Reassigned

Posted on Tue Jun 18th, 2024 @ 6:08pm by Lieutenant Lisald Vaat

1,085 words; about a 5 minute read

Mission: Episode 0: The Fire & The Song
Location: Runabout Yamuna, near Copernicus Fleet Yard, Luna, Sol System

ON

Bajoran. Scientist. Doctor. Acting Chief Science Officer.

Lisald Vaat had many titles.

Friend. Lover. Colleage.

Lieutenant. Senior Officer. Combat Wounded.

Failure. Unwanted. Undesired.

So many titles.

Vaat had earned his Doctorate in Alien Archaeology from the university on Bajor prior to joining Starfleet and being assigned to the USS Cygnus, an aging Nebula-class starship. When he originally came aboard, the ship was under the temporary command of the ships Executive Officer, Commander Stafford, who would eventually rise to Captain and command of the vessel. That was almost four years ago. During those first years, Lisald would go from being a regular junior officer in the Sciences to being promoted to Lieutenant junior grade and being raised to Assistant Chief, then full Chief Science Officer. Before long, he was on the command track, taking correspondence courses from the Academy, being supervised by the ships XO, Commander Helena Pope. Lisald even took some time in Operations to learn the role there, and clepped some Engineering courses with Lieutenant Bingham, the Chief Engineer. Those were the days.

Two years ago, both Captain Stafford and the ships XO Commander Pope were reassigned. Captain Bane was brought in to finish out his time in Starfleet in a position that would be relatively safe and secure. He had earned it, after all. Lisald had been anxious to get to know, and impress, a personal hero of his, that of Bane Plase, one of the first wave of Bajorans that had joined Starfleet, and had earned his way into command. Certainly someone that Lisald had wanted to emulate, befriend and be mentored by.

However, that was not to be how it was. Bane didn't appreciate Lisalds admiration and hero worship, nor did their respective energies match. Where Bane had fought in the resistance, then in the Dominion War, Lisald had been coddled and enjoyed a comfortable, academic life. Where Bane believed that all the praise needed was the knowledge of a job well done, Lisald enjoyed bringing attention to his efforts and achievements and special work completed. The two did not mesh well at all.

Lisald had been wounded during combat with the Crystalline Entity and had nearly died, then nearly resigned from Starfleet. His friend, Albert Spangler, and his girlfriend Ravi Winters, and the recommendation of his new Executive Officer Lieutenant Commander Larsen had convinced him to stay. His mental break from nearly dying had tried Bane's patience, and was reassigned back to Science, as a run of the mill Science Officer. As fate would have it, Spangler was reassigned, and since Lisald had experience, he was put back in charge of the department.

It was during a mission to rescue a damaged freighter that Lisald had pushed it too far. He had been distracted while working and inadvertently set off the self destruction sequence, nearly destroying the Freighter and endangering the Cygnus and all the people aboard her. Lisald had taken a tongue lashing from the Chief Engineer (who had helped save the ships from blowing up), to the ships Second Officer, Lieutenant Commander Stovek, to the ships newest XO (as they kept coming and going), Lieutenant Commander Bast, and finally by Captain Bane himself. It was with this latter meeting that a formal reprimand and a forced reassignment were entered into Lisald's record.

And that is how Lisald had ended up with so many titles.

And how he ended up in this runabout with an Ensign he had never laid eyes on before, in orbit of Luna, waiting for clearance to dock with the USS Goddard.

Admittedly, Lisald didn't know anything about this ship, her commanding officer, or what it's mission was. All he knew was that he had been recalled all the way back to the Sol System to await his fate. Captain Bane had made sure to put in his record that he was an officer that did his duty, but his desire to please and to earn words of encouragement were a severe detriment to his progression and his worth to his on the Cygnus.

Lisald didn't even look up when the Ensign announced that the ship was now in view. He didn't care. He loved the Cygnus. It's where his home was. It's where Ravi was. It was where he had started, and failed, to build a career.

He knew he was being assigned to this ship, this random, unremarkable, poorly named ship. Probably with a Captain that had just put on his fourth pip and had something to prove and would likely get them all killed, or worse, in more trouble.

Lisald sighed. He couldn't imagine a fate worse than this humiliation. To make matters worse, he couldn't resign his commission and go back to Bajor, not with a black mark so fresh on his profile. No, he had been advised if he did, it would reflect poorly on him for any potential future employers. He would have to serve two more years minimum to get the negative out of his record, provided he didn't mess up any more.

The only thing gnawing at him was the sudden assignment. He knew he was headed back to Earth, but just before arrival to the system, his orders had changed. Very likely Captain Bane furthering his shame. He didn't feel hopeful for this assignment, and vowed to keep his head down, do his work, put in his time, then get off this infernal ship and get back to Bajor.

The runabout rocked gently. Surprised, Lisald looked to his pilot and escorting. "We've arrived, sir. Bon voyage!"

Lisald nodded, grabbed his bag from between his feet and headed for the airlock. Within minutes, he was on the USS Goddard for the very first time.

A Petty Officer Second Class stood there in his way, trimmed in security gold, blocking his way. "Uh, Lieutenant Lisald, permission to come aboard?"

The Petty Officer held Vaats gaze for two moments longer than necessary. In an accent reminiscent of Tellar, "Captain's Office, off the main bridge. Wants you to report immediately and without delay. Do I need to escorting you, or can you find it yourself?"

Lisald sighed. And so it began. "I can find it, Petty Officer. As you were," he said, stepping around her and, clearly, headed for the bridge. Off to meet some knucklehead of a Captain with something to prove. Or, by the Prophets, old enough to remember when Luna was a desolate, barren rock orbiting Earth.


Lieutenant (junior grade) Lisald Vaat
Waiting Billiting
USS Goddard

 

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