Home Coming

Posted on 28 Apr 2025 @ 4:22am by Lieutenant JG Cajag Lagnas & Lieutenant Commander Temerant Bast

1,210 words; about a 6 minute read

Mission: Shoreleave and Reassignment
Location: Starbase 375 Main Hanger Lounge
Timeline: Prior to Reporting for Duty

Caj sat in a small lounge chair in the Officers Lounge of Star Base 375. The clear glass coffee table in front of him, had a built in touch screen LCARS display. Caj's fingers quickly and deftly danced over the display as he ordered himself an Andorian Red Coffee. In the centre of the table a small replicator plate, whirled to life briefly, as a blue haze swirled and coalesced into a large mug of Coffee with the Starfleet insignia. Caj picked up the mug and blew on it gently.

He sat back in his chair and taking a sip from his mug looked out of the window. An entire wall of the lounge was one giant plexi glass window looking out into the internal hanger bay of space dock. Nestled together, in the hanger bay, where a small cluster of Federation Starships. Including, in their ranks The USS Cygnus.

It was the only Nebula Class Starship in the hanger bay, tethered to airlocks, fuel lines and umbilical's. Being a Nebular Class it was a little more dated than some of its contemporary starships in the hanger bay, but she held herself majestically and wore her weathered hull plating with stoic honour.

Caj get up and walked to the window to take in the view more closely and admire the USS Cygnus. He stood next to another officer and with a smile on his face Caj pointed at the Cygnus "Do you know that one over their at all? The Nebula Class? i am going to be posted their."

Temerant Bast was pulled out of his reverie by the man's question. The repairs to the Cygnus, the maintenance schedule, and the logistics of getting the required crew pulled from their shore leave and returned back to Elysia were beginning to wear him down. The latest meeting with Commodore Xaeralan's crew had been a bit tense, as not everyone seemed to be in sync. He found that he needed to pull on Lamorra Beast's diplomatic touch in order to maintain cordial relations with the base's maintenance crew.

He turned and looked at the man standing beside him, who was similarly gazing at the Cygnus.

"The Cygnus. Yes, I do know a little something about her. She might not be much to look at by today's standards, but she has it where it counts. You say you're going to be posted there?"

Caj spotted the pips on the red collar of the starfleet uniform and unconsciously straightened himself up a bit. "Yes Sir. Just assigned as Science Officer sir"

Bast waved that aside. "We're off duty, you can drop the 'sir'. I'm Temerant Bast. Cygnus's First Officer." He extended a hand.

Caj took the commanders hand and smiled again. "A pleasure si.....I mean Mr Bast." Caj was a little suprised to find himself standing in front of his new XO. Caj nodded towards the Cygnus "She looks like she has been through a few scrapes ?"

"That would be something of an understatement," replied Bast. "She was almost destroyed. This is going to be a major refit." He turned toward his fellow Trill. "Science officer, you say? What's your field of expertise?"

"Theoretical Temporal Mechanics Sir." The Ensign shrugged a little "Well Practical & Theoretical application. It's something of a passion sir....I built my first chroniton particle detector when I was eight years old."

"Now that's a specialty you don't hear every day," said Bast. "Those chroniton particles can have a way of messing with your brain. How did you manage to shield yourself at that age?"

"Oh I totally didn't" said Caj with a big smile. "Probably why i only got a B minus and a fast trip to sick bay." Caj took a deep breath. "Wouldn't be the last time." Caj smile broadened even more.

"That must have caught the attention of Temporal Investigations. I don't imagine they're accustomed to investigating eight-year-olds."

Caj grinned broadly as he remembered the disapproving looks from his teachers, parents and temporal investigations officer when he had been called into the Captains Ready room on-board the federation starship he had grown up on. "Oh it wouldn't be the first time. I did get seconded to them following graduation from starfleet academy."

Bast raised an eyebrow. "Straight out of the Academy, that's quite a feat. Did they have you doing lab work, or were you out in the field?"

"Oh I spent most of secondment in laboratory." Lied the Ensign smoothly. Not that he wanted to mind you. He was just not sure of the commanders security clearance. He did not want to lie, it was just better being safe not sorry. And what he had said was mostly the truth. "One of the reasons why i wanted to get back into the fleet. I was deep lab, when the rest of starfleet has been fighting, Cardassians, Klingons, Dominion and Borg for the last ten years."

"I'm sure it was a unique experience. But then, since it was for Temporal Investigations, you probably got to re-live it over and over," quipped Bast. "I don't want to disappoint you, but I'm afraid we don't come across temporal disturbances that frequently on the Cygnus."

Cajag held his hands up a little in mock surrender and smiled "Oh it was something like that. Besides thats why I got back into the fleet so i could try my hand at something. Get back on a Starship and get out and about more."

"I'm sure we'll be able to provide in that area. Once she's done with the refit, of course."

Caj nodded to himself thoughtfully. "Do they still make parts for a ship that old?"

"They do," confirmed Bast. "What they can't replicate, they can scavenge off another ship. But the Cygnus still has life left in her. They'll bring her systems up to specs, and she'll be good as new."

Caj nodded to himself thoughtfully, hoping he had not offended by sighting the Nebular Classes age. Crew and ship, could grow attached to each other. "I grew up running around the corridors of a galaxy class starship, I'm sure a nebula class, will feel very familiar."

"They are very similar," confirmed Bast. "You should feel right at home."

He watched as a workbee approached the Cygnus with a piece of the saucer section's new outer hull in tow. The piece was emblazoned with a massive number 4 - the final digit in the ship's registry number, NCC-71954. Slowly, the workbee eased the plating down toward the ship's structure, where manual workers in orange-colored envirosuits were ready to weld it into place.

He turned back to Caj. "Have you reported in to the Captain yet?"

"Next stop sir. Though considering that part of the bridge is missing-" Caj pointed the Starship "I expect I wont be finding them in their ready room?"

"Somewhere up in the command suites here on the Starbase. Ask the computer."

Bast turned away from the viewport. "It's never a good idea to keep the CO waiting." He extended a hand toward the ship's new Science officer. "Welcome to the Cygnus, Ensign."

The un-joined Trill smiled and shook the offered hand warmly. "Thank you kindly sir. I better be getting underway." He nodded politely to his superior officer.

 

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