The Wolf Unchained: Part 1/4

Posted on Mon Feb 23rd, 2026 @ 5:33pm by Commander Scarlet Blake & Commander Cornelius 'Kit' Hanlon & Lieutenant Commander Christopher Evans & Lieutenant Commander Daniel Masters & Lieutenant Azree Kar & Lieutenant JG Riaothren (Ren) ch'Shaorhs & Petty Officer 3rd Class Constantin Vansen & Crewman Raine Ni-ya & Civilian Adis Voks

1,767 words; about a 9 minute read

Mission: Prologue: To Boldly Go
Location: USS Fenrir - Bridge
Timeline: Day 14 - 11:00

ON:

= Bridge =

A new kind of energy had taken hold of the bridge. It was almost palpable as the Captain made her way out of the turbolift and down to the centre chair. A vibrant hubbub had broken out as crew came and went, preparing for the launch. The last minute gremlins were being chased out of the machines...the 'i's were being dotted, the 't's crossed...and a triple check was in process to ensure that everyone and everything was present and accounted for.

Captain Scarlet Blake took a moment to look across the bridge, watching her new crew at work. Capable, confident, enthused. She knew not all days could be like this, but she vowed to do her best to make sure that energy never disappeared entirely.

With that, Blake moved for her seat, brushing the arm with gentle fingertips. Her first real command. Not acting. Not covering. It was now all on her shoulders. Good decisions...bad decisions. They were hers to make and break.

She turned away from the chair, choosing to remain standing in the middle of the bustling bridge just a little longer as she opened the comm. "All hands, report to your posts ready for launch."

Hanlon smiled at the Captain as he watched her. Like her, he stood by his chair, watching the bridge crew get to their posts. He loved the feeling of standing there, ready for a new mission and a new adventure. Would he ever get used to this? The butterflies in his stomach, the tension of nervous energy, and underlying excitement? He found himself smiling despite his best efforts to stay serious.

Raine entered the bridge with a bland expression carefully curated on her face, even if she allowed herself a sense of awe. She had never expected to end up here for the launch, and yet...here she was. The bridge itself seemed impressive, clean and gleaming, with the Captain looking flawless and the XO wearing a smile that made it seem like he was enjoying every second. Raine gave a nod to them both as she went to her station, touching the console with gloved hands. Diagnostics were complete, everything was ready...and she had control of it all. Long range scientific scans, probes...readings. It felt strangely powerful.

Having spent the majority of the morning until now personally scanning and searching the majority of the ship Daniel walked onto the bridge and took the tactical station. "All ordinance secure and accounted for Captain, ship is secure."

Blake gave him a short, sharp nod of approval. She could imagine how his day had been so far and expected nothing less than thoroughness from the experienced Security Chief. They'd be in safe hands. "What I like to hear. Let's try not to scupper ourselves before we've even engaged engines..." she cast a small but wry smile his way.

Azree entered the bridge soon after wearing a new, crisp uniform. She relieved the Ensign at the helm and confirmed the readouts. "Flight control systems squared away. Ready to input departure course."

"Very good," Blake instinctively walked closer to the Helm, glancing down over the talented pilot's shoulder. "Request permission to disembark," they may as well be ready for when the time came. Whatever reverie she had been enjoying had faded, her mind focussing on the task at hand.

The Redheaded Trill tapped a few buttons to send a message to the dockmaster. She received a message moments later. "Clearance received. Moorings and umbilicals ready to retract."

"Perfect. Hold until I give the go-ahead," Blake nodded briskly to her, moving across the bridge to be closer to her First Officer, sharing the space and moment with him as they awaited confirmation from all departments.

The bridge of the USS Fenrir pulsed with a living tide of voices, footfalls, and the steady hum of readiness. Adis Voks stood near the back, out of the way of primary traffic yet close enough to observe the heart of the ship coming alive. The glow of LCARS displays caught in the folds of his ocean-hued robes, scattering faint silver reflections along the tide-stitching at his cuffs. Around him, officers moved with that particular energy born of anticipation sharpened by duty—the electric hush of a ship poised at the threshold of first departure.

Several hours had passed since he had first boarded. In that time, he had secured his assigned quarters, arranged the necessary modifications for his equilibrium, and briefly familiarized himself with the counseling offices he would now steward. Formal introductions to his staff would wait until after launch; today, presence mattered more than protocol. Healing did not begin with appointments or signatures. It began by standing steady in moments like this, when the air itself seemed to hum with breathless expectation.

Adis’s gaze moved deliberately across the bridge, noting the firm posture of the Captain at the center, the alert readiness of the First Officer nearby, the focused calm of helm and tactical officers bent over their controls. No two crews ever wore the moment of launch the same way. Already, he could sense this bridge’s unique cadence: vibrant yet contained, eager yet laced with a sober thread of vigilance. A ship’s heart was its people, and here, the pulse was strong.

He stood with his hands clasped loosely at the small of his back—a posture of openness rather than formality—his breath steady, his senses tuned not just to sights and sounds, but to the emotional undercurrents threading through the room. Excitement. Pride. Flickers of worry woven so finely they nearly vanished into determination. No single emotion dominated. Instead, there was a fine, living lattice, intricate and resilient as any structural field. He absorbed it without judgment, holding it within himself like the echo of a familiar tide.

Adis said nothing yet. There would be time enough for introductions and carefully chosen words. For now, he simply stood—witness to the ship’s first true breath, the gathering of a thousand silent hopes into forward motion. He would rise with them, steady and sure, when the moment came.

Lieutenant Commander Evans had been at his station for the morning. Going over final diagnostics, checking a few things one last time. They would be complete by the time the USS Fenrir launched and he wanted to make sure everything was in tip top shape as far as the operations department was concerned.


~~~~~


= Below Decks - Operations =

The Assistant Operations' officer hadn't been summoned to the bridge, but that was fine with him. He knew he was playing a vital role in keeping the ship running smoothly. He was helping to coordinate and communicate between the bridge and the rest of the ship.

Vansen looked over at Ren, giving him a small smile before he looked back to his console and the readout of energy storage on the ship. They were ready.

"Let's hope the rest of our mission goes as well as the first few minutes, but I rather doubt that's going to happen."

Vansen laughed despite his best efforts, his eyes shining as he looked at Ren. "Ah, but would we be explorers if everything went without incident, Sir?" he asked, almost playfully. "This wonderful ship needs some dents eventually."

Ren too chuckled, "True enough, I suppose. It's our job to keep those dents to stay dents. Those I can live with. It's gaping holes I have issues with."

"Just let me know if anything changes."

"Yes Sir," Vansen said with a small grin, nodding as he looked at him. "Gaping holes aren't that bad, it's when the deck collapses you got to worry..." he added more to himself as he kept an eye on the readouts.

"So, how long have you been doing this?" the Andorian asked. His eyes were focused on his own screen, his antennae were twisting back and forth.

Vansen thought about it for a moment before he gave a small shrug. "Almost ten years in Starfleet," he finally said, and glanced at him. "But I grew up on a ship, Sir, so I know my way around holes in hulls and the usual suspects."

"I grew up on ships as well, so we have that in common."

"Sorry, I didn't take the time to review your files. I probably should have. The ships you grew up on were they Starfleet ships or a merchant ship? I don't want to make assumptions."

"Don't be sorry, most don't even glance at the enlisted crew's files unless there's a flag that they're a problem," Constantin said, and it was clear that it wasn't a slight against the other man. "I grew up on a civilian ship, Sir. Born there and raised there. Didn't set foot on a planet until I was a teenager, so...being on a ship, it's more natural to me than feeling solid ground." His hands moved over the console, checking the power.

Ren gave a brief nod. "I can relate. Not that I was born on a starship, I wasn't. But I've lived on one or a starbase for more than half my life, so like I said, we have some things in common."

"So, why choose Starfleet?"

"I was rescued by a Starfleet Captain," Vansen said softly as he glanced over at Ren. "And I didn't want to stay on Earth. I managed to get into Starfleet, and that...seemed the most reasonable choice, Sir."

Ren's left brow arched his his right antennae curled forward. "That's pretty close to what happened to me. I don't think I was rescued in the same way as you, but I would have been lost if not for a Starfleet captain that took me under his wing and mentored me."

"That's what Starfleet does best," Vansen said, his voice soft and gentle...thoughtful. Reflecting on his own life. "Take the slightly broken things and put them to use."

Ren smiled. It reached his eyes. Barely. "I suppose you're right," he said.

To Be Continued...

---

Commander Scarlet Blake
Commanding Officer
USS Fenrir

Commander Cornelius 'Kit' Hanlon
First Officer
USS Fenrir

Lieutenant Commander Daniel Masters
Chief Security/Tactical Officer
USS Fenrir

Lieutenant Azree Kar
Chief Flight Control Officer
USS Fenrir

Lt Commander Christopher Evans
Chief Operations Officer
USS Fenrir

Lieutenant JG Riaothren (Ren) ch'Shaorhs
Assistant Chief Operations Officer
USS Fenrir

Adis Voks
Chief Counsellor
USS Fenrir

Petty Officer 3rd Class Constantin Vansen
Operations Officer
USS Fenrir
(PNPC Hanlon)

Crewman Raine Ni-ya
Science Officer
USS Fenrir
(PNPC Hanlon)

 

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