Harper can not think of previous time in her life where she has ever been this nervous. She has spent the last few minutes lost in thought and she was sure of it. She had been lost in a memory of her first day at Starfleet Academy and remembering feeling nauseous when she arrived on the campus. Harper was starting to recall the first time she was called on in Astrophysics class when the elevator dinged and broke her train of thought. She had arrived on the bridge of the USS Sausalito. She took a huge intake of breath to steady her nerves and calm her shaking hands before stepping out. Although she may be nervous, she would never let the crew see it.

“Good morning, Captain,” her communications officer,  Ensign Hazel Whitlock called out. Harper greeted her with a small smile and a nod. She made her way to the captain’s chair and ran her hand along its armrest. She still couldn’t believe it. She had a thought to pinch herself to make sure this was reality but thought better of it.

Right at that moment, LtCo Sili entered the bridge. She made eye contact with her captain and then nodded before heading to her station. Sili took her duties as the First Officer of this ship very seriously. The past day or so she had been working tirelessly to ensure that the Sausalito was primed and ready to go as soon as orders were received. The whole crew had been anxious. The general feel on the ship had been a bit uncomfortable for Sili as she is not one that typically shows excitement. Sili had been growing restless and needed to get out of spacedock. She often thought to herself that she might possibly go crazy without something more to do. She shook her head out of that thought and returned back to work on the panel in front of her. After a few minutes, she was confident that the weapon systems were all normal and prepared for launch, whenever that may be. She sighed quietly to herself and began checking the systems for a second time.

Captain Harper grabbed a hold of her PADD and began cycling through various reports provided from crew members in regards to the status of the ship. It didn’t seem like this task would ever be completed. Every time Harper felt that she had made good progress, her PADD would ding with an influx of new reports for her to review and sign. All things considered, every thing seemed to be in working order and she had not had anything come to her yet that was a cause for concern.

“Captain, priority message incoming from Starfleet Command,” Ensign Hazel said. Harper was taken aback. She had not expected to hear from Starfleet Command so soon. She jerked around to face her communications officer.

“This is it. It looks like we are about to receive of first orders. On screen, Ensign.” she replied. Harper shook her shoulders loose and then looked to make sure her uniform was perfect. She picked a piece of lint off her shoulder and tossed it just as the screen before her came to life. The message splash screen was soon replaced by an andorian male clad in a Starfleet uniform.

“Captain Harper, I’m Rear Admiral Viran from Taskforce 21,” he said. “Congratulations on your first command. I have your first orders.” Harper could feel her heartbeat starting to pick up with every word the Rear Admiral spoke.

“We have lost contact with a research satellite located near the planet, Thalos. It appears that a few minor repairs need to be performed to bring the satellite systems operational again. We need the USS Sausalito to head out as soon as possible and perform the necessary repairs, Captain,” Rear Admiral Viran relayed.

“Understood, Sir. The USS Sausalito is ready. We will launch right away, Rear Admiral,” Harper replied.

“Thank you, Captain and well wishes on your journey. Rear Admiral Viran Out,” he spoke before the feed closed and the screen returned to normal.

“Alright crew, you heard the Rear Admiral. We have a job to do. Helmsman, plot a course for Thalos,” Harper said aloud to the crew.

“Right away, Captain,” Ensign Hveir responded.

“Ensign Hazel, notify the crew to prepare for the journey,” Captain Harper said to the communications officer. Harper then took a seat in her captain’s chair and buzzed for her Chief Engineering Officer, T’Penne.

“Yes, Captain?” the vulcan, T’Penne chimed in to the communication system.

“Are all systems ready to go?” Harper asked.

“Yes, Captain! All systems are in good order and the ship is ready to go,” T’Penne responded.

“Very well, thank you Lieutenant Commander,” Harper replied before ending the communication. With each passing moment, Harper became more and more nervous. She felt her hands begin to shake so she tried to settle her nerves by taking a long deep breath. “You’ve got this,” she thought to herself. “You have worked your whole life to experience this moment and you will not fail!” she repeated to her subconscious a few times. Surprisingly enough, it actually worked. She felt her nerves begin to settle and she was able to relax a bit in her chair.

“Course laid in, Captain,” Ensign Hveir called out. His voice broke Harper out of own head.

“Thank you, Ensign.” she stated. Harper had fantasized about this moment her entire life and now it was finnally beginning. She couldn’t help but wonder what adventures laid ahead for her, the ship and its crew. She sighed and took another deep breath as she prepared for what must come next. She opened a ship wide communication.

“Crew of the USS Sausalito, this is your Captain speaking. The time has come. We have received our first orders and we are to head out immediately to Thalos to make inspections and repairs on a research satellite located near the planet. Each of you are here because you bring something unique to the ship. I couldn’t have asked for a better crew for my first command and I want each and every one of you to know that I am already proud to have you all under my command. I am unsure of what the future holds for us but what I do know is that this crew will work together and trust each other to complete every mission we are faced with. Thank you all for being here and thank you for providing me with the chance to be your Captain. Prepare for departure, Captain Harper out.” Harper stated.

She knew it wasn’t the greatest speech she had ever heard but it was what was on her heart and mind and that’s what she thought mattered most. She had not heard any cheers or clapping but she also hadn’t expected to. She took a second to look around and saw that her bridge officers seemed to have a bit of a small smile forming on their faces. This made Harper extremely proud and caused some of her tension to ease. She thought to herself that a few more speeches might help her nerves even more which she found surprising. She made a mental note of that for future use.

“Departure stations,” she ordered. “Ensign Hazel, contact station operations and request departure clearance. Helm, set thrusters to station keeping and standby,” she added.

“Yes, Captain.” the helm replied.

“Station operations has granted us clearance and a clear path out, Captain,”  Ensign Hazel called out. Captain Harper nodded in response.

“Alright Helm, clear us from the station.” she ordered. For a few moments, the ship shook a bit as the ship came free from the station. Harper watched for a few moments as the distance grew longer and the station began to disappear out of view on the screen.

“Helmsman, Engage,” she ordered after the ship was clear from the station.

“Aye, Captain.” Ensign Hveir responded. Harper thought she saw a big smile on his face and then they were off towards Thalos. Harper wasn’t sure what they would find once they arrived, but she was excited to find out.