Callum looked down at the familiar blue orb, the sight of Europe spinning below him still breathtaking after all this time. He had seen nebula, seen comets and gas giants close enough to touch from the display screen; but there was something special about Home. The shuttle entered the atmosphere, and the blue ocean, green fields and stunning mountains were replaced with flame against the shields. 

When it cleared, they were over the ocean, making their way towards Starfleet. The oceans waves shone like diamonds under the bright yellow sun, whales could be seen spouting their breath, Callum wondering idly if they were descendants of the famous Kirk whales. 

Thanking the shuttle pilot as it touched down, he was struck by a moment of nostalgia when the Academy campus was revealed by the opening shuttle hatch. It felt as if he had hardly left, despite the pips on his collar, the routine and exhilaration of pushing through the rigors of the coursework. He moved through the campus, noticing the groups of cadets lounging on the grass, PADDs in hand as they studied the latest specs, discoveries along with the lengthy history of the Federation. 

He moved through the glass lined hallways, seeing the hustle and bustle of the sky above the city and campus; while heading for the office he had only been in once or twice. Arriving, he nodded to the desk clerk who motioned for him to enter. As the door hissed open, he made his way towards the desk, announcing himself as he did so. “Good Afternoon Rear Admiral T’rirrik, Commander Forsyth at your service.”

“Thank you Commander, please sit. Welcome back to the Academy, I could find no other records of you visiting, so it must be your first time back,” T’rirrik said, motioning to the chair to have him sit. 

“Yes it is ma’am. Though not for any lack of fondness, I greatly enjoyed my time here at the Academy, even if I still wake up in a cold sweat from exam flashbacks. A joke of course,” he corrected at the end, sure a Vulcan would pick up the humor, but hedging his bets.

“Well, feel free to visit old instructors and tour the facility if you like. I am sure some of the students would have questions for a younger Commander such as yourself. Though tutoring is not why I asked for you to come to the Academy,” she said, pulling up a small list of students. 

“I expected it was something else you needed ma’am. And whatever I can help with, I would be more than willing to,” Callum answered, curiosity making him lean forward to better glimpse the list. 

“As you will remember from your own time in the Academy, every Cadet enjoys a cruise aboard a Starship, serving as a midshipman to get a true taste of life aboard a Federation vessel. This is without exception carried out by a vessel commanded by a Captain. However, you being thrust across the galaxy because of the Apertures, presents a resource too valuable to ignore,” T’rririk began to expain as Callum began to wonder why he was there. 

“Yes, I remember my own aboard the Republic very well. It was a great chance to work with other new crew members, as well as older and more experienced veterans. Without wanting to waste time hazarding a guess, what exactly did you have in mind ma’am?” he asked politely, a couple of possibilities forming in his head.

“With the Anaheim currently far from it’s active duty post, you and your crew have been working hard to make the journey across the quadrant. I commend you for your diligence, and have been watching the reports you have submitted to Bravo Fleet Command. You have a relatively junior crew, one which is not yet ready to fully man a Cadet Cruise, yet the actions of your crew speak to competence,” she explained, reasoning out her words as dossiers on Callum, Moira, Jena and Fylar appeared. He could see his own logs and notes on their files, commending their actions during the hard times of the Labyrinth tunnels, and subsequent collapse. “Fourth Fleet has been working hard, even now a new Task Force is being commissioned, which will require many new crewmen, officers and specialists. Obviously, Fourth Fleet will train, mold and choose the talent they wish; these candidates have simply requested transfer to Mellstox III. I harbor no illusions, these cadets are likely hoping to take advantage of new openings and fast track careers. All logical motives of course,” T’rririk continued, and Callum nodded his understanding. 

“With your ship traversing the Quadrant, I was hoping to provide the cadets with a preliminary cruise as it were. It would not be graded, and they would of course be expected to work on course work while in transit. It would help provide some extra training, and seasoning for the Cadets and help some of your own crew work on their own command skills. It is a detour, but the advantages far outweigh the delay,” T’rririk finished, letting him take a moment to look over the folios. 

Callum glanced through the files, taking in the scores and what notes he could peruse for each Cadet. They all seemed very much familiar, reminding him of cadets he had served with in the past. He couldn’t deny the Fleet seemed to need every good candidate it could get and then some, and a new Task Force would be a dream for many hoping to advance. 

Sitting back in the chair, he nodded as he took a moment to consider. “I don’t ever think of the Anaheim as a spare vessel, each one of the fleet has something to do. Having said that, I do think this is something we can do. It will add to our return trip, but the chance to come into the Cadet cruise officially, with some prior earned experience is definitely going to help some of them find their Fleet postings much smoother. If something arises and we have to divert course, I do hope that will a risk made clear to the Cadets. But other than that, I will make the Anaheim ready to welcome them,” Callum said, as he knew the briefing was coming to an end. Shaking T’rririk’s hand, he made his way to the open air plaza, and had the Anaheim beam him aboard.

Captain’s Log. 

The Anaheim and it’s new additions have been making our way to Mellstox III. The journey has not been without it’s difficulties, though I must say the Cadets of the Academy have been performing their duties with aplomb, vigor and intense focus. The room made available for their course work has been fill at all hours, and with the ease of communications in Federation space, I have seen no reason to believe their studies have lacked. Rear Admiral T’rririk proved to be something of a seer though, for several of my command crew have found the switch to teacher, a severe test of their patience and skill set..

“End Log”, Callum said, cutting his recording short as the door to his ready room opened, and a furious Jenifer marched in. 

“I am going to string him up by his antennas Callum, if he does it one more time,” she barked, the door scarcely closing in time enough to make the use of his name public to all of the bridge. Jenifer was disheveled, her uniform wrinkled and marked with what he could only assume were minor arc burns, the smell of ozone and carbon strong in his office now. 

“Jenifer. Calm down, get a drink and lets discuss this,” Callum said, motioning to his own coffee sitting on the desk. As she stormed over to the replicator and barked an order for her own drink, he could see her taking a moment to catch her breath. Then she came over to the chair by his desk, sinking into the soft plush. 

“What happened now? As there is no warnings, and the ship hasn’t dropped out of warp speed, I am assuming there isn’t a pending crisis Jenifer?” Callum asked, wrapping his coffee mug in hand and leaning back to take a sip. She had barked his name, so he was going to treat this as personal between them, unless he needed to do otherwise.

“It’s Cadet Xarn. I have told him several times to quit tuning the matrix. I don’t care what the newest specs say, the megahertz is wrong. When he tunes the couplers, it causes vibrations that mess with everything down the line, and then I have to backtrack and refilter half a days work. Sometimes you want to leave a little wiggle room in the specs, not push everything to within an inch of it’s engineering tolerance,” she said, her tone and white knuckle grip on the handle of her mug enough to let him see it was nothing to take lightly.

“And how did you explain that to him Jenifer. Did you? Or were you like the Boatswain I served under, who barked all day and kept us all on such a short lease we couldn’t see past our noses,” Callum asked, as gently as he could.

“I’ve told him at least 6 times, this is how I want it. Leave it alone, but he refuses to listen,” Jenifer said, shaking her hand angrily.

Callum couldn’t help but smile. He knew her frustration, it was so easy to get possessive of the ship you served on, and Engineers were famous for feeling like they had the magic touch. Even pilots could be possessive of control settings, and Jenifer was overseeing a lot. “Jenifer, show him the cascade. He’s young, he’s doing real life service, but its still mock prep for when they arrive at Mellstox III. And I bet you extra shore leave, he is trying to impress you. I can tell a hotshot Ensign to ease out of the stardock, I can quote him the exactly impulse setting to leave at. But until he’s held the conn, and felt the weight of the ship, threading the dock gates and gets a feel for the way it handles, it won’t mean anything,” Callum said with a sigh, knowing this was something everyone learned along the way. 

“Jenifer, you didn’t ask to be an instructor. I get that. But the fact is, we will always be mixing new crew with old, no matter what. Xarn, it seems to me is performing well, he wants to show you he knows his stuff. So show him where what he is doing will scrape the doors as it were. He isn’t ready to know every single subsystem aboard, but if you show him how his part, strains parts down the chain and why you are keeping the Anaheim slightly leashed, he’ll get it,” Callum said, pacing his response to when she seemed to be calmest. 

“No wait,” he said as she went to fire back, wanting to make sure she knew he understood. “Jenifer, I get it. You know the ship better than anyone, and I trust you to keep it running smooth, and up to the demands we expect from it. That doesn’t come without a ton of hard work. And I need that from you, more than perfect patience,” Callum finished, wanting to soften the critique. 

“Well, he isn’t a complete idiot. And if walking him through the system links keeps him from making small vibrational waves a tsunami by the end of the couplers, it will be worth it. Thanks Callum,” Jenifer said, the two of them falling into a calmer, companionable silence as she finished her drink.