<USS Avalon> "New Recruit, Part One"

 
 
New  Recruit
Part One
Scott, Farraday, Skyler and  Ketchum
 
 
 
 
        So this was Izar. There  was a planet, of course, but what caught 
Laney's eye was the fleet yard between  her and that planet. It was immense. 
        Bringing Einin to a full stop, she  took a moment to observe the 
scene before her, and to reflect on the last week.  It had been so peaceful 
being 
on her shuttle alone for seven days. There were  walls around her as had been 
at Leavenworth, but the knowledge that she was  free easily kept the 
claustrophobia at bay. Now she was about to once  again set foot on a Starfleet 
vessel, 
and would be an officer once more.  Admittedly, she was a little nervous, not 
knowing any captain who would be  pleased at having an ex-con on his ship. 
        Shaking her head, she scanned for the  Avalon, then engaged the 
impulse engines once more and headed for it.  As she did so she opened up a 
comm 
channel.
        "Shuttlecraft Einin to  Avalon."
        A moment passed before she received a  response. "Avalon here, Einin. 
State your purpose." 
        "My name is Delaney Scott. Ensign Delaney  Scott, Avalon's new 
Shuttle Bay Deck Officer," she  responded.
        "Welcome aboard Avalon, Ensign.  Direct your path toward our main 
shuttle bay, sub-light engines only. Report to  Admiral Ketchum's ready room 
when 
docked. And again, welcome aboard." 
        Laney cut the channel and slowed, even though  she was already at 
sub-light speed. Guiding the shuttle over one drydock,  she flew over to the 
Avalon's berth, to the hangar  door on Deck 19. It was already waiting open for 
her, so she took the  Einin in, as well as a deep breath that she exhaled 
slowly. Her heart  beat faster with each second, becoming a staccato rhythm as 
she 
set down on the  bay floor in an empty berth and powered down.
        Gathering her courage and the two padds  she was to present to the 
admiral, she exited through the hatch, planning to  come back for her 
belongings 
(which her parents had already packed and placed  into the passenger 
compartment for her) after meeting with Ketchum. She was  greeted by a man who 
looked 
oddly familiar, though for the life of her she  couldn't recall where she 
might have seen him before. Taking a quick glance at  his rank insignia, she 
said, 
"Hello, Chief. I'm Ensign Delaney Scott, Shuttle  Bay Deck Officer."
        He smiled. "I'm Chief Petty Officer Elijah  Farraday. Sort of your 
second in command, as it were. Welcome to  Avalon."
        "I have a staff?" Laney joked. "Well, I  suppose it makes sense for a 
ship this size, what with two shuttle bays and a  hangar bay."
        "I think there's just you and  me," Farraday replied. "At least as 
far as the shuttles go." 
        Laney watched as he stepped past her, a  curious expression in his 
eyes as he looked at her shuttle.
        "Now that is most unusual," he mused  aloud.
        "What is?" she asked, following his gaze. 
        Farraday glanced up.  "Well, look at this," he said, pointing to 
where Einin's name and  registration were pained on her hull. "Most 
shuttlecraft 
don't have a USS  prefix. And isn't this a civilian registration code?"
        Laney nodded. "I believe the reason this one  has a USS prefix is 
because she used to be Starfleet's. At least, she was until  last week, when my 
father somehow managed to purchase her. She was supposed to  go to the 
Sandusky, but instead she went to me. I've...been away from  Starfleet for some 
time, 
and my parents were unsure if I was going to return.  Einin was their way of 
insuring I would always have a place  to go."
        Farraday's eyes widened. "Wow," was all he  could say.
        "Listen, can I ask you something?" Laney  began.
        Her companion nodded. "Yes, I'm  single."
        Laney had to laugh. "That wasn't what I was  going to ask, but I'll 
keep that in mind. No, I was going to ask how long you've  been on the Avalon 
crew. I know this is the fourth ship of the name,  and they just lost the 
Avalon-B recently. Did you serve on her  too?"
        Farraday's features grew grim. "Yeah. I'd  been there about two 
years, doing the same thing I'll be doing here. The ship  just...shutting down 
like 
that was mad weird. Our deck officer  actually left for another ship because 
it was the second  Avalon she'd served on that had gone down, said she was 
getting away  from all the negative energies. In fact, I was kinda hoping to 
take 
her  place."
        Laney took a step back, her expression  apologetic. "Sorry," she 
said. "If it makes you feel any better, I didn't apply  for this job."
        Farraday shrugged. "It's all good. As long as  I get to stick with my 
girls, I'm happy. And now we've got this beauty to grace  our bay," he told 
her, patting Einin's hull. "So what did you want to  know?"
        Clearing her throat, Laney plunged ahead.  "Admiral Ketchum. What's 
he like?"
        "He's a good man. Tough, but fair. I've not  had many occasions to 
speak with him personally, or spend any other time in his  presence, mostly 
because of my job," Farraday told her. "But from serving under  him for two 
years, 
and what I've heard through the ship grapevines, he likes to  reward those 
who perform well, and he's hard on anyone who fails to. Likes to be  able to 
depend on his crew, not be disappointed in them. I suppose any decent  command 
officer would be the same way." 
        Disappointed. Her father had been  disappointed in her.
        Shaking that off, Laney said, "Well, I better  get going. I'm 
supposed to report in first thing."
        "Yeah, better get on that," Farraday said  with a nod. "It was nice 
meeting you so soon, ma'am."
        Laney held up a hand. "I understand that  protocol says you have to 
call me ma'am if you're not going to call me by rank,  but please...don't. You 
can't be more than two years younger than I am, and  someone your age calling 
me ma'am is just...weird."
        Farraday laughed. "Ensign,  then."
        "Or Laney," she  countered.
        "How old are you,  anyway?"
        Laney's brows rose. "Chief Farraday, don't  you know it's rude to ask 
a lady her age?"
        "Call me Eli, please. You can't be more  than what, two years older 
than me?" he replied teasingly.
        Laney shook her head, chuckling. This guy was  a trip---she liked him 
already. "I'm twenty-eight, as of June  21st."
        "Twenty-seven, as of March  15th."
        Laney's eyebrows rose, and as she headed for  the door, she said, 
"Beware the Ides of March, kid."
 
        Coming out of the main turbolift onto the  Bridge, Laney stopped for 
a moment to recall where the ready room was.  Left, she thought with a nod, 
and started to turn left.
        "Excuse me," said a woman in command red  coming up from the center 
of the Bridge. "I'm Captain Skyler, First Officer of  the Avalon. Can I help 
you with something?"
        "Begging your pardon, Captain," Laney said,  "but I was told to 
report to Admiral Ketchum immediately upon  arrival."
        "What is your name?"
        "Ensign Delaney Scott."
        Skyler raised an eyebrow. She was curious as  to why this ensign 
would need to report directly to Keith and not her, but it  was an order.
        "Very well, Miss Scott. The ready room is  right there," Skyler said, 
pointing to where Laney was heading.
        Laney nodded, and walked over to the ready  room door, pressing the 
chime and clearing her throat. Despite her best efforts,  her nerves were 
returning.
        "Come in."
        The door opened, and Laney stepped over the  threshold. She stopped 
in front of the desk. 
        Keith looked up from the latest status  report. "How can I help you, 
Ensign?"
        Laney handed the first of the two padds  across the desk. "Ensign 
Delaney Scott reporting for duty as ordered, Admiral.  This is my transfer 
order."
        He thumbed on the padd and looked over the  data. It was all in 
order, and for once he hadn't had to make a personnel  request to fill a 
vacated 
position. Ju'nia Ikar'sa had only left his crew a few  days ago, and he simply 
hadn't found the time yet to even file the  request for a new deck officer. 
        Keith laid the padd aside. "Welcome to  Avalon, Ensign. It's good to 
have you, and I look forward to  working with you."
        Her smile was wry as she handed him the other  padd, saying, "If I 
may be blunt, Admiral, you might not think so when you read  this."
        Curious, Keith thumbed on the second device,  and was further 
intrigued when he was asked for his command code. He held it up. 
        "I don't suppose you've any idea why this  padd you've just handed me 
is asking for my command code, would you Ensign?" he  asked, not really 
expecting an answer.
        "I don't know for sure what's on there, but I  do have a pretty good 
idea."
        Keith cocked his head to one side. "Enlighten  me, if you would 
please."
        Laney cleared her throat, thinking things had  just gone from good to 
bad. "Well, Admiral, I'd say it's a safe bet to say that  the reason you're 
being asked for your command code is because that padd  contains another code 
that will enable you to access certain sections  of my dossier, which are 
classified. Further, I believe it will also state  that, besides yourself, only 
two 
other persons onboard will be granted  access to those particular sections. 
Those persons will be the Ship's  Counselor and Chief Medical Officer "
        Now he was definitely curious. Keith's brow  furrowed as he entered 
his command code, and indeed, there was a memo stating  very nearly everything 
that the ensign had just told him.
        "Well, you got two out of three correct,  Ensign Scott," he said 
after a moment. 
        Laney's eyebrows winged up. "Beg your  pardon?"
        He lifted the padd in his hand. "It would  appear that Dr. McEntire 
will not be in charge of your medical care," he said.  "Captain Skyler will."
        "The XO? Why?" 
        Keith cocked his head again. "I get the  feeling you could answer 
that better than I right now, Ensign. Certainly, when I  read your file, I will 
know what you do. But you've no need to worry, Skyler is  a trained medical 
officer."
        He smiled then. "Any more surprises,  Ensign? You're not related to 
Captain Montgomery Scott, are  you?"
        Laney smiled warily. Apparently, he wasn't  going to read her file 
with her present, but that was just as well. She didn't  really think she could 
stand to watch as he was first shocked and then appalled  at what he learned. 
        She'd get that reaction from him soon  enough.
        "Um, no, Admiral. But I did get a Montgomery  Scott Award for 
Engineering Excellence when I was at the Academy," she  replied.
        "Impressive. Well, you've reported in,  Ensign. Thank you for being 
prompt," Keith said. "I almost hate to give you an  order so soon, but all our 
shuttles from the Avalon-B still need to be  brought over from Izar Station. 
I'd like you to see to that, and give them the  usual once-over."
        "Yes, Admiral," Laney replied. Then a thought  occurred to her.
        "Admiral, I came in a shuttlecraft---a  personal one. Is that going 
to be a problem?" she asked.
        Keith shook his head. "This vessel has a  large hangar bay, Ensign. 
You can stow your shuttle there or in the main bay  itself, if you like. Might 
I ask what class it is, and how you came to own  it?"
        She'd known he would ask, but hated having to  tell the story again. 
"Little Bird's a Delta-class. My father managed  to take the shuttle off of 
Starfleet's hands last week, registering her in my  name so that I would have a 
place to live in case I didn't return to  Starfleet."
        In case she didn't return to  Starfleet? he wondered, his curiosity 
reaching a new level. Out loud, he  said, "'Little Bird'?"
        Laney grinned. "Sorry, Admiral. I keep doing  that, but then I did 
spend an entire week alone in her. The shuttle's name is  Einin, which is 
Celtic 
for 'little bird.' I got into the habit  if calling her that on my trip here."
        "A Delta-class shuttle is a pretty  impressive vessel for an ensign 
to own," Keith told her. "Your father must care  deeply for you. I hope you 
won't mind overmuch if I conscript her into service  now and then." 
        "I won't mind at all, as long as I go where  she does, Admiral," 
Laney replied, ignoring his comment about her father. 
        "I think I can agree to that. Dismissed,  Ensign."
        Laney nodded, turning around and exiting the  ready room. Keith then 
filed the report still onscreen on his desktop terminal  and brought up her 
personnel file, noting that the sections classified were  psychological reports 
(which were always confidential), her  complete medical profile, and the 
transcripts from her arrest and  trial.
        Wait a minute---arrest and trial? 
        He was reading that first. 
        Keying in the access code given to him on the  padd, when the 
classified material appeared onscreen, he began to read. When he was finished, 
he 
called  Skyler and Counselor Danaan to his ready room.
        Now he knew why it was Skyler that had been  put in charge of Ensign 
Scott's medical care. Why there had been the need for  separate access codes. 
        If this gets  out...

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