First Things First
Posted on 20 Jan 2026 @ 11:18pm by Lieutenant Commander Elias Harlan
1,452 words; about a 7 minute read
Mission:
Lathira Shoreleave
Location: USS Intrepid - USS Arawyn
USS Intrepid - In Orbit of Lathira IV
Elias stared out the forward viewport of his guest quarters as the Intrepid slipped into orbit around Lathira IV. The Sovereign-class ship—Arawyn—came into view slowly, her sleek lines and fresh hull gleaming under the system's distant sun. The Intepid pulled up along the Arawyn's starboard side, just aft of the nacelle, a quiet alignment that felt almost ceremonial.
The Sovereign design wasn't revolutionary anymore, but it had evolved gracefully—new technologies layered onto proven bones without ever losing the clean, purposeful silhouette that had defined it since launch. It was built to last, the way the Excelsior class had lasted generations before it. The Arawyn, though, was still new—barely a year in service, her systems barely broken in, her crew still learning the ship's quirks as the ship learned theirs. That gave Elias pause. An established vessel had set expectations, rigid hierarchies, no room for a newcomer to reshape anything. A new ship? There might still be space to fit.
He thought back to his subspace call with Captain Corbin. She’d seen the rocky record—demotions, transfers, the endless cycle—but she’d spoken like someone who could read between the lines. She hadn’t dismissed the past; she’d simply chosen not to let it define the future. Harrington had done the same—looked past the file to the fire underneath, challenged him without judgment. Perhaps Corbin would too.
The door chime pulled him out of it.
“Come.”
The doors slid open. Rebecca stepped in, a small smile playing on her lips.
“I’ve been granted dispensation to walk you to the transporter room,” she said. “You’ll be beaming over with the rest of the personnel.”
Of course that meant sharing the pad with Jorik. Elias pushed the thought aside for now—he’d deal with it when it arrived.
“She’s a beautiful ship,” he said, nodding toward the viewport.
“She sure is,” Rebecca agreed, her tone wistful as she joined him at the glass.
“I wanted to thank you,” Elias said quietly, the words coming out more somber than he’d intended. “For making this happen. The way it happened.”
Rebecca’s smile softened. “That’s what family is for, Eli. Pulling strings when someone needs them pulled. You needed this trip to go the way it did. You’re a brilliant engineer. You just needed the environment to let you be brilliant.”
He nodded, understanding settling in. She was right—he hadn’t admitted how much he needed the win, even to himself. Harrington’s test run, the breakthrough, the lack of fallout—it had shored up something inside him that had been eroding for years. A little push toward hope, even if he still carried the scars.
“You should work out your issues with Jorik,” Rebecca added gently. “I know it’s a touchy subject. I know it hurts. But it needs proper closure—even if that means you two never speak beyond professionally.”
“I know,” Elias said. “And… I’ll try.”
“See? Growth isn’t hard. Even for someone as stubborn as you.” She teased, lightening the moment.
Elias rolled his eyes, but the corner of his mouth twitched upward.
He grabbed his duffel, gave the quarters one last sweep to make sure he hadn’t left anything behind, then followed her out.
“Captain Harrington couldn’t see you off,” Rebecca explained as they walked. “But he figured you’d live without the personal send-off. He’s adding notes to your file and sending a short message to Captain Corbin about your time here.”
“Tell him thank you.”
“You’ll probably hear from him again via subspace. Expect long letters and technical diagrams. I think you made a new friend.”
“He’s a great engineer,” Elias admitted, “and an even better captain. Surprised me in more than one way.”
“I’ll tell him you said so.”
Elias nodded, a small smile lingering.
They reached the transporter room. The junior engineers were already on the pad, duffels in hand or slung over shoulders. Jorik stood off to one side—posture straight, expression neutral, eyes fixed on nothing in particular. Elias felt the familiar coil in his gut but kept his face blank. Not here. Not now.
The transporter chief was working the console, coordinating with someone aboard the Arawyn.
“Problems, Chief?” Rebecca asked as they approached.
“New security procedures,” the chief replied without looking up. “I just sent over the transporter patterns we had on file from when they beamed aboard. They’re doing comparison checks. No idea why.”
Rebecca blinked, then shrugged. “How about the cargo?”
“That went faster. Our quartermaster coordinated with theirs—everything’s squared away. Freight, personal effects, all transferred and waiting in their quarters aboard the Arawyn when they beam over.”
Rebecca turned to Elias. “Looks like you’re up.”
Elias stepped onto the pad, taking a position near the juniors but far enough from Jorik to keep the silence comfortable. He set his duffel at his feet, straightened, and met Rebecca’s eyes one last time.
She gave him a small, proud nod.
“Energize,” she said quietly to the chief.
The transporter hum rose. The world shimmered.
And then the deck plating under his boots changed—from the familiar Excelsior grid to the smooth, newer deck of the Arawyn.
He was home.
He looked around the transporter room—sleek, spotless, everything smelling faintly of new polymers and recycled air. He shook it off as he stepped down from the pad. An ensign approached, PADDs in hand.
“Welcome to the Arawyn,” the ensign said. “We’re currently on shore leave on the planet below.”
He started handing out PADDs—room assignments, welcome packets, basic ship orientation.
“Here are your quarters and welcome information,” he continued, then paused as he handed one to Elias. “Commander, Captain Corbin is currently on shore leave planetside. The XO is aboard, but no formalities are attached to your arrival. I believe they’ll take place once the Captain is back and the ship returns to normal function.”
Elias nodded, glancing at the PADD. “That’s fine, Ensign. It’s been a long trip. I intend to take a day or two planetside myself while I still can. I’ll send a message to both Captain Corbin and Commander Batenburg to that effect shortly. No need to interrupt anyone’s leave on my account.”
“Understood, sir. Again, welcome aboard.”
The ensign turned to Jorik with a specific spiel about medical department protocols. Elias tuned it out.
He turned to the junior engineers now under his command. “You have forty-eight hours of leave. Get your quarters settled, find a way to relax. I won’t need you until then.”
They nodded, relieved, and filed toward the exit.
Elias grabbed his duffel and headed for the turbolift. He briefly considered dropping his bag in his quarters first but shook it off. He needed to see it for himself first.
The corridors were quiet—almost empty. A large portion of the crew was clearly planetside, and Elias intended to join them as soon as humanly possible. But first…
“Deck 16, Main Engineering,” he ordered as he stepped into the lift. It complied smoothly, the ride noticeably quieter and more refined than the Intrepid’s older system.
Moments later, the doors opened onto Deck 16 proper. He walked the short distance to the open cavern that was main engineering.
The room was massive compared to the Excelsior class—warp core thrummed in the center, a steady pillar of controlled annihilation. The space felt new, unused, still carrying the faint scent of fresh installation. His new domain.
The first thing he noticed was that for a ship on shore leave, there were way too many people on duty. Engineers moved between panels with checklists, wiping consoles that were already spotless, running diagnostics that didn’t need running. Busy work. The kind people did when the boss was changing and no one wanted to look idle.
Elias frowned.
“Commander on deck!” a voice barked from the upper level.
Heads turned. A flurry of activity—tools set down, postures straightened.
Elias kept walking, slow and deliberate, letting his eyes take it all in.
“Computer,” he said, voice carrying clearly through the space. “Lieutenant Commander Elias Marcus Harlan reporting for duty as ordered.”
The computer beeped, processed for a second.
“Acknowledged. Duty status change accepted. Authorization codes enabled for Harlan, Lieutenant Commander Elias Marcus. Chief Engineering Officer.”
Elias set his duffel down at the base of the center console and looked around.
“Now can someone please tell me what all of you are doing in here?”
Lieutenant Commander Elias Harlan
Chief Engineering Officer
USS Arawyn
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