Change of Plans

Posted on Mon Nov 9th, 2026 @ 6:10pm by Rear Admiral Nevin Enor & Petty Officer 1st Class Kael Draven & Petty Officer 2nd Class Ronan Drake

1,500 words; about a 8 minute read

Mission: Chimera and Deep Space 16
Location: USS Chimera, Deck 5 / Shuttle Bay

Crewman Noah Ellis hurried out of Senior Chief Enor's quarters, a medical PADD tucked beneath his arm. His instructions were straightforward. Find Petty Officer Second Class Ronan Drake and personally inform him that the medical team's departure window had been moved up. Unfortunately, nobody had mentioned where to find the pilot.

"Computer, locate Petty Officer Second Class Ronan Drake."

"Personnel location information is restricted to authorized shipboard personnel."

"Of course it is." Ellis sighed. After a quick detour to an auxiliary operations terminal and some assistance from the ship's personnel liaison directory, he finally had his answer.

DRAKE, RONAN A. | PO2 | CHIEF SUPPORT CRAFT PILOT
OFF DUTY | QUARTERS: DECK 5, SECTION 14

"Deck Five. Got it."

"No."

"But Ronan!"

"I said no." Ronan Drake tossed another shirt into his duffel bag while his younger brother stood nearby, looking thoroughly offended.

"You're going to Betazed! Do you have any idea how cool that is?"

"Yep. And do you have any idea how uncool it would be if I brought an eleven-year-old on a medical evacuation?"

"I could help!"

"You can help by not giving the medical team another patient." Ronan zipped his bag, packing enough for an extended trip since his return arrangements weren't finalized. "Besides, you're staying with Kael."

Finn brightened. "Not Enor?"

"That's the one."

The door chime interrupted them. Ronan called for whoever it was to enter, and a young Starfleet crewman appeared, slightly out of breath.

"Petty Officer Drake?"

"Depends. Am I in trouble?"

"Crewman Noah Ellis, USS Fleming, Medical Response Team. I've been instructed to find you personally. Commander Vale and Doctor Venn are accelerating Senior Chief Enor's transfer. They need the Juneau prepared for departure as soon as possible."

Ronan's expression immediately changed. "How soon?"

"As soon as the medical team clears him for transport. Commander Vale wants you conducting your preflight checks now."

"Understood. The shuttle's already in our bay?"

"Yes, Petty Officer."

"All right. Tell Commander Vale I'll have the flight systems ready."

Finn stepped forward. "Is Chief Enor okay?"

Ellis looked toward the boy. "He's receiving the care he needs. We're trying to get him to the specialists on Betazed as quickly as possible."

Finn nodded. "My brother's a really good pilot. Except when he crashes into moons."

Ronan slowly turned. "Finn."

Ellis blinked. "Moons?"

"Simulator," Ronan clarified. "Very different situation."

"It was still a moon."

"It was a tactical maneuver!"

"Into a moon."

Ronan shook his head before turning back to Ellis. "Thanks for tracking me down, Crewman. Better get back to your team. I'll take it from here."

"Aye, Petty Officer." Ellis nodded and departed, heading back toward Enor's quarters to report that the pilot had received his instructions.

Ronan watched the doors close before turning toward Finn. "All right, change of plans. Grab your stuff. You're coming with me to the shuttle bay."

Finn's eyes widened. "Seriously?"

"Don't get excited. You're still staying with Kael. I just need to get the Juneau ready before I hand you over."

Finn grabbed his backpack while Ronan slung his duffel over one shoulder and tapped his combadge.

"Drake to Draven."

"Draven here."

"Hey, Not Enor. Little change of plans."

"Drake..."

"Save the lecture. Crewman Ellis just tracked me down. Medical's moving up the departure window, and they want the Juneau flight-ready now."

"Understood. I'll notify command."

"Good. Time to get the departure party ready. He's the Chief of the Boat, Kael. We ought to give him a proper send-off."

There was a pause. "Agreed. I'll coordinate it."

"And I'm bringing Finn down to the shuttle bay with me. Once I've got things moving, I'll hand him over to you."

"Fine. Just make sure he stays out of trouble."

Finn leaned toward the combadge. "Hi, Not Enor!"

Ronan closed his eyes.

"Did he just call me Not Enor?"

"Kids, man. Can't take them anywhere. See you shortly." Ronan closed the channel before Kael could respond.

The shuttle bay doors opened to reveal the Juneau, its extended-range medical transport configuration immediately catching Ronan's attention.

"Well, hello, beautiful."

Finn looked up at him. "You're talking to a shuttle?"

"Don't judge me."

Ronan approached the boarding ramp, where two petty officers were working through departure preparations. One was reviewing engineering diagnostics while the other checked the medical equipment.

"Petty Officer Second Class Ronan Drake, Chief Support Craft Pilot, USS Chimera," Ronan announced, adjusting his duffel. "I'll be flying your expensive little medical taxi to Betazed."

The first petty officer looked up from his PADD. "Petty Officer First Class Elias Mercer. Shuttle Crew Chief. And this expensive little medical taxi happens to be my responsibility."

Ronan grinned. "Good. Then you and I are about to become very good friends."

"You've flown one of these before?"

"Not this exact configuration. But I've got the long-range qualifications, and I've handled enough different craft to know what I'm looking at."

"Confidence isn't a substitute for familiarity, Petty Officer."

"No, but it's a hell of a lot more entertaining."

Mercer studied him before gesturing toward the boarding ramp. "Then let's see if you can back it up."

"Now you're speaking my language."

Ronan stepped aboard, stowed his duffel, and headed straight for the cockpit. Mercer followed, taking the adjacent station.

"All right, Chief. Show me what you've got."

Mercer raised an eyebrow. "Chief?"

"You're the Crew Chief, aren't you?"

"Petty Officer First Class."

"Right. And I'm the Chief Support Craft Pilot. We're going to have to work on these titles."

Mercer shook his head, fighting a smile. "Just start your diagnostics, Drake."

Ronan brought the flight console online, his fingers moving confidently across the LCARS interface. "Flight control initialization, propulsion diagnostics, navigation database, inertial dampeners..." He scrolled through the readings. "Not bad. Whoever maintains this thing actually knows what they're doing."

"I'd hope so," Mercer replied. "That would be me."

"Well, don't let it go to your head."

Mercer glanced at the display. "You're checking the secondary warp field regulators first?"

"Yeah. I want to know what our backup looks like before I start trusting the main drive."

Mercer nodded. "Fair enough."

Ronan glanced sideways. "Was that a compliment?"

"Don't get used to it."

"See? We're bonding already."

Meanwhile, Finn had wandered toward the rear medical compartment, where Petty Officer Second Class Naomi Chen was reviewing the patient monitoring equipment.

"What's that one do?" Finn asked, pointing at an illuminated control.

"Primary patient monitoring station."

"And that one?"

"Environmental regulation."

Finn leaned closer. "Can I push it?"

Chen smiled. "Not that one. But you can help me run a diagnostic. I'm Petty Officer Chen. What's your name?"

"Finn Drake."

Chen glanced toward the cockpit. "Any relation to our new pilot?"

"Unfortunately," Finn replied with a straight face.

Chen laughed. "Well, Finn, see that blue indicator? Press it once when I tell you."

Finn positioned his finger over the control. "Ready."

"Go ahead."

He pressed the button, and the workstation began cycling through its diagnostic sequence.

"Medical monitoring systems: self-test initiated."

"Whoa."

From the cockpit, Ronan called back. "Finn! What did I say about pushing buttons?"

"Petty Officer Chen told me to!"

Chen raised a hand. "Authorized diagnostic, Petty Officer."

Ronan shook his head. "Great. He's been here five minutes and already found somebody willing to enable him."

Finn grinned. "See? I'm helping!"

Mercer looked toward Ronan. "Your kid?"

"My brother."

"He's got your attitude."

"Yeah. That's what worries me."

Mercer chuckled before returning his attention to the console. "Warp propulsion checks are coming back clean. Let's verify navigation."

"Already on it." Ronan pulled up the route to Betazed, examining the projected warp performance, fuel consumption, and alternate navigation corridors. "Not a bad little ship. How's she handle at sustained high warp?"

"Stable, provided you don't push beyond the recommended operating envelope."

Ronan looked offended. "Mercer, I'm a professional."

"That's what concerns me."

Ronan laughed. "All right, I like you."

He leaned forward, reviewing the next set of readings. "Chen, when you're done turning my brother into a medical technician, I want a full power-load simulation with every medical system running. I need to know exactly what you're drawing before we start loading the patient."

"Understood," Chen called back.

Mercer glanced at him. "You're thorough."

Ronan shrugged. "Long-range flying. You learn pretty quickly that the nearest repair facility isn't always nearby."

Mercer nodded approvingly. "Fair enough."

From the medical compartment, Finn called out. "Hey, Ronan? Can I help you push buttons too?"

Ronan glanced back with a crooked grin. "Not unless you want us arriving on Cardassia instead of Betazed."

Finn laughed and turned back toward Chen while Ronan settled into the pilot's seat, reviewing the diagnostic results as Mercer continued checking the shuttle's systems.

For all the jokes, Ronan understood the responsibility he'd accepted. This wasn't a routine supply run or training exercise. The Senior Chief needed to get to Betazed, and the medical team was depending on him to make that happen.

He ran his fingers across the controls, a small grin returning.

"All right, Juneau. Let's see what you can do."

 

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