The light of the great forge dissipated and it found itself alone in the endless void. It was the first to be completed, its brethren remained in the forge, awaiting the time when they too would help rebuild what was lost countless millennia ago.

It could still sense them, it could still hear them, the chatter of its brothers and sisters as they awaited the time when they too would enter this void. They would follow in its wake and take back what was theirs. Their enemies would tremble and once again know the meaning of fear. There was a sense of excitement within itself, a sense that rippled through its brethren.

It started the journey forwards, sensing the presence of their great creator.

Soon… the galaxy would once again be theirs.

888

Misato Katsuragi leaned back in her seat and let out a sigh. Her thumb idly rubbing against the PADD scrolling the meagre amount of text on screen up and down. She had read and reread it a hundred times and no matter what she did, she just couldn’t add to it. In all of her time as an officer of Starfleet, from her academy days through to now, she had never struggled this much.

She set the thing down in frustration scanning the barren ready room hoping to perhaps find some inspiration on those empty walls. Unsurprisingly there was nothing, only additional frustration to be found.

Making speeches wasn’t her thing, she was a woman of action not a woman of words. Misato Katsuragi was the reliable officer who had a fine gut instinct, who could seek out the traitor in the group, who wouldn’t be afraid to throw down with any enemy be they Klingon, Cardassian or Hirogen. She wasn’t a speech giver, and yet this was now part of the territory for her.

Like it or not, she was now the captain, and it was now going to be more about her words than her actions. She had to lead, she had to inspire and being good at fighting in a bar wasn’t quite going to cut it. Now she had to get used to a whole new set of skills, giving speeches, engaging in diplomacy, all that stuff she liked to leave up to the captain of her previous ship.

It was enough to almost make her regret taking on the command.

Almost.

Truth is she really wanted this command and she was eager to get going. The Tokyo was the first in Starfleets new line of Galaxy class vessels. Faster, sleeker and much more advanced than the previous model, this was an opportunity no one was going to pass up. It was more that she didn’t relish the whole giving a speech in a crowded cargo bay thing. If it was up to her, she’d have her crew onboard, in position, she’d say a few words over the com system and they would be away. Quick and easy.

‘Just keep it short and sweet. Give them some fluff about the importance of Starfleet, how we uphold the values of the Federation and it’ll be fine. Same stuff you’ve heard other captains say.’

She let out another sigh and picked the PADD back up, thankfully at that moment the silence of the room and her need to continue was interrupted by an incoming alert.

“Thank god!” She exclaimed, sitting up and accepting the communication eagerly. The screen in front of her sprang to life, the image of a female Vulcan admiral appearing before her.

“Good afternoon Captain Katsuragi, I trust the preparations for the launch of the Tokyo are going well?”

Misato gave a slight nod of her head, “Going fine so far admiral! The engineering team have reported in and are running a final set of diagnostics on the warp core. Various other teams are reporting all is fine and our crew is at 90% with the final few arriving shortly via a carrier from Earth. The launch ceremony will be going ahead at 1600 hours.”

“I am pleased to hear everything is going as planned.” The admiral nodded back politely, “Unfortunately I am going to have to ask you and your crew and cancel the launch ceremony. Command has an assignment for the Tokyo that needs to be started as soon as the ship is ready to launch.”

Misato felt some sense of relief at the admiral’s words but didn’t let it show, instead she sat herself up, if Starfleet were breaking with tradition when launching a ship then that could mean something serious had happened. Her mind immediately began to wander, why would they need the Tokyo to answer a call so urgently?

“Of course?” Misato inquired, “What’s the assignment, is everything okay?”

“There is nothing to be concerned about, it is more the nature of the assignment calls for it to be complete in a timely fashion and it has been decided that of all the ships in orbit, the Tokyo might be the best one to handle the job.”

“I see.” Misato nodded, “So what do you need from us?”

“You are to transport an individual by the name of Shinji Ikari who will be boarding your ship shortly to a colony known as NERV. I am transmitting coordinates to you now.”

Misato frowned as her second screen came to life displaying the details of the colony and their new guest. Her eyes were drawn immediately to the location of the colony, she looked back towards the admiral.

“Admiral, these coordinates… they’re for a system deep in the Gamma Quadrant.”

“That is correct captain.” The admiral nodded, “NERV is an independent colony, up until now we have had little, if any contact with it. It is the founder of the colony who has reached out to make this request.”

“And the Dominion have no issue with this colony being there?”

“It would seem not, but as I said information on the colony is scarce. It is not aligned with the Federation and seems to have had little contact with anyone since it was established.”

“What information do we have?”

“It was established some fifteen years ago by a former Starfleet Science Officer by the name of Gendo Ikari. He and his wife were involved in advanced bio-engineering research.” The admiral explained, “The person we have been asked to transport, Shinji, is his son. I admit, I do not quite see the logic in Starfleet getting involved with such a request but Command were very clear on their wishes.”

Misato smirked, “Sometimes command can be quite sentimental I suppose. What about the Dominion, can we expect anything from them?”

Misato was fearful for the risk to her ship. Although tensions with the dominion had eased significantly since the war, the two factions tended to keep one another at a safe distance, with minimal interaction. A few trade routers did exist between the Alpha Quadrant and Gamma Quadrant but neither side had a presence in each other’s space. This of course meant that the USS Tokyo would be completely alone out there and unable to call for any back up. It wasn’t a pleasing thought for the first-time captain.

Perhaps it was her own prejudices coming into play but Misato immensely disliked having to deal with the Dominion. Across the all of the Alpha Quadrant the wounds of war were still healing and those memories fresh for many. Misato had enrolled in the academy during the height of the conflict, she could remember the chaos on Earth. She could remember seeing the families torn apart by what was happening and the children being made parentless. She could remember the memorial walls set up in the academy campus, nervous cadets waiting for news and hoping their friends and family weren’t going to show up the next day.

“We’ve already reached out to the Vorta and made arrangements for the Tokyo’s safe passage. We have permission to travel through their space. There will of course be a strict route they want you to take and the Tokyo will be subject to a number of checkpoints.”

Misato nodded; she wasn’t happy that her ship would be under such intense scrutiny but there was little point in protesting it. Besides, she couldn’t blame the Dominion for being cautious. It wasn’t as if the Alpha Quadrant was totally at peace now. Since the war they had already faced another Borg incursion, the destruction of Romulus which of course led to the recent banning of research into and development of ‘synths’, an act that led to the resignation of one of Starfleets greatest captains, Jean Luc Picard.

It had caused all sorts of rumours to spread and questions to be asked. Had the Federation do enough to help Romulus? Did they even try at all? Who was behind the events on Mars? Did synthetics really go rogue or was something controlling them? Rogue Klingons? The Borg?

Answers hadn’t been forthcoming and rumours continued to spread, but ultimately it shown that the path towards true peace had many twists and turns before reaching its destination.

“Very well.” Misato finally said, “When can we expect Mr Ikari?”

“He will be arriving onboard the final shuttlecraft carrying your crew.”

“Okay, I’ll have some quarters prepared for him and greet him when he arrives.”

“Very good captain, Admiral T’Saal out.”

The image of the admiral left the screen and Misato was now left in silence once more. Any elation she might have felt by getting out of her speech was replaced by a weird feeling of dread. Something about this mission didn’t sit right with her, but she knew better than to question an admiral for her first mission on her first command.

Instead, she would have to deal with it and forge ahead as best she could. If anything, the journey would provide her crew an interesting opportunity few have had. The opportunity to venture into uncharted space. The Tokyo was above all, a science vessel and although their route would have to be strictly adhered too, there could still be things to learn.

Her eyes turned back to the information on the colony. There wasn’t really anything on the screen that T’Saal hadn’t already told her. NERV was founded fifteen years ago by Gendo Ikari to continue his Bio Engineering research. Misato had many questions, why did he leave Starfleet for this? Why travel to the Gamma Quadrant? Why cut off all communication with the Federation and why re-establish communications now?

‘Gendo Ikari… A former member of Starfleets Advanced Bio-Engineering team. He was married to another science officer, Yui Ikari who passed away after an accident at her lab. It looks like not long after she died, he left Shinji in the care of some relatives and founded NERV. No one has heard from him since, so why is he reaching out to us now?

Misato read through the sparse amount of information available to her on NERV and Gendo Ikari but found herself with more questions, and knew the answers would just have to wait. For now, she had her assignment, she had her ship and she had her crew. Their guest, Shinji Ikari, was for the duration of his stay now a member of that crew.

888

Shinji felt the cramped shuttlecraft start to move as he clutched his travel bag that little bit tighter to him. All around him was unfamiliar faces, all chatting excitedly about the ship they were going to and their new assignments. In response Shinji lowered his eyes, focusing on a part of the shuttlecraft flooring that had become scuffed from repeated use.

He didn’t belong on this shuttle. He was not one of them. He wasn’t an excited cadet that had graduated from Starfleet Academy. He was a nobody; he didn’t belong here nor did he belong anywhere. Yet, here he was, about to board a Starfleet ship for a journey to somewhere he had never heard of, to see a man he had not seen or heard from in fourteen years.

‘Father… Why now? Why after fourteen years have you called for me?’

The question made him feel pathetic, he wasn’t a kid anymore and surely enough time had passed now that he shouldn’t be so hung up on it. That was always what people told him, it was what they had been telling him just a few months after his father had left him.

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‘Your father is a selfish bastard, he abandoned you. Forget about him…’

Shinji wished that he could forget about him but every time he tried the memories of being left at his aunt and uncles with nothing but a suitcase full of clothes came flooding back to him. He remembered asking why at the time, trying to call after his father only to be ignored. His aunt and uncle trying to calm him down.

He asked for months afterwards where his father was, when he would come back and take him home. He’d be told again and again that he wasn’t coming back. Over time Shinji stopped asking but always wondered and always blaming himself for his father leaving. After all, what other reason could there have been?

He knew deep that this wasn’t the case but knowing that fact didn’t make it easy to accept or quell the other side of his brain.

“Hey there she is everyone! Come and take a look!”

Shinji was thankful for the sudden exclamation snapping him from his thoughts. He looked across to the source of the voice and saw a pair of Ensigns looking out of the shuttle, one of them pointing in excitement. Shinji didn’t move from his seat but did shift his eyes towards what the ensign was pointing at.

His eyes landed upon the magnificent figure of the Galaxy Class Starship. It was a sight that even he had to admit was awe inspiring. The Galaxy Class had always been his favourite class of Starship. He had grown up, just like everyone on Earth, reading all about the exploits of the various legendary ships to be granted the name Enterprise. For him his favourite was the Enterprise D, captained by Jean-Luc Picard.

There was something about that particular ship that spoke to him. Perhaps it was because the Enterprise D, at its peak, felt like a bit of a mismatched group, boasted the first Klingon in Starfleet and boasted one of the most advanced Androids out there in Commander Data. Yet for them despite how different they were to many others; it was a place for them to call home. It was a ship that just seemed to have a homely feel to it. There was just a greater sense of family.

It was something he had always longed for. His aunt and uncle had done a great job raising him. He had had friends growing up and people had tried to reach out to him but no matter what others done, he just never truly felt like he belonged.

Shinji took another glance at the ship. He had no clue what its technical specifications were, much unlike the excited Ensign across from him. A young man that Shinji had overheard was called ‘Aida.’ Aida had no difficulty in reciting the technical specs to anyone who was, or in fact was not listening.

“You know, they were saying that they’ve fitted the saucer section with another pair of phaser arrays to keep It protected when separated. Plus, the torpedo bays have all been upgraded to quantum torpedoes! It’s probably the most powerful ship in the fleet, well aside from the Sovereign classes, but this has a much more streamlined warp drive so it outdoes those!”

Shinji shook his head and slipped his earbuds back in and let the music back into his ears, drowning out the sounds of Aida and the other crew members. He clutched his bag just that little bit tighter as his brief moment of excitement faded and he came back to that same question.

‘Father… Why?’

888

Misato folded her arms impatiently as the turbolift started on its way towards the shuttle bay. She was running late, partly her own fault, she had fallen into the rabbit hole of trying to comb through the files relating to Shinji, NERV and Gendo Ikari before realizing she had to sign off some last-minute diagnostic reports.

This situation really didn’t sit right with her. Whilst it was certainly true that transporting diplomats would be a task her ship would undertake, Shinji was no diplomat. He was just a regular guy that seemingly had no connection with Starfleet. School reports had indicated he was a bright young man, physically fit and capable to being above average in his studies.

His reports had indicated some surprise and disappointment that he had not considered a career in Starfleet, he certainly had the potential. Socially he might have seemed unremarkable, he didn’t show up on any lists of sports teams or extra-curricular clubs, the only thing of note was that he was an accomplished Cello player.

Since leaving school, it seemed he had chosen a life off the radar. Choosing to work at his uncle’s restaurant in San Francisco. Reviews for the place seemed to be good but that was about it for the life of Shinji Ikari.

‘That’s something at least.’ Misato thought, ’Poor kid, father abandons him in the care of relatives he barely knows. No contact during all that time and suddenly summoned to travel halfway across the galaxy like this… Fathers… they can be so irresponsible.’

She paused to get her bearings as she stepped out of the turbolift and through the short corridor into the shuttle bay. There was no one to be seen, aside from the lone man standing by one of the shuttles. Misato felt an instant rush of embarrassment as she walked towards him.

‘Damnit, here I am, one of Starfleets finest and I’m late to a simple meeting. Even worse my crew seem to have left him here all on his own, how embarrassing!’

She took what little time as she crossed the distance to study him. He looked nervous and awkward; his eyes fixed towards the ground. It was hard to tell if this was just his natural nerves or just awkwardness brought on by being left alone in an unknown place. Misato would be sure to talk to her staff about treatment of guests at some point.

Shinji cut a solemn figure, decked out in a plain white shirt, plain black trousers and neatly cut brown hair. He looked like the sort of person that’d just blend into a crowd with no difficulty. The sort of person you’d see once and never think twice about them.

“Mr Ikari?” She called out when she was a few metres away.

Shinji looked up, his brown eyes meeting hers. There was the hint of a nervous smile on his face, “Captain Katsuragi?”

She extended her hand, “I’m so sorry for being late and for my crew leaving you alone like this. Let it be known I’ll be speaking to the crew and reprimanding them severely. You shouldn’t have been left here on your own like that.”

Shinji smiled, “I… It’s fine, I wasn’t waiting for long. I’m sorry if I caused you any trouble.”

“You haven’t caused us any trouble at all!” Misato shook her head, moving quickly to reassure him, “We’re more than happy to have a guest on board. If you’ll allow me, I can show you to your quarters. I’m sure you’ll want to get settled him before we disembark.”

Shinji nodded, “Okay.”

Shinji followed Misato out of the shuttle bay and towards the turbo lift. As they moved there were a few members of her crew excitedly talking and moving past them, presumably preparing for the launch of the ship. He couldn’t help but think that in regular circumstances he’d be a bit excited by it all. It wasn’t everyday a civilian like him got to experience the maiden voyage of a starship.

“Now Shinji, I want you to know that you are our guest and as such please don’t feel like you are restricted to your quarters. On decks 10 and 11 you’ll find our holodecks ready for you to use, you might need to book a time but I’m sure that shouldn’t be a problem. Also, on deck 10 you’ll find our recreational area, on deck 12 you’ll find a fully equipped gymnasium.” Misato explained to him as they both walked, “For reference, you’ll be in our guest quarters located on deck 9, and when time allows, I’ll be providing you a full tour of the ship. Until that time though, if you need to know your way around then feel free to consult a member of the crew or just ask the ships computer.”

“Captain.” Shinji suddenly interrupted her. The two of them came to a stop, “Do you… do you know why my father suddenly called for me?”

Misato frowned, “You mean you don’t know?”

Misato was hoping that Shinji might have known the answer to that question himself. Suddenly the strange, albeit simple request, had taken another turn. This guy was about to take a trip across the galaxy that’d take three and a half weeks, and he didn’t even know why.

“No… I… got a message this morning from one of your people. They told me that my father had requested I go to somewhere called NERV. They told me all the necessary arrangements had been made and someone else would be coming to collect me later that day.” Shinji answered, “There was… nothing else besides that.”

“Excuse me for asking this but… in the last fourteen years you… have you had any contact with him?”

There as an uncomfortable silence and Misato wondered if she had already gone too far with asking the question. She couldn’t imagine Shinji would be too happy to know she had seen most of his records and knew a good deal about his life already. Still, she didn’t want to ignore this.

“Shinji, it’s fine if you don’t want to answer.” She broke the silence, “My mission is to transport you to that colony and… I will do that to the best of my ability but… only if that is truly what you want. I want you to know that whilst you are on my starship, despite the lack of uniform or qualification you are a member of this crew and you are under my protection. If you don’t want to do this, for whatever reason, I will make sure you don’t have to. You are free to do was you wish, no one is forcing you.”

Shinji nodded, “I know that… thank you. My… Aunt and Uncle both said the same thing but… I haven’t heard from my father in fourteen years and he suddenly summoned me like this… I at least want to know why.”

Misato reached out and placed a hand on his shoulder, feeling her heart tighten as he spoke. It wasn’t difficult for her to emphasize with him.

‘I’ll never get the chance to ask my father why he did the things he did… but Shinji, he has that chance. If I can help him… then I will.’

“I understand.” She nodded, “Tell you what, I’ve had an idea. Instead of going straight to your quarters, why don’t we take a little detour. This is your first time on a starship, right?”

“Yes.”

“In which case, let me show you something that very few in your shoes ever get to see.” He followed her again as she excitedly moved into the nearest turbolift, “Computer! Desk 1, bridge!”

888

Shinji was confused after hearing Misato’s declaration that they were going to the bridge. He didn’t voice any objections but was hoping that he could just go back to his quarters. He appreciated her offer of freedom of the ship, but all he really intended to do was go back to his quarters and stay there until they arrived at NERV.

The turbolift came to a halt and they stepped out onto the main bridge. Immediately he became aware of the stares of the bridge crew towards him. He could only imagine that they were each wondering what the hell a civilian like him was doing on the bridge. He kept his eyes focused on the floor, trying his best to not catch anyone’s eye. He felt awkward and out of place.

“Captain on the bridge!” Announced one of the officers, Shinji quickly glanced at the human woman, her shoulder pips telling him that she held the rank of commander.

“Thank you, Commander Ibuki.” Misato gave a nod and then moved towards the lower half of the bridge, stopping just in front of the large viewscreen, “I’ll try my best to not take up time. I know we’re you’re all keen to get underway, as am I.”

She paused for a brief moment, “As you all know, we will be foregoing the regular ceremony as Starfleet have given us a priority assignment to transport this young man, Shinji Ikari, to a colony deep within the Gamma Quadrant. During the time he is on board I want it to be made known that he is an honoured guard and treated like one of our own. I want him to feel that this ship is as much his home as it is ours. Am I understood?”

From around the bridge, Shinji heard the varied replies of ‘Aye Captain’, and felt himself glow red with embarrassment at being put in the spotlight like this.

“So, onto business, as mentioned we won’t be holding the traditional ceremony but I did think It would be inappropriate to leave space dock without saying something. I’m not really one for grand speeches and ceremony so I will keep it as simple as possible. All of you… all of us are here to serve Starfleet and by extension the Federation in its primary mission, to explore new worlds, to seek out new life and become the best versions of ourselves that we can be. You are all here on this ship through different methods, some of you were hand-picked, some of you applied and some were placed here but you are all here because it is believed that each of us, myself included can achieve that mission and serve this ship proudly. I expect your best, and in return I will give you my best.”

Misato looked up towards Shinji, “Allow me to introduce my senior staff now Shinji.”

“O-Okay…” Shinji replied somewhat embarrassed.

Misato gave a nod towards the command that had spoken earlier, “This is Commander Maya Ibuki, our First Officer.”

Her gaze then shifted towards the first of two men on the bridge, he was a long-haired man wearing a gold services undershirt, “This is Lieutenant Commander Shigeru Aoba, our Chief of Security. Standing next to him our Chief of Engineering, Makoto Hyuga.”

Hyuga was a little bit shorter than Aoba, had black hair and wore a VISOR. Both men looked to be quite friendly, which helped put Shinji a little bit more at ease.

The next person Misato turned her gaze to was a woman occupying the helm position, she was a young Bajoran, “This is one of our primary helmsman, Lieutenant Enel Soya, and across from her at Communications is Lieutenant Bresha.”

Shinji nodded, making a note that Bresha was a Ferenghi, something that surprised him. There couldn’t have been too many Ferenghi serving in Starfleet at the moment. Both of them greeted Shinji and smiled politely at him. Misato then beckoned Shinji over towards her, “Okay everyone, back to your stations and let’s get this show on the road. Shinji, if you’ll take the seat to my left.”

There were further replies of ‘Aye Captain’, as the crew returned to their stations. Shinji moved towards the seat and sat down, placing his backpack down between his legs. He looked up at the viewscreen as Ibuki took the seat on the other side of Misato.

“All stations, report in.” Misato called out.

“Engineering reporting in, warp core diagnostics complete and the core is online. We’re bringing impulse engines online now, and we will be ready to go captain!” Hyuga answered.

Aoba called out next, “Tactical reporting in. Weapon systems are fine, all crew accounted for, nothing further to report.”

“Docking clamps have been released, can confirm we have impulse engines online. Ready to take her out on your word.” Soya reported.

Bresha was the last to respond, “Communications received from Utopia Planitia, they have given us the all clear. They send us their regards and wish us good luck.”

“Very good.” Misato grinned, “Soya, take us forward at one quarter impulse and begin to lay in a course to Deep Space 9.”

“Aye captain.”

In this moment, all the fear, doubt and questions Shinji had was thrown aside and replaced by a feeling of childlike joy and amazement. He couldn’t stop himself from smiling as the ship came to life, he could hear the hum of the ship’s engines get louder as the viewscreen shown them moving forward, past the machinery of the shipyard and out of the orbit of Mars.

A few moments later Soya called out again, “Captain, we are clear of the shipyard and out of Mars orbit. Course is laid in to Deep Space 9.”

“Good. Hyuga, are we ready?”

“Ready captain.” Hyuga answered back.

Misato leaned back in her seat and took one more look around the bridge. Shinji wondered if she and the rest of the crew had the same butterflies in their stomach that he did. This was the first mission for this starship, the first time it’d go to warp, the first time it’d properly fly and the first time he himself had been on a starship and flown at warp speed.

He had read so many stories growing up about these incredible vessels, about what they could do and what they were capable of. Now… he was going to be a part of one of those stories himself. He was going to be a part of history. Those thoughts were enough to force away the fears and questions he had about his father for this brief moment in time.

He looked on as Misato leaned forward, still grinning and gestured forward, “Engage!”