Briefing the XO
Posted on Tue Aug 11th, 2026 @ 2:05am by Vice-Admiral J.T Carlson & Captain Alice Zuberg MD
654 words; about a 3 minute read
Mission:
1x01 - Homecoming
Location: Ready Room
J.T let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding. Going back to where it all began was a bittersweet thing. He understood why he was asked, though it had been years since he was last in the region.
He tapped a panel on his desk: “Dr. Zuburg report to ready room”
Alice kept a busy duty schedule, working 3/4 of a shift in sickbay, another 3/4 on the bridge, and half another in her office. To many, it looked mad. Some wondered what her social life was like. Others asked when she slept. But it was perfect for her.
She’d been on the bridge when she’d received the summons. So she put the next senior officer on the deck in command and reported to her Admiral, her CO, and her mentor.
The door to the Ready Room opened automatically for her, as it always did. “You asked to see me, sir?”
"I did. We've been ordered to divert course. We'll not be returning to Earth." J.T elaborated.
“Oh?” She took a seat opposite him. “Where are we going then?”
"813" He said bluntly as he handed over the PADD with their orders.
“Goodness, how long has it been?” she asked, smiling as she leaned back. “Twenty-three years? Think it’s still impossible to get a good coffee on K-9?”
"More than likely. Never did care for it when it was Federation controlled." J.T smiled a bit.
"They've requested senior Starfleet presence. We're also going to take aboard Ambassador Forsythe at Echo-6 before heading to Algonquin where both the Eifie and Rheuysians have agreed to meet and explain their concerns."
She nodded. “I’ll order a course to be set, and make preparations to receive the Ambassador. Do you know him?”
"Not personally. He was recently assigned to the region as the Ambassador-At-Large. He seems to have a good head on him from all accounts."
“That’s good to hear,” Alice said. “Not like that Talbot we had to bring to Nimbus a few years back? What a piece of work he was. I earned that promotion if only for not slapping him for calling me ‘my dear’.”
"The asshole deserved it." J.T reminded her. "He was a drunk and deserved being dumped onto that blasted world."
“So anything’s an improvement,” she said. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “I’d been hoping we’d hit Earth before going back out. If we’d stayed on schedule, I’d be there for my nephew’s football tournament. It is what it is. It’s what we signed up for.”
"Sorry to disappoint ya Alice. If it makes ya feel better, I had hope to attend this years Admiral's Ball." J.T gave her a wink. He did not, in fact, wanted to attend, it was a stuffy affair with politicians and bureaucrats.
“Oh no,” she deadpanned. “However will you recover?” Then she grinned and leaned back. She knew all too well how boring the Admiral’s Ball was; he’d invited her as his plus-one more than once. “Starfleet Medical’s dinner isn’t until next Spring. That one isn’t bad, actually. If we’re around next April, I’ll take you.”
J.T would simply smile.
"Let's make sure everyone is ship-shape, get everything ready"
“Yes, sir.” Alice stood up and straightened her uniform jacket. “I’ll have us change course for Echo-6 and check in with department heads. Anything else, Admiral?”
"Not at the moment. I'm going to go down to Engineering to see about getting more power out of this new warp core. Let me know if you have anything else. Thank you, Alice.' J.T Stood and headed for the door with Alice.
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Vice Admiral J.T. Carlson
Commanding Officer
USS Tigerfish-A
Starfleet Command
Captain Dr. Alice Zuburg, M.D
Executive Officer
Chief Medical Officer
USS Tigerfish-A
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