By Richard Woodcock
Main Shuttle Bay – USS Fortitude
The deck crews bustled around the gleaming shuttle Musashi, making final preflight checks. Fox White shifted his duffel from shoulder to shoulder, trying not to look too sentimental—or too smug.
His new uniform bore four bright pips. Captain. It still felt surreal.
Behind him, Admiral Miles Llewellyn approached with measured steps and an amused expression. Commander Teshla Phyhr kept pace beside him, antennae tilted forward in wry curiosity.
“I see you’ve packed light. No antique helm consoles or crates of coffee beans?” Miles asked with a smile.
“All waiting for me aboard the Asclepius. I plan to confuse the entire engineering staff on day one.” Fox answered with a grin.
“Confuse? Or terrorize? There’s a difference, Captain.” Teshla spoke up.
“Semantics.” Fox Answered.
A nearby ensign discreetly handed Fox his final transfer padd. He thumbed it and passed it back, taking a moment to look around the shuttle bay—the place where he’d saved this ship from tearing itself apart more times than he cared to count on his short assignment.
“You’ll make a fine captain, Fox. But if you call me to brag every time the Asclepius wins a commendation, I reserve the right to hang up.” Miles answered chuckling.
“Admiral, you know I never brag.” Came a sly look.
“I have seventeen logged incidents that say otherwise.” Teshla joked back.
“Again—semantics.” Fox rolled his eyes jokingly.
They shared a quiet laugh. Then the moment grew still, as if the ship itself were listening.
Miles stepped forward and clasped Fox’s shoulder.
“All jokes aside…you were part of this crew when it mattered most. You kept us flying when everything else was falling apart. You’ll carry that with you—and so will the Asclepius.” Miles said in a low voice.
“Thank you, sir. That means more than you know.” Fox said thoughtfully.
Teshla lifted her chin, blue eyes bright.
“And for the record, I’m proud of you too. Even if you’re abandoning us for a ship with a more respectable medical library.”
“I’ll have you know, our library is second to none. Also, my new chief medical officer already warned me she’s not afraid to ‘politely’ sedate me.” Fox replied with a mock offense look on his face.
“Smart officer.” Miles nodded.
Fox shifted his duffel again, trying to cover the tightness in his throat.
“Well. I suppose this is it.”
Teshla extended her hand. Instead of shaking it, Fox wrapped her in a spontaneous hug. Her antennae twitched in surprise, then relaxed.
“Take care of them, Fox. And yourself.” Teshla softly whispered.
“You too, Number One.” Fox’s quite reply came.
He stepped back and looked at Miles one last time.
“Permission to depart?”
“Granted. Go make us all look slow and outdated.” Miles smiling answered.
Fox nodded, turned, and strode aboard the Musashi. As the hatch closed, Miles and Teshla stood in companionable silence, watching the shuttle lift clear of the bay.
“He’s going to be impossible to deal with on subspace.” Teshla stated after a moments pause.
“I wouldn’t have it any other way.” Miles looked back at his number one.
The shuttle cleared the force field, banking smoothly toward the stars. The USS Asclepius waited beyond, her hull shining in the light of a dozen distant suns.
And for a moment, the Fortitude felt just a little emptier—and a little prouder.
Epilogue: The Maiden Voyage
Bridge – USS Asclepius
Captain Fox White sat in the centre chair, trying to look composed. Inside, he felt a jittery thrill he hadn’t experienced since his first time piloting a shuttle out of the Academy flight bay.
The Asclepius was everything he’d hoped for—sleek, efficient, and absolutely brimming with the latest medical and scientific technology. A ship designed to heal and to explore.
He could get used to this.
A soft chime drew his attention to the ready room door as it parted with a sigh.
Commander Elisa Flores stepped onto the bridge, padd in hand. Human, early thirty’s, hair clipped into a precise bun, eyes bright with intelligence—and an expression that suggested she’d already catalogued and evaluated every single system aboard. Twice.
“Captain, all departments report ready for departure. Medical labs one through four are online. I’ve confirmed the humanitarian supplies have been secured.” Elisa reported.
“Thank you, Commander. Any word from Starfleet Command?” Fox answered smiling.
“Admiral Llewellyn transmitted his best wishes. And a bottle of Saurian brandy. With a note advising moderation.” Elisa said with a half-smile.
Fox chuckled.
“I’ll consider ignoring that advice later.”
“Duly noted. I’ve also reviewed your standing orders. I understand your preference for…improvisation.” Elisa retorted.
“Improvisation?” Came Fox’s reply his eyebrow raising.
“You once rerouted a warp manifold through a food replicator to power a secondary deflector grid. I believe the term used in the incident report was ‘imaginative.’” Elisa came back completely deadpan.
“And effective.” Fox quipped.
“Fair point. As long as you warn me before you start rerouting the warp core through the coffee machine.” Came the response in a heart beat.
He offered her a mischievous grin.
“Deal.”
She handed him the padd and stepped closer, her voice softening just enough to show genuine respect.
“I read your file, Captain. And I spoke with a few of your former colleagues on the Fortitude. They all said the same thing.”
“That I’m an unrepentant nuisance?” Fox asked?
“No. That you never gave up on them. That’s why I asked to serve here.” Elisa answered smiling.
For a moment, the bridge seemed brighter. Fox cleared his throat, feeling the last of his nerves slip away.
“Then let’s not disappoint them. Helm, take us out.”
“Aye, sir. Releasing docking clamps.” The Helmsman answered.
The Asclepius glided clear of the starbase, her engines singing as they built to cruising power.
“Set course for Haven Colony. Warp five.” Fox Ordered.
“Course laid in.” Elisa checked in.
Fox took a slow breath and allowed himself a private moment of triumph.
“Let’s Stretch her legs.”
The viewscreen shifted to show the streaking stars. The Asclepius surged forward, her mission—and her new captain—ready for whatever lay ahead.
“You know, Captain… for a ship dedicated to medicine, she has a certain elegance.” Elisa voiced as she watched the stars.
“Let’s just hope she’s as good at keeping us out of trouble as she is at patching up everyone else.” Fox said half serious.
“That sounds…optimistic.” Elisa remarked.
“It’s either that or Saurian brandy.” Came Fox’s answer.
Elisa arched an eyebrow, clearly re-evaluating her decision to sign on.
“If those are my options, I’ll start prepping the sickbay now.”
The bridge filled with quiet laughter as the Asclepius sailed into the unknown, her crew ready to write the first pages of her own legend.
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NRPG:
I wanted to write a little Short to Say Good bye to Fox as he has his own command and is a character in Star Trek Online as well. He was only going to stay around on the Fortitude for a short while for Season 1.