Chapter 2 - Threshold Crossing
Stuart had been glowing about his ship during the tour, but Jack was surprised at how engaging and forthcoming the senior officers of the Providence had been. He had come to expect crews on ships as small as the Providence to be a rather tight knit bunch who usually didn't take well to invaders in their domain. This crew was different. They had a camaraderie that was rare among most ships in Starfleet, such a strong sense of it that it almost troubled Jack, but they also had a warmth and openness that dismissed any apprehension he had.
After the tour Jack and Mei-Wan were treated to a lunch with the senior officers. They were more than entertained by the antics of the Second Officer Lieutenant Commander Blake Adams and a discussion of battle tactics between Jack, Security Officer Nakamara, and Executive Officer Melanie Leeson. Mei-Wan and the Science Officer of the Providence, T'Les, discussed a recent archaeological discovery of works of Andorian poetry found in the last two months. It seemed strange to Jack that Lieutenant Commander T'Les had a fascination with that subject. He had never known a Vulcan to have an interest in anything even remotely Andorian.
Mei-Wan had gone to see Janice Stuart and left Jack with reviewing the list of his own senior officers on the comm panel before him in his and Mei-Wan's guest quarters. One item on that list troubled Jack. Some genius in the deep bowels of Starfleet had yet to assign him a Chief Tactical Officer. This was not a job that some fresh-faced Ensign two weeks out of the Academy could do. Jack needed to know without question that the officer in that position was qualified for the job. Yet, the display listed it as still open.
There was no point in trying to raise Admiral Turgidson at the Office of Strategic Planning now. By the time Jack got a reply, they would have already left the shipyard.
Jack leaned back in his chair. He'd have to wait until he took command of his ship to solve this dilemma and by that time, the situation would probably have solved itself. Jack wondered, however, if that solution would be to his liking.
***
Later that evening, at nearly 2000 hours, the starship Providence flew across the great void of space. The main viewer at the front of the bridge displayed the starlight streaking toward the vessel. Commander Melanie Leeson never tired of the beauty of the view produced by flying through warped space.
The turbolift doors slid apart with the familiar whooshing sound that announced someone entering or exiting the control center of the starship. This time the sound announced the arrival of Captain Stuart, Doctor Stuart, and the McCall’s—the Starfleet officers being delivered to their new assignment.
Commander Leeson rose from the center seat to yield it to Stuart, but he held up his hand to signify that she was still in command of the bridge. “You’re just in time, Captain,” she said. “We will arrive at Delta Ophiuchus in a little over two minutes.”
“Two minutes, twenty-seven point two seconds,” Lieutenant Commander T’Les stated unemotionally,
Stuart noticed Leeson rolling her eyes and allowed himself a slight grin. He moved close to Jack McCall and whispered something in his ear that caused the other captain to laugh.
Leeson looked at the two ranking officers, wondering what they found so funny. She decided not to ask.
The particular ship building facility the U.S.S. Providence approached had only become de-classified a year after the Dominion War, yet it was still one of the most high security dock facilities in the Fleet. It was from here that many of the newer ships had been quickly and secretly constructed and commissioned to take their place in the battle against the invaders from the Gamma Quadrant.
The shipyard orbited a gas giant planet, about twice the size of Jupiter, which itself orbited the large bright red giant star at the heart of the Delta Ophiuchus System. Almost a dozen drydocks hung in space with their attendant workbees and supply transports. Held within the protective arms of those drydocks were starships in various stages of construction. At the center of all this activity was a spacedock, itself a mammoth space station, directing and coordinating all the activity of the shipyard.
“We’re coming up on the shipyard now, Skipper,” Conn Officer Blake Adams interjected.
A gruff voice sounded over the comm, "Shipyard control to Providence. Drop to impulse, maintain your present course, and deactivate all active scanning. No logs or recordings of sensor data are to be kept during your time in the Delta Ophiuchus Shipyard by authority of the Yard Commander and the CNC Star Fleet Command. Please acknowledge."
Stuart nodded toward Leeson. “It’s still your shift, Exec,” he said. “I’m just here for the view.”
Leeson turned to Mary Goodman. "Acknowledge the Yard's message Lieutenant."
"Aye. Acknowledging message," responded the striking woman at the OPS station.
“Take us out of warp and engage full impulse, Blake,” the first officer said.
“Aye, darlin,” Adams replied in a playful tone.
Leeson glared at the back of Blake’s head. She cared for him, but he could say things at times that really got on her nerves. And calling her “darlin” in front of the other officers, and especially in front of the McCall’s, definitely counted as “one of those times.”
Stuart noticed the look that Melanie Leeson shot at Blake. He could not resist the temptation to fuel the fire that had ignited. “It’s a good thing that Commander Leeson’s eyes aren’t phaser emitters, Blake, or your head would have been fried a moment ago.”
“Robert Patrick Stuart!” Jan scolded her husband for embarrassing Mel Leeson, her long-time friend, in front of Jack and Mei-Wan. “You should be ashamed of yourse….” She stopped in mid sentence as the image on the viewer caught her eye.
Rob noticed Jan staring at the viewer. He turned his attention to the image that her eyes had locked onto.
Mei-Wan touched Jack's arm as a distant drydock started to expand in size on the viewscreen. Jack looked up and his heart started to pick up its pace as the lines of the ship in that drydock became familiar to its new captain. It was his ship and it was definitely one of the new Oceana class.
Leeson practically fell into the center seat as she saw the U.S.S. Chamberlain in its drydock. She had never seen a starship that came close to the size of the one she now looked at. For Leeson, the biggest shock came when she saw how small two Sovereign class vessels looked next to the gargantuan craft. “Look at the size of that thing.”
Robert Stuart smiled. "It's more than a kilometer and a quarter in length and she's got fourty-five decks…" He paused to let that information sink in, "And eight matter/antimatter reactors to supply her power."
Blake had a big grin on his face. “What I wouldn’t give to take that around the star system.”
Mei-Wan approached her husband from behind and put her hand on his shoulder. “So that's our new home.”
“That she is,” Jack murmured.
Captain Jack McCall couldn't take his eyes off the viewscreen. He watched every curve and every section come into view. This was his ship… the U.S.S. Chamberlain.
Mei-Wan took in the view of the Chamberlain and found herself caught under the same spell as Jack was. She had first served aboard a Nebula Class ship, a huge vessel, but this… there was no comparison. Though this time she wasn't coming aboard as an junior archaeologist at the bottom of the Science Department. She was the wife of this ship's captain and for whatever reason Starfleet had placed her and Jack aboard the Providence, Mei-Wan was now very glad she had had the chance to meet Janice Stuart.
Earlier in the evening, while Jack continued working over his personnel reports, Mei-Wan and Janice had talked about being wives of starship captains. Up to this point that idea had only been an intellectual concept to Mei-Wan. It wasn't until the moment she had seen the ship Jack would be commanding that it finally hit her as a reality that she'd be living.
"I've only been the wife of a starship captain for a short while," Janice had said, "But one thing I've realized is that while everyone else in the crew may reach the end of the day and relax and leave the job behind, the title 'Captain' isn't a job. It's who the man you're married to is."
Mei-Wan remembered the warm smile on Janice's face as she had continued, "Its up to you to give him a place to let that go. To be that one person who doesn't think of him as the captain, but just a human being… with all the faults, flaws, and problems that captains are not supposed to have."
Mei-Wan McCall looked at her husband who had the look that most wives feared when it was directed toward another woman. It was that look of desire mixed with need which signaled the primal male instinct of possession. Part of her wanted to be jealous. Instead she put her hand in Jack's.
"You okay?" he asked softly.
"Perfect," replied Mei-Wan.
Jack smiled and returned his gaze to the viewscreen.
“I bet she could hold two or three of this class starship in her main bay,” Rob Stuart stated, referring to the small Ericsson Class ships.
Jack smiled. “She’s designed to hold a ship up to the size of an Defiant Class,” he said. “I’m told that one has been permanently assigned to her.”
Stuart watched as McCall grinned like a kid on Christmas morning. He patted Jack on the back. "I believe your ship awaits you, Captain McCall."
***
Ten minutes later, Robert Stuart escorted his guests down the corridor towards the port side shuttlebay on the Providence.
"It's been a pleasure having you both aboard," said Stuart.
"Thank you," Mei-Wan replied.
The door to the bay opened and Janice stood there smiling, holding a tall transparent container filled with a lavender liquid.
"I wonder what's in that?" Jack asked with a frown.
Janice handed the container to Mei-Wan. "Just let your replicator system sample this and you can start every day with a glass. Doctor's orders."
"Thanks, Jan," Mei-Wan said. "At least I'll appreciate it."
Before the men entered the bay, Stuart turned to Jack. "If I could have a moment?"
Jack nodded as Mei-Wan and Janice entered the hanger deck and the door closed behind them.
"Earlier when we talked…" Stuart stopped to take a deep breath. "I had instructions from Admiral Hathaway to personally notify you that your orders had been changed and you would report for six months of intensive psychological evaluations if I came to the conclusion you were unfit for command."
Jack stared sternly at Stuart. "I take it you didn't come to that conclusion."
"If I had we wouldn't be here talking now," Stuart said. "You didn't make excuses for what had happened and you were willing to accept whatever consequences might face you and you said it to a person who you knew would pass it on to the Chief of Operations." He looked directly at McCall. "I think honesty tells a lot about a man, especially a starship captain."
"So for once, opening my big mouth and saying exactly what I thought was the right thing to do," replied Jack with a grin.
Stuart smiled. "Probably a one time event."
Jack chuckled.
Stuart's smile faded. "There are evidently a number of admirals who think you need more time away from the center seat. My uncle wanted me to get a sense of who you were and if I thought you should take command of the largest ship Starfleet's ever commissioned."
A stunned look came to Jack's face. "He left this to you?"
"He trusts my judgment," said Stuart.
Jack nodded. He had been expecting the old man to do something off the beaten path. But it didn't mean Jack had to like it.
Stuart extended his hand. "Good luck, Captain McCall."
"Thank you," he replied. "And call me Jack."
Stuart smiled. "Good luck, Jack."
"Thanks, Rob."
Jack turned and the door to the hanger deak opened before him. Stuart followed as Jack joined Mei-Wan next to a shuttlecraft.
"Have a safe journey," Stuart said.
As Jack and Mei-Wan entered the shuttle, the Stuarts walked back out into the corridor. Janice took her husband's hand.
"They make a nice couple," she said.
"They won't after he's stuck drinking that juice for a month or two."
Janice shook her head. "What do you think makes our marriage work?"
Stuart's eyes widened. "Don't tell me that juice is some insane primitive aphrodisiac!"
"I wouldn't call the culture on Risa primitive," replied Janice.
Robert Stuart stopped walking. "You're a doctor! You should know better!"
Janice walked ahead of her husband down the corridor. "I did have it analyzed, Rob."
"Then its real?!"
Janice smiled and continued walking, leaving her husband behind.
"Jan, what did your analysis show?"
