THE FIRST time Captain Elizabeth Weir saw the starship Atlantis she was struck by the sleekness of its lines. It felt right to her that a ship of that size and power should also be beautiful as well. Why shouldn't starships be a demonstration of art as well as strength?603Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAIU9XBNsvv
The third time Captain Elizabeth Weir saw the starship Atlantis, she saw it from a different angle and she realized the designer's private joke. A quiet, almost unnoticeable smile played across her otherwise stony visage. Starships were always "she"---but this one was more feminine than most. For some reason, Weir liked the thought. Maybe later she would think about it some more and wonder why. Since the death of Charlie, she hadn't allowed herself to think too much about relationships.
The seventh time Captain Elizabeth Weir saw the Atlantis she was on her way to take command of it.
The tradition was that the new captain of a vessel always arrived by shuttlecraft so that he could be piped aboard. This tradition was nearly a hundred years old, and dated back to the time when the legendary Admiral Thomas T. Sawyer took command of the old Esmeralda. (Not many people remembered that he had only boarded by shuttle because of a major transporter malfunction at the time.)
Weir wasn't a superstitious woman, but even though this was the Atlantis, it just won't be appropriate to ignore a tradition begun by Fleet's greatest hero.
The first time that Elizabeth Weir walked the corridors of the new Atlantis she was struck by the newness of everything. It was as if this ship were somehow not yet alive, not yet real. That feeling would vanish quickly, she knew, but just the same she found it slightly unsettling.
She had been piped aboard by the android....
"Jay One, isn't it?" she had said. But was there any doubt? The android had very fair skin and eyes so blue they seemed to be lit from within. Its---his---hair was slicked straight back in an efficient but somewhat unattractive style.
The android acknowledged its name with a nod and saluted.
Weir hesitated, then returned the salute. Formal salutes were one of those traditions that Fleet was vague about. Were the appropriate for a non-military space fleet? Were they an homage to the heritage of centuries of space travel and sea exploration before that? She appreciated the formal ritual, while at the same time despising something of what it implied.
This moment---the first moment aboard a ship---was always uncomfortable. Weir glanced around at the honor guard standing stiffly and decided deliberately to break the stiffness. She held out her hand to Jay One. "I've been looking forward to meeting you. I've been studying your record. You, sir, are one amazing android."
"Thank you, ma'am."
Weir noticed that the android's hand was oddly cool, too cool to be real. A strange sensation, Weir mused. Later she would have to ask Jay One about its----his ----background.
"This way to the bridge, ma'am."
"Thanks. May I ask you something, Commander?"
"Ma'am?"
"What kind of name is----Jay One?"
"I am a Bundian android ma'am. All of the androids from my planet have been issued numbered sets. There are many 'Alices' and 'Oscars' but I am the only 'Jay.' I am what you would call the 'central coordinator.' I contain the sum total of all of the knowledge of the Bundian androids----and more. That is why I am 'Jay One.'" Jay One's pleasant smile was disconcerting.
Weir nodded. It was logical.
The first time Captain Elizabeth Weir stepped onto the bridge of the starship Atlantis, she was struck by how bare it looked. The contrast with the old USS Javelin was startling.
There were only three officers on the bridge. It felt undermanned. They stood up to face the captain as she entered. Weir recognized Wrrf, the Psychlo. It would have been impossible not to recognize him. The others she would meet in due time.
She stepped down off the horseshoe at the rear of the bridge and crossed to the captain's chair. There was an air of expectancy in the room. Captain Elizabeth Weir sat down in the chair and asked herself if she was comfortable here. The answer was yes.
"Computer?"
"Yes?"
"Do you know who I am?"
"Voiceprint analysis indicates that you are Captain Elizabeth Weir, assigned to take command of the starship Atlantis, NCC-2812, this date."
"I am now assuming command."
"So noted," said the computer.
"Activate log."
"Recording."
Weir cleared her throat. "Stardate 41330.6. Captain's log. First entry: These are the voyages of the starship Atlantis. Her continuing mission: to explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life and new civilizations. To boldly go where no one has every gone before. Entry complete."
Weir looked around at her officers. Their faces were beaming. Abruptly, they applauded.
Weir was embarrassed, and held up a hand to silence them. "Belay that nonsense until we do something worthy of applause."
And then she retreated to her ready room.
She was pleased that her aquarium had been installed. The lionfish were her only vice. They were beautiful to watch. She sat down behind her desk and installed her personal memory cartridge to the desk's reader. The ship's computer now had Weir's personal files available to it.
"I have messages for you, ma'am," the computer said softly.
Weir glanced at the desk screen. Most of the messages were congratulatory notes. Two of them were tagged with Fleet insignia. One was her formal orders. The other message was sealed orders and these could not be decoded until the ship was en route to Jutterdon Station. There was also a personal message from Admiral Axford.
Elizabeth Weir was not a woman of self-doubt, but---the starship Atlantis was the pearl of the fleet. There was no greater responsibility that a captain could be entrusted with. To be named captain of the Atlantis was an honor, an acknowledgment and.....
.....and what?
There was a story, probably apocryphal, that Thomas T. Sawyer had once said that captaining the Esmeralda was like making love in a fishbowl. You couldn't make a move without someone voicing an opinion about your technique. The statement sounded like something Thomas T. Sawyer might indeed have said, but then again, there were more stories about Thomas T. Sawyer in circulation than twenty men could have lived up to---even if they had each a Vulcan to assist them.
But---there was something else that disturbed Elizabeth Weir.
This was to be the pinnacle of her career; the posting she had waited nearly twenty years to achieve. She wondered if she would be able to handle this----or if she might blow it. There had been other captains who had been entrusted with great responsibilities; good, kind, compassionate men and women who might have succeeded---and had not. Weir had studied their records, looking for that one failing that might have been common to all, looking to see if that failing was present in herself.
The only thing she had realized was the possibility of hubris, the pride that brings its own downfall. Each of the failures had been caused by the captain's blind faith in her own rightness. As a result, they had become rigid, inflexible, brittle.
Weir shook her head. The thought had been troubling her lately. She reached over and tapped the message screen. Better see what Admiral Axford had to say.
"You already heard my congratulations, Liz. Now it's time for a little fatherly advice."
Weir smiled at that. She hadn't had any fatherly or motherly advice from anybody since her fortieth birthday.
Axford's message continued. "I know you, Liz. You've probably been sitting there at your desk wondering if you're big enough to handle the responsibilities of the Atlantis. Trust me. You are." Axford's broad face broke into a warm grin. Despite his age, the man was still handsome.
"I know you, Liz. I know that you think you worry too much. You think starship captains shouldn't worry or doubt. You think because you do that you're not a good captain. Well, now let me explain something to you, Liz. This isn't self-doubt that you're feeling. It's self-confirmation. You're going over your own decisions again to see if there's anything you've overlooked, left out, or ignored.
"That's why we've selected you----or maybe I should say that's how you selected yourself for the post. You always go the extra kilometer to be sure that you haven't made a mistake. That's why you've succeeded as a Fleet officer. That's why we cherish your judgment. That's why you've been entrusted with the best ship in the fleet.
"And the best crew. We've given you people you can be proud of. They all have extraordinary records. Use them. Trust them. Let them be the best they can. They won't disappoint you."
"Oho, one more thing," he added. "You're probably wondering now how I guessed that you've be having these thoughts."
Weir grinned. Could it be? Could Admiral Axford be telepathic?603Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdtFzCTD9W6
"It's no secret at all, Liz. Every captain goes through it whenever he or she takes command of a new vessel. I have to send this message to all my captains." He laughed. "Now, let me tell you the secret of how to handle the most difficult moments of command. Always think about the very worst thing that can happen. And then don't let it happen.603Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp62ap6PI8U
"Our hearts are with you, Liz. We know you'll do well."603Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIMJrCbz0r1
Weir switched off the desk screen, leaned back in her chair and laughed heartily.603Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc2L68Z8Q2v
