The Center Seat
Posted on Fri Jan 28, 2022 @ 9:07am by Fleet Captain Rhea Kennit & Lieutenant Penelope Naroot
1,335 words; about a 7 minute read
Mission:
We Will Take Care of You
Location: Bridge
Timeline: 0500, Morning of launch.
Penny sat in the center chair, legs crossed, enjoying the quiet of the early morning. She'd taken to showing up for her shift a bit early so she could get some bridge time in. She'd practiced being in command and learning how to lead a team. Of course, for the past several weeks they hadn't been going anywhere, so there wasn't much to command. Still, she'd developed a few traditions.
Her ears pricked up at the sound of a yawn coming from the back of the bridge and she turned around. "Someone feeling a bit fatigued?"
"Sorry, Ma'am," Crewman Tate said from the science station.
"It is a bit late," Penny said.
"Do not do it," Ensign Salvek said under his breath from the Communications station.
"If some of you are having trouble staying awake...." Penny said.
"We are not," Salvek said.
"Then there is one simple solution," Penny said.
"There are infinite others," Salvek said.
"We need to perk you up with some music!" Penny said.
A few of the bridge crew let out an appreciative laugh and Salvek let out a long, drawn-out sigh.
"Computer," Penny said, "one sea chanty!"
The computer beeped and the bridge filled with a jaunty tune. A few of the crew who had experienced this before chuckled as Penny began to conduct.
"Our ship is leaving Portsmouth town," half the crew sang. "Her name's the good ship Nancy Brown." She began pointing to the stations to join in.
"Yo ho," they all said.
"Jib the boom," Ensign Parker said.
"Poop the deck," Ensign D'tan followed.
"Rattle the hatch," Ensign Calloway cheered.
"Main the sail," Crewman Tate added, when Salvek refused.
"Pepper the mints," Penny said.
"Anchors aweigh in the morn!" they finished.
"Well done, me hearties!" Penny shouted.
"Aye, aye, Captain, Sir!" Crewman Tate said.
"And soon we'll be out on the ocean foam," Penny sang, "So let's heave ho with a will--"
"Heave ho!" the others sang.
"And come, jolly tars, let's sing while we can..." Crewman Tate said, looking at Ensign Salvek,
Salvek stayed quiet, then sighed. "For soon we'll all be death-ly ill..." he sang, eliciting good-natured cheers and applause from the others.
"For there's nothing life the life of a sailor," they all sang, "Sailing on the briny foam."
"With a good stout ship beneath your feet," Penny said.
"And a good stout wife at home!" Crewman Tate finished.
They laughed and continued. "Oh, there's nothing, nothing, nothing like a sailor's life! The sailor's life is grand!"
"Oh, I'd never give up the sea unless..." Penny paused, looking backwards.
Crewman Tate grinned. "You offered me a job on land!"
"Singing--"
"Lieutenant!" Salvek said, cutting the music.
Penny turned around to scold him for being a sour puss, even for a Vulcan, but saw his face. "Report, Ensign."
"Communique from Starfleet Command, Priority One: Captain's eyes only," Salvek said.
Penny immediately straightened up. "Naroot to Kennit."
[Captains Quarters]
Over the past few days, the work on the ships hull had finally been completed. The bio-resin had taken longer than expected to correctly spread across the ships ablative armor and then cured using a low pulse electrical charge which had (in theory) bonded the resin to the armor which would allow it to ‘heal’ minor damage. In theory.
Reading through the technical report, Rhea once again found herself contemplating the benefits of retirement.
If she hadn’t been certain that Command would simply hound her like a dog with a bone yet again, she’d have filed the paperwork within the hour. As it was, she was just thankful the job was done and the final certifications and system tests had been completed that day. Before signing off, she checked again for a reply to the encrypted message she’d sent regarding Commander Logan’s ‘miraculous’ return from the dead. Frustrated by the silence, she signed off the computer console and after noticing the way she was being watched closely by the kitten, laughed a little and went to fix a bowl of food for the obviously waiting to be fed cat.
She’d just placed the bowl down when her comm badge activated. “Naroot to Kennit.”
Petting the kitten’s back as the little creature settled in to eat, Rhea tapped her comm and answered. “This is the Captain. Go ahead.”
"Captain, there's a priority one signal coming from Starfleet Command. Should I patch it your quarters?"
“Please do.” the Captain answered. Rising from where she’d been sitting, she walked across her quarters to her desk to access the message.
"Aye, Ma'am," Penny said, nodding to Salvek.
The screen on the captain's desk lit up with the Federation Seal, waiting for her authorization code.
Entering the required authorization and security codes, it took just a moment for the final connection to be made.
A flash and a dour-looking older man stared back. "Captain Kennit, this is Admiral Bratton, Starbase DQ1. I'm to brief you on a ship headed your way.
“Headed our way?” Kennit echoed in a curious tone. “Who is heading our way, and should we be worried?”
"They claim to be a peace delegation, and are insisting to speak with you. You can decide if that's a reason to be. Are you familiar with Planet Mudd?" he said.
“Mudd. Named by Captain James Kirk after a smuggler and trader named Harry Mudd. Populated by sentient androids,” she answered.
Coordinates -13.3, 225.1, -45.5; 4.22S 5.32E; UFC 257704, Quadrant 2, Alpha Quadrant. What are they doing here and why are they ‘insisting’ to speak with me?” she replied.
"Well, as I said, they claim they're a peace delegation," Bratton said. "We aren't sure how they got a ship past the patrol, but the convinced the patrol ship of their intentions and we've been monitoring their passage through the Alpha Quadrant. They've kept to themselves and haven't deviated from their course. Why they wish to speak with you...." he paused, giving her an almost apologetic look and shrugged. "We honestly have no idea. We offered to sit with them and a team of diplomats right here in the Alpha Quadrant, but they insist your ship--and you specifically--are who they wish to negotiate with."
“That seems quite..suspect to me.” Kennit replied. “My area of expertise and experience is not in the diplomatic arena.”
"Diplomacy is a dance, Captain," Bratton said. "Subtext, emotional undertones, what's said versus not said. They're androids. They might as well sit in the corner with a bucket on their head for all the subtext they'll understand." He gave a small harumph at his own humor. "Perhaps they appreciate your directness."
He gave a shrug and pressed on. "We estimate they'll be in your vicinity within three days. We had thought they would take longer, but their ship's entire power system seems to be routed through the engines. I suppose a ship full of androids doesn't require much in the way of life support or amenities."
“Three days,” she echoed. “I will need all data you can provide about their ship, and those crewing it. If possible, navigational data relating to the ship's past course, tracking it back to its point of origin would also be helpful.”
"I'll have it sent over immediately," Bratton said. "You may be disappointed though. So far, we've registered no proper life forms, the ship is quite large and imposing, and we've been tracking them from their homeworld in a straight line directly for you. They are single-minded, if nothing else."
“Understood. In the event that they prove to be hostile, what are your orders?”
"Do whatever it takes to get a warning out to the fleet. If you are overwhelmed, we'll have little notice," Bratton said, solemnly.
Kennit nodded, taking his words as a subtle way of saying if they found themselves in a hostile situation, use of force was authorized. “Aye sir.”
"Good luck, Captain. For everyone's sake, I hope their claims are genuine. Bratton out." He gave one last scowl and closed the channel.
~*~
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