“Cadet’s Log – Stardate [July 2402] – Another turbolift, another log entry. Cadets, Murphy, Tang and I are visiting Starbase Bravo on our way to take part in the annual vocational training exercise – a three-week cruise on the cadet ship USS Exeter, which will give us the opportunity to show how we can work in a practical setting. While us cadets are aboard the Exeter, the officers of Starbase Bravo are preparing for shore leave, which will take them off-station for just over a month, meaning we may very well be one of the primary patrol ships in the system. This is definitely something that Victor, Sally and I have been waiting for ever since we were all children – the opportunity to get behind the console of  a starship.”

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The turbolift door opens to reveal a large shuttle bay, filled with all manner of auxillary craft and approximately sixty third-year cadets, thirty, fourth-year cadets and seven enlisted officers. The three cadets join the large group as they are gathered by the barracks officers who begin shuffling everyone together.

“Listen up, cadets, may I please have your attention? – My name is Lieutenant Commander Grizz Thrax and I will be your coordinator for this exercise. First of all, this is for the operations division cadets only, so if you are command, you need to be one deck up and if you are science or medical, you need to be one deck down…” There are hurried murmurs, as three cadets immediately run for the turbolift, hoping to get to their respective shuttle bays in time.

“Alright! Now we have that out of the way, lets get you all divided up and make sure you’re getting onto the correct shuttlecraft. Once your department has been called out, please stand with your department heads. First, we have the engineering team so if you’re part of the engineering team…” Thracks gestures over to a stoic, Andorian officer, ” … please stand by Lieutenant Drachma over there, who will be your department head for this mission.”

“Next up are the operations and communications teams, which will travel together and report to Lieutenant Goldburn for all of your assignments.” Thracks once again gestures to an officer on the other side of the landing pads – this time it is the human operations officer Lieutenant Sarah Goldburn,

“That leaves us with security, who will be with Lieutenant Kanan and the shuttle team, which will be with Lieutenant V’en. Now that you’re all in your groups, the briefing may begin: When you are dismissed, you will follow your department heads and board one of the station’s transport runabouts to your training vessel, the USS Exeter. From there, you will live as members of her crew, with the temporary rank of Midshipman and will follow the orders of your department heads. If anyone has any questions, now is the time.”

Everyone looks around, just in case anyone should ask – but none of them have anything to say, except for a few murmurs in the crowd. “Beautiful – Then you are all dismissed.” The groups all divide up and make their way to their department heads – cadets Thomas Hunter, Victor Murphy and Sally Tang make their way to Lieutenant V’en, the Vulcan Chief of Auxiliary Craft, who invites them aboard the runabout USS Omega and tells them to take their seats.

The Omega takes off from the landing pad and manoeuvres around the shuttle bay, then exits the shuttle bay and sets a course for the USS Exeter.

To Be Continued…

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