<div align="center">(https://i.imgur.com/tetwUrJ.jpg)</div><br/><span class="bbc_size" style="font-size: 18pt;"><strong>Chapter 1</strong></span><br/><br/><span class="bbc_size" style="font-size: 14pt;">30 November 2376, 14 lightyears from 5826 Kang Xiu</span><br/><div class="floatright">(https://i.imgur.com/rrLZaAV.png)</div>Something that naval crews have dealt with since the earliest days has been the long periods of inactivity and routine, and it was no different aboard a vessel such as the Victoria, on her way towards the remote sector 291-02. Rebuilt from a Yeager class that had been quickly assembled from the incomplete space frame at the time, the Victoria had already served Starfleet in several minor skirmishes and scouting the Cardassian and Dominion lines. Now she had the chance to do what she'd been truly made for: exploring.<br/><br/>The Captain's Ready Room, located just off the central bridge module, was a return to form for Starfleet. It was much smaller than the original prototype on Voyager, but it was meant to allow the Captain to immediately step onto the bridge during an emergency. Within sat Captain Morgana Galven, reading through reports compiled by senior officers and staff. A veteran of the Dominion War, Captain Galven had served with the Ninth Fleet during the early war aboard the Excelsior class vessel Pathfinder, before it was ultimately scrapped following the defeat attack on the Tyra system. She then was transferred to the Ambassador Class Stalwart, whose captain had been killed by a direct phaser strike on the bridge, and was assigned to the 2nd fleet, even taking part in Operation Return.<br/><br/>For her dedication to service, she was asked to oversee the refit of the Victoria and given command. She had found it to be a quieter command than her previous postings, and much more intimate. She had plans to gather her senior staff in about twenty minutes in the conference room to go over the system they were heading into, and all the information so far relayed to them from Starfleet Exploration Command. As she gathered up her notes, there was a chime at the door. "Enter," she called.<br/><br/><div class="floatleft">(https://i.imgur.com/ROuQIPu.png)</div>The door slid open to a blue-skinned man with a ridge down his face. A Bolian, and one with a pleasant smile on his face. "Good morning, Captain," he spoke, his voice pleasant and cheerful, "I thought I'd walk with you to the conference room."<br/><br/>Commander Hoggue Mara was a man for whom nothing ever seemed to phase him. He too was a veteran of the war, though mainly operating as a Lieutenant Commander in the merchant marine, XO of a tug called the Earnest Endeavor. While not the most glamorous post, the war would have been lost without the vast supply arms of the fleet, moving millions of tons of goods in a single trip to keep everyone on the front lines supplied. He'd transferred out with his promotion to Commander to a posting on the Victoria, just in time for the war to end and help his new captain oversee the refit.<br/><br/>"I'd be delighted, Commander," Captain Galven said, crossing the grey and red patterned carpet to follow him out onto the bridge. There was little going on, for alpha shift had yet to start and Galven had wanted to speak to everyone before they assumed their stations for the day. As the two walked, they casually chatted about Mara's nephew being accepted into the Academy and Galven's sister being engaged finally. After a brief turbolift ride, they walked down the hall and entered the main conference room.<br/><br/>Unlike the one board Voyager, Galven had used some of her influence as a captain to have a faux wood table with a deep blue stone inlay around the perimeter, the surface polished to an almost mirror shine and coated to prevent touching from marring the surface. A Yeoman snapped to attention as they entered, having been preparing the coffee and breakfast rolls for the officers per Mara's request. He was firmly of the opinion that happy senior officers were less likely to start a mutiny.<br/><br/>And so the two sat and waited for the rest of the officers to arrive, sipping coffee and enjoying their breakfast in a casual air of equals.