Chapter Text
NCC-2582 (USS Farragut)
Docked at Starbase 8
Flag Stateroom, Deck Two
July 7, 2318 (Stardate 4.33)
The spacious quarters assigned to the flag officer aboard the Excelsior-class USS Farragut dwarfed Leo's VIP Suite on Starbase 8, making it feel akin to a closet. His gaze swept across the vast room, drawn away from the knot of gold-braided uniforms gathered near his godmother, Rear Admiral Neema Essa. Despite this distraction, Essa's towering presence was unmistakable. With long and deliberate strides, she bridged the gap between them. A genuine smile brightened her features, and her voice carried an equal warmth as she greeted him, "Wonderful to see you again, Lalito!"
Without a moment's pause, the tall woman enfolded him in a hearty embrace. Taken aback by her exuberant display of affection, an involuntary gasp escaped Leo's lips. "A privilege to be here with you, too, sir," he replied in a choked voice while preserving their professional decorum; they were amidst company after all.
"Tosh!" Essa waved away his formal address with a dismissive flick of her hand. "I'll always be your Auntie," she asserted in her characteristic Londoner lilt before stepping back and allowing him room to breathe. "Let me introduce you to our team," she gestured towards the group of officers who stood nearby.
Flushing with discomfort at the affectionate welcome, Leo advanced, his gaze sweeping over the assembled officers. Save for a lieutenant engrossed in her PADD off to one side of the expansive desk, he was the lowest ranking among them. He recognized two of the flag officers - Vice Admiral Pavel Chekov and Commodore Thelk, the commanding and deputy commanding officers of Starbase 8.
Thelk, a figure from Leo’s past encounters, directed a contemptuous gaze towards him. His Tellarite lineage manifested this scorn for a dramatic display of tusk flexing and enlarged nostril flaring. "Verde," he sneered. "What brings you here?"
Before Leo could respond, Admiral Essa intervened. "This is Commander Leo Verde," she declared to the group. "He'll be seconded to my flag staff for Castle Wall. I require an upstanding legal advisor by my side." She assessed Thelk's reaction before adding, "Would that be an issue for you, Commodore?" Her hard gaze bore into Thelk, causing his confident exterior to crumble.
Chekov, sensing the mounting tension, stepped forward with a cherubic smile. In his Russian accent, he said, "My deputy and your new judge advocate have been butting heads since Leo arrived on base," he said, his tone dripping with casual diplomacy. "If you would please pardon us, we will take our leave and wish you success in your mission."
"Cheers, Pavel," Essa replied with warmth. "Do give my love to your family." They exchanged a quick kiss on the cheek before parting ways. Thelk gave Essa a curt nod - "Sir" - then exited, acknowledging no one else.
Chekov turned to Leo and shook his hand. "Commander, come find me when you return from Greenwood." He didn't wait for a response before following Thelk out of the room; the door slid shut behind him.
"Okay…" Leo muttered under his breath.
Essa guided him towards her team by his elbow. "Lalito, come meet my staff." She motioned towards a Vulcan woman standing nearby at attention. "This is Sakna—she's been my flag captain and right hand for four years."
Sakna bowed her head in acknowledgment of Leo. "Commander."
Leo raised his palm and split his fingers in the Vulcan custom, and responded in a sincere tone: "I've come to serve, Captain."
Sakna reciprocated Leo's gesture with her own raised hand, along with an intrigued, raising her right eyebrow. "Your service honors us," she responded, her voice resonating like smooth stone echoing in a cavern. "I have assigned you to the flag staff section, on the port side of this deck. My executive officer, Commander Tolani, will see to any of your logistical needs."
"Appreciated, sir," Leo responded, his hand falling to his side.
Essa pivoted towards the lieutenant at her elbow, a PADD clutched in her grasp. "My flag lieutenant, Aravila. She's the one who manages all my paperwork. She is supported by her hand-picked team of yeomen."
Leo directed an acknowledging nod towards the Bolian woman and offered a warm smile. "A pleasure to make your acquaintance, Lieutenant."
"Commander," Aravila responded, the clipped formality of her greeting reverberating in the spartan room. "Welcome aboard."
"My second-in-command, Commodore Mogasu, is aboard his flagship, Kearsarge," Essa interjected, her London accent adding a touch of warmth to the sterile environment. "He commands Task Group 17.2."
"From Kearsarge? I read the briefing. Why not command from one of the two Excelsior-class ships in the group?"
"He has a penchant for the refitted Constitutions," she explained.
Leo couldn't help but let a smile play across his lips. "I've never served on one, but I know they're magnificent ships."
"In due course, you'll cross paths with him," Essa assured, her tone carrying an implicit promise.
"What's the size of our fleet?" Leo queried, curiosity etching lines on his forehead.
Captain Sakna's crisp, precise voice called his attention to her as she informed, "The task force comprises fourteen ships, divided into two task groups. A support division of four shall act as escort; three repair tenders and a single medical vessel. Eighteen starships in total."
Essa swiveled her gaze towards Aravila. "Ensure he receives a copy of OpPlan Castle Wall."
Leo interjected with a thoughtful furrow on his brow, "I'll also require the task force mission orders from Starfleet Command, and any related directives."
"Right you are," Admiral Essa concurred with a nod. Her dark eyes sparkled with approval as she added, "Grant him full access to everything—orders, briefings, comments, half-formed thoughts... the whole lot."
"Aye, sir," Lieutenant Aravila replied. Her nimble fingers were already dancing across her PADD in swift obedience to the order.
"Admiral, if you will excuse me, I will be in my ready room," Sakna said.
"Thank you, Captain," Essa encouraged.
The captain paused at the threshold to inform the room, "We depart at oh-six-thirty Zulu." Then she left.
Essa then turned to Aravila, her eyes twinkling with mischief. "Go off duty for half an hour, love," she suggested. "I fancy a chinwag with my Lalito."
Leo felt his cheeks warm once more. Aravila’s perceptive gaze made him flush even deeper before she nodded and followed Sakna’s exit path. As soon as the door slid shut behind her, Essa moved to her desk and retrieved a wrapped box.
She carried it to Leo and placed it on the coffee table that sat in front of a long couch hugging the bulkhead beneath an expansive view of Starbase's interior docking facility.
"This little gift comes courtesy of your old man," Essa revealed as she settled onto the couch. She patted the seat next to her, gesturing for Leo to join her. "When I told him about my plans to whisk you away on this mission."
With a grimace etched on his face, Leo eased himself onto the plush cushion next to Essa, giving the gift sitting on the coffee table a careful glance. "I'm not in any immediate danger of it blowing up in my face, am I?" he ventured, a twinkle of mirth dancing in his heterochromatic eyes.
Essa's rich contralto laughter filled the room. "Blimey, no!" She shot him an amused smirk, her dark eyes sparkling with mischief. "What might make you believe that?"
Leo sighed, his shoulders slumping as though carrying an invisible weight. "Since I made the switch to JAG," he began, running a hand through his dark hair streaked with red highlights. "He's been rather... aloof. More so after I was beached following my departure from Hansen. Mamá said that it was going to take some time for him to get used to the idea of his son no longer serving on starships."
Essa absorbed Leo's words, her gaze softening as she considered their implications. "Your relationship with your father can be rather complicated," she mused aloud before turning back to Leo, her expression serious yet empathetic. "Your mother and I have spoken at length regarding the rather high expectations your father placed upon you. Being his only son," she continued.
A crease deepened between Leo's brows, though he acknowledged Essa's words with a tight smile.
"You're your own person, and he ought to respect that," she replied with a succinct nod. "I suppose this gift is his roundabout way of expressing his continuing affection for you."
At her words, Leo reached out, fingers brushing the cool surface of the box lid as he lifted it. He set it aside and used his unoccupied hand to grasp at the object nestled within for a closer inspection. "This is… an interesting way to show his affection," he murmured with awe, cradling it in both hands as he turned it over, scrutinizing every inch.
A type-two phaser dating back to the 2280s - forty years into Starfleet's past - sat within his hands; its dark silver finish still gleaming like new, after all these years. Unlike other phasers produced before or after, the grip sat closer to the muzzle; the power pack came to rest atop the hand. The phaser’s emitter - wide yet thin - would unleash a ribbon-like beam upon firing.
With safety as the top priority, Leo verified the power pack’s setting. His Starfleet training instinctively guided him as he dismantled the weapon, taking his time to scrutinize each component.
"This is beautiful," he admitted aloud, his voice softening as he assessed the weapon. "Exceptionally well-maintained. Like, at a Master Armorer's level."
Essa smiled. "Is that so?"
With a fleeting glance in her direction, Leo redirected his unwavering focus back to the dismantled phaser cradled in his hands. He traced each component with his eyes and fingers as he restored it to operational status.
"Oh, yes," he replied, his baritone voice resonating with nostalgia. "My father keeps a similar phaser on display in his office back home." His nimble fingers danced over the antique weapon, echoing a familiar routine etched into muscle memory.
"He toted this model around until '93." A hint of reverence seeped into his tone, painting the image of a man with an emotional attachment to his sidearm. "Out of all the phasers he's ever carried, he held this design in the highest esteem. He called it the quintessence of refinement." With a soft chuckle at the memory, Leo continued, "He said it was 'elegant.'"
An involuntary smile tugged at the corners of his mouth as he lost himself in remembrance. "The first time he entrusted me with it was the month before I started high school." The wistful note in his voice underscored a cherished memory; a poignant reminder of simpler times and childhood fascination with Starfleet legacy.
"See? He still loves you, Lalito," Essa assured him. She reached to grip his shoulder.
He sighed and offered a wan smile to her. "I… I mean, it's nice of him to send me one of these. I guess I'm not sure-"
“Direct your attention to the serial number of the weapon.” She encouraged him with a nod toward the weapon.
Leo realized he didn’t inspect the alphanumerics on the phaser’s power pack. His eyes skimmed the engraved characters before he looked up in surprise at Essa. "This is his."
"He said you would need it more than he would, now," she explained. "And since mission requirements calls for security alert two, you will need a proper, reliable sidearm. He told me that his son should have the best."
Leo kept his eyes on the serial number, reading and rereading it once more in disbelief. "I'm stunned."
"Not yet. Switch on the power pack, first," Essa quipped.
Her witty rejoinder caused him to chuckle softly in response. "I can’t accept this."
Essa pushed herself closer to him and embraced her godson. "You should accept it as the gesture he intended. He said he wanted you to have it."
He leaned into her warmth. With an outstretched arm, his hand pointed at the box. "But-"
"You don't have to wear it, if you don't want to," she offered. "In fact, should you prefer, head back to the base now and stow it in your quarters."
They sat together in the compartment; two members of the same family by choice, rather than by blood. Leo contemplated his options for a few moments and then decided. "No, I'll wear it. He'll pepper me with questions about how well it functioned when I get back, anyway, right?"
She giggled. "Quite."
Leo removed the holster from the box and slipped the phaser's muzzle within. He slipped free of his Auntie Neema's embrace and placed the holster on his belt to try it on for size.
Essa leaned back to assess the visual impression and gave him a nod with her lips turned downward. "Brilliant."
"You think so?" He peered down at himself. "I might adjust this, I think it's a little too high to get a quick grip."
"If you slide it more forward so it's just above your hip?" she suggested. When he did so, he lifted the weapon and smiled. "That's got it, I think."
Leo explained the source of his discomfort. "The last time I carried, I wore the combat uniform. The holster position on that is far more comfortable than trying to wear one with your class A's. This is going to take some getting used to."
Essa rose from the couch to stand before Leo. "We're getting close to departure. You should go settle in and meet me in the conference lounge in three hours. We'll go over the mission orders together after we're underway. I’ll have some clarifying questions for you."
With her tone conveying that professional undercurrent, Leo acknowledged that he was now receiving commands from his new boss. "Aye, sir," he replied, adopting a formal address. "I'll see you out there."