New Possibilities
Posted on Tue Nov 4th, 2025 @ 11:34am by Captain Daegan Baas & Commander Jerome Hunt Jr. & Lieutenant Darius Korveth & Lieutenant JG Christian Rogers & Lieutenant JG Ryan Kellerman
2,204 words; about a 11 minute read
Mission: What was Lost is Found
After leaving the Council Hall Daegan led their group back to the shuttle as the rest of his people looked to see what their crew could do for those here on the surface. Signaling to Korveth to join him as the rest boarded the shuttle. "Once we are on board get with my Yeoman and coordinate a meeting with Starfleet Command and the Romulan Ambassador, see the Ambassador can handle things or if she wants to hand it off to someone on Romulus."
"Aye sir," Darius said, "I'll take care of the details. I'm just amazed they learned to live together. It must have been challenging."
"That I have no doubt. I'm sure they have some stories to tell." Clapping him on the shoulder he motioned for him to board.
Darius took his cue and climbed on board the shuttle, checking around him before he did so, not out of any real concern, but out of habit.
Kurul looked to Dareem, they had both been junior officers all those years ago. In their youth Federation shuttles had been boxed and ugly. While the basic concept was similar it was overall sleek in design. The various control surface were all some kind of touch panel. There were no levers of switches of any kind...things had definitely changed.
"What do you make of them?" Dareem inquired, his hands clasped loosely behind his back.
Turning his head he responded with an edge of humor, "Suspicious my friend?" Kurul reached around and patted his old friends chest as they found a seat, "I have never met the Captain's species before but he seems genuine. They offered to put us in contact with home without us asking and a tour of their ship openly, so it seems they have nothing to hide. Even if, as he said we have managed to achieve peace while they are still trying. Let's see where thing sit, see what options are open to us before we decide which road to travel."
"Options are what is always offered before something is taken, isn't it?" Dareem's tone wasn't bitter, only weary, and drawn from a lifetime spent exploring the differences between diplomacy and conquest.
"Still," he admitted, "if half of what their Captain says is true, the galaxy has softened in ways I wouldn't have believed." He smiled thinly and faintly for a brief moment. "Maybe that's progress. Or maybe it's weakness. Weakness that leads to being conquered without firing a shot."
Kurul turned to look sternly at his fellow councilor, after all these year of peace the old ways still emerged now and then. "You forget my friend the Captain also said how we proceed is up to us." He felt eyes on him and straightened in his seat seeing ... what was his name Rogers ... looking at him he nodded.
"My mother was security, in a fashion. She was the Tal'Shiar representative on the ship. I'm surprised she and my father ever loved each other enough to have gotten together, but I have siblings so they cared for each other several times." She laughed softly as she puttered her way up the ramp. "Though she knew how to relax, unlike some!" he said, waving in the direction of the other two councilors. Rogers gave them an automatic look after the elder councilor indicated them.
"I take it that it's not completely unified at the village?" Rogers asked, wanting to whisper but not sure the old lady would be able to her him.
"It is, it is, well enough at least," Yuvana said. "Just look at me, pretty unified don't you think Mr. Security," and here she squeezed his bicep. "I'm sure you don't do all your thinking in the gym, do you?"
Rogers sighed. "No, Madame Councilor." He managed to have a 'misstep' preventing her hand from caressing his chest again.
Posrun couldn't help but smirk at hearing the elderly Yuvana's flirtatious advances toward the Starfleet officer. He turned his attention back to the majesty of the Valkyrie and marveled at how the Federation's technology had advanced.
The shuttle lifted off and Kurul was staring towards the front to watch as they left the surface. It had been a century since he had flown in the Federation shuttle they had captured. There was detectable shift in the gravity from the planet to the artificial gravity, and the transition from atmosphere to space was smooth as well.
As they approached the ship Kurul's mouth dropped and he rose moving forward.
Councilor Andelra leaned forward in her seat, fingers gripped the armrest as the Valkyrie filled the viewport. "Elements preserve us..." she whispered. The ship loomed large like a living thing--sleek, silver, its hull dappled with a pale blue light, indicating running systems. "It's beautiful," she said at last.
Beside her, Posrun's youthful eyes were wide. "It's magnificent. It seems like you could fit the D7 inside one of its nacelles." He pressed a hand to the glass, wishing to reach out and touch the ship.
"Help me up and to a better view, Mr. Security," Yuvana said, smacking Rogers on the thigh before pounding her stick twice against the bulkhead. "I want to see this for myself. After all the stories my father told us about space flights," her tone was wistful but also demanding.
Rogers stood and took her hand, helping her to rise to her feet and shuffle to a viewport. Uncharacteristically she remained quiet but her face broke out in a grin as she watched the ship pass by them. It was the changing of lights that showed the wet glint in her eyes. "Daddy, if only you had lived a few years longer," she whispered.
Dareem had remained silent on the short trip from the planet surface. There was much to be wary about and though other councilors were unable to temper their enthusiasm at the arrival of outside contact, he was far less enthused. He was Romulan and knew Humans were weak. However, he kept his opinions to himself and simply went along to get along.
Daegan watched the Administrator smiling. Speaking to the pilot, "Ensign, give our guests and external tour."
"Aye, sir." Adjusting their course she took them slowly along the port side of the ship then up and over the top, and down between the nacelles. Swinging around the approached the landing deck even as the main shuttle bay door opened. "Valkyrie flight control, shuttle Eir on approach."
"Acknowledged, Eir welcome back."
The shuttle entered the bay even as people moved about landing as smoothly it had left the surface.
As they all exited the shuttle Kurul asked, "Captain, we flew over a landing platform before we entered the bay didn't we?"
"Yes we did. The Valkyrie has a docking elevator under that fantail that enables us to launch or take on other craft without having to risk compromising the main bay."
Kurel nodded approvingly at the design.
"If the Administrator doesn't mind I would be honored to give the tour," Hunt offered.
Rogers closed his eyes and let out a small sigh. With Hunt taking over for the tour and diplomatic duties. He'll be rid of the old lady and free to concentrate on his own duties.
"A tour, won't that be exciting?" Yuvana said, turning a smile to Rogers. "Will there be a luncheon? My parents often mentioned so many foods they missed - tea and plomeek soup and something that my dad wistfully recalled as 'cheesecake'."
Daegan grinned. "There wasn't any planned but I'm sure we can get a few replicators sent to the surface to help with food, water, clothing, an..."
"What's a replicator?"
Daegan clasped his hands together. "Ahhh well a lot has changed in what had been the norm from a hundred years ago. Basically it is a device that converts energy into various forms of matter. Without the need for a starship to store provisions a lot of things changed. It allowed for that space to to be used for other systems, larger quarters, longer mission. Which led to families being allowed on Federation starships."
Jerome smiled watching the Captain explain what a replicator was and all the advantages of having one. The little things that the Federation took for granted. "A luncheon will definitely be a part of the tour."
Andelra's eyes wandered to Jerome Hunt. "I would love to taste grilled hlai. Do you have Romulan hlai?" she asked.
Simply smiling and nodding. "Yes, I believe we can put grilled hlai together," the First officer answered.
Yuvana's wrinkled face light up as she clasped her hands together in front of her. "A luncheon! How fantastic! And tell me, Mr. Person," she said directing her attention to Hunt, "will it include...cheesecake?" She spoke the word as if it was the most exotic word she'd ever heard. "My father always said it was the one thing he missed the most from the before the crash."
"You father has every reason to miss cheesecake. That just happens to be one of my favorite desserts."
"Have you had cheesecake Mr. Security?" she said, turning back to Rogers. "Is it as good as my father described?"
"My name, Madam Councilor," Rogers started in exasperation, but he also noticed the captain and XO present and tried to keep his irritation in check. "Is Lieutenant Rogers. I'm sure in all the excitement you may have missed the Captain's introduction of his staff."
"That's all well and good, young man," Yuvana sniffed, "but it doesn't answer the question about cheesecake!" She tapped her walking stick twice against the floor and stared directly at Rogers.
Rogers gave a brief shake of his head, trying to shake himself away. This had to be some sort of nightmare. "Yes, cheesecake is very delicious," he muttered as he watched the shuttle flying by the ship.
Posrun shook his head at Yuvana's constant pestering of the poor pilot. He felt like telling her to just be quiet and allow the man to do his job.
Seeing Rogers...struggle...with the attentions of the elder councilor he couldn't help but grin. At one point of another every officer had felt the pain of a diplomatic duty. He still needed to talk with him about other issues but those could wait. Forcing the smirk from his face, "Lieutenant Rogers, be sure to personally see to the safety of our guests while their are aboard. Councilor Yunava, I will PERSONALLY ensure that there is a variety of cheesecake there for you."
Once again, her lined, aged face light up in a beautific smile. "Of all the wonders of the galaxy that my parents would tell us as children, to think there are varieties of them. Truly we have been missing many things for having been stranded as we were. And yet, judging from those around me, especially Lieutenant Rogers of Security it has not made the Federation as soft as some might think," she spoke as she looked around, but it may have been considered imagination that her gaze lingered long on her fellow councilors as she spoke the last. "We must also presume, shan't we Lieutenant Rogers of Security, that relations between my parents's people are not much better today than it was prior to the catastrophe that threw our people together."
Rogers let out a slow breath listening to the way she spoke his name now. He was sure he was going to get some sort of Federation reprimand for "lack of diplomatic skills" or something. It's not as if he hadn't tried to put up with politicians right? He turned to the older lady. "I would imagine that others would be better suited to give you a better understanding of diplomatic relations among the powers of the galaxy," he said to her.
"Oh, I'm sure, I'm sure they'll be better suited," she said, once again tapping her cane against the floor. "but I imagine they'd also be less honest about it." She turned back to Hunt. "So, a tour? And a luncheon with varieties of cheesecake to follow. I can't wait until the ship docks."
"Madam councilor as the Executive Officer of this ship," Hunt announced. "It would be an honor to provide you all with tour, followed by a luncheon with a variety of dishes of your choosing. Especially various forms of cheesecake.
With Jerome taking the councilors on their tour that left him to assist Darius with the diplomatic wrangling and he could be Sizia on the luncheon that they had been committed to. Looking to Darius, "Lets go."
Darius nodded. He had always been good with people. That's why hid chose the career he'd gone into. It's what made him who he was and and probably why he'd been chosen to do what he'd been tasked to do."
"I'm right behind you."
Captain Daegan Baas
CO
Commander Jerome Hunt
XO
Administrator Kurul
NPC played by Baas
Councilor Dareem / Andelra / Posrun
(played by Ryan Kellerman, CIO)
Lt Darius Korveth
Chief Strategic Operations Officer
LTjg Christian Rogers
Chief of Security
Yuvana Barias
Councilor
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