Space, the Final Frontier…

These are the voyages of the starship Dauntless!

Its ongoing mission;

To seek, to chart, to explore…

Slipping the surly bonds of Earth,

Going where none have been before!

 

Star Trek:  Dauntless

 

“Too Many Drills” By PJK & Jeff Sloan

 

 

Captain’s log, stardate 51247.5:

The Dauntless is on routine patrol near the Tinnius sector.

However, it seems the Exec is up to his old habits again.  I guess a stay in the brig wasn’t enough.  It may be time to teach him another lesson.

 

*          *          *          *

 

            Commander Virgil Kane quickly paced the floor in the Captain’s ready room, his silver Bajoran earring dangling wildly from his right earlobe with each turn. Meanwhile Captain Peter J. Koester, Commanding Officer of the starship Dauntless, sat behind his desk next to Chief Kyman, the starship’s Command Master Chief. The two men were shuffling through a stack of padds.

 

            “Drills!” Kane said with relish, again spinning to pace in the direction of Koester’s desk.  That’s what we need to promote crew unity!  More drills!  Twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week!”

 

            Without looking up at his ranting First Officer, Koester passed a padd to Kyman, asking, “What do you know about Lt Commander Hawthorn?”

 

            “Oh, good officer,” replied the COB.  “I worked with him before on board the Gorkon.  Highly qualified.”

 

            Koester nodded, marking a notation on the first padd before looking down at another one.

 

            Drills on the morning watch!  Drills on the afternoon watch!  Drills on the night watch!” Kane said, slapping his fist into the palm of his other hand for emphasis.

 

            “What about Commander Shelby?” Koester asked the Chief.

 

            “I’ve never met her personally,” Kyman replied.  “But I hear she’s a bit too ambitious.”  The Chief glanced up at Commander Kane.  “Besides, isn’t she the First Officer of the Excalibur now?”

 

            Koester grunted acknowledgment as he shifted the padd to the other side of his desk.

 

            Kane looked with annoyance toward his captain and COB before he paced away again, but continued to speak.

 

            “We’ll hold battle stations drills, intruder alert drills, fire drills, hull breach drills, loss of propulsion drills...”

 

            “You know,” said Koester to Kyman, “I wouldn’t mind a younger officer.  How about Lieutenant Kaachh of Teller?”

 

            Kyman’s eyebrow raised.  “You’d want a Tellerite in that position?”

 

            Koester sighed in agreement, and put the padd over to the side of the desk.

 

            “Uh, excuse me, Skipper,” Kane said, his pacing halted as he looked at the two men in confusion.  The annoyance was now clear in his voice.  What is it you’re looking at there that’s more important than my new drill plan?”

 

            “Hmm?  Oh..,” Koester said, looking up at Kane and sounding a little embarrassed.  “Just, ahh... looking at applications for the post of First Officer.”

 

            Both Koester and Kyman smiled at the shocked reaction that crossed Virgil Kane’s now-pale face.

 

The End

 

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