The Armstrong Incident

I reported to my class, which was located in Florida, not far from Cape Canaveral and enjoyed the training. I also enjoyed the weather and the scenery, which included a great deal of naked female flesh.

A year and a half later, we graduated and I was promoted to Lt. Commander. I was also given a set of orders, which led to me being here at Galileo. This station, unlike Mars Station, was an enclosed facility that orbited the Red Planet in such a way that it could not be seen from Earth. I had no idea what went on here and I was curious, to say the least.

When the door opened, I was met by an attractive female Captain who took my orders. I introduced myself and shook her hand.

"Good to meet you, Commander Jones," she said. "I'm Captain Hawkins. I'm familiar with your service on the Armstrong, and I've heard a lot of good things about you from Captain Simmons. I've also spoken to Alice Brewster." I looked at her, not saying anything for a while. "She told me what happened, and I'm sorry. That won't be an issue here, I assure you. So, are you ready to take a look at your home for next few years?"

"Years?" I asked. She smiled and led me to an observation platform. When I joined her, she pressed a button and the glass in front of us cleared up. My eyes bugged out of my head when I saw the monstrous vessel in front of me.

"She's the largest, fastest and most advanced ship in the fleet, Commander. And you'll be my Operations Officer. That makes you my Number Two. Are you ready for an adventure?" I saw her eyes twinkle as she said that.

"Absolutely, Captain," I said. "What's our destination?"

"If all goes well, Commander, Alpha Centauri." I looked at her, shocked. That was just over four light-years away. "The plan is to break the light barrier. If everything works as advertised, we'll be there in less than two years."

"Is that even possible?" I asked. She smiled and nodded her head.

"If the engineers are right, yes," she said.

"Damn," I said. She laughed.

"We launch in 15 days, Commander," she said. "You have a lot of homework to do, so you'd better get to it. I like to hold staff briefings at 0800 every day."

"Yes, ma'am," I said. She held out her hand and I accepted it.

"I have to take care of a few things, but I'll be in touch. Welcome aboard, Commander," she said before she walked away. After she left, I looked at the vessel floating in the giant bay. I looked on the side of the ship and smiled as I took note of the name: USS Enterprise.

...

Fade to black...