Sorting Things Out

Chapter 25

    After leaving the Commodores Office, James and Racheal dropped the padds off at their present Briefing Room as James suggested“There’s a little Pub on the Promenade, why don’t we grab dinner then we can start getting things sorted out; if you’d like.”

    Racheal smiled “That sounds nice and some real food sounds even better. You’re right we need to start wrapping our heads around what’s about to happen so we can ease the Crew into this new format as painlessly as possible” she replied.

    Several minutes later the two officers walked into a small Pub, ordered dinner and a beer each as they sat going over this new chapter in their adventure called Star Fleet.

    While they were enjoying their meal James inquired “First off I have to ask, how are you with Rebecca’s suggestion concerning who would command the Shuttle.”

    Letting out a slight sigh “I’ll have to admit at first it scared the heck out of me actually having to be in command but the more I thought about it the more I realized I’m the next logical one to be in command since your place whould be on the Ship” then she paused “That is if you think I’m ready for the task.”

    James grinned “Setting my personal feelings aside, there isn’t anyone else I would even consider for that position and you are more than up to the task” he replied “Matter of fact it would be good for you both personally and professionally to spread your wings.”

    “As always you’re right of course. Also I’ll be needing a First Officer on the Shuttle, I was thinking of Maria SanChez; she could do Tactical and be my Number One; I could handle Communications from the Conn” Racheal commented while thinking of the other Bridge Stations.

    “Excellent choice. I’ll let you hand pick your Crew for the Shuttle of course” James replied with a smile.

    “If you wouldn’t mind I would like to keep the current Shuttle Crew unless it’ll make you short on the Ship” she commented.

    “No that’s fine, whatever you need.; although I don’t think we’ll actually be using the Shuttle all that often” James replied then paused “I’m sure well be getting a variety of personnel so hopefully a few more in Engineering and hopefully a few Medical as well.”

    “I guess we’ll find out soon enough” she stated with a grin “Now what about a Senior Staff, have you given any thought to that since we’ll be on a real ship soon.”

    “Actually I have. I’m thinking our original Crew, with the exception of the Second Officer, will be our Senior Officers. What do you think” James inquired since she was second in command.

    “That is a great idea and it will give everyone something to strive for and hopefully help blend everyone into one cohesive Crew. I like the way you think James Lake’” Racheal stated with a grin.

    “Thanks” he replied with a smile “So tomorrow at zero ten hundred we’ll meet with our new Senior Officers and go over everything with them. Also we’ll give each one their padds

 so they can start getting acquainted with the new Ship. Then tomorrow night we’ll get both Crews together for dinner, drinks, a meet, and see if the magic can happen a second time.”

    “Sounds like a plan” then she paused “Looks like we’re well on our way to a new and improved Vigilant.”

    By zero ten hundred, the next day, the new Senior Staff had assembled in the Base Briefing Room; even though they were unaware of what was to come at the moment.

    James started “ Good Morning. We have a lot of material to go over the couple of hours so I would appreciate your complete and undivided attention. Let me preface what I’m about to tell all of you with the Commander and I only learned of this yesterday so we’ll do our best to answer all your questions” he stated not wanting to miss anything.

    Maria spoke up “If I may Captain, this sounds like a life changing event” she commented.

    James grinned “Well actually it is. Very soon we will be getting a new Ship to crew; let me explain. Two years ago this new project was started right after the Mark III was underway and about four months from now I would be giving you this same news, but since our latest experience the Commodore received permission from Star Fleet to step up the project. The new Ship will be operational tomorrow and we will be take her on her maiden voyage three days after that. Also we all have the next five days off, theoretically, but there will be meetings in between” he explained then went on to explain all the particulars about their new home.

    Nox spoke up “Captain, as exciting as this new ship sounds, how are we going to run a Ship with six decks with only eight people; I know we’re all good but that’s stretching it a bit” she inquired with a grin.

    “That’s what I asked the Commodore. Currently there are sixteen new people who have been training on the Divergent for some time; they will be added to our existing Crew. The challenge will be to meld both groups into one cohesive Crew and that’s where you all come in; the Captain and I can’t do it alone. They have been trained in multiple areas so we should be able to fill in the gaps. We will be adding a Second Officer to the command team as well” Racheal explained.

    “Captain will our job descriptions be changing then” Daniel Herek inquired.

    “Only slightly. The one thing I didn’t mention is the Shuttle we now call Vigilant is going to be rebranded as Shuttle Atlantis and the new Ship is the Vigilant-A. That being said we will on occasion be using the Shuttle which we will carry in the Shuttle Bay aboard ship. Commander Reese will still be First Officer but will also command the Shuttle when needed and will be keeping the original Crew to man it which obviously is all of you. That is what prompted the need for a Second Officer position which has been filled. As far as all of you are concerned I am now looking at my Senior Staff. Lieutenant SanChez you will be Chief Tactical Officer and First Officer when on the Atlantis. Lieutenant T’Sol you’ll be Chief Flight Officer on both vessels, Lieutenant Herek you will remain Chief Engineer on both vessels as well” then continuing “Lieutenant Nox you will be Chief Intelligence Officer on the Ship and Shuttle, Ensign Benna you will assist you in Intelligence and be the lead Infiltration Specialist on the Atlantis and Lieutenant Zebot you will be our Computer Specialist for both vessels. Any questions.” Everyone was very quiet trying to digest all the information given them.

    Racheal spoke up “I know you have had a lot of information thrown at you all at once but we do have a few days to figure things out so if any of you have any questions please let us know. The Captain and I want this transition to go as smoothly as possible. We’ve been through a lot together as a Crew the past year and this is no different” she concluded with a smile.

    “Well put Commander. Please take the opportunity these next few days to study your padds paying particular attention to your areas of expertise. Tonight at eighteen hundred we are all going to meet in the Officer’s Lounge here on the Base for dinner, drinks, and get to know the newest members of our Crew courtesy of Commodore Chi. Please take this time to extend a warm welcome to the new folks and get to know one another before we go on our maiden voyage a few days from now. If there are no other questions you are dismissed” James stated.

    As everyone left the Briefing Room Katlyn walked up to James” Could I have a word Captain” she inquired being a little nervous.

    James looked up with a smile “What’s on your mind Katlyn?”

    “Well Sir, being that I am not technically a member of Star Fleet are you sure you want me to work in that capacity for both Ships” she asked.

    “Absolutely I do; you are without a doubt the finest Computer Specialist I have had the good fortune to work with. Also as far as I’m concerned you are every bit a member of Star Fleet as anyone else on our Ship, so yes I want you in that role” James replied with a smile.

    A big smile came across Katlyn’s face “As you wish Captain” then she paused “I just wanted to be sure James so thank you for your continued trust in myself and my abilities” she replied “I guess I should be going and start learning the new Vigilant-A.” Katlyn turned and left the Room feeling pretty good about herself.

    James secured the room before walking out the door. Racheal was waiting for him there “That went well, don’t you think” she stated.

    “Yes it did. I’ll take a few weeks to get everyone working together and the shakedown should speed up the process but I think we’ll be good in short order” he replied being very hopeful.

    

Another Chapter

Chapter 24

    As thirteen hundred approached, James and Racheal were on their way to see the Commodore as Racheal inquired “James you excited at what Rebecca has to say concerning the new Ship.”

    James grinned “That and I have a bunch of questions that need answering so I have all the necessary information to share with the rest of the Crew” he replied feeling the same way he did when he met with Chi for the first time a year ago.

    Walking into the Chi’s Office James walked up to the receptionist “Excuse me, Captain Lake and Commander Reese here to see Commodore Chi.”

    The Lieutenant looked up “Ah yes, the Commodore is expecting you; please right this way” as the three walked into Chi’s Office “Commodore you have visitors” he stated.

    Rebecca turned from the viewport with a smile “Thank you Lieutenant, that’ll be all and hold all my calls please” she ordered as he left the room with a smile and closed the door on his way out.

    “Please have a seat and make yourselves comfortable…..can I get you anything to drink” she inquired.

    The Commander spoke up “Yes, a water would be nice” she replied as James chimed in “Make that two” knowing this could be a lengthy meeting.

    Handing each Officer a water, and one for herself, Rebecca began explaining the new Ship “First of all I’m happy to report that the new Ship will be operational in two days time and ready for her shakedown cruise in five so we have a lot of work ahead of us beforehand” she stated then continued as she brought up  the Ship on the holo-screen “So here’s your new Ship” she stated as the holo-screen showed the object rotating in all directions “We utilized the design from the Miranda Class space frame and we  incorporated the best of both Saber and Saratoga Classes as you can see by the placement of the nacelles and the ship’s overall sleekness.”

    James sat in awe of the new design as he inquired “Ma’am is this a new build or did you use an pre-used saucer section and refit it with new tech” wanting to know for future reference.

    Rebecca grinned “Excellent question James. Even though we’re using an older design for the basis I can assure you the entire ship is a brand new modular design with the latest stable tech Section 42 has to date” she replied as she handed each Officer new padds “These are for you, and one for each member of your Crew, with all the technical readouts on the new ship…..study the information and please share what I’m telling you with your Crew as well. Any questions so far?”

    James spoke right up “Off the top of my head……first what will be the naming of this new wonder and secondly what happens to the Vigilant after all the time and money spent on her” he inquired.

    “The new ship’s name is the USS Vigilant-A, NCC-71214; same as previous. To answer your second question the MK III will be rebranded as the Shuttle Atlantis and will reside aboard the Vigilant-A” Chi explained.

    Next Racheal chimed in “Obviously this will be a larger ship and we may be hard pressed to handle her with the eight person Crew we now have; not to mention the Atlantis” she commented a little confused at the moment.

    “Please let me clarify. You’re correct Commander with your crew concerns. Therefore I will be tripling the size of your Crew; your challenge will to integrate both Crews into one cohesive unit which I’m sure you’ll both do from what I’ve witnessed since your inception” Rebecca stated with some pride in this Crew.

    “I’m still not clear on what purpose the Shuttle will be serving” James inquired with some concern in all this.

    “ There will still be occasions when a small, fast, cloak-able Shuttle will be needed same as some of your other missions. When those times arise I would recommend  Commander Reese take command of the Atlantis and use most your original Crew for that part of the mission while the remainder stay on board and see to the Vigilant-A” Rebecca explained in greater detail.

    James had a strange look on his face “If I may…..if Commander Reese is leading an Away Team then who will be the next ranking Officer after the Commander and myself” James inquired still not sure about her explanation.

    “Let me set your mind at ease James. Your new Crew consists of sixteen people who have been thoroughly trained aboard the Defiant each being quite proficient in several areas each. One exceptional man has been promoted to Lt. Commander and will serve as your Second officer. After the Crew is working as one cohesive unit then as Captain you can assign whoever you like for the Shuttle Crew” then Chi paused “If I may make a suggestion James; being Captain your place should be on the Vigilant-A most of the time so, like I mentioned moments ago, I would recommend that Commander Reese be in command of Shuttle missions….she is more than capable and is someone you obviously work very well with and you trust” Rebecca concluded.

    “I couldn’t agree with you more Rebecca and it’s certainly is something we will be discussing very soon” he replied looking over at Racheal.

    Hearing their conversation Racheal was a little skeptical about actually being in command of a Mission but decided to remain silent knowing her and James would work things out.

     The Commodore went on for the next two hours going over more information on this new venture explaining things in much greater detail. When finished she inquired “So do either of you have any more questions at this time.”

    James looked at Racheal then back to Rebecca “Not at this time and I’m sure things will become much clearer as we proceed” then he paused “We will be meeting with our current Crew first thing tomorrow morning and they will be brought up to speed” as James paused once again “If I may suggest, I would like to see a meet and greet much like you did initially when we first came together as a Crew” James suggested thinking that this would go a long way towards combining the two crews.

    Rebecca stood looking at James for a few moments then smiled “That, Captain, is an excellent idea and should help promote one unified Crew” then she paused “I’ll even foot the bill for dinner and drinks for everyone. Matter of fact let’s make it tomorrow, at say, eighteen hundred here at the Base and I’ll let the personnel on the Divergent know after we’re finished here” Chi concluded with a smile.

    “Looks like we have some work ahead of us the next few days” James commented with a grin “If we’re finished here may we be dismissed; the Commander and I have quite a bit to figure out.”

    “Yes you are dismissed and try and get some rest in between everything and we’ll see you and your present Crew tomorrow at eighteen hundred then” Rebecca commented very hopeful of what was yet to come.

New Concerns

Chapter 23

    The USS Vigilant was tractor beamed into the Shuttle Bay then it slipped into it’s berth with the deck closing around it. One could hear the warp core settle down as Lieutenant T’Sol powered down the Shuttle.

    “After you secure your Stations I would like to meet briefly in the Common Area” Captain Lake ordered. Minutes later the Bridge Crew made their way to Deck 2. Seeing the rest of the Crew already in the lounge area James asked politely “If everyone could sit for just a few minutes I have something I would like to say.”

    The Crew did as requested wondering what was on their Captain’s mind; his Number One didn’t even know what to expect as James started “First of all I can only imagine the great sense of relief you must be feeling after such a harrowing experience; I know how I feel at the moment. Secondly I just want you to know how damn proud I am of each and every one of you. You were willing to sacrifice your very lives to escape what I can only imagine as a horrible future yet through all of this you all kept a cool head and remained professional. All I can say is….job extremely well done; I just wanted you all to know that.”

    Commander Reese spoke up “I’m sure the rest of the Crew feels as I do. Without the leadership of one hell of a fine Captain we wouldn’t be sitting here having this discussion right now. Captain James Lake thank you for that” she concluded as everyone nodded in agreement.

    “Thank you all for your trust in me, it’s what makes my job a pleasure; but enough of this. You are all dismissed and get some well deserved rest. I’m sure I’ll be speaking with the Commodore in the near future, so when I do I’ll bring you all up to speed.” James replied as everyone got up and started exiting the Ship. James secured the Vigilant, with Racheal waiting for him, then they made their way back to their quarters.

    Once back home Racheal looked at James “Would you like to get together later; maybe have dinner or something” she inquired with a smile.

    “Yes, I’d like that very much” he replied then paused a moment “Actually why don’t you come to my quarters and we’ll have dinner and relax for awhile.”

    “Sounds good to me; maybe around sixteen hundred, if that’s good for you” she suggested.

    “That works, so I’ll see you later” as James turned and walked into his quarters for some much needed sleep.

    James woke about fifteen hundred, showered and dressed in some comfortable civilian clothes then made his way to the replicator “Computer one mug of hot strong black coffee.” Moments later he walked to the couch with his brew in hand then sat enjoying a long sip of coffee to help him wake up and focus. His mind couldn’t help but go to the reality of their recent situation making James vert grateful for the way things had turned out.

    About sixteen hundred James’ door chime went off “Come in” he stated as the doors swooshed open and Racheal walked in with a smile. Without saying a word she walked up to James and gave him a very passionate kiss for a few minutes. James grinned “Well, hello you you too” he commented having rather enjoyed her kiss.

    “Hi James, I was afraid that I would never get the chance to kiss you again; but I’m glad I was wrong” Racheal stated with the thoughts of yesterday still fresh in her mind.

    “I know what you mean” then he paused a moment “But thankfully that’s behind us now so let’s not dwell on what might have been.”

    “Oh I’m not, really; it just makes me appreciate what I do have Captain Lake and being here with you is definitely one of those things” Racheal replied being quite sincere.

    Walking a little closer, and placing his hands on her waist, James leaned in and finally returned her kiss in kind. “The thought of never seeing you again was more than I wanted to bare……but thankfully things didn’t turn out that way” then he kissed Racheal again “So what would you like to eat.”

    “Surprise me….I’m famished” she replied with a smile.

    “Ok. Have a seat and I’ll be right back” he commented then walked to the replicator and grabbed their meals. James handed Racheal a big bowl of beef stew with crusty bread on the side along with a glass of red wine “Be careful it’s hot” as he sat beside her ready to enjoy his meal with her. 

    There two Officers sat eating their meals and chatting trying to avoid the subject of what had happened only a day ago. Finally James had something on his mind he had to say. Putting down his spoon James looked at Racheal “If I never find myself in that kind of situation ever again, it’ll be too soon” then he paused “Maybe such a small ship isn’t such a good idea after all….I would hate to have something similar happen to any of the Crew because of what amounts to an oversized shuttle….what do you think since you are my First Officer” he commented with some concern in his voice.

    Racheal had just finished her meal then sat back against couch back looking James in the eyes “That meal really hit the spot, thank you” she stated then continued “You know James you have a very valid point about the Vigilant….so what do you plan on doing.”

    James smiled while thinking “I’m not quite sure yet, but I think the situation needs to be addressed with the Commodore” as he finished his comment the door chime sounded “Who could that be” he thought “Excuse me” getting up and making his way to the door.

    Opening the door James smiled “Commodore, please come in” as he stepped back allowing his guest to enter.

    “James I apologize for the lateness in the day but there is something I wish to discuss with you” she stated noticing Racheal “Oh good Commander your here as well; you’ll want to hear this.”

    “Please Rebecca have a seat, can I get you anything” James inquired trying to be a good host.

    “No I’m fine thank you” as she sat then paused “Let me be frank. What happened yesterday scared the hell out of me so I can only imagine what you and your Crew must have felt like.”

    Racheal spoke up “Since we’re being honest; yes the thought of being a sex slave or blowing ourselves up instead certainly helps you get things in perspective in very short order” she stated referring not only to the recent incident but also her relationship with James.

    Chi smiled “I can only imagine. That being said there is something I want you both to know about” she commented then continued “Section 42 has been working on a new, small type of Ship for the past two years that I think would better serve your types of missions and would be a lot safer for your Ship as well as it’s Crew. Needless to say, after your hellacious experience, I spent a few hours on a teleconference with Star Fleet brass and they have agreed to allow me to step up the timetable to finish the construction.”

    James first looked towards Rachel then Rebecca not believing what he was hearing “Wow! That’s some news to say the least” he replied as his mind was shifting into Captain mode “I would be interested in quite a bit more of the details besides I’m sure I’ll have a lot of questions.”

    “I thought you might and you wouldn’t be a very good Captain if you didn’t” Chi replied with a grin “I would like you both to meet with me in my office here at the base….thirteen hundred tomorrow and I will give you all the information and answer as many of your questions as I can.”

    “We’ll both be there and I look forward to hearing all the particulars on this new ship” James answered with a smile.

    “As will I” Racheal chimed in excited at the prospect of a larger and hopefully a better, safer equipped Ship.

    “Excellent” Rebecca stated with a smile as she stood “I’ve taken up enough of your free time and please let the rest of your Crew know you all have the next five days to rest and get your heads on straight after yesterday” then she turned and left the quarters as James walked her to the door to bid her a good bye.

    Returning to the couch James grinned “Well that went a whole lot easier than I could have ever imagined” as he chuckled then sat.

    “That’s for sure” Racheal replied with a grin then became serious “I think yesterday and the events that transpired was a real wakeup call for the Commodore.”