Dropping Off Excess Baggage
Posted on Mon Oct 13th, 2025 @ 7:29am by Commander Steven Greco & Lieutenant Evelyn Stewart & Commander Calvin 'Cal' Maraj & Lieutenant Commander Keishara Davaris & Lieutenant Dashku Zhevou & Sayssus Zhevou
1,381 words; about a 7 minute read
Mission:
Year One: Strange Bedfellows
Location: Bridge, USS Moore
Timeline: MD042 - 0825 hours
The forward viewscreen bloomed with the soft light of Betazed, oceans and verdant continents sliding into frame as the ship slowed from warp. The homeworld’s natural beauty filled the bridge with a glow that no starfield could match — a planet that seemed to breathe calm into the room.
Cal sat forward in the command chair, one hand braced against the armrest as the vibration of the deck plates eased beneath him. He drew in a breath, then let it out slow, the faintest ghost of a smile on his face.
“Helm, confirm orbital insertion complete,” he said, voice steady but with a note of appreciation. “Ops, put Betazed traffic control on our secondary band. Let’s not make our host nervous by barging in unannounced.”
He straightened, tone shifting to the clear cadence of command. “Alright, people — report. What’s our status?”
Stewart tapped the controls of helm effortlessly. “Initiating standard orbit, Commander.” Stewart called out to Maraj.
From Tactical, Keishara’s hands moved across the board with clean precision, her gaze flicking between weapon status and the sensor sweeps running in tandem.
“Shields at standby, weapons powered down per approach protocols,” she reported evenly. “Sensor nets are clear, no foreign signatures within immediate range. Betazed’s defense grid has us logged and tracking.”
She allowed a fraction of a pause, eyes lifting briefly toward the main viewscreen. “Traffic’s heavy but orderly — nothing to concern us, sir.”
Then back to her console, focus fixed. “Moore is secure.”
Dashku wanted to breath a sigh of relief, having her mother's ship riding along side of them for this length of time had started to weigh on her mind. As much as she'd changed, the call and the alure of easy power still tugged at her far more than she would have liked to admit. Finally, her eyes narrowed and she looked up from her console.
"We're green across the board, ready for standard orbit."
Cal leaned back slightly in the command chair, one hand rubbing absently at the edge of his jaw as the reports came in. Everything clean. Everything steady. It was the kind of silence that came after a long haul and the kind of mission he wouldn’t miss.
Stewart tapped a few controls as she finished positioning the ship. “Standard orbit confirmed.” She called out across the bridge crisply.
“Good,” he said finally, eyes on the world turning slow and serene on the viewscreen. “Let’s make sure it stays that way. I think we’ve earned a few quiet days without someone shadowing our every move.”
His mouth twitched, the faintest flicker of a grin. “Much as I appreciate Betazoid hospitality, I’ll be glad to sign off escort duty before we start getting invited to family dinners.”
He turned toward Ops. “Open a channel to Captain Sayssus. Let’s tell our guests they’ve arrived in paradise.”
A soft chirp filled the bridge as the connection opened, the image of the Orion ship resolving on the main screen a heartbeat later.
Cal straightened, posture crisp, expression easy. “Captain Sayssus,” he greeted, voice smooth with that trace of warmth he saved for moments that needed just the right amount of charm. “You’ll be pleased to know Betazed looks as radiant as promised. Though between us, I doubt it’ll outshine your company on the trip here.”
He let the compliment hang just long enough to draw the faintest smirk from the bridge crew behind him before his tone slid back toward diplomacy. “I trust your ship’s ready for transfer and your arrangements planetside are in order?”
Sayssus sat poised on her Captain's chair, she was dressed in her standard Orion uniform and she looked partially distracted. She gave a nod to one of her officers before she turned and smiled at Cal. "Yes, we have our port of lading locked in and we're about four hours out from being on the ground to begin unloading. I'm surprised they're able to get us in so quickly, this is clearly important cargo."
Cal leaned back a little in his chair, that easy smile tugging at his face again — calm, confident, the kind of warmth that said he’d had enough excitement for one voyage.
“Well now, Captain, I’d be lying if I said the trip was calm waters from start to finish,” he said, voice low and measured, carrying that faint musical lilt of the islands. “But we both kept our ships in one piece, and that’s what counts, eh?”
He gave a small nod toward the viewscreen, tone turning smooth again but still relaxed. “Betazed’ll treat you nice — sun, soft landings, and plenty people to charm that smile of yours. I think you’ll manage just fine without us keeping watch.”
His grin widened just enough to hint at mischief. “The Moore’ll stay in orbit till your people set down. After that, I’ll be glad to stretch her legs somewhere a little quieter. You know how it is — escort duty makes a ship restless.”
Cal dipped his head slightly, voice softening as he closed, that faint lilt of home threading through the calm. “Safe landings, Captain. With any luck, the next time we cross paths, it’ll be under calmer skies.”
"Perhaps I'll be able to convince you partake of my... generous hospitality under those calm skies," Sayssus replied with a playful smile, she was disappointed that he'd never accepted her invitation, but it had been under odd circumstances. Still, she didn't like being told no. "Feel free to call if you need my services again, Captain."
“Tempting offer, Captain,” he said, a hint of island lilt under the polish. “Another time, when both of us aren't working.” A small nod and smile. “We’ll clear your lane on your mark. Safe landings, Sayssus.”
He cut the channel and let Betazed fill the screen again. “Helm, log their descent window. On their signal, clear the approach and set our course for Copernicus Station—warp seven on my word.”
From Tactical, Keishara had been quiet throughout the exchange, eyes flicking between the displays as the Orion vessel slipped into its descent vector. Her hands moved with the measured precision of someone double-checking every reading before she allowed herself to breathe.
“Orion vessel has cleared our forward perimeter,” she reported, her tone crisp but lighter than usual. “Trajectory stable, descent on schedule. No trace signatures or residual power spikes from their aft relays—looks like they’re actually behaving themselves for once.”
She leaned slightly back in her chair, gaze drawn for a moment to the planet filling the viewscreen. The soft gold of Betazed’s atmosphere caught in her eyes before she looked away again.
“Local defence grid acknowledges our orbit,” she added, voice level. “We’re green across the board, Captain. And for what it’s worth—” the faintest edge of wry humour slipped through “—I’ll take Betazoid family dinners over another week shadowing Orions any day.”
Cal nodded to Keishara with a quick smile. A stray thought about how liberal Betazoids could be tried to drift in; he shook it off and slid back into captain-mode. “Good to breathe again. Now the only thing I have to watch is the lot of you,” he teased, then turned to Ops. “Ops, do we have departure clearance from Betazed Traffic Control?”
"We've been cleared, I've already locked in the exit vector and transmitted that to Conn," Dashku replied in her normal tone, she'd bristled at Keishara's comment, but she also understood the nature of it. "You might enjoy an Orion family dinner, Commander. We are a hedonistic people that enjoy a wide variety of luxuries."
Cal’s grin ticked. “Duly noted, Dash—log the clearance.”
He angled toward the helm. “Stewart, you have the conn. Take us out on the filed vector and break orbit. On your mark, ahead warp seven.”
"Aye sir." Stewart nodded and tapped the controls with a decisive flourish adding a moment later, eyes on the navigational controls. "Warp engines, engaged."
With a quiet build up, the four warp engines purred to live and kicked the USS Moore back into open space, leaving the Totor behind with it's cargo over Betazed to fulfill its unpopular obligation.
RSS Feed