team ran around frantically, tapping different consoles and monitoring all manner of readouts.

“We’re looking good, ma’am. The warp core is humming like a dream and diagnostics read nominal on all major systems and subsystems. I think we’ve even got a working shake machine in the mess hall.” He responded as Chandra’s voice came through his badge.

“Very good.” Chandra replied. Yanrel smirked at his chief of operations’ response.

“Isong, how’s sick bay? Everything in order?”

“Yes commander. Sick bay is ready to commence operation and to start receiving patients, though I do hope not to see any for as long as possible. That does remind me though commander, you are overdue for your physi—” Isong responded before Chandra cut her off mid reply, tapping her combadge with a sudden rapidity before looking nervously at Vex.

“You’re not going to get away with not having it done, you know? Isong will probably track you down in your asleep if she has to.” The captain said.

Chandra continued checking in with various other departments, however few of them there may be on the ship, as Yanrel rose from his chair and headed towards the ready room.

The door hissed open to reveal a small office, complete with an angular desk, a wave-shaped sofa, a coffee table, a replicator, and empty shelves behind a swivel chair.

Yanrel paced for a moment in the room, his nerves building once again now that he had taken a seat in the captain’s chair, his chair, for the first time. A sudden panic came over him and he slumped in his seat behind his desk.

“Commander Chandra, to the ready room please.” He asked over his combadge.

In a split second, there was a ringing of the doorbell.

“Enter.” Vex said.

Raksha stepped in, a concerned look on her face. She hadn’t expected to be called in to the captain’s ready room so soon. The ship hadn’t even taken off yet.

“Have a seat.” He asked her, motioning casually towards the seat on the other side of the desk before yawning.

Raksha sat on the comparatively small seat across from him, nervously.

“We don’t need to stand on ceremony in here, Raksha. You’re my first officer, and I trust that I can lean on you when times are tough, when I need you.” He said.

“Of course sir.” She replied.

“I don’t know if I can do this Raksha, I don’t know if I’m ready for this.” Yanrel said, leaning back on his seat and throwing his arm on the headrest, bobbing back and forth a little on it.

“You seemed fine yesterday sir. You got up there and talked to the crew like you ran the whole damn station. Where’s this come from?” she asked.

“Well, it’s one thing talking about it when you’re stood on a lovely gazebo with the wind blowing and the birds singing. It’s all just an idea then, a hypothetical. In my mind, I was still stationed on 72. I was a scientist who had dreams of being captain. Now that I’m actually on the Nova though, now that I’ve sat in my captain’s chair and strolled on in here to my ready room, it’s real, you know? I’m not a scientist anymore. I’m a Starfleet captain, and I’m responsible for everyone on this ship. Their safety falls on me.”

“No disrespect sir but it always did. Even before you were a captain, you were a science officer aboard another ship, right? I read you were chief of operations before that too. Every time you were in one of those positions, people counted on you. People needed you to do your job or else it could’ve spelled the end for all of us. The job hasn’t changed sir, and with all due respect you’re still a scientist. So you’ve got an extra pip on your collar now, so what? What’s different about being a captain versus being a first officer? What’s different about being a captain versus being a chief of operations, huh? You’ve still got a job to do, and you’ve still got people relying on you, sure; but you’ve got us here for you as well. Brot, Man, Sh’atia, Isong, me, we’re all here to make sure that you make the right decisions, and we’re not about to let you send us all to our deaths either. Trust us sir, and we’ll make sure we lead you right. All you’ve got to do is point your finger and go ‘engage!’ and that’s it really.” Chandra said.

Yanrel didn’t respond to this. He merely stopped bobbing and smiled at Chandra. Before he had the chance to say anything else however, he heard Perial Sh’atia, his chief of security, over his combadge.

“Station reports all crew have embarked sir. We’re ready to go when you are.” She said.

“Thank you, lieutenant.” He responded before looking over at Raksha.

“Ready to do this, sir?” she asked cautiously.

“Let’s go make history, Raksha.” He replied, getting up out of his chair.

She grinned at this and got up, following him out of the room and onto the bridge, whereupon they both took their seats.

“Brot, final systems check.” Vex communicated.

“We’re all set to go, captain.” He responded.

“Grand,’ he said, leaning back in his seat and staring at the viewscreen, ‘all hands, this is the captain. Prepare for departure.”

From the hallway outside of the bridge, there was an audible cheer.

Vex tapped his badge again.

“Vex to Starbase operations. Does the USS Nova have clearance for departure?” he asked.

A few seconds of silence passed before a response came through over the bridge speakers.

“That’s an affirmative, captain. Docking clamps are being released and you are green to go. Good luck out there and Godspeed. We’ll see you all in a year or so.” It said.

“Thank you control. We look forward to being back again. Nova out.” Vex said.

The ship shuddered and shook slightly as the sound of the docking clamps releasing their vice grip of the ship echoed throughout the hull and through the bulkheads.

“Helm, take us out, maneuvering thrusters only.” Vex commanded to his helm officer, a young woman with dark brown hair and a slightly wider frame.

“Aye cap’n.” She responded in a thick Welsh accent.

On the viewscreen, the image of the docking bay slowly began to move and rotate as the ship cautiously began to turn towards the exit. Ever so slowly it crept towards the opening gateway, overtaken by a number of small shuttlecraft and runabouts who were quickly darting in and out on their own errands.

As the ship drew ever closer to the wide vista of space opening before them, Vex could see miniscule figures of what appeared to be people looking out of the viewing galleries of the numerous lounges and control centers around them, some visibly cheering and applauding, their ant-sized silhouettes shifting and dancing, as the Nova glided its way through.

Before long, all that lay before Vex’s eyes was the great expanse of the galaxy in front of him as the ship flew clear of the station.

“So, where to captain?” the helm officer asked.

“We were built for exploring planets Starfleet had otherwise forgotten about ensign, and that is what we’re going to do. Set a course for the Ventiri system, warp 6.” Vex responded.

The ensign punched in the commands on the console, ready for the Nova to go to warp on its first real adventure.

Vex took a moment to savor the experience. He looked out at the great ocean of stars on the horizonless expanse that lay ahead. Finally, he gave the command.

“Engage.”