Morning

Posted on Mon Sep 7th, 2026 @ 11:42pm by Commander Kelaris Seldon & Captain Bayre Lockwood

1,458 words; about a 7 minute read

Mission: The Silence of Archanis
Location: USS Veritas | Deck 3 - Sr. Officers' Dining Room | Docked at Starbase 12
Timeline: 1/22/2267 - 07450

Five miles on the running track and early enough that he had the track to himself. Time to think. That was how he described it to anyone who asked him ... why ... in that exasperated tone of voice non-runners always used. Time to think He set a pace that had him finished in just under forty minutes which was, by his calculations, an eight-minute mile. Twice a week, every week, for the two years the Veritas had been out patrolling the borders of Federation space; he saw no reason to change his workout regimen just because they'd been summoned to Starbase-11 for who knew what reason.

After cooling down, he headed into the locker room to shower and change, slotting an annoyed look at Crawford's locker half-open locker as he passed. He kicked the door shut with perhaps a wee bit more force than was necessary but not enough to leave dents. Four days a week in Muay Thai training meant that he knew exactly how much power to put behind a kick, depending on his target, and, because his better angels were uppermost, this morning at least, the locker suffered no harm. Nor did anything 'on' the locker, more's the pity.

Ten minutes later, he was out the door again and headed to the Officers' Mess where he was supposed to meet Kelaris for breakfast. People arrived early for meals on the Veritas; his brilliant chef was well known for both his temper and the quality of his meals. As he moved between the tables he caught snippets of conversation and found himself smiling. "... my cousin is stationed on Starbase-11 ..." "... heard they have live concerts ..." " ... trying to get a game going with base engineering ..."

Never underestimate a crew's ability to suss out information. Things always got out somehow.

He found his First Officer holding down their favorite table by a viewport and headed their directly. "Morning," he said as he slid into his seat.

Commander Kelaris Seldon looked up from his warm mug as the captain slid into the chair opposite him. “Good morning,” replied Kelaris, though he paused in thought.

He was studying the phrase for a moment before adding, “Although I have always found that particular greeting rather imprecise aboard a starship, but I suppose there is no better greeting."

“If we consider it. We are currently several light-years from the nearest planet capable of producing a sunrise as we're used to them. The Veritas maintains artificial illumination according to a twenty-four-hour cycle, but half our crew is asleep while the other half is working. For someone on the night shift, this is not morning at all. For someone returning from a landing party after thirty-six hours, their biological morning may occur at an entirely different point in the ship’s day.”

Kelaris took another sip of his beverage and looked at Bayre Lockwood. "Thankfully for us both, I am not a Vulcan, and I will not lose sleep over the expression. With enough caffeine, it will certainly be a good morning, Captain."

"And yet, we all agree to this artificial construct so as not to burden ourselves with such quandaries' before coffee," Bayre answered. He glanced down at the spot where his coffee would normally be and immediately started searching for one of the stewards who had the unlucky job of refilling beverages tableside. He caught the eye of Crewman Mussorgsky who nodded at once. He had a round face and thick black eyebrows that danced like hyperactive caterpillars as he spoke and sparkling brown eyes lit from some internal well of enthusiasm that imbued his every waking moment. The crewman hurried over, set a large-sized mug emblazoned with Veritas' logo on the side on the table, and poured the coffee neatly without spilling a drop. "Bless you, Mussorgsky," Bayre said as he reached for the mug.

"And I'm sure the crew does to, Captain," Mussorgsky said with a cheerful grin. "Do you need a refill, Commander?"

Kelaris looked into his mug, finding it to indeed be a disappointing third full. Two thirds of its content already consumed. "A most generous offer, Crewmen Mussorgsky" said the First Officer pushing his mug over to the edge of the table. He looked up at the man. "Just black" he stated before his attention shifted back to his Commanding Officer.

"Have you heard anything about our next assignment. I've only been fed the table scraps of murmurs" stated Kelaris. He was genuinely interested to see what if anything, Bayre had heard or been informed of. "I for one am ready for something different." It wasn't that Commander Seldon was tired of holding the peace and keeping piracy levels low, but as Chief Science Officer, he was more invested in using his expertise in a practical manner."

Mussorsky filled the First Officer's mug and disappeared into the throngs of people, moving from table to table, and keeping up a running dialog as he went. Bayre watched him go, a thoughtful look on his face. "We have a meeting with Commodore Haldane at 1300 this afternoon," Bayre said. "Don't know much more than you but Greg Larson over on the Nathan James told me late last night that they've been given our spot on border patrol. So, it'll be something new at least."

"Something new is good, but the question will be how familiar is new," replied the First Officer. He was wondering if border patrol from one region along the Federation border had just been exchanged for another, or if this was truly a fresh break from what the Veritas had been doing. "Hopefully, the Commodore sees more value in sending us out to explore. I could use a bit of a break from pirates and marauders."

"So say we all," Bayre said as he lifted his coffee mug in salute before a long, deeply appreciative sip. "A little burned but still so good. As for pirates and marauders, I wouldn't be surprised if we're on their list of people they really want to take out of the equation with all the damage we've done to their operations over the past two years."

"Then we have been successful in making a name for ourselves," replied Commander Seldon. "A reputation. All good starships and crew should establish one."

"True," Bayre answered as his gaze strayed toward the food being laid out. "And we've done good work, no question. The route is a whole lot safer now than it was when we showed up. Bothers me that we've been called off before we could get their leader. Still, I'm sending a packet of information to the Nathan James' CO. Give him a good starting point."

Commander Seldon nodded. "I am sure the Captain of the Nathan James will do well taking the torch from us and continuing where we left off, Bayre. The problem with these pirates and marauders is that we could spend years... decades even, and still only make small dents in their 'industry,'" noted Kelaris. "Earth's history is a great point of study in these matters. The mafia. It was organized crime and it just continued to evolve and change itself through time. Whether we remained to take out their 'leader,' another one would just come to fruition in their place."

The Arkanite First Officer was practically obsessed with culture and history, be it Earth or somewhere else in the galaxy. Earth being one of the founding fathers of the Federation though were of particular interest to him.

"A sobering and accurate thought, Kel," Bayre answered. "And while I do not like leaving a job undone, I do agree that it could very well be a job that's never done. So, maybe its good that we're meeting with the Commodore. Who knows? Maybe we'll finally be able to do a bit of exploring, eh?"

"Something of a fruitful endeavor," replied the First Officer. "There is nothing tangible in hunting pirates and marauders unfortunate yet rewarding as that can be. Exploration yields results that we can more accurately use to determine effectiveness."

"Before I forget, I have a book for you, 'War of the Irish Kings', in my quarters. Stop by when you get a moment and I'll give it to you. Wren sent it along in my last care package from home. Said to be sure you got it."

"Thank you," replied Kelaris. "You know that I am quite the book dragon. I just burn through them in my free time" added the Chief Science Officer. Some people were bookworm. He was a little more ferocious in the amount he went through. Sometimes actively reading several concurrently.

---

Captain Bayre Lockwood
Commanding Officer
USS Veritas

&

Commander Kelaris Seldon
Executive Officer / Chief Science Officer
USS Veritas

 

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