The Last Of The Brave - Divided We Fall [PIPBK]

Chapter III [2021]

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NOVEMBER 15, 2552 [13:32] (Military Calendar)

NAVAL FORWARD DIVISION HEADQUARTERS

KARDINIA BELT, SECTOR 712

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\Commander Mercer waited patiently in a transport vessel as he looked over his final crew complement. While he expected a crew that was made up of those who were familiar with the inner-workings and mechanical quirks of older destroyers, he was instead assigned an inexperienced crew made up of nuggets or crewmen who were thrown off of normal vessels. If he had been allowed to make recommendations on his crew assignments, then he would have chosen a more experienced and battle hardened crew. However, due to the short time frame between it's activation and deployment, he was forced to take the crew that the upper echelon of fleet command had given him. While it was less than optimal, he still had a pick of a command crew.

"Colonel William McBatten?" He mumbled to himself. He didn't recognize the name. Opening the file, he was met with an older gentleman who was more than twenty years his senior. However his file was filled to the brim with black ink with a level 10 clearence – Admirals and above. It only meant one thing. "ONI goons." He said to himself. As he logged out of his mysterious executive officer files, he continued down the list of those he had requested personally.

His Chief Engineer, while inexperienced and the breathing definition of a 'loose cannon; was one of the most gifted engineers the fleet had. However, his brutish attitude and general disdain for command and lack of discipline had forced the Navy's hands into kicking him off of any of the larger flag ships. He was a military contactor, not even a commissioned officer.

Mercer liked that mentality. It wasn't his attitude that he needed, it was his willingness to think outside the box and bend protocols to get things done. The ship needed someone like Chief Galen.

Mercer glanced down at his watch and looked at the time. He sat there waiting a few minutes before he heard the door open. Turning around, he watched as a young woman in her flight-suit threw her bag down before taking a seat in the pilots chair.

"Sorry..." She said half out of breath. "Got stuck in a meeting." The young woman grabbed the headset from her chair before putting it on her head. "Sir." As her eyes turned toward him, they widened and she immediately stiffened up. "Sorry, sir. Didn't mean to keep you waiting, sir."

"I hope not to see you late again." Mercer said seriously. He could see just how visibly nervous she was. Smiling, he quickly put his tablet away and strapped himself to the seat. Grabbing a headset from above his head, he put it on before plugging it into the radio.

Looking in the corner of his eye, Mercer noted her rank insignia, he saw that she was an ensign junior grade. After she took a deep breath, Mercer watched as she started the batteries as the instrument panel glowed a green color. The Ensign quickly gave the deck-hand a thumbs up. The deckhand nodded and motioned to one of the heavy equipment operators who began to tow the shuttle into the launch-bay.

For a minute and a half, they sat in silence listening to the mechanical crank as it lifted them up. Glancing once more over to the pilot, he could see her forehead visibly sweating.

"So, Ensign what was your previous assignment?" Asked Mercer, as he tried to break the ice.

"Commander?" She asked in confusion. "Sorry, sir. I was recently posted here from the Shadow Hawk." She said.