First Day

Ever since seeing the plans of the Archer-Class Scout from Star Trek: Vanguard, I was in love. I dabbled with a few character concepts, before the idea of a rookie seeing the ship for the first time began to grow and take shape. I'm hoping this dislodges the most recent blockage and that those of you who read it enjoy doing so.

-B

* * * * *​

Standing in the arrival lounge, Ensign Benedict James watched the small scout ease up to the docking umbilical, then heard the kiss of metal on metal as the docking clamps locked the Archer-Class ship in place. He swallowed heavily, trying to clear the lump in his throat, but failed. The ship he was waiting to meet was the U.S.S. Artemis, his very first assignment.

The light above the docking port turned green, showing the seal was secure and airlock had been pressurised. Standing stiffly, until all the muscles in his back and shoulders were taut, he stood before the hatch and awaited the arrival of who would become his new shipmates. He didn’t have to wait for long.

The doors parted with a heavy hiss and a human woman, in her mid-fifties, led a contingent of four out onto the deck of Epsilon Station. Her mousy-brown hair was cut short and kept loose, her command-yellow tunic was immaculate and trousers were crisp and neat. She was speaking with a Rigelian-Hyaan just behind her, who was also in tunic and trousers, and must’ve said something amusing as the bronze-skinned woman chuckled and shook her head. His eyes immediately caught the braids around their cuffs, the human bore the rank of captain, which meant she was Lilith Alexander, whilst the Rigelian was Lieutenant Commander Reithe Nur Hadan—James had made sure to read up on the crew onboard the Artemis. The other two in their group was a Vulcan male, in gold with the rank of lieutenant (Tovaal, the ship’s second officer), and Petty Officer Dalaya the first blue-skinned, blue-haired Syraen he’d met.

Alexander came to a stop just outside the hatch, a couple of meters from him though remained quiet for a moment as she looked him over.

“Ensign Benedict James, sir. Request permission to come aboard.”

She gave him a polite smile. “Permission granted, Mr James. We’ve been expecting you, though not quite this promptly.”

“I thought it best to get an early start, sir.”

“We have a meeting with the Commodore, so I’ve asked Dalaya to get you settled and show you the ropes.”

“Understood sir, I won’t hold you up any longer.”

She gave him a curt nod then led the two officers out the lounge, leaving him standing there, bag over one shoulder, still at attention, with the jumpsuit-clad non-com watching him, an amused smirk on her face.

“I think that means you’re dismissed, sir,” she said, a breathy-huskiness to her voice.

He looked from her to the exit, then back again, feeling somewhat sheepish. “I guess it does.”

Her smirk expanded into a startling white smile as she extended a hand. “Welcome to the Artemis, Ensign. As the Captain said, I’m Dalaya, petty officer second class, science specialist and corpsman.”

He took her hand and was surprised at the warmth that radiated from it. “Thank you, Petty Officer.”

“Dalaya. Most of the crew go by their names rather than rank—after all the majority of us share beds, not much need for formality after that.”

He blushed slightly. Syraen were known for their upfront and playful manner, he hadn’t expected to face it so soon—especially since he was an officer and she was a non-com. “I guess not,” he mumbled.

“Come on, I’ll show you to your bunk.”

She stepped back into the docking port and he followed. They passed through a short corridor, with EVA suits stored along one bulkhead and equipment lockers on the other, before they reached the central corridor, which circled the entire deck. She turned left and headed to forward.

“You’re in the same cabin as Tovaal and the Doc, which means you’ll be on first shift, under the Captain.”

They were just passing a door on his left, labelled ‘Lab’, when it opened and a human in blue stepped out, scowling at a tablet, so never saw them.

“Doc,” Dalaya said, getting his attention. He looked at her then realised she wasn’t alone. “Ensign James, this is our ship’s surgeon and you’re bunkmate, Richard Shan. Doc, this is Benedict James, Tagh’s replacement.”

Shan’s smile never quite reached his eyes, which looked more distracted than anything. “Welcome aboard, Ensign. I hope you’re tidier than your predecessor—he’s the first Tellarite I’ve known who was happy to live in a pigsty.”

“I am, sir, you won’t have to worry about that.”

“Good. Once you get settled, I’ll need to give you your physical, make sure you’re fit and ready for all we’ll be facing.”

James gave a nod. “Of course, sir.”

“Most people just call me ‘Doc’,” he said then looked at Dalaya. “I’m meeting with Doctor Pearson to hand over those samples we collected, and make use of their genetic analyser. Give me a buzz before tonight.”

“Sure thing, Doc.”

“Nice meeting you, James,” Shan said before heading aft.

Once he was gone, Dalaya leaned in a little closer and purred, “He’s really quiet pleasant, just not when faced with a problem that eludes him—which doesn’t happen very often, thankfully.”

He paused a moment. “Is there something important this evening?”

She flashed her dazzling smile again. “Land ho.” A look of sheer bewilderment twisted his face, which made her chuckle. “It’s a long-standing tradition onboard, every time we put in at a station the crew gets together for a celebratory drink. One thing you’ll learn quickly onboard, Ensign, you’ll relish every opportunity to get out and stretch your legs.”

“Do you not like it onboard?”

“Are you kidding? I love this ship and those onboard, but with no privacy and cramped quarters, it’s good to get out and see something other than the same bulkheads and faces.”

“I see, good to know,” he said with a faint smile tugging at his lips. Truth be told, he had been a little disheartened to get assigned to an Archer-Class, somewhere that wouldn’t give him the opportunity to conduct any real in-depth analyses or surveys, only the preliminaries for others to follow up and make real discoveries. But whilst he was here, he would have to make the most of it. “And it’s Ben.”

“Good to know,” she said with another purr. “Come on.”

She continued them forward, passing another door on the outer edge of the hull, labelled ‘Nur Hadan’, before they reached the very front where the bridge was, opposite the entrance for it was a ladder leading down to the deck below, which was where the ships navigational deflector and main sensor arrays were located. He took note of it but continued onwards.

They passed the Captain’s quarters and communal head, before reaching a door with ‘Cabin 01’ beside it. Dalaya gestured for him to go first. Stepping up to the doors, they parted and he got the first look of his new room. The freshly-made bunk was tucked under the curve of the hull opposite the door, whilst a small desk and bank of lockers were on his right and three decent sized closets and some inset shelves were opposite. It was painted and muted grey colour, with little in the way of personal effects—a Vulcan meditation lamp, a few textbooks, and a couple of photographs were all that stood out. He’d been told to keep his belongings to a minimum and he could see why, there wasn’t room to swing a cat in the room—it if wasn’t for the viewport above the bed, he might’ve found the nook a little too cramped.

He set his bag on the desk, turning around a few times to see if he’d missed anything of note. He hadn’t.

From the doorway, she told him, “They’re not much to look at, but the beds are comfy and the doors lock to give you at least a little privacy from time to time.”

“It’s not as bad as I’d imagined.”

“Would you like to see the rest of the ship now or settle in?”

He gave a single laugh. “I think I’m already settled.” She smiled. “Let’s see the rest of this ship.”

“That won’t take long either.”

He stepped back out into the corridor and looked up and down the curved corridor. “Where do we start?”

“At the front and work our way back.”

“Lead the way.”

Dalaya retraced their steps back to the bridge, but turned and entered the room. Inside, it was larger than he thought, with consoles and monitors covering almost every free space—those that weren’t taken up by system access hatches or conduits. There were two women present, like Dalaya they were in the coloured coveralls, though the dusky-skinned woman at the helm was in gold and the darker-skinned one at tactical was in red.

“Hey,” Dalaya said, drawing their attention. The two got to their feet and stood at attention in the presence on an officer.

“At ease,” he insisted, feeling a little foolish for drawing them away from their tasks. “Science officer Ben James.”

“Meera Sharma,” said the helmswoman with a slight incline of her head, before turning her attention back to her post.

The other stepped over and extended her hand. He took it and felt her rough, calloused palm and strength in her fingers as she shook it, firmly. “Chief Olivia Wilde, most call me Ollie.”

“You’re one of the field scouts, right.”

She smiled. “That I am. Most call us simply just security guards, but you’ll see that we do a lot more than just security.”

“I’m sure you do, Chief.”

“Read up on us, I see.”

“I like to be prepared.”

“Glad to hear it, Ensign, it’s a useful skill to have on the Artie.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

“I’ve still got a few hours on shift, so we’ll get all your dirty secrets this evening,” Wilde said with a not-so-subtle wink.

James felt his cheeks flush. He’d never considered the fact that living on such a small ship, with only thirteen others that secrets and privacy would be a thing of the past—fortunately he didn’t have any horrendous skeletons in the back of his closet.

“I think you’ll be disappointed, Chief.”

“We’ll see. Welcome aboard, Ensign.”

Dalaya led him back into the corridor, letting the two women get back to their duties, then to the ladder. “Directly below us is the—”

“Primary sensor arrays, I made note of them when I looked over the specs.”

“Thought you might have,” she said, leaning on a rung. “Archer’s have the best sensors available to Starfleet; we can pick up a five percent EM variance a sector away. Even our passive scans allow us to gather more data than those on a Constitution-Class. T’Ping is our sensor and computer specialist, she keeps them in top condition—so any work you want to do on them is best done in partnership with her.”

He nodded his understanding. When he’d read up on the class, he’d found himself being thoroughly impressed by her wide array of sensors—but then again, it was essential to the smooth running of a scout, which ran reconnaissance on hostile races as well as scouted uncharted regions. It was the one highlight he’d been looking forward too after getting his first assignment; the Artemis could put a dedicated research vessel to shame with what she could pick up.

“The Cap and XO’s quarters are either side of the bridge, any meetings that are called are usually held in there—though that’s not always the case, the mess hall or cargo hold work just as well. The head is there,” she told him, pointing at the door beside the Captain’s quarters, “it’s shared, so I hope you’re not bashful—though I doubt a strapping young man like you has anything to worry about.”

He beamed bright red as Dalaya laughed and pushed off the rung. She patted him on the shoulder with a warm smile, before heading back towards the airlock. He followed a few steps behind, feeling foolish—he’d never been very good at taking a complement. His tour guide was just being playful, trying to put him at ease and give him a taste of what to expect from his new shipmates.

Their next brief stop was in the room beside Nur Hadan’s quarters, which was labelled “laboratory”. Stepping inside he was pleasantly surprised at what he found. It was well kitted out for such a small facility, a large bank of computers, a workbench, temperature and pressure controlled storage compartments (ideal for keeping samples from alien worlds), as well as several dedicated pieces of equipment for analysing what they might find—animal, vegetable or mineral. He whistled as he looked around, his complexion returning to normal as a grin spread across his face.

“Welcome to your domain, Ben. I hope you like it.”

“I think I’ll be very happy in here,” he admitted.

“I’m sure you will. Though you’re science officer, many of the others onboard have a scientific degree, so also use the lab at times—though everyone respects the work that goes on in here, nothing is ever touched without the express permission of the person running experiments or tests. But if you want to make any changes, so long as the Captain okays them, then everyone will work around you—they know this is your responsibility.”

He spent several minutes looking around, checking out the database, peering into a few beakers and storage compartments, running his hands over some of the equipment, familiarising himself with where everything was. The layout was practical, with everything being where it was needed, though the cataloguing system on the computer wasn’t quite how he’d work it—but that was an easy enough fix. As he surveyed his new lab, Dalaya stood by the side and watched him, an amused look on her cobalt face, framed with dark navy hair.

Once he was satisfied, he gave himself a nod and looked back at his new assistant. “I never asked, what’s your specialty?”

“I got my masters in astrogeology from Sharra University on Syrae before I enlisted, I’ve since added to that with degrees in anthropology and biochemistry, and am currently working on another in subspace physics.”

“A nice spread.”

“It helps to dabble in different fields; you never know when it’ll come in handy.”

“So I was told when I received my orders.”

“What’re you specialities?”

“Um, well I had a degree in astrophysics and computer science before I enrolled at the Academy—I worked on a doctorate in one and a masters in the other, as well as a few others.”

“Looks like what we heard about you was right, you are a ‘boy genius’.”

He cringed. There had been more than a few that had called him that at the Academy, which was something he hated. He had always been very bright, but with an eidetic memory he just absorbed information with ease—it had helped him get into university at thirteen and the Academy at seventeen, where he could truly push himself.

“Sorry, it was the quote used to describe you when we received confirmation of your assignment.”

“It’s alright, I got some flak from a few classmates for making them look bad, so they made it their mission to give me a hard time whenever they could.”

“Now where are they?”

“I’m not sure, though I think one did get the Enterprise.”

Dalaya scoffed. “Big whoop. Yes it’s a big ship with a lot of history, but onboard they’ll just be one of dozens, all clambering for attention and recognition, whilst the work they do will be just part of the whole. Here, you’ll see things through from start to finish, be on multiple landing parties, fully credited for your achievements, building experience faster than on any other type of ship.”

He gave her a smile. “I hadn’t thought of that.”

“There’s a good brain behind this pretty face. Come on, I’ll show you the rest.”

They left the lab, passed cabins three and four, the airlock again, and approached sickbay. All the while, she explained elements of the ships design and layout—the middle of the main deck was filled with most of the key systems, including shield generators, computer core, and environmental processors. When they got to the medbay, he just quickly popped his head through the doors, long enough to see a pair of biobeds, workstation, shelves of drugs and devices, and also some workout equipment. After which there was a ladder going up and a set of stairs going down, but she said they would get to the other decks once finished with the main level. Heading back around to his cabin, she pointed out the access to the escape pod and that Nur Hadan would go through their emergency procedures with him before departure. Their last port of call was the mess hall. Even before the door opened he heard muffled talking and laughing.

Dalaya led them inside. The room was definitely one of the largest he’d seen, with a long table dominating the space, around which sat four of the crew, most with a tray in front of them—except the Rhaandarite, who was the one that noticed them enter.

“Dalaya, whose your new friend?” the junior lieutenant asked, drawing the others attention towards him.

“Ben James, this is Lieutenant Vaadyl, lead scout and security chief,” she started with the Rhaandarite, who gave him a warm smile, then on to an older human woman, whose blonde hair was pulled back (almost painfully so) and in a bun at the back of her head. “Master Chief Inge Mueller, chief of engineering. Chief Zaryn...what is it you do here again?”

The Tiburonian in the red coveralls gave her an exaggerated wink. “I’m the resident jack-of-all-trades, need anything doing anytime, anywhere, I’m your man.”

“And he means anything,” quipped Vaadyl, which elicited another round of laughter.

“What can I say, I’m a giver.”

Dalaya patted him on the shoulder. “Don’t worry, I’ll protect you from him.” The small group laughed again, with the butt of the joke being the loudest. James chuckled, already feeling at ease among his shipmates.

Once her lyrical laughter eased, she gestured to the fourth crewman, a bald, powerfully built Orion. “And last but not least, we have Petty Officer Jetar, our third scout.”

“Hello everyone,” he said, “it’s nice to meet you all.”

“Well we’re a very nice bunch to meet,” replied Zaryn. “I trust Dalaya’s treating you alright.”

“It’s been the most interesting tour I’ve had, though admittedly the only one I’ve been given—but she’s set the bar pretty high.”

“Glad to hear it,” Vaadyl commented. “Fortunately, you’ll have three days to get to grips with everything here before we ship out.”

“Are you a descent cook, Mr James?” Mueller asked with a heavy German accent.

“Um, I do alright—I’ve not poisoned anyone yet,” he said, looking over at the food slots on the bulkhead. “Do they not work?”

Mueller scowled slightly, her brown eyes narrowing.

“I’m sorry, Master Chief, I didn’t mean to imply—”

Her loud bark of a laugh caught him off guard, followed by snickers from the rest. “Sorry, Ensign, couldn’t resist,” she admitted. “The food slots, along with all other systems, work perfectly. We just like to have a full sit-down meal every week, everyone takes turns to cook. You’ll be up in a couple of weeks.”

“Oh, okay. I’ll make sure to practice before then.”

“Right, let’s get this tour finished off, don’t want to be late for this evening,” Dalaya spoke up.

He nodded. “I’ll see you all later.”

They stepped back into the corridor and once the door closed he took a deep breath.

“Everyone is eager to meet you, Ensign, a new face is always welcome onboard—though sometimes we forget how daunting it can be to meet everyone in close succession.”

“Its fine, I was just mortified when I thought I’d offended her.”

“Mueller is a woman of opposites. On duty you won’t get her to utter a word about anything outside of work, but once in the mess hall, she’s a totally different person—she’s caught out more than a few with her manner, though I suspect that is her intention.”

After the mess hall, they went down to the cargo hold, where Dalaya highlighted where the all-terrain vehicles were stored, as well as the access hatch they used when they landed on a planet, and the nook where they had set up some additional work out equipment and a hoop high on the bulkhead—apparently a former crewmember had been into basketball, so used the hold for practice, but after he’d left the hoop had stayed.

Finished in the cargo bay, they climbed back up to the main deck, then straight up to the engineering level. The ladder terminated in the transporter bay, which she said was used only in emergency situations—since they typically landed on planets they were visited. In front of the transporter bay was the probe/torpedo launcher and armoury. Part of the reason the Artemis was in dock was to restock on projectiles, which was scheduled for oh-nine-hundred the following day. The storage magazines were only half full, two photons and six probes of five different types. Their supply of phaser rifles and a small stock of explosives were kept locked away, under the watchful eyes of Vaadyl, Wilde and Jetar.

Their last stop was the engine room. James had heard that the Archer-Class was the fastest in the fleet, so he had expected the warp core to be an impressive sight, but he was woefully let down. The cylindrical chamber was horizontal to the deck, an injector assembly was all that could be seen from the entrance, whilst two power transfer conduits branched off and disappeared into the bulkheads. There were several consoles beeping and chirping away, but the whole portside was taken up with spare parts, tools, lockers, and other engineering materials. There was a single occupant—or rather pair of legs from a single person, sticking out from beneath the matter/antimatter reactor—whose cheerful whistling filled the quiet space.

“Laeth, you busy?” Dalaya asked.

“Always. What can I do you for?” the legs asked, not moving.

“I’m giving our new science officer the full tour.”

The engineer wheeled himself out, revealing himself to be a young, fresh-faced Andorian, rubbed some kind of lubricant from his hands onto his overalls as he approached with an easy lopsided smile. He extended his hand to James, who took it and shook it.

“Welcome onboard, Ensign. Thelaethren ch’Vahro, but only my zhaney calls me that, it’s Laeth to everyone else.”

“Benedict James, but I’m happy with Ben. It’s nice to meet you,” he replied, his eyes still flicking around the room.

“Thought it’d be more spectacular, didn’t you?”

“A bit. At least bigger.”

Laeth dropped his hand, turned and gave an all encompassing gesture to the engine. “This is the pinnacle of Starfleet propulsion technology. The most efficient and compact warp core they’ve ever built. They’ve done away with all the unnecessary flare and complicated extras, stripped it all right back to have something built for speed and fuel conservation.”

James had to chuckle. His roommate at the Academy had been an engineering major, so he knew who excitable they got when it came to new systems—especially warp cores. He had taken a few courses in engineering and warp drive, though primarily from a subspace physics standpoint.

“Always good to see someone who loves what he does,” he commented.

Laeth turned back to them, chuckling. “Warp drive isn’t even my forte, I specialise in structural engineering and environmental systems, but this is a thing to behold.”

“I look forward to seeing what she can do.”

“You won’t be disappointed, unless I don’t finish my diagnostic of the magnetic constrictors. The Master Chief wants it done before the end of shift, so you’ll have to excuse me. Very nice meeting you, Ensign.”

“And you too, Laeth. Good luck with the diagnostic.”

Back on the main deck, they slowly started back towards his cabin. “The only person you haven’t met is T’Ping, but she’ll be meditating and doesn’t like to be disturbed, but she’ll be there tonight.”

“When and where is this gathering?”

“It’s a human-run tavern, the Cock and Bull, Marketplace level two at nineteen-thirty.”

“I’d heard of it when I was on Epsilon, they say it’s got some of the best food on the station.”

“So we’ve heard. So after our round at the bar and we are officially given liberty, a few of us were planning on staying they and getting a table, you’d be welcome to join us—if you can stand slumming it with us non-coms.”

“I think I can manage that, thanks. What do the other officers do?”

“The Captain usually sees to paperwork or is called into meetings, though there are times when she disappears for a day or two, but since she was once Intelligence it’s to be expected—as the saying goes, old habits die hard. Reithe likes to spend as much time in the gardens as possible; she’s surprisingly green-fingered. Tovaal often books into a private room to do whatever it is Vulcans do for fun. The Doc hangs out at the biomedical lab, carrying out further research. Vaadyl does like to mingle with the crew, whilst hitting the recreation facilities hard. The rest of us use whatever time we have to enjoy the breathing space.”

They stopped just at his door. “Well, I have time to get unpacked and then I might go and have a closer look at the lab before tonight. Thank you for the very informative tour, Dalaya.”

“You are most welcome, Ben. I’m sure you’ll soon get into the way of things, but if you need any help, just give me a comm.”

“I will, thanks again.”

Dalaya gave him a smile and nod before heading back towards the mess hall. He tapped the door panel and stepped into the cramped cabin he would be calling home, for eight hours a day at least, then over to his bag on the desk. He emptied it of his spare uniforms, coveralls, workout attire, and civvies, storing them in the empty closets and drawers, but left what few personal possessions he’d brought with him in his bag—he wanted to check with his bunkmates that it was alright to have them on display—and set it in his locker. He sat on the bed, which was surprisingly comfortable, and looked around at the four bulkheads, deck and ceiling that he’d become very familiar with.

He got up, moved to the desk and activated the terminal. It didn’t take him long to set up a private database and began a new log entry. “Commence personal log, Ensign Benedict James. Stardate 3021.15. I’ve just finished my tour of the Artemis and met most of the crew—they seem like a good bunch, definitely close, but given the ship and their missions they need to be. I just hope I can measure up to their standard. There is a social gathering in a little while, so I’ll have the chance to get to know them a little before shipping out.

“I have to admit, after speaking with Dalaya and a few of the others, I’m starting to feel better about this posting. It might not be as glamorous or prestigious as others out there, but the opportunities it can offer will boost my field experience quickly. I’ll also get the chance to try my hand at other things, since it seems like everyone onboard handle several duties simultaneously.

“Having only met the senior officers briefly, I’ve still got to get a read on them. It does seem as though discipline onboard is very relaxed, which will take a little getting used to—after four years of strict regime and regulations at the Academy. I don’t know what expectations the Captain has of me, she did personally select me for this billet, so I will have to make sure I don’t disappoint her or make her question her decision.

“Before ‘land ho’, I’m going to spend some more time in the lab. Have a proper look around and see about their cataloguing system. End entry.”

 

I'm loving it so far. The crew you've assembled for this mission is both eclectic and colorful. Introducing the crew through the eyes of its newest member is a great way to give the reader a tour of the ship.

I'm eagerly awaiting more.

 

Thank you Count and Gibraltar.

I'll have to see where this goes.

 

I really enjoyed this one Bry. I liked the perspective that you used to introduce the characters. The time period is something we don't see that much anymore. I am also a fan of the Archer-class starship. I hope there's more to come.

 

Yay, it's not just me!

Glad you liked it. Have to see where this might go--already thinking of casting options (I like to have actors/singers/others in mind for my characters when I'm writing, for example I see Kat Dennings as Dalaya--she just has the right sass for the role).

I should also make a note of the Syraen. They are a species I thought up 15/16 years ago. From Syrae Prime, they have bright blue skin, dark blue hair, and are incredibly beautiful. A Federation member they are however a matriarchal society, as males make up only 7% of the population and have only one role to fulfil: siring offspring (they are held in high regard and are educated and emancipated, just with so few they are kept safe and well back home). Females handle the government, military, sciences, child rearing, and everything else. Not every female will have the chance to breed, its run like a lottery. Women who produce a son are revered. Many Syraen have branched off and left their homeworld to find new opportunities, with quite a few finding their way into Starfleet. Those that do leave the planet often engage in relations with non-Syraen, though the chances of producing hybrid children is very remote. Some Syraen have shown difficulties with having males are their superiors, as the concept is very alien to them, most however overcome this to have very respectable careers in the Fleet.

 

I've just had a little thought about "Star Trek: Artemis", and think I might have 'First Day' as the prologue of something a little larger--something like an anthology of short stories that cover several months and revolve around the crew (and possibly an underlying element), up until the startling conclusion.

Needing to work out just what the underlying plot will be and how it impacts on the Artie, but I think I have a nice bunch of characters to play about with.

 

This is a good idea with great writing. I love the concept of introducing us to the ship and crew via a new crewman, and I particularly liked the comparison between serving on the Artemis to the Enterprise - It totally makes sense that one would make a name for oneself quicker on the smaller ship.
I'm looking forward to reading more!

 

Thank you Cyfa.

Already started on trying to think up the underlying plot they will face (proving a little tricky to think up something that really works though, suggestions always welcome), and have cast all the crew (so at least I know what they look like in my minds eye).

Already have a few ideas in place for what will happen among some of the crew, as well as their ultimate fate, but need to just connect the dots from here to there.