embarkation | First Contact {for greenstarshipping}

While life had certainly been worse for the Voyager crew in the last few months, it hadn't been quite this boring, either. Captain Janeway knew it was in bad taste to complain because it was far better for her crew to contend with mostly empty space punctuated by a few disinterested planets who seemed happy to give them safe passage in exchange for minding their own business. It didn't take long for them to get passed the few inhabited planets in the sector and within a couple weeks, they were well on their way to a week of boredom.

Harry managed to track down a few anomalies here and there, but Janeway was getting the impression he was looking for anything to keep them busy. So when he excitedly announced the appearance of a distress beacon on sensors, she couldn't help the roll of her eyes and give a knowing look towards Chakotay. It could have been anything, they knew, but she had Paris change course after it immediately. Even if it proved to be nothing, and took them off course by a couple hours, it was better than the nothing they had been biding their time with.

When freighter came up on sensors, Harry confirmed once again it was a distress call. Janeway stood up, smoothing out her uniform and telling Tuvok to scan the area before she asked Harry to open up a comm channel to the freighter.

"This is Captain Janeway of the starship Voyager," she announced, hoping whoever manned the freighter would be able to respond. "We received your distress beacon. Are you in need of assistance?"

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Esteri humbly submitted to the scans and finally took a seat when Janeway offered. Really, it was nice to be able to move around a bit after spending a few days floating.

"I'm sure she will. I'm not terribly worried, though. I have the feeling they came through none the worse for wear." Although Esteri didn't technically need to stretch, she did so anyways. She arched her arms over her head with a shift of her weight, then settled again as Janeway continued to speak.

"I wanted to fly, mostly. Have since I was a kid and I was really good at it. Still am. Just not the way I used to." Ruefully, Esteri shook her head. She's mostly made her peace with her situation, but it's still not fun to think about.

"I spent a decade of my life in the SDF. Longer, if you count the academy."

"Remind me to introduce you to our helmsman. I'm sure you two will have plenty to talk about," she said with an affectionate smile. Tom was one of the many crew members she had taken under her wing, and definitely a talented pilot - the reason he was chosen for the mission that got them stranded in the Delta Quadrant in the first place. It seemed, as far as Janeway was concerned, that Esteri would fit in just fine with the crew until the time came for them to part.

"That is an admirable amount of time." She meant it; any amount of time in service to something greater than yourself was admirable to her. "Although I can't imagine you get the same kind of rush from piloting a shipping freighter than you did in during military service. I certainly wouldn't have, but I'm also not a pilot." That said, she had heard Tom complain enough when he didn't feel like he had much to do.

"Current circumstances excluded," she added with a gentle laugh. "I imagine the last few days were enough excitement for you to last a while."

"Maybe! Depends on how you fly these things..." Esteri is still staring at the warp core from time to time. She's no engineer but the damn thing is fascinating. She flexes her fingers on both hands just to make sure they're still in working condition and then pushes herself to her feet.

"Mm. Nothing like it, but that's probably a good thing. If I couldn't fly at all, I'd be miserable." She shrugs a shoulder, leaving that cryptic statement hanging in the air.

"And yes, yes. I think a nice long, quiet break from excitement is just what I want these days..."

"It depends on the ship when it comes to Starfleet. Some ships and crews are assigned to specific missions for a period of months to years, usually exploratory. Others serve more long term purposes. But in all cases, you won't find any members of Starfleet who are unhappy to spend as much time as possible on a starship - or flying one, in this case."

Members of her crew might have been excluded from that statement years ago, but a lot had changed since their arrival to the Delta quadrant. However, now Janeway would find it difficult to parse the Maquis from the Starfleet officers. They all shared a common goal and, in turn, a loyalty to a ship they were never meant to spend more than a few months assigned to, much less the next several decades.

"If you're ready to go to your quarters, I can promise to give you a more thorough tour of the warp core once you've had some rest." Janeway gestured to the door, leading her out as Tuvok continued to follow in silence. "And I would love to hear more about your past if you would be willing to share. It sounds like you come from a fascinating background."

First Contact {for greenstarshipping}

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I am SO sorry, this month really got away from me