[USS Vanguard] RPG: Meet Capt. Trevor Elis
- From: "Andy W. Ho" <andywoho@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: USS-Vanguard <ncv80221@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Sun, 21 Sep 2003 11:04:39 -0700 (PDT)
Capt. Trevor Elis
USS Vanguard
After all recent posts
As Quetan and E'thexx sat down to dinner, the chime suddenly rang out.
"Yes?" Quetan asked, annoyed.
"Zena? Drath here. I just received word Captain Elis will be
rendezvousing with the Vanguard in 60 minutes."
Quetan sighed audibly. "Sorry," she mouthed to Jaav. He shrugged and
smiled.
"Zena?" Drath repeated.
"My, isn't he tense...?" Quetan asked herself. Jaav seemed to sense it,
too. The normally sunny Trill had a slight crease on his brow and that
"off in another world" look Zena loved.
"Yes, sir." Quetan said.
"Captain Elis ordered an inspection assembly."
"Really?" Quetan asked.
As inspection assembly was a somewhat formal event every newly-placed
commanding officer was privileged to. It required the participation of
all command-level officers, department heads, senior officers, and
assorted, non-enlisted crew.
However, officers temporarily in command rarely requested them. But
again, a commanding officer had broad discretionary powers.
"Please help me to assemble all the necessary parties and have them
meet the captain in 45 minutes. Shuttlebay Two."
"Yes, sir."
"Soman out."
[45 minutes later: Shuttlebay Two]
Yeoman Challis looked up from the docking control board.
"Shuttle USS Stone Mountain on final approach, requesting docking
procedure," Challis reported.
"Thank you, Yeoman. I'll take it from here."
"Yes, sir." Challis moved aside, confused. Captain or no, docking
control was a routine task.
Soman opened the shuttlebay hatches and touched a button on the panel.
"Stone Mountain, this is Commander Soman Drath of the USS Vanguard,
welcoming aboard Captain Trevor Elis."
Soman waited for a reply. He looked at the rows of assembled officers,
six rows of ten, off to one side of the bay.
"Commander Soman, this is Trevor Elis on final approach. Please
transmit docking procedures."
"Transmitting, sir."
Soman touched a series of buttons on the panel.
The officers tried not to turn their heads as the shuttle eased into
the shuttlebay.
She came to rest with a textbook-perfect example of a shuttle
soft-landing. A few minutes passed as Elis went through the power-down
procedure.
Then, the rear hatch opened, and Captain Trevor Elis appeared.
If they hadn't been expecting him, most of the officers would have
looked past him to see the "real" captain.
But he was the only passenger and not what they expected.
He was medium height, medium build, with a medium complexion, maybe a
little darker than most. His sandy blond (or was it light brown?) hair
was moppish.
He didn't say a word or look around, merely exiting the craft and
walking toward Soman Drath.
Soman turned to the Vanguard's officers.
"Officer on deck! Ten-hut!" he ordered.
They came to attention. Elis didn't spare them a glance.
Elis nodded his head (almost bowing his head) at Soman, who said,
"Captain Trevor Elis, welcome aboard."
Elis nodded. He produced a PADD from somewhere and began reading in a
monotone, almost too low for the back row to hear: "'By order of
Starfleet Command, Captain Trevor Elis is ordered to take command of
the USS Vanguard. Signed, Admiral Adrianne Duncan.'"
The officers looked at him expectantly, waiting (for words of
encouragement, perhaps). Instead, Elis turned and began walking out of
the shuttlebay.
Mandrake looked after him, the look of puzzlement clear on his face. He
looked at Soman in a "So what do we do now?" expression.
"Thank you; dismissed." Soman Drath said, continuing after the captain.
Soman Drath ran into the corridor, expecting to see Elis halfway to the
turbolift. Instead, he was outside, waiting patiently. Soman was so
startled, he nearly gave a little gasp.
"Commander, please accompany me," Elis said.
"Yes, sir." Soman Drath tailed Elis to the turbolift.
Elis requested the bridge.
As they stood there together, Soman smiled and said, "I trust your trip
was good, sir?"
There was a pause, just short of uncomfortable.
"It was uneventful," Elis reported.
"Perhaps the captain would like to freshen up and be shown to his
quarters?" Soman prodded helpfully.
"We have issues to discuss," was all Elis would offer.
"Aye, sir." Soman said.
The rest of the turbolift ride was silent. Mercifully, it was also
short.
As Elis walked into the ready room, Soman noticed an emotional reaction
for the first time.
Elis gave a little start as he saw Santos's macaw, Prism. [For the new
players, Captain Santos keeps an African macaw parrot in his ready
room. Its name is Prism, and it has been present since the first
Vanguard mission.]
Soman couldn't be sure later, but he could have sworn that Elis gave a
little shiver.
"Commander," Elis said, "please have that animal removed from this
office."
"Right away, sir."
Soman removed his comm badge and placed it on the perch, careful not to
get too close to Prism's snapping beak.
"Transporter Room, this is Soman. Lock on to my communicator signal and
beam directly to my quarters."
Prism and his perch disappeared in a shower of starlight. The parrot
gave a little "Squawk?" as he was transported away.
When Soman turned to the captain, Elis was already seated behind the
desk.
"Commander," he began, "the Vanguard has been ordered to Galinia-4 to
lend aid to the people of Galinia. The Royal Family was forced to flee
from that planet 19...pardon, 20 days ago. Some of the planet has
descended into lawlessness, most need basic necessities--water, food,
shelter, medical aid.
"The Vanguard will be first on the scene to offer emergency care. We
will be followed by a full convoy of Federation relief workers,
Starfleet defense teams, and diplomatic negotiators."
Soman's mind was in a swirl. He had at least a hundred questions,
chiefly, "Why the Vanguard?" and "Why you, Captain?" Number one, the
Vanguard was not equipped like an Intrepid-, Galaxy-, Sovereign- or
Neptune-class vessel to deal with a situation like the one Elis had
just described.
Number two, Soman, once a Bajoran refugee himself, could not imagine a
more poorly suited candidate to lead a humanitarian effort. Although,
Soman thought, I've only known the man thirty minutes. He could prove
to be an efficient and caring Starfleet officer.
Elis's words brought Soman out of his reverie.
"Make best speed to Galinia-4. The directions are in the Federation
database. The database on the Vanguard is updated?"
"Yes, sir," Soman said, biting back his original response: "Of course
they are."
"We will hold a briefing at 0630 in Chambers tomorrow morning. Please
have Yeoman Challis meet me here to work out my personal arrangements."
"Yes, sir," Soman said.
"That's all, Commander. Dismissed."
Soman nodded and rose to leave.
On the bridge, he turned to Ensign Coda at Mandrake's station.
"Ensign, set course for Galinia-4, warp 10.1."
Coda turned. "Ten-one, sir?"
"You heard the order."
"Aye aye, sir."
Soman watched the starfield on the main viewer as the Vanguard made a
course correction, accelerated past the speed of light at a factor over
ten, and disappeared in a streak of greyish-white ghost light.
The first officer ordered Challis to meet with Captain Elis, then left
the bridge himself, ready to relax off-duty and wondering what the
morning would bring from their unusual new commanding officer.
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