Fender Bending

Posted on Wed Jun 30th, 2021 @ 10:11pm by Captain Remas McDonald & Lieutenant Commander Shadi Zatra & Commander Onofron Zuir

2,020 words; about a 10 minute read

Mission: S2:2: Something Missing Something New
Location: Canopus Station, Pier 3
Timeline: February 2390

The hustle and bustle of Canopus Station hadn't diminished one iota in the time the Traveller had been away. Even without needing to go into the repair yard, tying up alongside one of the station main docking piers resulted in a lot of foot traffic on and off of the ship. Cargo drones trialled trains of crates of provisions and supplies, whilst men and women in Canopus Station livery walked along the wide causeway between station and ship.

Standing in the middle of that highway between two places, Remas watched the tide of goods and personnel with a merchantman eye. He noted every crate, every soul entering his ship. It was a Rish thing, he would say if pressed.

"So Jolani, what did you think of the new and improved Traveller? She seemed to handle better than before her rebirth, but I might be somewhat biased," he asked as he waved down a cargo drone. It came to a halt, lowering itself and its charged onto the floor.

He popped the lid of one of the crate, noting the waxy blocks of replicator feedstock packed within.

Jolani's customary flat voice and affect was slightly modified and started to remind the Captain of a ghost of her former self. Perhaps it was the discussion regarding the Traveller. She answered, "He performed admirably. Still, I would like to take the training wheels off him and test all of his capabilities other than under duress."

"I am sure that can be arranged. Our next mission, I'm told, is a dive into the heart of Messier 4. Plenty places to put the Traveller through her paces. I'll be looking to you to make a staging plan for that," Remas chuckled.

Among the press of incoming personnel was a tall and husky Zelonite who marched steadfastly beside a self-propelled antigrav sled that carried his belongings. The fact that he was walking aboard the Traveller rather than beaming aboard, as he'd done with most transfers, was something of note. Did this Captain MacDonald wish to greet him at the gates with a private sidebar before introducing him to the crew? Or was this an oversight, or even a personal sleight. Ono could not be sure.

And, as he did with most situations that lacked clarity, Ono stepped bravely into the unknown with his chin held high and his feet secure on the bedrock of protocol.

"Greetings," he said in crisp Federation Standard. "I am Commander Onofron Zuir. You must be Captain Remas McDonald." The pips of rank spoke more to the fact than Ono's assessment of Remas' disposition. He was simply standing there with another crew member whose uniform did not indicate she had anything to do with requisitions or anything else within the purview of Operations. Were they taking personal leave and this was how they were spending it? Ono allowed himself to smirk at the belittling though, using it to appear less rigid than he was often told he appeared to be.

"One would imagine I must be, unless there is another here about," Remas said with a warm smile. He held out a hand to the Zelonite. "I am indeed Captian Remas MacDonlad, and this is my helmswoman Jolani Kohnar. I am afraid to say that in the time we've been in port I have been from pillar to post with the Commodores Offices, and I have not had a chance to properly get to read your service jacket. Though if you're like me, you prefer to get a cut of a man from his actions not his deeds?"

Ono nodded vigorously. "Why, yes, Captain, I do very much agree that actions speak louder than words." That Remas had not familiarized himself with Ono's record was far from flattering, especially when the admission was made in front of the CFCO. "Commodore Grissom only recently assigned me to the USS Traveller, a decision that I understand to have been made over your head, as the expression goes. I do hope that we can work together despite that oversight." There. If the Rish wanted to play hardball in front of the underlings, then let one and all know Ono was Grissom's man.

Jolani looked over at Remans, curious why someone would appoint another individual onto Traveller without his approval. That did not bode well. If anyone was going to order Jolani to fly, it was going to be someone that she trusted and she was not sure what to make of this Commander. Nonetheless, she knew she would do her duty. It was one of the only things left that she had to her life.

"I trust the Commodores judgement, but there is no finer judge of character than Messier 4. It brokers no second chances nor a learning curve that is anything other than unforgiving," Remas said with a stroke his chin. "But we are to be working together, that is an immovable fact. I look forward to seeing what you make of one of the most advance exploration vessels in this star cluster. In fact, myself and Jolani here were just hashing out a plan to put the ship through her paces. See what the Wayfarer class can really do."

That piqued Ono's interest. "I see. And here I thought the Traveller had already undergone a shakedown run. Two is better than one, I suppose." By his tone he could have been sarcastic or sincere. His neutral facial expression was no help either.

"Yes our last adventure was something of a barn burner, I think is the term. Hardly good for gauging what the ship can and cannot take, though it did shake loose a few bolts the deck thumbers here at Canopus hadn't tightened down fully," Remas said. "By the way, have you had a chance to meet any of the Castaulli? Remarkable people, I'm sure you'd agree."

"Yes, they are remarkable allies," Ono agreed. "It does seem, however, that this star system is becoming rather crowded. Perhaps our next shakedown run can avoid resettlements of civilization."

"Had we a means and the foreknowledge, but that's the thing. Once you're past the Carpathia heliopause, there is a need for command flexibility. There is no Starfleet to call for back up, though now I guess there is a bit of it out here." Remas mused.

Ono nodded. "Indeed. An astute reminder as to the need for exclusivity and defense of the one and only secure system in the sector." To Jolani, he said, "I hope that--"

Before he could finish, he was nearly knocked off his feet by an extremely boisterous Saurian.

"Captain Remasss!" Shadi shouted, completely ignoring the way she'd bulldozed Ono. "Captain Remas! I cannot find Addison Wheeler anywhere! How disgraceful that I should lose my first apprentissss!"

"Have you tried using the Station's internal sensors?" Remas asked, leaning forward to offer Ono a steadying arm. "By the way, Commander Zuir meet Commander Zatra, our ships Chief Engineer. Came up through the ranks as a mustang from the non-com ranks. Finest engineer fiddler I've ever met."

Ono extended his hand toward Shadi out of force of habit. "Yes, hello, Commander. It is--"

"But I already tried that, Captain Remas!" Shadi protested as if Ono was not even there. "The sensor logs show Addison Wheeler left the Traveller, entered the station, left the station, but not on the Traveller! This is terrible! She... she was taken, posssssibly, by a vengeful space ghost to the frozen netherworld! There was talk of something called a Necrobula... What if my apprentice has fallen into starvation?! It would be the shame of N'Ragolar!"

"If there is a missing crew member, then the first thing to do would be to file a report with the sector command," Ono said. "Fortunately that is right here. Have you done so?"

Shadi fell to her knees and clutched the hem of Remas' jacket. "Please, Captain Remas! We have to find out what happened! It is a matter of honor!"

“I’m sure nothing nefarious has happened to her,” Remas chuckled. “I’ll check with the personnel roster and see if she was reassigned. Given the influx of ships to Messier 4 I’m not to shocked there’d not be some give and take on the front of staffing.”

Jolani shook her head at the excitable and what she believed slightly insane Saurian. "I do not see how this is related to anything regarding our next mission."

"It means my apprentice is missing and Engineering falls apart because the space ghosts win, you ssstupid mild-drinker!" Shadi shouted at Jolani. "Never mind. I'll find her myself." She ran off, hissing something under her breath about "fucking mammals".

The entire lower half of Ono's mouth quivered in stupefied transfixion at the exchange he had just witnessed. "That... that is your Chief Engineer, you say?" It was something he had to see to believe. "We may need to reevaluate the senior staff during this shakedown run you have planned."

Trying not to snicker, Jolani decided that this Ono might not be so bad. He obviously recognized serious flaws in the Saurian that for some reason that Captain continued to allow.

"Ahh I remember well those first few days of trying to fit into a new command once transferring in, you'll find we're as bonny a crew as you could hope for Commander Ono. Get to know us and you'll see," Remas said with a click of his fingers. "In fact once you've unpacked, I insist you join me and my darling wife for dinner. She's moving into a suite on Canopus Station to continue her work for the Long Jump Project, she'd be delighted to meet the man set upon me by command to keep me from trouble."

"I suppose..." Ono said. When it came to a dinner date, he was at a permanent disadvantage due to his unattached status. "Assuming our departure is not an imminent one."

"Oh, I think we have time. Given our mission isn't going into Myriad space, we'll be offloading our Silver Bullets. That takes time given the nature of subspace weapons. Don't want to go about dropping one and finding out what it can do close up," Remas said with nod. "In fact, time allowing on this mission, we'll swing past the Castualli star system and do a blast damage assessment, see how well these Myriad Killers really are."

Ono nodded in agreement. "Yes, it is always wise to assess the extent of damage after an act of potential ethnic cleansing," he said with stoic dispassion. "If I may ask, how is it the Traveller was outfitted with subspace weapons? Do the Khitomer Accords not apply in Messier 4?"

"Special dispensation from the Federation Council, you have read the reports from the Office of Special Investigation? Rumours of Myriad infiltration of the Milky Way? So far subspace has been the only medium through which those fae bastards have even gotten a bloody nose. They are not used lightly, thus why our stock is being offloaded for this mission: Myriad use only." Remas explained.

Ono raised his chin and regarded Remas with no undue amount of suspicion. "Uh huh..." he said. "I see. Hopefully Messier 4 will not occasion any further special dispensation for war crimes and violations of interstellar treaties."

"Tell that to the Myriad, who seem quite at home with casually incinerating entire populations of people, and souring the wells of their destiny," Remas said with a shrug. "In either case, we will see what Messier 4 provides us."

"I will absolutely pose that conundrum to the Myriad," Ono said with a candid inflection, "should I ever occasion to serve on one of their vessels." Looking between Remas and Jolani, he nodded his head. "Captain. Lieutenant." And then he stepped aboard to begin yet another ruthless campaign of corrective actions.

"I do quite believe," Remas said with. a smile as Ono departed. "That man is quite taken with me. Alas I am but a happily married man. You heard the XO, let us be to work."

 

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