Bad Moon Rising

Posted on Thu Jul 25th, 2024 @ 7:43am by Rear-Admiral Miraya Chakrabarti

501 words; about a 3 minute read

Mission: Mission 2: Bad Moon Rising
Location: USS Kelcie Mae
Timeline: MD0

Miraya Chakrabarti stared out the view port of the USS Kelcie Mae, a high warp courier ship taking her and replacements from Earth to Deep Space Station K-17 Earth's expansive blue skies shifting to orange and light yellow of the sun's rays before giving way to the still blackness of space. It was so rare for the Admiral to leave the planet anymore. Her duties as Chief of Starfleet Operations keeping her firmly earthbound too many meetings, too much bureaucracy

That was up until three weeks ago, when news had reached Earth of the attack on Amaterasu, her interaction with the Klingons and the diplomatic shitstorm that had followed. The Council, Command and the Public were all up in arms, many of them calling for War. War was not something that the Federation was ready for. While she had been a part of many conflicts in her time with the Fleet she'd never seen a time when they were so divided, so unprepared for hardship. 

The older generation were retiring or shuffling off to quieter assignments. Those old war horses bristling for a fight were ignored. Their war of the 2250s long over, small scale conflict was all anyone was used to anymore. Younger officers wanted to explore, to seek out new life, make first contact with new civilizations. It was a long shot, a pipe dream... And yet she couldn't blame them. Those moments of peace, of elation, of actually doing the job she'd signed up for. How could she deny those joining the service a chance at that kind of happiness. 

So that's why she was steaming for the edge of Federation Space. As divided as the Federation was about going to war, Fleet Command was tenfold as much over the future of the Amaterasu and the next ten Excelsior class ships due to roll off the line. Some only saw her as a warship, others a failed experiment, to Miraya though, they were so much more. They were the first step into a new future. They would carry the Federation's diplomats to the far corners of the galaxy. They would defend the Federation's ideas in the face of adversity, and they would do so in war of peace of Miraya had anything to say about it.

Right now Miraya had two options, the Ship's XO Commander Mayhew or the Ship's Science Officer Commander Azume. Either choice will set the tone for the rest of the program and set the tone for Starfleet's mission for the next forty years. It was a hell of an decision to say the least. Some members of the Fleet blamed Mayhew for kicking off this whole mess. Others focused in on Azumé's inability to completely fall in line during a crisis. While even more tried to lay all the blame with Captain Ramirez and raise the other up onto a pedestal.

Amaterasu would launch again from K-17. A new leader would emerge, a new Captain to follow into the this uncertain future.

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