A Mountain of Paperwork
Posted on Mon Dec 23rd, 2024 @ 9:17pm by Captain Daegan Baas & Julianna Raihan-Baas
Edited on on Tue Jan 28th, 2025 @ 11:31am
2,062 words; about a 10 minute read
Mission:
A New Beginning
Location: Ready room
Timeline: Simultaneously with - Infiltration
After his tour the Admiral left him in his ready room to review the huge stack of pads to review. A new command always had a large amount of paperwork, but a ship fresh out of the yard, even more so. The routine stuff he set aside. His first priority was the senior staff. He needed and XO and Department Heads.
Starting with the XO candidate he read file after file. Build two stacks, one for no’s and the other for further consideration. On file he scoffed at, and actually tossed the padd with a verbal, “Oh hell no!”, as he wondered what was going through that officer’s mind to think he was even remotely qualified to be an XO anywhere. After what had been hours, he had all the no processed and the various responses sent.
Turning to the replicator next to him he called up a drink and sipped at it as he dove deeper into his ‘maybe’ stack. After another two hours he leaned back having reduced the pile of potential candidates to three. Deciding it was time for a break he opened a channel back to Earth’s space dock, see that it was well into the afternoon, and waited for Jules to reply.
[Meanwhile, Elsewhere on Earth]
Life as a freelancer was a life in movement, not always able to answer a ping, and this was one of those times especially when there was nothing interesting on the horizon. Jules spent the morning trolling for work and wishing that the train of her professional life hadn't derailed all those years ago when she ran across a lunatic. Still, there were possibilities and one of them, presented by an old friend in Intelligence, had her deep in thought over a cup of hot coffee.
"Raihan here," Jules said as she tapped her comm badge with one hand while lifting the latte to her lips with the other. She sipped, audible through the connection, and waited for the response.
Her slurp came through loud and clear and all he did was shake his head. =^= What is that your third or fourth today? =^=
"Oh goody," Jules responded, "It's the coffee-police ... again."
Daegan leaned back away from his new desk and the unending stream of reports and data pads. =^= So defensive. Hey how soon can you get to the Utopia dock?"
"Half an hour okay," Jules said at once. "I'm in San Francisco at the moment. "
He thought for a moment. "That'll be good. Just let me know what shuttle bay you'll be arriving at and I will meet you there."
[Short While Later]
She'd spent the short flight in the copilot's seat, chatting with the pilot about his views on any number of things, and said a cheerful good-bye when they finally touched down in Shuttlebay 4. She stepped off the shuttle and tried not to let the hurt, that swept through her sometimes, over the career that had been taken away from her, ruin the moment. Instead, she distracted herself by thinking back to her earlier conversation, the enormity of which had not quite settled in as yet as she waited for Daegan to arrive.
Daegan waited in the bay's control center, and the controller pointed as the shuttle landed, "That's the one Captain."
"Thanks Chief."
With that he made his way into the bay and towards the shuttle. As soon as Jules saw him he lifted the fresh latte he had for her.
She crossed the distance quickly, her eyes lighting with pleasure when she saw him, a pleasure that doubled when she saw the latte he held. "I love you," she said as she accepted the latte. "You have no idea how much."
After giving her a kiss he straightened, adding teasingly, "You're just saying that because I brought coffee. Oh, you're gonna love this, they issued the report on the Europa a week ago."
Jules smiled, holding her latte close, "you do know what I love," she said and then turned her attention to the second part of what he said. "Oh? What were the findings?"
He was leading her from the bay towards a lift, "A cloaked Romulan mine left over from the Dominion War."
"At one time," Jules said as she fell into step beside him, "operatives were tasked with looking for technology and anything that was cloaked was high on the list. Not just to reproduce but to find defenses against. I know they had found someone who traded in those mines but ..." She trailed off because that had been about the time that Jaclyn had ensured her face was known in all the wrong places. To distract herself, she took a sip of her latte and looked up at her husband. "So ... what's up?"
"I'll show you." Stepping into the lift, he said, "Deck 311, section 12." As the lift speed away he continued, "They think it was adrift all these years and was just a freak accident that we hit it."
"Makes sense," Jules said. "History is full of that sort of thing, sad to say. Years upon years later, mines kept being uncovered, causing damage ... killing people."
The lift stopped and as the doors opened Daegan stepped in front of Jule, "Close your eyes."
She linked her arm through his and closed her eyes, because it was Daegan and she trusted him as she trusted literally no one else, and waited.
Weaving their way through the people, he finally made it to view port for the bay. On the far side, perfectly profiled, was the Valkyrie. "You had asked 'what's up', THAT'S what's up..."
Jules opened her eyes and looked, taking in the clean lines of the ship, and felt the hunger rise in her all over again but she tamped it down quickly. Her smile widened as her gaze searched its cleaned lines. "Oh Daegan," she said softly. "She's beautiful."
"That she is. Shapely...sleek...fast...oh you mean the ship."
She slanted her gaze upward at her husband and said, "I hope you aren't referring to that ensign that's been making cow eyes in your direction ... because, you know, I work out ..."
His head moved back and forth as he teased, "Really? Where..."
She elbowed him lightly in the ribs but she was smiling as her gaze returned to the ship. "Oh Daegan," she said softly, "is she yours?"
"Oh yeah. Just got to get the senior staff filled and we can launch. Once the openings were official the candidate files and transfer requests started pouring in. That on top of all the other paperwork associated with an initial launch...I was swamp but my Yeoman showed up just before I called and basically told me to get lost while she got started organizing.
Shall we go check on her progress? Then show you the Valkyrie?" He was tempted to mention the ship's Intel center but thought that might be a little too soon, although it might give her the chance to at least remain in touch with the community.
"Sure, I'd love to check out your new ride," Jules said smiling brightly.
Smiling he tapped his commbadge. "Bass, to Valkyrie. Two to beam to the bridge."
== Acknowledged Captain, standby for transport. Energizing. ==
As the transported took hold the station faded away and they materialized at the front of the Valkyrie's bridge. As the cycle finished Daegan turned to see his Yeoman emerge from his ready room, padd in hand.
"Welcome back Captain, ma'am." she handed over the padd.
Daegan looked over the contents, tapping here and there. Opening and closing various files before backing out as he shock his head. "You set up everything? ...already?"
"I set up a database and calendar for you and plugged everything into it. All your staffing interviews are scheduled. Each officer's biography and service records are all linked with their appointment. The ship's supply, antimatter, deuterium, and auxiliary craft transfer schedules are all incorporated. System status reports, requisitions, crew transfers and related requests, as well as the deadlines for anything needing your endorsement are in the database and can be reviewed from that padd or their respective padds on you desk."
Pulling up his calendar he looked for when his next appointment was going to be and raised an eyebrow. "Why don't I have anything scheduled until tomorrow morning?"
"Well sir. You haven't actually moved in. You have a ship to see to yes, but a family as well."
Daegan looked from his Yeoman and then to Jules. "I think she's trying to get promoted."
"I think so too," Jules said. She shook her head in her husband's general direction and sighed. "What he meant to say, I'm sure , is good job, yeoman. Very efficient."
"I was getting to that...but my wife is correct. Very nicely done. And thank you." Turning to Jules offering her his arm, "Where to first?"
"You're the Captain, you decide," Jules said. "Got nothing but time."
Passing through the door at the rear of the bridge they took the corridor aft and after the short walk the passed through another door entering the terrace at the mid-level of the Arboretum.
"The science team will love this," Jules said quietly. "Not to mention the crew. I was on one ship where a small patch was given over to growing a variety of herbs all because the captain liked to turn the holodeck, once a month, into his own private restaurant where he would feed anyone who showed up." She smiled fondly, her mind traveling back to a different time and place. "If you pissed him off enough, you got to do menial chores for him rather than sit with the guests."
The tour continued with several areas, the unique shuttle bay with is landing deck and elevators, engineering, the medical center, security centers, the main mess, with it holosuites and holo stage. As they left the gym there was the unmistakable smell of chlorinated water.
"A pool," Jules asked. "If you got a sauna as well, you'll have to beat off transfer requests."
Standing close enough for the door to open, "Pool, hot tubs, and sauna."
Jules sighed with appreciation. "The Valkyrie is quite a ship, Daegan. I'm very happy for you."
Looking at her questioningly, "For me? For us." He paused for a moment. "I wasn't sure if I should, but there is one other place to show you."
"Lead on," Jules said. "The rest, well, that's a longer conversation, eh?"
Upon reaching the ship's intel center he turned, "I know Masterson really screwed you over, but the ship has it's own intel center. I thought maybe you might wanna use it...maybe transfer whatever you have going on Earth here? I know it's not field work but it at least it would keep you in the mix and active in the community. Plus, we are on an exploratory mission, you would have first crack at digging it to and assessing whatever we come across.
"Is this mine," Jules said as she hovered in the doorway. "Or am I just being offered a space here?"
"Well...I don't have anyone that has requested to head the department. Sooo...if I were to get something from Starfleet intelligence. I don't know...transferring you and you people here for independent operations." He shrugged innocently, "I mean, orders are orders."
Jules turned toward him, pulled him in close, "I don't have words. Thank you." She buried her head in his chest and sighed, arms wrapped around his waist. "I thought I was going to be left behind. But this ... it's more than I could have hoped for ..."
"You'll never get left behind while I'm around." Leaning back, "Let's go get dinner in the Valhalla lounge; then I will arrange for our things to get transferred from Earth's space dock and you can get with SFI to make whatever arrangements that need to be made. How does that sound?"
"That sounds good," Jules said, "and then after all that, we can go check out our new quarters." She slanted a glance up at him. "Make sure everything is just right, you know?"
A knowing grin spread over his face, "Oh I know..." A smirk on his face as he began thinking of a few other places as well.
Captain Daegan Baas
CO
Julianna Raihan-Baas
Intelligence
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