Wise Explorers

Posted on 21 Feb 2013 @ 5:19am by Rear Admiral Lirha Saalm & Lieutenant Commander Evelyn Coleman & Marine Captain Ray Fernandez (Ret.) & Captain Sarah Sutherland (KIA) & Captain Jonathan Holliday

3,843 words; about a 19 minute read

Mission: Episode 03 - Frontier
Location: USS Galileo - Deck 2, Observation Lounge
Timeline: MD 01 - 2235 hrs

[ON]

Sitting at the large observation lounge table which had now been converted into an elegant dining room table, Lirha glanced across the room at the guests assembled. They were mostly senior officers including both her XO and 2XO, but they were also joined by their VIP guest, the retired Marine Captain Fernandez, as well as USS Venture's commanding officer, Captain Sutherland. Lirha had thought it a good idea to have a social evening while they made their way to the Rojar system, and she welcomed the chance to sit down and engage in pleasantries with them.

One of the doors to the lounge swished open and a crewman walked in who promptly made his way to the table and began to refill everyone's glasses with champagne. Looking up at him, Lirha gave him a polite nod, then took a long swig from her flute.

Sarah Sutherland took a small sip from her own flute before speaking up. "You have a lovely ship here, Lirha, and it seems a good crew. You should be proud.

"Agreed with Miss Sutherland." Ray agreed sipped carefully at his own glass, cleverly masking his distaste for the drink, it wasn't hard, his face, handsome as it was, was covered in nicks and scars that kept people from looking for too long. " Young though, other than that CoB of yours. I'm pretty sure he's been well preserved." The veteran chuckled softly.

Evelyn arched her brow at the Marine Captain's comment. "Are you implying this crew is young and inexperienced?"

Sarah smirked and took another swig from her flute letting Fernandez reply for himself.

Ray studied the woman for a moment, letting himself take her in. "Yes I believe that was what I was implying Commander Coleman." He chuckled. she's obviously older than she appears or she would have agreed. Let's see how this plays out. Ray smiled inwardly for a second before continuing. " Then again everyone begins to look young at my age." He chuckled.

"Well you know the old saying, "never judge a book by it's cover."" Evelyn mused as she reached for her champagne, "After all, Commander, you're younger than me." she smiled as she brought the flute to her lips.

The old Captain smirked, and his eyes lit up slightly. "Still look younger." He gave Evelyn a quick wink with his bad eye. " He smiled back. "It's not every day we meet an El-Aurian in Starfleet." He deduced. "How long have you been in Lieutenant-Commander."

"In Starfleet?" Eve repeated the question as she lowered her glass to the table. Leaning back in her chair she thought about her years of service. "I enlisted in 2194. I went through various non-commissioned worked on different ships. In 2306 I became a teacher Starfleet Academy, which was a fun experience. That same year I met Richard Coleman a fellow Professor. Got married in 2310, he died nineteen years later..." She sighed, "I finaly enrolled into the Academy to become an officer in 2333. Graduated Class of 37 and went on active duty instantly. Served on Starbase 221 near Trill as Chief Science officer during the late 2360's. During the Dominion War, I served on the Venture with Captain Sutherland. I was her assistant Intelligence Officer. My first time in that field since my days on the Rome in 2231. That was my last time as subordinate in a department. Been a department head since. Went back to Academy several times for refresher courses, last time was 2379 then did hard Intelligence work for Starfleet until I requested to be assigned here to the Galileo."

"And left my offer in the cold when I commanded the Gemini." Sarah chimed in.

Evelyn nodded, chuckling at the memory, "Yes, I did. But to answer your question, Captain Fernandez. Been in Starfleet, or associated with this profession, for about two hundred years."

Ray gave a low whistle and chuckled. "Two hundred years of Intelligence, damn Coleman...my two working for them was enough for me." He shook his head, smiling before taking another sip of Champaigne. "I'd tip my hat to you for doing that for so long without wanting to leave if I was wearing one..."

Evelyn shrugged, not having anything else to say.

Ray looked over to Sutherland and smiled. "The Venture...I've heard good things about her. How do you feel behind the wheel of a Galaxy? "

Captain Sutherland turned to look at the Marine, "This is the second Galaxy I've commanded. My first command was the USS Gemini, I remember my first time on her bridge. I was afraid that chair was going to eat me alive." she chuckled shaking her head brushing the lose strands of blonde hair behind her ear. "But that's normal for first commands. Isn't that right, Lirha?"

The Orion captain couldn't help but nod as she thought back to Galileo's ceremonial launch from San Francisco almost three weeks ago. It had been the most precious and humbling moment of her life so far, and she would always remember the midnight glow of the city skyline shimmering across her ship's hull while it ascended out of the drydock and up into space for the first time. "Yes, it was a bit overwhelming...to say the least. But in a good way." she answered with a wry smile.

Ray chuckled. "I wouldn't know the idea of commanding a ship Captains...but I spent most of my days on the Fitzgerald, which is also a Galaxy class. They are sturdy ships, useful in a pinch." He smiled. "However Miss Saalm, I have a small shine for the Nova class. I got to see their specs when I was back on Earth. They are more durable than they look. You handle her well."

John was apparently the last officer to join the meeting, having been on duty on the ship's Bridge. Being invited to dinner did not mean that the XO would be sacrificing his commitment to duty simply to arrive early. As the doors parted, the elegance of the Observation Lounge in this configuration took John by surprise, he was used to a far more functional layout.

"The Galileo is more than a capable ship. She proved that in her last mission. Apologies for being late, Captains."

Lirha watched the tall frame of her XO enter the room and smiled up at him as he approached. "I would say we've done rather well for ourselves so far...all things considered." she answered him with a knowing look.

Ray nodded. "All things considered indeed." Ray knew little about the Galileo's maiden voyage, but knew it would be best not to speak out loud for fear of reprisal and suspicion. Anything that involved fighting Klingons typically isn't dinner conversation.

"So the Rojar system, I have to say, it'll be nice to be seeing that part of space again. Only was ever out there once, would be nice to see the scenery this time around." He joked.

Captain Sutherland nodded, "It's nice to be explorers again, seems all we've been doing is military activity." Sarah mused thinking about their upcoming mission. "We'll truly be investigating the unknown at Rojar. If this mission goes smoothly Starfleet my begin sending more ships out on more adventures."

Ray had to admit, the less green he saw, the happier he would be. Marines needed to be put on the back burner...not forgotten, but set aside and trained in case of another war. There would always be one, and the SFMC would always be needed, but that didn't mean that had to be needed all the time. "Though it pains me to admit, Sarah. " Ray sighed. "But it'll be nice to not have to barge in phasers blasting, that's not what Starfleet stood for. "

"Agreed...we're not out here to fight...not unless we have to anyway. The Galileo certainly isn't designed to go into battle more often than she has to."

John replied with a smirk. They had seen their fair share of combat during Galileo's maiden voyage, and John's own experiences during the end of the Dominion War had been enough to put the XO off unnecessary fighting as far as possible.

Sarah noticed how Lirha relaxed when John entered the room and took mental notes. Her eyes then drifted to Coleman. "There is one thing I would like to know. Evelyn. Since when?" She asked with a smile.

Eve signed inwardly as she adjusted in her seat, "Evelyn has always been my name so when I got a new assignment I said, "What the hell" and started going by Tatiana. I just turned 200 and was feeling rebellious." She shrugged

Ray chuckled at the thought. "Remind me about that when I turn two hundred Evelyn. I think I might do the same." Sutherland, Ray seem to lean back in his chair, but in reality he was simply just changing the position that he was observing the room. It had been a habit for him ever since he had graduated the academy. Analyze the room, potential weapons, exits, mental state of his comrades. Sutherland seemed to be sizing up the Orion, but was it simple competitveness, Ray didn't know. He kept his thoughts to himself, he was enjoying himself too much to simply ruin with his thoughts. Instead he continued the conversation.

"Captain Saalm. I've been wondering since I came aboard. Why haven't other Orions opted to join Starfleet? I would think that they would be received with open..." He coughed as he realized just how inappropriate 'with open arms' would sound. " hearts." He decided the word fit the sentence a little better. "I've only have had few interactions with Orions, but they seem to be a wonderful people and could contribute highly to Federation ideals."

Lirha smiled at the older man and blushed slightly at his compliment. He had asked several good questions which were all complicated of course, but she would try her best to explain for the retired Marine. After all, she was Starfleet's first Orion captain, and a female nonetheless. "The Orion Empire is not part of the UFP, so most Orions are not raised and exposed to Federation ideals and policies. And we are not really explorers like you Humans are, instead we prefer the...simpler things in life." she said with a wink.

"Nothing wrong with simple Captain." He gave her a wink. "Best things in life are the simple things. So you were raised up with Federation ideals then, interesting." Taking a sip of the champagne he nodded. "Well, it's a good thing that we have you as a Captain then. I've heard good things about you and your ship."

"Thank you, captain." Lirha replied, "Although I must correct you on your previous statement; I was raised aboard a trade vessel since the age of two, and it was not until '74 when my family and I finally settled on Earth. I was fourteen at the time and needless to say, I experienced a bit of culture shock." she added with a light laugh, remembering all too well the strange new world of Earth along with all the unfamiliar intricacies of Human social customs.

"Well, that must have been culture shock. Looked like you adjusted well in the end." Ray replied.

"Well enough, I suppose." the Orion commented, then took a long swig from her champagne flute. "It wasn't easy being a young teenager on a new world, I can tell you that much. I wasn't exactly the most well-behaved young woman and I got into my fair share of trouble. But eventually, everything seemed to smooth out once I was accepted into the Academy."

"Smooth?" Sarah chuckled looking at her Orion counterpart, "I would assume things would have continued to be uneasy."

Lirha tilted her head curiously and looked at Sarah. "Uneasy in what way?" she asked.

"I would like to say there wouldn't be any prejudice at the academy but when it comes to non-federation members, sometimes all we know are the stereotypes." Sarah said honestly not intending any malice.

Ray snorted. "That's one way to put it."

The Orion captain shrugged as she listened to Sarah and Ray. "I grew up aboard a trade vessel which traveled both the Alpha and Beta quadrants. By the time I was ten, I had encountered over 50 different species and could speak over ten different languages." she began to explain, "To be honest, I encountered far more prejudice during those times as a trader than I ever did at Starfleet Academy. Especially from some of the less cordial races that are out there."

"Consider yourself lucky. I'm human and I think Starfleet was one of the hardest placed to fit in. Everyone always seemed to want to do better than everyone else. It was really fun, but the competitiveness always urked me. " Ray thought back to his time in the Academy. It still didn't prevent him from striving, but it was quite the change from what he had originally thought of Starfleet Academy.

"The Academy isn't exactly the easiest place to fit in - I've seen it from the side of the instructor and the cadet - makes high school look like a breeze once you've had to deal with being in a room with two dozen different species all with their own customs, languages, attitudes...it's not easy."

John piped up, having remained silent for the last few minutes. He remembered his own time at the Academy with less than fond memories for at least his first semester. Weeks went by before then-Cadet Holliday felt at ease in the corridors and classrooms of the historic buildings that had seen some of the greatest officers in Starfleet pass through, but eventually, he had found his own niche to settle into.

Evelyn thought back to her multiple years at the academy and while she didn't have many incidents she wasn't exempt from certain cadet's immaturity. "We've all had those kind of moments...I remember when I was a first year cadet, I befriended a Selay, and we were walking through the greens of Starfleet Academy." She sighed, "well we passed by the apple orchards, and I picked an apple from one of the trees. A few officers saw me and started joking how paradise is now over sin is back. I didn't understand at first until my eyes shifted from my Selay friend and to the apple. Here I was, Eve, standing next to a serpent, eating an apple I picked from the tree." Eve sighed still not finding the joke humorous. "Then they found out my true age." She groaned and shook her head.

Lirha couldn't help but chuckle, but did her best to be discreet when she noticed that her intel chief did not seem amused by the joke. Clearing her throat, she turned to the older Marine. "Captain Fernandez, how did you enjoy your time at the Marine Corps Academy?" she curiously asked. "I only visited it briefly in '82 but I found it to be quite...unique."

Ray however, was anything but discreet. "I can only imagine their faces." He bust into a chuckle. Looking over to the Orion he kept his grin. "Unique, I'm pretty sure that's political speak for something else." He sighed and rubbed the back of his neck with his left hand. "It was Starfleet Academy, just with guns." He replied, adding. " Well, guns and a colourful assortment of meatheads. "

"Meatheads?" Lirha wondered out loud as she quickly ran through the various Earth terminologies for Marines. "I thought Marines preferred the term 'jarheads'?" she asked with a grin.

"Ah, a common misconception." He grinned back at the Captain. "You see, there are two..at least I've always called it that way. A 'jarhead' is your stereo typical marine, while a meathead is you musclebound monstrosity that looks like he could eat a Klingon." He explained. "Like Cyrus. One of the biggest meatheads I ever met, his brother Osric was a jarhead. " Ray sighed, a wash of sadness overcame his normally jovial demeanor. "Poor boy wanted to make a name for himself after Osric was killed. It was a shame, Osric would go on and on about his younger brother." He sighed remembering the clean shaven, short haired Kiwosk.

Suddenly, his smile came back as he put the memory back in it's box. "Your security Officer...PO Davis, I think...he would be a meathead too." He chuckled.

Lirha gave a solemn smile to Fernandez after he mentioned the death of Cyrus' brother. Such events were often tragic in life, but also helped to motivate and inspire certain individuals. Lirha knew all-too-well the feelings associated with such a loss, having witnessed her father being murdered in front of her during her early years. "Yes, Mister Davis is rather large for a human, I agree." she finally replied. "I am impressed with your knowledge of my ship's manifest. Been doing your homework?" she asked with a raised eyebrow.

Ray simply sipped from his flute and smiled. "Something like that."

Evelyn looked between Ray and Lirha and resisted the urge to roll her eyes. "You served with them before, correct? That is how you know them." She asked the Marine Captain.

A cranky El Aurian? chuckled inwardly. "Not at all, Commander Coleman. I've never seen them before in my life...well...barring your Lieutenant Rice, I knew her father." He set the glass down. "I learned early on that the marine that survives on the battlefield is the one that learns his surroundings. So, I've spent my time around your crew, got their thoughts on what they feel the ship is like and how they see about their Commanding Officers." He let his eyes turn to Coleman. " So I began learning about people, Commanding and non-coms alike." He leaned in and whispered. "It keeps me young." He gave her a small wink and leaned back into his chair.

Evelyn arched her brow at him, looking him over as if sizing him out in her mind. "Perhaps." Eve replied before breaking eye contact and taking another sip from her flute.

Sarah observed the exchange between Fernandez and Coleman smirking as she listened. "Survival is something we all share Captain Fernandez, we're all veterans of the Dominion War. That war and it's aftermath taught me it's more than just surviving the battlefield it's knowing to how live afterwards that is important." Sarah sighed leaning back in her chair. "This is why I'm so very happy about this mission Captain Saalm. Starfleet is finally going back to what it was meant to do....to seek out new life, to explore the unknown."

"Just as long as the unknown doesn't decide it wants to display our entrails as battle trophies, that's fine by me." John replied, taking a sip from a glass of champagne that he quickly appropriated by a member of the galley staff who was passing by with a tray.

"Too much fighting is no good for anyone."

"Agreed." Lirha chimed in. "I seem to remember from my studies that the late Admiral Archer came to a similar conclusion after Enterprise painstakingly battled and confronted the Xindi. According to him, the 'unknown' was not a particularly friendly place for humanity in the mid 22nd century..."

"It's not much more friendly even heading towards the 25th I would think...with the Borg, the Dominion, the whole Delta Quadrant...the unknown still has plenty of teeth ma'am"

The XO was painfully aware of how quickly exploration could turn into a fight to the death. It had gone on enough times before during Starfleet's history, and behind every new planet usually lay someone or something trying to kill whatever it encountered.

"The Delta Quadrant... hell we haven't even explored all of the Alpha Quadrant let alone the Beta Quadrant." Evelyn chuckled shaking her head. "The universe is filled with treasures beyond imagination. Sites so breathtaking one will never forget. But it's not of the timid. When you explore the unknown, there are two things to bring; an open mind and a phaser."

Ray listened to the whole exchange and nodded. "As so it seems that the open mind is needed a heck of alot more than the phaser. Most times you just need to give the universe a good old fashioned headbutt then everything pans out just fine. Why do you think we make the saucer sections of our ships for damned huge?" He laughed at his own joke, only to have it cut off by a sudden loud rumbling. Slightly embarrassed, the marine laughed again, a big infectious chuckle deep from in his chest. "Well I think that's the body telling the mind to stop talking...shall we or is there any preparation involved for the food?" He looked to Captain Saalm.

"Yes, let's." Lirha promptly answered. She was beginning to get hungry as well, and she knew there would still be ample time for conversation both during and after the meal. Holding up a green finger and nodding to the nearby galley crewman, she gave the signal for the food to be brought out, then waited patiently as the man disappeared to retrieve the home-cooked feast. Looking back around the table, the captain raised her champagne flute in celebration. "I suppose a toast is in order before we eat." she said, then looked at the other Starfleet captain sitting nearby. "Would you like to do the honors, Captain Sutherland?"

Sarah smirked and held up her glass. "We stand today of a new frontier, a frontier of unknown treasures and perils. May the journey be safe, the discoveries grand; our hopes fulfilled and our fears fade. For we are explorers and may the journey continue. Cheers" She grinned.

Evelyn looked at Captain Sutherland with a glint of amusement in her eyes, as she lifted her glass. "Cheers." she toasted before taking a sip. Evelyn eyed the food that blanket the table and the main dish of the night. Oh...roasted duck...delicious. Eve mused to herself.

Lirha tipped her glass in acknowledgement, then drank the rest of the champagne in her glass while she pondered the new and exciting discoveries they might find in the coming days.

Ray drained the last of his glass and rubbed his hands together eagerly. "If this is how dinner is everytime you invite people over for supper Miss Saalm, I'll be more than available upon request." He grinned before slapping the hands of the serving crew in order to serve himself. "Who wants a leg?" He asked.

[OFF]

--

CAPT Lirha Saalm
Commanding Officer
USS Galileo

Lt. Cmdr. Evelyn Coleman
Chief Intelligence Officer/ 2XO
USS Galileo

Captain Sarah Sutherland
Commanding Officer
USS Venture
(PNPC played by Coleman)

CMDR Jonathan Holliday
Executive Officer
USS Galileo

Marine Captain Ray Fernandez
Marine Commanding Officer (ret)
Starfleet Academy Earth
(PNPC played by Cyrus Kiwosk)

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