#lieutenant shax

[fardell24b]

Lower Decks: Western - Prologue

Lower Decks – Western

The Federation might have been more developed in the later part of the 24th Century, but even so, there were still areas that were akin to the American West 500 years earlier. Places where California class starships were frequently sent.

Starbase 80 was certainly not alone in being neglected when it came to upgrades. It had simply built up it’s reputation over time. The area in question was nearby, far from where the Dominion had threatened.

USS Cerritos NCC 75567 dropped out of warp in an otherwise unremarkable star system less than 5 light years from that much maligned starbase.

“Report,” Captain Carol Freeman ordered.

“Nothing out of the ordinary,” Lieutenant Shax reporterd.

“Bring up the information,” Freeman ordered.

Cerritos approached the M-class planet in the system and established a standard orbit. The Federation colony of New Arizona had been established in the late 2260s, based upon an idealized version of the Post-Civil War American West, without the displacement of those that had inhabited the region before them, nor the social disparities amongst the settlers. Even so, new problems had emerged, including some that reflected the problems faced by their ancestors.

“Hail the Chief Sherrif,” Freeman ordered.

“Aye, Captain,” Shax acknowledged.

“This is Captain Carol Freeman of the USS Cerritos to the Chief Sherrif of New Preoria.”

“Cerritos, I have been expecting you. There are some problems that you can help solve down here.”

“What sort of problems?” Freeman asked.

“It would be best if someone would beam down.”

“Understood.”

It was barely ten minutes later when a team lead by Lieutenant Beckett Mariner materialized on the platform of New Preoria’s main train station. She immediately realized that the architecture of the station resembled those of 19th Century America, although she knew that the rails serving the station were maglev. She lead the team out of the station towards the Chief Sherrif’s office next door.

“Lieutenant Beckett Mariner to see Chief Sherrif Jones.”

“He is expecting you,” the secretary said.

“Welcome!” the Chief Sherrif said.

“So, what is this situation that you couldn’t explain to my Captain earlier?”

“There is the usual jobs Starfleet engineers do regarding our infrastructure,” Jones said.

“Yes…” Mariner said impatiently.

“And we���re also having trouble with highwaymen?”

“You mean, pirates?”

“No, Lieutenant. They’re operating from somewhere on the land surface, not in space or from our oceans,” the Chief Sherrif said.

Mariner rolled her eyes. “Highwaymen. Got it.”

“And my deputies, while capable, can’t catch them. We need Starfleet assistance.”

“Like calling in the Marshals in the old days.”

“Too true,” Jones said with a self-depreciating smile.”

[demilypyro]

[enthusiastic-nimrod]

Getting into Lower Decks is kinda like hugging an old friend

[phatburd]

[moar-ds9-episodes]

Please vote today

[phillycheesesteakcore]

feral cat Boimler

(I just realized Shaxs may be so used to dealing with this kind of thing because of Dr. T'ana lol)

[droids-in-disguise]

Data, Crusher, Shaxs, and Sisko (and Spot) playing D&D together is something that can be so personal.

From Star Trek Annual (2023).

[ssaalexblake]

STAR TREK: LOWER DECKS

S04E01 | Twovix

[pikechris]

they. they are playing dnd. with data as the dm. in his silly little visor.

[take-a-dip-in-the-deadpool]

I love this clip because everyones just so happy for him to finally have his moment that they all forgot they were in mortal danger

[fardell24b]

An Aquatic Second Contact - Part 1

Lower Decks - An Aquatic Second Contact

USS Cerritos NCC 75567

“Captain’s Log Stardate 59063.3. The Cerritos has completed repairs after the Battle against Buenamigo’s Folly. We’re now on route to the Theta Aquarii System, home to a recently first contacted species, close to Klingon Space. We hope to get back into a routine of professionalism.”

 Captain Carol Freeman reflected that she and her crew were lucky to have got out of the situation with the Aledo with the Cerritos more or less intact. She emerged onto the Bridge. “Time to system?” she asked.

 “Two hours, 47 minutes,” Commander Ransom reported.

  T’Lyn entered the conference room and saw that she was the first there. That was good. It meant that she had time to look over her notes again, and ensure that they were clear and concise. “Personal Log. Cerritos has entered the Theta Aquarii System, containing an M-Class Planet that may be considered the opposite of Vulcan as it’s surface is almost entirely covered in Ocean. The humanoids are…” She was interrupted as the door opened, admitting her colleague, D’Vana Tendi.

 “T’Lyn!” Tendi called out. “This is exciting!” she added while throwing her hands about.

 “That isn’t a word I would use,” T’Lyn retorted. “’Intriguing’ would be more appropriate.”

 “I suppose you could say that. But I would say interesting and another Vulcan would say ‘fascinating’…”

 T’Lyn rolled her eyes. Tendi’s rambling was, distracting, at the best of times. “You interrupted my log entry.”

 “Oh, sorry. You can continue.”

 She pressed resume on the PADD. “The humanoids are aquatic, resembling the Merfolk of ancient Human myths and legends. They live mostly in the water, with the various islands given over to what industry cannot be conducted under the waves. Upon arrival Cerritos will conduct the usual Second Contact procedures, while Ensign Tendi and I will assist with the addition of their biological knowledge of their planet, along with their astronomical knowledge of their system, to that of the Federation, as a basis point for future dual surveys.” She paused.

“Log complete.”

 “That’s not all we’ll be doing,” Tendi said.

 “Certainly not.”

D’Vana Tendi looked out of the window of the conference room and saw that Cerritos had dropped out of warp and was approaching Theta Aquarii II. She supposed that she needed to find out the most common local name for it, before anything else. She was certain she would learn it before too long.

  “We’re being hailed by at least three different stations, Captain,” Lieutenant Shax reported.

 “Find the one the Rhea contacted,” Captain Freeman ordered.

 “Yes, sir,” Shax said. “Wait, there’s a Klingon Bird of Prey entering the system!”

 “What!”

 “They’re hailing,” Shax said.

 “On Screen!” the captain ordered.

 “This is Captain Ma’ah of the Klingon Ship Che’Ta, to the Federation Starship in this system. I request permission to come alongside.”

 “This is Captain Carol Freeman, of the USS Cerritos, Permission granted.”

 “Acknowledged, Che’Ta out.”

 “Something’s certainly happening,” Commander Jack Ransom commented.

 “I agree.” Freeman said.

 “I have found the station, Captain,” Shax said.

 “Good,” the Captain said. “Ensign Boimler! Prepare for docking.”

 “Aye, Captain,” Ensign Bradward Boimler said.

  IKS Che’Ta

Captain Ma’ah brought up the information on the planet on his PADD. It was certainly interesting that there was an almost entirely aquatic civilisation.

 “The Cerritos has docked,” his first officer reported.

 “Request docking clearance at the same station.”

 “Yes, Captain.”

  USS Cerritos

“The Che’ta has also docked,” Ensign Barnes reported.

 “Inform Captain Ma’ah that I’ll meet him on the station.”

  Ensign Beckett Mariner looked over the information on the PADD. The planet was certainly interesting, its history especially, but she was more concerned with the current situation, as she usually was during a second contact mission. Suddenly, as she turned a corner, she ran into someone. “Oh! Sorry,” she said.

 “You!” It was Jennifer sh’Rayan, her ex-girlfriend.  She was looking at her with hatred.

 “Um, It was an accident,” Beckett dissembled.

 “That’s not my point.”

 “I know that. Now’s not the time,” she didn’t want to be late!

 “It’s never the time is it?”

 Beckett wasn’t sure what she was talking about. But she had to go, so she ran off.

  Jennifer turned away after Beckett ran off. She didn’t know why she had got involved with her. She stopped the line of thought before it went further. She had already spent a lot of time and mental energy on it.

  Captain Freeman and Commander Ransom approached the airlock, where Cerritos was docked to the station. Ransom checked his PADD again. “It says nothing about needing environmental suits on the station.”

 “Well, they do have lungs as well as gills, so there is free air on the station.”

 “I guess that on a world where everything swims, I would have thought that nothing would have lungs.”

 “A quirk I guess,” the Captain said as the airlock door opened.

  They stepped through and saw that there was a raft next to the airlock. In the water were two assistants. “Welcome to Eali Toromi Station. Please follow us,” they said in unison.

 “Thank you,” Captain Freeman responded as she and her first officer boarded the raft.

  Eali Toromi Station

Captain Ma’ah emerged from Che’ta onto the station. He saw an assistant waiting next to a raft. “Welcome to Eali Toromi Station. Please follow me.”

 “In the raft?” he asked.

 “You can swim if you want, but otherwise you’d have to use the raft,” the assistant said nervously.

 Ma’ah sighed inwardly. Most other races were intimidated by Klingons. These ‘Acquarii’, as the Starfleet crew had dubbed them, were no exception.

 “I can use the raft,” he said.

 “Thank you,” the assistant said with a bowing motion and a splash with her tail fluke.

[ffcrazy15]

See the great thing about Star Trek is if I told you one of my favorite current parings is between a Catholic ex-partisan with PTSD and a gruff navy doctor with no bedside manner and a mysterious past, you would not assume that I was talking about a cartoon alien and a cat who is also a cartoon alien. But it's true.

[newblvotg]

[phatburd]

From IDW's Star Trek Annual 2023.

[kingoftheu]

The Great Bajoran Political Compass Project. Notes in the Notes.

[decepti-geek]

I'm really, really glad that I was introduced to Shaxx from Destiny, Shaxs from Lower Decks, and Shax from Good Omens with at least a year of buffer time between each one because I have this looming sense that if it'd been otherwise, my brain would be overheating right now trying to keep track of which is which