Lieutenant Commander Finn Grady blinked slowly at the crewman from the transport vessel in front of him. “What do you mean it’s not there? Did it fly out the dang window on the way over here?”

The crewman shifted uncomfortably on his feet, “I’m sorry, sir, we couldn’t find it with your other belongings. We looked all around the passenger luggage area. It’s just not there.”

Finn’s dark blue-green eyes flashed slightly as he glared at the crewman. He was fairly tall and slender with a build that had stayed with him from his cross country days in high school. His pale skin flushed slightly red to match the color of the uniform he wore, highlighting the dusting of freckles that were present across his nose and cheeks. Those features, along with his dark hair, were present in both his brother and sister as well and left no doubt as to their relation to their father and his Irish heritage.

“Well y’all better start checking all the other areas in that cargo hold because I am not about to leave here without it. I got on this ship with it, then travelled across the quadrant in an airtight hunk of metal with it and now it should be right here with all of my other things. Do you realize that my mama had that thing hand made for me back home? It didn’t come out of some replicator somewhere,” Finn’s eyebrow twitched slightly as he stared the other man down.

“I’m truly sorry, sir, but I don’t....”

The man was cut off as another crew member came running up behind them, carrying a black instrument case in front of him, “I found it! We’ve got it right here!”

He handed the case over to Finn who set it down carefully on the floor and opened it to verify its contents. Inside was a beautiful dark maple fiddle and its bow. Finn visibly relaxed as he ran his finger along the instrument before closing the case and looking up at the crewmembers with narrowed eyes. Then he placed the instrument on a cart, which was currently holding a duffel bag and a guitar case, gave the men a curt nod and turned away with the cart.

Finn quickly made his way along the outer docking ring, his excitement beginning to grow. He had been in Starfleet for seven years, all of them spent on the USS Belle Meade, and he had been surprised at how quickly after finishing the command course that he had received orders to report to a new ship… as its First Officer. The airlock which would lead him to that new ship, the Chimera, stood in front of him now. One short little passage way to lead him to the next phase of his journey through life. A smile crossed his face and he took a deep breath and confidently began to push his luggage cart through that airlock and into his future.

Lieutenant Commander Finn Grady - XO