Supernova (Part 5 of 5)

Posted on 20 Sep 2018 @ 12:48pm by Rear Admiral Lirha Saalm & Commander Scarlet Blake & Commander Allyndra illm Warraquim & Commander Luke Wyatt & Commander Marisa Wyatt & Lieutenant JG Tris Shizn & Lieutenant JG Matthew Plumeri & Ensign Mimi & Chief Warrant Officer 3 Azra Ghoc & Petty Officer 3rd Class Constantin Vansen & LuAnn Lovegood PhD
Edited on on 20 Sep 2018 @ 1:03pm

2,892 words; about a 14 minute read

Mission: Episode 15 - Emanation
Location: Rigel II - Avondale Shipyards, USS Galileo-A
Timeline: MD 146, 1929 hrs

Previously, on Supernova (Part 4)...

Tris could feel the excitement in the air of the bridge. His Andorian senses were picking up elevated electro-chemical activity from the crew. This sensation brought a slight smile to his face. Yet, it broadened even more as the nose of the Mark II Nova Class starship eased out of the construction berth. Tris thought the stars seemed brighter than normal, but he knew that it was most likely just his own excitement.

Shizn now saw light glint of several objects forward and to the side of their position. The sensor display confirmed that 2 shuttles were present and now moving forward in unison ahead and with the Galileo-A. Tris wasn’t quite sure what their purpose was, but they weren’t interfering.

And Now, the Conclusion...

[ON]

The starship was only half way out of the construction berth and had achieved the expected velocity with the thrusters. Shizn eased back on the thrusters, allowing its momentum to carry them the rest of the way, until they cleared the docking web. That must have been the cue, because a second later the 2 shuttles ahead of them began to spray something out in all direction. It was like ‘fireworks of old’, like the grandeur of a royal parade, or honoring the victor of a great battle. Pulsing streamers of light and color cascaded outward, as if signaling the birth of a new life.

Shizn was so amazed by his display, he had to make himself watch the sensor display on his console for that expected moment, and was now able to report, “Captain, we have cleared space dock.” Tris noticed that the pyrotechnic display had now altered slightly; adding small balls of light being launched forward as if to say, ‘Get out of the way. Here she comes.’

It was a sight Lirha had only seen a handful of times in her life -- the official commissioning and first deployment of a new starship from spacedock with all its Starfleet grandeur on full display. Anti-matter fireworks detonated in small clusters alongside port and starboard while the small silver starship coasted forward and cleared the orbital traffic pattern. The two small escort shuttlecraft peeled off and veered back to the construction facility.

Mimi had never seen anything like this before, she looked across at Tris and then at several of the bridge crew. Their attitudes looked relaxed so she relaxed too, they were in no danger.

Marisa wasn't ashamed to stare out the window as the ship slowly made its way. They really had pulled out all the stops for this launch.

Luke had locked down security for the time being and had let everyone experience the spectacle. For him though it was also a great excuse to join the rest of the crew and a better excuse to find Marisa. He found her staring out of the main observation window where a crowd had formed. "Its pretty something isn't it Lieutenant?" He said coming up behind her with a smile. "I think the last time I saw anything like this was when the Dominion war ended."

She turned to Luke and smiled, pleased to see him. "It's quite a sight." For her, this was a rare opportunity. "Where were you when the war ended?"

"I was right there in the thick of it, my unit was one of the many dispatched to Cardassia Prime. We assisted in the invasion and then after the Dominion surrender helped with the relief aid before being shipped back to Earth where the real party started,” he said casually. "I don't remember much from that night, or the next few,” Luke chuckled.

"I'd love to hear about your experiences some time," Marisa said. "I was teaching on Vulcan when the war ended. Celebrations were...muted."

“How does dinner in three nights time sound? I can tell you more and we can get to know each other more, after all I did enjoy our walk together” Luke asked his eyes more on the fireworks than on Marisa.

She was glad he wasn't looking at her at that moment as her smile was a little more revealing than she would have preferred. "Dinner sounds lovely." She looked forward to getting to know Luke better--and to hearing about his time in the Marines.

Luke didn't have to say anything more, he'd message her the details for the meal later in the week. Instead he allowed himself and Marisa to stand closer to one another than maybe two department heads should do in public.

"Now that's a send off. I tell ya, it's not often, rare in fact, but when Starfleet wants to...they put on a damn fine show now and again" Matt said to himself more than anyone.

Inside the vessel's bridge at the primary Operations console, the familiar repeating chirp of an inbound transmission began to sound and echoed throughout the small command center to indicate an incoming hail.

"Captain, we are being hailed," Mimi said after checking the console. "From the starbase."

"Put it through," the Orion captain replied, now standing from her seat to step forward into the center of the bridge where she was best illuminated by the overhead lighting for a visual hail.

The large viewscreen at the front of the bridge blinked and suddenly displayed a side-by-side image of two senior gold-collared personnel. Saalm instantly recognized them both as the captain of the USS Supernova test crew and the starbase commander, and smiled in an attempt to put forth her best presentation for the assumed congratulatory messages.

"Captain Saalm, it looks like you're adjusting well," the senior Advanced Starship Design Bureau captain mused.

The Orion resisted the growing blush and tried to keep her cheeks from turning a dark shade of forest green. "Thank you, Captain Rasmussen. She's in impeccable condition and your reputation does not do your crew justice," she half-complimented and half-flattered.

The old grey-haired Human snorted then chuckled. "She's still rough around the edges, but I expect your crew will tune the inertial damping field to your liking. Just don't plow her into a star by accident with all that extra impulse thrust," he grinned with narrowing eyes.

"Yes Captain Saalm, you do have orders afterall," added the second man on the left-hand portion of the viewscreen. It was Rear Admiral Tomari, Avondale Shipyards' commanding officer. "I trust you won't be taking your new starship into the Klingon Neutral Zone again?"

"Yes. I mean no, admiral," Saalm eventually replied after a short moment's pause. She'd expected as much and such comments came with the territory of being a formerly-convicted Starfleet criminal. "No Klingons this year. I promise. We await your orders."

"Good. You're to rendezvous with the rest of your convoy here in high orbit," instructed the shipyard commander. "Vector one-eight-one mark six-zero. From there, you'll be traveling to assume your new area of operations in the Pleiades Cluster and report to Regula I station command for further orders. Understood?"

Lirha instinctively tugged at the bottom of her gray uniform jacket to smooth it down while lifting her chin slightly in acknowledgement. "Yes, admiral. And thank you, sir...from myself and my crew, for this opportunity."

Blake looked to the Captain with a small smile, enjoying the moment, the atmosphere on the bridge, and the way Lirha was getting back into the saddle so easily. She had to resist the urge to say 'here, here', and instead gave a respectful nod of agreement as she looked to the Admiral, to convey her own gratitude.

The captain punched the designated coordinates into her chair's arm console then relayed the vector information to the conn. "Mister Shizn, set course for high orbit and assume formation with the rest of our task group. One-eighth impulse."

“Yes Ma’am,” Tris said not able to hold back his excitement. “Increasing to one-eighth impulse.” He quickly made the increase, which allowed the Galileo-A to move off quickly compared to those areas in stationary orbit.

Shizn located the other starships in a higher orbit. He plotted a trajectory course, “Now coming to two-four-five, mark 40.” There was no need to wait for confirmation. He had already been given his instructions. The stars on the viewscreen shifted to the right and down as the Mark II Nova Class vessel turned with ease to the new heading.

Vansen watched with awe, his eyes warm as he just took it all in. He had never before been on the bridge in a situation like this. And being here, witnessing all of this...it made him feel proud. He felt proud to be here. And to be part of this ship.

Matthew said aloud, "Aww, heck ya! We're going to be in visual range of the Yajest fire comet. Oh heck yeah am I getting some visuals of this, 'astronomical phenomenon' " he said with his fingers using air quotes. "It'll look good in a frame on my wall." He smiled handsomely and with great delight.


1935 hrs

It took no time at all to reach the other convoy vessels. Shizn could now see them in the distance on the view screen, just as he had them on his sensor readout. They were in a standard staggered formation. He read the identification readout, The Trial, a Miranda Class, Okay. The Solaris, a Steamrunner Class, very nice. The Lagrange, ah yes a MacPherson Class. That’s the cargo ship. Ah, and the USS Kali, an Akira Class carrier. I guess she is our protection during this run.

Lt. Shizn reported, “Captain, we will be in formation range in 60 seconds.” A thought flipped though Tris’ mind and the corner of his mouth turned up. “Any particular place you would like me to park her Ma’am?”

Saalm looked down to the center display between she and her XO which contained the command and tactical displays. With the task group's transponder correctly tuned, she could see all the relevant comms and operational data needed for the operation.

"Yes.." she paused to confirm the information she was reading, "assume formation Epsilon-one and take point position. Signal Captain Syvk aboard Kali when we're in position. Let him know we're on station and standing by for his command."

Tris’ face changed to an expression of disbelief, while his antennae angled slight outward. “Yes Ma’am,” he replied not wanting to sound uncertain. Could this really be true? “Epsilon-one. Aye,” Shizn stated confidently, fully aware of what that meant.

A feeling of pride began to well up in his chest, with his antennae standing straight and tall. He thought, I can’t wait to tell my mother that I’ll be helming the lead ship of a task force across the galaxy. He then realized that this entire project was probably totally classified and would have to wait until he was on leave or something to relay the story personally, if he could at all then. Confidence shifted to slight disappointment, his antennae drooping forward slightly.

An indicator light began to flash on the Helm console as they approached the other 4 vessels. Shizn brought the Galileo-A up and over the top of those waiting. Applying reverse thrusters at the key moment. He slowed the ship and brought it down in Z-axis to the desired ‘position’, and adjusted stabilization thrusters for stationary orbit and in formation with the other vessels. Lt. Shizn made a couple more adjustments on the Helm before reporting, “Sir, we are now in lead position of the convoy and at station keeping.”

Blake glanced between the main viewer and her own screen, tapping firmly to bring up the data from the other ships as well as their helm. A slight frown of concentration managed to make its way to her features as she started to run through it all, so she could sync up their formation and warp operations, sending the data on to the USS Kali. The launch had been beyond impressive, and crossed the line into being an honour. But now they were moving, with other ships, out in the expanse...it felt real. And she was keen to get to work. "The Kali reports ready, Captain."

"Thank you, commander." Saalm flashed Blake a small smile while preparing to give her final message to the crew before their task group went to warp. She thumbed the internal comm switch on her console to initiate a ship-wide communique.

"Crew of the Galileo, this is Captain Saalm," she began. "I again welcome you all to this fine starship that's been built for us. It honors me to serve with you knowing Starfleet will expect nothing but the very best from all of us over the next three years. You've all volunteered for this adventure despite knowing the risks, and because of this, you will become heroes of the Federation in due time. We will go where no starship has gone before, into every oceanic trench and stellar corona if necessary to chart and measure the unknown.

"We've just rendezvoused with our ferry convoy in high orbit and are preparing to go to warp. Our orders are to transit to the southern Alpha quadrant sectors and report to Regula I for assignment. From there, we will conduct scientific operations within our new patrol zone. Our journey will take us south past Risa and the Briar Patch and Starbase 67 until we arrive in the Pleiades Cluster."

The captain paused momentarily to consider her next few words. "This first stage of our journey will be challenging but I expect you all to perform to the highest standards. We have six months of transit to make this vessel and crew a fully operational unit. Department briefings will begin at 0800 tomorrow and you will receive more information. Enjoy tonight's celebration at 2200 in the mess hall then get a good night's rest. Congratulations and may the spirits grant us good fortune. That is all."

The communique terminated after being broadcast in all rooms on all decks, and Saalm hoped she'd presented herself and their mission properly to her new crew.


Deck 3, Sickbay

Allyndra had watched the fireworks and the getting into the line with the other ships from the monitors as was the usual case. As the captain's words finished she turned to the sickbay personnel and said, "Enjoy while we have little to do. If you wish to finish early to enjoy the party or some last minute personal time feel free to do so."

A late start for a party she thought, but then again gamma shift was pretty minimally staffed as it was. She had learned of Ban's departure and Blake taking Executive Officer so the task of third watch fell to her as next most senior person. She did not mind at all. It was nice to sit on the bridge and think about things. So with that and handling sickbay shift left little personal time, but then again it never seemed to be much of a big deal. Social life had been not much there over her life so far.

LuAnn planned on going to the party. It was a very good way to see how the crew was getting along so far. And she always loved a good party.


Deck 2, Corridors

Azra's jog had moved into a sedated walk. She had paused only briefly to see the fireworks, and had then been rushing to ensure that the departure went smoothly. It had, and that meant that she wasn't in a hurry. It also meant she had far more work to go than before Galileo left port. She was looking forward to it.


Rigel II, High Orbit

High above the second terrestrial planet in the Rigel system, the small cadre of Federation starships began to maneuver in formation and break orbit. The Akira-class heavy cruiser and MacPherson-class transport vessel were both flanked by the two light cruisers while the tiny Nova II-class Galileo maintained position at the vanguard of the flight.

The synchronized countdown timer expired and the nacelles of each Starfleet vessel began to spool up and glow bright white. Then, with sequential luminescent flashes, each silver starship's hull elongated then snapped into warp and disappeared into the cosmos with a faint burst of light. It was the end of an adventure for some but the start of a new journey for many -- and the future of Federation science now awaited them all.

[END EPISODE 15]

--

CAPT Lirha Saalm
Commanding Officer
USS Galileo-A

Lieutenant Commander Luke Wyatt
Chief Security Officer
USS Galileo-A

LTJG Tris Shizn
Conn Officer
USS Galileo-A

Lieutenant Marisa Sandoval
Chief Science Officer
USS Galileo-A

LuAnn Lovegood
Counselor
USS Galileo-A
[PNPC Sandoval]

CWO3 Azra Ghoc
Boatswain
USS Galileo-A

Cmdr Allyndra illm Warraquim
Chief Medical Officer
USS Galileo-A

Ensign Mimi
Deputy Operations Manager
USS Galileo-A

PO3 Constantin Vansen
Operations Officer
USS Galileo-A

CDR Scarlet Blake
First Officer
USS Galileo-A

LTJG Matthew Plumeri
Science Officer
USS Galileo-A

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