Captain, USS Madhav.
A special day today – Arthur’s third birthday. The senior staff organized a wonderful party in the observation lounge. I don’t think I’ve ever seen so many balloons or so much cake (or eaten so much cake, for that matter, as my stomach continues to remind me). Arthur seemed to really enjoy the festivities and he got some extremely thoughtful gifts. I was particularly surprised at Draymen (my Chief Medical Officer) who had a sol’neth built on Vulcan and transported to the ship, during our last stop at Starbase 23. The sol’neth is a Vulcan toy, not unlike a wooden puzzle, but the shapes are made to fit together in several configurations to form different polyhedrons. According to Draymen, “it is an educational tool for building spatial and sensory awareness.” All I know is, Arthur loved it.
I can’t overstate how lucky I am to have command of such a wonderful ship and crew. My senior bridge staff are among the best and brightest officers I’ve ever met. Even our less experienced staff members and NCOs give an amazing effort. Even more than that, though, many of my bridge crew have become my friends. I’m lucky to have the opportunity to know all of them, and to have command over such a group of tremendous individuals is a remarkable gift.
