Captain's Log - Back to Normal

Posted on Sun Jul 13th, 2025 @ 1:05am by Commander Kelly Kerrigan

717 words; about a 4 minute read

Mission: Stars Around the Well

Captain’s Log
Commander Kelly Kerrigan, Commanding Officer – USS Arcadia

It’s strange how quickly the quiet humming of a Federation starbase can begin to feel like the safest sound in the galaxy. I can assure anyone out there from the most experienced starship captain to the bravest of explorers that after days of being trapped inside that subspace sinkhole... with systems failing, rations dwindling, and a gravitational shear that nearly tore the Arcadia apart, that hearing the chirp of a working comm panel again feels like a small miracle. We went in search of missing starships only to find ourselves marooned in a pit, crippled. Yet somehow, we survived. But survival comes with a price. That price being change, not monetary but actionable.

We’re docked now at Starbase 6 for full repairs and potentially some new tweaks to our technology. Structural integrity is being reinforced, impulse manifolds are undergoing a complete rebuild, and the deflector array looks like it spent a week mud wrestling with a Type-9 ion storm, which, in fairness, it nearly did with us being pulled into the sinkhole and us forcefully expelling ourselves. The engineers at thevstarbase say we’ll be spaceworthy in another eight days or so. I hope they’re right about that. The Arcadia has always had a temperamental streak, even before this last crisis.

Lieutenant Malcolm Hunt a survivor e we pulled from the wreckage inside an escape pod driftin in the sinkhole has officially been reassigned to us. He’s taken the post of Chief Helmsman. Despite being in the sinkhole, he has shown to be an excellent pilot, and from what I’ve seen, calm under pressure. I think he’ll be a good fit here, if he can adapt to Arcadia’s… unique culture. This ship has a soul, and she doesn’t often show hesitation in the face of danger. Be that a subspace sinkhole or the Gorn.

The bigger shift came through this morning: my promotion to full Commander. The brass at Starfleet Command apparently thinks I’m ready to hold permanent command of te Arcadia. I wish I shared their certainty. Am I proud of myself for enduring command on my own thus far? Yes, but it feels different, heavier. Being in command during a crisis is one thing... we were surviving on instinct. I was doing my best of holding the crew together with grit and duct tape. But this… permanence? It’s another kind of challenge. It is me having to except the fact that my Captain, my mentor isn't returning.

The other matter to come across my desk is the less congratulatory part of this whole proccess. It became clear and apparent that Starfleet Command has concern over my choice of First Officer. Lieutenant Fang Lee. I’ve known Fang only for a brief period of time, and admittedly we got along well... too well for some. He's absolutelybrilliant, calm in the chaos, loyal to a fault, but my choice in him was unorthodox. He doesn’t exactly fit the Starfleet blueprint for First Officer, and after disclosing some sensitive information to them, Command is uneasy to say the least. I know what they’re worried about. They want stability, predictability, and someone they see as one of their polished playthings. I chose Fang because I needed someone I could trust. He speaks plainly to me. He inspires me when I need it. In a crisis, he may flinch, but that humanized him to me.

Still, I can’t ignore the unease that’s set in since the orders were formalized. The Captain's chair feels more isolated, and not just because of the pressure. I can handle that, but because I realize that from here on out, every decision defines more than just a mission. It defines the future of this ship, this crew, and myself.

Yes, for now, we’re safe. And for now, we will rebuild and be better than ever when the docking clamps release us out to the stars and back to normal, but I do not know if I am ready for what is ahead. I do not know who will be there with me in those critical moments, my right hand to ensure the safety of this starship and its crew.

Kerrigan out.

 

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