A Captain's Welcome

Posted on Thu Nov 28th, 2024 @ 7:49am by Lieutenant Commander Annalise Faulkner & Captain Ivan Petrov

Mission: S1 Episode 8: Resolutions
Location: Ready Room
Timeline: Date 2372-02-12 at 1500
2558 words - 5.1 OF Standard Post Measure

ON

After the arrival of the initial away team from Vengeance, Ivan had undergone the administering of the cure by Dr. Pel, as did the rest of his erstwhile inhabitants of the doomed planet. To say he had been shocked to see Andrei and the others was an understatement, and he still felt he was in shock as he and Yana dressed in their room, donning their uniforms for the first time in months.

He materialized alone on the transporter pad, deciding to go up earlier than everyone else in order to shake himself awake in a certain sense. The familiar room appeared before him. He blinked as his eyes settled on the transporter chief and then the blonde woman standing before him.

“Annalise..” he said, licking his lips. “So much for obeying my orders, I see.”

He smiled then and stepped down the steps to the floor.

“Captain.” Annalise greeted, her voice warm and a matching smile on her beautiful face. “It is good to see you again.”

Annalise was quite aware there would be a discussion, but she was still confident in her decision. She had never been blind to the effect that leaving the away team behind had on the crew nor the steadily increasing unrest it had caused. In the end, she had been confident in the decisions she had made. “Welcome home.”

“It’s good to see you as well, Commander. I honestly didn’t expect to see any of you ever again. It’s quite a relief and, like for the rest of those who were left to make a life on that planet, a shock.” He responded, his brown eyes taking her in. “I look forward to reading your report of the last few months. It must have been eventful.”

“It was, yes. The report is already ready and waiting for you.” She stood with him, perfectly at ease and holding his gaze without any sign of challenge or upset that he was back. “How would you like to handle your return to command and my return to the Gladius? Now, or would you like a day or two to settle back in? I’ve already moved from your quarters and had your things sent back in.”

“I only learned of this change a few moments ago, Commander. Don’t drop the paperwork on me just yet.” He said, smiling. “Give me two days to familiarize myself with the details and reports, and then I can take the reins. For now, let’s walk and talk.”

Chuckling, Annalise nodded and shifted out of his way so he could take the lead. “Of course, Captain. I simply didn’t want to overstay my welcome.”

She fell into step with him once he started walking and kept her eyes forward. “The crew performed in exemplary fashion these past few months. You’d be proud of them.”

“That’s good to know.” He said as they stepped out into the corridor. He took the lead comfortably and without hesitation, nodding at a passing crewman who smiled at him. “I see there’s no knife between your ribs. I can only assume that means you found a way to tame the XO.”

“Were you expecting one to be there?” Annalise asked, mildly amused but also not particularly surprised.

“I didn’t expect it…but I wouldn’t have been shocked.” He said with a chuckle. “Tell me about it.”

“Truthfully, Andrei was very cooperative overall. Of course there were moments, but there are always moments. I found the most effective way of working with him was to give him space to do his job and explore his options; to give him trust that he would do what he was supposed to.” Annalise explained. “The thoughts of his lost family were never far from him, though, and he was determined to find a cure.”

“I’m glad you figured it out. Many commanding officers would have been less flexible.” He noted, taking a bend in the corridor. “And the rest of the senior staff gave you no issues as well?”

“Nothing in a disciplinary sense, however,” she glanced over at him and then continued, “I did make a shift in our Flight Control department. Lieutenant Forrest did not thrive in his new position as Chief Flight Control Officer here as we hoped he would. Ensign Price performed admirably, but she wasn’t quite up to the task of taking over. Surprisingly though, I found a new candidate through fate, it seemed.”

“I met Sipov down on the planet. He told me how he found us.” Ivan responded thoughtfully. “I can’t decide if the gods favor us or despise us, Annalise. We seem to go back and forth between fortune and misfortune as often as a man changes his pants.”

“You know how fickle they can be.” She replied calmly while shaking her head. “Perhaps our lives are simply amusement to them at this point. I can’t say I’m enjoying myself most of the time.”

“Whatever is planned must be for the greater glory of the Empire.” He said with conviction. “They must be on our side. Nothing else makes sense.”

“Well, at least one of them is, otherwise we would all certainly be dead considering everything that has happened to our vessels, no?” She chuckled with a shadow of humor and shook her head again. “Lieutenant Boros has not served for long, but I have found him to be competent and eager.”

“Well, that’s fortunate. What happened to Jonathan?” He asked, looking at her as he pressed the call button for the turbo lift.

“I sent him back to the Gladius to resume his former posting there.” Annalise replied simply and stepped onto the lift once the doors opened. “He fares better on the smaller vessel it seems. Lieutenant Urso and Lieutenant Wolff have both settled in quite well in their departments though.”

“That’s a relief, at least.” Ivan said, stepping in after her and calling for the Bridge. “And I assume you didn’t flush anyone out of the airlock or drink all the wine while I was away.”

“Crew compliment is the same as it was when you left; wine… maybe not as much.” She flashed a grin, warm and friendly. It was a joke of course, considering she was not much of a drinker, but it was all in good fun.

“How did you all fare on the planet? I didn’t have a report of anyone being rushed to sickbay.”

“We built a nice little home in the time we had.” He answered with a nod, smiling at her joke. “There were storms that destroyed our research largely , but we weatherproofed the camp and moved forward. Our people are intelligent and resourceful.”

“They are Terran, I would have expected nothing less.” She paused as the lift slowed and the doors opened to the bridge. Annalise stepped out first, but then moved aside for Ivan to move ahead of her and take in the place he had been parted from for too long.

The senior staff were mostly busy, so the stations on the Bridge were populated with replacement staff. He recognized every face, and as the loud voice of the Chief of Boat cracked the air, they all rose to their feet.

“Captain on the Bridge!” The aging man said. His long, straight hair was restrained in a ponytail that cascaded down his back, black with signs of gray.

“At ease and keep your stations.” Ivan said, raising a hand and looking between each of the faces. “It’s good to be home again. Thank you for working to rescue us; all of you.”

“Glad to have you back, sir.” Simmons spoke up from tactical and the sentiment was echoed from a few others with murmured agreement.

Annalise left a small smile on her face as Ivan had his moment with the auxiliary crew and then finally moved from behind him down toward the ready room, but paused at the end of the railing that would take her down the steps to wait for Ivan, not trying to rush the man in case he wanted to mingle or take a seat in his chair.

Ivan nodded at Simmons as they passed the tactical station, but didn’t bother to sit in the chair or to make the rounds. There would be time for that very soon. Instead, he simply walked after Annalise to the ready room and stepped inside with her. Crossing his arms as the doors closed, he settled his eyes on her as he made his way to the winding real couch in front of the window. He assumed all of her decorations had already been cleared out or that she’d never moved them in in the first place.

“So, tell me how you found the cure.”

“As I mentioned, Commander Petrov was quite adamant about finding a cure and returning to collect those we had left behind. I was not opposed to the idea, but I made it very clear I would not risk the lives of our people on a long shot. That caused some… friction a few times.” She paused and pursed her lips. “We eventually received word about an engineering conference that was taking place on a Vidiian lunar colony. I approved Andrei and Marikit to attend the conference while the fleet remained at a nearby trading post. Andrei found information regarding Dr. Denara Pel who had apparently formulated a cure and her whereabouts. That information turned out to be correct, so I ordered the fleet move to the outpost where we did indeed find her.”

“I assume the Vidiians didn’t hand her over willingly though.” He remarked, leaning back into the soft cushions of his couch and trying to adjust mentally to being back. It wasn’t easy. He kept expecting to simply wake up in his bed on Gamma Eridine II. “How did you get her help? She seemed quite willing and…unchained.”

“No, they didn’t hand her over willingly. Our teams did meet resistance, but when she was found, she apparently saw the wisdom in being cooperative.” Annalise explained. “It seems they aren’t all foolish.”

“One in a thousand, perhaps.” Ivan remarked, his eyes watching her for any sign of what she might not be saying. “They’ve expended some considerable energy to hurt us in the past. They might want revenge for this.”

“I wouldn’t doubt it. I would strongly suggest we not linger here longer than we need to. I saw a report that Ensign Ocara suggested bringing up some of the native plants you had found and potentially converting parts of the Rynall to an aeroponics bay.” She sat down with Ivan, but left a respectful amount of distance between them while they talked.

“That would be something interesting to explore. We discovered quite a lot about the world and made use of its flora and fauna. All in all, she was a friendly planet, and would make an excellent colony besides the specter of disease.” He said, thinking of the Rynall and the scientific research they had there. It was the ship they held the easiest, with the least punishment and programming. Vidiians were easy to control once they were under thumb; they protected the status quo, whatever it happened to be.

“Now that we have the cure, perhaps a colony is something to consider for the distant future.” Annalise noted with a smile. “I am very glad she treated you all so well.”

Pausing, she shifted her eyes outside toward the planet. “You should give her a better name than what she has now.”

“If we get back to Terra, it’ll be near the top of the list of suggestions for the Emperor. Perhaps, in leaving, we can find a quick and reliable way to return.” He said, his voice sounding almost hopeful. “As for a name, that could be something to keep in mind. Though we didn’t do it the whole time we were down there and now that we’re leaving, it almost seems the wrong thing to do.”

Annalise lifted her shoulders in a slight shrug but wore an understanding smile. “What was life like there? Was it a very difficult adjustment?”

“There was a rough transition between soldier on a journey homeward and colonist…it wasn’t easy, but we made an adjustment near the end. We all accepted we would be there for the foreseeable future; probably forever.” He answered, looking at her with a glint of sadness in his eyes. “And now it’s almost like it was all a dream.”

Reaching out, Annalise gave a small squeeze to Ivan’s shoulder. “While I wish we could have come back sooner, I’m glad we were able to return for you even if it wasn’t exactly what was planned. I’m sure you would have lived decent enough lives there - you’re all resourceful and intelligent - but it isn’t Terra.”

“No, it isn’t.” He responded with a shake of his head, his eyes finding hers. “And the gods have something else in store for us, it seems. How do you feel about returning to Gladius?”

“I’m sure my XO has gone thoroughly insane by now, so that will be interesting to return to, but I’m not bothered by it.” Annalise chuckled softly. “It will be good to be home, though I’ll admit I’ll miss the larger quarters.”

“I hear that one.” Ivan said, then stood up. He was towering as usual, but his smile contrasted the stark and severe uniform he now wore once more. “Thank you, Annalise; for your leadership and for your decision to come back.”

She stood with him, her own smile lingering on her beautiful face. While her stance was on the surface easy, there was a certain confidence to it that couldn’t be denied. “I live to serve, Captain, and I would not see Terran lives forfeit if I can help it.”

Ivan nodded, gesturing to the desk she had occupied for quite some time. “Keep the chair for another 24 hours. It’ll give me time to readjust and read the reports I’ve missed. You can transfer back to Gladius tomorrow. I’m sure Stagg will be thrilled.”

“I’m sure.” She agreed with a soft chuckle. The man had done a fine job leading the smaller ship, but it was clear he still hated everything about the role. “Take your time, and if you have any questions or want to go over anything in more detail please don’t hesitate to call for me.”

“I certainly won’t.” Ivan responded, gesturing to the room. “Until tomorrow, I leave you with the Ready Room. I’ll be working from my quarters. You can have anything you believe I need to see sent down there.”

“I will, sir.” Annalise assured him and meandered with him toward the door, though stopped in front of the desk where she gave her a warm smile. “Take care and I will see you tomorrow.”

“See you then.” Ivan said, offered a polite smile which seemed to be filled with mixed emotions, and then stepped out of the doors.

OFF