From: Matthew Cunliffe <M.J.Cunliffe@durham.ac.uk>
Date: Sat, 26 Jul 1997 14:53:45 +0000
Subject: SB DELTA --> USS CHESAPEAKE: The XO Arrives

Stardate: 90726.1130
Mission Date: 14.1430
Scene: Shuttle, Deep Space

Elanna looked up from the PADD in her hand as Ensign Lewis moved back from 
the helm.

"Commander, just thought I would tell you we will arrive at the Chesapeake 
in around two hours.  Do you need anything?"

Elanna smiled.  For the first time since she had left Earth, she really 
felt relaxed.  Ensign Lewis had gone out of her way to make the new 
Executive Officer comfortable during her trip from Starbase Delta to the 
Chesapeake.  The only thing that made her uncomfortable was her new rank.

"No thank you.  I'm fine.  In fact, I had lunch a couple of hours ago.  
Actually, I was going to have a cup of tea."  Despite the propensity of 
some of her former collegues for alcohol, normally in large quantities, 
Elanna normally refrained from such overindulgence.  "Would you care for a 
cup?"

The young Ensign stood, hovering, unsure how to react.  Taking a quick look 
back into the cockpit, she decided that the navicomp could handle the 
flight for a few minutes.  "Thank you sir."

The rigidness of the Ensign, who feeling ill at ease, was standing at 
attention caused Elanna to frown.

"Relax Ensign, I won't bite your head off.  We can forget I'm the XO for a 
few minutes."  She turned to the replicator.  "Two cups of tea, Jestral."  
A slight hum signified the arrival of the aromatic Betazoid tea.  Elanna 
indicated the seat opposite her.  "Please sit down."  As Lewis did so, 
Elann passed her a cup.  "Anyway, I wanted to get an idea of the Chesapeake 
and its crew from you before we arrive.  I'd rather not arrive without a 
clue."  

*Rule number one: never go in unprepared.*  The lesson first taught to 
every SECIS investigator.  In the sensitive cases in which Elanna had been 
involved, it was normally sensible to get a complete picture of the 
situation before entering it.  Having read through the evaluations of the 
Chesapeake command crew, she had a fair idea of what to expect, but the dry 
and impersonal view put forward in these reports gave no true feeling.  Her 
chat with the young helmsman quickly gave her more information on what the 
crew thought of the senior officers, adding to the information already 
gleaned.

Elanna tried hard not to pyschologically evaluate each officer.  For the 
last three years, profiling and investigation had been her job, and it was 
difficult not to analyse their characters down to the last detail.  
Combined with her full Betazoid empathic ability, her success in solving 
the most extreme of cases had stood her in good stead.  Now it might become 
a hindrance.

~~~~
Mission Date: 14.1620
Scene: Shuttle, approaching USS Chesapeake

"Commander, we are approaching the Chesapeake."  Ensign Lewis called 
through the hatch.  Elanna moved up to sit next to her, desperate to catch 
a glimpse of her new home.

The streak of stars in warpspace disappeared as Lewis dropped the shuttle 
into normal space, a few thousand kilometres from the Chesapeake.  The Hood 
design was fundamentally different to anything she had encountered before.  
The two warp nacelles hung underneath the bulk of the craft, a huge sensor 
system supported above them.

"USS Chesapeake, this is Shuttle Orion requesting permission to dock."  
Elanna could hear Ensign Lewis talking in the background as she looked at 
the ship.

[Shuttle Orion, you are cleared for landing in Main Shuttle Bay.]

"Understood. Orion out".  Lewis brought the small vessel round in an arc, 
capturing the Chesapeake from every angle, before bringing it in to the 
shuttlebay.

~~~~
Scene: Conference Room

[Bridge to Captain]  The call interrupted the already late conference.

"Excuse me.  Brennan here."

[Captain, Lieutenant Commander Miris has arrived] came the reply.

"Thank you."  Brennan was surprised.  The request for a new XO had been 
processed far quicker than normal for Starfleet bureacracy.

~~~~~
NRPG:  Well, Elanna is here!

Takako: I left it pretty much open, so if Brennan want's to come and meet 
his new XO, he can do.  Otherwise, I'll just post her settling in tomorrow.

Fabian: I couldn't find a bio for Lucie, so I just made her a charming 
young lady.
Respectfully submitted,
Lieutenant Commander Elanna Miris,
XO USS Chesapeake, NCC 31813

~~~~
Regards,
Matthew

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