A New Adventure
Posted on Tue Aug 20th, 2024 @ 11:43pm by Captain María Zavala & Lieutenant Commander Jessun Tauhn Ph.D
2,370 words; about a 12 minute read
Mission:
Episode 1.01 - "Ad Astra"
Location: USS Carina
Timeline: MD03, 1227 Hours
ON: [[USS Carina, Day 03, 1227 Hours]]
The shuttle came to a final stop as the docking clamps took hold. The faint tremor felt through the deck plates announced they had arrived. “Ladies, Gentlemen, and non-binary passengers, welcome to Starbase 332. Please make sure to take everything you have, and watch your step.” The voice of the pilot came over the comm system as the rear hatch opened.
Jessun Tauhn rose from her seat, letting an Andorian go first as she picked up her duffel bag. The journey from Starbase 417 to 332 had been a long one, and she had tried to fill it by learning up on the Galaxy-class. What she learned was that the ship, while majestic, did have a lot of off-duty lounge areas. The docking area was busy, bustling with the activity of many peoples coming and going. Jessun made her way across the arrivals area, wanting something to drink. It had been a long trip, and she had the time to kick back for a bit before heading onto the Carina.
Clearing the immediate arrivals area, Jessun saw an open restaurant of sorts, with an array of seats and tables outside. Getting a herbal tea, Jessun set her bag by the table, and sat down to watch the concourse. The prospect of a starship assignment was a big one. She had spent ten years of her career on Starbases. Ten out of thirteen. That was a hell of a ratio.
Over the course of an hour, as the tea cooled, Jessun continually went over the thought of what was to come. On the plus side, it was going to be her department. She’d have her hands in every project, every piece of research. That was exciting. Just the idea of constantly jumping from one place to the next, then the next. Jessun liked to have stability, be in the same place. Starships bothered her on a visceral level. It wasn’t spacesickness, it was just a fundamental shift in how she liked to do things.
Finally, once the now cold tea had been drunk, Lieutenant Commander Jessun Tauhn, Ph.D picked up her bag, and headed for the passage that led to the main docking area. She had the mooring umbilical corridor listed on her PADD, recently updated once she was inside the station. It was just a matter of finding the right one. The giant floor-to-ceiling windows that looked into the docking area showed all the ships currently at the Starbase. She could see some civilian ships, as well as Starfleet ones there.
Finally, she came to airlock Delta-32, and saw a member of Security stood at the entrance, not blocking it, but just keeping an eye. “Excurse me.” She flashed her best smile. “This is the USS Carina, yes?”
“Correct ma’am.” The junior Lieutenant responded. “You’re free to head in.”
Jessun squared her shoulders, set her bag more securely, and headed down the umbilical corridor for the ship’s airlock, and the new adventure that awaited her.
The ship airlock doors opened to greet her. A T-junction lay before her, the same long corridors extending to the left, right, and directly ahead. "Would it have killed them to put direction signs." Jessun muttered to herself.
"You are on Deck 7. The nearest turbolift is to your left." A nearby wall console had lit up at her words, a series of blinking lights indicating the direction to the nearest turbolift.
Heading that way with a weary look at the console, Jessun almost walked right past the Turbolift doors. "The Turbolift is immediately on your right, Lieutenant Commander Tauhn."
The computer was too damned nice, Jessun thought as she stepped in. "Deck 3." She called, as the PADD that held her new assignment also held her cabin details - Deck 3, Cabin 327-A. The Turbolift doors closed, and the car rose smoothly up the four decks to reach Deck 3. Stepping out, Jessun once again looked left and right. There was one of those general information panels again. She sighed. "Cabin 327-A, please."
The panel lit up, with a zoomed-in floor plan, a pathway from point-A to point-B was highlighted, and again the blinking lights showed her the way. Was it too late to just turn around and go back to her Lab on 417?. Probably.
Jessun followed the indicating lights, turning at each intersection, until she came to a door. The door itself was stenciled with "3-327-A". There was a screen next to the door, which had two simple lines of digital text.
Lieutenant Commander Jessun Tauhn, Ph.D
Chief Science Officer
At least the computer was kind enough to include her degree, even if it wasn't calling her "Doctor." The doors opened for her, and Jessun found a quite spacious room. The duffel was tossed onto the bed - a lot of her things were still being shipped over from her last assignment. Nice double bed, a decent couch, a computer terminal on the coffee table, and a wall display. She stuck her head into the bathroom. Sonic shower, and all the usual amenities. Not bad, on the whole.
Standing in the middle of the room, Jessun considered her next actions and sighed. Might as well meet the boss, she supposed. The trip back to the Turbolift was without a single piece of assistance from the computer. Once Jessun had walked a route, she knew it - forwards and backwards. The Turbolift was there, and waiting. "Is the Captain on the Bridge?"
"Captain Zavala is in the Ready Room, Deck 1. Would you like to go there?"
"Deck 1." Jessun declared, not quite answering the question directly.
Less than a minute later, and Jessun Tauhn was stood, facing the open layout of the Bridge. Even she had to admit, it was grand, and quite beautiful.
It was only a few moments to admire the view before she was stood outside the doors of the Ready Room, and tapped the announcer.
[[Ready Room]]
The sound of the door chime drew Zavala out of her thoughts. She lowered the PADD she had been reading, and her eyes came to rest on the half-finished cup of tea set nearby on her desk. It had started out hot. But, in the intervening time, had grown quite cool from having sat out for so long. A part of her debated whether she wanted a refresher or simply to dispose of it. But the chime sounding again told her that was a decision best left for later.
"Enter," she called.
The doors opened, and Jessun walked in, a pleasant smile seemingly permanent. "Captain. A pleasure to meet you. Doctor - Lieutenant Commander - Jessun Tauhn. I'm your new head of sciences."
"Likewise," Zavala said, rising to her feet and offering the new arrival a handshake. It was one thing to read about someone, or speak with them (briefly) while an assignment was being finalized. But being meeting (and interacting with) them face-to-face was, in Zavala's experience, the greater opportunity to make a connection. "I trust your journey out to us went well?"
Jessun let go of the enthusiastic and genuine handshake. "No long distance shuttle trip can ever be said to go well." She replied with the hint of a laugh. "But, I had some academic reading to occupy the time. A couple of scientific journals I wasn't yet current on. Plus, the Galaxy-class schematics. I didn't quite realise just how expansive everything was. There's more science labs on board than Starbase 417. With one devoted entirely to Stellar Cartography." She sounded awed, and indeed Jessun felt a little overwhelmed. "I don't think I had fully realised just how much I had bitten off."
"Just wait 'til you see cetacean ops," Zavala told her with a slight chuckle. In truth, her reaction had been rather similar to the commander's when she first learned of her new assignment (as had, she suspected, been most people's when seeing a Galaxy for the first time). "The ship does take some getting used to," she admitted, motioning for Jessun to sit, "but as you said, there aren't many places (outside a starbase) where you're going to find facilities like this. And they are definitely going to come in handy where we're going..."
Jessun sat in the offered chair. "I gotta say, I am somewhat relieved Cetacean ops doesn't entirely fall under my remit." She was sure there might well be some marine biologists who would liase with the department, but it was more under Operations than Sciences. "A Galaxy-class really does have the feel of a flying Starbase." Maybe she was just trying to hold onto a feel of being in one place? "So much lounge space, so much... everything."
"Yes, well...it does take some getting used to."
"That it does, Captain." Jessun took a moment, then allowed her curiosity to bloom. "Is there anything you can tell me about where we're heading?"
"Oh, I don't want to spoil the briefing," Zavala replied, "but as you're probably aware, ours is to be an exploratory assignment." There was a certain twinkle in her eyes as she spoke the words 'exploratory assignment', a change in her whole demeanor, in fact, that made it clear Jessun had touched on something for her. "It's been a long time since a ship of Carina's size or stature has had an opportunity to do this," she continued, "and I (for one) am glad we've been chosen. Our initial course will take us from here out past the boundaries of Federation space. From there, it's really up to us (and whatever we happen to find along the way) to determine the next move."
Jessun's expression just lit up at the news. "A true, deep space exploratory expedition." She said. "Okay, now that is exciting." All the new places they'd get to see. The new people they'd get to meet. The new things they'd get to discover. It was a scientist's dream. She'd be at the head of it. Seeing all the research, helping organise the teams. "Well hot damn. This is going to be an adventure and a half."
Zavala laughed. "Well, I'm glad you approve," she said.
"Was there anything you wanted to address while I was here, Captain?" Jessun didn't want to dash off before they had covered all the bases.
"Now that you mention it, there was..." Ever since being given command of the Carina, Zavala had spent considerable time learning about those who would be serving under her. Not each and every individual, of course, but certainly the senior staff, department heads, and any others she thought she'd be most likely to deal with on a regular basis. Some, like Calloway, Jessun, and others, she'd had the opportunity to be involved in the selection of. Others, like T'Laris and Ra-Graveii, were carryovers from the previous tour of duty. And while she'd managed to sort most of the major positions, there was one in particular that still needed addressing (preferably before they left spacedock). "I would like you to be second officer."
The double blink was almost audible. Whatever Jessun had been expecting, it hadn't been that. Truthfully, she hadn't known what to expect. Second Officer. The idea skittered through her mind. On the one hand, it would mean time away from the lab. On the other... Was there an other? Maybe she'd have more influence on what the ship did. Clearly the Captain wanted her for the job. The thought process took just a couple of seconds. "Thank you, Captain. It means a lot that you would ask me. Of course I accept."
"I genuinely believe you will do well in this position," Zavala told her, "Your previous COs spoke very highly of you. In fact, they made particular mention of your leadership abilities, both during away missions and when conducting research. Given the nature of our assignment, I felt it only fitting that science (and a scientific perspective) should play a major role in the structure of our command."
Jessun couldn't help the smile that grew on her face. She hadn't expected such high praise, let alone for it to lead her to being the Second Officer. "Thank you, Sir! I'll do my best to rise to your expectations."
"Now, I should warn you," Zavala said, doing her best not to dampen the mood, "With this appointment, the three senior-most positions aboard Carina are filled by folks who are new to this ship (and its crew). I've spoken with Lieutenant Commander T'Laris and Doctor Ra-Graveii about helping bridge that gap, and they are amenable. But you, Mister Calloway, and I are going to have to put in an extra effort as well."
"I am already looking forward to working with both the Commander, and the Doctor." Jessun made a mental note to look the names up when she got back to her quarters. It would seem her initial coming aboard would entail more than just meeting her own staff.
Zavala smiled. "Glad to hear it," she said.
"Unless you wished me for anything else, Captain. I should make some more meet and greets." Jessun didn't wish to just skip off, but with the extra people to meet, she wanted to get a jump on the day.
"I think that will be all," Zavala said, "Thank you, commander."
Jessun rose to her feet. "Thank you, Captain." She headed out of the Ready Room, and back into the Turbolift for the ride back down to Deck 3. She didn't ask for directions again - she knew where her cabin was now. When she got there, though, she saw the nameplate next to the door.
Lieutenant Commander Jessun Tauhn, Ph.D
Chief Science Officer
Second Officer
Had Captain Zavala put it into the system already? Or had the computer been listening, and it's internal programming made the adjustment? Uneasy at the prospect, she walked into her quarters, wanting to get fully settled before she tackled the meet and greets to come.
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