Logan packed the last of the standard Starfleet boxes onto the shuttle and closed the cargo door. Heading into the shuttle's cockpit, he took the co-pilot's seat and prepared to leave the Churchill one last time.
"Shuttle bay control, this is shuttlecraft three, we are ready to leave." The pilot announced.
[Shuttlecraft three you have clearance to leave.] The shuttlebay officer confirmed.
Ahead, the doors to the shuttlebay opened and the pilot pushed the small vessel out into space.
"Isn't it beautiful ?" Rahel stated as she looked out of the side window at the Blue\Green planet below. They had both seen the planet before, but that was over a year ago and they had had much more pressing matters to deal with than sightseeing.
Logan turned to Rahel and smiled a fake smile. Serenity wasn't his first choice of posting, but Rahel had gained a promotion, which involved a posting to Serenity. He had taken the only available posting to be with the woman he loved. Rahel had been posted to the Starfleet office at Lake Town, Serenity's second city as their Medical officer and Logan was to take up the position of Security chief.
"Not as beautiful as you Rahel." Logan replied, trying to hide his frustration at being stuck in a backwater installation.
Rahel picked up on his feelings anyway.
"Things will work out Logan, you'll see." She reassured him.
The past year had been frustrating on both of them, but that frustration had brought them very close together. After the destruction of the USS Leviathan-B during the attempted Karled invasion, the crew had been spread far and wide. Lara McQueen, Logan's sister was now a junior Lieutenant on a Nova class vessel and Ashraf, Rahel's brother was the chief science officer on the same vessel.
Logan and Rahel had taken six months leave after the loss of the Leviathan, hoping to use information they had gained about Rahel's pasts to seek some answers. They have travelled Federation space and beyond looking for Rahel's twin sister, hitting dead-end after dead-end. With the six months up, they had returned to Starfleet and been assigned to different vessels patrolling opposite ends of the Alpha quadrant.
They had managed to get together only once during the last six months and both realised just how much they had missed the other and decided to seek new postings where they could be together.
When Rahel got her promotion and was offered the posting on Serenity, she had accepted only on the condition that Logan would be posted to Serenity as well. Starfleet agreed and they had spent the last two weeks on the Churchill, a Starfleet re-supply vessel as it wound its way across Federation space.
"We'll be landing as Serenity City spaceport in about five minutes." The pilot announced. "You can just see Lake Town over to starboard."
"Our new home." Rahel commented.
Ten minutes after landing, Rahel and Logan had all their possessions loaded onto an anti-grav trolley and were making there way from the spaceport and across Serenity City to the Mag Lev train station. The shuttle pilot wasn't heading to Lake Town and Rahel had insisted that they see Serenity City before they headed off for their new postings, which had ruled out transporting straight down from the Churchill.
Arriving some fifteen minutes later, they managed to load their possessions on the Mag Lev train that was waiting and were about to board the train when something stopped Rahel in her tracks.
A strange feeling had come over her, something that she had only felt once before. That had been with Lieutenant Dare, a helm officer from the Leviathan-B. That time, Dare had somehow managed to link Rahel with her unknown twin sister. Rahel had not seen the face of her sister, nor those of the two infant children she had been singing to, but she had heard the song in her head, the same song that had been sung to her whilst she was an infant.
Rahel looked around, but there was no-one else around.
"Are you OK ?" Logan asked, pulling Rahel back to reality.
"Fine, it's just so much to take in." Rahel lied.
They boarded the train and found a vacant compartment. Within a couple of minutes, the train moved out of the station and started to pick up speed. Within ten minutes, they were racing across the surface of Serenity at supersonic speed, watching dusk fall over the planet as they travelled.
The door to the compartment opened and a Ferengi looked in.
"Would either of you be wanting anything to eat or drink ?" The Ferengi enquired.
Logan looked across at Rahel, who shook her head.
"No we're fine." Logan replied.
"How long will it take to reach Lake Town ?" Rahel enquired.
"We should be arriving at Lake Town station in about eighty minutes." The Ferengi replied, obviously annoyed at nor being able to sell the occupants anything. "If you change your mind about eating, I'll be back along the corridor in about half an hour.
"Thank you, but we'll be fine." Logan remarked.
The Ferengi withdrew from the compartment and headed off down the corridor to the next compartment. Logan rose from his seat to close the door and heard the Ferengi using the same patter on the occupants of the adjacent compartment.
Just as the Ferengi predicted, the train drew into Lake Town eighty minutes later. By now, dusk had turned to early evening and the stars were coming out in the sky.
"Let's get our luggage and head for the offices." Logan suggested.
"Fine." Rahel agreed. "We can go exploring tomorrow."
As they left the station, they found themselves looking out into a street brightly lit by rows of shops. Heading down the street, the couple saw souvenir shops and hotels lining the street. As they headed further down, there were inns offering food and drink, filled with both locals and tourists having a good time.
The couple carried on until they finally reached the end of the road and turned the corner to see the Starfleet field office ahead of them. In contrast to the main street, the field office was in almost total darkness, just one light was lit. Heading inside, they found a young Ensign manning the front desk.
"Can I assist you ?" The young woman asked.
"My name is Logan McQueen and this is Rahel Kahfre.." Logan announced.
"It's a pleasure to meet you both...." The young Ensign replied. ".but how can I help you."
Rahel let out a small laugh, as she realised the Ensign's obvious confusion. Both Logan and Rahel were in civilian clothing and it was not obvious that the Ensign was in fact speaking with her new Security chief and Medical officer.
"That's McQueen and Kahfre as in Lieutenant Commanders McQueen and Kahfre." Logan remarked.
Suddenly the realisation came over the young Ensigns face.
"I'm sorry sir, ma'am I didn't realise." She apologised. "If we had known you'd be coming we'd have arranged a vehicle to pick you up."
"At ease Ensign, officially we don't take up out posts for a couple of days." Logan replied. "But the Lieutenant Commander wanted to see Serenity before we started work, hence our early arrival."
"Ensign T'learn Demarco, but I guess you already know that. Well your quarters are all ready." Ensign Demarco reported. "If you will follow me, I'll take you through."
T'learn rose from behind the desk after securing the front of the office and headed for a second door at the rear of the reception office. She entered her security code and the doors opened into a long corridor.
"These are the offices." T'learn explained. "The first two are the security office and your office Commander. The rest aren't currently being used, but hopefully as Starfleet builds up it's presence in Lake Town they'll be filled."
They continued to walk through the building, until they reached the end. The Ensign called the turbolift and the three officers, along with their luggage packed inside. The building was only two storey's high, so the trip was very short.
"Most of the space on this level is given over to crew quarters and amenities. There's also a basement, which houses most of the buildings systems, such as the power core, computer core and sub-space transmitter. There's also four cells and a small brig office." The Ensign explained. "Your quarters are just down here."
They turned into a side corridor and walked down until they reached a set of doors. Entering an access code, the doors opened and they stepped inside the room.
"If you'd like to leave your possessions here, I'll show you the rest of the building." T'learn suggested.
Heading back down the corridor, Ensign Demarco continued with the tour, showing them the crew lounge and mess. Finally they came to the end of another corridor.
"This Commander is the medical centre.." T'learn stated. "..and the field commander's office is straight across. Again, that office is still unoccupied."
Suddenly the Ensign's comm. badge beeped and the Ensign tapped it.
[T'learn you should come down here and join the poker game, I'm actually winning for once.] The voice on the other end suggested. [No-one's going to come up there at this time of night. Lock the doors and come on down, bring that poker face of yours with you.]
"That's where you're wrong Skaren, our new Chief Medical Officer and Security Chief have both just arrived." T'learn replied.
[htta'nvmniahrei ehdhihss oauusrrr'.] Came the reply in Klingon.
"Ensign, I hope you don't always use that kind of language ?" Logan stated.
[Sorry sir, it's just we weren't expecting you just yet.] Ensign Skaren replied. [I'll come right back.]
"That won't be necessary, we'll have plenty of time to talk about Starfleet protocols over open comm. links." Logan stated.
[Yes Sir.] Skaren replied.
"Ensign Demarco, if you would like to join your colleague, I'm sure we can settle in without your assistance." Logan suggested.
"Thank you sir, but I should return to the front desk." T'learn replied. "I'll hand over the security codes for your quarters and with your permission return to my post."
"No problem Ensign, I look forward to working with you." Logan said.
Fifteen minutes later, Rahel and Logan were in their new quarters, alone for the first time in weeks.
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