Pilot Episode, Act I

"Absolutely, Sir," Hamilton replies quickly. "The Admiral has taken special care to establish norms and procedures over the last four years or so."

Her eyes widen, as if her timeline reference just barely brushed a reality too closely. But she moves on, taking her PADD out of the dock now that the proper files are uploaded to McCurry’s display. She sends messages to the others to meet in the conference room.

"Captain McCurry..." she begins hesitantly. "If you’ll permit me to ask, do you want me to call down Lt. Edison? I understand she’s been relieved of duty, and I will certainly call down Lt. Chong, but, having not been debriefed of the full details of Lt. Edison, I wanted to ask, Sir. If I may, I’ve read the crew dossiers, and after you, we have no crew members more qualified to work with the uncertainty drive."

She speaks plainly, hoping she isn’t overstepping bounds, but making sure the Captain has all necessary information.

McCurry turns to look at her first officer, studying her impassively for a moment just long enough for it to feel a little uncomfortable.

"She called me a dumbass, Lt. Commander Hamilton. She’s lucky I don’t have her spaced," she says calmly. "To be fair to Lt. Edison, she didn’t know who I was, and she only saw someone unfamiliar inside the drive chamber."

She gestures to herself to make it clear that she was the unfamiliar person.

"Please have Lt. Edison join us. If she’s the only one qualified to assess the readiness of the drive, then she should be here. We can discuss her return to active duty once the current situation is resolved. Would you agree?"

Hamilton obediently taps on the PADD to summon Edison.

"Yes sir." Hamilton obediently taps on the PADD to summon Edison. "I will also inform her that her placement on the ship will be discussed privately afterward. Is there anything you need me to take care of on preparation for the meeting in the conference room?"

The captain looks back at Hamilton while she taps away, blinking once or twice in surprise. She draws in a deep, calming breath and lets it out quietly. "Please make sure Lt. Iron Eyes is also invited. We're not very familiar with the Vruxil yet, so tactical’s input would be valuable. Just in case."

McCurry steps closer to Hamilton. The two women are almost exactly the same height, and once the first officer meets her eyes, the captain says, "We're all figuring this out together, Lt. Commander. No one has all the answers, nor should they be expected to."

She offers an encouraging smile. "Together... right?"

Hamilton’s lips twitch, but the expression doesn’t take hold.

"Yes, Sir. I am delighted to have a chance to work with you."

McCurry’s smile falters just slightly. You can almost watch her think about pulling back the olive branch. But, she nods once and says, "Dismissed."

As the first officer exits, the camera pans out to the captain standing alone in the middle of the completely unready ready room. The boxes in the corner are her only companions, as she looks at the door to the bridge.

"Well," she says. "It’s a start."

Avery arrives with a calm composure, bored even. Calmly she takes a seat without a word, ever so slowly leaning back with fingers interlocked.

When Avery walks into the room, Blakeney and Iron Eyes are looking at the Ops officer's tablet, discussing some detail about the presentation Blakeney will give during the meeting. At Avery's entrance, they both look up and become awkwardly silent before quickly finishing up.

Clearing his throat, Danny smiles and says, "Hello, Lt. Edison." It's clear that he's trying to demonstrate that, whatever might be happening with her job status, he intends to treat her as he would any fellow officer. "Have you met our new chief medical officer? Dr. T'Shen, this is our engineer, Lt. Avery Edison."

A Vulcan woman in a blue uniform nods to Avery. "I look forward to working with you, Lieutenant."

Avery breathes deeply through her nostrils, pulling her gaze from her hands to Dr. T'Shen. "Likewise Doctor. I imagine we will accomplish great things." She nods back with emotions in check, but for a split second her eyes meet Blakeney, silently judging him.

The Vulcan nods in acknowledgement. "That would be most gratifying, lieutenant." She seems to notice the look that Avery flashed Blakeney and cocks her head, looking to Blakeney and back to Avery. Though she says nothing, it appears that she's aware of some emotional subtext between them and is trying to understand what it is.

Danny also notices Avery's pointed glance, but decides not to let it affect him. "It's possible that we'll be getting an early start on those great accomplishments. Our first mission is no longer going to be a test run into the Tangle." He leans forward, looking excited. "We're investigating a reported Vruxil sighting!"

Now Avery can't help but stare at Daniel, but it's not a criticizing look, instead her face softens slightly as she decides to lay off the rather enthusiastic Lieutenant. "Really? That is exciting." She tries to sound invested, to mild success.

The camera cuts over Avery's shoulder out into the hallway, where two other halls intersect. Hamilton and Counselor Mistik fall into step with each other.

"Ah, Counselor. Good to see you. Thank you for your flexibility, and for you understanding of the assignment earlier. How are your office and lab coming along?"

Edgar heads toward the conference room. He sees the first officer and takes a quick breath at this unexpected walk along. After all, the previous meeting went horribly wrong and it's hanging in the air like a stalactite about to let loose. Tapping the PADD at his side nervously with his thumb as they walk, he continues the pleasantries to the best of his ability.

"Yes, yes. Good to see you too. The office and lab are...uh...making progress."

Apparently oblivious to his discomfort, Hamilton continues.

"Wonderful. If you need any help, please don't hesitate to ask. I memorized the Federation's filing process while I was at the Academy."

Maybe she does realize she made him uncomfortable. She raises an eyebrow to show she's serious.

"I do hope, Counselor, that your sessions are a help to your research. Have you noticed any effects at this range from the entanglement field?"

Edgar stops fidgeting with his PADD and his demeanor completely changes to one of supreme confidence and passion for his scientific research.

"If you mean the space station's range, not exactly. I am working on several studies in tandem." As he says this, he stops walking, taps on his PADD, and brings up a list of projects, pointing to them on the screen for Hamilton to see.

"You see this one here, is measuring the relationship between distance and measurable exposure.

He moves closer, hoping to share every glorious detail.

"In addition, I am also working on the correlation between the amount of exposure and the effects ... a "safe" exposure baseline if you will. And that leads to the next project.....which...." and the first officer cuts him off.

There’s actually something vaguely resembling a smile on Hamilton’s lips.

"At ease, Counselor. Perhaps this would be better explained for the group. I’m glad to see you’ve found so much already. You’re a great asset to the Hodgkin. And, I hope nobody’s giving you any trouble with scheduling their appointments."

"Uh...nooo sir. No problems."

Edgar's thumb can be heard tapping on the PADD, now gripped at his side.

"Would you like to schedule your... uh.... appointment?"

There’s a pause in Hamilton’s pace, a hesitation in her eyes.

"Um, yes, Counselor. I’ll take your second opening once we return from this mission. Thank you, Counselor."

They step inside the room to join the others, and Hamilton seems eager to change the subject.

"Thank you all for being here. I am sure you’ve had a chance to read the initial debrief. Lieutenant Blackeney, I look forward to the rest of your presentation. The captain will be here shortly. And Lieutenant Leya, please fix your badges."

She takes a seat after Edgar does.