3
Captain's Log Stardate: 9603.9
I have convened a series of interviews with my new crew. I have
been pleasantly surprised by the officers who have spoken with
me. I have, with the exception of Commander White, spoken with
all of my new command staff. They are a well trained and knowledgeable
group. I do see a few possible personality conflicts that may
arise but I do not believe that they will in any way affect the
crew's ability to carry out orders from me or from each other.
I will be evaluating the crew's performance throughout the shakedown
cruise and will post my evaluations to Starfleet Command each
day.
Commander
Margaret White walked into Captain Taylor's office her uniform
impeccable and her carriage one of a proud Starfleet officer.
Taylor motioned for her to be seated and she took the seat nearest
the Captain's desk.
"I have read over your personnel file," the Captain
began. "I am very impressed with your record of service.
You have come quite a way in a short time." Taylor glanced
up at White to gauge her reaction to his praise. Her face showed
nothing, only the same stoic expression that she had carried in
with her.
"Thank you, Captain," was her short, terse reply.
"I won't belabor this point and I will not mention it again,
unless the need arises, but I am a bit concerned with your lack
of experience in a command role," Taylor said. White started
to protest what she saw as his rather hasty judgment of her abilities
but he stopped her with a raised hand. "I know you have
trained intensively at the Command College. I just want you to
realize that simulators are not the end or your training."
Taylor stood and walked around his desk to perch on the edge.
"I know your qualifications, Commander. I will be calling
on you for your input on any given situation. Don't hold back.
Tell me your judgments about what you think this crew should
do; what it is capable of. I will be relying on you to command."
Taylor stopped and looked his First Officer right in the eyes.
"Remember your training, but be creative. No situation
is like any other." Taylor smiled an easy smile of an old
professor instructing his most prized student.
"You can count on me, sir," White said, her back straight
and her head high.
"Good," Taylor replied. "That will be all, Commander.
Prepare for departure."
"Yes, sir," White said. She stood, turned and strode
out of the Captain's office to make her way to the bridge. Taylor
watched as she left. He noted a spring in her step that belied
her stoicism. He smiled at the memory of his own first foray
into the upper command structure of a starship. The nervousness,
the excitement and the pride that he felt each time he walked
onto the bridge of a ship. He knew instinctively that Margaret
White was of a similar breed.
*****
Taylor stood in the turbolift and closed
his eyes. It was time to leave spacedock and begin the shakedown
of the ship. He waited a beat as the lift doors opened to the
bridge of the Independence. He opened his eyes and stepped
out of the lift.
"Captain on the bridge," Commander Margaret White called
out as she vacated the center seat for the Captain to sit down.
Eyes looked in his direction, all expectant and ready for action.
Taylor sat down in his seat. "Mr. Stalan," he called
to the Vulcan Communications Officer, "patch me into the
intercraft system."
"Aye, sir," Stalan answered in a quiet oh so Vulcan
voice. His fingers dancing across the controls in practiced movements
keying in the right sequence to allow the captain to address each
crew member aboard the ship. "Intercraft ready, sir."
Taylor pressed his comm button. "This is the Captain,"
his voice echoed throughout the great ship catching the attention
of each of the four hundred and forty-five pairs of ears. "We
are preparing to leave spacedock to embark on our shakedown cruise.
All hands to ready stations," Taylor paused wishing that
he had words of great wisdom to leave his crew. At last he simply
stated, "Ladies and gentlemen, may the wind be at our backs."
He cut the signal and looked ahead at the viewscreen which showed
the closed spacedock doors.
"Mr. Stalan, put me through to dock control," Taylor
ordered.
"Aye, sir," Stalan replied opening the channel. "Dock
control, Captain."
"Spacedock, this is Independence, we are in final preparation
to leave spacedock. Request departure," Taylor said in a
voice that spoke of his excitement.
"This is spacedock. Departure has been verified. Good
luck, Independence," came the reply. Taylor could
almost hear the smile plastered to the dock master's face.
"Independence acknowledges. Open spacedock doors,"
Taylor said. "Mr. Grace, clear all moorings."
"Moorings cleared, Captain," David Grace replied as
the doors slid open before them revealing the sight all had been
waiting to see: the stars.
"Maneuvering thrusters, ahead one third," the Captain
ordered. Tayor was finding it difficult to keep his excitement
in check. A deep breath and a slow exhalation did little to quell
the growing fires of anticipation burning in his belly.
Lt. David Grace guided the starship to the doorway. From inside
the large spacedock control room, the duty Chief watched as the
large vessel glided silently through the vacuum and toward the
opening that led to outer space. Graceful, quiet, powerful were
the only words that the aging dock master could think of as he
paid witness to the first voyage of the U.S.S. Independence.
He knew that the view from outside the station could be no less
spectacular than the vision he had here and now. A surge of pride
rocketed through his body as he watched the starship leave his
care.
The great ship moved beyond the doorway of spacedock and out
into the gleaming light of the sun. Her hull shone bright white
in warm glow of Sol. The twin nacells that would hurtle the ship
into warp speed stood strong and tall from the ship, the primary
saucer led the ship out into the stars.
"We are free and clear to navigate, sir," Grace told
his Captain.
"One half impulse power, Mr. Grace. Ready on full impulse
on my order," Taylor stated.
"Aye, sir," Grace replied.
Taylor gave the order to go to full impulse power and the ship
glided silently through the solar system. As each planet slipped
past, each member of the crew waited to hear the order for warp
speed. Thirty-five minutes into her maiden flight, the order
was given for Independence to go to warp speed.
"Mr. T'Long," Taylor called to the Andorian navigator,
"lay in a course for one five seven mark twenty-two."
"Course plotted and laid in, sir," the Andorian replied.
"Mr. Grace, warp one," Taylor ordered with a slight
smile on his face.
As Grace complied with the order, the ship sprang forth into
the blackness of open space. The stars of the Milky Way galaxy
blurred slightly then came back into sharp focus as the ship moved
faster than light.
Taylor felt the collective sigh of relief from his crew, and
himself, as the new warp engines performed up to their specifications.
"Commander White, I am going to complete my inspection.
You have the conn." Margaret White nodded and moved toward
the con station as Taylor stood from his seat and walked toward
the turbolift. The adventure had begun.
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