Hello again!
Kendra’s still talking to Chloe about taking command of the largest vessel Starfleet has launched and trying to persuade her it’s a good idea. Chloe isn’t at all convinced yet.
“Colonel?”
“Colonel. I know, not a Naval rank.” She shrugged. “Sue me. I never said Starfleet was going to be modeled on any one service; whatever works is how it’s built. And did I mention the Pike is even more family-friendly than the Endeavour-class ships? I know you hate leaving your spouses and children behind; take the post and you won’t have to.”
Kendra’s last point struck home. Chloe had been offered a different command once before but had turned it down because when all was said and done she enjoyed coming home at the end of a patrol. She enjoyed never being away for more than a couple days. But if her family was with her…!
“Will they have positions?”
“If they want them. We’d have to talk about specialties and where they’d slot in, but since you’re in command of the mission, not the ship directly there shouldn’t be any conflicts. There are also plenty of civilian slots aboard.”
Kendra saw Chloe was wavering and she went in for the kill.
“Honestly, I wanted to grab Pike for myself. But I can’t do that to Cass; she’s put too much into learning how to get the most out of the Constitution. Plus, well, this.” She patted her belly. “I’m not going to be in any shape to try to command when Pike’s ready to head out. So, if I can’t have her, you should.”
“Can I think about it? Talk it over with my family?”
Kendra knew she had her but concealed her glee.
“Naturally! I wouldn’t expect you to jump in without their approval.”
“How soon do you need a decision?”
“Hecate, a question.”
The AI appeared.
“Hi Chloe! KC wanted to let you know she tracked down the glitch in the number three coupling and you’ll be ready for your patrol.” She acted younger, more like her former persona, around the starship Captains.
“Thanks, Hecate.”
“Hecate, what’s the timeline for acceptance trials on the Pike?”
“She’ll be ready in four days; three if you need her sooner.”
“No, no. No sooner. Three days, Chloe. One day leeway so you can get to know your officers before you all have to become experts in a brand new ship.”
“My officers? Who are they?”
“Well, there’s the rub. I needed to talk to you first, so you don’t actually have any officers yet. A crew, yes, but no officers.”
Resler’s grin was lopsided. “In the future you may want to consider reversing your priorities, unless you plan to give your Captain the ability to choose her officers.”
“Yeah, well, I’m still not exactly an expert at this; since Alley and Kiri I’ve been pretty much hands-off.”
Resler stood, gently dislodging the ‘cat who protested losing her human with a trill. “I’ll have a decision for you tomorrow.”
Kendra rose in response. “I won’t lie to you; I’m no good at it. I hope you say yes.”
