Re: Burning Ring of Fire - Chapter 1
USS Dauntless
En route to Eeroth
Stardate 57332.2
She woke up in a strange bed and succumbed to panic for a few seconds before she realised where she was. After a few weeks of discussions with her family, the Ynelavii Militia and Commander Dhrex, the Federation representative to Ynelav, she was finally given permission to go to Starbase 535 for testing. It was not as hard as she had imagined and then she had an interview with the base’s commanding officer, Commander Logan. It was an unusual interview, but worth it.
‘Why do you want to join Starfleet, Ms Jenak?’
‘I have been reading about what you do, what you have done for centuries, and I want to be a part of it. The Ynelavii Militia has always been about protecting what is ours, and it is the duty of every Ynelavii to join the Militia. I have always wanted something more, and with Starfleet I have found it.’
Logan had smiled. ‘You need a command-level officer to sponsor you to the Academy. Neither Commander Dhrex nor myself have that capability.’
‘With all due respect, sir, you do. You may have the rank of Commander, but you have a command position.’
‘You’ve thought a lot about this, haven’t you?’
‘Yes sir, I have.’
‘Well, your test scores are high enough, but you will need training before you can take the Academy entrance exams. I am placing you as an Acting Cadet on the USS Dauntless. Captain Astar will place you in various departments so you get used to the technology, and the rules and regulations,’ he held out a hand. ‘Welcome to Starfleet, Cadet.’
Now, Jenak was dressing herself in a very different uniform to the one she was used to wearing, no sidearm and very different colours, and would be going to the bridge. She would be standing beside the ship’s tactical officer during the alpha shift and assisting her with any duties that would arise. Jenak knew that life aboard a starship was different to ground-based military, she had already completed one tour of duty aboard a Militia patrol craft, but this would be more exciting. Looking at the chronometer to double check, she knew she was early for her shift. According to regulations, the crews of all Starfleet vessels ran to a twenty-four hour period, the same as the Terran homeworld, the principal founder of the Federation. The day was split into three or four shifts, depending on the commanding officer, but it was usually three. Captain Astar had informed her of this when she came aboard a few days before. Having spent the time familiarising herself with the ship’s systems, she now felt ready to face the day, and the challenges ahead.
The turbolift doors parted to the sounds of the CIC, the bridge she remembered they called it, and she stepped out. She walked down the steps to the central dais where the captain and executive officer sat. Only the captain was currently seated and Jenak stopped three steps from her.
‘Acting Cadet Jenak, reporting for duty, sir.’
‘You’re early, Cadet,’ Captain Astar replied, rising from her chair. ‘Follow me.’ Astar led her down from the command dais toward the engineering station and then up the right-hand-side stairs to the security and tactical station.
‘This is where you’ll be posted for the next few weeks. You will assist Commander Gonzales in her duties and complete your studies in a timely manner. If you continue to do well, then you have a good chance of becoming an excellent officer. I will not, however, tolerate any slacking of duty. If you have any problems, report them to Commander Wright, my executive officer. He is responsible for the crew’s wellbeing.’
‘Yes sir,’ Jenak replied, still standing at near-attention.
‘Relax, Cadet, this is not a parade ground. You need not stand at attention unless at formal ceremonies or specifically asked to by a superior officer.’
Just then, Lieutenant Commander Sheena Gonzales emerged on the bridge and moved to her station. Jenak snapped to attention again and Astar smirked.
‘Relax, Cadet,’ Gonzales said. ‘I’m not going to make you run around the bridge twenty times if you make a mistake. You’re here to learn and you won’t do that if you stand stiffly like that. There’s a stool for you to sit on while you assist me. Now, can you tell me what these indicators mean?’
Jenak relaxed, slightly, and began pointing out the various indicators. She noticed Gonzales give a subtle nod to the Captain who moved away, returning to the command dais to take her seat as the rest of the alpha shift arrived. They all gave her a brief glance before assuming their stations. It was surprising that they thought nothing of having her on their bridge without any alert being raised. If a cadet or unauthorised person was in the CIC on Ynelavii ships at any time it would be locked down and security would be there in moments.
‘You seem to have a steep learning curve, Cadet. How long have you been studying the schematics and layout of the ship?’
‘Three days, sir,’ she replied quickly.
‘Impressive,’ Gonzales replied. ‘I have a little challenge for you. A member of this crew is going to try something unauthorised. I want you to stop them as best you can. Don’t worry if you fail, this is only a test.’
Jenak looked down at the board as an irritating bleep was emitted. ‘Someone is attempting to launch a shuttle.’
‘Red alert,’ Astar called out. ‘Stop them.’
The bridge lighting dimmed from white to red and Jenak realised that they were all watching her. She attacked the console with a flurry of commands to seal the shuttlebay door and flood the bay with a sedative. When neither command worked, she switched to more creative methods by venting the atmosphere and taking remote control of the shuttle. The door was still opening and she did not have control of the shuttle. She realised that she could not stop the shuttle from leaving, but the ship had a tractor beam and she could snag the shuttle as soon as it left. Then a thought occurred to her, whoever was stealing the shuttle might have also thought of that idea and come up with a defence against it. Jenak noted that the captain was waiting for something and realised that she should be providing some kind of commentary.
‘Nothing is working, sir. My attempts to seal the shuttlebay and prevent the launch have been unsuccessful.’
‘Tractor them,’ Astar ordered.
‘I don’t believe that will work, sir. They will most likely have a defence put in place.’
‘Shuttle is leaving the ship,’ Gonzales noted.
‘Viewscreen.’
‘Engaging repulsor beam,’ Jenak replied and Astar watched the viewscreen as the pilot of the shuttle suddenly lost control. ‘Now engaging tractor beam. I have them, sir.’
Astar smiled. ‘Stand down red alert. Commander, you may return to the bridge. Good work, Cadet. What made you think of a repulsor beam?’
‘I thought that whoever had stolen the shuttle would most likely think that a tractor beam would be the next logical step in apprehending them. The repulsor beam threw them off balance allowing me a moment before they collected themselves to engage the tractor beam.’
‘I told you she was impressive,’ Gonzales muttered.
‘A natural tactical officer,’ Astar agreed. ‘But Starfleet officers are expected to be well rounded in multiple disciplines. You will be trying your hand at engineering, operations, flight control, science and command.’
‘Yes sir,’ Jenak replied eagerly. None of those positions had entered her mind. She could feel at home here, and it was an unrivalled opportunity to learn about the galaxy outside of her little corner.
