The
of
Endurance
Command
BY APRIL SMITH
I strolled down the cobblestone pathway of Starfleet Academy’s campus, trying to imprint this moment
into my memory forever. The warmth of Earth’s star on
my face, the fresh sea-breeze blowing off San Francisco
Bay, the hum of the shuttles zooming overhead: those
were the things I would miss the most about this planet.
Today was graduation day, the day I would be embarking
on my training cruise where the bulk of the crew would be
cadets like myself. Today was the day that my future
would finally begin.
A familiar voice broke the concentration of my
thoughts. “Kaliyah! There you are! I was beginning to
think you forgot what today was!” I turned to the smirking
face of fellow cadet Elisa Flores. The twinkle in her eyes
betrayed her sheer excitement. Elisa had been by my side
from day one, and although she was a human, I thought of
her as my sister.
“How could I forget? You reminded me every day
for the past month!” I said. “Did you get your assignment
yet?”
“Of course! I was first in line! I got the U.S.S. Endurance, but Captain Taggart hasn’t posted the position
lists yet. Oh, and before I forget, Razkii wanted me to
thank you for helping him cram for the astrometrics final.”
“Oh, ok. Well, I had better go report to Lieutenant
Ferra for my assignment.”
“Good luck!”
I headed over the administration building and
found Lieutenant Ferra standing in the lobby. He glanced
up from his computer pad. “Good afternoon, Cadet. What
can I do for you?”
“Is this where I get my training cruise assignment?”
“Yes, I have the complete assignment list here.
Name?”
“Anjohl Kaliyah.”
“Let's see…” Lt. Ferra stared down at his pad for a
few moments.
“Um, Anjohl is my surname and Kaliyah is my…”
“Yes, I am aware of Bajoran naming customs. Interesting. Report to Captain Taggart. He is in the office
behind me.”
I looked at him warily. “Is there a problem?”
"You're going to have to ask him."
Trying to keep my nerves in check, I rang the
doorbell.
“Come,” the voice came through the intercom
above the doorbell. I nervously stepped inside.
“Cadet.” The Denobulan captain greeted me with
a curt nod of his head.
“You asked to see me, sir?”
“I did. I've been following your progress here at
the academy, and I must say, I'm impressed.”
“Thank you, Captain.”
“I'm just looking at your final test scores, and I
would like to personally say, ‘Well done.’ You didn’t
break any academy records, but your score was more than
satisfactory, something I always look for in my senior
staff.” A wide, knowing smile spread across his face.
My sto