Hello, My Name Won't Fit On The Badge

Posted on Sat Oct 21st, 2017 @ 5:39pm by Captain Remas McDonald

1,662 words; about a 8 minute read

Mission: S1: These Are The Voyages...
Location: Science Lab 1
Timeline: MD 1

[Deck 5 Science Lab 1]

Remas entered the science lab and marvelled at-...all the still unopened boxes.

There were examples from Page Industries, Axelrod Corp, and Ingram Nanoscale Systems, and Remas could name them all because the equipment they held was still in their duraplast packing crates. He frowned, walking over to one of them and cracked the case open. Sure the contents looked like the devils own ice cream scoop, but no doubt it had some sort of scientific providence.

Probably detected bad vibrations.

The door slid open and Tolkath entered, he had been next door in his office and had come to complete an inventory of the equipment that had been delivered. He observed a human crewman poking around in one of the boxes, the man was wearing red, so was not one of the Science team. Most of whom were still to arrive.

"It would be better if you did not touch that," He said evenly, to the man's back "This equipment is quite delicate and if it were broken we would not be able to requisition a replacement before the launch. I am Lieutenant Commander Tolkath, Chief Science Officer. Who are you?"

"Lieutenant Commander Remas McDonald, Captain last I heard word of it," he said dryly, gently patting the lid of the box down, and then gesturing to the room. "Launch timetable has us leaving tomorrow by extraordinary means. I was under the impression the shock of phase shifting this much matter past the superluminal barrier might not do nice things to items not secured for flight."

"Good morning Captain" Tolkath responded, without missing a beat, recognizing the man instantly from his file, once he turned around. "I had not been informed of your arrival. You are correct with regards to the equipment. It was my intention to leave the majority of it safely packed, until after our launch. I am here to serve, how may I be of assistance?" He fell back on the Vulcan classic.

"I just returned from a final face to face briefing with Starfleet Command. Befitting the old admirals to nearly mess up the launch timetable, nearly missed the show," Remas said, eyeing the boxes and nodding thoughtfully. "And you're already being of assistance Tolkath S'chqenr T'Jedf Tolkath. Did I get that right? Can never tell if I get the emphasis on the proper vowels right."

"A valiant attempt Captain" Tolkath nodded, giving nothing away and being too polite to add for a human "I take it we have been given the final launch clearances by Starfleet Command?"

"As well as a plea to our collective sanity to not poke anything big and nasty from beyond our understanding. Apparently, Starfleet is a smidge concerned we'll run into a Kelvan survey team or some such whilst exploring Messier 4," Remas said. "Yeah I hadn't heard of them either, but apparently two hundred years ago some upstart captain in a Consitution class starship ran across them. Advanced tech, and advanced beings from what the report said. But that was two centuries back the way we came. They're probably quite friendly folk now I'd wager. Mellow. Understanding."

He shrugged.

"Probably only turn folk into little deisicated cubes of matter if its a Thursday."

"Ahh yes, a species who believed their superiority, permitted the conquest and domination of others." Tolkath replied. " If l recall they were unable to cope with the feelings and emotions that came with encasing themselves in humanoid bodies..."

He trailed off, then looked thoughtful for a moment. " I am not aware of any propensity to distill another into a compact dehydrated porous cuboctahedron solid on a particular day of the week". He raised an eyebrow and looked McDonald straight in the eye.

"Oh yeah, you and I are gonna be the best of pals, I can tell. Me with the seriousness and you with that wry Vulcan humour famous the galaxy over," Remas nodded, speaking with the seriousness of...well...a Vulcan. "Though I am sure we'll be filling the databanks with all manner of new and exciting things. No ones gone over the barrier and come back to tell the tale. I intend to come back with stories the likes of which no delta Quadrant frontiersman could dream of."

"Pals.. close intimate friends, comrades, chums.." Tolkath tried the words out. " I do not believe l have been a pal before Captain"

McDonald chuckled.

"Though if anyone asks, the fact that I rammed this mission through its final steps to one-up Admiral Janeway is a complete and utter fabrication and ever so slightly slanderous." Remas grinned wickedly.

"I will be sure to remember that Captain" This came from the doorway "Should anyone at our destination enquire" A tall and elegant Vulcan woman stood there.

" Captain, this is my wife, Lesai" Tolkath explained " She is a Federation diplomatic envoy. How was your conference call with the Council on Interspecies Relations?"

"Good morning Captain" Lesai entered the lab approached and offered her hand "It is good to meet you at last"

"Maam," Remas said with a nod.

" It was .. spirited... " Lesai responded, then explained to McDonald " The Federation Council on Interspecies Relations has been working for several months on the wording of an official declaration of greetings and friendship for us to carry with us and present to all species we will encounter. There been much... debate ... on the exact wording. It may not be completed before our departure." And she did not appear to mind that at all.

"The Captain and l are to become pals" Tolkath informed his wife.

"Pals?" She looked to McDonald

"I was thinking boon companion personally, but whichever word fit your fiddle as my father would say," Remas said pleasantly, before focusing his attention on Lesai. "I'm sure your husband had kept you and the IR board informed on the nature of Messier 4. Not a lot of stellar rejuvenation going on in there, a lot of old main sequence stars. I'll be honest and say I'm not expecting us to find much in the way of life out there. The potential wreckage of life, ruins and what have you. But that's why we're going out there, to see what there is to see."


"That is true Captain, there are known to be White Dwarf stars there at least thirteen billion years old. It is also much smaller than the Milky Way, at only some twenty Parsecs in diameter. However, applying some of the standard computations, such the T'Chal Expression; the Drake Equation and even the Ferengi Profitable Customer Calculation, we should expect to encounter several hundred planets capable of hosting life, as we currently understand it." Tolkath commented "Of course, at what stage of evolution such life may be, at is something we shall discover in due course"

"That has been a topic of conversation between myself, the Council on Interspecies Relations and Starfleet Command. Given the current state of the Federation, they are not looking to add new enemies to our list of known sentient races. The Klingon's and Romulans are both experiencing civil wars again, the Cardassian's are getting adventurous, as are the Gorn, and the Breen...well who knows what they're up to. Last I heard we were allies of a sort, but that was a week ago," Remas chuffed. "We're probably making inroads with the Kazon for all I know. Seems we could use a lot more friends, even long distance ones."

"It was my understanding that there has also been some discussion in the Federation Council concerning the application of the Prime Directive in Messier Four," Lesai asked, "Has there been a decision about that yet Captain?"

"Discussion and orders Ma'am, discussion and orders. The Prime Directive stands, forever and always the guiding principle of Starfleet. We came out here to explore, to seek out new life and new civilisations. Not a vowel or noun in that statement gives us the right to play God and dictate the path anyone should take," Remas rubbed his eyes momentarily. "But if it ain't the bane of every starship captain whose been put in the position of having to watch tragedy without means to aid, I don't know what is."

"Coming to terms with, and accepting, the natural order can be difficult if one allows emotions to overcome logical reason" Lesai acknowledged.

"My own concern would be with encountering space-fairing but pre-warp civilizations" Tolkath commented.

"Well wouldn't be the first time a starship's crew had to build a bridge before crossing it, who knows what we'll find in Messier 4. Maybe the descendants of the Iconians? Or a large sign saying 'Milky Way, Next Left'," Remas chucked before realising he was the only one capable of expressing mirth as anything other than a mathematical constant.

The door slid open and a group of science personnel entered, bringing in more containers of equipment. "This should be the last load Commander" One announced.

"Thank you Chief" Tolkath replied, "Place it on the far side of the lab so as not to mix up our inventory."

He turned back to McDonald "Captain if you will excuse me. I believe there is aNegative Oscillating Frequency Harmonics Detection Device around here somewhere that I must calibrate before we pack it for launch"

"I have some final correspondence to complete, Captain, also." Lesai gave a nod and turned to leave.

"And I have to go convince myself to put on the damn dress uniform," Remas muttered before turning to the door, stepping past the small stream of officers bringing in more supplies. "1800 hours on the RecDeck you two. Should be an interesting chance to meet our fellow travelers."

"Well, I might still be calib-" Tolkath started but was interrupted by his wife.

"We look forward to the social gathering Captain" She replied in true diplomatic form, "Until then" She turned and left.

Tolkath began to rummage around in the boxes, trying not to think of the party to come.

 

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