Aximo woke up in his assigned joint quarters Sorvath, his fellow Kyrennei. The computer started beeping, like an alarm clock, announcing the time every five seconds.

“The time is 0600 hours,” the bland tone of the ship’s computer announced. A few seconds later, “the time is 0600 and five seconds.”

Aximo stirred and sat up in his bed, fully awake already.

“Acknowledged computer,” Aximo replied.

The computer beeped in response to Aximo. Aximo swung his legs over the edge of the bed and he stood up, fully awake and alert, thanks to his Borg implants and efficiency. He proceeded to take a shower and get dressed in his uniform. Today is his first day as an official member of the USS Carlsbad. Aximo remembers back when he was a Gul in the Cardassian Third Order. He always took his duty very seriously. The only good thing from his experience from the Borg is that his sense of duty is more intense and defined. He proudly takes that with him as he goes to start his new posting.

He put his brand new uniform on. Then he made sure his black duty boots were polished and shiny. He saw his reflection in them and felt pride in his appearance. He strapped on his boots and had a small Cardassian breakfast dish of a Taspar egg with a glass of fish juice. He ate his small breakfast in silence, his mind focused on his first duty shift. When he finished eating, he put his dishes in the replicator and left his quarters, heading to the science lab.

He walked down the corridor, ready to start his first shift. Sorvath met him at the main turbolift. Aximo nodded to Sorvath. Sorvath greeted Aximo in return.

“Morning Sorvath, how was your first shift,” Aximo asked him, curious.

Sorvath turned his head to Aximo.

“It was interesting, Aximo. It is definitely an experience to be part of a crew again. The science department on this ship is very impressive. The labs here are almost as impressive as the ones on Vulcan. I think I will like being part of this crew. What are your thoughts Aximo?”

“It does give me a sense of pride to feel belonging to something again. I took my sense of duty when I was a Gul very seriously. I was trained under Dukat. I felt ashamed that I was captured by the Borg and assimilated into the Collective and forced to their will, despite all attempts to break free. When Captain Skyrunner offered a new life and experiences as part of his crew, I felt that spark of wanting to belong to something again.”

Sorvath nodded. The turbolift doors opened and both men stepped inside.

“Deck 6,” Sorvath told the computer.

The doors whooshed closed and started moving. A minute later, the turbolift stopped and the doors opened again and they stepped out. They turned left and walked down the corridor.

“I can understand that you want to belong to something again,” Sorvath said. “I feel the same thing here.”

They arrived at their destination and the lab doors whooshed open. They slowly stepped inside and looked around. The science lab on the USS Carlsbad was a bustling hub of activity, filled with rows of sleek, silver consoles and holographic displays that flickered with data. The walls were lined with banks of equipment, including chromometers, spectrometers, and tricorders, each one humming softly as it worked to analyze the vast array of scientific data streaming in from the ship’s sensors as the Chief Science Officer was conducting a simulation. The lab doors closed after Aximo and Sorvath walked inside.

In the center of the room, a large, circular console dominated the space, its surface covered in a complex array of controls and readouts. Lieutenant Commander Amara stood at the console, her eyes scanning the data streaming across the screens as she worked to analyze the latest readings from the simulation. Amara turned around when she heard the doors whoosh closed.

“Impressive, isn’t it?” Amara asked, noticing Aximo’s fascination with the equipment. “This lab is one of the most advanced in the fleet. We’re lucky to have it on the ship. Feel free to look around gentlemen. Starting today, this is your posting in the science department under my command. You both work Alpha shift, which is 0800 to 1600. I have created a simple science experiment simulation for you two to work together on. This is from a previous mission we were on right before the whole Vaadwaur mess started. Your first assignment is for each of you to do a full report on the situation and give a list of recommended actions. I’ll be back at 1600 to check on your work. The computer is set up to answer any questions you two might have. Good luck.”

Amara walked out of the lab and back to the Bridge. Aximo and Sorvath slowly walked around the lab, seeing what equipment was stationed where. They were starting to get the lay of the land of the lab. Aximo walked to one side of the lab. He stopped in front of a console, his eyes fixed intently on the data streaming across the screen. He started typing in commands into the science station. His fingers flew across the console, entering commands and querying the ship’s databases as he worked to understand the complex scientific concepts that Amara was teaching him. Sorvath was at the other end of the lab, learning his new posting as well. The lab was filled with a sense of quiet intensity as Aximo and Sorvath started working together in a focused, collaborative effort to accomplish the assignment that Amara gave them. The soft beeps and chimes of the equipment provided a gentle background hum. As Aximo worked, he couldn’t help but feel a sense of wonder at the sheer scope of the science lab’s capabilities. The equipment was far more advanced than anything he had encountered during his time as a Borg drone, and he was eager to learn more about the science behind it all.

Aximo nodded, his eyes still fixed on the console. “I am…impressed,” he said, his voice filled with a sense of awe. “I have much to learn.”

***

Lieutenant Commander Amara was walking down the corridor, away from the science lab. She was hopeful about the two new crew members she has in her department now, Sorvath and Aximo. As she was walking down the corridor to the biolab, she encountered Lieutenant Commander Zorvath T’Koren, the Chief Medical Officer from the Thunderdragon and one of the new nurses, Naomi.

“Good morning Doctor T’Koren. Good morning Naomi. You two ready to start your first official duty shift on the USS Carlsbad,” Amara asked them both.

“Morning Commander Amara,” Doctor T’Koren replied to Amara.

“Good morning Lieutenant Commander Amara,” Naomi said with a smile.

The trio stopped as the doors to the biolab opened. Amara led them inside. Both Doctor T’Koren and Naomi slowly walked around the lab, looking at everything.

“What do you two think of the ship’s biolab,” Amara asked.

Dr. T’Koren replied first, “it looks great. Brand new equipment and computer systems.”

Naomi looked around more before replying to Amara, “I like the setup of the lab ma’am. Very efficient and comfortable.”

Lieutenant Commander Amara smiled.

“I’m glad you both like the lab. Until Sickbay gets rebuilt and online, this will be the temporary Sickbay, Doctor T’Koren. Naomi, you will be the head nurse. You two are the ship’s medical staff right now. I’ll let you two settle in right now. I’ll be back around 1600.”

Amara turned around and left the biolab, heading back to the Bridge. Amara is hopeful this new staff in her science department will turn out good.