The Europa came out of warp speed like a bullet striking a million kilometer long block of gelatin. The technique allowed her captain to spread the shock of deceleration out of a long area. In combat situations it was not ideal, as it kept the ship from being combat effective for a few seconds, in the present circumstances however it allowed Captain Renard to minimize the strain on her ship’s hull. This was the Europa’s first major FTL excursion and her captain saw no reason to take unnecessary chances.

Data hung before her in holographic sheets, numbers and reports scrolling past as the ships systems reported their readiness to her. She wasn’t a specialist but years of service on bridge crews allowed her to interpret data and notice if anything was going catastrophically wrong.  Now they were back at the speed of lazy photons, the plot position indicator, or PPI, sprang to life. Angry red welts appeared on the display as targeting programs quested into the void, one by one turning green as the IFF hand shakes were confirmed. Lieutenant Monroe, her sensor officer, looked visibly relieved as the last of the coded bursts confirmed there were no hostile or unidentified ships present. Her weapons officer looked a little disappointed. She permitted herself a slight smile, there was nearly no chance of a meeting engagement being fought at a rendezvous like this but hope, apparently, sprang eternal.

Then the transmission from HSV Trapper began. After its conclusion there was a stiff silence on the bridge for several seconds. Commander Emery cleared his throat.

“Well there are Captains and then there are Captains,” he noted judiciously. A general grin flashed around the BDC the tension vanishing. 

“True enough,” Marssia replied with her own smile, “Signals, transmit out thanks to the Trapper for its welcome on station, find out who has the most recent encryption data and get us a copy.” She  moved through the data stream with precise finger movements looking over the dispositions of the fleet, mentally calculating maneuvers on the off chance they were engaged.

“Echo 4,” she spoke tripping the comm circuit to Commander Casey in combat air control, “keep the fighters stood to for another numbers, fifteen, minutes and then stand down. Break.”

“Priority two, Europa Actual to Resource Actual,” she began.  The communications net gave preferential treatment to rank, if she called over an open net and Resource Actual was on the comms to his subordinate there was a good chance her message would step on him. Flagging it priority two allowed the computer to wait for a gap in communications if necessary. This wasn’t urgent ships business, it was a social call.

“Good to see you again Captain Lee, some welcome wouldn’t you say?”