Welcome Aboard

Posted on Wed Jun 10th, 2026 @ 10:12pm by Captain Connor Nolan & Lieutenant Talia Renn

1,973 words; about a 10 minute read

Mission: Preamble
Location: Shuttlebay 1, Deck 4, USS Venture
Timeline: MD00

Columbus, a type 6 shuttle craft, pierced through the whitish blue shimmer of the external forcefield as it made its way from exposed space into the confines of the USS Venture's enormous main shuttle bay. As it made its approach to its final landing spot, it look a tight path down a row of neatly parked shuttles that were not currently in use, made a 180 degree turn and promptly lowered to the decking without a sound.

Surrounding the landing spot, there was a small collection of the ships complement at full attention in their ceremonial dress uniforms. They encircled one of the ships ceremonial lecterns, which was placed on top of a strip of red carpet which marked out a path between it and the shuttles hatch. As the glow of the engines faded out, the crafts back hatch let out a recognisable hiss as the pressure between the two environments equalised and the hatch lowered to allow its occupants to exit.

Talia Renn stood at attention near the ceremonial lectern in dress whites, her posture composed and exact as the Columbus had settled onto the deck. Around her, the shuttle bay held the charged stillness of ceremony, polished boots aligned along the red carpet, uniforms immaculate, every officer aware that a change of command carried weight beyond protocol. Beneath the silence, Talia could feel it all. Anticipation. Pride. Curiosity. A few sharp threads of nervous energy from younger officers determined not to shift out of place.

She had overseen every detail, from the placement of the lectern to the order of honors, and yet as the hatch lowered, she became aware of her own anxiety threading through the room’s emotions. This was not only the arrival of the Venture’s new commanding officer. It was also the beginning of her first senior officer posting, the first time she would stand so close to the center of a starship’s command structure and be expected to help hold it steady. Talia drew in a quiet, disciplined breath, kept her shoulders squared, and fixed her dark Betazoid eyes on the shuttle’s open hatch as the Captain emerged.


On board the shuttle, Captain Conor Nolan thanked the pilot who had flown him from his home in Ireland, to the ship which was hanging in orbit around Earth. Before exiting, he took a moment to gather himself, tidying his uniform and straightening his com badge. He wasn't an overly pretentious individual, and he wouldn't normally spend extra second preening his uniform, but for the young Captain this was a milestone moment in his career; and he wanted to make sure he conveyed the confidence to the crew it required. After all, he was about to become one of the youngest Captain's of a Galaxy Class starship on record.

Nolan stepped out from the shadow of the shuttles interior, into the brightly lit shuttle bay. He took another soft pause to take the view in, and then continued down down the ramp and across the carpet to the lectern.

He placed his hands on either side of the lecture, and began reading aloud from a PADD that had been waiting for him.

"From Starfleet Command to Captain Conor Nolan," he began,

"By authority of Starfleet Command and the Office of Fleet Operations, effective immediately, you are hereby ordered and required to assume command of the starship USS Venture and all personnel assigned thereto. You will discharge the duties and responsibilities of Commanding Officer in accordance with Starfleet regulations and the principles of the United Federation of Planets.

Signed, this date,
Admiral Grace Winchester
Starfleet Command.”

Before he could catch his breath, the computer responded automatically, “Captain Conor Nolan, do you accept command of this vessel?”

“I confirm, that I Conor Nolan, Captain, Starfleet, accept command of this vessel, authorisation 'six, three, pie, alpha, two, four.' he responded in a matter of fact tone.

“Acknowledged. Transfer complete. USS Venture is now under command of Captain Nolan.” the computer spoke, followed by a quick sounding of the boatswains whistle. The computer then activated the tannoy and announced the same to the across all of the vessels 42 decks simultaneously.

As the computer’s acknowledgement echoed through the shuttle bay and the boatswain’s whistle cut cleanly through the formal silence, Talia remained at attention for one measured breath longer. She watched Captain Nolan at the lectern, weighing the steadiness of his voice, the economy of his movements, the way the room seemed to recalibrate around him now that the words had been spoken. Command had passed. The Venture had a captain.

Only then did Talia allow herself to shift the atmosphere around her in the smallest of ways. Not by speaking, not yet, but by easing her own posture into something just less rigid as the formal portion concluded. The relief was immediate, subtle, and contagious. She could feel shoulders settle, nerves loosen, curiosity soften into something closer to readiness. Her own anxiety had not vanished, but it had changed shape. It was still there beneath the polished white of her uniform and the composed line of her expression, but now it carried purpose. She was no longer waiting to meet her new commanding officer. She was standing aboard his ship.

"... I promised, I'd keep this short. So let me sum up my previous words with this. As we continue our move away from military actions and battlefields, back to our primary role of exploration and discovery, remember this ships dedication." he wound up his inaugural address to the crew, by quoting the ships own dedicated plaque, “To explore with open minds, defend with steadfast hearts, and return with greater wisdom. Per Adventuram, Ad Astra.”

Nolan nodded to the crew, "You stand dismissed. Thank you."

"Lieutenant Renn, thank you for overseeing the ceremony." he introduced himself, with a thick Irish brogue and a welcoming handshake, "If you have a moment, I'd like to talk to you about our upcoming mission."

“Of course, sir,” she said, her voice calm and ready. “I’m at your disposal.”

The pilot approached the Captain, handing over a satchel that Nolan had left behind in the Columbus' cargo hold.

"Thank you again, Ensign." as he flung the satchel's strap over his shoulder and began walking towards the exit, with the Lieutenant in step.

As the pair stepped out into the main corridor on Deck 4, the Captain was immediately hit by the fact that many of the corridors panelling was still not secured and that many engineering crews were still hard at work readying the ship to go back to space. "Is it like this everywhere," he asked.

Talia glanced along the corridor, taking in the engineering crews with a practiced look rather than surprise. By now, the exposed panels and temporary work lights had become part of the Venture’s daily rhythm.

A small smile touched her expression. “Yes, sir. In one form or another,” she said. “I didn’t have lights in my quarters the first night here, but the teams have been very responsive. Nothing feels neglected, just unfinished.”

"Right, well. I'll need to speak with the Dock Master and the Chief Engineer then. We must get underway as scheduled, and this is not at all what I expected when reading the briefing. Anyway, our upcoming mission." They continued down the corridor together towards a turbolift, their conversation continued as they dodged work crews and misplaced tools.

"As you know Lieutenant, we are due to transfer a very large number of colonists from Deep Space Nine to New Bajor next week. Our accommodations are going to be at maximum capacity and these decks are going to become very crowded. I need two things from you. First, I don't want to overly restrict the movements of civilians around the Venture, but at the same time I'd like you to ensure the most sensitive areas of this ship remain that way."

Talia did not answer immediately. She walked half a pace behind and to his side, careful to keep pace while giving herself a moment to judge the shape of his concern. Direct. Practical. Not looking for ceremony now, only confidence that the matter was already being handled.

“Yes, sir,” she said after a beat. “I have no intention of limiting civilian access to the areas meant to support them. Lounges, observation spaces, mess facilities, and approved recreation areas should remain available and welcoming.” Her eyes flicked briefly toward a passing work crew before returning to Nolan. “I had already begun planning an increased patrol rotation around sensitive sections, including Engineering, computer core access, Sickbay, and secured operations spaces. Visible enough to discourage wandering, but not so heavy that our guests feel contained.”

She let the explanation rest there, then added with a measured glance toward him, “Does that align with your expectations, Captain?”

"That sounds perfect Lieutenant." he spoke as they continued their way through the ship, he paused at an intersection for a moment, looked left, then right, before pointing left again. "This way to Turbolift 16, correct?"

Talia’s expression eased by the smallest degree at his approval, though she kept her stride measured and professional. When he paused at the intersection, she followed his glance left, then right, noting the momentary uncertainty without drawing attention to it.
“Yes, sir,” she said, with a slight nod toward the left-hand corridor. “Turbolift 16 is this way. It should bring us closest to the command sections without routing us through the heaviest repair work.” A faint, polite smile touched her features. “At least, that was true as of this morning.”

"The other thing Lieutenant, might be a trickery given the sheer volume of supplies and people moving through the ship, but I'd like us to throughly check every item that comes on board for legitimacy. Not all of these supplies are of Bajoran origin, they've had to source from numerous different supply chains. I don't fully trust the inspection procedures they've had in place and I want to be sure what we're bringing onboard this ship."

They reached Turbolift 16 together and Nolan reached for call button.

That did give Talia pause, though not from disagreement. The volume alone would be considerable. Colonists, personal effects, relief supplies, mixed-origin cargo, and the routine stores needed to support all of it. For a moment, she weighed the manpower against the time they had left before departure.

Then she nodded, already reorganizing the problem in her mind. “Understood, sir. Security can establish inspection points and verification protocols, but with that volume, I would request permission to coordinate directly with Operations for additional personnel and cargo-tracking support.” She glanced toward the turbolift doors as they waited. “If we pair security screening with operations manifests and transporter logs, we can move faster without reducing scrutiny.”

"Perfect. See to it Lieutenant." he said as the doors of the turbolift opened, "I think I'll check in with the Doctor before I make my inaugural visit to the Bridge."

“Yes, sir,” Talia replied, accepting the order with a small, professional nod as the turbolift doors opened. “I’ll see to it.”

She stepped aside to allow him the lift first, already sorting the next tasks in her mind: patrol rotations, cargo verification, Operations coordination, and the delicate balance of keeping civilians comfortable without leaving the Venture exposed. Captain Nolan had asked direct questions, listened to the answers, and made his expectations clear without dressing them in unnecessary ceremony. Talia found that reassuring. There was still anxiety there, quiet and persistent beneath the surface, but as she watched her new commanding officer step into the turbolift, it felt less like uncertainty and more like readiness. The Venture was unfinished, crowded, and about to be tested, but she had the first sense that its captain intended to meet that test plainly, and without wasting time.

 

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