— Third Rock From the Sun, Surface —

Security officer Sesi Oari found it hard to move in the environmental suit. A team including cadets had been beamed onto the uninhabited third planet from the solar system’s sun to mine a supply of benamite crystals. While the Andromeda had a variety of scientists there were no miners, and so using a phaser drill was the method that they were going to extract the the resources with. The cadets were there because they needed the experience, and because everyone else was busy with rebuilding the engines as a slipstream drive. This was no small feat and was taking every engineer, and half of the science department.

The other half had set to work on figuring out how to deal with the Vaadwaur Supremacy’s communications blackout and sending out communication probes.

Lieutenant Oari set down the tripod mounted phaser. To her left a young Vulcan named Cadet Sol was reading a tricorder, gesturing to where they should be firing. Cadets William Gakor and Étienne Ravaonirina carried a large container that was made to hold the benamite crystals and not allow the radiation that they gave off out into the Andromeda.

Cadet Jura Ibile followed looking around. The cadets, like Oari were all in the EV suits, both to protect them from the radiation of the benamite crystals and from the lack of atmosphere.

Sol’s voice was flat when it came through the comm systems on their suits, “I am detecting benamite crystals there. Not significantly deep beneath the surface. Caution when aiming will be important.”

After setting down the mounted phaser drill Sesi Oari stepped back and did a final inspection, then she nodded to the cadets. They would be handling the actual drilling, as even in disaster this was a teaching opportunity. Cadet William Gakor was the one who finally stepped up, and with Cadet Sol’s guidance aimed the drill. The cadets and Oari all put down the tinted glass on their helmets to protect their eyes from the phaser drill’s blast, and then Gakor activated it.

After three ten second pulses he ceased firing. Sol checked the tricorder and nodded, gesturing to the point of impact, “The benamite should be visible now.”

Oari and the cadets approached the blast zone, and after brushing away some rubble Cadets Jura Ibile and Étienne Ravaonirina reached down and lifted several rocks out of the ground, brushing off dust and other debris.

Oari gestured to a radiation proof case that they had Brough, “Seal them in there and then we’ll need to decontaminate at the shuttle before getting in or taking our suits off.”

The cadets knew this, but a case of intensive radiation poisoning was not something that Oari was willing to go through in order to teach the students a lesson. They slowly and with great difficulty in the thick EV suits packed up the container with the crystals and the phaser drill which had to be returned to its own case. Then they turned and headed back to the shuttle.

— USS Andromeda, Captain’s Ready Room —

“We have our destination?” Captain Carrillo asked, looking between her first and second officers.

Commander Kan Th’kaotross nodded, “I disagree but the rationale is sound. The only one of the communication beacons that we sent out that we heard anything back from was a distress call from a Romulan colony. I will point out that it’s likely because we’re closer to Romulan space than Federation space and our duty is to the Federation.”

Carrillo nodded, “Objection noted and you’re not wrong but at least before this all happened the Romulans were stretched thin as it was, and while I hope that Starfleet is defending our world’s right now we can be of more immediate use helping the Romulans.”

The captain glanced at her third officer, who was also the ship’s chief counsellor and nodded, “Kolem, you’ll be staying here. We’re leaving the saucer section and you’ll be the commanding officer.”

Kolem looked surprised, “Why are we leaving it?”

“We’re likely going into another battle, and we have now a large civilian population that’s not needed for combat. We’ve established some diplomatic ties with this solar systems two inhabited planets and I’d rather our civilians be stranded here than die defending a Romulan world,” Carrillo explained. She softened and frowned, “Look Yuhiro, I’m leaving people behind and I trust you to look out after them.”

The half-Betazoid nodded, “What will you need?”

“I’m leaving Lieutenant Lambert as your first officer and flight control officer. Assemble your staff from non-department heads. The diplomatic team will also stay back,” Carrillo ordered.

The discussion went on to the practicalities. Though they had trained for saucer separation, in practice none of the crew had done one. The modest increases they received from doing that was not worth the time or effort and thus in practice it was something to be done when there was an assumption that the Andromeda might not come back from a conflict. With this situation, warp being limited and communications throughout the galaxy cut off, it seemed the preferable option to leave the saucer orbiting a neutral world than to bring it into battle.

— USS Andromeda, Captain’s Quarters —

When she entered her quarters Aimée was seated on the ground playing with some blocks. Carrillo smiled at the young child and sat down, helping to stack blocks and enjoying an activity that was not deciding on the fate of over one thousand people. She was still playing with her adopted daughter when he husband Pierre Lambert entered exited the bedroom, as the two crossed over with their duty shifts.

Though a captain was never truly finished with work Carrillo tended to work the Alpha shift while her husband took the third shift or the gamma shift since he was not part of the ship’s senior staff.

“You’re separating the ship into pieces,” he said. Having grown up and first served in Starfleet in the era of Kirk and McCoy the concept was foreign to him. He’d never served on a ship capable of it, and the idea of separating their new family did not sit well with him.

Carrillo nodded, “Yes, you’ll be starting in the saucer under Kolem. She needs a pilot, and Aimée needs someone to look after her.”

Lambert pressed his lips together in a thin smile and nodded. It was obvious he was not comfortable with the decision but he knew that he was still a man out of time, and there was a certain sense in not taking civilians and children into a battle. Still he had the instinctive impulse towards being the one in danger, not his wife even though he knew that she was more than capable.

“I’ll replicate some meals,” he said.

“Actually a chef is going to drop by. We’re leaving the kitchen staff with the saucer, so I’d like one last real meal before I go,” Carrillo said.

“Next time we’re at dock you should hire some French people to cook,” Lambert said.

“Claudette is French,” Carrillo said, mentioning the name of the woman who oversaw the kitchen on the Andromeda and was coming to cook for them.

“She’s Quebecois,” Lambert said, “that’s not French.”

Carrillo shrugged, such regional differences were still important to some people. She was from New York, but would not think someone from Jupiter or elsewhere was not English or whatever. Still it remained a source of pride, nations that had long past and the specific regional sources of pride.

“You’re going to make our daughter think that people from Canada aren’t people,” Carrillo said.

“I only mean nobody cooks like the French, the real French.,” Lambert answered.

Carrillo smiled, “Well after dinner and before your shift you can explain it to me in private. We’re leaving tomorrow and I’d like to say goodbye properly.”