Lieutenant Commander Matthew Flynn stepped through the docking hatch connecting the station to the USS Roosevelt, through the airlock and onto Deck 3 of the vessel. There, he was greeted by the Roosevelt’s first officer, a male Vulcan in a standard red Command Starfleet uniform. His jet black hair hung down across his forehead in a style befitting of a bowl cut, with a thin nose, dark brown eyes, and thin lips, complete with a slender build, typical of most of his species.
“Welcome aboard, Captain,” the Vulcan said, his flat expression unwavering as he spoke, referring to his commanding officer by the proper title, although it wasn’t his true rank. “I am Lieutenant Commander Vulok, and will be serving as your first officer aboard the Roosevelt.”
Next to Vulok was a female Bajoran in a gold accented uniform. Aside from the telltale Bajoran earring, she stood a bit shorter than the Vulcan, with long dark brown hair maintained in a practical braid and striking hazel eyes. Her face showed the evidence of high cheekbones and a strong jawline, along with a slightly upturned nose. Her form was lean, but athletic. Matt shook hands with them both when they were extended towards him. He had already been informed of his senior staff, but it was still a different thing to him to meet them in person. As well as them, there was a significant number of crew members.
“This is Lieutenant Alenys Larami, your security chief,” Vulok added, introducing the woman as well, gesturing to her.
“Good to meet you both,” Matt answered.
“This way to the bridge,” Vulok stated, as he turned to lead the way to the turbolift. Both Matt and Alenys followed after.
Matt looked around the vessel’s interior before entering the turbolift, making note of each crew member as they resumed their duties.
“I trust your time aboard the station was well?” Vulok asked, as the three of them entered.
“It was,” Matt replied, as the turbolift door shut. “I got a good amount of work done. My only regret is that I couldn’t stay to finish the work being done on the shipyard.”
“Bridge,” Vulok said, and in response, the turbolift made its way up. He then responded to Matt, “That is good to hear. No doubt the work will be continued without you.”
Matt nodded. “What about both of you?” he asked. “Is there anything I should know?”
“Engineering recently corrected a minor power fluctuation in the ship’s aft,” Vulok said. “Otherwise, there are no issues to report elsewhere.”
Alenys added, “No security concerns either, but I recommend conducting a routine sweep of the cargo bay to ensure everything is secure.”
“Noted. Have engineering and security double check just to be sure after I’m done meeting with the crew,” Matt replied to them. “Better to be safe than sorry.”
“Yes, Captain,” Vulok answered as the turbolift came to a stop and opened onto the bridge.
The trio stepped out onto the deck, with the Vulcan announcing Matt’s presence. “Attention on deck, Captain on the bridge.”
Arrayed before Matt was a assortment of consoles and stations, and the crew manning them, who had turned to see the arrivals. In the center was the captain’s chair. The more notable crew members among the bridge included a dark skinned man with a buzzcut that indicated black hair, deep brown eyes, soft facial features that made him look slightly boyish along with a straight nose and a small smile, who was situated at the conn. To his left at the science station was a male Denobulan possessing smooth, straight black hair and styled, combed back to expose the ridges lining his head, along with dark brown eyes, while his face showed a straight nose, angular jawline and a thin but well defined mouth.
Off to the side was a female Betazoid wearing a science uniform, with black hair pulled into a sleek braid, her dark skin accentuating her eyes that were of a similar shade of color. Within her face was a delicate nose and soft facial features, conveying her youthful appearance. At the engineering station to the conn’s right was a human male with short dark brown hair, neatly combed back, and underneath were green hazel eyes, a straight and proportionate nose and thin lips. A female Andorian in a uniform indicating her medical officer status entered from an ajoining room, appearing fairly typical for her race, her white hair styled in a sleek, shoulder-length bob with large expressive antennae extending gracefully from the top of her head. Her eyes were a deep violet, complementing her high cheekbones and defined jawline.
Vulok introduced each one in the order in which Matt had spotted them. “Ensign Austin Bradley, helmsman, Lieutenant Delix, science officer, Ensign Yularra Theo, comms officer, Lieutenant Sid De Luca, chief engineer, and Doctor Thira sh’Tala, chief medical officer.”
Each one nodded at Matt, some of them smiling as their names were mentioned.
“It’s good to finally meet all of you,” Matt said to them all as he looked around at the crew. “I’m sure you’ve already been briefed on who I am, so I’ll cut to the chase. I wanted to say a few words before we get underway.”
Matt stepped forward, moving to near the captain’s chair before he began, looking to Yularra briefly.
“Ensign, broadcast this to the rest of the ship so that the rest of the crew can hear,” he stated.
The communications officer turned to a console briefly, tapped something into it, then looked back at Matt.
“Ship wide communication is open, sir,” she said.
Matt nodded, then spoke aloud. “This is Lieutenant Commander Matthew Flynn, your new captain aboard the USS Roosevelt,” he began, addressing the bridge crew as well as those elsewhere in the ship. “I thought I’d say a few words to everyone, since I’m sure this is a new experience to some of you, as well as myself. I’ll admit, I’m not the best at speeches, or at least, so I think anyway,” he continued, with a bit of a chuckle. “But I realize that my commission as captain is both unexpected and a bit unusual, given the circumstances. To be honest, I didn’t think I’d be here a few days ago myself.”
Matt walked slowly around the chair, circling the bridge as the rest of the crew watched and listened.
“But there’s a saying, that desperate times calls for desperate measures, and this might be one of those times,” he went on, gesturing to nothing in particular as he spoke. “I may not have the kind of experience you expect from a captain, but I do know enough to know that everyone has to start somewhere, and that I am fully qualified to act as one. Otherwise I wouldn’t be here right now.”
Matt stopped behind the captain’s chair, pausing briefly before continuing and peered down at the seat, placing his hands on the top of it before looking back up.
“This is an opportunity, not just for myself, but for everyone on this ship to prove that they are capable of doing their jobs,” he said, resuming, letting his words carry himself on. “But not just that, either. This is an opportunity for us to go beyond what we think we’re capable of. To open our minds, and perhaps our hearts, to new possibilities and new avenues of success,” he added, looking over at Vulok for a moment.
Matt stood back upright with his hands back at his sides as he moved into the last part of his speech. “The task I speak of won’t be an easy one. There will be trials and hardships along the way, ups and downs as well. But I believe that on the other side of things, we’ll become a better crew for it.”
He drew a breath before finishing. “So, with that being said, I will do my utmost to serve this ship and this crew, and make both my primary responsibilities aboard it. So that whatever comes our way, I will not let you down… that is all.”
Matt looked around the bridge at everyone for their response. It was silent for a moment. The rest of the crew exchanged glances with each other as their expressions slowly changed, some of them nodding as well as smiling. They looked back at Matt, with Austin being the first to speak.
“What you said, sir… I think I speak for all of us when I say that was one hell of a speech,” he said.
Austin and the rest of the crew, minus Vulok, broke out into laughter, then started clapping in applause, their focus on their new captain.
“A bit heavy handed, perhaps, but it seems to have gotten its point across,” Vulok commented while briefly raising a eyebrow, in close proximity to Matt. “I and the rest of the crew stand ready to support you.”
Matt grinned at the Vulcan, then waited for the noise to die down as he walked over to the front of the captain’s chair.
“All stations report status,” he said.
The crew at their bridge stations turned around in their seats to face their displays. Austin was first to speak.
“Operations is good to go,” he said. “Sensors show clear.”
Yularra was next. “Communications reports all systems functioning normally,” she said. “We’re currently maintaining open channels with Starfleet and there are no outstanding messages or alerts. I’m ready to relay any communications as needed and am monitoring for incoming transmissions.”
“All security protocols are in place, sir,” Alenys chimed in, following after. “The cargo bay sweep is clear. Security teams are ready to respond to any potential threats.”
“Science reports ready status,” Delix added. “There are no anomalous readings to report, but we are analyzing data from recent encounters.”
Sid joined in as well. “Warp, impulse, shields, weapons, all are ready,” he responded, relaying the information from the engineering station. “Power levels are in the green. No fluctuations to report even after our last systems check.”
Finally, it was Thira’s turn. “Sickbay is standing by for any and all medical emergencies. Crew is healthy and we’ve already conducted routine assessments.”
Matt nodded once they all had given their assessment. He lowered himself into the captain’s seat.
“Well then, let’s get started…”