The hangar doors of the Pandora's shuttle bay moved open, allowing a shuttlecraft to enter the ship. The small vessel moved gracefully through the hangar and came to a gentle landing on an open platform. Several crew members stood by, watching the shuttle expectantly. After a moment the door slid open and a tall male stepped out. His hair, which was an incredibly vibrant blue, stood out around his head like a small mane. On the sides of his head were two pairs of bone crests that complimented his rigid forehead structure. His skin also had a blue color to it, but it had a vibrant quality that would normally be lacking on most other humanoids. The man straightened his red uniform as he stepped off the craft and acknowledged the crewmen who were now saluting him.
"At ease," he said simply as he walked by, briskly exiting the shuttlebay.
Activity seemed to come to a complete stop around him as he progressed through the deck toward the turbolift. Crewmen, immediately noticing the new arrival by his distinctive appearance and realizing who he was, stopped and saluted. After the first few nods, the man seemed to give up trying to get the crew to stop. When he finally made it to the turbolift and the doors shut behind him, he gave a low, frustrated growl.
This ship... of all ships. My first command, no less.
When the turbolift slowed, the man regained his calm composure. He knew this moment was the one that mattered above all others today.
The sound of the turbolift doors opening caused every officer's head to snap in its direction. War'en, upon catching the very first glimpse of the bright blue hair, stood at attention.
"Captain on the bridge!" he barked out as the man stepped out of the turbolift. All officers immediately followed War'en's example and snapped to attention, their eyes fixed on the new arrival.
The man quickly surveyed the attending officers, cleared his throat, and spoke.
"Greetings. I am Commander Oren-De, and I have been assigned command of the Pandora. It is an honor to serve this role with a crew that has already admirably demonstrated itself. I look forward to working with you all. Now, at ease, and back to your posts."
The crew nodded in near unison and went back to prepping the ship. War'en looked at Oren-De for a moment waiting for further orders and, upon receiving nothing but an awkward stare, he moved to the Engineering console. Talona Roberts moved to one in the bridge's rear. Oren-De watched the crew for a moment before moving to the captain's chair and, with a brief hesitation, sat down in it.
"Engineering, report."
War'en looked back at the new captain. "All systems are checking out as optimal, sir."
"Excellent. Helm, pull us away from Stardock."
"Yes, sir."
The crew operated in silence as Shrel received confirmation from the Stardock traffic control. Soon the Pandora was slowly pulling away from its docking area and moving through the vast flight corridors of the station. All eyes were on the viewscreen as it transitioned into a vast field of stars, punctuated by the high traffic of ships around the station. The Pandora sailed out the traffic surrounding Earth and into the more open expanse of Sol's interplanetary space.
"Captain, we have received permission to warp from Stardock traffic control. Awaiting heading."
"Very well. Set a course for Kinet IV, warp factor 5."
"Course laid in. Initiating warp drive."
Every officer seemed to hold their breath as the sound of the warp engines activating hummed through the ship. All Starfleet officers had heard the embarrassing stories of a ship's engines malfunctioning for one reason or another under a new captain. When the stars began to streak by the viewscreen, War'en finally felt himself completely relax. There was something about the sight that just made everything feel like it was returning to normal.