Eliza had done her research on the new caption she was assigned. The stories about Caption Reilly and his previous postings had come over from her friends on the USS Exeter, a ship where she had formed strong bonds with some of the crew during some combined missions with the USS Drake. She thought this posting would come with a few interesting years ahead.

During her time on the USS Drake, Eliza had tried to stand out from her peers, not to cause tension but to excel at everything she was capable of. Leadership was her drive, and mentoring was her passion.

As she waited on the bridge for the new Captain to arrive, she couldn’t help but notice the amount of work left on the ship itself until the last minute. It was long ago that she had her new orders and a sense of urgency for the mysterious mission at hand. No one knew what this was yet, and she worried that none of the crew could settle in before departing.

The last few members of the station crew started to wrap up their equipment, hyperspanners were being dropped, and she couldn’t help but sense they had been given a sharp movement order. It now all seemed rather rushed, to the point where she had to dart out of the way when a young Vulcan shot past her, heading for the turbo lift.

“Finally, a sense of calm,” she thought. The bridge was now empty, and it was just her alone, standing frontward towards the view screen. The lights were dim as to begin the new shift rotation. A flicker of the systems bounced off the clean displays, and the odd audible tone played in the background. Eliza took a moment and took in a deep breath. She knew it wouldn’t last, but knowing when and how to take these moments in was also important.

She was brought back to the present when the door behind her hissed open more loudly than she anticipated; she saw her new Captain step out; he still had his hand luggage in his left hand and filled the turbolift door with his built physique.

Eliza stepped towards him and offered a hand. “Captain, welcome aboard. It’s a pleasure to…”

Johnathan cut in. “We may have to move out the welcomes until later,” he said, his tone firm and authoritative. Eliza stepped back and instantly felt a wave of intimidation wash over her. She had heard that the Captain could give off this authoritative perception from the outset, but experiencing it firsthand was a different matter. She didn’t let it bother her; instead, she gave a small nod, trying to maintain her composure.

“Do we have our orders, Sir?”

Jonathon smiled, somehow calming the area around them both with a look. “We do; we have been assigned to take new medical supplies to Betazed; it seems routine, but I can’t seem to find out exactly what we are carrying, classified from the science division”.

Eliza raised her eyebrow and instantly became hesitant. It was odd behaviour for even the Captain not to be told what was being transported, and it made her wonder if he pushed enough to find out or just carried on because his first command was at stake.

“Understood,” she said, trying to keep the conversation light. “I can see you got here in a hurry.” As her eyes moved to his hand carrying the luggage, she was trying to break the ice between them, but the Captain seemed uninterested in small talk.

Reilly ignored the statement and proceeded to his private office. “Please have the crew ready to depart within the hour,” he said over his shoulder, and the doors closed behind him.

Standing there, not sure how to react, Parker proceeded to light up her display, call for check-ins with the department heads, and prepare the ship’s status and crew for departure.