USS Malinche NCC-38997-A

ON:

<2384, July 14, Lounge, StarFleet Command, 1015>

The lounge at StarFleet command was packed full of recent graduates and those who were waiting for assignment. Amongst the large group was a young man who just spent the last five years at the academy. James was overjoyed when he got the message from StarFleet that he was selected for assignment. He sat with his closest friend that he had graduated, who were also excited at the chance to be designated to a ship. Of course, it was up to StarFleet on where they would go. This could be the last time they see each other, either for a long time or never again.

James leaned over to his friend, Marco Pauletti, "Where do you think you'll wind up?"

"I don't know, Jimmy," Marco replied with a shrug. "I just hope I get assigned to a ship that has cool people. You know what I mean. People you can get along with really quick."

James grinned and sat up in his seat. He hoped for the same. He also wanted to go somewhere he could advance. He wasn't expecting a fast advancement, but enough room to rise the ranks and earn more responsibilities. His biggest dream was to command his own ship, but he knew that dream would take a long time to come true. He smiled once more as the intercom came alive. The list of who was going where was done. The room became silent as the computer spoke, "In a few moments, all who were selected will appear on the viewing screen along with the vessel you are being assigned to."

"This is it, Marco. This is what we've been waiting for. Time to see where the next chapter in our lives begin," James said with excitement. He, and everyone else, turned to the viewing screen and waited. James' excitement grew larger with every passing minute. "Please be a good ship, please be a good ship," James said to himself as he rubbed his hands together. After a long while of waiting, thanks to StarFleet wanting to build the suspense, the assignments appeared. He found his name under the USS Skylark heading. "Awesome, I've heard great things about the Skylark," James exclaimed. "How about you, Marco? Where'd you end up?"

Marco searched for his name and smiled when he found it. "Pack your bags, Jimmy Boy, we're heading to the Skylark!"

*Three Hours Later*

James stood at the entrance doors of the USS Skylark with a solemn look. He was disappointed when he heard that his friend, Marco, was moved to the reserve squad due to his mother being ill. James didn't blame him for the position change. At least his friend was given the rank of Ensign instead of not at all. He wished his friend well to himself as the Skylark's Commanding Officer walked up to him, "Are you Ensign James Walker Davis?"

James stood at attention, saluted and replied, "Yes, sir. Are you Captain Francis Welling, Commanding Officer of the Skylark?"

"Indeed I am," replied the captain. "I'd like to welcome you aboard. I've heard great things about you. Follow me to my office, we'll talk there."

James followed the man through the entrance and straight to his office. Once there, Captain Welling motioned James to sit so he could discuss the young ensign's acheivements and new duties. "So, Mister Davis, I see that you stayed an extra year at the academy, you graduated number four at the academy, I'd have to say you've done well. Unfortunately, I have some rather bad news," Welling said frowning.

James became uneasy with the captain's last statement. "Is there a problem, sir? I take it all the engineering positions are filled," James replied.

The captain nodded, but smiled in hopes of easing the young man's mind. "I'll be assigning you to the operations department. While you have the skills and knowledge to be at least an Assistant Chief Engineering Officer, that position is filled. So, I'm going to designate you as our Computer Systems Specialist since you have that knowledge as well. Will that be okay for you or do you think you can wait for a ship that needs your skills?"

James waved his hand to dismiss the captain's last remark. He has waited all his life for this opportunity. "Sir, I'm not going to let this pass me up. I greatfully accept the position. Maybe with enough hard work, I can possibly earn my way up," James said. "I'm looking forward to working with the operations crew and giving my all."

The captain, happy to hear that James was willing to accept the job, stood from his chair and extended his hand to the young man. "Welcome to the Skylark again, Ensign. Feel free to explore the ship before you head to your quarters. We won't be leaving on our next mission for another week."

James stood, saluted, and shook his new CO's hand. "Thank you, sir," James said with enthusiasm. "I won't let you down."

After the captain saluted him, James set off to tour the ship and get settled in.

OFF: To be continued.... more to come soon.

Ensign Marco Pauletti (NPC)
StarFleet Reserve Member

and

Captain Francis Welling (NPC)
Commanding Officer
USS Skylark

Played by:
Ensign James Davis
Assistant Chief Operations Officer
USS Malinche

ON:

<2384, July 14, Davis' Quarters, USS Skylark, 1745>

Already excited about starting his new job, James grinned from ear to ear as he unpacked his belongings and began getting settled into his quarters. The crew aboard the ship greeted him with smiles and warm welcomes. It made the young ensign happy to know that he was going to have a great time working. As he unpacked, he pulled out a framed picture of his family with him in it. A small tear formed and fell from his eye as he looked at the smiling faces. "I'll put this next to my bed. That way, when I wake up every day, I'll see them to help me get motivated for the day," he said to himself as he set the picture on the table next to his bed. While he was placing his clothes in his closet, the chime to his door started going off.

James rose to his feet and faced the door, "Who is it?"

"It's Lieutenant Commander William Carter (NPC), may I enter?"

James gave a quick smile. It was always a good feeling to meet up with his superiors and Carter was just the man he was looking forward to meeting. He closed his closet up and replied, “Enter.”

William stepped inside James’ quarters and gave a firm salute to his new subordinate. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Ensign. I’ve heard many great things about you. My sincere apologies for not meeting up with you when you arrived. I had my hands full trying to get Ops situated. New mission means getting new recruits on the same level as the veterans on this ship.”

James saluted back and said, “It’s quite all right, sir. I understand how it can be.” James poured himself a glass of juice when a good question came to mind. “Do you guys always get new crewmembers after every mission?”

“No,” replied the Chief Operations Officer. “Some of our crew retired and we needed fresh faces to fill the spots. After locking in our main positions, we looked to the recruiting class to fill in some of our subsidiary positions. Like with you , for instance, you have knowledge in most aspects of engineering and vast knowledge in computers and other computer related technology. Since our main engineering positions were filled, the command staff and I went to the next thing.”

“The Computer Systems Specialist position,” James said still sipping on his drink. “I was told about the limited space in positions and gladly accepted the other position.” He motioned to his glass. “Would you like something to drink, sir?”

William motioned as if to decline the offer. “Thanks, but no thanks. I’ve got to get back to Ops. I’d like for you to be there in about an hour for your first set of duties, if you are up to it of course.”

James nodded in agreement and said, “I’ll be there, sir. You can count on me.”

“Glad to hear it, James. See you there.” William gave another salute and headed out of Davis’ quarters.

James saluted back before the lieutenant commander made his way out. James was now more excited to begin his new assignment.

OFF

This JP was brought to you by:

Lieutenant Commander William Carter (NPC)
Chief Operations Officer
USS Skylark

and

ON:

<2386, September 23, USS Skylark, Operations Department, 1245>

It had been two years with three missions that had been completed and James was still in the same position he was given since his arrival aboard the Skylark. It became quite troubling to him that after everything he had done for the ship during his first year, he was never recommended for a higher rank or a higher position. Not wanting to anger Captain Welling or newly appointed Commander Carter, James kept his feelings to himself and continued about his work. He had hoped that after saving the main computer system from a lethal virus that was capable of overloading every circuit and basically destroying the ship from the inside on their last mission, he would be at the least given a promotion. But, nothing was done and all he was given was a pat on the back and acknowledgement for a job well done.

James finished a final check on the computer controls for the transporter room when the Operations Chief approached him. He saw him out of the corner of his cybernetic right eye and quickly, but efficiently, finished his work.

"You busy, Jimmy," Commander Carter asked with a slight grin. He usually called James by his rank or proper first name but decided to go with a more relaxed approach and called him by his alternative name.

James gave a short laugh and answered his superior, "Not at all, sir. I just finished my post-shift checklist and was just going to head over to one of the holodecks to relax and be with nature. Why, what's up?" In the back of James' mind, he was hoping for a short meeting with Captain Welling. Possibly to discuss an increase in rank and maybe a higher position.

"The captain requests your presence in his ready room, at your earliest convienence of course," William said. "He wants to discuss some things with you before we leave on our next mission. He's been checking in with all the first year crewmembers and giving out evaluation reports on them. You're next on his list, so I'd go see him as soon as possible."

James' eyes lit up after the commander finished his sentence. This was the perfect opportunity for him to talk to the captain, politely of course, about the delay of his promotion. But, just to be safe, he grabbed a folder from underneath his report pad. In this folder contained a letter of resignation from the Skylark, in case the captain ignores his request for promotion. "I won't waste any time then. I'll head over there right now. The holodeck session can wait." James gave a quick salute and hurried out to meet with his Commanding Officer.

OFF: To be continued.....

This JP was brought to you by:

Commander William Carter (NPC)
Chief Operations Officer
USS Skylark

and

ON:

<2386, September 23, USS Skylark, Captain's Ready Room, 1315>

James stood at the door of Captain Welling's ready room, out of breath from literally running from the Operations department to his destination. He wasn't one to keep his superiors waiting. What ever the captain wanted to discuss with him, he wanted to look his best and hoped it was something he wanted to hear - a promotion. James smoothed his uniform out and pressed the chime for the door.

Captain Francis Welling (NPC) was looking over some final pre-mission reports when he heard the chime to his room go off. Setting the reports down, he fixed his posture. "Enter."

James calmly entered the Commanding Officer's room with the folder containing his written resignation in hand. He stood at attention and saluted his superior. "Ensign James Davis reporting sir. I was told you needed to speak with me." He did his best to contain the nervousness in his voice. This was the first time he met up with the captain face to face without anyone else around.

"At ease, Ensign," Francis said with a smile. "I did want to meet up with you privately to discuss your progress over the last couple years. You've been a very busy, yet proficient officer. I haven't heard a complaint or anything else bad about you. You even saved us from blowing up after that hacker put a virus in our main computer. If it wasn't for you, we would all be bits and pieces floating in space. Keep up the good work, Ensign. Maybe in a year, you'll be pulling in a higher rank."

James looked distraught after hearing the captain's last statement. "Um, sir? With all due respect, I've been aboard the Skylark for the past two years. In those two years, I've seen other officers get promoted including those who came in after I did. I find that very disturbing and it's making me wonder what I'm doing wrong to not get promoted." James tightly held the folder in his hand. Something wasn't going right and he wanted to know why it wasn't.

"James," Francis said calmly, "I'm terribly sorry for not giving you the promotion you deserve. In Operations, no one got promoted and no one resigned from their posts." He took a drink from his coffee mug and continued, "There are even no high posts in Engineering that I can offer you at this moment. Once again, I'm sorry. But, you'll have to wait a while before I can advance you in rank."

James lowered his head in disappointment, but quickly changed his demeanor and laid the folder on the captain's desk. "Then you might want to have a look at this. I came prepared just in case this situation came to be. Now, I'm the one that should be apologizing to you for now putting you through more stress."

The captain opened up the folder and then looked up at James. "What is this," he asked in a confused way.

"It's my resignation. When we dock at the starbase, I'll be awaiting my release from all duties on this ship," James said in a serious tone. "I've been waiting too long to be rejected from advancing in rank." James took a step back, but kept eye contact on the captain. "If you'll excuse me, sir, I have packing to do."

Francis gave a short laugh and proceeded in ripping the letter in half, then in quarters, then into eigths. "I don't think so. You are ordered to return to your post immediately and deal with it. You will get your resignation when you retire or die during a mission. Now, get out of my office."

James gave his Commanding Officer a glare that would make the Devil himself cringe, turned, and stormed out of the room. Little did his captain know that James had a copy of his letter sent back to Starfleet. At his request, he asked them not to take action until he gave the green light to in case he did get his promotion. One way or another, James was getting off the Skylark with or without Starfleet's assistance.

OFF

JP by:

Captain Francis Welling (NPC)
Commanding Officer
USS Skylark
Played by: Ensign James Davis

and

ON:

<2386, September 24, Starbase 386, Holodeck 3, 1400>

After managing to sneak off the Skylark, James headed for the nearest open holodeck to "hide" from his superiors until he heard word from Starfleet. Once there, he quickly punched in the commands for a peaceful, relaxing background. The program he selected turned the holodeck into a lush forest with a small creek flowing nearby. He smiled, but before he could get any relaxation, the sound of the door chime rang through. He immediately took cover behind a large tree. "Enter," James said hesitantly.

The doors opened and two men entered the holodeck. The first man who entered happened to be Commander William Carter (NPC) from the Skylark. The other man, however, he didn't know. The first idea that came to James was that this other person was part of the starbase's security team and that he was helping Carter bring James back to the ship. Not taking any chances, James pressed himself against the tree and called out to them, "Commander Carter, I don't know what your intentions are and I could care less to this point. But, I suggest you leave. I'm not going back."

William gave a light chuckle and shook his head, "Heh! That's not why I'm here, James. Come on out so we can talk. I give you my word. The man next to me happens to be a messenger. He didn't know where to look for you but I had a pretty good idea where you were. You always go straight to the holodecks after a mission. You're becoming too predictable, Jimmy."

James slowly came out from his hiding place and stood before the commander. He looked at the man that Carter brought with him and saw the rank button on his collar. It matched James' so he knew immediately that he was an ensign and meant no harm. "What do you want from me, sir," James asked firmly. His posture was relaxed, but his mind was taking on some stress. "If this is about me leaving the ship without authorization, then court martial me. Hand down what ever discipline is necessary. I don't care about the freaking Skylark anymore."

William waved off James' remarks. He motioned to the messenger, Ensign Kevin McHale (NPC), and then motioned to James. "This young man has an imporant message for you. It's from Starfleet." He could see the look on James' face and gave a small grin. "I knew you were unhappy aboard the Skylark, Jimmy. When you sent that message out to Starfleet command, the captain wanted to block it. But, I pulled some strings and made sure that your message of resignation made it out. You have so much potential to be pushed around like that. I, myself, have resigned from the Skylark."

Kevin handed the letter to James. "Here you go, sir."

James laughed a little and said, "Don't sir me. We are of the same rank, no seniority there." James opened the letter and it read:

Ensign James Walker Davis,

We are sorry that Captain Welling has dimissed any promotion that you have deserved over the past two years. His actions will be dealt with personally and privately. As for your resignation, your request has been granted and you have already been reassigned to another ship: The USS Malinche. She is commanded by Captain Isabel Kersare and she is pleased that she is gaining someone who has good knowledge in engineering. We hope that this is more of what you are looking for and wish you the best of luck with your new assignment.

Sincerely and best wishes,
Starfleet Command

James folded the letter and slipped it in his back pocket. He lowered his head to hide his grin and walked toward to two gentleman. He looked up at Carter and his grin got bigger. "Good luck, Commander. I'm going to go wait for my new assignment to arrive."

"Best of luck to you as well, Jimmy. Hope your new assignment is way better than before. As for me, I think I can wait a while. I need a good vacation anyways," William said as he saluted the now happy ensign as he watched James walk out of the holodeck.

OFF: This is more of the ending to James' development. I got more coming that take place before his tenure aboard the Skylark.

Commander William Carter (NPC)
Former Chief Operations Officer

and

Ensign Kevin McHale (NPC)
Crewman and Messenger
Starbase 386
played by: