I'm sorry it took me so long to write but I have been busy. Really busy. Last week I took my final exams in stellar cartography, warp theory and biochemistry. The stellar cartography wasn't bad. I do pretty good in that area, but warp theory is a little harder. I'm pretty sure I passed. I've been getting tutored by Sopak. You remember me telling you about him, he's my Vulcan room mate. With his help I think I made a B average on the exam. I gotta tell you if it wasn't for him, I'd be on the next transport out of here instead of graduating and getting assigned to duty on the USS Thomas Jefferson. That's right, I said the Jefferson Starship. I could hardly believe it, Its a new ship coming right out of the ship yards just out from Mars. Its not a really big ship. I was told it will hold only 75 crew members and I'm one of them. Me, Adam Parker an Ensign on a Starfleet saber class fast frigate.
Our captain is Evan Taylor. I don't know very much about him except the fact that he was captain to one of the ships destroyed by the Dominion. From what I heard, he was very badly injured. He had burns on 60 percent of his body and a broken legs but he and 5 others managed to set the self destruct and get to the life boats as the Jem 'Hadar were boarding the ship. I heard the blast lit the Bajor night sky. He was in the John Glen lunar station for 5 months recovering.
I have a lot to tell you and I'm not sue where to start. I might as well start from the beginning.
After graduation, me Sopak and Orin Ren my Bajoran room mate were invited to a graduation party by David Mastetson. You remember him, he's the son of Admiral Masterson. You know, invited isn't the right word. Actually we were trapped into going. You know how I feel about Dave Masterson from your last visit. He was always an arrogant ass showing off and using his fathers name to get what he wanted. Well, he might be in it deep this time because he didn't get the assignment he was always bragging about. Let me explain. For the last five months Dave kept bragging about how his father had gotten him assigned to the officer's training academy in Norfolk. He told us that after two years of training he would be promoted to lieutenant and assigned to one of the constitution class ships in the fleet. For that to happen, Dave had to keep up a 4.0 to a 3.67 average. Well, he was a good student, but he wasn't a genius and as you know, Dave was never one to pass up a good party.So even with his father's influences at Star Fleet academy, he could only manage a 3.32 average. Unfortunately that wasn't good enough. His application for entry in to Arihan academy was denied. No officer training for David Masterson. Instead he was to be assigned to a ship as an ensign just like the rest of us. If he was going to be on the road to command, he'd have to earn it the hard way.
That will be enough about graduation and Dave's party which was a total drag. Let me tell you about our first day on board the Jefferson.
After a night of party hopping, Sopak, Orin and I reported to Cape Grissom where we were to catch a shuttled to the moon that get a flight out the the ship yards where the Jefferson was still docked. At the lunar station we met up with a few others heading out to the Jefferson. There was Lt. Carlson, who was to be the chief engineer and Lt. Graz the ships security chief. Lt. Graz was a joined Trill. He was pretty hot and kept smiling at me as we lifted off from the lunar base. Afterward he came over and we had a chance to talk.
The flight from the lunar base to Utopia Planitia took about three hours. After we docked we were met by Lt Commander Zach Archer. Curious thing I learned a few weeks later. Commander Archer's great grandfather was the first captain of the USS Enterprise. He had joined Starfleet following in his family's tradition of service to the UPF. Commander Archer was tall with dark hair with a very handsome face. He was dressed in an immaculate clean red and black uniform with three pips on his collar showing his rank.
Anyway, as Commander Archer joined us at the spaceport he introduced himself.
"Welcome to your first day of service to Starfleet Command. I am LT commander Zachery Archer, first officer and second in command of the USS Jefferson. I will be escorting you to the ship. Is everyone here?
"This is everyone sir." Lt Carlson said. "Everyone from the Lunar base."
"Then we only have to wait for three member to arrive from Betazad Prime." Commander Archer said. "While we wait I will tell you what the Captain and I expect from you. You will report to all your duty stations on time. We run a very tight ship and will not accept tardiness of any kind. You will keep my ship clean and in order. We house three members to each room and there will be absolutely no fighting among the crew, do I make myself clear?"
"YES SIR!" Echoed from each crew member.
"If you work hard there will be a chance for advancement, but if me or any of the senior officer see anything we don't like, you will be put on report which may be one step closer to your expulsion from Starfleet."
Jake looked from Orin to Sopak. They were both looking straight ahead as they listened to the Commander.
"Now the Artllies isn't suppose to dock for another hour." He said as he checked his time piece. "This will be your only chance to see this station. One hour, be right back here. Dismissed."
Once dismissed, Sopak, Orin and I headed straight for the promenade it see what the station had for entertainment. There were a large number of shops. An Andorian tailor, the shops windows were covered in different and exotic types of clothing. There was a Klingon weapons shop filled with Klingons and Nausicaans bantering over prices on various weapons. We were going to go in, but changed our minds after seeing the Klingon at the door with a bat'leth. There were restaurant that catered to many different species. Klingon, Bajoran, Bolian, and believe or not, Ferengi. Yeah there were Ferengi here. Which didn't shock me since there were also two Ferengi casinos on the station.
After stopping for Bajoran jimji sticks, we wandered on to the port side of the station to look out to the construction of the new ships. There were two constitution class ships and a few smaller battle cruisers under construction. Sopak explained to us what he knew about the construction of a starship. He talked about the propulsion, weapons and the shielding on each class of ships. Mostly about warp theory which I now understand much better. The weaponry and the different types of deflector shields. It was interesting but what we really were looking at was the different Aliens on the station.
We saw the usually Vulcans, Andorians and Tellerites. The three core members of the federation. There was three Bajorans haggling with a Ferengi dealer over the price of a used impulse regulator. An adult female Caitian dragging a stubborn cub from in of a restaurant where two rodent like Cassiains were eating. And a group of Cardassians heading into a Ferengi casino for a night of gambling. Orin suggested we go into and take advantage of the casino's holodeck, It was good idea, but Sopak said we didn't have time. The Artillies would be docking in less the ten minutes and we shouldn't be late reporting in for duty. So off we went to find the Jefferson and start our careers in Star fleet.
Finding our way to the ship wasn't hard. Lt Commander Archer was waiting at the docking port for everyone to take us all on a shuttle up to the Jefferson. As we arrived at the shuttle bay, the Commander nodded as he checked our names off his duty roster. I was glad we we're the last to report in. After another fifteen minutes we were all together and ready to board the shuttle. One by one we filed in as the Commander checked our names off. I have to tell you, you have no idea how exciting it was. I felt like a kids on his first flight off planet. As we took our seats, I felt the shuttles impulse engines kick on. Commander Archer took his seat just as we lifted off and headed up to the shipyard in orbit out over Mars.
As we gazed out of the shuttles windows, we passed a few ships still under construction. First the Prometheus a constitution class ship. It was huge with its twin nacelles and saucer style section. We could see the three lead phaser ports and the twin torpedo bays on each side of the saucer section. We were told that class would have eight phaser ports and six torpedo bays. It was also going to be equip with the most powerful multi resonating unimatrix energy shields and a new cloaking system just like the Jefferson.
As we came around the engineering section of the Prometheus, there it was. It was small, half the size of Voyager but three times as fast and powerful. The Jefferson was mostly saucer section with two nacelles on each side. It had a arrow shaped upper deck with twin phaser banks forward, aft and in the center of each nacelle. It was smooth, sleak and could turn on a old earth dime. While we stared admiring the features of the ship, the shuttle came around the aft compartment and sled into one of the ships two decking bays. Once the shuttle sat down, The bay indicator flashed red. We heard the ringing of the claxon's indicated air was being pumped into the docking bay. As the light flashed green we all started to exit the shuttle.
Looking around the bay area, Sopak explained the different features in the bay area. Each bay held two shuttles
