This is New

Posted on Wed Jan 21st, 2026 @ 8:20pm by Lieutenant Dorian Vox & Captain Cassandra Hawk

3,104 words; about a 16 minute read

Mission: Episode 1: A New Sheriff in Town
Location: Ops, Starbase Mojave
Timeline: MD1, 0900hrs

[ON:]

Dorian had just arrived onto the station when the Quartermaster gave him his room assignment, alongside telling him that the new CO had wanted to see him.

"The Captain wants to meet little ol' me?" Dorian said with a small chuckle under his breath. After getting everything squared away with the Quartermaster and getting them to put his stuff into his new quarters for him, Dorian decided to hop onto the nearest turbolift and head to Ops.

It didn't take long for him to make it up there. He had a duffle bag with some medical supplies with him as he walked out of the turbolift. Looking around, Dorian saw that there was nobody in Ops had pips for the rank of Captain, so he decided to try his luck with the Captain's personal office. He walked over to the door and pressed the button for the bell and waited to see if anyone responded.

"And here I was thinking I'd beat you back here." The voice came from a few meters behind Dorian, where the other turbolift had just opened. Out of the lift emerged a woman in a cleanly fitted Starfleet uniform, complete with the red shoulders and four silver pips that hadn't appeared anywhere else in Ops. Her blonde hair was tied back in a braid and she had slight Bajoran ridges on the bridge of her nose. In her hands was a chrome mug, with just the faintest hint of steam coming from the the open slit at the top. "Apologies for the delay. I had a brief window in my schedule and used it to get a fresh coffee. There's a new cafe that just opened in the market and, as much as I love my replicator coffee, no one will ever be able to convince me that the real thing isn't better."

She approached, casually weaving around the work stations like someone who had gotten very used to the flow of this room in the past few weeks. Without missing a beat, she shifted her mug to her left hand and extended her right in greeting. "Captain Hawk, commander of Starbase Mojave. If I'm not mistaken, your my new CMO."

Vox offered up his hand and shook Hawk's. "Yeah, I'm Dr. Vox, the new CMO. Just arrived onboard not too long ago and the Quartermaster said that you were looking for me? Or, at least wanting to meet me before it got too crazy onboard? But, I know what you mean about the replicated stuff. Nothing quite beats the real thing, especially with coffee. I think that's part of the reason why I'm so excited to be on a starbase! So many shops to get actual food onboard."

"Given how well I've been eating the last few days, I certainly can't argue with that. As for wanting to meet you, I make a habit of it with all of my division heads," Cassandra replied, with a smile. She stepped forward, keying the door to open. The security sensor registered her presence and with a single brief swish, the door disappeared into the cavity.

Behind it, the comfortably sized office of the Station commander came into view, connected directy to the main ops room and with a window overlooking the central chamber of Ops itself. While the main fixture of the office was the sleek desk with two chairs immediately in front of it, the personal effects around the room were perhaps more notable. Directly behind the desk was a large viewport, looking out on docking rings 2 and 3. The starscape beyond, lit by a violet and cyan hued nebula, cast the room in a cool light that seemed to accentuate the colors within. On either side of the window stood the Federation flag and a small potted cactus, a botanical reminder of one of the Captain's two homeworlds.

On the near wall to the door were several model starships, representing the vessels that Captain Hawk had served on throughout her career, as well as those she had once called home as a child. A framed set of Bajoran earrings was hung there alongside the image of a Bajoran woman who bore a strong resemblence to the Captain.

On the far wall, a large lasso of rope hung, circling a dark leather rimmed hat. On the ledge below it, were various artifacts and souvenirs collected from the woman's travels through the years. An old optical telescope, modified with a directional guide tool, stood on a tripod in the corner, more ornamental than functional.

Cassandra Hawk entered the room with an relaxed air, gesturing to the seats as she set down her mug and rounded the desk to her chair. She slid into it with what had quickly become practiced precision, before leaning back. "So, Doctor, I hope you had a decent trip out to the station. I know it's quite the hike to get out here."

"Honestly, it wasn't too bad. Luckily enough, I got to come aboard on a Danube-Class Runabout. While they're a bit older, they still get the job done...especially when you're having to travel several days onboard at warp 4," Vox replied with a chuckle as he took a seat. He looked around for a moment, taking everything in. Vox was someone who appreciated History, even if he didn't study it as a profession.

Looking back to the Captain, Vox said, "Has any of the medical staff come onboard yet or am I the lucky first? Cause, I would like to get everything started and see how Sickbay and the various facilities hold up. This station is definitely beautiful and I can't wait to see what we can do with her and that ship we've got. I've heard that it has some experimental faster than light drive."

"We've had a medical presence on station in case of emergency for a little while, as Mojave was being constructed. But in terms of permanent medical staff assigned to the station itself, you are the first. Though, I'd suggest reviewing the files of those who have been here. There's a good chance you'll find some good picks to round out your staff," Cassandra said, taking a swig of her coffee and allowing herself the briefest of moments to savor it. Fresh was indeed better. "As for the Achilles, you're very correct. It's Protowarp drive is genuinely astonishing. We made the trip here in a fraction of the time we could have, even on the fastest Slipstream equipped vessel. The tech itself was pioneered back in the 80s, but was never actually operationalized. Achilles herself actually was sitting unfinished until I had her pulled out of mothballs. Hopefully, we can use her to demonstrate the tech has enough merit to revisit."

"I'll definitely have to look at the personnel for the medical and counseling staff. Have we found a Chief Counselor yet or would you like for me to take a look at that for the time being? I think some of the medical staff should be cross trained in psychology and psychiatry. So, it shouldn't be a problem for that," Vox offered up, knowing now that he was the first person onboard for full time medical services.

“I’ll need you to manage the Counseling department for the time being. We’re crewing up, but we’re not the only people looking for crew and we’re not exactly close to the hub, so even once we get a recruit it takes time,” she replied. “Though Achilles did let me scoop up two of our department heads in a quick little pop back in town, so to speak. I can’t do that for a bit, since she’s currently being worked on, but once finished we’ll have the fastest ride in the sector.”

Looking back at Captain Hawk, Vox said, "Well, that should making exploring fun! How much faster are we talking about because slipstream is pretty fast, from what I remember from back in school."

A very amused grin spread across Hawk’s face as she considered the question. “Now, I want to preface this with the fact that it’s a burst of speed, not a cruising speed. And the ship needs a good amount of time to recover after a jump. But how fast is it? It makes Quantum Slipstream look like standing still.”

She sat back a little, gazing out the window in the vague direction of the Federation hub worlds. “We got from Earth orbit to Mojave in minutes, and that was a fraction of our range.”

Vox couldn't help but chuckle a little bit and asked, "Have you ever seen the old Earth movie 'Galaxy Quest?' Cause, that just reminded me of a scene from there, where they pushed the turbo button and went fast for only the time they pressed the button. But, it couldn't be held for long. So, that reminded me so much of that old movie and part of it."

The Captain’s brow furrowed ever so slightly. The reference was a curious one. She wasn’t sure she’d fully gotten a read on the man yet. “I can’t say that I have unfortunately. I’ve watch a fair few of the old Earth movies, but my preferences tended to fall in a different direction,” she said, only sparing a half second glance at the paraphernalia of her teenage pastimes. “I can’t say fairly confidently say that it isn’t quite like that though. This isn’t a deadman’s switch situation. The ship plots its course per usual, and it simply warps spacetime to hell to get there in a fraction the time. It is quite visually impressive though.”

Sitting a bit forward, she wrapped her hands around the mug, more to find a place for them than anything. “But enough about our cool little ship. She’ll come up plenty I’m sure. I’d love to hear a bit about my new Doctor. What brings you to the edge of known space?”

Vox thought about the Captain's question for a little bit before actually responding. For Vox, frontier medicine was something that excited him. But, saying such could also sound arrogant too or too personal.

However, after thinking about it for a little bit, Vox finally said, "Well, for me, I wanted to go to a place that was a bit further out than the core worlds. I didn't want to go to a place like Earth Starbase or somewhere patrolling the 'safe' spots. I wanted to come into a place where I could help set up a new Sickbay and make it my own. Not just pick up where someone left off. If that makes sense? I wanted to be able to explore medicine while helping people out. The core worlds felt like they've been explored long ago. Out here, it's brand new almost."

"There's a certain freedom to it, I can't deny that," Cassandra said, taking another appraising look out the viewport. The Denobulan freighter she'd seen on the docket earlier was approaching slowly off to port. "We're on the edge, but you shouldn't been terribly resource strapped. At least as long as our supply chain stays in place. Mojave herself has a substantial power generator, so the replicators should cover most of it, and the convoys can bring in anything replicators can't. That said, it's a priority of mine to establish some connections in the region. The more we can source our supplies through local trade, the less dependent we are on the delicate strings tying us back to the core."

"What does the trade look like around these parts? Depending on which trade routes we're along, I might be able to help get some local merchants onboard and bring us different stuff. Mainly medical supplies, but I think some of them do other stuff. Like, equipment or parts," Vox said as he thought about which routes were along this path or could be.

A short, breathy laugh escaped the Captain's lungs. "We're not on much," she said frankly, pausing a second before continuing. "Or should I say, we're not on much yet. We're quite isolated, the last stop on the few routes most larger vendors have. Most supply chains are stretched pretty far by Starfleet to accomodate us. The local space isn't exactly hospitable, so many shipping routes don't want to risk losing an entire payload to an anomaly or raiders."

A few swipes of her fingers on the desktop interface pulled up the current geo-political map of the region as they knew it. "That said, I do hope to change that. There are known factions with some dealings in the region. The Ferengi have a presence, which we might be able to get in on. Some limited Orion presence. Smaller than you'd think, honestly. I've even heard mumblings of some Romulan Free State activity, though we have yet to actually see any of their ships. Though it is the Romulans, so that's not unusual."

She returned her gaze to the doctor. "There's plenty of small regional factions here. Lots of little outposts and settlements. But many of them would be recipients of medical supplies, not providers. So...I guess what I'm saying is, we'll have to meet the neighbors to get some of those trade routes established. And probably better to get started on that in the near term, because or convoys have become interesting targets to regional raiders. Our most recent medical supply shipment was actually attacked by a wing of pirates on the way here. We fended them off, but the barge took some damage. I imagine they'll try again."

"Well, do we know what kind of medical supplies that the Orions or other raiders were stealing? Cause, maybe it's something that we can do or say. Come to us instead of stealing our supplies. Maybe do a come to us and don't ask questions, maybe?" Vox asked, curious as to how he could maybe start helping. Even it was raiders that were coming in. His oath was to help people, no matter what.

The station commander pursed her lips, hints of skepticism etching across her face. The doctor’s desire to help was admirable, but…

“That’s a noble gesture, but I don’t think we’re really in a position to do that. These raiders were well equipped and have targeted a lot of convoys. The one I mentioned held families and a wide range of the supplies that are currently in our sickbay. We fended them off with 3 Runabouts, and even then they tailed the convoy from the edge of sensor range until it was almost to our station. I don’t think this is a matter of need, it’s a matter of greed. We’re fairly certain that had they captured anything, they would have sold it on black markets,” the Captain replied gently. “We’re in rough space out here. For a while, that might mean watching our backs more than we’re used to. I certainly won’t argue against a diplomatic approach when one is possible, but we aren’t there yet.”

Vox offered up a warm smile when he replied, "Well, the offer will always remain on the table. I've heard stories of people taking supplies because they desperately needed them. So, I just thought that if that was the case, I'd offer up services for them so that they wouldn't feel the need to do something like that. Otherwise, I'll start working on helping to set up Sickbay onboard the station and our new not so little ship."

"Once we get a reputation in the region, we might be able to better offer that helping hand. If the raiders know we're not able to be pushed around, then pehaps that can be leveraged that into respect. And in turn, individuals could find assistance here," Cassandra replied with a nod. "But yes, Sickbay. I think you are free to start getting that set up. Are there any specific things you think you'll need? Engineering will be stretched a bit thin, but I'll pull the strings I can. If things go sideways, we'll be glad we prioritized getting you ready for it."

"Well, I would want to see Sickbay here first. I don't want to do anything or say anything without taking a look at that first. Then, I might be able to build a list up for both you and Engineering. I don't think I would need much, as long as we've got the basics. Biobeds....medical tricorders. You know? The usual. How about yourself? Are you needing anything from me or the medical staff as we transition into this new phase of the Starbase being operational?" Vox asked as looked Cassandra over once before looking out the viewport in her office really quick with her.

"You'll get a chance to check Sickbay once we're done here. We do indeed have the basics, our standard biobeds and tricorders already set up, as well as Starfleet standard for additional medical supplies. But you'll have a lot of latitude to request additional resources, rework how things are structured, or whatever seems appropriate," Cassandra replied. "As for me, I think I mostly just need you to get yourself situated so that we're ready if the need arises."

"Lets just hope that we've got the medical tricorders too cause I can't do everything that I would like to do with standard issue tricorders," Vox said with a soft smile and chuckle. He looked back at Cassandra and asked, "Is there anything else that I might be able to help out with or may I go down and check out Sickbay? See what we've got and start.....fixing it up to my liking."

The Captain made a shooing gesture as a wry smile reached her eyes. “Be free, Doctor. I shall hold you no longer. Your sickbay awaits,” she said, a faux-haughty accent coloring her words, before she slipped back to her genuine tone. “Just let me know if and when you need something, and I’ll see to it we track it down. Welcome aboard, Doc.”

Vox turned back as the doors parted way to let him back out onto the Bridge as he said, "Thank you, Captain. Same to you. Need anything, just call on me."

With that, Vox headed out and got onto the nearest turbolift. He headed down to Sickbay and starting to make it his own...

[OFF:]

Captain Cassandra Hawk
Commanding Officer
Starbase Mojave

&

Lieutenant Dorian Vox, MD
Chief Medical Officer
Starbase Mojave

 

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