Changing of the Guard

Posted on Tue Oct 3rd, 2023 @ 2:48am by Lieutenant Winnifred "Freddie" Zhang & Captain Jackson Adams & Commander Michael Murphy & Lieutenant Steve Ryan & Lieutenant Commander Katja Becker

Mission: Home Sweet home.
Location: The Sol System: Spacedock

After days of traveling at high warp, the Ship arrives home while the Captain was in his quarters and the Commander was off duty. The officer of the deck came over the intercom,

"Captain Adams and Commander Murphy, please report to the bridge. Sirs, we are entering the Sol System in three point four minutes."

Captain Adams picked up his communicator and started to head out. "I am on my way" came his reply.

Commander Murphy put down the PADD he had been using to write a letter on. He was planning to submit correspondence while on Earth so it could be sent out to people, including some of his former coworkers that he tried to keep in touch with. He headed for the bridge.

Steve was in his quarters as the docking maneuvers started. Sitting at his desk he switched his PaDD off and stared at the enormous Spacedock out of his window. It was good finally being home.

Katja waited for the Montana to arrive and dock. She had been here hours ago, and although that might have been a little bit overkill, it beat looking at the dour, disapproving faces of her parents.

She stared out the stories tall viewport and watched as the vessel began docking. A Miranda class vessel - a tried and true workhorse of the fleet - and now her new home.

Rubbing her hands on the front of her pants in a nervous gesture, Katja found that at least at the moment the excitement far outweighed the nerves. The nerves would come later no doubt.

Materializing into the main transporter bay of Sol Spacedock, the petite engineering officer exchanged awkward looks with the personnel there as she didn't recognize them and they all seemed to take note or be wondering how Freddie was carrying all of the items she was. Stepping off the pad, she stepped up to the most senior officer in the room.

Struggling to free a hand to offer a salute, which was probably entirely unneeded, she announced, "Lieutenant Freddie Zhang here to report to the USS Montana?" The senior officer, seemingly amused by her decorum, returned the salute to release her from it before muttering out the location of Montana's docking bay, recognizing the reasons for her address. Despite the looks she was getting, she answered back brightly, "Thanks, Sir," with a raise of her chin before moving out.

Having taken a moment in the hall to stuff the bottle of Ale and the tool into her duffel, Freddie continued on with only the model of the Renown and the picture of her and her friends held in and under her left arm. Eventually finding her way to the right dock, the engineer spotted a tall woman seemingly waiting, causing her to realize she wasn't the only one to be joining the Montana at this time.

Stepping up next to her, Freddie took note of the colors of the accents of her uniform before turning her gaze to match hers as they watched the final steps needed for the Miranda-Class to dock. After a moment of silence, she glanced up and to her side and offered a very casual, "What up, Doc? Guess you're here to join the Montana, too?"

Katja was visibly startled from her silent reverie by a chipper voice issuing from beside her. She turned her attention the smaller Lieutenant standing next to her who was practically drowning in personal effects.

“Ah…Yes?” Katja winced. “I mean, yes. Less than 72 hours ago I was fat, dumb, and happy at Starfleet Headquarters performing yearly physicals of all the brass. This should be much worse.” She smiled at her own sarcastic joke, uncaring if the stranger next to her got it. She was nervous and excited – it couldn’t be helped.

Unthinking, Katja reached out her hand in greeting, “Katja Becker. Apparently, they’re going to let me be CMO of Montana…and Scheiße, your hands are full. I’m an idiot.”

"Nah, it's okay," she said before shifting the things she was holding to her left hand to take hold of the doctor's offered one with her right. "Freddie Zhang. Gonna be the new Chief Engineer," she introduced herself brightly while enthusiastically shaking Katja's hand.

"And I know what you're saying. I'd rather be giving Admirals DREs than treating Alien STDs, too." Her words came a little too brightly for the sarcasm they held. Realizing her folley in tone and immediately considering what the doctor must think, Freddie's eyes shifted to the two's clasped hands that quickly came to a halt in the space between them.

The response took Katja by surprise for a moment and she halted her hand as she snorted in laughter. "It's why I joined Starfleet!" She released the engineering officer's hand and pointed to all of the tchotchkes the woman was hauling around in question.

With her eyes coming back up to meet the blonde's, Freddie slowly pulled her hand away, chuckling slightly as she turned to draw attention to the large model and framed picture in her other. "This is just some stuff my friends gave me before I left the Renown. See?" she asked while turning the picture towards Katja. Unconsciously, the engineer was wiping clean her empty right hand on the side of her trousers.

Katja studied the offered picture and nodded approvingly.

"Gonna guess you actually had time to properly pack up and have your stuff ready for the move, huh?" Freddie asked in an assuming way, while trying to not draw too much attention to the lack of personal effects the medical officer seemed to have.

Katja looked down to the 'seabag' at her feet in confusion when she realized what Freddie was intimating.

"My medical equipment will arrive by crate. Otherwise," Katja motioned down to her seabag, "This is it. I moved a lot growing up - then with school, My residency, fellowship - then Starfleet Academy. I got tired of hauling things along. It'll give me the opportunity to pick things up along the way, maybe."

"If you need help...?" Katja motioned with empty hands to indicate she was willing to take something off of the engineer.

Nodding as she let out a long, "Oooooohhh," in recognition and acknowledgment of Katja's explanation for the lack of personal effects, Freddie continued "Right.Right.Right.Right.Right… Nah, I'm good."

Showing that she had the model Reliant-Class pinned under her arm and had a firm grasp of the photo frame in her left hand, Freddie waved with her right at the doctor as she presented a confident smile. "Even though they let us wear those Engineer's Vests with all the pockets, you get used to moving around with an armful full of parts as an engineer."

Glancing down at Katja's meager bag, Freddie did wonder for a moment just how 'minimalist' the doctor was. It made her gaze wander briefly as she remembered the sheer number of shipping crates that she required to make her move.

Glancing back out the windows, Freddie took note that the Montana had seemingly completed its docking procedures and was moments, if they hadn't already, from opening up the airlocks to allow passage between the ship and the station.

Turning to glance up at Katja, the engineer made sure she had a firm hold on everything she was carrying, "Looks like she's ready for us to report. We better get moving," she suggested before taking a few steps away, but lingering long enough to see if the Doc would walk with her to finally board their new posting: the USS Montana.

Katja took one last look at the ship through the viewport, and grabbed her seabag and slung it over her shoulder. "Wouldn't want to be late." She responded as she followed along with Freddie to the gangplank that led to the USS Montana's airlock.

Her expression became serious. She had never served aboard a starship...hell, she had never left Sol system before. This...this was a big deal.

Captain Jackson Adams
Commanding Officer

Commander Michael Murphy
Executive Officer

Lieutenant Steve Ryan
Chief Communications and Operations Officer

Lieutenant Katja Becker
Chief Medical Officer

Lieutenant Winnifred "Freddie" Zhang
Chief Engineering Officer