SIM:Adyr New Orders

((First Officer’s Quarters, USS Apollo))

::The room was huge.::

::It was far bigger than her previous quarters on the Victory, approaching the size of their shared home on the Starbase. It was even far bigger than the Captain’s quarters on the USS Valor; a feat that Adyr had not thought was possible. She smiled as she spun around. Getting used to this wasn’t going to be difficult.::

::Having gotten the silliness out, Cayden stood and smoothed out her top. Dropping her bag, she moved to the replicator and ordered something for the plain table that was on one side of the room. They were going to have plenty of time to decorate everything, but she felt that it needed color now. Placing the flowers in a vase, she stepped back and smiled. Now, it was time to go to work.::

((Turbolift to Deck One))

::There was so much movement all over the ship. The trip to the lift had been like dodging vehicles at a busy spaceport, and the lifts were all running at capacity. It seemed like every member of the crew was rushing around trying to get each little thing perfect before the ship pulled out of spacedock. The ship deserved it too; Starfleet had spared no expense, so to speak, in its design, development, or indeed, construction. The information she had been privy to since her trip on the Alabama had enlightened her to many facts about the vessel, but none of them surprised her. With the mission set forth in front of them, they were going to need it all.::

((Bridge, USS Apollo))

::For the first time, Cayden stepped out onto the bridge of her new home. The crew, for the most part, was all set up in their positions awaiting the orders to go. On the air, there was a feeling that was so intense, she wondered how the telepathic Captain was handling it. A smirk crossed her face as her eyes fell to the command center of the bridge.::

::Moving towards them, Cayden took up a position just behind and between the Captain’s chair and the First Officer’s just in time to watch the ship pull out of spacedock. Around her, the officers came to life and before any of them knew it, they were clear. It was an intense feeling inside her; pride, longing, and so much more. There was nothing like the feeling you got when you got to accompany a ship out for its very first time. In silence, still unnoticed by the command staff, Cayden simply let the awe wash over her.::

::The event was over far too soon, though and soon they were at warp. The Captain stood and left. Cayden smiled as he passed before turning her attention to the man that was now taking the center seat. A proud smile spread across her face; he looked, quite simply, like he belonged there. She thought about the future and the coming challenges they were all going to face. It promised, more now than ever, to be quite the wild ride.::

::With a contented sigh, aimed at her life and how amazingly things had turned out, Cayden stepped forward and gently touched Liam’s shoulder.::

Adyr: Cayden Adyr, ::She smirked.:: Reporting as ordered.

::It wasn’t surprising when she got the most confused and questioning look from him yet. Producing a padd, she said nothing, but smiled knowingly and handed it to him.::

((Flashback, Captain’s Ready Room, USS Alabama – In Transit to UP/USS Apollo))

::Cayden had known of the plans to get to her Utopia Planitia shortly after Liam had made them and she actually got excited. It had been a very long time since she, or the Adyr symbiont rather, had been aboard the Alabama. Therefore, it came as no surprise when she received a call at the door of her temporary quarters only a few hours after she had boarded. What she hadn’t expected was the way the invitation had been handled though. Instead of her old friend, Cayden met a young security officer who, seemingly extremely nervous, informed her that the captain had requested her in his ready room.::

::The Trill had smirked at the young man. It wasn’t often that civilians got to visit the bridge of a starship, and here she was, having visited two within the course of just as many weeks. Not wanting to miss the chance at such an occurrence, Cayden graciously accepted and allowed herself to be escorted there. Now she was sitting in a rather comfortable chair, across a large and almost regal looking black desk, from a man she had the last recollection of over twenty years prior.::

Adyr: Still have this old bucket of bolts do you.

::Cayden smiled warmly as the memories of the ship came back to her. Alaryc had once commanded her, before handing the reins over to his former XO, Jackson Miller, the man who currently sat across from him.::

Miller: ::Smiling.:: Yea. Well, I wouldn’t trade her for that new Achilles you’re taking out.

::The man looked at her as she raised her eyebrow. She hadn’t been told of the orders that Liam had gotten, and so, she had no idea where they were going. She only knew that they were going, and that had been enough for her.::

Adyr: An Achilles?

::There was a nod.::

Miller: An Achilles, to the Typhon Expanse.

::Cayden cocked her head sideways.::

Adyr: I’ve had the pleasure of visiting that backwards place once, though I have a feeling this Achilles is going to fare a bit better than we did back then.

::Across the desk, the man shifted awkwardly in his chair. There was some information he just couldn’t get used to hearing from the woman who clearly sat in front of him.::

Miller: You know, Ric, this takes some getting used to.

::Cayden’s smile returned.::

Adyr: I’m still in here. That much I can assure you of Jack.

::She tapped the side of her head as she spoke. For non-Trill, the whole thing did take some time to wrap your head around.::

Miller: Yea, I know. ::He sighed.:: We heard what happened, you know. The Valor saved many lives that day.

::More memories flooded her mind; this time they came with flashes of fire and the stench of blood. Cayden closed her eyes and composed herself.::

Adyr: I know. But I don’t think that’s why you called me up here.

::Cayden waved her arm as if to encompass the room. There was a long moment of silence as she watched his expression move from welcome to business. He shook his head slightly.::

Miller: No. It’s not. ::He handed her a padd.:: Command’s gotten wind of your plans to join this ::He looked at his own screen:: Frost, on his new assignment.

::It was inevitable that Starfleet would hear about it. They knew where she was all of the time, but this had been the first where they had interfered.::

Adyr: I know you aren’t asking me that. ::She shook her head.:: Jack, this host is not going to join Starfleet. That’s not my path now.

::The Captain across from her smiled knowingly.::

Miller: I know. That’s why they’re making you an offer. ::He gestured at the padd.:: The Apollo is brand new with a lot of new tech and time involved. It wouldn’t hurt to have as much brainpower there as possible.

::Cayden slowly looked down and started reading the padd.::

Adyr: Civilian advisor, huh?

Miller: ::Nodding.:: They just want you there to advise. They know your history with the Captain, and seeing as how you appear to have a history with the First Officer now too…::He again smiled knowingly.:: you’d have a vested interest in this job.

::He paused only a moment before moving on.::

Miller: And in return, they will remove the block.

::This made Cayden’s head snap up. The block had been put there to protect the information Alaryc had been privy to as a Starfleet captain from being accessed by subsequent hosts. It was something that all Trill had to agree to before joining the organization, and one that all of the Adyr hosts felt was worth it. Now, they were talking about opening up the shadow in her mind where those memories and experiences existed. Had other Trill had similar experiences? Would she ever get such a chance again?::

::Carefully she watched her former XO and friend for a moment while she considered it all. Inevitably, her thoughts drifted to Liam and she wondered what he would think of all of it. Coming to the conclusion that it only meant they might actually see each other more made an even stronger case than the sheer scale of the opportunity. Minutes passed as she thought of Jaxx and what he would think of it. It was like opening a treasure trove of experience from a Captain who had been almost everywhere, and who had done almost everything.::

::Finally, she nodded slowly. Cayden’s will to help who she could and gain all of the wonderful knowledge and experience that she had the chance to finally won over all other arguments. Her typical smile returned to her face.:: Adyr: You are right. I have a rather keen interest in this particular ship and its crew. ::She paused.:: I would be honored to take the job.

((End Flashback))

Frost: Response?

Adyr: ::Shrugging.:: They asked me. It was just as much of a shock to me as it is to you.

Frost: Response?

::Cayden smiled at him then; every emotion, from the love she had for him to the pride she had in everything he had become, from her excitement about going out there where no one really had gone before to the massive opportunity she had been given in the very position they had offered her, shone brightly in her eyes.::

Adyr: I guess you just have to put up with a little more of me.

::Standing back up she glanced up at the screen in front of her and then around the room. There was so much promise there; so much future. In her mind, the steady thoughts of Alaryc pointed out just how well the crew had been assembled, how amazing the ship was, and how successful they stood to be. It was the most amazing coalescence of feelings at that moment and Cayden found that containing it wasn’t going to be easy. Though her outward appearance was calm, anyone who really looked at her would know she was excited about it all.::

::It was the first day of a journey that would live on in history. And this time she was a part of the crew. She turned to the counselor in the third bridge chair that the two of them would share in the coming years. Though Vulcan, Cayden offered her same, warm, excited smile.::

Adyr: Counselor. Quite the assignment, huh?

Luna: Response?

::Turning her eyes back to the viewscreen ahead, Cayden nodded.::

Adyr: We have a pretty big name to live up to, if I have my facts right.

Luna: Response?

::The moon had been out of reach for so long to humans; now there were some that called it home. Apollo had been part of that legacy.::

Adyr: I went to the moon once. ::She smirked and glanced sideways towards Frost.:: I have it on good authority that our namesake left the start of a path that will really take us places.

Luna: Response?

::And that it would. The path they would blaze across the stars would be like no other. This was only the beginning.::

TAG/TBC

--- Cayden Adyr
Civilian Contractor/Command Advisor
USS Apollo

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