Onboarding...

Posted on Mon Oct 7th, 2024 @ 9:47pm by Captain Dr. Nairut Noxi & Commander Damian Morgan & Lieutenant Commander Mira Napier & Lieutenant Commander Andrew "Drew" Chandler & Lieutenant Commander Joran Maz & Lieutenant Byron Baker & Lieutenant Alex Dalton & Lieutenant JG Dija Zen & Lieutenant JG Mike Barton & Ashley Chandler & Rachel Chandler

0 words; about a 1 minute read

Mission: To Boldly Go...
Location: DS9
Timeline: MD001w

Dr. Nairut Noxi stood at the Docking Ring, deep in conversation with Admiral John Miller, her direct boss. "Welcome to Command, Captain," he said, smiling, extending a hand. Her PiP frocking had happened the day before, with her son there, too, to witness. It was...surreal. Two weeks ago, she was the Chief Medical Officer. Today, she was Commanding Officer. "Thank you, Sir," she said, watching as the doors opened to the refurbished Deliverance. Following the Breen attack, when they'd taken hits to both staff and ship, only a small handful of crew had remained, and they'd had to be towed to DS9 for repairs and recovery. The Captain and XO had both died in combat, and she was the next in line. Not even the Second Officer had the same time in rank, experience, and accolades. So here she was. She wasn't ready, but it couldn't be helped.

"I am ready," she lied. She smiled as the Admiral took his leave, and Benny reappeared. Should we get a drink to celebrate? I'll treat. Noxi smiled.

"Let's go, kid," she said, leading him towards the Promenade. "Hold on, though," she said. reaching up to smooth his collar lightly. "There. You can't be a Captain's kid and wear your uniform askew," she said. "To Quarks!" She lead on.

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Drew was sitting at the bar in Quark's having a Budweiser Classic and relaxing after his final duty watch as an officer assigned to Deep Space Nine. His reassignment orders to the USS Deliverance had come down this morning and he had went to the ship to speak briefly with the Captain. He then went and spoke with Ashley and Rachel. Ashley had actually been excited for the opportunity to join him on the deep space assignment. Rachel had voiced a few concerns when her niece had run to her room to pack.

Drew had returned to his watch in Ops and was now just having a moment to decompress and enjoy what he hoped would be the next phase of his life.

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Mira was in her temporary quarters on Ds9, wiping a tear from her eyes as she remembered, holding her Captain. She was begging him to stay with her, as they materialized back to the ship. The Breen had mistaken her as one of their own, because of her unique dialect. It was the only way she survived. She breathed deeply trying to keep from crying again. The Memorial was sweet and surreal, but she still felt hurt. She was offered the command of XO, as she knew the Chief Medical was better suited as Captain and that she agreed with. She turned down the offer, as she preferred her position. She looked in the Mirror. "I don't know how to honor you, I know we didn't have much time together." She breathed again, "But you were a great Captain to me..." She couldn't control her tears and after a few minutes, she wasn't sure about going out of the room. "I am a mess." She sighed, "But I need something to drink, besides what the replicator can offer."

She left, heading to Quarks, thinking to herself... 'It should have been me, not you.'

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As Noxi and her son entered the bar, she got an idea. She smiled at Benny, and spoke. "Hold on a minute, I'm going to speak directly to Mr. Quark," she said. She approached the bar; she knew the man-not well, but she'd spent enough time on DS9 (and Bajor) to have learned who people were and vice versa. After a minor threat of his head on a silver platter served to the Cardassians, she had a channel open on his Comms system.

Attention all station personnel. If you're transferring to the USS Deliverance, please report to Quarks immediately. This is your Captain speaking. She turned back to the Ferengi. "You'll send any late comers to the back table, right?" She said-more of a statement than a question. She made her way to the back of the bar, and Benny helped her set up two tables before she sent the kid to get her a Springwine while she waited.

Drew looked up from his PADD as the announcement went out. Pocketing his PADD, he grabbed his bottle and made his way from the bar to the table being setup for the officers and crew of the Deliverance. He greeted Nairut as he approached the table. "Good evening Captain." Her civilian attire indicating this was some sort of casual meet and greet of sorts.

Noxi smiled. "Hello!" She said. "Hey, sit down. This is just very casual. Thought this was a better idea than those stuff meetings in the Ready Room that we all hate," she said, settling in with her wine.

Drew smiled. "I wanted to let you know that I have discussed my assignment orders with Ashley and Rachel and...well Ashley immediately went to her room and started packing her things for the move to the ship."

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Mira had paused by a railing on the promenade. She sighed as she lightly tapped on it. She swore she could feel a presence, but she turned to see that no one was there. She closed her eyes a moment assuring herself that she'll be okay. She was lost in the moment, in her memories, until the voice came over the comms. She was shakened to reality and she casually walked on towards Quarts. She took a deep breath, before she walked into the establishment. She kept to herself since the event and she knew she should have seen the Captain's sister or the doctor, whom was now her Captain. She was one to keep things to herself, until she couldn't. She bit her lip as she stood in line to greet the Captain.

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Baker had already entered Quarks, where the captain had bumped into her, causing him to spill his drink on himself.

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Rachel arrived a few minutes after the announcement went out, escorting Ashley who had wanted to meet with Captain Nairut Noxi and personally thank her for allowing her to accompany her dad aboard the USS Deliverance. She spotted Drew and tapped Ashley on the shoulder. "Go on and say hello. I'll be right behind you after I grab a drink from the bar."

Ashley grinned and took off across the bar and came to a stop along side her father. She took a deep breath and launched into an immediate thank you. "Hi there Captain. I'm Ashley Chandler. I wanted to come to your gathering and thank you for letting me join the ship for the space mission. I promise to be very good while I am aboard and help out however I can." She glanced at her dad for a moment before turning back to Noxi. "After I have all my school work done of course."

Noxi looked up at the young woman. "Ah! Ashley. Nice to meet you," she said. "YOu're very welcome. Sit down. Do you want some pizza or something?" She asked. "We are just ordering what we want, and Quark and I will square up later," she said. "Of course, school is most important. I was just telling Ben that he needs to focus less on girls and more on school himself," she said, indicating the young man next to her. "I think your father is over chatting with Naipier," she said, pointing behind her.

Ashley glanced around and saw her dad sitting at the group's table by himself and quietly nursing his drink. She was about to head over and talk to him when her Aunt Rachel appeared and handed her a glass. "What's this?"

Rachel took a sip from her own glass and smiled at her niece. "Root beer." She turned to Noxi. She held out her right hand. "Pleasure to see you again Doctor Nairut..actually I guess it is Captain now."

Noxi smiled and nodded. "Good to see you. Doc is still OK. Captain is...weird," she said. Several weeks ago, she was Commander Nairut, Chief Medical Officer. Now she was a starship captain. WEIRDDD. "Ooh, root beer," she commented. "Sit down, Ashley," she said, indicating the other chair. "Drew, are you joining us?" She asked, raising her voice an octave.

Rachel watched as Ashley ran off to sit with her father. She turned back to Noxi with a slight smile on her face. "Wanted to give you a heads up. When Drew spoke to Ashley and I about his assignment and your offer to allow her to accompany him. I contacted a friend at the Federation News Service to finally accept a permanent position. Seems that they have a source that knows something about your upcoming mission. Looks like my first story will be as an embedded journalist aboard Deliverance. I should have confirmation on employment and assignment by tomorrow morning."

Noxi nodded. "Interesting," she said. "What can you tell me?" She asked. She was intrigued. "Anyway, good luck. And yes...I have a child of my own, and I know what it is like, having to make different choices that are in their interests, and I need Drew's expertise and the extra hands," she said, frankly. "So I had to do what is in the best interest of the crew," she said. "It's a win-win," she smiled, and sipped her wine.

Commander Morgan meandered his way through the bustle of the bar and finally found the table where the Captain had settled. “Good evening. Hope I’m not interrupting. Captain, I have to say ‘congratulations’. Didn’t get to say so when we last ran into each other.” He turned to the woman Noxi was previously addressing. “Damian Morgan, First Officer.”

Rachel turned to Damian and smiled as she gave him a head-to-toe-head once over. Her smile grew slightly as she extended her hand in greeting. "Pleasure to meet you Damian Morgan, First Officer. Rachel Chandler, soon to be Federation News Service correspondent joining you on your upcoming mission."

Noxi smiled, but nodded. "Thanks. Feel free to join us, if you'd like. Unless you're otherwise occupied," she said. It hadn't escaped her notice that several women had checked him out on his way in. Noxi couldn't blame them, but she wasn't ready yet to be involved with ANYONE, let alone her XO. What a way to end her career!

Rachel chuckled as she gave a shrug of her shoulders. "I haven't a clue. My friend at FNS never shared any details and I didn't ask for any." She looked about as officers and crew started to trickle in. She glanced back at Noxi. "I don't want to take any more of your time. If you will excuse me, I will join Drew and Ashley." She glanced back at Damian. "Pleasure to meet you sir and please call me Rachel."

Morgan half-grinned when he noticed Rachel “checking him out”. He also thought that she was quite lovely. “The pleasure is mine….Rachel. Welcome aboard. You understand all department heads report to me. I believe FNS correspondent falls under that category. I look forward to learning more about your assignment. I’m sure you’re aware of ship protocols when it comes to these things. Don’t hesitate to come to me with any problems, questions, or recommendations.”

Rachel grinned mischievously. "Afraid not Damian Morgan, First Officer. I'm a civilian journalist. Only person I report to is my editor when I file a story." She took a step forward to enter his personal bubble. "However, I will say I am looking forward to interviewing you in the next few days. If you would be interested in talking some more?" She took a sip of her springwine as she waited for an answer.

“It’s just Damian or Commander. Perhaps I did jump the gun a bit. We can discuss security matters and department access at a later time. I’d be happy to sit down with you. As soon as Deliverance is underway and the minutiae of ship’s launch are buttoned up, we can figure something out.”

Rachel quirked an eyebrow and nodded. A happy smile on her face. "I would love that Commander Morgan."

Noxi watched, an eyebrow raised, and fought an urge to laugh. Oh, well. She was interrupted in her thoughts by her kid, though, as he stood up to leave. "I am going back to the room, Mom. My shuttle leaves at 0700 back to the Academy and I told Gram that I'd call her before I left," he said, kissing her cheek as he headed out. Noxi knew he was actually going to go find some trouble elsewhere, but he was polite enough to lie to her about it. She shook her head. "Ok, please be careful. I won't be late," she said, watching him go. Sheesh, he looked so much like his father, it made her stomach hurt sometimes.

“Captain, if you’ll pardon me, I see there are still members of the crew I haven’t met. I’ll go mingle,” Damian said. He nodded at the civilian journalist. “Rachel…. you know where to find me.”

Rachel gestured to Drew and Ashley. "Well, I know one of your officers and would be glad to introduce you." She hooked an arm through one of his and grabbed his muscular bicep with her other hand. She glanced at Noxi. "You don't mind if I steal your First Officer for a moment. I promise to return him in working order."

"Of course," she said. "Enjoy yourselves," she said. "Just be careful," she said, the last part a bit under her breath. To be young and free again! Noxi figured she might as well do the same, so she stood up, picked up her glass, and made her way to the next table.

Morgan turned his head as the Captain walked in the opposite direction. “Au revoir,” he said sarcastically.

Rachel led Damian away-he wasn’t sure where. “Where are we going?”

He paused momentarily and pulled her closer by their interlocking arms.

“Can you do me a favor?” he said with a lightness and uneven laugh in his voice. “You don’t need to address me by my full name. ‘Commander Damian Morgan—or Damian Morgan, First Officer’. It all sounds just so ridiculous. I know we just met, but as you so skillfully pointed out, you are not under my command. It’s just Damian, alright?”

Rachel nodded. "In that case, please call me Rachel." She gave Damian's muscled arm a gentle squeeze. 'Tight muscles, he works out', she thought to herself. She turned her attention to Drew and Ashley as they approached the table. "Drew, Ashley, allow me to introduce Commander Damian Morgan. Damian, This is Lieutenant Commander Andrew Chandler and his daughter Ashley."

Drew stood up and shook hands. "Pleasure to meet you sir ."

“Commander, how are you? Likewise,” Morgan said.

Ashley sat grinning for a moment at Rachel before turning to Damian. "Nice to meet you sir."

“Hello, Ashley. Nice to see you. Hope you’re enjoying the station’s hospitality. You know there are holosuites upstairs? It’s a lot of fun…”.

Damian stood and thought for a second. “Mr. Chandler. Strategic Operations, right? I look forward to working with you, Commander. You know, I need a drink. Can I get anyone anything? Rachel? What are you drinking?”

Rachel handed Damian her empty wine glass after downing what little remained. "Springwine if you would."

"Make it two please." Ashley was very casual as she spoke.

Drew and Rachel spoke simultaneously. "Root beer!"

Ashley sighed and looked at her dad and aunt. "Can't blame a girl for trying."

Drew polished off his pint. "I’ll go with you."

“Maybe I should right this down, Chandler. Just kidding. Ok, ladies…spring wine and root beer coming right up. Commander, after you,” Morgan said as he pointed in the direction of the bar.

The two men muddled through the tumult of the crowd and Quark’s whining and complaining to place their drink orders. Damian tried some small talk with Drew to pass the time while waiting for their beverages. “Tell me, Commander, how long have you served on Deliverance? Quite an impressive vessel. I’m looking forward to finally seeing it.”

Drew shrugged. "My transfer orders were cut this morning. I will be reporting tomorrow morning for in-processing. Though I was on attached duty for the last mission. I've been Strategic Operations Officer here at Deep Space Nine for the last five years."

“Five years….the station’s loss and our gain, then. Your experience will be invaluable, Mr. Chandler. I was stationed at Starbase 375 for several years, worked my way onto the Command staff. Looking forward to getting out into space again. My passion and training is flight and aviation, but who can turn down a long term exploration opportunity? Hang on, I think our drinks are ready. Let’s get back to our friends,” a confident Morgan declared.

Drew grabbed his and Ashley's root beers and waited for Damian to get his and Rachel's drinks. "My Special Warfare platoon was forward deployed at Starbase 375 for a time during the Dominion occupation of Deep Space Nine. We ran a few deep insertion missions behind enemy lines."

“And you made it home to talk about it. I remember the casualties were high. Hope your unit didn’t suffer too many losses.” Morgan took the remaining drinks back to where his group was seated.

Drew was quiet a moment. His platoon had been wiped out on a mission when he had returned to Earth following the Breen attack that had killed his wife, Renée. "It was war. There were many casualities."

Damian and Drew returned to where he saw Rachel and Ashley were gathered. He was enamored with Rachel, despite just making her acquaintance. He was hoping they could become fast friends. He had been alone most of his service on the Starbase. Time to make a new start with a new assignment? Time would tell. But she WAS beautiful.

Ashley took her drink and listened to the adults talk for a bit. Drew finished his root beer about the same time as Ashley. He bade Damian and Rachel good night and the two departed.

Rachel sipped her springwine and gave Damian a curious look. "Do you like to dance Damian?"

Morgan was now drinking real beer, as opposed to the synthale he had ordered previously. He took a long sip before he answered Rachel’s question. “Well, ‘like’ is a relative concept. I’ve been known to hold my own on a couple of occasions. Nothing really complicated, mind you. As a pilot, you get the feel for your ship by the vibrations and nuanced responses to the what you’re doing in that moment. The same for me when it comes to dancing. Feeling the beat, reacting to the vibrations. Did you have something in mind?”

Rachel had quite a few things in mind. She gave Damian's hand tug. "Come with me gorgeous and find out." She led him upstairs to the holosuites and paused. She paused before the control panel and entered some keystrokes before entering. Her attire transformed into a gorgeous evening gown of Eath circa 1962. She looked at Damian in his tuxedo and gave an appreciative nod. "Time to meet a good friend of mine named Vic Fontaine."

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Aluura entered Quarks and headed straight towards him. They talked quietly, but very animatedly. They moved to a table near the back wall.

Byron saw her enter and recognized her as the woman he saw on the Promenade. He watched the back and forth between Aluura and Quark. When things got suddenly headed, he headed over to the table. When he arrived at the table, he pulled a chair out and sat between them.

Quark looked at this HuMan. "This is a private conversation. You were not invited!"

Aluura looked at Byron and started sizing him up. "A neutral third party is always welcome." She flashed Byron a big smile.

That smile sent shivers down his back. He looked at her. "Always glad to help." He reached over and gently picked up her hand and brought it to his lips and kissed it. "Now, what's the problem?"

"She says I owe her 10 strips of latinum, severance pay she calls it." said Quark.

Aluura responded, "It's in my contract, you slimy toad!"

"You quit! So, you are not entitled to and therefore not entitled to any severance pay!"

"I gave you notice, as defined by the contract!" Replied Aluura. "He's just mad because I want to leave and operate a bar on a Federation starship. The Deliverance."

Byron smiled. "What luck, that's my new assignment too. By the way, Lieutenant Byron Baker, MD, at your service."

She flashed that smile again. "Pleasure to meet you, Doctor Baker." Aluura responded.

"Quark. I took you for a large sum of latinum playing Dabo. What say we play one spin, double or nothing. You win, you get your money back and you don't owe Aluura anything. I win, you pay me, and she goes free, with her severance pay. And no tricks...a fair game. Agreed?"

Aluura was concerned, after all Quark does rig the tables in the houses favor, but she was starting to like this handsome human and trusted him. "Well Quark?"

Quark thought....he wins he gets the latinum this HuMan won, but if he loses, it's double and Aluura walks away with his money. "My games are always fair, HuMan. Agreed!"

They stood up and moved towards the Dabo wheel. Quark wanted to stand near the button that rigged the game, but Byron took that spot. "The person who spends always stands there."

"Would that have anything to do with this little device?" Byron reached down and yanked out a small box.

"How did that get there?" Quark tried to explain.

"My winnings are in my quarters. If I lose. I will go get them and return quickly. Agreed?" Quark nodded in agreement.

Byron placed his marker on Triple, the longest shot on the board...a 1000 to 1 shot.

A Dabo girl started the wheel and it went around and around...the die jumped round the wheel as it spun. Quark couldn't bear to watch, and when the wheel stopped, he turned...and the Dabo girl yelled out, "DABO!!!"

Byron looked at Quark. "I expect my money at the end of the day." He held out an arm, Aluura took it, and they walked out of the bar.

Aluura was free.

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Feeling like fish out of water the newly minted Lieutenant Alex Dalton arrived in the infamous Quarks having heard the Captain's summoning. His eyes felt as if they were on stalks and popping out of his head as the tried to take in everything around him. He had to remind himself he was no longer an Ensign still finding his feet, yet right now he felt very green as he stared around the bustle of the bar.

Moving past the rowdy Dabo tables with their scantly glad women beckoning the pass a buyers with their pouting lips and rhythmical dancing Alex headed toward the gathered knot of officers clustered toward the rear.

Noxi saw the newcomer, and raised her hand in a wave. "Hello, come in!" she said, from a back table, where she stood talking to a cadre of the Science staff.

She noticed Byron exiting with a woman, but didn't say anything. It wasn't her business, even though a small part of her wanted the gossip. She turned her attention back to the crew after a quick glance around. This was going well. Good. They needed it.

Having been signaled by the waving Alex knew he was definitly heading in the correct direction. He was surprised to see however as he moved closer the woman encourging him forward was the Captain herself.

"Hello," he greeted the throng around the table. "I'm Alex Dalton," he introduced himself leaving off his rank and position given that this was social gathering.

Noxi smiled. "Ah, my Chief Operations officer!" She said. "Nice to meet you. I am Dr. Nairut Noxi," she said, with a smile. "Captain" was still too weird. "Feel free to mingle. This is super casual!" She said, hoping she sounded lively. It was meant to be a final party night before the real work began. Noxi was no dummy; she knew what the younger folks did on leave. The same things SHE had done on leaves.

"A Doctor and a Captain?" Alex asked with a hint of surprise at her own introduction, apparently the rank was new to her and old habits died hard. "Don't worry ma'am," he continued. "I introduce myself as an Ensign often without realising."

She smiled. "Believe it or not, we can be both!" She said. "Long story, but here we are. As far as I know, there's only been one other Doctor who's captained a Starship. From the original Fleet," she explained. She was in uncharted waters. "Have a good evening!" She said.

"Thank you, I'll try to, though I might need a drink first to settle the nerves," Alex replied with a sudden gush of a junior officer. He caught himself before turning bright red: "I hope you enjoy yours too."

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Byron and Aluura walked out of Quarks, arm in arm. They walked towards the Assay Office where Byron deposited his first winnings from Quark. Totaled, it was a hefty sum. Byron looked at Aluura. "I was going to drop this at the Bajoran Temple, I'm sure they can put it to good use."

Aluura nodded. "That would be very generous of you. I'm sure the monks will pray for you for giving that much money. Maybe even the Prophet's will hear about it and bless you."

"Just what I need, the Prophet's leaning over my shoulder." They both chuckled as they walked towards the temple. "You know, some of this can help with you starting up the new lounge on the ship. I'd be happy to give it to you."

Aluura kissed him on the cheek. "No need, the Federation is giving me everything I need, but it was sweet of you to ask." Aluura's weakness has always been strong, handsome men, and Byron fits both categories.

They reached the temple, and when a monk came to them and asked what they needed. "We want you to have this. I'm sure you can put it to good use." Byron handed him the bag, and when he looked inside it, his face registered surprise.

"I don't understand." the monk replied.

"I don't need it and I'm sure they are many people on Bajor who could. I insist you take it." responded Byron.

"The Prophet's will bless you, my children." The monk bowed and walked to the back of the temple.

"Dinner" asked Byron.

"Where?" replied Aluura.

"My quarters?"

"Sounds like a good idea."

They left the temple, and walked to the nearest turbolift, and when the doors closed, Aluura turned, reached up, pulled Byron's head down and kissed him.

_________

Mira stood in line, wondering when she'd get to at least say hi to her captain. She waited a bit longer, just to be nice and supportive for her captain.

Noxi came to Mira next. "Hello!! How are you doing?" she asked. The other woman had taken a lot of the pain of the failed final mission. Noxi had done her best to save lives, and it still haunted her that she couldn't. Not the Captain's. Not Gabriel's. Not the other six crew they'd lost. She HATED it. "I hope you know that no one blames you. If ANYONE is to blame, it is me. It was my job to save lives, and I failed," she said.

"How about we both failed and accept it at that?" She smiled a little, giving Noxi a much needed hug. "Congratulations. They would have been proud of you for this position."

Noxi nodded lightly. "I think that's the best course of action, honestly," she said, softly. Really, it was killing her that she'd lost Gabe when they were just starting a relationship that promised to build into something nice. But here they were; some things couldn't be helped, she supposed. "Feel free to mingle around!" She said. "Drink a lot. It's our last night of freedom before she rides again!" She glanced around. "I heard that the other girls took transfers elsewhere. I'll miss them. We had fun!" She smiled.. They had had some wild times!

Napier nodded, "We did." She bit a lip, "I was preoccupied much of the time thinking of Aaron Larson though. I heard his sister transferred as well. I don't blame her." She gave a little bit of a blush.

Noxi ignored the blush; she had figured something was going on but hadn't yet had time to ask. It'd come out later. "Right! She went to SB19," Noxi nodded. "Gabriel-Uh, Commander Stewart-was returned to Earth to his family. I haven't heard anything since," she said. She didn't want to know. "Anyway. I am sure there will be a bunch of new people to meet!! Go meet them!! Introduce yourself to Lt. Dalton. He seems nice," she said, with a wink.

She laughed a little, "I'll make friends, that's all." She left with a , "see you later."
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“What are the odds?”

Joran Maz, newly appointed Chief Science Officer of the USS Deliverance, could very likely tell him exactly what the odds were. Over 850 years of life experience, with over half of that in the sciences, had sharpened the Trill’s mind to the point that he could reasonably calculate the odds of most things. But running into his handsome and charming ex-husband at Deep Space Nine while awaiting reassignment to the Deliverance had not even crossed Jordan’s mind.

And now here was Matthew Bell, delicious and disarming as ever, accompanying Joran to a reception at the storied bar on DS9. It was always nice to see Matthew; even though they were divorced, they were still very good friends that communicated regularly, and they clearly were still attracted to one another. Their body language gave that away.

“Matt,” began Joran. “You don’t have to put up a front with me. I know you better than anybody. I know you follow my career and make it a point to be where I can see you.”

“How else am I going to win you back?” said Matthew, a playful twinkle in his bright cerulean eyes. Those eyes, the ones that revealed everything and nothing simultaneously.

“Matt, let’s not talk about that. This is a professional reception remember.”

“Whatever you say, Jor. Shouldn’t you start mingling with your shipmates?”

“Well, I don’t know any of them, so…”

“Catch me later when the reception ends,” said Matt, giving Jordan a gentle peck in the cheek. “You know where my quarters are here on DS9”

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Noxi watched the newcomer, chatting with another man. Interesting. She didn't know this guy-not personally, but she did recognize him from his personnel jacket. She raised her glass and spoke loudly. "Commander Maz!" She smiled. Her new CSO. She didn't blame Alula for leaving; she would've. "Come in!" She said.

“Captain Nairut,” said Maz, extending his hand in greeting. “It’s a pleasure to make the acquaintance. Stunning, isn’t he?” When the Captain gave a puzzled expression, the Trill elaborated. “My Ex-Husband. You saw him trying to lure me back into his web. He may yet succeed…I haven’t quite decided yet.”

Noxi laughed. "For what it worth, mine wouldn't stand a chance. He's an ex for a reason," she said. Many reasons, of course, but still. Ben wouldn't try, though. He was too square for that, and it was his own fault. "He is adorable, though," she said. "Feel free to grab a drink, and mingle. Last day of freedom before the real work begins," she said, stepping aside to let someone pass.

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Mike stood in line to greet the Captain, when he saw a beauty walk past him. He had to inquire about her. He had to, he looked to the pretty Captain and he held out his hand, "Greetings, pretty lady. My name is Mike Barton. I'm assigned to the security detail. " He glanced towards the other again, "Who was that in the uniform with a Lieutenant Commander pips?"

Noxi blinked. "That was Lt. Commander Mira Naiper," she said. "Chief of Security," she said. "Better go find her," she winked lightly. She might need to stop with the spring wine, even though she'd only had one and never drank much, anyway. She was getting a little...bold. Maybe it was nerves. Maybe it was age-she didn't care much anymore what people thought about her. She wasn't sure.

"Are you okay?" He looked to her. He stopped for a moment and looked around. "I'd suggest you see a doctor." He tipped a nod to her, "I shall go. Nice to meet you Captain." He disappeared with a stride, a confidence about him that he knew what he was doing.

Noxi shook her head. "Just first day nerves. I AM a doctor, actually. Thank you!! Enjoy your evening," she said, as she watched him leave. What the hell had just happened?!

She turned around. "More drinks?" She called out. "What's everyone having?" She decided that one more Springwine was ok. She had eaten, and didn't drink often, anyway.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Dija Zen walked into Deep Space Nine after a shuttle dropped her off. She was to report on the Deliverance as the new Helmswoman for the ship that was docked currently. She was also told her new Captain is Bajoran and she was excited and nervous to meet her. She saw this as an opportunity for the two species to coexist better. Especially since Dija is the first Cardassian to join Starfleet. But if Worf; the first Klingon to join Starfleet did it, so can she as the first Cardassian. Which would be more meaningful. Cause at the time, there was bad blood between the Federation and the Klingons years ago till peace finally reached the two people. The same thing could be said about the Federation and Cardassians. But now with things settled and peace returned among the Federation, Cardassians and Bajorans, it was time to start a new future for all.

Dija walked inside the station and went inside Quark’s to see if the Captain was around. As she walked, she noticed her in uniform and the Captain’s pips on her collar. She took a calm deep breath and exhaled softly. She walked up to the bar and to the Captain.

“Hello Captain.” She holds her hand out and smiled. “Lieutenant Junior Grade Dija Zen. Helmswoman.”

Noxi turned around, and tensed a moment, her smile freezing. A Cardassian? At DS9? Bold move, that. Still, she simply nodded. "Nice to meet you, Lt. Zen," she said. "I am Captain Nairut. Nairut Noxi," she said. She should've just kept "Johnson." It was easier. "Welcome to the party. Just a reception to meet the crew. I thought it was more interesting than a staff meeting," she said.

------------------------------------------

The party ended up breaking up around 2200; which Noxi was fine with; she liked to SLEEP. She made her way to her quarters on DS9, filled with camaraderie and peace. It would be OK; the Deliverance was in good hands.

OFF.

A Short Trek post by:
Captain Dr. Nairut Noxi
Commanding Officer

&

Lieutenant Commander Andrew Chandler
Chief Strategic Operations Officer

&

Commander Damian Morgan
Executive Officer

&

Lieutenant Byron Baker
Chief Medical Officer

&

Lieutenant Jg Mike Barton
Security Officer

&

Lieutenant Commander Mira Napier
Chief Security Officer

&

Lieutenant Alex Dalton
Chief Operation Officer

&

LtJG Dija Zen
CFCO

&

LCdr Joran Maz
Chief Science Officer

 

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