Unofficial Literary Challenge 21
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The Type-15 shuttle banked toward the gigantic gantry floating near Earth Space Dock. Engulfed within the structure and attached by station-keeping grapples was an Excelsior-class ship. The semi-cylindrical nacelles connected to the secondary hull by angular pylons, which countered the current Starfleet aesthetic. The most obvious difference between old and new designs was the round saucer of the primary hull. As the shuttlecraft flew closer, the ship’s pearly skin made Solaris look brand new, even though it had seen retrofit, refit and repair over the years. Its current Captain was one of the few remaining actively flying its class. Although the Advanced Cruiser model was recently reintroduced with a modern visual style, Solaris was slowly becoming a one-of-kind.
Cira Beitz had studied the history of the ship class and of Solaris itself. When her classmates in the Academy shared their postings, some were proud to have their first assignment with well-known Captains or ships. One of them even had a slot on the venerable Enterprise. For her part, Cira got a few jabs from friends at being assigned to an ‘old junker’. Yet, her readings suggested a slot on Solaris’ crew was nothing to be ashamed of or afraid from.
Standing about 1.7 meters, Cira felt small in the tiny shuttlecraft, especially relative to the ship in the forward window. Her short dark brown hair rested mid-way down the neck while her high cheeks rested under penetrating blue eyes. She tucked her hair behind the left ear and turned to notice the pilot sitting to her left looking away back to the ship.
“First assignment Ensign?”
Cira nodded and forced herself to look relaxed by resting her hands in her lap. “How could you tell?”
The pilot shrugged. His Engineering uniform was crisp and Cira noted the Lieutenant rank pips. With a sharp jawline and pointed nose, he looked intelligent. The pilot’s first question sounded disarming while inviting for discussion. “The more chatty ‘Cadies will blurt it out. Those who are quiet are the ones to watch. It’s in the eyes though. Veterans will focus on anything else because most ships are basically the same, just the layout changes.”
Based on that answer, Cira considered the pilot may have a lot of experience at the shipyards. “Do you have any stories to share?”
The pilot looked back to Solaris, and then lowered the speed one increment. “About the ship or the Captain?”
Surprised, Cira stuttered, “e … either, one or the other, whatever.”
The pilot grinned. “Let’s see, something not found in the files. During the retrofit near 2380, I think, Captain Carlyle insisted the outboard impulse engines be replaced with shuttlebays. So, the new engines would go to the secondary hull. CoE put a stop to that within minutes of the request.”
Cira chuckled as she recalled the technical specifications for the Excelsior-class made that idea a physical impossibility.
He smiled from her mirth and added, “yeah, Carlyle was known for out-of-the-box thinking.”
After a few moments of silence, Cira enjoyed the insight. “Is the ship haunted or anything like that?”
“Nah.” The pilot humored. “It’s just an old ship, even though it doesn’t look it. I heard the Captain has refused to upgrade the computer core to accept A.I.. Apparently is she doesn’t like them and top brass isn’t forcing her to have one.”
Cira was interested. “Not surprised really, those are better used on the larger exploration or flagship vessels.”
“Or maybe she cares more for a personal touch, if you will. Oh yeah, you may know that the Transwarp Drives on this class are notoriously unpredictable to work, right? Well, for Solaris, the Drive only failed once: on the first run with the Captain. So either the Chief Engineer is that good, or she is that lucky.”
Cira grinned, “or the ship likes her”.
Without pause, the pilot smiled and replied, “quite possibly.”
“What about Captain Beringer?”
“Oh, yes. I heard that when they scrapped her previous ship, she requested all the crew follow her to the new ship.” He nodded to the ship filling the forward viewport. “Very uncommon request.”
Cira agreed. “Did they all go with her?”
“You know Starfleet wouldn’t allow that, but she did get over three-quarters. Very uncommon accommodation.”
“That does seem … impressive.”
He continued, “scuttlebutt was that every crew member made a request to transfer with her to Solaris.” He turned the shuttle toward the rear of the ship. “Do you like Orions?”
“Pardon?”
The pilot started to input information and, without looking away from the console, patiently repeated, “do you like Orions?”
Still surprised by the non sequitur, Cira casually responded, “I’ve only met a few at the Academy. I guess so. Wait, does this involve Captain Beringer? I read she has an extreme opinion about them.”
“I heard the same thing, but that doesn’t explain her friendship with one on the bridge. Interestingly, there is only one other Orion on the ship. Still, I wouldn’t call her racist.”
“The notes on that subject were vague,” Cira recalled. “I just figured it was one of those personality quirks that have not received official attention.”
“Should it though?”
“I suppose not. Although, her record makes it sound like she has made dents in the Syndicate’s operations.”
The shuttle turned toward the open shuttle bay doors and slowed. The pilot communicated with the deck officer to finalize the approach.
Cira gathered her belongings and stood. “By the way, how do you know so much? There must be hundreds of ships in the Fleet.”
The pilot gently landed the shuttle, started to power down the engines, then stood and offered his hand. “I’m Ethan Carlyle, your mentor. Welcome aboard Solaris.”
Surprised, Cira paused enough to gather her wits before reaching to return the gesture. “You … you’re not with the station crew?”
“Captain Beringer insists her staff pick-up and delivers transfers. It only seems appropriate I guide you to your new post. Transporter Operator is more glamorous than it sounds.” Activating the door to open, Ethan picked up Cira’s largest bag and then waved a hand for her to exit first.
Taking the lead she exited the shuttle, and then turned back as she walked down the ramp. “You are the previous Captain’s son?”
“Yes. It would not be proper to work under your parent’s command. So, when Captain Beringer received the ship, I was granted a transfer to Solaris.” He looked past Cira and saluted.
Turning, Cira Beitz dropped her bags as Kathryn Beringer walked up, and saluted. The Captain stood over seventeen centimeters taller than Cira. Even a few steps away, Cira had to look up to the burgundy-haired woman.
“Welcome aboard Solaris, Ensign Beitz. I hope you will enjoy your tour with us.”
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Cast for Crew:
Kathryn Beringer - Rachel Nichols
Cira Beitz - Selma Blair
Ethan Carlyle- Hugh Dancy
