At the change-of-command party afterwards, Dobbins finally got the chance to meet all of his senior staff. With the exception of Samuelson, the remainder of the senior officers had served on the Hyperion during her shake-down cruise. Fleet Command felt that the best crew for the ship was the one that already knew her, and Dobbins agreed wholeheartedly. He knew that a unique ship like the Hyperion required a crew with unique skills to function properly. Still, working with a new group of people always presented a challenge. He knew that it would take time before they would adjust to his style of command.
Samuelson and Dobbins walked in together, Samuelson explaining to Dobbins the details of the Hyperion’s weaponry. In the somewhat-crowded mess hall, at a table near the far end of the room, sat the remainder of the ship’s senior officers. Samuelson, who had been on board for several weeks, led Dobbins over to the table and began to introduce everyone.
First was a smiling younger man with short, curly, dark hair and dark skin. This was Lieutenant Myles Skylar, the helmsman. He rose and greeted the captain with a salute, speaking with a faint African accent. Next to him sat Lieutenant Commander Katie Sawyer, science officer. She demurely greeted the captain with a nod of her brown-haired head. Facts, not people, were her specialty.
Beside her was a calm, collected blonde woman with striking blue eyes that seemed almost like they could read your mind. “Captain,” Samuelson said, “This is Commander Ingrit Ella, our ship’s doctor and psychiatrist. She’s spent the past two years studying the effects of jump drive travel on humans. If anything strange is going to happen to anyone, she’ll be prepared for it.”
The Oriental man to Ella’s left chuckled briefly. “The only strange thing that will happen on this trip is going to be if someone decides to play a joke and reprograms the food replicators to make wax fruit. Jump drive travel hasn’t done me any harm in my nearly three years of experimenting with it. I’m Lieutenant Commander Chiang Zhang, chief engineer, sir. We’re ready to launch as soon as you’re ready.”
Dobbins laughed. “As you were, Commander. We’ll have plenty of time to put your engines and the jump drive to the test. For now, let’s enjoy ourselves.”
“Well said, Captain!” chimed in the deep female voice of Lieutenant Ana Marquél, communications officer. She introduced herself to Dobbins, standing to salute as Skylar had.
“And finally, sir,” Samuelson said once Marquél had returned to her seat,” this is your Executive Officer…”
“Commander Neal Brackers,” interrupted Brackers, rising to give Dobbins a sharp salute. “Let me say that is an honor to serve under you, sir. I’ve heard about your heroism during the Charon Crisis. Your quick decision-making saved hundreds, if not thousands, of lives on that starbase.”
“Thank you, Commander. Your record is equally as impressive. I look forward to having your help at keeping this ship running at peak efficiency.”
“Won’t you join us, sir?” asked Ella. “We were just discussing what our first mission might be.”
“Personally, I’d like to head out there a ways,” said Skylar. “All of those trial runs to Alpha Centauri got old after a while. I want to see what this ship can really do. Maybe get to the other side of the galaxy, or beyond.”
“The other side of the galaxy might take us a tad far out of communications range, Skylar, even with hyperwave,” chimed in Marquél. “I think something a little closer to home might be better.”
“Where’s the fun in that?” Skylar demanded. “Come on, Ana, where’s your sense of aventura?”
“We’ll talk about our mission tomorrow during the briefing,” Dobbins said quickly before Marquél could respond. “For now, relax, have fun. The real work begins tomorrow. If you’ll excuse me, I want to meet some of the rest of the crew. I’ll see you all tomorrow morning at 1000 hours sharp.”
As he and Samuelson walked away from the table, Dobbins asked, “Are those two always like that?”
“Who, Skylar and Marquél?” Samuelson answered. “Yes, sir, they are. They went through the academy together and served on their first deep-space posting together, so they know each other really well. And Skylar seems to like to stir the pot. He’ll give anyone a hard time if he thinks he can get away with it. It’s never affected his performance, but the crew tell me that it kept things interesting on some of the early test voyages.”
Dobbins smiled. “Well, if we’re gone for as many months as I expect us to be gone, Commander, we’re going to need a little entertainment now and then to keep us from getting too bored. Now, if you don’t mind, I’d like you to introduce me to some of the other members of the crew.”
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