Chapter Text
Captain's Personal Logs, Stardate 2536.8
Today is my first day as the captain of the starship Excalibur and if I'm being honest, I'm not looking forward to it that much. I honestly don't see the appeal of taking command but for some reason Starfleet noted me competent enough to command an entire starship. Sure, she's a fine ship, but then again, usually the the others from the command track back in the academy had always said I was the actual problem
Y'know on the bright side, at least I won't be alone in this new starship. Several of my old friends from the academy had either decided to be transferred or transferred by Starfleet themselves. Some of which are Commander Kevin O'Reilly, Lieutenant Commander Sean McLoughlin, Lieutenant Commander David Nagle, and Commander Brian Hanby. The last time I saw them was when we were still Ensigns being designated to a starship, and that was only about 4 years ago. Again, I'm not sure why Starfleet thought to trust, like, 5 20ish year old Irishmen but you know what, I can't really complain
I'm waiting for their arrival right now. We're currently on Starbase 23 waiting to meet up with the USS Potemkin where Brian and Daithi are, the USS Trieste for Jack, and the USS Beagle for Kevin. I don't know but I'm kinda nervous seeing them again. I'll keep you updated on their arrival
The gate to Transporter Room 1 chimed as Captain Daniel Condren stepped in, his back slightly a bit more slouched than those normally from the Command Track. Something about this whole predicament made him rethink several decisions he's ever made, including joining Starfleet. He swallowed the nervousness down, however, cause frankly he didn't like the thought of his crew looking all sorry at him and losing respect
"Several of the new recruits are standing by, sir" Daniel nodded, still trying to keep his heart from bursting out of his chest. He tapped the small communicator on his left and it activated with a chime
"Condren to Captain Soot. We're ready to beam them up"
"Soot here, we're standing by"
"Energize" With one swipe, the particles of five humanoid shapes appeared one by one until it formed five whole adult bodies with faces all too familiar
"Well if it isn't natural disasters reincarnated" The ensign behind the transporter controls was shocked by the reaction the captain gave the newcomers as they stepped out of the transporter pad eagerly and shook hands with the captain as if they've known him his life. Their talks sounded animated as the Irish accent became too thick for him to understand. The ensign slightly shifted uncomfortably, still maintaining his straight stance. Daniel noticed the visible tension and smiled
"At ease, Ensign. These people are merely old Academy friends" Oh. Well. That explained it. But it didn't make his nerves calm down, like, at all
"Aye sir. Permission to leave to handle the daily transporter survey"
"Dismissed" The ensign nodded and hurriedly left Transporter Room 1. Daniel didn't know what or why but at least he got to be alone with the rest of his gang
"So... 'Captain' huh, Dan?" One of them, the one with the septic eye, Sean, teased. Daniel felt his face heat up from the declaration as the others began eyeing him like he's god or something
"Now lads, I may be captain but I sure as hell don't feel like one"
"You might not but you're still captain. We're literally obliged by law to do whatever the fuck you say" Daithi sounded as if he were about to commit mutiny had it not been for his soft smile
"Well, unless the Chief Medical Officer says otherwise. Unlike all of you, I can actually tell Dan to go fuck himself" Brian teased as he gestured towards his blue medical uniform. Dan still didn't know how he had gotten the role as Chief Medical Officer but he's glad it's him and no one else
"At least you're not First Officer. Some shit Starfleet deity decided it would be funny to make a position for a captain who's not a captain" And finally, the Vulcan in the other blue science uniform, Kevin. If he was being honest, Dan knew somewhere in his subconscious that he's going to work with Kevin one of these days, he just didn't realize how closely they were going to work with each other, Captain and First Officer is as close as Starfleet goes
"I'm sure you all will do grand! Now come on! I'll show you around!" And the five of them, the lads as they call themselves, marched out of the Transporter Room with some semblance of familiarity. They were together again, and they were working together like they promised they would. 5 years is a long time in space but Daniel felt he could at least tolerate them with the others around
Sitting on the captain's chair felt lighter when he could see and feel Kevin's presence just beside him on the Science computer, doubling as First Officer and Chief Science Officer. Sean's station just behind him on Tactical provided much more comfort than he thought he'd receive from him. The bridge crew was introduced to the new First Officer and Chief of Security and Tactical and thanks to Kevin's own charm, they've taken him in quite well. Dan knew too well that as a Vulcan, Kevin was hard to handle, to both humans and vulcans alike. He'd heard complaints from the USS Beagle about their "vulcan bastard of chief science officer", he's worried his crew would take him as well as they did in the Beagle. He's just glad he got to have a place where everyone accepted him finally
In fact, Dan noticed a new spark igniting in the bridge
"Lieutenant Anna Rudolf, sir. I'm on Navigation for the Alpha Shift" Anna looked as if she was ready to throw herself into Kevin's arms the moment she saw him and Kevin didn't look any better. They looked like they knew each other, the look of familiarity was there. Dan didn't know how or where these two knew each other but that's another friend added to Kevin's expanding list
"Well, Lieutenant, it seems we would be spending alot of time together" Oh the green tinted blush on his cheeks was too hard to ignore and Anna's cheeks started to become red as well. Were they crushes? Dan didn't know and he didn't think he wanted to know
"It appears so, Commander"
"Well, I uh... I look forward to working with you"
"Y-yeah sure!" On one hand, Dan's happy for Kevin getting to know the rest of the bridge crew and finding love like those shitty romance novels from the 20th century, on the other hand, Dan didn't know how to respond to this all so suddenly. He didn't have anything against Anna and Kevin being together seemingly out of nowhere as long as they could run their duties, Dan still thought the whole dating stuff was bullshit anyway. Besides, they weren't in the same direct chain of command. There should be no harm in that right? Who's to say they're dating or would be dating? Maybe they're just really close friends
Oh well, only time could tell
"Bridge to Engineering. How're you holding up, Daithi?"
"So far so good, capt'n! I'm gonna run a quick diagnostic in the Jefferies tube so- KEVIN! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" The sudden shout startled Dan out of his mind and it took him awhile to realize that, yes, his First Officer had left to check on the findings from the exobiology lab and had in fact paid a quick visit to Engineering
"Daithi, what's he doing?"
"HE JUST RAN PAST ME TO THE TUBES I- COME HERE YOU FUCKER!"
"DAN HELP! I'M BEING BULLIED"
"I'LL BULLY YE TO DEATH IF I HAVE TO!"
If it weren't for the fact Dan wasn't like the usual captains, they would've been dead the moment Kevin's name was mentioned. Any other captains wouldn't hesitate to throw them out of the ship but Dan knew better. He may be captain, but he's also their friend, a blessing and a curse. He thought it made him fully equipped in how to handle any of them when they get rowdy
"Kevin, weren't you supposed to be in exobiology lab 1?"
"Yeah, I got the reading, did a review and all I had to do was report it back to you but I got bored so I thought I could do it later" Ah there it is again. Despite popular opinions, Kevin was intelligent. Intelligent enough to be able to finish his work in minutes. And sometimes that intelligence was his downfall cause Kevin absolutely hated being bored and everyone in the lads hated when Kevin's bored cause then he's gonna pester them instead
"Well how bout this, you go to the holodecks and play the Sims. I'll join ye later" Dan could practically hear him perk up
"Really? You're letting me play in the holodecks?!" Dan didn't feel good hearing just how desperate Kevin's voice sounded. They did let him in holodecks, right?
"Well, as long as it's empty, sure"
"Thanks Dan! Bye Daithi!" He could hear Kevin's voice slowly fading out as he ran from Engineering to the holodecks. It's strange hearing him sound so shocked over the concept of going to the holodecks. Sure, Kevin's previous captains had complained about his "destructive" nature and how they restricted him from certain areas but holodecks? He'll have to talk to the USS Beagle's captain for that
"Well Daithi, how's the diagnostic?" He gave Daithi a 30 minutes pause before finally getting the answer
"Well, there's a few loose screws here and there but I managed to get it under control. Efficiency's increased about, let's say, 10.6%" Daithi sounded confident. The margin didn't sound too impressive but for the Excalibur it was beyond
"Very well. Condren out"
Dan was walking out of holodeck 2 after him and Kevin spent about 2 hours on the Sims. As it turns out, Kevin wasn't allowed in holodecks back then. Figures. He had sent him back to the exobiology lab after getting the quick rundown of the specimen they were observing, requesting more research into the reproduction of the creature and Kevin had nearly sprinted. He was about to head back to the bridge when-
"You fucking scumbag!" Dan noticed the familiar voice coming from around the corner only to see Sean with his hands on the collar of a male Lieutenant from the science track (judging from his blue uniform) while a crying female Ensign was being aided by the rest of the security team
"Commander, it's not really what it looks like!" The Lieutenant whimpered pathetically as Sean held his grip tighter around his collar
"Bollocks! I saw yer hand on her and I'm sure as hell she cried out you had malicious intentions! I'm not letting you go that easily!" And it was time for Dan to step in before Sean decided to kill the man. Everyone in that corner seemed shocked to see their captain standing just a few steps away from them
"Captain!"
"Sir! It's not-" Dan held his hand up. He had to prevent himself from going to a full mental breakdown cause yes this is his first day as captain and yes he doesn't do well under pressure and this was alot of pressure. He inhaled and exhaled as calmly as he could and immediately regained his composure
"I heard what happened. Well, partially. But it's enough for me to know" Sean seemed pleased with that fact while the man in blue he was holding onto froze like a deer in headlights
"Sir, I can explain-"
"I don't need an explanation!" His voice had to be absolute. That's what he had learned from the command track back in the Academy. So he mustered up his best captain voice and, judging from the other man's flinch, it was working. When everyone involved went silent, he continued
"You have attempted an assault on a younger subordinate. A member of this ship. My ship of all places. I don't know how they run things back in your ship but in the Excalibur, everyone is to be treated with equal amounts of care and respect. I will not tolerate physical or verbal assault on any of my crew no matter the circumstances. As long as you're under my command, you will obey these rules I've set or I will be forced to report to Starfleet of your violations of regulations. Is that clear?" There was venom in his voice. He was beyond pissed. Not a day into him as captain and people are already trying to make trouble. It took everything in his body to not just strangle the man, but he managed to turn his anger towards the words he spat out
And it seemed the lieutenant caught the picture
"A-aye sir" Dan nodded, the sharp glare still on his face
"For this action alone, I will be writing a transfer for you back to this starbase" The man seemed shocked and the fear in his eyes turned to anger
"S-sir! You can't do that!"
"As captain, I can"
"You've been captain for one day! There's gotta be-"
"No matter the time period, I am still in command of this starship"
"Sir, please I swear I'll-"
"Commander McLoughlin, escort him to the brig until Admiral Ross is here to pick him up. Get him out of my sight" With one swift motion, Sean grabbed the man's arm and almost literally dragged him to the holding cells. He could still hear the man's yelling curses at him. It didn't matter. What mattered was the ensign still sobbing on the floor. Dan was bad with women, that's usually Sean's forte, but he had no choice cause he's certain as hell he won't leave her like this
"Hey. It'll be alright. He's gone now" He put on his most reassuring voice (or at least what he thought it was). The ensign looked up at him and sniffled, eyes still red from tears. What troubled Dan even more was the bruise on her cheek. It made him bristle just by thinking about what that sicko was about to do
"T-t-thank you sir! I don't know how to repay-"
"You can repay me by going to sickbay and getting yourself checked" She froze in her place. Seriously why are people so damned prone to freezing up during his statement. It looked like she was in deep consideration until-
"Sir? But it's- the nature of my injury is not... Clean" Oh he knew what that meant. And all he could do is smile and try to give her some level of reassurance
"Don't worry. Dr. Hanby will understand. Now go! Or better yet, I'll escort you myself. I gotta check in with him anyway" Dan relieved the security officers and led the ensign towards sickbay. Something in her eyes said she trusted him with her safety and as captain, Dan would not let it in vain
Sickbay was uneventful that day, just a few minor scratches here and there that his new team insisted they could handle. Brian was just trying to balance his PADD on his forehead like an idiot before Dan stepped in with a very much injured ensign. Brian immediately launched himself towards his new patient and did the usual physical examination procedures
"What happened?" He asked Dan mostly, seeing how the woman was too afraid to talk
"Some fucker messed with her in the corridors. How bad are her bruises?" Dan looked so worried Brian was sure he was about to go through another one of his panic induced asthma attacks
"Not too bad" Dan breathed a sigh of relief as Brian called out one his team who was currently free and took the ensign away for a full check up. Once they were out of her ear shot, he began to speak
"I don't know what to say, Dan. Like, Starfleet's prepared us for this but still, it's just so disturbing seeing it up close" Dan sighed and settled on the edge of Brian's desk
"First day as captain and someone's already assaulted. This is turning out worse than what I imagined" To be truthful, he was nervous. He's heard of other starship captains having to face near death experiences and if he couldn't handle this small problem, was he even fit to be captain?
"Hey. Don't beat yourself up. Every starship has those types of weirdos. You just caught one of them and kicked him out of the shit before he could do further damage! Some captains kept them, you know?" He could feel Brian's firm but soft grip on his shoulder. Was it reassuring? Yes. But he wasn't sure he wanted to be reassured now
"Yeah"
"I trust you, Dan. Everyone in this ship does. Especially the lads" And those three words were the only ones he needed to hear. 'I trust you'. Not a lot of people trusted him, hell his professors back in the Academy thought to transfer him to the Engineering track because he wasn't 'Command material'. Years later, his place was at the captain's chair. It was all too surreal
"Thanks, Brian" He nodded before leaving to check up on the ensign. Dan peeked through the gate to see her talking with one of Brian's own ensign. Their conversation looked strained but he could tell the medical ensign was soft spoken enough to get her to talk. Dan guessed she's a betazoid. A lot of Brian's crew seemed to be betazoids
He received the report from Sean. Admiral Ross has escorted him back to the starbase
By the end of the day, they got together in the mess hall for a pint. It wasn't an eventful day, but for Daniel it felt like he's gone through 5 years already. He didn't think he liked the strain of being captain but perhaps he could give it a try
"-As it turns out there's like little to no sodium in the creature's blood and it needs it to survive. It's just like the one from the science history books! The one with Captain Kirk!" Kevin was retelling the exciting new specimen he and his new team had discovered. He seemed happy with his team and Dan was glad of that at least
"Oh yeah I've read that one in Starfleet's standard exobiology journals. Dr. McCoy stated it could shapeshift. Did it shapeshift?" Brian was the only one of them intrigued by this new horrific discovery. Space creatures are weird and scary and the other three are not interested in knowing how many teeth they have
"No. It didn't, and honestly that's good"
"Was it even the same one?"
"I don't think it is. But it works almost the same as that one. Fecker almost killed one of my ensigns and it fecking died after, like, 5 hours of no salt"
"Well that's a shame" Their conversation became even more animated as the three of them tried to understand what the fuck they were talking about. Exobiology was something you had to choose for in the Academy and certainly the three of them agreed not to choose exobiology. 'Those blue shirts are always the weird ones. They're the ones who know how to dissect a human body' one of his friends from the Command track had said and honestly, Dan couldn't help but agree
"Well then lads! I think it's time we do a little toast!" Dan interrupted their animated voices, earning sighs of relief from Sean and Daithi. They raised their glass, high and proud. The crew around them glancing at the Irishmen
"What are we toasting to?"
"Well, Daithi, that's a good question. Let's say... To us. To this new placement. To the years in space ahead of us. To the Excalibur and her crew!" That earned a chorus from the other people in the hall
"To the Excalibur!" Their glasses clinked against each other and everyone else in the room seemed to give a toast as well
Today was a rough start for Dan. Being captain had never been something he thought could happen. But here he was, commanding an entire ship. With his closest friends nonetheless. He was sure that from that day, everything would be better. They have a new adventure waiting for them out there, and he couldn't wait to embark on it with his friends