Leaving Home (Backpost)
Posted on Friday October 3, 2025 @ 4:13am by Lieutenant Commander T'Prin Price
1,001 words; about a 5 minute read
Mission:
Episode 1: A New Frontier
Location: USS Herophilos
"Approaching Earth," Lieutenant Commander Markus Davenport said from the helm.
"Send standard greetings," Commander Penelope Naroot said from the center chair. "And find us a cozy berth at SB1. And Ectar? Warn them trouble has arrived."
"Aye, Commander," Lieutenant Ambrose said from communications, with a chuckle, before turning back to his board.
The USS Herophilos, an Olympic-class hospital ship, was making a rare trip back to home port. As they approached the docking bay doors of Starbase One, the bridge doors opened, and Captain Nicole Anderson emerged. "Are we there yet?" she quipped, coming around the bridge rail.
Penny stood up from the center chair and grinned. "We are indeed! I'll have the crew prepare for shore leave." She started towards the turbolift.
"Someone's eager," Nicole teased, her ice-blue eyes twinkling as she sat down in her chair and crossing her legs.
"How often do I get shore leave, let alone get to see my parents?" Penny said as she stepped into the turbolift.
"Touché," Nicole said. "Give them my best."
"You're not coming?" Penny said, leaning back out through the doors.
"I'll go pop in on my in-laws," Nicole said. "But we're only here for twenty-four hours. Not much time to sight-see."
"Well then stop stalling me!" Penny said, ducking back into the lift and letting the doors close.
Nicole smiled to herself and smoothed her brunette hair a bit. "Computer," she said, "alert Doctor Price that we've arrived at Earth."
"Acknowledged," the computer said.
"I know, I know!" T'Prin said, hurriedly to the computer as she snapped her last duffel closed.
"All right, we've got the rest of your things loaded onto the shuttle," Commander Alexis Price, the ship's Chief Engineer said, coming into her daughter's quarters. Science Officer Lieutenant Commander Sorek, her husband and T'Prin's father, was close on her heels.
T'Prin turned and smiled at her mother. "Well...how do I look?" she said.
"You are in your uniform. You look like a Starfleet officer," her father said, raising an eyebrow. "Was that not the intention?"
Alexis rolled her eyes at her husband. "You look lovely," she said, coming forward to hug her daughter. "I'm so proud of you."
T'Prin hugged her mother back tightly. "Thank you, Mother," she said, smiling. When her mother finally let her go, T'Prin walked up to her father and gave him a traditional Vulcan salute. "Peace and long life, Father."
"Live long and prosper, T'Prin," Sorek said, his voice unusually warm. The final acknowledgement that his daughter was leaving home again was moving him to almost being expressive. "Your absence will, as always, take time to adjust to," he said.
"I'll miss you too, Father," T'Prin said, grinning. She hugged him just as tightly, and he returned the gesture.
After another silent moment, she walked back to her couch and picked up her Vulcan traveling cloak, swinging it around her shoulders, fastening the clasp and bringing the hood up over her head. She shouldered her duffel and shrugged. "Time to go."
It wasn't the first time she'd left home for an assignment, and her brother Patrick had been gone for a few years, but she still hated having to say goodbye to her parents, and she knew they felt the same. They said goodbye once more, hugged again, then her parents returned to their departments to see about closing down for shore leave, and she headed to the shuttlebay.
The ship had been her first home, and she knew it inside and out, having spent her childhood running through its corridors, and she made her way to the shuttlebay without much thought, whistling idly to herself as she stepped into the cavernous room. She saw her transfer ride waiting and half skipped over to it, excited to be on her way at last.
"One shuttle to the USS Vanguard, waiting patiently for its passenger," Captain Anderson's voice said from the pilot's seat as T'Prin stepped inside.
"Nicole! I mean, Doctor! I mean, Captain! I mean--what are you doing here?" T'Prin said, happily.
"What kind of mentor would I be if I didn't see my favorite protege off?" Nicole said, clearing their departure and powering up the engines. They lifted off smoothly and flew out towards the Vanguard.
"This isn't exactly my first assignment," T'Prin said, laughing.
"True, but it's your first one where Sickbay is all yours," Nicole said, proudly. As they approached the other ship, she cleared their arrival and aimed for the opening shuttlebay doors. "Now, remember my number one rule," Nicole said.
"Don't kiss any boys until I confirm their species?" T'Prin said.
Nicole's normally pale complexion darkened to a nearly normal human shade. "My other number one rule," she said.
"Never let a Ferengi buy me a drink?" T'Prin said, snickering.
"My other other number one rule," Nicole groused. "'Your Sickbay, your patients, your priorities.' Don't let anyone push you around in there."
"I'll remember that," T'Prin said, watching the new shuttlebay swallow them up.
"And probably the other two things as well," Nicole said as they touched down. "I'll get your things transferred over. You should go inspect your new domain and greet your new captain."
T'Prin stood up. "Are you going to meet him as well?" she said.
Nicole gave the girl a wry smile. "No, I think not. Other captains and I don't always get along. Wouldn't want me to get snappy." Her ice-blue eyes briefly glowed red and her fangs extended. She returned to her normal appearance and grinned. "Besides, once you're unloaded, I'm heading to Montreal to swap brandies with my father-in-law. Oh, which reminds me, that said..."
She reached down by her seat and pulled out a tall, square-based box and handed it to T'Prin. "Complements to your new Captain." She stood up and hugged T'Prin hard. "Make me proud, kid," she said.
"Yes, Doctor," T'Prin said, taking the box, hugging her back, smiling and disembarking from the shuttle and into her new role.
RSS Feed