Star Trek
Pro Capitaneous Mori
by Gareth Jones
(Gareth.D.Jones@gsk.com)

Pro Capitaneous Mori

Personal log: Crewman (2nd Class) Titus Gray

March 17: Graduating from Star Fleet security training school was my proudest moment. I didn't think it could get any better. It just did. I got orders today to transfer to the USS Enterprise under Captain Kirk. The ship is in Earth orbit for three days before continuing on its five year mission. I'm already packing!

March 18: Got together with the team this evening for a farewell drink. I'll miss this place. The people more than the place. Nothing very exciting happens at Utopia Planitia. No first contacts, no unknown entities. There are some highlights, like the top secret designs and brand new ships under construction. There's always plenty of top brass about. Lots of gossip from visiting crew. I suppose Enterprise will be quite different; we'll be out there on our own. There's 400 people aboard though, so I should have plenty of people to meet. Final night in my cabin. All set to leave tomorrow.

March 19: Said goodbye this morning. I'm quite nervous about my new assignment. After two years at the Yards I was quite comfortable. Need to settle down into a new routine. I'm sharing a cabin with three other guards, Barry, Alan and Ken. Things were a bit uncomfortable when I arrived. Nobody told me I was replacing a dead crewman. The four of them had been together fifteen months and are obviously quite close. Don was lost on an away mission three weeks back. They say he was the 12th crewman lost this year. I don't think it's personal, they just seem to resent me taking his bunk. I hate to say this, but so far it's not the great assignment I was dreaming of.

March 20: Left Earth orbit this evening. I found out there are 20 transferees aboard. I'm hoping to find some of them. The three guys treated me OK today. I guess it'll take a while to fit in.

March 24: Ensign Graves, our section chief, is a decent enough kind of chap. Quite jovial and easy-going. He's rotated me around different posts every day to help me learn my way about. Sentry duty is a lot quieter than at the Yard. There aren't any visitors to check and nobody asking for directions. No Admirals needing escorts. I'm looking forward to joining a landing party. I've met most of the security team now, except for some on opposing shifts. I like Lloyd and Steve, two of the older guys who've been in Star Fleet for years. By some strange quirk of scheduling there are no women in security on the Enterprise. Rumour has it that Kirk wants it that way, but Graves says the official line is that it's just coincidence. I don't know yet.

March 27: We've picked up some important ambassadors to transport to a conference. Nobody tells us who they are or what it's for. I didn't get assigned to their detail so I'll have to pick it up through the grape vine. My room-mates are beginning to relax around me. Joined them for a game of poker yesterday.

March 31: It's been the worst day of my career. There was a fight in engineering. We knew there were more delegates on board. There had been some arguments we'd heard about from the guys on duty. My team were called down to engineering to break up a fight. There was already a phaser fight going on. An engineer had been killed in an explosion. Two guards were badly hurt. Barry got hit, but he'll be fine. It was chaos. Nobody ever got killed at the Yards. I don't even know who they were or what they were fighting about.

April 1: Strangely I seem to be accepted all of a sudden. It's like yesterday's death made me part of the team, like some kind of initiation. I didn't know the engineer, but it wasn't worth it.

April 10: Things have been quiet for the week. Barry's back on full duty. I feel like I'm really starting to be part of the crew. I recognise nearly everyone and know at least half by name. I feel quite settled.

April 19: Had my one-month review today with Graves. He's happy with what I've done so far. Apparently I have potential, thought I haven't had chance to do anything out of the ordinary yet. Still, it's nice to know.

April 22: Did I say I wanted excitement? The weird species that live out here! They don't seem to know about manners, or civilisation, or anything we might understand! They just seem to shoot first and then not bother asking questions! I'm not surprised Kirk has the reputation he does. There's no point trying to make civilised contact with some of these people!

April 29: The guys told me about Don today. It's the first time they've really talked about him. They were all on the away team to explore a new world when they were jumped by a group of primitive natives. They may have been primitive but a club can be just as deadly as a phaser. There was nothing Dr McCoy could do. Don received a burial in space. The other three have served on starships before and never lost a crewmate until now. Over a bottle of engine room hooch they began to murmur that Kirk has lost more security personnel than any other captain. I think it was just the alcohol talking, but it made me very uncomfortable.

May 2: Ken is dead. He went on an away mission and didn't come back. Nobody can tell us what happened. Only the senior officers were there and they haven't issued a mission report yet. I still owe him from last night's poker game. His spare boots are waiting at the end of his bunk. His bunk isn't very neat; it never was. The quarters are very quiet tonight.

May 3: Graves came to clear out Ken's locker. We helped pack his stuff. Barry kept his best card deck. Alan kept the hooch. Graves pretended not to see it. I didn't keep anything. I didn't feel I had the right.

May 6: It's been subdued in our quarters. Barry and Alan have lost two friends in two months. There won't be a replacement for several months until we stop at another starbase. This time I'll be the old hand making it uncomfortable for the newcomer.

May 10: Barry got promoted to crewman first class to replace Ken. He's not very happy about it. It's the worst way to get promoted. The empty bunk stares back at us every night to remind us of our missing crewmate. I think it will seem very empty for a long time.

May 22: The engineering crew put on a talent contest in the mess hall. It's the first time we've laughed for weeks. I certainly needed it.

May 30: I've had bridge duty all week for the first time. Kirk actually knows my name now. It's good to see what's going on first hand for a change, rather than hearing via a dozen other people. The captain has some tough calls to make. I'm glad I don't have responsibility for any other crew like he does. I can just worry about myself.

June 18: Graves has assigned me to an away team going planetside with Kirk and his senior officers. It's my first away mission. Got to go!

Supplemental: Dr Leonard McCoy, Chief Medical Officer

Crewman Gray was killed in action during an away mission. He was pronounced dead at the scene. The mission report and the medical log provide further details.