Something Witty this Way Comes

Posted on Thu Nov 13th, 2025 @ 2:46pm by Lieutenant Kyra sh'Herhrisst & Captain Robert Burke

2,126 words; about a 11 minute read

Mission: EPISODE 1: SHAKEDOWN
Location: Pinnacle Station
Timeline: MD037

[ON]

Kyra sat placidly in the jump seat she had ‘claimed’ for the duration of the journey to Pinnacle Station. No doubt this was Lantree’s Quartermaster’s doing; Petty revenge for her breaking up his side-job as a low-level illegal tribble dealer. She muttered under her breath as the cargo transport vessel shuddered and bucked…AGAIN, and the inertial dampeners kicked in a moment too late to be of any meaningful help. Spirits, but she was sore after days of this.

The pilot suddenly called out over his shoulder to the only passenger on their shuttle.

“Oy! We’re comin’ out of warp and will arrive…uh…presently!” Captain Nikau hollered. Kyra’s antennae pressed back against her skull in annoyance. She took a moment to visualize twisting the man’s head off. There. She felt much better now.

“Presently?! Who says presently?!” The co-pilot chimed in loudly, though not for her benefit, certainly. The man had only one volume and that was bellowing.

With no other positive options, Kyra simply closed her eyes and tried—for the millionth time—to drone out the discomforts of this transfer from hell. While her eyes were closed, she felt the ship shift out of warp and then was suddenly jarred again as the inertial dampeners kicked in again, a second late.

“Lexthu!” She exclaimed, feeling the stomach dropping sensation and the slam of the lumbar support no doubt bludgeoning her kidneys.

“Gesundheit!” One of the pilots yelled back, eliciting a chorus of laughter amongst the two of them.

Ignoring them, she turned her icy colored eyes to the small view port next to her and studied the outstretched ‘arms’ of the Regula-II facility that barely qualified as a ‘station.’ It was unfortunate that her limited view did not show any glimpses of her future assignment.

USS Hecate. Her first duty assignment as a chief…and her new home. Well, it would be, whenever she got there. IF she got there.

(Time Skip)

Slinging her seabag over her shoulder, Kyra gave the two pilots an obscene gesture she had learned from an Orion slaver years ago which far better demonstrated her feelings on the quality of the ride than any explicative could and stepped through the hatch and down the gangway to the station proper.

She had her assignment; find the CO. Already armed with his physical description—and name—Kyra began her ‘mission.’ It shouldn’t take too long really. The captain was either on Pinnacle or aboard the ship…process of elimination, and there were only so many places one could visit in this place, so it made sense to start here.

That he would be in the second place she looked—the officers’ lounge—Kyra felt that perhaps her temporary misfortunes were at an end?

“Captain Burke, USS Hecate? Kyra inquired as she waited to be acknowledged.

Looking up from his drink, and the large viewport in front of them that offered a panoramic view of Kronos far below them, Burke smiled. 'That would be me, Lieutenant,' he said softly, catching a quick glance of her rank insignia. The Titanian had taken the opportunity of Hecate's short stop in the Kronos system to slip away from the Bridge and his duties to take some time for himself. It seemed, though, that his duties had followed. Not that he minded. Being captain was a privilege.

Kyra's antennae curved towards Captain Burke in polite interest. She noted his drink in hand and recognized that the man was trying to get a moment's peace. Better make this quick then.

"I figured since I was already on the station I would begin my search for you here since the Hecate is docked. I won't take up too much of your time, I hope. I'm Kyra sh'Hehrisst, your new security chief."

'Take up as much as you like,' Burke replied with an easy smile, indicating the seat at the tall table beside him. 'If you're not in a hurry, take a seat. Someone will be along presently to take your order.' He leaned in, dropping his voice conspiratorially. 'Did I read in your file you busted open a tribble smuggling ring?'

Kyra dropped her seabag with a thump, like she had been waiting for him to ask her to take a seat and join him all along. She settled herself in the chair, and smiled warmly.

"Sure did. Those things are banned for a reason. We were hours away from a population explosion because one of the smuggled varietals had been mis-sexed." She nodded to the server and murmured her drink order and then refocused on Burke. He knew who she was...read her file. That said something of this pink-skin as a captain...a leader.

'It sounds fairly dramatic,' Burke replied with a smile as Kyra took her seat next to him. 'But I doubt that's the most exciting case of your career so far?'

A server brought her a slightly bioluminescent blue drink and she tipped her antennae to him in silent acknowledgement. She took a sip and made a satisfied sound at the quality of the libation before her. "Hardly, sir. There was always 'excitement' aboard the Soyuz, patrolling the region of space adjacent to the Romulan neutral zone." Oh, the sarcasm was quite strong in Kyra's voice, as she leaned back slightly as if relaxing...but the quick shifts in her gaze told a different story. "I'm looking forward to actually engaging with things instead of the cat-and-mouse on the other 'front.'"

Flashing a smile, Burke took a large gulp of his own drink before responding. 'Cat-and-mouse is ... wearing on the nerves, I'll admit that much - I did my time along the Klingon Neutral Zone when it was still a thing.' He shook his head, 'no need for cat and mouse where we're going though, I can assure you.' He jerked his head to the large windows to their left, 'out there in the unknown we'll need to be on our toes. Though I'm sure we'll run into a few Romulans and newly-friendly Klingons.'

Kyra raised her glass. "That's what I'm hoping for, captain. The Romulans have a saying - 'To be unknown is to be unconquerable.' I hate to give any pointy-eared space elf credit, but that's a damn fine proverb. I can't wait to run into a few Romulans or newly-friendly Klingons." She took a sip of her drink and made a soft, satisfied sound. "And, it's been a long time since I've had real Andorian ale." Her mind moved like quicksilver, hoping from thought to thought in a somewhat jarring manner to some.

'I suppose they've had to allow for some creature comforts this far out, and this far inside what were enemy lines,' Burke replied trying to keep up with the skipping mind of the Andorian. 'I'll make sure we have a decent supply aboard for you - can't guarantee it'll last the entire while, but it's the least we can do.' Burke relaxed into his chair. 'So, you have experience with the Romulans. Have you had any run-ins with our new friends?'

Kyra gave a low chuckle, antennae twitching slightly as if testing the air.

“‘Friends’ is a generous word, sir. I’ve crossed paths with a few—some drunk on bloodwine, others playing at diplomats. The Klingons respect strength, though. That much is universal. Even if they think an Andorian is half a warrior compared to one of their own.” She tilted her glass, letting the glowing drink slosh softly. “That’s fine by me. I don’t mind proving myself.”

'Let's hope we don't need you to prove your mettle against the Klingons - we've had enough of that already.' Burke shrugged, 'but there's no telling with the Houses. They've been allowed greater latitude since Praxis exploded. No doubt some eager Minor House general would enjoy the glory of taking on one of Starfleet's finest.'

Kyra gave a little smirk and swirled her glass again, the faint glow of the blue liquid catching in her pale eyes.

“Glory’s cheap, Captain. Anyone can charge in with a bat’leth and roar until their lungs give out. Discipline—strategy—that’s what lasts.” Her antennae twitched toward the view port, as though they could sense the stars beyond.

“That’s why the Klingons both irritate me and … amuse me. They posture, they boast, but when the knives are truly out—some Houses run just as quick as the Romulans.”

He chuckled, 'for all their crowing about honour and glory, a lot of the Klingons I've encountered have had glass chins.' Burke shrugged, 'roar back, and they tend to leave you alone - thus the logic of assigning the Hecate to this mission.' Taking a deep swallow of his beer he said, 'and as for me, I've mostly had more trouble with any Nausicaans rather than any Klingon I've encountered. Tough, ruthless and just don't know when to quit.'

Kyra barked a sharp laugh at that—quick, bright, and entirely unladylike. “Nausicaans,” she said, the word practically a growl. “Now those I’ve dealt with. Thick as targ hide and twice as mean. You can take down one, and his three brothers will still come at you, swinging whatever’s in reach.” She lifted her glass, grinning around the rim. “I’ve got a small scar on my left thigh from one of their little family reunions.”

Her antennae dipped toward him, a subtle show of amusement. “But I agree—roaring back works wonders. And they don’t expect it from someone my size.” She smirked, finishing her drink and setting the glass down with a decisive clink. “Let them underestimate you, and you’ve already won half the fight.”

“So,” she continued, tone shifting from casual to something more intent, “what exactly is the Hecate’s mission out here, sir? You mentioned unknowns—and I’m getting the impression this isn’t a standard border patrol.”

'Exploration. Five year mission,' Burke replied with a happy grin. 'No more with the border patrols with the Klingons - we'll need much less of them now, hopefully. Command wants to shift back to emphasising our exploratory role, and probe the new Accords. So Hecate is crossing the Klingon Empire, and we'll be exploring the Beta Quadrant beyond it. Our first destination is the Janus Sector. Long-range telemetry and intel reports indicate a few interesting star systems to catalogue. Maybe some First Contacts too.'

Kyra inwardly cringed. It sounded like just the mission for her to start picking fights with her fellow crewmembers just to get some excitement, but she wasn't foolish enough to spout out that little detail to her new CO. "Sounds...exploratory." She answered neutrally, but her antennae--the traitorous bastards--proclaimed her disappointment. At least she took some comfort in knowing that most non-Andorians had no clue what all of the little movements meant.

He chuckled, 'don't sound so disappointed,' Burke nodded at her antennae. 'I bunked with an Andorian on my first assignment. Antennae are a dead giveaway. But at least it makes you easier to read than Vulcans.' As he played with his glass, he sighed. 'That's the mission profile. What little we know of the region we'll be exploring is that it's ... hazardous. There will be Klingons. We suspect some Romulan activity. And the rest of it. You'll have a part to play I'm sure.'

Kyra blinked once — verrry slowly.

Caught.

Her antennae drew backward with the Andorian equivalent of a sardonic wince before they resumed their resting poise. She tilted her chin a fraction, acknowledging the hit.

“Well,” she drawled, deadpan as cracked permafrost, “there goes that tactical advantage.” She didn’t sound offended at all. If anything, she sounded faintly amused. A captain who bothered to learn Andorian microtells? That was...unexpected.

She nudged her now-empty glass with an idle fingertip. “And for the record, sir — Vulcans aren’t hard to read. They’re just profoundly irritating.”

A beat.

“Like arguing with a snowdrift.”

Bursting into hearty laughter, Burke nodded in agreement. 'I have met a few Vulcans like that. Thankfully restricted to those serving in the Vulcan Science Fleet. They have a certain ... way about them.' He motioned towards her empty beer glass. 'Another one?'

Kyra smiled warmly at his question. "Like you had to even ask, sir."

[OFF]

-----

Captain Robert Burke
Commanding Officer
USS Hecate

Lieutenant Kyra sh'Herhrisst
Chief Security Officer
USS Hecate

 

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