Ensign Dylan Bryce: Straight Into the Fire

[Kait]

((Shuttle En Route to USS Narendra → Trade Center Offices, Capricalia))

It wasn’t the arrival she’d expected.

Ensign Dylan Bryce had pictured stepping off a shuttle onto Starbase 118, duffel over her shoulder, nerves and excitement tucked neatly behind her training. Instead, her transport had barely cleared warp before being rerouted to the Ambassador-class USS Narendra, a ship she’d only ever studied, not set foot on.

She spent the brief transit reading everything she could on Capricalia: political tensions stretched thin as piano wire, a population divided between remaining in the Federation and embracing the newly rising Romulan Empire, and an uptick in pirate activity that made her frown more than once.

Then came the latest updates: an assassination attempt, missing communications from a Federation contact, and rapidly escalating distrust. Not ideal, but no first assignment ever was.

The Narendra’s corridors had been a blur; she met no one except the crewman who delivered her to the transporter room with a sympathetic look that suggested he knew how fast everything was about to move. Her orders were clear: head directly to the surface and link up with the First Officer, Lieutenant Commander Shar’Wyn Foster.

She didn’t have time to feel nervous. Or excited. Or anything, really. Starfleet clearly wasn’t interested in easing her in.

A shimmer of blue light enveloped her.

((Public Plaza – Capitol City Center, Capricalia))

The warmth hit first — brighter, drier air than she’d expected. Then the light. The entire plaza gleamed: stark white stone buildings, exaggerated curves of modern architecture, metal and glass polished to an almost sterile perfection. Even the benches looked like they’d been hand-buffed between uses.

oOAt least it’s not lava,Oo she thought, setting the bar low had its advantages.

She let out a slow breath. Pretty. Artificial. And if her briefing was any indication, deceptive.

An Andorian in command red approached, his antennae angling slightly forward as he spoke.

Foster: Ensign Bryce?

Bryce: Yes, sir. Reporting as ordered.

Foster: I’m sorry that this will be a very fast official welcome but… let me be the first to welcome you onboard the Narendra! I’m Commander Shar’Wyn Foster.

Bryce: Thank you, Commander. I appreciate it — and I’m ready to assist in whatever capacity you need.

Her eyes swept the city again. The perfection wasn’t inviting; it was unsettling, like something built to be admired rather than lived in.

Foster: I’m glad you could join me. Did you have a chance to read up on the issues facing Capricalia?

Bryce: I did. Political instability, external pressure from the Romulan border, pirate interference… and a population that’s losing trust in us. It’s a delicate situation.

He nodded.

Foster: We’re going back to meet with the Secretary of Commerce Themem Zilo. We have updates for him, which includes more information on a Federation contact that failed to communicate his struggles to the Federation Council, and a warning that there’s been an assassination attempt on one of the other Capricalian councilmembers.

There were a lot of things going on down on Capricalia, and none of them were especially good at the moment.

Bryce: Understood. Is he expecting us?

Foster: Yeah, he’s waiting for us, so now is your time to ask any questions before we meet with him.

Bryce: Just one, sir. How receptive is he likely to be… and is he expecting us to bring him reassurance, bad news, or both?

Foster: Response

Bryce: In that case… I’ll follow your lead. Is there anything specific you would like me to focus on when we speak with him?

Foster: Response

She fell into step beside him, centering herself. A complicated world, a tense political climate, a skeptical government official…

Not a simple first assignment, but she was ready for it. Ready mattered more than comfortable. And comfort, she suspected, was about to be in short supply.

~*~

tags/tbc

~*~

Ensign Dylan Bryce
  Counselor
StarBase 118 Ops
A238909RJ0

“Life isn't about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself.”