Observe and Honor

Balthazar had been on a few Starfleet vessels in the years since he graduated from West Point but with the exception of his posting to Enterprise during the Xindi mission he had been but a passenger and a passive observer of how an Earth starship functioned from within. Walking down one of the cylindrical corridors on E Deck and nearing his assigned quarters, Edison took notice of the design of Atlantis and how it differered in ever so subtle details from her older sister ship Enterprise.

NX-class starships tended to appear identical to the uninitiated and casual observers of spacecraft design and construction but you could spot the differences from one vessel to the next were your eye as well-trained as his. In any case, whatever he thought of the aesthetics and technology of these exploratory starships and their uniformed yet somehow non-military crews they were a fair sight more comfortable and in most instances larger than military training and transport craft used down on Earth and in planetary orbit.

"Major, did you see the sleeping facilities we've been given?" MACO Sergeant Adam Grogan sidled up alongside Edison, seemingly out of nowhere. His soldiers could be stealthy when they so chose, a blessing in the middle of armed combat but slightly unnerving in this much more sterile and serene environment.

"Not yet, Mr. Grogan. Captain Greene just informed me that if we do have any problems with our quarters we are free to contact him and attempt to remedy the situation. Where's everybody else?"

"Don't know, sir. We're still getting used to these NX-class vessels. I left Corporal Edwards in the ship's galley. He seemed very fascinated by the beverage dispenser."

Reaching his quarters, Edison came to a halt in front of the sliding door and reached up to press the button to open it. The door whirred off to the side, revealing guest quarters that would be spartan by the standards of private and civilian spaceliners shuttling tourists from one end of Earth's solar system to the other and then back, but compared to the cramped and frequently colorless facilities aboard many MACO and other military vessels felt like checking into a posh hotel room at a beach.

Grogan craned his neck as he peered inside Edison's quarters. "Not too bad, Major. Better digs than what we're used to."

Edison stepped inside and eyed his new surroundings with a curious yet slightly annoyed look. A desk with a chair and computer interface. Intercom. Window. A comfortable-looking bed with a horizontal rack positioned at the head for the occupant's personal artifacts. Bathroom facilities. Yep. These were Starfleet quarters.

He'd seen one almost exactly like it aboard Enterprise when he boarded that vessel at the beginning of the mission to find the Xindi. Archer's ship, though, had a slightly warmer and more inviting atmosphere that no doubt was the result of a commanding officer and senior staff that with few exceptions were willing to not only tolerate the MACO presence aboard Enterprise but incorporate the men into their crew as equals. From what he'd already witnessed in this new vessel's ready room, Edison was doubting very much that Jack Greene was going to be as flexible or willing to listen to the opinions of soldiers as was Jonathan Archer.

"It'll do. We don't need the most expensive guest suite at the old Waldorf-Astoria to complete our mission. Find the rest of the men wherever they are and tell them to report to these quarters immediately for inspection and briefing."

Grogan saluted Edison. "Yes, sir. Edwards will have probably sampled everything on the beverage menu by now. He'll probably be needing a bathroom." Allowing himself an amused smile, he spun about and left Edison's quarters, disappearing into the corridor as the door hissed shut behind him.