First Impression

Posted on Wed Jul 29th, 2026 @ 7:13pm by Captain Marc Steyn & Lieutenant Reruk

2,541 words; about a 13 minute read

Mission: Season 1, Episode 1: Ashes of Wolf 359
Location: Earth Space Dock - Habitat Section

ON

The last few days had been something of a whirlwind for Marc.

Since receiving his new assignment, his time had been consumed by the endless stream of preparations required before taking command. There had been the packing, the transfer paperwork, the review of ship requirements, and the countless administrative details that came with moving an entire crew into place. A starship was not simply a vessel; it was a collection of people, equipment, and moving parts that all needed to be aligned before leaving the safety of the dock.

Marc had left the individual crew assignments largely in the hands of his first officers and security chief. They knew their departments, understood their personnel, and had earned his trust. He had never believed in standing over the shoulders of his senior staff when they were more than capable of doing the job themselves.

Most of the assignments had been straightforward. There had been the usual considerations, the occasional complication, and a few personnel decisions that required extra attention. Nothing outside the ordinary.

Then there was Lieutenant Reruk.

His assignment had not come through the usual channels. It had been personally brought to Marc’s attention by Commodore Reyes, which alone was enough to make him take a closer look.

On paper, Reruk appeared to be an exceptional officer. His service record was impressive, his qualifications extensive, and his evaluations spoke of someone with remarkable skill and dedication. He was exactly the sort of officer any captain would want to have aboard.

The problem seemed to be everything around those achievements.

Reports from previous assignments suggested that while Reruk was highly capable, he also had a tendency to create friction with those around him. He was direct, uncompromising, and apparently not always aware of how his words or actions were received by others. Some officers admired his confidence and expertise, while others found him difficult to work alongside.

The Commodore had made it clear that Reruk would require a more personal approach than most new transfers. He was aware of the assignment, but winning his confidence would likely fall to Marc himself.

That was something Marc understood.

The best officers were not always the easiest ones. Some needed guidance, some needed patience, and some simply needed a commanding officer willing to look beyond the reputation that followed them. A difficult personality could still become one of the greatest assets on a ship if given the right direction.

With that in mind, Marc had decided against a formal introduction or a simple transfer message. His first meeting with Reruk needed to happen face-to-face.

Earth Spacedock was alive with activity around him as he made his way through its corridors. Officers moved between assignments, technicians worked on vessels preparing for departure, and the constant rhythm of the station continued around him. Somewhere within the vast structure was the lieutenant who would soon become part of his crew.

Marc stopped outside the quarters assigned to Reruk.

He took a moment before pressing the chime.

He did not know which version of the officer he would find behind the door. The exceptional talent described in official reports, or the difficult personality mentioned in private conversations.

Most likely, the answer would be somewhere in between.

He pressed the chime and waited.

---

The soft, melodic chime echoed through the quarters, followed by a long beat of absolute silence.

Inside, Lieutenant Reruk stood near a half-packed shipping container, holding an ancient, physical bound volume on non-Federation ethics. He was already in his Starfleet uniform, though the collar was left unzipped an inch lower than regulation, and his provisional Lieutenant pips sat slightly crooked on his collar.

He didn't move toward the door immediately. Instead, his dark eyes narrowed in irritation. He wasn't expecting anyone. Starfleet bureaucracy usually preferred to deliver its dictates via cold, impersonal PADD notifications, and his few acquaintances from Centauri certainly wouldn't be bothering to say goodbye. Reruk set the book down with deliberate slowness, stepped around a crate of personal sensor equipment, and tapped the wall interface.

"If this is another requisition denial for a localized stasis field, I've already cited the safety protocols in three separate sub-files," Reruk said dryly as the door hissed open. His voice was clipped, carrying a sharp, cynical edge that immediately lived up to his file's warnings. But as the door retracted fully to reveal Marc Steyn standing in the corridor, Reruk's gaze locked onto the rank insignia and the settled, steady posture of the man before him. The Hekaran didn't jump to attention. He didn't smooth down his uniform or offer a practiced, mechanical salute. He simply stood his ground, his expression shifting into a mask of guarded, scrutiny. He recognized the face: Marc Steyn - survivor of Wolf 359, hero of a shattered fleet, and, as of forty-eight hours ago, his new Commanding Officer.

"Captain Steyn," Reruk said, his tone dropping the initial bite but retaining a cool, distant composure. He crossed his arms, leaning back slightly against the edge of a packing crate. "I assumed Command had sent enough encrypted data packets regarding my transfer to spare you a trek through Spacedock's residential apartments? Or did Commodore Targaryen insist on a visual inspection of the conscript before we clear dock?"

"Commodores Targaryen and Reyes, actually," he corrected with a deadpan smile.

"In truth, I've been so buried beneath requisition orders and asset redeployment paperwork that I've left officer assignments in the capable hands of my XO and Security Chief. It appears, however, that Command has seen fit to assign you to my ship, and I thought I should make the effort to introduce myself in person."

The smile never wavered, though Marc took the opportunity to study the science officer from head to toe with a measured, appraising glance. Only then did he realize they were still standing in the corridor, exposed to every passerby who happened to wander past.

"May I come in?"

Reruk hesitated for a second before stepping back, offering a begrudging gesture into the cluttered room, "By all means, Captain, though Spacedock’s hospitality suites are somewhat lacking."

"I imagine Command gave you the full briefing. Prodigy, convict, security risk... depending on who signed the file. So let’s skip the preamble. If you came to see if I’ll be a problem on your Bridge, the answer is yes," the Hekaran explained after having watched Steyn cross the threshold. "I will be a problem the second someone bypasses safety protocols, deploys unverified subspace tech, or subverts bio-ethics. I don't care about making friends, Captain. I am here because Starfleet lost crew ships and needs my expertise. I’ll do my job better than anyone else, but if you expected a compliant officer who smiles for the roster... you brought the wrong man onto the Genesis."

"I was given the full briefing," Marc began with a faint, knowing smile. "Commodore Dazad was quite adamant that I should treat you as exactly what the reports describe." He let out a quiet breath that bordered on a chuckle. "Commodore Reyes wasn't exactly forthcoming with praise either."

As he spoke, he wandered further into the quarters, his attention momentarily captured by the architecture around him. The space was unlike anything he had seen aboard a Federation installation. Every surface seemed to possess an elegant simplicity that somehow concealed remarkable craftsmanship. The flowing curves, intricate geometric patterns and subtle interplay of light gave the room an unmistakably Hekaran identity. It felt less like military accommodation and more like the home of a civilisation that valued beauty as highly as function.

"It really is remarkable," he murmured, almost to himself, before turning back to Reruk.

"Fortunately," he continued, "I don't intend to take any of it at face value."

His expression settled into one of quiet confidence.

"I've already managed to strong-arm the admiral into redefining Genesis' mission. She'll be an explorer first and foremost—a ship dedicated to scientific discovery and diplomacy. If we're forced to fight, we'll fight. But that won't define who we are."

A grin briefly crossed his face.

"I'll admit..." he said with a slight shrug, "...he wasn't particularly pleased with me. I suspect I've made rather more work for his staff than he'd planned."

The humour faded as Marc came to a stop, squaring himself directly in front of Reruk. His striking blue eyes met the scientist's without hesitation.

"I also know this wasn't your choice."

There was no accusation in his voice, only acknowledgement.

"I know you didn't wake up one morning dreaming of a Starfleet commission. Which also means I know you won't be inclined to tell me what you think I want to hear."

He folded his hands behind his back.

"You'll challenge assumptions. You'll argue when the evidence points somewhere inconvenient. You'll probably make half my senior staff uncomfortable at one point or another."

A small smile returned.

"Good."

"I've served with enough officers who mistake agreement for loyalty. It isn't. If everyone around the captain nods their head, sooner or later the captain stops questioning his own decisions."

Marc paused, allowing the thought to settle.

"I need someone willing to tell me I'm wrong. Someone who'll pull apart my assumptions before they become orders. Someone who'll argue for the science, even when the bridge is thinking tactically."

He inclined his head ever so slightly.

"So, despite what it will undoubtedly do to Commodore Dazad's blood pressure, I'd like you to come aboard Genesis as my Second Officer also..."

A beat passed before he added with genuine sincerity,

"...assuming you're willing to accept."

Crossing the room once more, Marc lowered himself into one of the chairs. The posture was noticeably more relaxed, but his gaze never left Reruk's.

"There is one final condition."

He rested his forearms on his knees.

"I won't be dictating how your science divisions spend every hour of every day. Frankly, that would be a waste of both our time. Genesis will carry one of the largest scientific complements in Starfleet. I chose that deliberately."

His tone carried absolute conviction.

"I expect you to build a culture of curiosity. Chase the anomalies everyone else ignores. Ask the inconvenient questions. Pursue the discoveries that don't have an immediate tactical application."

He smiled again, this time with quiet confidence.

"If your people spend six months investigating a phenomenon that teaches the Federation something entirely new about the universe, then they've done exactly what I brought them aboard to do."

Leaning back into the chair at last, he finally allowed himself to relax.

"You'll have my trust from the moment you step aboard. You won't need to earn permission to think."

His expression softened.

"You have free rein to lead your people as you believe is right—for Genesis, for Starfleet, for the Federation..."

He paused before adding the final words with deliberate emphasis.

"...and for yourself."

The room fell silent. For the first time since he'd entered, Marc simply sat back in the chair, waiting. The offer had been made. The decision now belonged to Reruk.

Reruk stood frozen for a beat, his dark eyes fixed on Marc as if searching for the subtle tell of a trap or a politician’s smooth theater. Off-center pips, unzipped collar, conscript status, and it had been weaponized and failed. Instead, he had just been handed a mandate to interrogate the Captain’s own judgment and the key to the ship’s second chair. A slow, exhaled breath escaped the Hekaran. He looked away for a fraction of a second, his gaze tracing the geometric contours of his room’s wall paneling before snapping back to Steyn with unyielding focus.

"Second Officer," Reruk repeated, testing the weight of the title. The cynicism didn't evaporate, but it acquired a distinct, sharp edge of respect. "You realize that if I accept, the first time you attempt to compromise a containment field to save ten minutes on a planetary sweep, I will countermand you on the record." He stepped toward the desk, picked up the physical volume on non-Federation ethics, and slid it neatly into an open transport container before turning back to face Marc.

"I don't nod. I don't smooth over inconvenient data. And I will hold your senior staff to rigid empirical rigor, regardless of how uncomfortable it makes your Tactical department," Reruk said, his voice level, stripped of its previous hostility. "If that is truly the environment you want on your Bridge, Captain Steyn... then I accept." He reached up, adjusted his provisional pips into alignment, and zipped his collar up to regulation height in a single, deliberate motion.

"I'll have the science division's integration manifests finalized before we clear dock. Don't keep the ship waiting, Captain."

Marc rose from his chair, extending a hand before making his way towards the door. He knew bringing Reruk aboard would prove disruptive. The Hekaran was opinionated, uncompromising, and challenging—qualities that would undoubtedly unsettle more than a few members of his senior staff.

Yet Marc found himself oddly reassured by that prospect.

Beneath the abrasive reputation and stubborn independence, he had seen something the personnel reports had largely overlooked: a man driven not by ego, but by conviction. Reruk didn't challenge authority for the sake of it; he challenged it because he genuinely believed there was always a better answer waiting to be found. They were exactly the kind of qualities Marc wanted aboard his vessel.

As he reached the doorway, he paused and turned back.

"There is just one thing I'd ask you to keep in mind, Lieutenant."

His tone remained warm, though the importance of his words was unmistakable.

"Genesis won't just be carrying Starfleet officers. She'll also have a sizeable civilian contingent—families, researchers and specialists who haven't signed up to put themselves in harm's way."

He met Reruk's eyes.

"I want you to pursue every scientific discovery this galaxy has to offer. Push boundaries. Ask impossible questions. Convince me to investigate phenomena that everyone else would ignore."

A faint smile touched his lips.

"But if the day ever comes when the science is weighed against the safety of this ship, her crew, or the civilians who have placed their trust in us..."

His expression became resolute.

"...then their lives come first. Every time."

It wasn't a reprimand, nor a warning. Simply the philosophy of the captain who would soon entrust Reruk with one of the most senior positions aboard his ship.

After a brief silence, Marc's smile returned.

"Well, I'll leave you to get packed. I look forward to seeing you aboard Genesis."

He offered a respectful nod.

"It was a pleasure meeting you, Lieutenant."

Without another word, Marc stepped out into the corridor, the door sliding quietly shut behind him.

As he made his way towards the turbolift, he allowed himself a moment of satisfaction. With Reruk now joining the senior staff, Genesis was finally beginning to take shape. There were still vacancies to fill—a Chief Engineer chief among them, along with a handful of key department heads—but, for the first time since accepting command, Marc could begin to picture his crew assembled on the bridge.

The mission no longer felt like an assignment on paper.

It was becoming a reality.

END

 

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