Cl.01.14 – Li was seated in the command chair which he did not find that comfortable. It seemed to the broad but short Efrosian male that the chair was mainly fit the Captain’s physical parameters instead of his. Nevertheless, as the officer on watch, he took the chair with dignity as his job demanded. He checked the time and noticed that it would take another 90 minutes before Lieutenant Raa would take over as the graveyard shift’s officer of the watch. He logged in on his side console and requested a level 1 systems diagnostics as was required to do so every hour during the shake down cruise of the ship. Everything seemed to be in order but he noticed that the Heisenberg compensators were misaligned by a few microns. Commander Kobrrei got out to the chair and walked over to the Operations console which was on the other side of the Captain’s chair. He maneuvered himself between the console and the transparent holo display panel behind the station. He informed Lieutenant T’sani about the issue and she started to correct the issue instantly while the Commander supervised.

The turbolift doors opened and a short but well shaped Admiral from apparently oriental Asian origin stepped onto the bridge. He looked around and noticed that Captain Aelyn was not on the bridge. Seconds later he spotted Commander Kobrrei at the operations console and the Admiral with a thin silver moustache approached the Efrosian second in command. “Commander, is the Captain still in her ready room?” Admiral Nayagi asked the Commander. “As far as I know, yes, Admiral.” Starfleet’s chief of staff nodded shortly and a thin smile appeared on his face. He walked to the rear of the bridge towards the entrance to the Captain’s ready room. He pressed the chime and awaited the Captain’s response. “Come in.”

“Admiral Nayagi.” Calyssa surely did not expect the Admiral to visit her at this time of the night. She was about to close up shop before heading below to her personal quarters. “What can I do for you, sir?” She asked, offering the Admiral to take a seat on one of the chairs in front of her desk. She kindly asked him whether he would be interested in something to drink. With a short nod the Japanese men in his seventies indicated that he would be interested in some hot jasmine tea. It took Calyssa a few seconds to get it and after she placed the cup in front of the Admiral, she took a seat behind her desk. “Captain, I shall be straight forward with you.” He smiled. “I am impressed by your developments as a Starlet Captain. You have shown that your expertise has become of vital importance to Starfleet’s cause and I am very pleased to see that Starfleet has gained another fine CO.” Calyssa did not quite understand what the Admiral was trying to say. Obviously she valued the compliment quite a bit. “Thank you, sir but I don’t think you came up here at this time to let me know that.” The Admiral chuckled while taking a sip from his tea. “Captain, at this point I am not yet convinced of the Chozo Expedition’s value. Yes, I agree that the Chozo lore and legacy is worth the effort to explore. It does seem to be a rather long term project. If I understand Admiral West and you correctly, their shards could be scattered through out a major part of this galaxy. It seems impossible to find them all.” “Admiral, with respect, I don’t think it is our job to find them all. Starfleet will benefit a lot from everything the Chozo have to offer, but I think that the hunt for shards, as we start to call it, serves two other main purposes. Firstly, it thrives us to explore the more distant parts of this galaxy and secondly, it allows us to rethink our moral principles. What do we do with all the knowledge and lore we find. No, perhaps it is against the prime directive to gain knowledge this way. I do consider us to be an enlightened organization that perhaps has a reasonable idea on what is best. I think it is our moral obligation to find as much shards as possible because I cannot begin to fathom the consequences what will happen if, for instance the GYor start to find them and they find out how to interpret them.” The Admiral got out of his chair and walked to the large window behind the Captain’s desk. “You are a wise woman, Captain. Well beyond your years. You are able to put it so ever eloquently, in contrast to your direct superior.” He took another sip. “In his defense, I know Admiral West to be a passionate man who knows what he is fighting for. At times he can be a hot head who might have a problem with authority, but everything he does is with the best of intentions.” Nayagi smiled. “The Admiral is a lucky man to have a Captain like you in his team.” “I don consider myself to be lucky, sir. Lucky to be part of an expedition like this.” The Admiral placed the empty cup back in the replicator and allowed the computer to dematerialize it. “I guess it would be a waste of time for me to try to convince you to take a command posting, somewhat closer to Earth?” “You assume correctly, sir.” “It would be a wise career move.” The Admiral attempted to lure the Captain. “I am not here for the stripes on my chest or shoulder, I am here to attempt to make a difference. I am exactly where I want to be.” Calyssa smiled. “One last question, Captain. In your opinion, what should be the faith of the expedition? Would it be worth to invest even more resources?” “I think that I have made my point to you, sir.” Calyssa smiled. “I think that Starfleet’s main endeavor should remain the exploration of uncharted space. On this side of the galaxy, things might be a bit more daunting than in the relatively safe alpha and beta quadrant, but securing the legacy of an ancient race should be worth the effort and more.” The Admiral took a slight bow. “It has been good talking to you, Captain. And please remember, if there is anything I can do for you in the future, make sure to let me know.” With a smile on his face, the Admiral left via the same door he came in through. She shook her head trying to understand the Admiral’s motivation to ask her opinion. It remained somewhat unclear to her but it was a good thing to realize that the third Admiral in the ranks of the Fleet was impressed with her work. If gave her a good feeling.