Too Good To Be True

[Kate Wood]

Walking through the bustling walkways of the promenade reminded Kate Wood of one of the many reasons she joined Starfleet. With new ships docking daily at the huge base, which served as the operational hub for this region, there was always an eclectic array of officers and civilians alike. This commercial centre was one of her favourite places, other than the command areas, for there were merchants calling out the newest best deals while civilians of every shape and size perused the goods and ate at one of the many and varied restaurants.

There was another reason for the young Ensign to be excited today. The USS Janeway had docked earlier this morning and with it the arrival of her mother who she hadn’t seen in months. Also, the captain, Andrew Stone a man she didn’t know much about, had requested to see her. She didn’t like to jump to conclusions but Kate knew something good was coming. Why else would a commanding officer ask to see her?

The USS Janeway was part of a new exploration group, she knew this from her mother, who also told her that they were due to go through the rift in sector 108 which led to a new galaxy. Starfleet was abuzz with this, it was impossible not to know about what they were calling ‘the new frontier.’

Not wanting to get her hopes up however, she tried to convince herself that the captain simply wanted the dirt on her mother. This thought brought a small smile to the woman’s lips. He only had to read the stack of disciplinary files to get that. She was thinking this through too much. She told herself this but the lingering hope of being assigned to the Janeway couldn’t be ignored.

They arranged to meet at Gork’s, a Bolian run coffee bar and when she arrived she found she was slightly early and so loitered at the entrance with her honey brown eyes constantly scanned the area for the distinctive command red uniform.

[Andrew Stone]

Andrew descended the many decks of the starbase as he looked over a data padd in his hand. It was another application from another mediocre officer. He sighed as he looked over the Andorian’s service record, it was hardly distinguished; a few years on one ship, a few years on a starbase, but there was little to suggest that he has that extraordinary talent Andrew was looking for.

Was he being too hard on potential applicants? Andrew had already rejected ten applications for this very position of Assistant Chief Medical Officer, but he knew that with the agreement of Commander Landry to serve as the Chief Medical Officer for the USS Janeway he needed to ensure that the second in command of the Sickbay was an officer that met the standards that this distinguished doctor had.

The doors of the turbolift swished open revealing the bustling promenade. While this starbase was a Starfleet station it had attracted a large number of civilian workers and their families, with it being in such a close proximity to many Federation worlds it had turned into a commercial space port as well as a sole Starfleet outpost.

As Andrew stepped out into the hustle and bustle of the promenade he was almost swept away with the tide of foot passengers going in each direction. Fighting it was not going to help him so he adapted his survival training and turned into a large tide of people and moved along with them. While he walked he heard the various merchants trying to entice passing traffic to stop at the stalls and shops to peruse and buy their wares. He walked past one when a young Orion female stepped forward.

“Something pretty for your wife, Captain,” she asked in an enticing tone.

Glancing into her eyes he smiled simply, “No, thank you.” He didn’t add that he wasn’t married, but as he responded her pushed the trinket out of his line of sight and carried on walking.

Andrew knew who he was meeting, but he wanted to go over the details of her previous assignment before he sent down with the officer. He quickly pulled out the data padd and opened up Ensign Wood’s file. It was very impressive; graduate second in her class with a specialisation in intergalactic politics, which could be very useful in the New Frontier, but her previous assignment was the one that interested him the most. A tactical officer on this very starbase she revolutionised the way her duty shift was ran, which was later adopted by her superior officer for all tactical shifts. It was obvious she had a clear talent for the systems she worked with and by the recommendation of her superior officer she is an officer to be pushed into command, as quickly as possible.

Smiling, Andrew slid the padd back into the pocket of his dark red and black uniform. Despite being a command officer for a few years now he still found it odd pulling the red tunic over his torso each morning when he had been so used to the blue of medical for the majority of his career. He hoped that one day he could wear that blue again, but it would be as the Surgeon General for Starfleet.

He rounded the corner and saw Gork’s in the distance. This coffee shop was one of his favourites on the starbase, he arranged to meet here with Ensign Wood so he could kill two birds with one stone; meet this promising officer and get a great dose of caffeine at the same time.

As he stepped through the door he noticed the young woman standing by the entrance.

“Ensign Wood, I presume?” he asked.

[Kate Wood]

Kate was looking the other way, toward a vibrant looking Ferengi with an obviously suspicious air about him, when suddenly she was addressed to by name from behind. She spun round to see a man and her eyes immediately lowered to his captain’s pips and instinctively she straightened her back slightly.

Extending her hand, she replied, “it’s a pleasure to meet you Captain.” Knowing there was no need to ask who he was.

Stone wasn’t what she expected. He looked too young to captain a ship such as this going into unknown space. Her lack of knowledge was almost embarrassing but as a lowly ensign her security clearance was practically nonexistence whereas Stone probably knew everything about her. It put her on the back foot and it made her feel uncomfortable. This made her wonder why then would he pick his first officer’s daughter for the assignment? That’s even if she was going to be offered it, that small piece of hope for a ship bound mission had resurfaced.

She glanced around the large and busy cafe to see a few spare tables. Not wanting preamble which was Kate’s way, she boldly walked toward the nearest one before they were taken and staked their claim upon. Sitting down, she crossed one leg over the other and waited for the captain to join her.

[Andrew Stone]

Andrew smiled as she held out her hand. While it was not against protocol to introduce yourself to a superior officer in this manner it was not recommended as many command level officers would take offence. On the other hand Andrew had always preferred officers to be forward with him, it suggested a kind of thinking that was not restricted by every Starfleet regulation. He held his hand out to shake hers.

“The pleasure is mine, Ensign,” he said before she turned to look for a table.

He followed her through the myriad of tables to the nearest empty table. The smell of coffee hung in the air and Andrew breathed it in deeply. From a young age he had always enjoyed coffee; the bitter taste and pungent smell was definitely an acquired taste but an early started diet of caffeine and then sugar lead into a slight addiction to the drink. Growing up he allowed his vices to get the better of him; food, cigarettes, caffeine, so when he kicked the habits he allowed himself one: coffee.

He sat down opposite the Ensign and pulled the menu to read. All his favourite foods were on there, but he worked too hard as a teenager to get rid of all the weight he shook his head and pushed the menu away as the waiter stopped beside the table.

“Coffee, milk, two sugars,” he said before looking over to Ensign Wood.

After the waiter had taken their orders he rested his hands on the table, “I received your service jacket from Captain Jenkins last week and sufficed to say I was impressed; second in your class at the Academy and already gaining the support of superior officers. You’ve let quite the trail behind you since you graduated.”

The waiter returned and placed their drinks in front of them. He took a sip of the milky coffee before continuing, “However, I was quite surprised at your lack of experience on a exploration vessel, I would have thought a newly promoted Ensign with all the potential in the Galaxy would have received an assignment more suited to her abilities. Why do you think you weren’t assigned to such a vessel?”

He took another sip of the coffee keeping his eyes locked on her.

[Kate Wood]

Most ensigns would be intimidated or even nervous around their superior officers especially those ranked captain and higher but Kate was used to conversations with Starfleet’s elite. Her teenage years were frequently spent visiting her father at Starfleet Command which continued throughout her time at the academy with his promotion to admiral. It was usual to see two or three admirals whose weight could be felt over half of the Federation in the corridor as she made her way to her father’s office, she always gave them a smile and asked how they were.

Kate ordered a Vulcan tea, a very similar drink to her favourite Romulan equivalent. Very bitter, just how she liked it, she knew she must’ve inherited the Vulcanoid taste buds which craved intense flavourings. The fact that her mother’s family lived in India was a bonus, there was nowhere else on Earth which truly pulled off those rich, ridiculously hot spiced curries.

The young woman smiled graciously and replied with a simple, “thank you sir.”

The drinks came and immediately wrapped her hands around the hot mug allowing it to warm her perpetually cold hands. Even when it became uncomfortably hot, almost burning against her palms, she didn’t want to release the delicious feeling just yet and so kept them hugging the ceramic while she listened to the captain.

It was a fair question and one she had thought about herself. “I was offered an assignment at Headquarters when I graduated, an opportunity too good to miss I thought. After six months I felt I needed to be back in space, I spent my entire childhood in space with mum being an officer of course.” She said knowing it was a stupid thing to add at the end, she was his first officer after all. “So I took the first posting which came up, unwise perhaps to settle for the first thing which came my way but I’ve enjoyed my time here. It’s been interesting...” she said as the hint of a smile tugged at her lips, “I never believed my tactical training would be useful when breaking up bar fights, dealing with smugglers of contraband and hunting down thieves. I’ve learnt a lot.”

Was this a job interview? The question suddenly popped into her mind. She still didn’t know why a captain would ask her to the promenade for a friendly chat and so decided, in true Nevala fashion, to get to the point.

“Sir, if you don’t mind me asking, why did you arrange this meeting?”

[Andrew Stone]

He had to admit to himself that he had only read the Academy and assignment sections of Kate’s service jacket, he had not bothered to look at her personal history. Andrew had always believed that it wasn’t where you came from it was what you did that determined what kind of officer you were. He guessed from Kate’s surname that she was related to Rear-Admiral Wood, but he had not looked into how closely related they were. He had always supported a form of elitism in Starfleet, but academic elitism instead of the elites that utilised their parent’s position and rank to get interviews for assignments.

Andrew liked officers to force themselves to be the best in what they do and he couldn’t care less where they came from or who they were related to.

As she recounted her history in space he drank his coffee. Andrew thought it was surprising that she took the first job that came her way, from the references her Academy instructors spoke about her she was destined to set Starfleet alight with the potential to be in a command rank before she was thirty. Impressive comments, but her career had almost stalled leaving the gates of the Academy.

Could Andrew be the Commanding Officer to kick start it for her? He could give her the chance to realise the potential she possessed and having a ‘protegee’ of sorts was nothing to turn your nose up at.

A small, wry smile grew on his lips that he hid by taking another gulp of the coffee when she asked the million dollar question. Nodding slightly in acknowledgment that he didn’t mind her asking this question, “No, I don’t mind at all and I am glad you did, I’ll want you to keep asking me questions that get right to the point.” He placed the mug on the table and linked his fingers together, “I asked you here because I need a pilot. I’m sure you’ve heard of my ship’s mission and your background at the Academy suggests you have that potential.”

[Kate Wood]

Kate was beginning to like this captain already. If there was one thing she hated it was indirectness and unnecessary stalling and when Stone said he appreciated her direct questioning, she knew this was a man she could serve under.

She knew she had been too eager to get back into space and if she had waited a month or two perhaps something more suitable would’ve come along. A lesson to be learnt in the future maybe but as he said he needed a pilot she reasoned her quick decision making had led her to this point, if she hadn’t been on this Starbase then she probably wouldn’t have been offered a potentially groundbreaking assignment.

“I know I have the potential for this mission sir.” She replied looking Stone unwaveringly in the eyes.

There was only one thing which gave her pause, her mother. As a pilot she’d be working on the bridge with her, taking orders from her. This wasn’t necessarily a bad thing, she and her mother got along well enough although they had grown more distant since she left for the academy. The fact that she had become close to her father might’ve been a contributing factor, because their marriage ended on bad terms and they haven’t spoken much since led Kate to that conclusion. Personal and professional relationships had, for the most part, always been separate for her, to mix the two would be interesting and it didn’t get more personal than the woman who brought you into the world. Captain Stone however must think differently or at least have faith that they would make it work.

“As you probably know,” she continued, believing his faith was enough not to question mother and daughter working together, “I came top in all my piloting classes and was team leader of Delta Squadron.” She could fly and hoped against hope that Stone would understand this because excitement and enthusiasm for this mission was starting to take hold.

[Andrew Stone]

Andrew liked her reaction. She was positive and enthusiastic about the chance of serving on this ship and he smiled in response. Kate Wood was everything that a Starfleet officer should be; committed, driven, passionate and a sense of self that ensured they never slipped up. He had a sense about this girl and he hoped that this sense was not misplaced.

“Delta Squadron?” he asked. “Very impressive, was it your year that performed the Talen manoeuvre over the President’s inauguration speech?” He finished off the last off the coffee, “I remember watching the recording of it.”

He placed the coffee cup back on the table and returned the locked eye gaze she was giving him, though his face remained stoic while her’s showed excitement. Andrew was relieved he had found someone for a position that was not mediocre, shaking his head he wondered so many were graduating the Academy nowadays with no drive to maintain high standards in their work. Or was it Andrew demanding absolute perfection from those who worked for him?

He let a smirk grow on his lips when he came to the next order of business with Kate. While an ensign was more than able to serve as a pilot of a vessel he wanted Kate to serve as the Chief Flight Officer as well as just as a pilot and she would need to be ranked at Lieutenant [Junior Grade] to serve as a semi-senior officer.

“There’s one thing Ensign,” he said reaching into his pocket. “In anticipation of your accepting this post I processed this through Starfleet Personell,” he produced a small box with the darkened pip for the junior Lieutenant rank. “Congratulations Lieutenant,” He said handing box over to her.

[Claudia Nevala]

With communications temporarily down for one last test before they set out, there was no way of getting hold of the Captain until someone entered the base and used their comm. system. The ship was quiet, almost unceasingly so, while the Starbase’s engineers did their last minute checks and there was only so much paperwork and looking over engineer’s shoulders before she got bored. Therefore Claudia used this opportunity to go to the base, let the Captain know that Command had just requested that he talk to them before they left and finish her wander of the market stalls.

Stone had told her that he was at a meeting somewhere in the promenade at a coffee shop called Gork’s. Having no idea where this was, the search for her Captain and a little shopping dovetailed beautifully.

Wearing a Starfleet uniform protected her somewhat down in the bustling, narrow walkways as shady merchants stayed clear and others didn’t force themselves upon her like they did with unwitting civilians. A rickety wooden table laced with silver jewellery caught her eye and she pushed her way in. As she went to pick up a pair of small earrings with what looked like a dark sapphire set upon them, the sleeve of her right arm rode up revealing the yin and yang tattoo on the inside of her wrist.

“Chinese!” The Bajoran woman behind the stall suddenly said.

Claudia looked up at her, her brow furrowing in confusion. “Pardon me?”

“The symbol on your wrist, I know a little of human symbology, for my trade as humans love symbolism, and that’s from Ancient China.”

“Oh, yes it is.” She replied and then turned her attention back to the earrings.

Seeing the interest Claudia had for them, the Bajoran woman took her advantage. “Real Bajoran silver and that stone is called olare and is very precious. The night sky on the southern continent of Bajor makes that exact colour, never quite black.”

Shaking her head she smiled and interrupted, “ok you’ve got me, how much?”

“I take Federation credits, for you sweet lady only ten credits.”

She couldn’t help but roll her eyes at that price, Bajoran silver was worth five on a good day but she was feeling charitable today and gave the woman the money. She slipped the earrings into her pocket carried on. Not long after the neon glowing sign of Gork’s was in sight and so she quickly made a beeline for it.

The smell of freshly ground coffee hit her senses the moment she opened the door. She never understood the human obsession with coffee, not when there was Vulcan tea around. Her onyx eyes quickly scanned the busy restaurant and found Captain Stone and oddly enough, sitting opposite her daughter. She hadn’t even had a chance to meet up with Kate yet, strange indeed.

As she approached the pair, Claudia could see the obvious excitement in her daughter’s face and was beginning to get suspicious. What could a captain want with an ensign? Their meeting place being unofficial, away from the ship in a busy cafe where they wouldn’t be noticed... She feared her position as first officer would end as soon as it started.

“Captain,” she nodded toward Stone and then turned to her daughter. “Kate I didn’t expect you here.”

[Kate Wood]

Starfleet was everything to Kate. She had no personal life, nearly all of her immediate family were officers and those who weren’t were too young. Her earliest memories were filled with Utopia Planetia, her mother had told her that her first steps were across a shuttlebay, her education was provided by Starfleet, her association with them went on so much so that it was a way of life for her and was something which went to her very core. Therefore a promotion meant more to her than anyone would ever know. Not only did it mean her career was on track, it meant her entire life was as it should be.

“Thank you sir, I won’t let you down.” She smiled broadly leaving her appreciation at that. It just got uncomfortable if she continued on and that wasn’t her way at all.

As if to check this wasn’t all a prank, she lifted the lid to indeed find a small pip resting inside. She had seen her father fly through the ranks and how relentlessly he worked for it, so much so that her mother’s career had the opposite effect. She’d seen her mother work tirelessly but gain rank more slowly and Kate realised that each promotion probably meant more to her than it did to her father.

Talk of the devil, she spotted her mother making her way toward them and was immediately annoyed. Couldn’t she have more significant Starfleet moment to savour for herself? There was always one parent somewhere to lap up some of the credit. This was her promotion and she had worked for it, no else did it for her and she wished her parents understood that. This was the one problem of being born into a Starfleet family, she was always going to be compared to her parents and her grandparents and referred to by how she was related to so and so.

She couldn’t help but roll her eyes at her mother’s comment. Of course she didn’t expect to see her here, Kate hadn’t told her she was going to here. “I didn’t expect you here either,” her tone was laced with attitude which relayed the message ‘please go away’ without her actually saying it. When Claudia didn’t move, Kate sighed audibly and shrugged her shoulders, “do you need me for something or what? Can’t this wait till later?” She didn’t mean to come across as a bitch but this was her moment.

[Andrew Stone]

“I’ll hold you to that, Lieutenant,” Andrew said as he leant back into the chair. “I’m expecting good things from you.” He looked down at his wrist watch to see that time had gotten ahead of him, “I’m afraid I am going to have to go, I will expect you aboard the Janeway by 0900 tomorrow.”

As he stood from the table he noticed a woman walking towards them dressed in command read sporting commander pips. He had never met Commander Nevala before but he had spoken to her over subspace and seen the picture attached to her service jacket so he recognised her on first glance, but he was left a little stunned why she was coming over to him. Furrowing his brow slightly he assumed she had requested his location by the computer in order to discuss something about the work being carried out on the ship.

He nodded in response when she addressed but was taken aback when she turned to Kate and spoke to her that suggested they knew each other, but he did not expect the way Kate responded to Commander Nevala. It was highly insubordinate and Andrew did not suffer officers being disrespectful of superior officers.

“Lieutenant, you’re out of line,” He said looking directly at Kate. It wasn’t until he finished speaking that he looked from Kate to Claudia, noticing some resemblance between the two.

[Claudia Nevala]

A tone spiked with the classic Wood attitude was one Claudia was very familiar with. It was a bitter cocktail of cockiness and believing the world revolved around those in the Wood family and one which she believed was behind her when she left said family. God knows Claudia tried but Kate was essentially a daddy’s girl.

“I apologise Captain, I didn’t introduce myself but it feels like we’ve already met in person. Commander Nevala.” With that she held out her hand to shake.

Noticing how the Captain’s eyes moved from herself to Kate with the slightest crinkle of confusion across his brow, she wondered what he was thinking. Letting him think over whatever was going through his mind, she fixed her eyes on her daughters much like she did when she disciplined her as a child.

“No I do not need you for anything,” she replied neutrally, “Captain, I wanted to pass on a message from Command and since communications are down I thought I’d take the opportunity have a look around the promenade.”

Not many would have caught it, but Claudia saw the small flash of embarrassment in her daughter’s expression. She hoped Kate would learn that particular lesson. What prompted that little outburst however was beyond her, why was she so eager to have Stone all to herself? What was this really about? The initial idea of something less than decent seemed silly now.

“Please excuse my daughter,” she said to Stone’s response, she would’ve liked to add I raised her better than that but it wasn’t needed at this point. “Although I would like to remind her that we’re both in uniform so a little more respect please Ensign.”

[Andrew Stone]

Andrew felt awkward to the core. He had put himself, inadvertently, in the middle of a mother-daughter combo. By not reading her service jacket fully he had not looked at who her parents were and could have saved himself this awkward situation. He shuffled his weight slightly as he bit his bottom lip; it was a nervous habit he couldn’t break. As subtly as possible he linked his hands behind his back and looked from Claudia to Kate, the resemble becoming ever so clear now.

How did I not see that before? They both look so alike!

He shook his head at his own stupidity and forced himself back into the conversation. Claudia had just finished berating her daughter when he thought of announcing to the two women that he had not realised that they were related when he stopped himself. Andrew thought back to command training when his instructors had espoused the tenant of command that you never show your full hand and always keep things back to maintain your image as a command officer.

Andrew turned to look at the Commander, “Very good, I’ll deal with the message when I get back on board.”

It was only then that he had forgotten his manners, “Oh, I’m sorry where are my manners? Please sit down Commander I was just speaking to Lieutenant Wood here about the Pilot vacancy on the Janeway.” He moved quickly to procure a spare seat from a nearby table and then sat down with the two women, “I offered her the position of Chief Pilot and she graciously accepted the position.”

[Claudia Nevala]

Claudia watched her commanding officer with curiosity. Once again he looked from her to Kate and shook his head which made her think that perhaps he didn’t know of their connection. Or perhaps there was another reason, either way it didn’t particularly matter it was just... interesting.

Accepting the chair graciously, Claudia caught a passing waiter and ordered an herbal tea. For such a busy establishment, the waiter returned almost instantly with her drink. As she clasped the mug in her hands she listened to the Captain’s proposal and didn’t mind letting her surprise show. Typically relatives didn’t work together and if they were onboard the same ship, it tended to be different departments.

Looking from the Captain to her daughter, Claudia nodded her head in acknowledgement knowing that the offer had been accepted and there was nothing else to be done, even if she was to object.

“Lieutenant Wood?” She smiled, “congratulations. Chief pilot? I know you’ve wanted to be back onboard a ship for awhile now, this will be a great opportunity.” She started diplomatically knowing how Kate’s temper could flare when her decisions were questioned by her mother. Suddenly her attitude just now made sense, Kate didn’t want her mother crashing the promotion party so to speak.

Looking down at the water rapidly evaporating from the surface to form a soft haze of steam above her drink, she added. “You know you’ll be serving under me? We’ll be on to bridge together and so you’ll be taking orders? Will you be ok with that?” She turned her eyes upon the Captain and reiterated the question, although he must’ve been fine with the family dynamic on the bridge otherwise he wouldn’t have offered the position but she liked to make sure.

Since Kate left for the academy there had been a slight change in her personality. Buried was the sweet girl who always put on a smile despite trying circumstances, now Kate put ambition over everything else and was always serious in their communications. The Wood genes had finally taken a hold which was surprising considering her adoration for the Romulans. They would have to make this work and if it did fall to pieces then Claudia would have to reassign her to the lower decks, she was the first officer after all.

[Kate Wood]

The more the two senior officers talked, the smaller Kate felt. It was a lesson she would have to learn very quickly: when your mum was in uniform, she wasn’t really your mum anymore. As a child it didn’t really matter if she was in uniform or not, but now Kate wore the same uniform, her mother was just another senior officer.

As the Captain and First Officer spoke, she wondered if her father knew. She was sure the anomaly was within his jurisdiction as commander of fleet operations over several sectors but as she searched her mind she couldn’t be sure of this fact. She’d love to be a fly on the wall when that fact was revealed but if the call came straight to the bridge then she might be privy to it. Years of being between the two of them had taught the young woman to see the lighter side because it really wasn’t anything to do with her anymore.

Upon hearing the congratulations, she nodded formally and replied, “thank you sir.”

Kate took another sip of the cooling tea and thought that she would give anything for a traditional Romulan blend but it was rare for establishments to stock them. They were almost as uncommon as Romulan ale. She realised in order to survive this mission, she’d have to contact her grandfather before they left for a few more recipes to be programmed into the replicator.

“If you’ll excuse me,” she said as she downed the last of her drink, “I’d like to contact my father to tell him the good news before we leave. It was a pleasure to meet you Captain,” looking at Nevala, she said, “see you mum... Commander... whatever you are.” She chuckled and left the two commanding officers at the table.

[Andrew Stone]

The dynamic between the two women was now so evident that they were mother and daughter he found it funny that he hadn’t noticed it before. Andrew could see a battle being fought in Kate’s eyes; on one side she wanted to speak to Commander Nevala as her mother but then on the other side she was restricted by the superior rank. To have close family members in Starfleet must be awkward, but then to find out you would be serving under them on a vessel would be even more awkward.

He couldn’t turn back now on his decision to assign Kate to his ship he could only hope that both officers were professional enough to work through any personal relationship problems they had. If they didn’t it would be on his head as Claudia’s direct superior and Kate’s overall superior.

Andrew nodded in reply as Kate stood and left the cafe leaving her mother. A small smile grew on his lips as she walked away before he turned to Claudia, “I didn’t intend to blindside you with this, but then learning your daughter has been assigned without your knowledge can’t be easy to take,” he took a breath as he laced his fingers together on the table, “I hope her new position won’t be awkward for you.”

As he looked over Claudia he noticed the Romulan genetic features, which were almost none existent on Kate, he wondered how difficult it would have been for a teenaged Human-Romulan hybrid and then her time at the Academy would have been marred by the old prejudices still strongly held across the majority of the Federation. However, the disciplinary reports on a certain ‘Cadet’ Nevala showed that she was more than willing to make her own life difficult at the Academy. Andrew’s time at the Academy couldn’t have been more different to Claudia’s. He was the proverbial monk during Medical school, only ever going to the end of year parties favouring staying in his room studying for exams months away. He often looked back and wondered if he had missed out on such an integral part of growing up, but then he looked at where he was now; Captain of a ship going into an unexplored region of space and he knew that he had made the right decisions.

“Commander, how is work on the ship progressing?”

[Claudia Nevala]

Claudia smiled back and simply replied, “see you onboard,” and watched her leave.

She couldn’t deny that Kate’s new position was unexpected but she reasoned Stone must have his reasons. After all, her record was good having graduated highly in her class and was leader the flight squadron Delta. That with her opportune placement at the Starbase, she could see how it made sense but still, she’d like to asked.

Shaking her head, Claudia replied gracefully, “It’s no problem. I can understand why you chose to offer her the position in my biased opinion.” She looked into the empty mug and then up at Stone, adding, “well time will tell. I don’t see a problem as to why we shouldn’t be able to work together but I warn you now, she’s a little... headstrong at times. She gets that from her father of course.” She said the last part with a smile.

“As you must know Kate has been on starships and bases her entire life, almost all of the time while living with me so we’re used to it. If she does get out of line, I’ll pull both my ranks.”

As they spoke she noticed the Captain’s eyes go up to her brow ridges and immediately became conscious of them. She shook her head slightly hoping the fringe would cover them a little more. Even after all these years, the fact that she wasn’t quite human still bugged her. A childhood scar she’d probably take to the grave. Where Claudia only saw a xenophobic race with a superiority complex and annoying facial features, Kate saw a glorious Empire rich in culture. It was their biggest difference.

“The ship is coming along well,” she replied, “the base’s crew will done by tomorrow with the last checks then hopefully we’ll be out of here. Gives me time to transfer everything to my quarters, I haven’t even looked at them yet, you wouldn’t happen to know if I got the two bedrooms I requested, one for my son?”

[Andrew Stone]

Andrew relaxed into his chair as he spoke further with Claudia. Despite her appointment as his first officer the two of them had never met before, they had spoken via subspace but never face to face and he knew now that he had chosen well for his second in command. Claudia’s record out of the Academy was impressive; with a multitude of postings that would give her the experience to deal with the crew effectively and ultimately the experience that Andrew would come to depend on. Though he had gone through command training and served as First Officer he wondered if Star Fleet had chosen correctly on his promotion or had Admiral T’Lana put an ally in a position of influence to further her own goals?

He quickly shook his head dispelling those thoughts, he had worked too hard throughout his career; always following the book and never overly questioning orders, he deserved the chance to make his destiny as a Commanding Officer.

“Well I am glad that you are taking this well,” he paused before finally realising that Claudia had been married to Admiral Wood and his ambition flared up. He now had two links to an influential Admiral in at Star Fleet Command, one of them being his daughter and resolved that he would ensure that Kate excelled on this mission. The promotion itself could gain him a few brownie points to use in his favour.

Looking down the mug on the table he stopped himself from picking up an empty coffee cup and turned his eyes back up to Claudia nodding his head, “Yes, I spoke with the Ship’s Quartermaster and requisitioned you a family quarters, the largest on the ship.”

Andrew glanced up to the clock on the wall and it was nearing the end of the half an hour he had set aside for meeting with Kate. Instinctively he reached into his pocket for his data padd before asking, “I need to be getting back to the ship, would you like to walk with me or do you have other business to attend to?”`

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