After a brief but ultimately victorious struggle with his sister on the comm over permission to take her daughter on the mission, Kerak closed the channel.

“Cha’vey uncle! I promise I won’t let you, our family or our House down. So what postition shall I hold on the Slivin unc…I mean Captain?” Bamet said as she re-sheathed her dagh’tag, and stood mock attention, not waiting for Kerak to even say anything after the call.

“I will take you on the mission. But as for what position you hold. That, will be up to you. You will be one of 4 officers other then myself. One is an engineer, you and the other three will compete for the roles of First, Navigation and Weapons officer respectively. We leave tomorrow night, pack light, we will have a full ship since we’re transporting a diplomat and a scientist to their new posts as our first duty. We can take advantage of the ubiquitous Starfleet replicators when we arrive.” Kerak nodded to his niece, signaling she may go.

“Yes sir.” Bamet said and then hesitated before turning around and departing. She originally thought the First Officer job would be hers without question. But instead she decided that earning it would be even better.

((Bridge, IKS Slivin))

Being 40 years since she had been launched from the fleet Yards, the Slivin was old. But she had only seen light duties as a part of the House of Jutargs Home Fleet, and was in good shape as far as B’rel class ships were concerned. He previous crew had been sent as replacements to a much larger K’vort class ship elsewhere in the fleet. Thankfully they hadn’t left any rotting food in the cold storage, as many a Klingon crew was apt to do.

The Slivin itself had worked with Starfleet during the Dominion War and during the Locarno Incident of 2385. She had also had her engines recently refurbished and brought up to the latest standards as the engineer, Ensign Vord, noted on his first tour of the ship. Still though, the trip to their duty station at Starbase 72 would take them about a month at maximum warp.

“Plej! My old friend, you will join me in glory once again! I was not sure if you would come when I sent word.” Kerak announced as he entered the ship’s side ramp which led to main mess halls, roughly in the centre of the single deck ship(there were a few holds and engineering spaces, but that was it).

“My Captain” the old man Plej said, sounding genuinely happy to see Kerak.

“It will be my pleasure to serve as your humble mess attendant on this voyage sir.” He added as went and gave his Captain a firm forearm shake.

“Bahhh ha. Mess attendant? B’rel class ships do not have room for more then one civilian crewman, so I have named you our Chief Steward, why? Because I could, and you have served our house admirably for years, that’s why! Come Plej, join me on the bridge, these dirty dishes can wait. Today, we venture forth on a year-long mission of conquest throughout the Federation.” Kerak grabbed his old friend around the shoulders and made for the bridge only several steps away through the double doors and down the main corridor of the ship.

“Uh, strange…I don’t remember reading about conquest on our mission orders sir.” Plej said nervously, having thought this was a simple, diplomatic ‘show the flag’ type of assignment.

“Bahhh! Lets not quibble over petty details! It will be glorious, whatever our allies in Starfleet have us doing.” The two entered the bridge to find his neice, Lt. Mereg and his hapless and hopeless 2nd cousin, Brork on duty.

“Ohhh, hey Captain sir, oh wai….errrgh, attention on Deck!” Brork fumbled the words out of his mouth. He was in fact Jutargs grand nephew, making him a second cousin, once removed, by marriage only. He was Bamets full blooded second cousin though, and certainly not the ‘sharpest bat’leth in the old arms locker’.

“Stations everyone! Prepare to make way.” Kerak barked.

“What station shou….” Bamet began to ask before she was silenced by Kerak’s icy glare.

“If you do not have an assigned station then you man an auxiliary console behind the Nav and Weapons stations Lt! Have you been out of the Academy so long that you have forgotten how the bridge of a warship functions!?” Kerak let out a half chuckle, half grunt as his upstart niece left the command area and reported to one of the rear stations.

“Lt. Mereg! Have you read the orders from Command?”

“Yes, Captain.” The tall, shaggy haired Lt replied.

“Then undock us and set course for Starbase 72, and engage at maximum warp. We will begin standard duty watches now. You may have the first watch. Lt Bamet will taoe the second” Kerak and Plej walked up to the viewscreen in front of the command chair as Mereg came and stood next to it, but did not sit in it.

After a few minutes where Mereg had given the requisite orders, the ship was at warp and on its way to its new assignment at Minos Korva.