Hello, Goodbye
Posted on Fri May 1st, 2026 @ 10:24pm by Lieutenant Bartholomew Hale & Captain Erik Norsgaard
1,133 words; about a 6 minute read
Mission:
Friends and Traitors
Location: USS Thunderbird, Ready Room
Timeline: MD001 - 1700
Stepping onto the bridge of the Thunderbird, a bottle of wine in hand, Hale was presented with a hive of activity. Like any vessel in port, technicians were buzzing around upgrading systems and performing checks, every detail scrutinised, every bolt secured, every panel polished to within an inch of its life. The Lieutenant shouldered his way past the jumpsuited techs, and ducked under bulkheads that had been shifted to access the bridge's innards.
On his way through to the ready room, he stopped by the CONN. The panel was sleek, a far cry from the clunky CONN positions he'd sat in as a more junior officer. He tapped the readout, its screens coming to life. He studied the layout carefully. He felt a presence behind him, an Ensign nudging past him to perform a routine check.
He inhaled the new ship smell. These state-of-the-art Akiras were really something. The Lieutenant strode toward the ready room, tapping a knuckle against the door chime.
"Enter," Erik called out. He sat at the desk, one hand wrapped around a mug of coffee while he waded through the materials Admiral Schofield had sent over on the Maquis.
Hale paced into the ready room, the bulky officer snapping to attention before the Captain's desk. "Good afternoon, Captain. Lieutenant Bartholomew Hale, reporting as ordered."
"Lieutenant Hale," Erik said as he gestured for the man to take one of the seats facing the desk. "I understand you're to take over Flight Operations though from what I saw in your record, your experience is a bit ... patchy. A year here. A year there. Have you ever piloted an Akira Class?"
“In simulations, yes. Rest assured, I’m fully rated to fly the craft. You are right to ask. My posting here was most unexpected.” Hale stepped forward and offered the Captain a bottle of wine, “Chateau Vert de Fleur, 2342. A respectable vintage.”
"Thank you," Erik said as he glanced down at the label and nodded his appreciation. "Please, have a seat. You said that this was unexpected. Was there a post you were waiting on?"
"Frankly, Captain," Hale took a seat, "I've spent nigh-on a decade in the administrative wings of the fleet; you would have noted my long-term posting to the Inspector General's office. Additionally, my two-year appointment as Starfleet administrator on the colony of Juhraya. Though I am somewhat in awe of this vessel's size and complexity, a billet as a helm officer was not where I would've seen myself being assigned."
"I see," Erik said quietly. "And what would have preferred as a posting?"
"Something a little quieter, if I'm honest. Though I suspect Starfleet feels the opposite. I imagine news has reached you about what happened on Juhraya?" Hale asked, knowing full well that Hudson's report would've been tethered to the Lieutenant's file sooner or later.
"It has," Erik said, "and not only because of your posting to this ship. The Thunderbird has been tasked with investigation and dismantling of Maquis elements operating in this area. So, anything Maquis-related comes my way." He cocked his head slightly to one side. "Quieter, huh? What do you see as your strengths?"
“I’m an administrator, Captain; I can get your resource allocation application approved, brief a detachment of Reegrunion miners on banquet protocols and evaluate your vessel’s torpedo handling procedures before supper. Which, of course, would be hosted by myself for a Cardassian bureaucrat.” Hale emitted the quietest sigh when he thought of Glinn Teri, a rare honourable Cardassian.
"Three very different tasks," Erik noted, "but I get your point. Flight isn't your first choice and it's not the one you're best suited for. Juhraya seems to have derailed your career. Did your superiors hold you responsible?"
"Perhaps. They're also well aware of the situation on the DMZ. Of three officers on Juhraya, I was the only one who returned. My yeoman is a confirmed defector. She has already appeared in intelligence reports. The other one, Starfleet refuses to make a determination on." Hale shifted in his seat for a moment, "That leaves me, Captain. I'm an outlying data point in an otherwise consistent trend. If I were Starfleet, I'd be watching Lieutenant Bartholomew Hale closely as well."
Norsgaard made a sound that was a cross between a hum and a grunt. "This puts me in a difficult position," he said. "On the one hand, Starfleet suspects you might have Maquis leanings." He fixed his gaze on Hale. "If you are, you'd be the second. The first, by the way, was our former counselor who poisoned the then captain and tried to kill a young Cardassian we were transporting back to his father. And if you aren't, you're being considered for a position that you don't really want. And either way, if I turn you down, well, that's not going to look good for your career, is it?"
"At this point, it could scarcely get worse. My previous superiors see this assignment as a means to make amends and surveil. Regardless, having previously served in the Inspector General's office, I invite the scrutiny. And frankly," Hale had a little fire in his belly now, "I have an axe to grind with the Maquis. I am here, I will do my job."
"Alright," we'll give this a chance," Erik said. "Show me what you can do and I might have other work for you outside of flying the ship. That work for you?"
"Very well," Hale nodded. "So, Captain, I understand our mission will be to pursue some of these Maquis groups?"
"Yes," Erik said. "The Thunderbird is being tasked with tracking down and dismantling their operations in this area. Figure out who's involved and how far up the chain of command it goes."
“Grand. I look forward to finding out more about this rabble. When do we ship out?” Hale asked.
"Soon. For now, Computer, I formally accept the transfer of Lieutenant Bartholomew Hale to the USS Thunderbird as Chief of Flight Operations. Notify Operations to assign him quarters on Deck 2."
"Lieutenant Bartholomew Hale is now Chief of Flight Operations for the USS Thunderbird," the computer responded. "Operations has been notified."
"Welcome aboard, Lieutenant," Erik said. "if there's nothing else, you are dismissed to enjoy the next twenty-four hours or so before we depart."
“Very good, sir.” Hale stood and offered the Captain a handshake. “I appreciate the opportunity. I intend to justify my role amongst your officers.”
Hale rose smoothly to his feet and returned the handshake. "And together, we'll hunt down the Maquis. If you have anything to offer in that regard, speak with Lieutenant Dragos. Now, go. Enjoy yourself. I've got a bit of reading to do.”
Captain Erik Norsgaard
Commanding Officer
USS Thunderbird
and
Lieutenant Bartholomew Hale
Chief Flight Control Officer
USS Thunderbird
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