Arapaho: Roll Call

Scene: Starbase Epsilon

The tasks of command had almost been lost to months of physical therapy and rehabilitation. Rebuilding muscle and bone was arduous work, but nothing compared to rebuilding a mind.

Zachary Russell sat and rubbed his temples. He thought of the past, and the future. He looked out to the slowly moving view outside the starbase, and refocused on the PADD in his lap. Arapaho was due to arrive in less than twenty-four hours, and the crew roll call was the last item on his to-do list.

<Call to order:

<As of stardate 30428, you are hereby activated for duty aboard the USS Arapaho NCC-62629. The following personnel will report to docking station A-349 by 0800 hours.> It went on to give information on himself and Commander Hilani, with the list of officers due to report.

<Ensign Teknaru, male El-Aurian. General Sciences,> Zachary read. He was in awe at some of the details. 529 years old, with over fifty children? This would be the first El-Aurian Zachary knew personally.

<Ensign Zuve, Fileemi. Female joined Trill. Security.> She was on Arapaho when it was sacked by near Crosant IV. She would be a valuable asset on board. Checking her service record further, Russell made a short note and forwarded it to Commander Hilani.

<Ensign Clark, William. Male human. Security.> Just out of Academy, and probably cocky as they come when they're still wet behind the ears. No different than myself, thought Zachary... so many years ago. An easy smile came to the old man's face as a distant memory of his own youth revisited him briefly.

<Ensign Mircea, Grec Lucian. Male human. Operations.> Another officer fresh from Academy. The thought occurred to Russell that so many new officers might bring a special kind of comradery to the ship. Just what an old warrior like Arapaho needs, he thought: new blood and enthusiasm.

<Ensign Tal'nah, male Klingon. Tactical.> Russell vaguely remembered a Starfleet bulletin regarding this officer. He sent a quick note to the XO to have him check on it.

<Doctor (Ensign) Astri, Julana Talos. Female half-Betazoid. Medical Sciences.> Arapaho's first doctor. Her credentials were professional enough; given time, she might prove herself an able CMO. Of course, he hoped the best for every one of the new officers assigned to his ship.

Zachary checked back on his requisition for officers to Starfleet Personnel. As it turned out, the captain of Poseidon, the vessel that rescued Arapaho and was escorting her home, had recommened one of her own for a position. Ensign Sardra Vol. The listing for her species surprised him: Vulcan/Romulan mix. There was still enough xenophobia left in the Federation that most Romulan blood was either kept secret or swept under the rug when it came to Starfleet personnel records. The fact that it showed up on his roster gave Russell hope that a new kind of tolerance might be building.

After all, he had seen well enough what could happen when intolerance went too far.

Slowly, Russell read each name and record, and clicked the 'notify' box beside them. Russell pushed the 'Send' button below the list. In nanoseconds, each officer would receive his or her orders, and each would be called to board the ship they all had long awaited. The beginning was now underway.