Woman to Woman

Posted on Wed Mar 25th, 2026 @ 10:47pm by Captain Lorut Vila & Captain Maxwell Culver

1,846 words; about a 9 minute read

Mission: Intrepid: Maximized
Location: USS Pathfinder - Captain’s Ready Room
Timeline: MD1: 0915 hours

Captain Emma Ambrose materialized in the transporter room of the USS Pathfinder for the first time. The smaller ship was closer to the size of the Intrepid class, but was fitted with more powerful weapons than her predecessor due to the experiences of Voyager andthe Equinox. Still, it had the same modernity of the Neo-Constitution class Intrepid.

She was welcomed by the Chief of Security and ushered to Captain Lorut’s ready room. Her short traverse across the bridge assured her that the ships were not entirely identical. This bridge was a taupe/gray color with blue inlay around the command center. The chairs were a blue leather that matched the carpet color and a large, holographic display of the local star systems stood behind the primary security and tactical station, separating several advanced sensors, advanced tactical sensors and a dedicated strategic operations station.

Crossing forward to the port doors on the bridge, Emma discovered the Observation Lounge and Captain’s ready room were placed ahead of the viewscreen. Adjusting her duty jacket with a short tug, she reached out and touched the annunciator.

In the office area, Vila was standing. She wasn't much of a sitter, still needing the constant distraction of doing stuff to keep her mind quiet. She was looking at her computer, though; a look of annoyance on her face. A voice came down her comms; the new Yeoman.

"Ma'am, Captain Ambrose is here."

Vila sighed, but settled into her chair. "Send her in, please," she said. She lifted the ratajinko to her lips, and took a sip of the steaming coffee. What now?! Vila was hoping to set sail the next day, and a distraction would set them off schedule. At any rate, at least it WAS a distraction-prelaunch and shakedown stuff was always a pain in the ass.

Emma stepped into the ready room. Much like her own, it was sparsely decorated at the moment with knick knacks taking a back seat to their pending launches. “Captain Lorut. I had hoped we might meet in a more…neutral setting than the Intrepid. It must be a difficult pill to swallow, Starfleet reassigning you to the Pathfinder as an escort and science vessel.

“I wanted you to know that I found the situation unfair, and if you’re interested, I’ve been able to get your ship assigned to the Beta Quadrant Task Force; mostly so you can continue your relationships with the crew here. USS Pathfinder would be Intrepid’s official escort and supplementary science support vessel, while also having the option to pursue primary science missions at times of minimal threat within the Quadrant,” Emma finished her proclamation, but quickly added, “Of course, it’s an invitation that you may decline, should you choose.”

Vila nodded. "Sit down," she said, gesturing to the chair across the desk.

"Unfair is an understatement, BUT... I do understand the reasoning. I wish that the Admiralty had been more forthcoming; they knew for a while this was happening. I don't believe it was a last minute thing," she said. "Anyway. I have already accepted the assignment to the Task Force; I was a science officer before I went Command, and I wish to pick up some research. The Pathfinder will be good for that. A science focus with a patrol option is something I can do," she said.

She sighed. "Take care of the crew. They need to know that this isn't the fault of anyone except Command," she said. "And that we're united," she said. It was true; if the changeover was going to be successful, they needed to at least pretend to be a united front. "Any idea who the third ship will be?" She asked Ambrose.

Emma took the offered seat, placing her hands in her lap in an open body position. She shook her head. “At the moment, we’re in this together. Of course, we have the six other Beta Quadrant starships, which will need direction, but as our mission goes, no third ship has been assigned as of yet.

“Honestly, I’m hoping they’ll have an Avenger class waiting to rendezvous with us at Starbase 210, but everything seems haphazard so far, so I’m not expecting to meet any additional captains.” Emma referenced the Defiant class replacement, faster and more maneuverable, the Avenger class would make a better escort than even the Pathfinder.

“I’m already pressing the Admiral for the addition of an Avenger class, but you know he’s as stubborn as he is Caitian.”

Vila nodded. "Indeed," she said. "He is. He'll come around," she said. It was true. By now, at least Vila and Albion didn't actively hate each other. They weren't going to share Gagh anytime soon, but it was at least respectful.

"If you need me to put in call, I can," Vila offered. "We've learned to work together-myself and Albion, I mean," she said.

“No,” Emma started, though she definitely had given it some consideration. “I think it important to fight my own fights with Admiral Albion. If I don’t, I don’t think he’ll respect me in the long term.

“Now, you should know that Intrepid has been given a mission before we reach the Beta Quadrant. There’s a stolen runabout with an unknown thief that’s tearing across both quadrants faster than even our ships could do; and it’s on an intercept course for Intrepid strangely enough.

“We’ve been ordered to intercept it before it can reach us, determine and detain the occupant, and determine how the runabout has made such galactic travel without advanced engines. Pathfinder, due to the nature of her missions, may join us as our primary support ship, or you may captain her on to her first scientific expedition as you’ve planned. It’s entirely up to you, Captain Lorut.”

There, Emma had laid out the details of her ship’s first mission for Lorut to consider. It was in the other woman’s hands now.

Vila nodded. "Admiral Albion has STRONGLY suggested we join you as an escort, but...we're still in talks," she said. Of course, it was in Vila's nature to do what she pleased, even as Captain.

Still, she thought that the Intrepid crew might handle it better if she were nearby. "You're very capable on your own, but the crew might like it if we were near. Though we won't be far...I heard rumors of a Dyson Sphere in this quadrant..." she trailed off. She REALLY wanted to explore. She'd let the cards fall where they did.

“Which is fascinating, obviously,” Emma responded positively. “But there’s something I can’t share, not even with Commander Lyo as we proceed.” Emma knew that Lorut had the proper clearance for the information she was about to disclose, but it could be a real problem for both starships.

“The thing that Admiral Albion didn’t bother to mention, and that someone will likely figure out sooner or later, is the runabout’s point of origin.

“He said the runabout departed an undisclosed planet and made a beeline for Intrepid. Well, a beeline is a straight line, Lorut. That runabout was stolen from Xavier’s planet. So either there’s a rogue X-class android in a suped up, hot rod runabout or…one of the missing crew from the disastrous Lovelace mission is trying to head home.

“All of the planet’s Starfleet personnel are accounted for and all known X-models that were still online appear to still be planet bound.

“And there’s one person MIA on Xavier’s planet…I’ve no doubt this crew will do whatever it takes to recover anyone from the Lovelace. But they may go feral if we discover Maxwell Culver aboard and I know enough to admit that I wouldn’t know how to handle that situation.”

VIla nodded. "That part I was brought into by Albion," she said. "I will be there to assist," she said. And kill him herself, quite honestly. "God speed, Captain. We'll be launching here ourselves shortly," she said. Vila just needed to wrap this up and make sure Albion gave her the go.

"They are a good team. They will make it happen. Whoever the survivor is, they will come back alive. I am certain of that," she said. She knew from personal experience, after all.

“I expect as much,” Emma admitted. “But if it’s Culver, and Starfleet wants him arrested for property theft, a mutiny may be possible. Even if it’s a small chance, it’s still got to be considered.”

Vila shook her head. "They wouldn't do that. They would kill themselves, find him in the afterlife, beat him up, and come back, but I don't think they'd resort to mutiny. A few might go AWOL, though," she said. "And we may hear that a certain Caitian admiral is dead," she added. She'd relish that news. Hell, she might help out, refresh her guerrilla warfare skills from her time in the Resistance.

"Is there anything else I can help with now?" she asked.

“Not unless you have the answer as to who the pilot is. That’s July biggest concern coming from Planet X right now,” Emma admitted, showing a bit of her softer side to the Bajoran.

Vila chuckled a little. "If I had that, I'd have found the last missing Orb and be living on Bajor as the Queen," she joked.

"Unfortunately...we just have to go and see. That's what we signed up for, right?" She smiled. "We'll be ready to lead you there in less than an hour." She paused a beat. "Oh, and Dr. Gocx doesn't like Targh," she said. "Please remember that."

It was an olive branch. Something, a small thing, that would help Ambrose to bridge the gap. She and Gocx had butted heads many times, but in the end, he'd always been there. Quietly, in the background. She was grateful for that - the warrior she'd always needed when shit when South.

“I’ll remember that,” Emma responded, standing from her seat as she recognized the meeting had ended. “I’ll signal you when we depart, Captain.

“Thank you,” she added as she exited the ready room.

"Excellent. We'll be waiting," Vila said, watching her go. That went better than she'd expected. She sat back. It wasn't too long ago that she might've had a taser set to full impact for the other woman. Was she...calming down? Oh no!! She'd do some practice on the range later; she couldn't lose her touch. Still. She supposed there were worse things she could be than "healing." She could still be on edge every minute. That was no way to live. She turned back to the computer to finish her final tasks. They were set to disembark any minute.

 

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