24150308 CO Duty log Cmdr McKeon
Posted on Sun Mar 8th, 2015 @ 6:36pm by Captain Alistar McKeon
614 words; about a 3 minute read
Mission: Shakedown: Taking Flight
With the captains mast out of the way and the paperwork taken care of, Alistar felt tired. That was strange since he was a full blown insomniac and a workaholic. Maybe his previous CO had been right: transfer to his own command might add some grey hairs but it would be a good thing for Alistar. He had spent so long as an XO on the same ship that he had fallen into a routine, and being the top command officer on a new explorer cruiser assigned to the frontier was definitely a change of pace. Leaning back in his chair, Alistar turned and gazed out the viewport. The dark void of space was somehow relaxing in a creepy way but Alistar knew that danger lurked out there and he would be putting his crew in the face of one or more of those dangers in the future.
That thought was a sobering one. Space was dangerous. Exploration had always been a hazardous occupation, it didnt matter if one was exploring their own planet or someone elses, there was always some new danger just waiting to pounce on unsuspecting explorers. There was also the political side of things as well. Some governments didn't mind honestly curious people poking around, some were downright hostile about it. And then there was the everlasting criminal side of society. Crime was everywhere, and Alistar had to admit that he agreed with the ageless saying that if crime sent pay then there would be very few criminals. The fact was that crime did pay if you knew what you were doing and didn't mind hurting others. Some things Alistar could almost understand, but there was a limit and a very fine line as far as he was concerned. He might be willing to let a few things go with a stiff penalty but there were some things he just wouldn't let go.
That train of thought led Alistar back to recent events. Dex had an outstanding record, had even been decorated for actions taken during an away mission before being assigned to the Endeavour, but he had been a Starfleet NCO and had been expected to lead by example. Starfleet had regulations and Dex had stomped over everything the Federation and Starfleet stood for by joining Lane and Kane. He was lucky he wasn't joining those two in a one way trip to New Stellaron, the maximum security prison where the Federation sent the majority of it's serious criminals. Most were sent to rehab penal colonies, but hardened criminals or those whose crimes warranted an extended stay in prison were sent to the NSPC by way of specialized prison transports. One such transport had been sent to meet the Endeavour and pick up Lane and Kane, but Alistar was still debating on whether he should ship Dex off to the Federation Border Patrol or keep him in Starfleet. The FBP could use an experienced security specialist and he would be gone from Starfleet, but there was also the fact that he could fall in with another criminal ring again as well.
"Damn," Alistar muttered. There was no easy choice to make. Turning back to his desk, he noticed the time and sighed. It was getting late and it had been a long day. Standing, he waved his hand over a sensor built into his desk and the built in computer system went into hibernation mode. The watch officers all knew to pass along only important ships business to him, everything else went to Valenar or the command yeoman. Walking out of his ready room, Alistar headed to the lounge for a quiet drink.
Cmdr Alistar McKeon
CO, USS Endeavour