MARCHLANDS — The crew of the USS Constitution-B (NCC-9012-B) is nearly prepared —or as prepared as they can be— to deliver the Xindi-Aquatic bridegroom to the wedding ceremony on Daaka, and join in on the event themselves.
Many questions remain, and cannot be answered. A few members of the crew had a chance to converse with the bridegroom, however, centuries of secrecy cannot be overcome with a single visitor.
Nonetheless, the crew remains steadfast to succeed in the mission. “I dare say we might even have fun,” reported engineering crewman Drummer. “Actually, I say ‘we’ but I mean the senior officers. The rest of us stay on the ship. Still,” added Drummer, “sitting in a standard orbit over a waterworld could be relaxing and interesting to look at. Not something you see every day, you know?”
In addition to the previously reported departmental projects such as EV suit and shuttle retrofitting, the crew had filed an extraordinary number of reports that indicate cross-departmental collaboration. “Fleet average is around 12% for inter-department projects, the kind that gets a proper inter-departmental report. On the Constitution, we typically average around 15%. But preparing for this mission, we’re at 35%. That’s unheard of!” reported communications crewman Lyssan’ingin.
Additionally, critical support for the mission came from an unconventional place. Galaxy-class starships were designed to support cetacean tanks, though most of the remaining Galaxy-class ships had removed them in retrofits over the years due to mission and role-specific needs. The Constitution maintained hers, and the tanks are presently home to a dolphin with unparalleled linguistic skills.
Sarek, the dolphin, proved to be a critical bridge between the aquatic guests and terrestrial species.
The crew expects to arrive at Daaka soon. FNS will keep our readers up-to-date as this major diplomatic event unfolds.
Written by Lazarus Davis
