Thread by @jedwashere

“Captain La Forge.”

Geordi doesn’t turn at the sound of Jorel Quinn. Instead he smiles.

“Admiral,” he says, looking out at the Odyssey-class Enterprise docked in Spacedock.

Quinn comes up to stand next to him, hands folded behind his back.

1/?

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“There are some people who think you ought to stop repairing decommissioned Enterprises in your spare time,” the Admiral says after a moment. “It’s getting to be a bad habit.”

Geordi laughs. “There are worse habits.”

2/?

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“There are,” Quinn agrees with a smile. “Hell, it saved us all a decade ago.” His smile fades. “But you know… I am curious about one thing, if you’ll indulge me.”

“Why this Enterprise?” Geordi says, quirking a wry eyebrow at Quinn.

3/?

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“To put none too fine a point on it.” Quinn sighs. “You loved the Enterprise-D. Hell, you pushed us to have the Challenger instead of something more advanced.”

“Ten years ago proved that ‘advancement’ isn’t the be-all and end-all,” Geordi points out.

4/?

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“And hell - fleet policy seems to reflect that. How many Mirandas are out there right now?” he adds.

Quinn nods, conceding the point. “But that doesn’t explain -”

“This ship?” Geordi cuts him off. He pauses, as though thinking it over.

5/?

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“Did you know that the Enterprise-D was supposed to have a service life of seventy years?” he says after a moment. “Seventy. She lasted a tenth of that. Enterprise E lasted less than a third of that number, too. So did the F.”

6/?

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“The service can be rough,” Quinn says gently.

“Yeah,” Geordi says, “but sometimes I think we give up too easily. These ships… they mean something to us. To all of us. They’re home. They’re family. They’re our protectors… our friends.”

7/?

“I thought that she deserved that chance, too.” Geordi sighs. “At least… I thought she deserved another. And we do need an Enterprise out there.”

“True on that front,” Quinn says with a heavy sigh of his own. “Too true.”

8/?

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There’s a moment of silence between them.

“Will Shon take the chair, do you think?” Quinn asks quietly.

“Permanently?” Geordi asks. He smiles. “No idea. But an old friend of mine’s gonna talk with him, hopefully set him straight.”

9/?

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This one’s dedicated to everyone who loves the Odyssey-class Enterprise F. Treat her like a lady, and she’ll always bring you home. ❤️🖖