Star Trek: New Frontier

Chapter 1

Starbase Epsilon. Out near the Pegasus Cluster.

Stardate 59445.4

Old Earth Calendar date: June 12, 2382.

Commander Terri Ferguson never had a problem being late. Not once in the seven years she served on the USS Ajax—a fifteen year old Constellation-class Mark IV upgrade. But today, she was seeing Admiral Gregory Freeman and the man always had a reputation for his visitors and staff to be punctual as much as possible.

After stopping at the secretary's office to get admitted, screened, and cleared, the woman was directed through a couple doors—before finally meeting with the man—the legend—himself.

Setting down her things, she stood up and saluted briefly.

"Sorry, sir." She said with quick apology. "I got hung up near a service crawlspace on the Main Viewing deck."

Gregory smiled a bit in return—accepting the woman's apology. "It's quite all right, Commander." He relayed back easily enough. "This isn't one of my usual tests this time. So you're in the clear."

Terri blinked. "Huh? Oh. Okay." She rambled on for a moment—before turning and spying another young woman sitting in the chair behind her.

She rose to attention as well and briefly saluted—then reached out to shake her hand.

"I take it your my new commanding officer?" She revealed at that point—surprising the other woman to the core.

"I'm sorry. I'm not taking any new applicants for The Tyreesi III Shipyards at this time." She said off the top of her head. "Most of the available positions are currently full."

"Oh, I'm not here for that, ma'am. I'm here as your new First Officer."

Terri stared at her—dumbfounded. "First...Officer?"

The other woman nodded. "Yes. For the USS Juneau. Currently in Docking Bay Forty-Three Alpha."

The woman sighed heavily. "That ship is still not completely finished...uh...Lieutenant-Commander...?"

"—Ashley Underwood. Class of '78." The first woman finished for her at length.

"Doesn't matter. The ship is not complete. It's still missing some critical hardware components." Terri argued back. In front of the admiral no less.

But Gregory was nothing—if not amused—to say the least.

"At ease, Terri. We know what's happened with the Juneau after her first refit phase and shakedown cruise. It wasn't pleasant to say the least. That's why it's been berthed here for the past three years. In storage no less."

"—the second Resolution-class starship to come off the line..." she mulled unhappily. "And it still has its old registry number from a previous successor too."

"I realize that the class is under the new 92 series, but this is what Starfleet wanted in the first place, Commander Ferguson." The man said softly. "Wasn't my doing."

"Fleet Admiral Jonathan Parker—I take it?"

"You know of him?"

"I've had a few run-ins with him back on Earth—when I was stationed in Los Angeles." Terri revealed then. "He's definitely a no-nonsense kind of officer. Doesn't take defeat lying down very well. A fact he reminded me of the last time him and I engaged in a game of poker."

"Well, you can rest easy knowing that it wasn't him that gave the orders. This came straight from the Interstellar Survey Council itself."

The woman perked up a bit. "The Delta Quadrant?" She whispered in shock. "That's the only place the Council has any real jurisdiction in—since Voyager returned."