Age Before Beauty

Posted on Sun Apr 12th, 2020 @ 12:36am by Lieutenant Commander Tyhr Th'rhaatress & Captain Gra'sh Jilrak

Mission: A New, Old Journey
Location: Starfleet HQ
Timeline: MD1, 0900

Jilrak stood next to the shuttle that would take him and his new Captain to both of their new assignment, the USS Axca. As he looked over the landing yard, Jilrak's tail started to swish back and forth. His new Captain was only thirty years old. What the hell was Starfleet thinking? Yes, they needed new Captains, but the kid had barely shed his second fur. Things weren't so bad out there, were they?

He wondered how he had let Emma talk him into this assignment. Was she right? Did someone have it out for the kid? Or was she just being paranoid? Jilrak snorted. Of course she thought she was right. Emma wouldn't have gotten a new hat without doing an analysis of wind drag, hair loss potential, and whether or not it would match at least forty-five percent of her current outfits. She was the closest to being Vulcan a human could be, without a DNA splicing.

"What did you get yourself into Jilrak?" he muttered as he waited.

S"relli entered the shuttlebay, barely used to his recent bump in rank. He was still processing it when he saw another caitian wearing captains pops. His face twisted into an expression of puzzlement. "Did Starfleet take my ship? Do I have a babysitter?" He couldn't help but think as he walked forward.

"I mean, hes clearly senior to me." He muttered to himself as he approached. "Captain.," he said in greeting.

Jilrak smiled at S'relli, nodded in respect and said, "Captain. I am Gr'ash Jilrak."

He extended his paw.

The younger caitian gladly took it.

"From what Starfleet tells me", Jilrak said. "I've been assigned as your Executive Officer."

"Executive officer?! That doesn't make sense, you clearly have more experience than I do. I just manned the phasers on an old Ambassador class."

Jilrak laughed some and said, "Sir, when has Starfleet done anything that made sense? Second, when they asked me to come back, I specifically told them that I didn't want to command a ship. I'm happy to be an XO and have the bridge for an extended period here and there, but my days of camping in the center seat are over."

"Fair enough. But be warned I'll probably be leaning on you. A lot.", S'relli replied.

"Isn't that what an XO is for?", Jilrak replied with a smile. This was going better than he expected.

"I guess so." S'relli said as he boarded the shuttle with his new XO. "Well, I like you alredy if that's worth anything." he smiled.

"I wouldn't say that yet sir", Jilrak replied, as he sat down and started the shuttle warm up sequence. "I'm a little set in my ways and cranky when I get up from my naps."

"I'll have to remember that." S'relli said with a grin as he settled into the co pilot seat. "We'll have to use that crankiness against the "bad guys"."

"Well, if you can get the Romulans or Cardassians to wait until I get up before pulling off whatever scheme they might be up to", Jilrak replied. "Then we might have something there."

With that, Jilrak got the shuttle in the air. It didn't take too long before they breached the atmosphere and the Axca came into view.

"Take a good look sir", Jilrak said. "From experience, this will probably be the last time you see her with an unblemished paint job."

"Then I'll have to remember this sight then" S'relli grinned.

Jilrak chuckled and brought the shuttle in for a landing.

"Home sweet home sir", Jilrak said. "At least for the foreseeable future."

"So it would seem." S'relli said. "And now the hard part begins"

*tag (I don't have more to add)

A Joint Post By
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Captain S'relli
Commanding officer

Captain Gr'ash Jilrak
Executive Officer