Chapter 12
After a delightful time last evening with Katlyn, James grabbed a quick shower and dressed in his uniform thinking he would go to one of the many Eateries and grab breakfast while he still had a chance before he was needed for something; since a Captain is a Captain around the clock.
Before James could leave for breakfast his door chime went off; walking to the door he opened it being surprised at who was on the other side “Kat good morning, please come in” James stated with a smile.
Kat walked in wanting to get this over with “James I can’t stay long but there is something I need to tell you and I wanted to say it to you in person” she replied then continued “Please understand I had a delightful evening catching up on old times….but….”
James knew what was coming so he finished her sentence “It’s been too long and too many light years between us to have anything more than last night” he replied not totally surprised at the outcome.
“So you do understand. I’m sorry it can’t be anymore but given our positions in Star Fleet I think it’s for the best” Kat answered “Besides…..”
“Besides what” James inquired a little bit puzzled at the moment.
“I was going to say, besides I’ve seen the way that you and the Commander look at each other. If I was a gambler I would bet on the fact you two are going to have a thing going at some point and I’m very happy for you James” Kat commented with a grin.
“I will admit we have become very close when on duty but not as much when off duty other than a nice friendship” then he paused “Plus I’m not sure if I’m the right gender anyway.”
Kat was a little surprised by his last statement “I see…..although that’s not really any of my business one way or the other…..but I think that’s not going to be an issue either. Anyway that’s just my take on things and I’ve taken up of the Captains time” as she turned with a smile and left his quarters.
James walked onto the Promenade Deck and found this quaint little diner called Millie’s; this place was sure to have some good home cooking. Entering he grabbed a table and sat as an older women walked over to him “Good morning Captain, I’m Millie; what can I get you this fine morning” she queried with a smile as she poured a nice hot cup of coffee for James to enjoy. “Good morning to you as well” James replied smiling “I would like two eggs sunny side up, an order of crispy bacon, and hash browns, if you please. Millie was writing as fast as James was speaking “This will be up shortly” she commented then turned to go to the kitchen. A few minutes later his breakfast arrived “Here you go, let me know if you require anything else and please enjoy your breakfast” she stated. “Thank you, I will” he answered. James enjoyed his breakfast immensely; everything tasted so fresh and delicious unlike replicator food. As he was finishing, his Comm went off “Captain Lake here, go ahead” “Captain this is Commodore Chi, could you please meet me at the Vigilant; I have new orders I’d like to go over with you.” “I’ll be there in ten” James replied then paid for his meal and was off to his Ship.
Captain Lake hustled to the Vigilant and saw Rebecca waiting for him “Good Morning James, I take it you had a restful night” she commented with a grin. “Yes I did, thank you for asking” he replied with visions of his time last evening still fresh in his mind. He stepped to the keypad and entered his security code to open the hatch door “After you Rebecca” he stated using a hand gesture as she entered ahead of him. Making their way to the right hand middle wall they stopped “Please allow me” Rebecca commented as she keyed her security code into the keypad. The wall moved up into the ceiling as the two Officers walked down the stairs into the Mess Hall “Please have a seat” James commented and the two sat.
“First off, your Ship has a brand new cloaking generator; the Engineering Crew ran every conceivable diagnostic test known and all the results surpassed Star Fleet regulations” Rebecca stated then continued “You will definitely need to cloak for your next Mission.”
“That’s a relief. I think we got very lucky on our last Mission getting off the planet without being discovered” James stated matter of factly “I would prefer not to have to go through that anytime soon.”
Rebecca smiled “I can certainly understand your position and quite frankly the failure never should have happened” she replied.
“At least I have a Helmsman that isn’t afraid to push the envelope when he needs to” James commented “That’s what saved us from being discovered.”
“And that’s why I gave you the best of the best for the Vigilant” she answered with a grin
“Secondly lets discuss your next Mission. You and your Crew will proceed to the Sierra Sector to these coordinates” as Rebecca slid her PADD over to James; he grabbed his PADD and keyed in the exact coordinates “This is the planet Tiburon; they have a Science Lab there that is working on some, how do I put it, less than desirable things. You will go through their atmosphere cloaked and do a highly detailed scan of the area. Commander Reese has training in these sorts of scans which should provide us with all the Intel we will require. While in route, should anyone question your Ship, you merely tell them you are a Science Vessel doing research” the Commodore explained in detail. After a moment of thought “What happens if we get scanned by another Ship” James inquired. “Any scans will reveal only the typical weapons a shuttle would normally have on board. All of your high tech weapons have been shielded to prevent detection by a hostile which should work in your favor if it should ever come to that” she replied “So any further questions James.”
“When do we leave and how long is the Mission if all goes well” he inquired wanting to know exactly he and his Crew were getting themselves into “Also isn’t there a Star Base in that Sector.”
“It should be about twelve days round trip and a day to perform the scans. I know that’s a lengthy Mission on such a small vessel but you’re Section Thirty One’s best hope of getting the scans we need undetected” Rebecca answered “To answer your second question, yes there is a Star Base in that Sector but they simply don’t have the capability to pull off such a Mission successfully.
“Ok then, we’ll be ready to leave at zero eight hundred tomorrow to get what you require; but now let’s secure the Ship so I can brief my Crew” James commented. Rebecca gave a nod and the two Officers secured the Vigilant and left; the Commodore going one way and James going the other.
Arriving back at the Vigilant Wing on the Base, James entered the Briefing Room. Walking over to the desk Comms “Attention Vigilant Crew, please report to the Base Briefing Room by zero ten hundred; thank you.” James sat waiting for his crew to show up while going through in his mind the upcoming Mission trying to think of every conceivable scenario.
The first to arrive was Commander Reese, walking in Racheal smiled “Nice to see you Captain” she commented “I take it we have a new Mission.” James grinned at her greeting “As a matter of fact we do and your training will prove most valuable as you soon will learn” he replied. The two sat and talked about the upcoming Mission as the rest of the Crew arrived.
When the last Crew member entered and sat Captain Lake started his briefing “Good afternoon and thank you all for being so prompt. Our next Mission will take us to the planet Tiburon in the Sierra Sector. We will enter the planet’s atmosphere cloaked and will proceed to the designated coordinates. Commander Reese will then perform a detailed scan of the area. When finished we will re-enter space, hopefully undetected. The duration of the trip will be about twelve days so pack accordingly. Any questions thus far” as James scanned the room.
Daniel spoke up “I guess it’s a good thing the cloaking has been fixed with a new generator” he commented with a grin “Or this would be a rough Mission” as chuckles could be heard from the rest of the Crew.
James couldn’t help but grin at Daniel’s comment “I doubt we’d be going otherwise” then looking at his Number One “Commander any ideas how long the scans will take” he inquired. Racheal thought for a moment “If nothing is shielded, I should be able to complete the required scans in a few hours; otherwise if shielding exists figure double that amount of time” she explained.
“Let’s hope it’s the first scenario. Are there any other questions or concern regarding our upcoming Mission” James queried as he scanned the room seeing no one speaking up “Good; I have one more question” looking over towards his Intelligence Officers “Do either one of you have any Bridge or Science experience?”
Nox spoke up “Captain I do have experience in both areas; I was a Science Officer before going into Intelligence.”
“Excellent, you will assist the Commander performing the required scans and Ensign Benna you will assist in Engineering.” Both Officers nodded in agreement. “Please report aboard the Vigilant by twenty hundred hours; other than that the rest of the day is yours” James finally concluded “You are dismissed.”
After everyone else left the Briefing Room, James looked at Racheal “I hope you don’t mind being assigned some extra help for the scans. I want to get off Tiburon as soon as possible.”
“No, I don’t mind at all” then she paused “Actually I was hoping for some assistance but I didn’t want to ask” she replied not wanting the Captain to think any less of her abilities.
James let out a brief sigh “Racheal anytime you have anything to say, or need, please don’t hesitate regardless of what it may be” he stated.
She smiled “Thank you Captain; I will remember that in the future” came the reply. “By the way how did your evening go with Katlyn, if I may inquire.”
James smiled “Very well thank you; it was nice spending some time with her again” he replied “That is until this morning when she stopped by my quarters letting me know even though last night was enjoyable she doesn’t feel like it can become anything more.”
“I’m so sorry to hear that but perhaps it’s for the best. Now if I may be dismissed, Maria and I are going to grab a meal together.”
“Yes you’re free to go and enjoy your meal” James replied being pleased Racheal was spending some of her off time with some members of the Crew.
Maria and Racheal met up on the Promenade Deck “Hi Maria, thanks for the meal invitation” Racheal commented with a smile “So where would you like to eat.”
“Oh your welcome; I thought it would be nice to get to know one another better since we work in a close area” Maria commented returning the smile “There is a Mexican establishment down there a ways, I thought we might eat there; that is if you feel adventurous.”
“I think that’s a great idea, let’s try it I like trying something new. I’ve never had that type of food before so I’m looking forward to something different” Racheal replied. The two ladies made their way to the Eatery and walked inside then found an empty table and sat.
A few minutes later a young women walked over “Welcome, what can I get you two ladies.” Maria took the lead “I’ll have two beef Enchiladas with a side of sour cream and a cola.”
The waitress looked towards Racheal “I’ll try the same as my friend is having.” “Good, your orders will be up shortly” came the reply as the waitress turned and left for the kitchen.
The Officers sat and were talking when their food arrived “Here you go, please enjoy your meal” the waitress stated then left. Racheal waited momentarily to see how Maria was eating her food. Racheal picked up her utensils and cut her food into pieces then dipped one into the sour cream before placing it her mouth. After chewing her food “This is delightful and very tasty” she commented.
Maria smiled “I thought you might like it” as she proceeded to enjoy her meal. Looking at Rachael “If you don’t mind my saying so” as she paused for a moment before continuing “You and the Captain seem to working together very well considering you’ve only known each other for a short amount of time.”
Racheal smiled “Yes we seem to be getting along very well; it may be what the Commodore had intended since she hand picked the entire Crew” she commented with a smile.
“I suppose you’re right; I mean the whole Crew just sort of fell into place with one another even down to the sharing quarters” Maria replied with a grin.
After their meal was over the Officers made their way back to the Vigilant Wing each going to their respective quarters to get ready for their next Mission.
