I’m Back

Posted on Sat Jan 8th, 2022 @ 9:07pm by Captain Rueben Gregnol & Chief Operations Kendra McIntyre

Mission: Mission 14: Holoworld
Location: Freecloud
Timeline: One Month Ago
1545 words - 3.1 OF Standard Post Measure

Almost laughing at herself for ever thinking that the Starfleet shuttle network took time, Kendra had just spent longer than she would have ever liked hitchhiking the quadrant to catch up to the Mary Rose. She had slept on the floor, in an engine room, in a shared bunk, and what may have even been a bathroom in freighters of what she considered varying degrees of legality. Finally, she had caught up to her ship, her home. And now she had to talk to Reuben, perhaps even make use of herself on his ship. It had been far too long since she had seen the Ishimura.

Gregnol had never expected to hear from Kendra at all. The woman had gone off to find herself and where she belonged in the new universe. “Still as pretty as you remember?” Gregnol asked as he caught her watching the ship across the space sport. He lent on the railing next to her watching his ship.

Looking at the ship as one would who had just come home after a long journey, Kendra simply replied, "Always." Reuben was the only person from this time, that she had actually connected with in any capacity other than being that person from work. Casting her gaze back to Gregnol, the woman out of her own time asked, "Have you been taking good care of her?"

The older man made a strained face before shaking his head. The ship had been really struggling recently, between the Ferengi Commerce Authority and the Ferengi fundamentalists it had certainly been a bit of an adventure. "Not in the slightest I am afraid. She has been through the mill last few months." The ship could use someone other than Burnie keeping the lights on.

"Well, it's a good thing I've been studying modern technology," Kendra smiled a bit. "I can help patch her up and keep her running, not just write translation algorithms," she noted. Realizing that she had gotten a little ahead of herself, her mood fell a bit. Looking to Gregnol as if he held the keys to her future, she asked, "That is if you'll have me again?"

"So your time with the Fenris Rangers was worthwhile then?" Gregnol wondered ignoring her question about having her back. There should be no doubt in her mind, it was her home more than his even if the home was in his name.

"Oh of course," Kendra replied, resisting the urge to tell him about all of the cool weapons and technology that she got to use. Of course, anything made after 2300 was incredibly high tech for her so a bunch of independent freedom fighters could not possibly stack up to what Gregnol had had access to while in Starfleet. "Thank you for pulling strings and letting me get some experience," she thanked him. It had, of course, not been all sunshine and rainbows but it was an experience that she was happy to have done. She learned much about the modern galaxy.

“You needed something to find yourself.” He said honesty. “We both did. And we both found it with the same people I think. What would do you think of the rangers?” He wondered thoughtfully. He had had not overly pulled any strings, Indigo and Teav had been willing once he had explained the reasons of what her past had been.

"There's alot of ugliness around, the systems that were designed to help are simply not there," Kendra begin. Finally answering the Captain, she replied, "The rangers are people who are trying to do the right thing. Not all of them are paragons of virtue and sometimes they go a bit far, but overall they are there for the right reasons." Shaking her head a little, she looked down as her thoughts turned dark. "I've had time to read through some history. Had I lived, I would have seen a terrible war with the Klingons, but I would have seen the beginning of a golden age for the Federation. Why are things so bad now? I could never get a straight answer, always a personal tragedy or past hurt that motivated an individual."

Gregnol sighed and rubbed his face for a moment. He had personal views on all of that and why they were no longer in the golden age of the Federation nor why Starfleet was no longer a vessel of hope and enlightenment. “Got too big to quickly and did not see what it already had.” Gregnol simplified. It was not just that but it was the simplest way he could think to say it without all the words.

"Really took the boldly go line a little too far?" Kendra replied, avoiding the philosophical discussion for today. Looking back to Gregnol, she pointed out, "What has happened over the last few months? I tried to keep an ear out for news on the Mary Rose, but I never heard anything."

"So much... After we left the Fenris Rangers we got back into our Cargo runs and we picked up a run from a Ferengi called Fezzik and his Betazoid partner called Jeanna Mitchel. Within the Cargo, there was a Kriosan stowaway. She was being pretty much trafficked to be married of all things." It had ended well there but the rest of it had just been a mess. "We got held hostage for her and the rest of the cargo back by the Ferengi Commerce Authority and the Ferengi fundamentalists. It was a pretty close call but our friendly Fenris Rangers came to our rescue as they boarded us." It had been the only time he had been truly concerned for his crew as the Ferengi fundamentalist had gotten a bounty hunter in charge of that part of there operations.

"You have been busy," Kendra remarked. Moving her eyes back to the Mary Rose, she tried to imagine the ship as it used to be. As good as modern technology was, there was just something special about being part of the first crew to see this particular constitution class roll out of drydock. Casting her gaze back to Reuben, Kendra asked, "So, you never did answer my question. Am I welcome to come back aboard?"

"I did not feel it needed answering detenysh." He said fondly using the Russian word for a little one. Unlike Cassie or Jasper, Kendra had built a friendship with him, trying to build a bridge. He could not fault the others but he had become more fond of the woman but her returning gave him a idea about something that he had been trying to find for a year now. "How would you feel about coming back as Operations and 2nd Officer?" He wondered.

"You remember, I'm old enough to be your grandmother's grandmother," Kendra joked back at the nickname. She could not help but smile at the fact that she would be returning the the Mary Rose. However, that smile faded into a serious face at the suggestion that she become the Second Officer aboard the ship. "Are you sure you want me?" she could not help but ask. As she thought about the others, she wondered what made her stick out from the rest.

“I want someone who old enough to be my grandmother’s grandmother. The ship needs that female force alongside me and Jake. I’ve been picking the wrong person to bring into our circle for a long time because I have been worried about making a choice that was wrong so I have been picking wrong or not picking.”

Hiding a laugh, Kendra thought that some of those points sounded much like a few of the Captains of her day. Getting the sense that Reuben was not done with his thought, she let him finish,

“And picking the wrong person was worse than no one.” The man was not ashamed to admit about five years he needed help and support to run the ship. She had become a bigger operation that he have ever envisioned especially with them now becoming undercover Fenris Rangers. “So what do you say?”

"Think having a true believer on the command team will work?" Kendra asked. The term was used almost as an insult for those who held to the original principles of Starfleet, before it had become what it was today.

Gregnol hated that term to say the least. But he had no doubt that he wanted her on his team, he needed that spark of innocent ideology. “Without a doubt if she believes in herself.”

Looking out again to the Mary Rose, Kendra allowed her thoughts to take her to her time with the Fenris Rangers. The suffering she had witnessed and the stories she had heard. Then, she went back to the Ishimura's maiden voyage. She had been part of the design team for the new translation software for the Constitution-class. She remembered thinking about the strange new worlds that her code would help the Federation connect with in ways never available before. In her memories, good or bad, there was always a common thread. And that common thread was hope. Looking back to Gregnol, the woman out of her own time gave her answer, "I'd be honored."