Spacedock Ballet (Part 3 of 3)

Posted on 03 Mar 2015 @ 6:44pm by Rear Admiral Lirha Saalm & Lieutenant Commander Amynta Markos & Lieutenant Commander Dea Mialin & Lieutenant Aria Rice & Ensign Annikafiore Szerda & Commander Scarlet Blake & Commander Andreus Kohl & Chief Warrant Officer 3 Amon Mormont & Captain Jonathan Holliday & Commander Norvi Stace

2,821 words; about a 14 minute read

Mission: Episode 08 - NIMBUS
Location: Starbase 84 - Internal Docking Facility
Timeline: MD -03 - 0020 hrs

Previously, on Spacedock Ballet (Part 2)...

Panicked, Shras backed slowly towards the door. "This is... really... against regulations," he managed to stutter before the door opened behind him and he took the opportunity to rush out. He had to talk to his squad leader as soon as possible.

"I guess it's just the two of us then," commented Tuula.

"I guess it is, I think between the two of us we've taught the young man a lesson, or gotten him pissed off and the shit is about to hit the fan. Either way it should be fun."

And Now, the Conclusion...

[ON]

Meanwhile, aboard USS Aventia...

Markos frowned where she sat, in the Captain's chair. She still wore the skirt uniform. Once the exercise begun, she would switch to trousers. Until then, she would at least look how she usually did. The USS Aventia was a firecracker of a ship. Used during the Dominion Wars, the class was able to fight when it needed.

She looked around for a moment before sighing, tipping her head back for a moment before straightening. "Alright everyone. Status reports," she said, looking around the bridge. "Now, please, don't keep the Captain waiting." She looked over at Mialin and winked, playfulness finally breaking through.

"Yes, Ma'am," Rice smiled where she stood, watching the console. "Weapons are looking good, we should be able to give as good as we are going to get. Ready to go, Ma'am."

"Operations systems green, and ready to go ma'am," T'Vanna reported as she studied her new console. Just to be safe she had a PADD lying next to her on the console, as a sort of quick manual for the first hours on duty. She assumed that within the next few hours she'd ample time to learn the ins and outs of her new station.

Dea nodded unable to hide the smile that appeared. This would certainly be a different mission since it required her to act as Executive Officer and use her command skills, "Good to go on my end Captain." Her attention shifted to the rest of the bridge, "Don't be shy with those reports as the Captain said."

Markos nodded, looking over at Dea with a small smile as a few more reports came in, from the sickbay, engineering...it felt good to sit there and know they were ready to go. "Best thing about this is that we just need to win. Once that is done, the others can kiss our boots."

"Amen to that," Rice said softly, her eyes gentle as she looked at what she had ahead of her. Oh, there was a lot to play with. But of course, before then, she suspected a nice, long journey before that. Everything in Starfleet started with transit.

The ops station chirped signalling an incoming transmission from Atlas. "All ships, this is Admiral Saalm. We are cleared for departure on my lead. Marching order is Atlas, Aventia, Nautilus, Galileo, then Chronos. Hold ten-kilometer separation until we have cleared the solar system's inner belt then assume standard formation."

=^=Roger that, Admiral. We will follow you=^= Markos said before nodding, taking a deeper breath. "Got that, Helm?" she asked red-shirted woman sitting there.

"Yes Ma'am," Lieutenant Junior Grade Holmes gave a quick small nod, getting what she needed up. "Ready on your order, Ma'am."

Amynta sat back, quite comfortably too, her fingers stroking the armrest of her chair for a brief moment. She glanced around the bridge, her bridge, with a sense of ownership.

Amynta Markos then opened the commlinks, her voice going through the entire ship. "This is Markos. We are ready to go. I want to remind you all that while some would call this a glorified game of Battleship, this is a game we will win. I expect everyone to do their jobs well, not to slack. This is a deadly serious matter. Anyone not performing to their fullest during this exercise will get some one to one time with me. And trust me, it's not what you want. Markos out. " She closed the commlink, looking over at Dea. "What? Thought I was motivating..."

"I feel extremely motivated, Ma'am," Aria said as she watched Markos, her Captain in this. "And just a little bit scared," she added, meaning it. The blonde was a bit of a frightening person. Even the smile looked...well, like she was planning to murder.

"I can live with that," Markos said and arched an eyebrow to the people on the bridge, a small smile on her lips.

"We're ready, Ma'am," Lt. jg Richard Holmes said from the helm, frowning slightly. He had actually remembered to shave for this. He saw that the Atlas was moving...it made him tense up. It was a bit unnerving under a new CO, especially for such a short time. But he was capable at his job and he would able to do it.

"Everything looks good Ma'am" Dea replied watching their departure from the Executive Officer's station. They had an interesting test ahead of them. Glancing over at Markos with an expression that indicated she was focused on the task at hand but enjoying herself.

Amynta counted in her head before sitting back, the displays. When all clear came through, she was almost eager with it. What did you say anyway? 'Engage?' 'Make it so'? Who cared. She would be honest. "Let's get a move on, Helm...go for it," she said and motioned with her hand, her eyes going to Dea. This was only the beginning and it felt amazing.

---

Meanwhile, aboard USS Nautilus...

Scarlet Blake was sitting comfortably in the CO's chair, back straight but legs crossed. She looked cool and calm....but the nail of a single finger kept tapping on the arm of the chair in a constant, urgent rhythm, the give away of her growing irritation at the delay.

She finally tilted her head, a soft sigh escaping her lips as she looked around her new bridge and crew. She had a good group of people around her, and she was looking forward to what was ahead...well, she had been....if they ever got going. "Any word yet? Or are we going to have to come up with an escape plan?" she said wryly.

Seated to the fore, Ensign Szerda inspected the readouts for the subspace communication systems. She saw no change from the last time she'd checked them. Docked as they were, there was little change at all to the operations management console. "No further messages from dock control, Captain," Szerda reported. She responded to the tangible question, and kept her lips shut about Blake's suggestion of an escape plan.

"Escape plan?" Naois just caught her words as he stepped up onto the bridge. Noticing the tap, he tilted his head in turn. "Are you nervous?"

Andreus Kohl was standing at his freestanding console slightly behind, and somewhat to the right, of the Captain's chair. His palms were braced against either side of the LCARS housing, and he was holding on to it firmly. Taking notice of Naois' question, Kohl leaned forward over his console to get a good look at Blake's reaction.

Mormont chuckled, shrugging as he looked over at them. He was a surprise addition as far as he could tell. But it was nice to be on the bridge for a change. "Hey, Captain's not nervous. She's smart. Always have a way out, it's how you stay alive in real battle," he cut in, but it was with an almost fatherly smile that within seconds became devious. "If they take any longer, ma'am, we should board the starbase, take over, have a party and then set up our own departure. Might be quicker."

"I'm starting to agree, Mister Mormont," Scarlet replied dryly, clearly unimpressed. Were all the Starbase staff lounging in the bar or something? She was eager to get the show on the road. With her little girl left behind in the care of a friend, the sooner they got going, the sooner it was completed, the sooner she could get back to her.

Turning back, Kohl regarded the dark-blond man at the Tactical console. Kohl bit his lip, and then he asked, "Mister Mormont, do we have sufficient armament to blow a hole in the dock door?" His timbre was playfully challenging, and he directed his next remark at the Captain. "Maybe they'll move faster if we arm the torpedos. Scare them a little. It's what a Klingon would do, no?"

Scarlet couldn't quite help the smile of amusement that escaped at the words, her hand lifting from the tapping on the arm of the chair, her elbow resting on it instead as she crossed her legs. "Most likely. However, I would prefer not to be taken into custody on my first spin out as the CO of a ship, so let's just send another message asking for clearance for now, Ops..."

Right on queue, the ops station chirped and signaled an incoming transmission from Atlas. "All ships, this is Admiral Saalm. We are cleared for departure on my lead. Marching order is Atlas, Aventia, Nautilus, Galileo, then Chronos. Hold ten-kilometer separation until we have cleared the solar system's inner belt then assume standard formation."

Blake signalled the affirmative before looking around the bridge, her body physically relaxing at finally being on the move. "You heard the Admiral...Ops, retract the moorings...Helm, thrusters and follow the Aventia out...let's get this show on the road."

"Yes Captain," Ensign Mieko Argyris said, her hair tied back from her face. Her nails were black with little sparkles on...in honor of this little exercise. She smiled as she made sure she was ready, her foot moving slightly with all her energy. She had been thrilled when her Chief had decided he'd rather have shoreleave than man the ship during wargames. It gave Mieko a chance to actually do something rather than doing the standard little bits of piloting when it was just cruising.

"And let's make it a good show," Kohl said from his station on the starboard side of the Bridge. He was riffing off what Blake had said; he was babbling really. "Something tense, with real stakes, and sex appeal." All the while, he was pinching the unfailiar red band on the cuff of his uniform jacket. So... this is happening, Kohl thought, and what a surreal thought it was; This is what's happening now.

Seated beside Argyris, Ensign Szerda initiated the Captain's command on her operations console. She announced the successful completion of each procedure, as soon as the LCARS provided positive feedback. "All airlocks sealed, Captain," Szerda said. "Starbase umbilical retracting. Moorings retracted. We are free and clear."

Standing by the tactical position was Major Evans, who had volunteered to participate with his Marines. Although he was sure there was no boarding exercises during this, he frankly had believed his Marines had enjoyed enough shoreleave and needed to be working. This was a good opportunity. He could get them organised quickly.

Mormont glanced at the Marine before nodding with respect. He hadn't been surprised...but it was good with some help with this. "Will be good to stretch this ship's legs," he said quietly, smiling. And get the games begun.

---

Starbase 84 - Internal Docking Bay

With all ships fully crewed and operation, it was time for the task group to depart. The RCS thrusters on USS Atlas' hull flared and worked in synch to slowly push the large Sovereign-class away from its berth and into its assigned departure slot. Once clear for safe maneuvering, the vessel slowly turned in its place to face the massive open exit door, after which it began to slowly cruise through the rest of the starbase's internal bay towards the deep blackness of space on the outside.

The USS Aventia moved out afterwards, slowly. It seemed almost graceful despite its size as it moved...like a great war horse ready for the fight. It followed the Atlas, taking its position.

Right on cue, the Nautilus followed the trail set by the Aventia, warming up and flexing her muscles as she finally made the push away from the Starbase and out into the open. The Miranda class ship provided some provenance and a heart of steel to the chain of ships, a fitting addition to the line up being sent to represent Starfleet.

Waiting until the rest of the fleet had departed, the tiny Defiant-class starship powered up her impulse engines, the red glow against the metal of the nacelles signalling the smallest member of the battle group was under way. Turning in a fraction of the time of her fellow starships, the Chronos broke free of the confines of the starbase, and set off in pursuit of her team mates, flourishing with a barrel roll.

Once all ships were clear of the base, their large impulse engines powered up and glowed bright red as they applied their primary sub-light propulsion systems and began to cruise towards the outer solar system at best possible speed. As directed, the group assumed a standard 5-ship formation with the two smaller vessels -- Chronos and Galileo -- in trail formation at the front, and the remaining starships in a wedge formation at the back with Atlas at the center.

The journey to safe warp distance took little more than ten minutes, and when the group was cleared, Lirha activated ship-to-ship comms to synchronize their journey.

"All vessels, this is Saalm, we are cleared to warp to the Chi'Dan sector. Set course and engage at warp six in five, four, three, two, one..."

Right in synch, each of the starships' nacelles began to glow bright white as their warp fields powered up. With successive flashes from their engines, the ships elongated and snapped into high warp in short succession, leaving nothing but tiny trails of stardust in their wakes as they began their journey to the 10th annual NIMBUS games.

[OFF]

--

RADM Lirha Saalm
Commanding Officer
USS Atlas

Lieutenant JG Grayson Jones
Acting Chief Engineer
USS Galileo

Lieutenant JG Wakeham Paul Alasia
Diplomatic Officer
USS Galileo

Lieutenant JG Drusilla McCarthy
Assistant Chief Counsellor
USS Galileo

Petty Officer 2nd Class Rebecca Williams
Commanding Officer's Yeoman
USS Galileo

CAPT Jonathan Holliday
Commanding Officer
USS Chronos

Cadet Sarah Gardiner
Security Officer
Red Squad Cadet
USS Chronos
[NPC'ed by McCarthy]

CMDR Scarlet Blake
Commanding Officer
USS Nautilus

Lieutenant Commander Andreus Kohl
Executive Officer
USS Nautilus

MWO Alexion Wylde
Doctor
USS Galileo
[PNPC Blake]

PO1 Gabriel Stark
Security/Tactical
USS Galileo
[PNPC Blake]

PO1 Siren Hex Saalm
Intelligence
USS Galileo
[PNPC Blake]

Laeon Wylde
Civilian Crew Family/Sickbay Volunteer
USS Galileo
[PNPC Blake]

PO1 Verity Thorne
Chaplain
USS Galileo
[PNPC Blake]

Lieutenant (J.G.) Tuula Voutilainen, M.D.
Medical Officer
USS Galileo

MWO Amon Mormont
Sec/Tac
USS Nautilus
[PNPC Markos]

Lt. Commander Amynta Markos
Commanding Officer
USS Aventia

Ensign Mieko Argyris
Flight Control
USS Nautilus
[NPC Markos]

Major Gerard Evans
Marine CO
USS Nautilus
[NPC Markos]

Ensign Annikafiore Szerda
Chief Operations Officer
USS Nautilus
[NPC Kohl]

Lieutenant JG Richard Holmes
Flight Control
USS Aventia
[NPC Markos]

Ensign T'Vanna Murray
Operations Officer
USS Aventia

Lieutenant j.g. Naois Mercy
Medical Officer
USS Nautilus
[PNPC T'Vanna]

Cadet SO Wintrow Paragon
CONN Officer
USS Galileo

Ensign Jaana Voutilainen
Stellar Cartograher
USS Galileo

PO3 Aeleni Loni
Operations Officer
USS Galileo
[PNPC Jaana]

Lt. Jared Nicholas
Language Specialist
USS Galileo

Lt. Min Nicholas
Chief of Operations
USS Galileo

Jonah Chaparral
Civilian Doctor
PNPC Jared Nicholas
USS Galileo

Lieutenant Asahi Kita
Executive Officer
USS Atlas

Lt. Prudence Devin
Chief Counsellor
USS Galileo

Lieutenant JG Avery Harlowe
Science Officer
USS Aventia
[NPC Devin]

Lieutenant JG Aria Rice
Security Officer
USS Aventia
[NPC Devin]

PO3 K'os Beaumont
Engineer's Mate
USS Galileo

Lieutenant Commander Norvi Stace
Commanding Officer
USS Galileo

Lieutenant Commander Dea Mialin
Executive Officer
USS Aventia

Chief Petty Officer Pax-Inyo
Master-at-Arms
USS Galileo

LCmdr Allyndra illm Warraquim
Acing XO
USS Gallileo

CMCPO Markum Quinn
Chief of the Boat
USS Gallileo

 

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