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Captain’s Log – Stardate 86231.4
Refit of the U.S.S. Falcon is progressing well, with much of the original superstructure replaced in just over three weeks. Meanwhile, a new crew is beginning to filter aboard.

The new engine room, while similar in layout, held vastly new and different systems. A brand new warp core had been installed only two days earlier, and technicians were still hooking up more systems. At the moment, Chief Petty Officer Jessi Womack, was just finishing the installation of an EPS flow regulator.

Lying on her back, halfway inside of an access hatch, Jessi felt right at home. Back on her family’s farm, she had learned how to fix her father’s tractor, among other farm equipment. Her petite frame and tiny hands definitely made it easier while working on delicate equipment in difficult to reach places. And, nothing made her happier than working on machines in cramped conditions. Lots of people thought of it as an odd mentality, especially the claustrophobic people, but she didn’t care. Joining Starfleet had been one of the best decisions of her life, and she loved her job.

Of course, under normal conditions, installing a flow regulator was not her job. But, a refit would hardly be considered a “normal condition”. Typically, she served as the Falcon’s Transporter Chief. After she had joined Starfleet, it became apparent that fixing things was not her only talent. She had excelled at transporter control and had been assigned to the Falcon under Captain Qat’Anmek.

For the last two years she had quietly served in that capacity. At Vega Colony, though, everything had changed. Captain Qat’Anmek was dead, and so was most of the rest of the command crew. Ensign Campbell, a man she barely knew, had stepped up to command that day and became a hero. Womack, herself, had been awarded with the Starfleet Medal of Commendation for her quick work in rescuing the wounded at the battle. Awards were not her concern, though. She had better things to do.

After returning to Spacedock, she had been asked where she wanted to serve. Most of the rest of the original crew had either taken positions elsewhere, or had been reassigned. When she heard that Campbell had been promoted and was taking over the Falcon officially, she chose to stay and assist with the refit. It sounded like fun, and it also meant she would have the chance to continue to work with Campbell. He already earned her trust and respect, and that counted for a lot.

“How are we doing, Chief?” Someone she couldn’t see, and could barely hear, was standing at her feet.

“Almost have the last connection!” She shouted her response to make sure whomever it was could hear her. Between the constant din of work in the engine room and the buzz of equipment next to her head, it was hard to hear anything. Brushing a lock of her blonde hair out of her eyes, she reached up and snapped one more coupling into place. She tightened the connection with her auto-spanner and double-checked the seal with a quick scan from her tricorder. With everything in place, Jessi wriggled out of the hatch. Standing up, she shouted, “Okay! She’s all set!”

“I’m right here, Chief. No need to shout,” calmly replied Lieutenant Campbell.

“Sorry!” She grimaced and cleared her throat. She started again, “Sorry, Captain. I sometimes forget my volume control when I’ve been inside of an engine.”

“Don’t worry about it,” he said with an easy smile. One thing she liked about the new captain, was his rapport with engineers. He had been an engineer, too, which gave him a proper perspective on the profession. Behind the captain, and just to one side, stood a human man with dark hair and almond-colored skin. What really caught her eye, though, was the large scar dominating his right cheek. Campbell gestured to the man and said, “Jessi, this is Lieutenant Junior Grade Jose Hernandez, our new Chief Engineer.”

* * *

“Jose, this is Transporter Chief Jessi Womack.”

She certainly was attractive. A small, slender body with curves in just the right places. A blonde, too. Jose could get used to seeing her around. He extended his hand to the woman. “Chief Womack, it’s good to meet you. Congratulations on your commendation.”

“Thanks, but it was nothing.” She took his hand and shook it. You could tell a fair amount about people from a handshake, and Jose was not about to pass up a chance to analyze one of his new subordinates. Her hands were rough, which suggested a hard worker. Her hand had been offered with the palm facing slightly downward, which meant an assertive personality. Finally, her firm grip and steady eye contact told him that she was confident. He had to admit, he liked her more already.

Taking his hand back, he glanced around the Engine Room. “You guys have done an excellent job. All of this in three weeks?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Good work.” Nodding, Jose watched as two technicians ran a calibration on an electrical relay. When one of them leaned up against the conduit, Jose shook his head in frustration. “Hey!” The techs looked up at his yell. “Don’t lean up against that! If the relay is bad, it could arc against the conduit housing and fry you in your shoes.” After a couple of quick apologies, the two men resumed their work from a safer position. Turning back to Campbell and Womack, Jose raised an eyebrow. “Are they usually that careless?” Womack spoke first.

“No, sir. They’re usually better than that. I’ll talk to them after they’re done, if you’d like, sir.”

“Please do,” he said with a quick nod. “We have safety protocols for a reason, Chief. See to it they’re followed. In fact, I want to put you in charge of a full safety inspection before the ship is under way. Can you handle that?”

“Absolutely, sir.”

“Thanks, Chief,” Campbell spoke up. “Shall we move on, Lieutenant?”

“As you wish, sir.” As they continued on their tour of the Falcon, Jose watched the young captain. Barely a grade above himself, Jose wasn’t sure if the young man was capable of command. Just because he was supposed to be a hero did not mean he was a leader. Jose had already served in Starfleet for over a year and had only recently been promoted to Junior Grade. Campbell was still wet behind the ears. But, command assignments were not his responsibility, so he would keep his mouth shut. Unless, of course, something forced him to speak up.

Campbell pointed to a phaser monitoring system. “As you can see, we’ve made some significant upgrades to the Falcon’s components. The weapon and deflector systems come from a Shi’Kar-class escort. The new superstructure and shield systems come from a Centaurus-class frigate. And, we’ve managed to get our hands on tritanium alloy for the hull armor. Workers are replacing the old monotanium as we speak.”

“Isn’t that usually reserved for larger vessels?” In a time of war, it only made sense to keep better materials for the front-line ships. A simple scout ship would be a waste.

“True.” Campbell shrugged and looked up, his eyes focused beyond the bulkheads. “But, we’re going into the unknown, Lieutenant. With no transwarp network, starbases could be weeks away. And, no help if we run into trouble. We need the best protection that Starfleet can provide.”

That made some sense. Besides, if he was going to be stuck on this tug, it might as well be as safe as they could make it. His mind started to wonder about how he might add his own improvements to the ship’s defenses. If the shield emitters came from a science ship like a Centaurus, that meant they could handle a much higher power output. Jose decided he would have to meet with the lead designer to see about coaxing some real performance from the shields.

Campbell clapped him on the shoulder, snapping Jose from his thoughts. “So, what do you think?”

“It’ll take some time to get to know her systems, but I think you’ve got the makings of a fine ship.”

“Good. I’m looking forward to working with you, Jose.” A crooked grin crept up on the young captain’s face. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have an appointment to keep.” Turning away, Campbell strolled out of engineering.

* * *

“Thank you, Nurse. That’ll be all,” said Doctor Lehotusa Glow, handing back the PADD. The nurse hurried away, and Lehotusa didn’t need to guess why. When someone could read a person’s thoughts as easy as looking at a piece of paper, there was nothing people could hide. So, Betazoids, such as himself, were constantly feared.

Every type of being had different reactions to telepaths, but, in his estimation, humans were the worst. To humans, the inner workings of their minds were of the utmost privacy. An invasion of that privacy was one of the most serious taboos. Even though his people had strict etiquette and rules about that sort of thing, humans hardly knew it. This led to fear and anger, which just frustrated him. To make matters worse, humans had virtually no control over their thoughts, which annoyed him to no end. In order to maintain the proper mental distance, it took considerable effort to filter out their thoughts, which always gave him a headache.

He leaned back in his chair and stroked his beard. Lehotusa thought of his home, back on Betazed. His son was probably out in the yard, pretending to fight Klingon warriors. Upstairs, his daughter was studying for a physics test, or some such. And, downstairs, in the kitchen, his wife was making some of her prize winning uttaberry crepes. He longed to be there.

And yet, he wanted to be here even more. In fact, he had accepted a demotion to Lieutenant J.G. in order to be aboard the Falcon. It was either that, or be promoted up to Lieutenant Commander and get deployed to the war front. And, while healers had their place in war, he wanted none of that. He was a scientist. Sure, he could treat cuts, burns, and broken bones with the best of them. But, his knowledge of the life sciences would be wasted. Out on the fringe of space there was so much to learn, so many puzzles to solve, was where he belonged.

Just outside of his office, Lehotusa could feel Lieutenant Campbell approaching. He felt a strong desire for exploration in the young captain. In that regard, they were kindred spirits, which meant he liked the kid already. As Campbell turned the corner into the doctor’s office, Lehotusa stood and greeted the man. “Right on time, Captain.”

“I don’t like to be late.”

“Punctuality is always a good thing. Can I get you anything?”

“No, I’m fine, thank you.” That was not entirely true. At the moment, Campbell was actively thinking about some Bolian tonic water. “So, Doctor, what do you think of the new Sick Bay?”

“Top of the line. It’s so new, I’ll have to learn whole new interfaces. I understand that the last Sick Bay was completely destroyed. Correct?”

“I’m afraid so. One Borg torpedo ripped right through our hull when the shields collapsed. The medical staff didn’t even know what hit them.” Campbell’s pain jumped into Doctor Glow’s head. Instead of simple feelings, he could see what happened. Smoke, fire, the original captain impaled, and a woman named Mercy, shot in the back. With the intensity of the outburst, Lehotusa knew it would be some time before the captain truly healed from that ordeal. He decided to change the subject.

“Any word on when we’ll be heading out?”

“Anxious to get moving?”

“Aren’t you?”

“Absolutely, Doctor.” Campbell’s mind was still distracted, lingering on his memories of the battle. “Provided we stay on schedule, we’ll be setting sail in three weeks. Now, I’m sorry, Doctor, but I’ve got other things to attend to. I’ll catch up you later.” He was lying. All the captain wanted was to be secluded for a little while. Given the emotional distress he felt, Lehotusa decided to give the captain his space.

“No problem, Captain. If you need anything, you know where to find me.”

“Thanks, Doc.” And, with that, the captain turned and walked out of Sick Bay, the thought of some Bolian tonic water at the front of his mind.

To be continued . . .
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This is a Star Trek Online fan-fiction series by Collin “Cade” Spencer.

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