Captains Arrival

Posted on Fri Jul 21st, 2023 @ 3:02am by Captain Tyler Driskill & Lieutenant JG Gulati

1,302 words; about a 7 minute read

Mission: Mission 1 - Project Concord
Location: USS Concord | Deck 22 | Shuttlebay 2

The gaseous vapors trickled upward from the lieutenant's breathing apparatus, heavy in chlorine and rich in minerals that were necessary for a Benzite like her. Her communications badge chirping over the electronic buzzing and humming of the breathing mechanism. Reaching her arm across her chest in a swift motion and pressing gently down, compressing the communications badge with her webbed fingers, the lieutenant opened the channel.

A wheezing exhale "Gulati," responded the Benzite mission specialist. She listened to the report from the Chief Petty Officer stating that the runabout had arrived. Lieutenant Gulati walked across the room a picked up the PaDD. "Acknowledged, Chief. I'll be right there" she replied and proceeded towards the turbolift.

Stepping through the doors that read Shuttlebay 2 with PaDD in hand, the young mission specialists approached the runabout knowing that one of the occupants was the Commanding Officer of the starship Concord, Captain Tyler Driskill. She walked with purpose towards the runabout and prepared to greet the Captain with any information that she could provide and answer the Captain's inquires.

Lieutenant Gulati took a deep breath, inhaling the vapors from her breathing apparatus. "Captain," she said addressing man once someone surfaced from the runabout.

Captain Driskill had sling a small duffel bag with a few of his personal items over his shoulder before exiting the runabout and with a nod he greeted the Benzite that had approached him “greetings Lieutenant.”

The Benzite looked sharply to the side of the shuttlebay where someone from the Operations department was standing. She snapped the digits on her right hand togethervas she held the PaDD in her left. "Take the Captain's belongings to his quarters and see to it the environmental controls are at a Human standard" she swiftly instructed the approaching Operations personnel.

"Captain," she said with a slight bowing of her head momentarily before looking back up at his eyes. "Welcome aboard the Concord. We have been awaiting your arrival. In the meantime, I have overseen a thorough diagnostic of the new bio-nerual circuitry to ensure everything is now compatible. I've coordinated with the shipyards engineering teams to chase any gremlins that we've come across and we have vanquished the screams of any banshees from the warpcore."

Tyler was impressed with the Lieutenant already and he didn’t even know her name. “I appreciate it, Lieutenant” the Captains left eyebrow was cocked and he left it at an open for her to respond.

"Benzite names are complicated," she replied simply though knew he'd want more of an explanation. "Let's just say they are long have multiple arrangements and some of the sounds are unpronouncible by the Human tongue. You'd likely choke on it trying to make the placements required" she elaborated.

A flash of a smile and puff of vapor, the Benzite continued "Gulati. You may call me Gulati, Sir. That has been what I've used since joining Starfleet."

“Pleasure to meet you” he smiled as he had never met a Brnzite face to face. “Well what do you have for me Lieutenant Gulati?” Tyler asked not expecting to be greeted by someone from the intelligence division.

"Oh a little Chaucer, some Hemingway, a little James Joyce," she teased as she handed the PaDD over to him. "I took the liberty of compiling an abridged version of the refitted systems. Some light reading for the Captain to get better acquainted with the Cordy" stated the Benzite.

She paused for a moment. "Concord. Sorry, I have been aboard her a while. We're on a bit of a nickname base these days."

The Captain was glancing over the refit specifications but would read them in further detail later “nothing wrong with that” Tyler let out a chuckle he had nicknamed several of his previous assignments. “Of course the most interesting aspect of Project Concord is the new warp drive” he admitted as he had been briefed by Admiral Owen Paris himself and asked to bring his son home.

"The standard Federation one or the other one" she replied though she knew he meant the Borg tranwarp drive they had been equipped with. "That's what I'm here for. I spent a good portion of my time at the Academy examining Borg tech. I had the pleasure of attending a brilliant seminar one semester."

“The other” he smiled and as a former Operations Officer he was intrigued by her experience “I’d love to hear about it” Tyler added in.

Gulati gave a slight nod. "It was given by Commander Elizabeth Shelby. We were gathered in a holosuite on campus rather than a lecture hall, and once she entered the whole room transformed to a chamber of a Borg cube. It was unsettling at first, but fascinating. We learned a lot about the various tech."

“I’m sure it was rather interesting, to say the very least” Tyler glanced over at Gulati. “I’ve never been aboard a Borg vessel or had the pleasure of meeting Commander Shelby” he admitted.

"An inspiring woman" Gulati responded. "I have only ever been in a simulated environment. This is also my first posting aboard a starship that won't be docked the whole time."

“How are you feeling about that” Tyler asked with a concerned tone and a raised brow. “Adventure among the stars can be challenging” he admitted to the less experienced young woman.

She breathed in and exhaled, vapor flowing from her apparatus. "Like it is a challenge, Captain. I love challenges because they are something for me to overcome."

Her response made a smile grow on Tyler’s face. “Well I’m certainly looking forward to working with you and your knowledge, Lieutenant.”

Gulati gave a slight nod. "And I you, Captain" she replied. "I recommend exploring the starship."

“My thoughts exactly” the former Operations Chief wanted to be as familiar with the Concord as possible. “I have to admit I’ve never step foot aboard a Nebula-class starship until today.”

Lieutenant Gulati nodded. "They were wonderful starships in their prime. From the outside, she looks her era. Inside, a few changes but everything is more or less as it would be. Her software is certainly upgraded, interfaces look modern, the bio-neural circuitry stands out, but a lot of the interior design choices have the aesthetic of the period" she explained.

She smiled as she gestured towards the doorway. "Perhaps we should see the bridge. It has the horseshoe railing around the command pit and the whole bridge has carpet and paneling."

“Very well” Tyler said and gestured toward the door “shall we” he might as well have company as he toured the ship. “How much of my ship is Borg” the Captain wanted an honest answer from Gulati not what he was told by the bureaucrats at Starfleet.

"Theoretically speaking, none of it," she replied reassuringly. "A few cadets were on loan to lend a hand in Engineering and I overheard them stating irrational fears of the ship contacting the Borg and assimilating the systems" Gulati stated.

She shook her head. "Wild nightmarish fantasies. The ship is Federation bow to stern. Yes, the transwarp device aboard is based on Borg technology but it was reverse engineered. We used a Borg design as a template, but the end result is very much Federation."

Gulati looked up at Ty. "It marginally Borg. Don't worry, Captain, we're at no risk of the transwarp drive begining to assimilate the rest of the starship."

“That’s a relief” Tyler smiled at the Lieutenant. It was risky enough going into the Delta Quadrant with out having to fight Borg technology on their own vessel. The Captain of the Concord was on his way to see his bridge, a place he would spend most of his time on this ship.

 

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