Arrival and Acquisition Part II of II

Posted on 29 Jul 2025 @ 5:30am by Vice Admiral Sidra MacLaren & Captain Sabrina Corbin

1,626 words; about a 8 minute read

Mission: Assignment: Arawyn
Location: Starbase 369
Timeline: 242507.28

=/\= Starbase 369 =/\=

Sabrina was reflective as the pair left Sidra’s office. She noticed the Yeoman she had met previously scramble at her desk in the anteroom, grabbing up a PADD and struggling to catch up. They entered a lift and the Admiral gave the directions. Her previous nervousness about the large job, the massive responsibility, swirled around a small part of her brain. Corbin chewed on the bottom corner of her lip before letting out a breath, setting her mind in determination and effectively tossing a wet blanket on that smoldering brick. She realised she was a few paces behind the taller Admiral, impressed at the older woman’s speed and ease of movement, she had a long, purposeful, authoritative stride.

Corbin was about to quicken to catch up when she felt something catch on her pant leg near her boot. She glanced down, expecting a piece of construction debris, but instead, the site made her gasp.

There was, attached to her black pants, a white mitten paw attached to a deep red orange-striped leg. The fluffy red kitten looked to be about 3 months old and seemed quite smug as it tried to yank its snagged claw out of her pant leg.

“Oh no,” Ensign Quen exclaimed with disappointment, not seeming to be surprised by the presence of an errant kitten. Corbin noticed that Sidra had stopped realising she had been moving forward without company. Sabrina did what came naturally to her; she unhooked the kitten’s claw and scooped him up before he could bolt. She was looking over the fluffy creature, its longer hair disguising its body shape. It was underweight, but not starving. It was clean, he knew how to take care of himself, or his mother was still around. She had an affinity for felines, having lost her old cat to age just a year ago. Sabrina wasn’t about to put this one down. He wiggled a little, but wasn’t too insistent on being released.

“Captain?” Quen said uneasily, offering to take the creature. “I’m sorry we have been trying to catch them all.” Sabrina tucked the kitten further into the crook of her arm, securing it and shaking her head at the Yeoman. Sidra cleared her throat and asked, “Captain?” Corbin turned towards the Admiral with a pleased smile. “Yes, Admiral?”

Corbin realized that the Admiral looked impatient as she said, “Give Ensign Quen the cat.” It took everything in Sabrina not to issue a ‘ha!’ out loud. She was able to manage to shake her head and quite seriously said to her superior, “Admiral, the Cat Distribution Service has chosen me; that is not something I take lightly.”

Sidra rolled her eyes, sighed heavily as she turned her frustration to the Yeoman. “I guess I missed the most recent report on the update to this creature problem, Ensign. I thought I had put this task in your capable hands.”

The flustered Yeoman looked down at her boots and bit her lip before replying, “You did, Admiral.” The young woman looked up and said optimistically, “We knew there were still six this morning, so we got three of them earlier.”

Sabrina very smugly said, “Now just three left, Ensign. Cats are very tricky to catch, but you’ll get them all, I’m sure.” She indicated the path ahead towards their destination, “Shall we, Admiral?”

As MacLaren moved forward, Sabrina glanced back at the Ensign and gave her a wink and soft smile, letting her know all was right with her. Her new friend was swiveling his fur-tipped ears around and just observing as they made their way to the bay where the Arawyn was berthed.

There were large viewing windows set into the corridor bulkheads, offering a clear view of the new Sovereign-class vessel resting in its berth. Sabrina slowed instinctively, drawn to the sight, and stepped closer to the glass.
The ship was bathed in bay lights that cast crisp reflections along her elegant hull, illuminating the sleek angles and long, sweeping lines of the design. Conduits snaked from the docking arms to the access ports, tethering the vessel to the station’s power and support systems like lifelines to a sleeping giant.
Sabrina felt a chill, not from the corridor’s climate controls, but from something that stirred low in her chest, steady and undeniable. That’s mine, she thought, not with possessiveness but with a quiet weight of responsibility. It wasn't just a ship. It was a command, a legacy, and a thousand different expectations waiting behind every bulkhead.
The kitten, nestled in the crook of her arm, let out a soft chirp and flicked his tail against her uniform with some weight. She glanced down at him, then back at the starship.
“Well,” she murmured, “you’d better behave. You’re about to live aboard a lady.”
The kitten batted at her combadge as if in protest. Sabrina smirked faintly and turned back to Quen and MacLaren, already walking ahead but slowing politely.
“Apologies,” she said, falling back into step. “Just had to look.”

The Admiral gave what Sabrina took to be a warm smile of understanding. “I know.”

MacLaren gestured to the docking checkpoint and the waiting security officers, who were pinned at attention in the Admiral’s presence. To the security officers, she smirked, “At ease so you can check in the new Captain.”

Sabrina was impressed with Sidra’s knowledge and tour of the Arawyn, though this Sovereign was more updated than those Sidra had been aboard; the bones were the same. They hit all the major areas, Engineering, Medical, and the Astrometrics lab almost made her dance in giddiness. They viewed crew recreation areas, the Science department, and then they made a special trip to command quarters so Sabrina could drop off the now squirming and impatient kitten, it seemed to be annoying the Admiral.

Corbin was pleased to see a stack of crates and her luggage already placed neatly in her quarters. She was about to put the kitten down when the door chime sounded, and Quen let some crew carrying supplies for the cat into her quarters. They were unnerved by the presence of the Admiral and Captain, but followed the Ensign’s directions. Sabrina smiled, realizing that while they were touring, not only was Quen taking notes for the new Captain, but she had also arranged for this. “You did this, Ensign?”

Quen Lira nodded, “Oh yes, Ma’am, I figured you would be busy for a while and this would help.”

Sabrina turned to Sidra, who had been looking out the windows at her starbase beyond. “Can I keep her, Ma’am?”

Sidra turned, obviously distracted, confused for a moment before catching up, “Absolutely not, do you know how long it takes to train a Yeoman?” MacLaren moved to the door and into the corridor, irritated by the delay. “Let’s finish this on the bridge.”

The Captain shrugged, thanked the Ensign and crewman who were going to set up the young cat with a safe space while she finished with the Admiral. “Do not get into trouble, fluff ball. We will be setting some ground rules.” She told the kitten, who let out a displeased meow as she put him down.


=/\= USS Arawyn Bridge =/\=

Sidra let Corbin step out of the turbolift ahead of her. The Admiral stayed back a few feet, but her eyes kept looking at the time. There was something against the far wall that hadn’t been present the last time she had been here. MacLaren wasn’t trying to rush Corbin, but she had a deadline this afternoon, another commitment. She drifted to the opposite side of the bridge to read over the commissioning plaque. Her name was present; it wasn’t the first commissioning plaque with her name on it, but she had a slight pain of jealousy to never have one as the Captain of the ship. “Per Umbra, Lux,” Sidra muttered, reading the motto. She had known what it would say as it was a match to Epsilon’s ‘Per Tenebras, Lux’. The Arawyn carried the Latin equivalent of ‘Through shadow, light,’ and Epsilon was, ‘Though darkness, light. ’ It was fitting for all that Star Fleet had been through to get back to this place. This quadrant of space was a symbol of getting back to exploration, getting back to their core.

She noticed Sabrina Corbin hovering near the center seat with a smile Sidra said, “Go ahead, Captain, she’s yours.” She unnecessarily looked up to the ceiling and commanded, “Computer transfer command of USS Arawyn to Captain Sabrina Corbin authorization MacLaren, Alpha, Charlie, Eight, Three, Four, Four, Tango, Whisky.”

There was a lot of work to do, crew to arrive, crew still to be assigned before the Arawyn would leave for its first cruise, but this was one step closer. “Congratulations, Captain. We will be hosting an official commissioning party before you depart. I’m sorry, I must depart now. We should meet again before you finalize your plans.”

Corbin stood up again, “Admiral, I’m sorry if I kept you from something.” The statement was almost the hint of a question, and Sidra nodded with a smile, deciding to show a side she rarely did, hoping to leave on a good foot with Corbin, “I’m not late yet, but I have a baseball game to get to.” She elaborated, “I have a teenage son, and it's one of the only acceptable ways he will spend time with his lame parents.”

Sidra walked back to the turbolift. “You may borrow my Yeoman, but she will not be leaving with you.”


Captain Sabrina Corbin
Commanding Officer
USS Arawyn

Vice Admiral Sidra MacLaren
Fleet Commander

 

RSS Feed