September 23, 2407
0901 hours
Utopia Planetia Shipyards
Mars, Sector 001
People gathered from countries all over Earth to hail the new ship that was to be commissioned at the Utopian Planetia Shipyards orbiting Mars. It would be a new class of starship, the Aegis-class, that would usher in a new era for the Federation. The shipyard brightly lit up the giant letters that were etched onto the hull of the ship: U.S.S. Dragonfly, NX-99472. The Admiral couldn’t help but wonder who picked out the name. It just didn’t sound right for a Federation ship, but at his age, the Admiral always understood that he was “old-school.”
The Aegis-class was a heavy cruiser-type starship. It was not a particularly large ship, maybe the size of an Akira class. The Dragonfly was sharp, and very shiny, due to its outer hall being made of a new material incorporated as part of its armor. It did not have a standard saucer section like most Federation ships. Rather, the saucer section was segmented into two large ‘arcs’ that were thick and pointed in the front, and tapered off on each of the sides and to the back. The two sides were connected together by a thin, but sturdy bridge that moved towards the center, and stretched towards the back, forming a ‘Y’-shape. It moved down towards the back of the ship where it also connected two warp nacelles, which were somewhat thinner and more pointed than usual and faced outwardly rather than upwardly. The new design had the overall shape of a typical Federation starship, but occupied as much as forty percent less space and required twenty-five percent less material than a standard ship of the same dimensions.
The term Aegis implied defense. Contrary to most ships in the Federation, the Aegis-class starship was not a ship meant for exploration. Fundamentally, it was meant as a defensive vehicle equipped to deal with emergencies; it was designed to quickly reach distant parts of the galaxy and deliver emergency supplies, assist in skirmishes, provide front-line support in major battles, and escort key figure leaders. Although a defensive ship, it was given a sharp set of teeth, to ward off would-be attackers. Two or three of these ships, in a highly coordinated attack, could quickly incapacitate a Klingon Vor’cha class ship.
The movement in the Federation these days was leaner, quicker, more powerful ships. In an era that seemed bent on intergalactic war, the major advantage that they brought was that they were simply more economic. The Federation could no longer afford to crank out monster ships, one after the other. Size was not a requisite for strength. They may have made for good flagships, but not every ship in the Federation’s fleet could be built this way.
The Admiral sipped his last drop of Raktijino. Damn. He was trying to cut back on the thing, as all men and women try to do at his age, but he thirsted for another cup. The first one just didn’t take. A thousand more thoughts raced through his mind: ‘I should keep it to just one cup’, ‘but I only got three hours of sleep last night’, ‘but my doctor told me to cut back.’ To hell with it, he thought, I’ll cut back tomorrow. “Computer, another Raktijino. And piping hot, this time.”
“Ensign Ferris to Admiral Roth,” the comm system interrupted.
“Yes, what is it, ensign?”
“Captain Darren Seth apologizes for being late. He said that he still had business to take care of. There was some sort of incident on the Chicago.”
“What kind of incident?”
“He wouldn’t say, sir. But he’s headed towards your quarters right now.”
“Understood. Thank you, ensign.” These youngsters, the Admiral thought, they have no respect for schedules.
Then there was the Admiral’s captain of choice for the Dragonfly: Darren Seth. The Admiral couldn’t help but wonder if he had made the wisest decision to choose him, but he decided long ago that it wasn’t always a good idea to second guess one’s decision once it was made. Darren was a newly minted Starfleet captain at the age of only twenty-eight, and a graduate of Red Squad, Starfleet’s most elite cadets. His records show that he was a bit of a troublemaker aboard the U.S.S. Chicago. Defiant and independent, he managed to defy all expectations during his time on the ship. Roth wanted to know who could do the most, with the most little.
All of those thoughts circled through the Admiral’s mind as he drank his Raktijino, so much that he hadn’t noticed that the door chimed. The small panel on the side of the door showed that it was Captain Seth waiting outside the door. The door chimed again.
“Come in, Darren,” said the Admiral.
“Admiral Roth. Captain Darren Seth reporting, as requested, sir.”
“Please, come in.”
Captain Seth walked into the Admiral’s quarters, in a firm, yet nervous manner. He stood about six feet tall. He had dark brown hair with a touch of golden shine when he walked under the light. It worked well with his light skin and overall facial features, which were pleasant and balanced. His eyes were a light blue, but what was most noticeable was that his eyebrows had a significant arc, almost like a Vulcun.
“I trust everything is alright aboard the Chicago?”
“Yes, sir. I just had…” he began, “I just had one last disagreement with my captain, that’s all.”
“And now you’ll have your own crew to disagree with you,” the Admiral told him. He took another sip of his Raktijino to clear his throat. “I called you here because I wanted to congratulate you in private, before I officially sent you on your way.”
“Thank you, sir. That’s greatly appreciated,” Seth said.
Admiral Roth was amused by his stern demeanor. “At ease, Captain.”
“Umm, thank you, sir. I look forward to taking command of the Dragonfly. I take extreme pride in…”
“I said at ease, boy.” Admiral Roth often forgot that he was assigning such a young officer to command the new starship. “So, have you gotten a peek at her, or did you just stick with your specs?”
Seth looked a little puzzled, but realized it wasn’t uncommon for overly excited and clever captains to take a sneak peek at the new ship he was about to command before it was officially sent on its way. “No, sir. I only left the Chicago just now.”
“Take care of her, Captain. The Dragonfly, I mean. She’s a special ship. She’s a novelty, still very experimental. Starfleet has plans to make only eight of these ships, and you are the first to command one. Have you read up on your senior officers and crew yet?”
“Ah, not yet, sir. I prefer to meet them in person first. I think reports can cloud first impressions. Plus, I think it spoils the surprise.”
“Quite right. They do, in a way. You have a most interesting crew, I must say — of course, I’m the one who picked out most of them. You’ll soon get a chance to meet them, with the exception of your first officer. He’s finishing up his last duties on Deep Space Four, and will be joining you in a couple of weeks,” he said. “Take care of your crew, Darren, and they’ll take care of you.”
“Yes, sir. I understand.”
The Admiral cautiously put down his second Raktajino, and began speaking in a more cautious, deeper tone. “The Federation and the Alpha Quadrant are still in great peril, Seth, far worse than is commonly known. We can’t assist everyone in the Quadrant, and still be able to defend ourselves against our enemies. And today, we have many more enemies, and fewer friends. Space is not for the faint of heart. It is hostile.
“I told that to your Academy friend as well, Captain Alan Santiago. I’m placing you two with a great deal of trust and responsibility, I hope you realize that. I had to push to get both of you your own ships. The majority of the Federation Council felt that, despite your credentials and accomplishments, both of you were far too young. I hope you will prove them wrong.”
“With respect, sir…”
“Yes?”
“If I may ask…why did you promote me to captain so soon? I had only spent one year as first officer aboard the Chicago.”
“Are you saying you don’t want it?”
“No, sir, not at all…I just…”
“When the time comes…you haven’t proven yourself just yet. I can kick you back down to ensign if you don’t perform. There will be a lot riding on your first mission.”
“…I understand, sir.”
“Oh, and, before I let you on your way, I wanted to give you this.” The Admiral extended his hand and revealed a small gift: a new Starfleet combadge. It was in the shape of a typical Starfleet insignia, with a bright silver, asymmetrical arrowhead pointing upward. It was ‘split’ in two places, one near the middle and the other slightly to the right of the first one. And instead of any background like a golden rectangle or oval, the insignia was accompanied only by a tiny dark red sphere that sat in the pit of the arrowhead, but didn’t touch it. Seth assumed the red sphere was for command, like his uniform. It strangely looked as if there were four distinct pieces to the combadge, but it somehow magically held itself together. “I thought that you should be the first to wear one.”
“Thank you, sir,” Seth said. He removed the old combadge off the left side of his chest and replaced it with the one that the Admiral gave to him. “I will see you again soon, then, Admiral.”
“You’re dismissed, son. I’ll see you on the bridge of your ship.”
Seth left the Admiral’s room. The Admiral stared down at his half-finished Raktijino, and felt his stomach turn a little. Perhaps it was time for new beginnings, in more ways than one, he thought. He put it down on the glass table, and charged out of the room towards the bridge.
