Cold Start (Part 2)

Posted on Mon Mar 3rd, 2025 @ 2:15am by Commander Katrina Chance & Captain Patricia Cooke
Edited on on Sat Mar 8th, 2025 @ 5:40am

1,218 words; about a 6 minute read

Mission: Impending Midnight
Location: Ready Room, Deck 1
Timeline: After 'Cold Start (Part 1)

Previously, on Star Trek: Missouri:

Setting down her work, Patricia rose to her feet and faced the ready room doors.

"Enter:" She called out.

Permission given, Katrina stepped forward up to the ready room door's detection threshold. Compliantly, the doors slid open with a faint whoosh, bringing Katrina face to face (more or less) with her new commanding officer. The newly minted XO moved forward on the carpeted floor, past the entrance to the ready room. Approaching Captain Cook's desk she offered in at least an attempt to be pleasant, "Afternoon, Captain. Commander Katrina Chance, reporting for duty. I have been assigned to act as your new executive officer." But with the monotonic words she voiced, her lips didn't move even slightly.

As she spoke, she produced a PADD from a small pocket on her uniform and set it carefully down on her new commander's desk.

Patricia did raise a curious eyebrow, wondering where the voice was coming from, if not from the Commander's mouth, but kept the thought to herself.

"I see..." Patricia said, extending a hand for the other woman to shake. "Well, welcome aboard, Commander: It's good to know that good officers still exist in the fleet."

And now, the continuation:

"Interesting," Katrina thought. She was pleased that she'd seemed to make a good immediate impression, but she wondered if there was more to the good officer statement than appreciation for politeness. Regardless, that wasn't something to delve into at this moment. Instead, she extended her hand to shake Patricia's, her grip respectably firm but not overly energetic. "Thank you, Captain," she droned in a monotone. "And, since I am sure it is on your mind, what you are hearing is an implant. I am not capable of speaking naturally."

Patricia blinked. Was she psychic? She certainly didn't look like a mind reader...

"If you don't mind my asking; what happened?" She decided to indulge bringing the conversation in that direction.

Katrina regarded the woman before her with a casual look. This was a conversation she had had dozens of times, and it usually followed a pattern. Even so, it was a perfectly understandable thing for people to be curious of, so she didn't mind it. "I was born with some sort of brain defect which prevents the signals transmitted by my brain from reaching my vocal cords. Attempts to isolate it have repeatedly failed. So, I use an implant to convert my thoughts to spoken word. As you can hear, it unfortunately has limitations," she droned.

"Unfortunately, despite all the advancement, if you know what to listen for, you can still hear the automation." Patricia agreed. "So... This defect... Does it get in the way of eating and drinking at all?"

Patricia knew she was asking pressing, likely personal questions, but it was important that she fully understood the scope of her new XO's limitations.

This question caught Katrina's attention. She tilted her head to look up at Patricia, her eyebrows momentarily arched before she shook her head no in response. "My body functions as it should otherwise, as does my mind. Due to the training I have received however, it is more difficult for telepaths to read me. It is necessary for me to maintain a mental firewall. If I do not, this implant will broadcast any thought I may have."

"I see," Patricia said, using this as the opportunity to shift the conversation back to the topic at hand. "Well, we've got a lot to go over, Commander, and not a lot of time to do it in. So, without further ado, how much do you know of the situation at hand?"

Katrina nodded. As pleasant as educating others might be, it wasn't why she was here. "Perhaps I should become a teacher," she thought idly. Turning her attention to the matter at hand she stated, "I am aware the Missouri is headed to a planetoid called Lazzaro, and behind us are fifty starships prepared for a last stand against an AI known as I-400, Captain," she responded, her posture remarkably relaxed despite this tense situation.

"That is correct, Commander:" Patricia nodded, impressed that for once, a new arrival had read up on the situation. Perhaps Starfleet had finally begun to inform their officers en masse to the unfolding crisis. "Intelligence suggests that I-400 has turned it into the biggest dirty bomb in galactic history, and is plotting to fly it into the Great Barrier kamikaze style to wipe out all life in the galaxy. So, we're talking a high level of artificial intelligence here, as not only has I-400 figured out a way to deorbit a celestial body, but also a way to fly it at warp speed."

Katrina nodded thoughtfully and frowned. "I take it the odds are against us and the situation is grim, as the old cliche goes," she observed. To her, the odds didn't matter. What mattered was doing her best on the job. And if she was being honest, if she was going to go out, she wanted to go out fighting for, standing for, something. But she didn't plan to make that day today. Her expression shifted slightly, from welcoming and kind to one of certain resolve. "Tell me what you need from me, sir."

Patricia smiled. Finally, a first officer that was proactive instead of reactive...

"Well, shortly before your predecessor walked out those doors, she scheduled a senior staff meeting at 1700 hours..." She glanced up at the Chronometer. "That's about 40 minutes from now. What I want you to do with that time is read up on what we know about I-400. If you can, I want a strategy plan on my desk before the briefing."

Patricia knew she was likely throwing Commander Chance in at the deep end, but she had been running the trial by fire ever since she took command. So, they best way to see if the new XO would sink or swim would be to give them a tall order right off the bat.

"I need not mention this, but Planetoid Lazzaro is populated, albeit sparsely." Patricia added. "So, an effective evacuation plan should also be a part of the strategy. We need to minimize collateral as much as possible."

Katrina nodded her head swiftly and clasped her hands in front of her as she took in what was being asked of her. It was a lot to do, but she wasn't going to let her new CO down on arrival. "Yes, sir," she droned simply. "I will get started immediately. Unless there is anything else?"

"I believe that will be all for now." Patricia said, rising up from her chair and extending a hand to the Commander once again. "I suppose I'll be seeing you in the meeting, then."

Katrina nodded her head resolutely and extended her hand in return, giving Patricia's another firm shake. "Yes, sir," she stated simply. "I will have a plan of action prepared before the meeting. Providing it meets with your approval I will see to it the fleet is informed as well." Her look turned thoughtful, calculating... it seemed she wasn't even waiting to leave the room before shifting gears.

Posting by

Captain Patricia Cooke
Commanding Officer

Commander Katrina Chance
Executive Officer

RSS Feed