The massive support struts of Dry Dock Six framed the USS Oberon in pale silver light. Even at rest, she looked ready to move. Her long, graceful lines a clear contrast to the utilitarian profile of the California-class Vallejo. The freshly applied registry letters, NCC-80103, gleamed against a newly refinished hull, as if the ship herself knew she had been given another chance.

Captain Day Renora stood at the edge of the boarding ramp, hands clasped loosely behind her back, taking it all in. She’d read every log entry from the Oberon’s former commanders before the Vaadwaur attack. She knew the names of every officer who hadn’t made it back. That knowledge carried weight, the kind you could feel in the air as you crossed a threshold like this. She’d lost crew too…

Her crew had been through so much since she took command of the Vallejo, far more than that ship was ever designed to endure. After the horrific events at Nerathis IV, command decided to give her the option of taking command of several vessels that were being prepared for reactivation. Starfleet brass had deemed that a better-equipped vessel was called for in order for her and her crew to undertake their new mission as part of Task Force 72 as part of the newly formed Thunderchild Heavy Cruiser Squadron, serving together with Klingon and Romulan commands…

This ship, the USS Oberon, called to her. Since her launch twenty-three years ago, she had seen plenty of action and made some amazing scientific discoveries. She was a ship of exploration and diplomacy, not a support vessel… not a warship. This was a vessel that exemplified what Starfleet is.

She had three previous commanders in her time. All served with distinction, but it was the sacrifice of Captain Liora Kesh that spoke to Day’s soul. The Oberon was out along the Talarian border conducting a study on a trinary pulsar when the Blackout hit. They were able to make it to a neighboring inhabited system just as the Vaadwaur attacked. Drevas II had no defenses; it was a small Talarian agricultural colony, and they had no choice but to protect it. Three Supremacy vessels hammered the Oberon as it fought to protect the colonists.

The Oberon suffered massive casualties and sustained extensive damage to all her systems, but she succeeded in destroying two of the Vaadwaur vessels and drove off the third. Two hundred and eighty-seven officers and crew were lost, but the colony of over one hundred thousand Talarians was saved.

A deep grumble from an approaching Tellarite holding a padd brought her mind back to the present.

Commander Cuhlath, the officer overseeing the Oberon’s repair and refit, stepped forward, his short arm outstretched towards the Luna-class vessel.

“She’s yours now, Captain. The yards have done everything short of building her from scratch. New warp nacelles, updated astrometrics, even enhanced shield harmonics.”

His eyes narrowed slightly, but his gruff voice softened. “She’ll carry you further than the Vallejo ever could. But she’ll expect the same grit from you that got you here.”

Day nodded once. “She’ll get it, Commander. From all of us.”

Behind her, the senior staff from the Vallejo stood in quiet formation, well rested after some much much-needed R&R. Most had just returned from their temporary assignments over the past several months. Commander Mehta’s expression was calm but alert, as though cataloguing every detail. Lieutenant Valis eyed the Oberon’s sleek warp nacelles with undisguised professional hunger. Vex was already craning her neck to catch a glimpse of the open shuttle bay doors. Even Kellan, arms folded, had a faint spark of curiosity in her eyes.

“Permission to come aboard, Captain?” Mehta asked, the ghost of a smile on his lips.

Day allowed herself the same. “Granted. Let’s see our new home.”

They crossed the boarding ramp together, boots ringing against the reinforced plating. Inside, the Oberon’s corridors were brighter, wider, not the patched-together hallways of a refit utility cruiser. The deck plating still carried the subtle scent of newly fabricated alloys, mingled with the sharper tang of fresh circuitry. Somewhere deep in the ship, the warp core thrummed at idle, a heartbeat waiting to quicken.

The former Vallejo crew split up, all going to their respective stations or quarters as they began the process of getting acquainted with their new ship… their new home. Day noticed Valis walking towards a turbolift far quicker than her usual pace, eager to get to engineering. Most of the senior staff followed Day down a corridor to the right, heading for the lift to the bridge.

The turbolift doors opened onto the bridge, and the crew instinctively slowed their pace. The Oberon’s command center felt different, a space designed for both control and comfort, with sweeping LCARS displays and stations laid out for efficiency. The command chair sat at the center of it all, the burgundy synth-leather seating newly installed, the console arms gleaming. Day had been on the ship for the last month, helping oversee system installations and finalizing crew assignments, but it wasn’t until this moment, the newly promoted Captain officially took command of the Oberon.

Day stepped forward, resting a hand on the chair’s back. She didn’t sit, not yet. Instead, she turned to face the officers who had followed her from the Vallejo.

“We’ve been given a gift,” she said, her voice carrying just enough to reach every corner of the bridge. “Not just this ship, but the chance to keep doing what we do best, with the people who’ve already proven they can face what the universe throws at us. The Oberon has her own history. Now, she’s part of ours. Let’s make sure the next chapter is one worth remembering.”

There was a murmur of assent, and the sound of duty stations being claimed. Mehta slid into the XO’s seat to her right. Vex headed for the engineering console, her hands already dancing over the inputs. Kellan moved to science. Rax and Ryan exchanged a knowing look and took their places at tactical.

Day took her seat at last.

“Lieutenant Loran,” she said. “Request permission to depart.”

With a few taps on his console, Loran replied, “Permission granted, Captain.”

“Helm,” she said, looking to Renn Tanara, “set course for the Minos Korva system. Best speed.”

Renn’s grin was quick and sure. “Course laid in, Captain.”

Day glanced once more at the forward viewscreen, where the drydock’s support arms were already retracting. The Oberon’s nacelles flared to life, bathing the bridge in the faintest reflected blue glow.

“Docking arms fully retracted, we are clear for launch,” Loran said, looking at the forward viewscreen instead of his console.

Day gripped her armrests slightly with a grin, sitting just a bit straighter in her command chair.

“Engage.”