The Ronin eased into its berth at Starbase 901. The trip from Risa to the Briar Patch had been rather eventful, with the Ronin caught on the fringes of the Mulluran invasion of Nausicaa. The crew had acquitted itself well in a minor incident involving an Order Police vessel that had strayed into Federation territory. Mulluran propaganda was spreading stories about Order Police being killed and their bodies mutilated by Federation personnel, but no one at Starbase 901 was buying it. As far as they were concerned, the Ronin's work against the Kelvans and half a dozen other enemies had made its crew heroes all.
An honor guard had been assembled at the berth. Kitty Mallory and Tarik led the delegation, with Paul Deveraux, K'Tag, Kassia, Dr. Cherrin, and Tara Carmichael in attendance. A huge number of civilians--the exploits of the Ronin had become known far and wide after the ship returned to the Federation--waited beyond a cordon as the crew of the Ronin disembarked.
Captain Craig McConaughey stepped off first. He saluted Kitty. "Permission to come aboard, Captain," he said with a slight Irish brogue.
"Permission granted, Captain. Welcome aboard!"
With that, the civilians gathered at the berth cheered wildly.
The introductions were made as the department heads exited the ship. "Captain, may I present my senior staff. Commander Kira Markos, my executive officer; Commander Karissa Bentara, Chief Counselor; Lieutenant Ming Wang, Chief Science Officer; Dr. William Hancock, Chief Medical Officer; Chief Petty Officer Adam Talsmin, Chief of Operations; Lieutenant Commander Tyran Nige, Chief Tactical Officer; Lieutenant Kalin Jerico, Chief Enginer; and Lieutenant Sean O'Neal, Chief Security Officer."
Kitty introduced her own party. "We're glad to have you aboard and attached to our station. Feel free to enjoy our hospitality!"
McConaughey turned to his crew. "All hands, 24 hours liberty call! But be back to the ship at 0800 tomorrow--we've got work to do!" This time the crew cheered as they disembarked.
"I'll send you a full briefing on the situation here in the Briar Patch. The maintenance ship Ontario is due to arrive in 18 hours to begin refit of the Ronin," Kitty told Craig.
"Acknowledged. I've asked some of my senior staff to meet with their opposite numbers aboard the station; they'll be making their presence known while we're refitting. Here's hoping that we can get this frontier stabilized without too much more bloodshed on any side."
"Indeed," Kitty said. Perhaps the Ronin would finally tip the balance out of the Mullurans' favor once and for all.