Preparing for assignment.

[Shalin 0]

Ensign Shan Shalin looked about the New Topeka settlement with a certain curiousity. It was one of the more outlying outposts, and as such wasn't as neat, clean, or organized as the more in-system sites he had been to. On the other hand it did have the one thing Shan enjoyed about stations other than his home - it had variety. Argelius was renowned for the singular pursuit of pleasure which its inhabitants engaged in. This did, of course, mean that over seventy-five percent of all businesses were resturants, bars, or massage parlors of varying degrees of intimacy. On other worlds, Shan had found that their stations offered a myriad variety of goods and services.

 

Shan had thankfully learned restraint early in the Academy. He was assigned a room with a Vulcan of all races - an assignment he had later learned was considered to be for their mutual protection, for even though Shan was atypical among Argelians, he was still an Argelian. He needed to learn a certain level of restraint to be a Starfleet officer, and Sadun was an exceptional teacher. In return Shan offered his roommate the one thing Argelians were good at - unconditional acceptance. Sadun was a Vulcan, and Shan respected his barriers. That respect was returned as well, a fact Shan appreciated one particular night when his roommate walked in on him and Cadet Diora.

 

Shan was as much a friend to Sadun as any outworlder could be for a Vulcan, though now it was different. Sadun had joined the New Vulcan colony as part of the local Starfleet contingent, and Shan was assigned to border patrol. They had said their goodbyes, though Sadun made it clear that it would not be forever.

 

"There will come a time when I will need the presence of my friends. When that time comes, I will ask you to stand with me."

Shan didn't understand, but he knew enough not to ask. Sadun didn't explain, which meant it was personal. If there was one thing he learned quickly, it was that one didn't pry into the personal affairs of Vulcans.

 

As Shan finished his sight-seeing, his communicator chimed. He quickly answered the page, returning directly to the administrative offices. There he was sent to a clerk who had brought up his file. "Shan Shalin - Ensign. Graduated from the Academy eight months ago - performing various individual piloting assignments." The clerk looked up to meet Shan's eyes. "You've been assigned to a Starship, Ensign. You are to be their new Helmsman."

 

Shan held back on his reaction. Helmsman of a Starship? That was an assignment for an experienced officer. The idea that he would receive such an assignment out of the academy was all but unthinkable except in the most extreme circumstances. Sure, there was the whole 'Nero' thing, but he had been passed over at the time. Surely he hadn't improved so quickly. The alternative must be true: Starfleet was desperate. Still, an assignment was an assignment. "I will do my best, Sir."

 

The clerk didn't bother replying directly. Instead he handed Shan a datafile. "The Comanche Creek will be arriving in two hours. Pack and report to Transporter Station Seven for transfer to the drydock."

 

Shan left and packed quickly, throwing his few belongings into a fairly large duffel. Beaming up to the drydock, he waited anxiously for his new ship to arrive. As it did so, he took in its features: a primary hull so wide they needed to open the drydock sideleaves an additional fifty meters to accomidate it safely, an upper-deck secondary hull with what appeared to be launch bays, and a single under-mounted warp engine. He recognized the general design: it was a little over twenty years old. Shan sighed a bit - his assignment made more sense now. As unlikely as it would've been, he was hoping for a starship with a newer design - one with multiple warp engines.

 

Looking at it, he shook his head while laughing just a little. "It's gonna steer like a pig."