First Impressions

Posted on Fri Oct 30th, 2026 @ 11:59pm by Commander Vaelor Tane

785 words; about a 4 minute read

Mission: Episode 1: A New Sheriff in Town
Location: Docking Ring/Operations, Starbase Mojave
Timeline: MD 9: Mid Morning Thursday

The transport settled against Starbase Mojave's docking ring with a dull vibration that Vaelor felt through the deck beneath his boots. He glanced up from his PADD as the docking clamps engaged, giving the final details of his transfer orders another cursory look before closing the file.

Commander Vaelor Tane. First Officer, Starbase Mojave.

He'd held the rank for two years and served in much the same capacity at Starbase 214, but there was something rather appealing about the assignment. An enormous new installation on the frontier, an unfamiliar crew and enough unexplored territory beyond the station to keep Starfleet occupied for years. After nearly five centuries, he still found himself curious about what lay around the next corner.

Getting away from the administrative machinery of Starbase 214 hadn't been an unwelcome prospect either.

He collected his bag and joined the departing passengers, his broad shoulders filling a considerable portion of the passageway. His dark hair was neatly kept, his beard trimmed and his uniform properly arranged for his first meeting with the Captain. The sacred Toan’ta markings on his hands remained visible, though those along his forearms were presently concealed beneath his sleeves. He'd resisted the familiar urge to roll them up before disembarking.

There would be time for that later.

The docking ring was busy when he emerged, with crewmen directing passengers towards the appropriate checkpoints and cargo handlers moving equipment between waiting transports. Vaelor took a moment to observe the activity. New station or otherwise, things appeared to be running reasonably well.

He confirmed that his family's belongings had been assigned for delivery to their quarters before making his way towards Operations.

The journey gave him an opportunity to appreciate the scale of Mojave. It was an impressive installation, certainly, although he'd learned long ago that size and sophistication weren't always reliable indicators of competence. He'd served aboard ships held together by ingenuity and stubbornness that he'd sooner trust than some of the finest vessels Starfleet had commissioned.

When he finally reached Operations, he paused just beyond the entrance.

The place was alive with activity. Officers worked at their consoles, status displays updated across the various stations and the familiar background chatter of a functioning command centre filled the air. Vaelor took it in with a practised eye before approaching the duty station.

"Commander Vaelor Tane. New First Officer," he introduced himself, placing his PADD on the counter. "Captain Hawk available?"

The duty officer checked the station's command schedule.

"Afraid not, sir. The Captain departed aboard the Denali on an archaeological survey to Velorum Reach."

Vaelor regarded the officer for a moment.

"Right. When's she due back?"

"There's no confirmed return time listed yet, Commander."

"Mm."

He accepted that with a slight movement of his head. Captains occasionally left their stations, particularly when something interesting warranted personal attention. It wasn't especially unusual, though he'd admittedly expected to meet his new commanding officer before she disappeared into the unknown.

"Chief Science Officer, then?"

"Lieutenant Rava accompanied the Captain, sir."

"Of course she did." There was the faintest suggestion of amusement in his voice. "Chief Engineer?"

"Also with the away party."

Vaelor's grey-green eyes settled on the officer again.

"Medical?"

"Lieutenant Jacobs is away as well, Commander."

He said nothing for several seconds.

Then he gave a quiet, almost appreciative grunt.

"Mm."

The Captain, Chief Science Officer, Chief Engineer and Chief Medical Officer. All off investigating some ancient ruins on a planet he'd never heard of.

He looked down at the departure manifest, reading through the details of the expedition before glancing towards the main display. There didn't appear to be anything immediately concerning in the station's operational status, and presumably the senior officers had arranged adequate cover before leaving.

Still, it was quite a welcome.

"Well, they've picked a damn good day to go sightseeing, haven't they?"

A faint smirk tugged at one corner of his mouth as he retrieved his PADD. It wasn't quite how he'd imagined his first day, but he'd certainly arrived in worse circumstances. At least nobody was shooting at him.

Yet.

Vaelor loosened his cuffs and began rolling his sleeves back, exposing the dark, intricate glyphs along his forearms. The familiar movement was almost automatic, something he'd been doing for longer than most of the people in this room had been alive.

"Right, then."

He glanced around Operations once more, his expression settling back into its customary, unreadable composure.

"Who's been minding the shop while the Captain's away? I'd best introduce myself before somebody decides to send the rest of you on a field trip."

He rested one tattooed hand against the counter.

"And I'll need the latest station status report, please."

Apparently, he was getting straight to work.

 

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