Out Among the Stars Again

Posted on Wed Aug 30th, 2023 @ 8:49pm by Captain Charlotte Rhodes & Lieutenant Commander Ryan Knight & Lieutenant Jackson Rutledge II & Lieutenant Michaela Holland & Lieutenant William Henderson & Lieutenant Callie Knight & Lieutenant Savar & Lieutenant Steven Edgeware & Lieutenant JG Bobbi Katz

1,665 words; about a 8 minute read

Mission: Episode 2: The Passage
Location: USS Defiant
Timeline: MD 1: 0900 Hours

OOC Charlotte: Ryan, do you want to set the seen getting the bridge crew ready for launch? I can set it if not

Ryan was sitting in the center seat, a rare occurrence for him, despite his billet as XO. The recent arrival of new officers and crew had alleviated to a great extent their short handedness. He glanced at the main viewer which held an image of the transit tunnel inside Starbase Arcadia. He was quite excited to start their new mission. He looked about the fully staffed bridge. "Everyone, please ensure that all in port watches have been secured and that all underway watches are fully staffed and prepared for departure. Report status when you receive confirmation from your division officers."

"Operations staff are at their posts, sir. Ready to depart, sir." Rutledge reported. He checked his console to make sure that all sections had standby power available.

Savar was in the diplomatic office as he did not have a bridge station. He walked to the wall intercom and switched it open. "Savar to bridge, Diplomatic office is ready for departure."

Though he didn't have a station on the bridge, William stood off to the side and replied. "Intelligence all set for departure, Sir."

Steven liked being on the Bridge it was were everything happened. Ok he enjoyed being in the science lab poking his nose in some new sample they had found on an away mission. But this was the place to be especially when a new journey was on the cusp of starting.

"Science department all ready and waiting Captain." Steven reported.

Contrary to what the science officer was feeling, Michaela did not like being on the bridge. It was where the major decisions were made, but for an engineer like her it was as far as one could get from just about anywhere she'd be needed if something went wrong. She felt isolated from her staff, relying on comms that could fail, and her bridge console had space for only a fraction of the information the master systems display in engineering would have on hand.

Being on the bridge did have its perks though. Seeing what was going on in real time enabled her to issue orders proactively, instead of reactively. Sometimes those few extra seconds could make all the difference in making a big problem into something much more manageable. Plus there was always the benefit of being seen, and getting recognition when the mission went well. Captains and bridge officers got onto recruiting posters and had schools named after them. Engineers who spent most of their careers anywhere but the bridge? Not so much.

"My board is green, Commander." Michaela said aloud, using the old spacer idiom to indicate that there were no apparent issues. Michaela knew the saying, but had no clue where it had originated, as no one really called their console a board, and green didn't always mean all was well.

"Bridge to Engineering, confirm all systems nominal." Michaela said in a softer, meant only for her subordinates. It wasn't that she didn't trust her work station, but she knew that her assistant, Lieutenant Katz, would have a clearer view of the big picture.

Bobbi slipped onto the bridge, following the Chief Engineer's orders. She wasn't happy about being here, but her CO wanted her to have more Bridge Experience. Which was what she needed to get a Promotion to Chief Engineer herself one day. He ear twitched with her annoyance, but she was at least comfortable in her Daisy Duke Short Shorts and white sleeveless tank top.

The chief engineer didn't immediately react as the turbolift doors opened, as she was preoccupied with waiting for a response over comms. Then she heard an unfamiliar voice report back. Well, not not quite unfamiliar, but not the one she'd been expecting to hear. Then movement out of the corner of her eye caused her to glance over toward the new arrival.

Michaela's eyes bulged when she saw her assistant, mostly over what she saw her assistant was wearing. Her hand hovered over the button that would summon a relief officer to her station, and she almost pressed it. But that would bring much more attention their way than she wanted. Michaela opted not to, hoping she could handle this issue with at least some discretion.

"What are you doing here? And why aren't you in uniform?" Michaela said in a hushed, forced tone, almost hissing as she quickly approached her assistant, before the other woman could get too much further onto the bridge. In the morning briefing Michaela had asked if any of the other officers wanted the bridge shift for departure, but there had been no takers. Maybe they had thought she wanted it? But that didn't explain why her assistant looked like she wasn't even on duty.

"The captain is going to freak if she sees you here wearing that." Michaela added. She didn't actually know that for certain, as Rhodes had been okay with some of her non-regulation accessories, but to her there was a big difference between that, and not being in uniform at all.

Rutledge was caught off guard by the woman's appearance, but he quickly turned back to his console. "Ready to go, sir."

Bobbi simply shrugged before she responded. "If I can do the job, then it doesn't matter what I wear." She said flatly.

Michaela sighed. It was too early in the morning for insubordination. "It matters if you want others to know what jobs you can do." Michaela said in an equally mild tone. However peeved she might have felt, she wasn't going to rise to the bait and go full supernova... not in front of the bridge staff; tomorrow maybe, but not today. Why did karma have to be such a... not pleasant thing. It wasn't nearly as much fun being on the other side the uniform dress code regulations.

"Take your post. We'll talk about this later." Michaela said softly as she walked past Lieutenant Katz and toward the turbolift. She tried not to think about how much of a pushover this might make her out to be in the eyes of the other officers, but whatever. She had to pick her battles, and more importantly, the mission had to come before intradepartmental drama.

"As you wish, sir." Bobbi simply said with a shrug. She simply turned to the station to get to work.

Callie arrived on the bridge having made time in her schedule to be there for departure. Being the Chief Counsellor has its perks and having a spot on the bridge was one of them. She smiled at Ryan as she took her seat.

As the turbolift doors opened, Charlotte Rhodes took in the scene before here. Her crew, at the ready, preparing for a new mission. The bridge teemed with activity from conversation console chirps and sensor pings. For a woman who struggled to find herself in the moments outside the uniform, finding the bridge like this was like coming home. She gave herself a moment to take it all in. The bright colors of the bridge perfectly accentuated by the crisp, bright uniforms of her crew and...

For a half second she thought she was hallucinating, sighting a Caitian in a decidedly less-than-regulation choice of attire. After a moment of unintentional staring, Rhodes' head snapped back forward. Stay focussed

Ryan rose to his feet as Charlotte stepped onto the bridge. "Captain on the bridge."

Rhodes stepped cheerfully into the bridge pit. "Status Report, Number One."

"All in-port watches have been secured and all underway watches fully staffed and prepared for departure." He gestured to the center seat. "Would the Captain like to take the conn for departure?" He cast a envious glance at the seat himself before returning his gaze to Charlotte.

Charlotte cracked a smile. "Preparations seem to be running pretty smoothly as they are. Wouldn't want to disrupt things," she replied with a nod to ward the chair. "The conn is yours, Commander."

"Aye Captain." Ryan smiled as he resumed sitting in the Center Chair. "Communications, inform Starbase Arcadia that we are prepared for departure and request clearance for same.

"We've been cleared for departure, commander." Rutlidge replied.

Ryan nodded. "Helm, thrusters forward, 100 KPH."

The helmsman, a recently graduated Ensign tapped the buttons on the console. "100 KPH departure speed aye."

Ryan activated the shipwide circuit on the command console. "All hands, this is the XO. We have been cleared for departure and will be exiting Arcadia Base in 45 seconds."

Bobbi simply watched the power grid to make sure that everything was running smoothly with power to the thrusters.

Rutlidge watched his board and occasionally watched the helm console.

Ryan smiled as the Defiant sailed out into open space. He rose from the Captain's Chair and stepped to the side. "Captain has the conn." He stepped forward and relieved the helmsman before turning back to Charlotte. "Course Captain?"

Charlotte settled into her chair, crossing her legs casually. "Well done, Number One. Set a course for the Carina Nebula. Sector 045B. Warp Factor 6."

Ryan input the commands as he confirmed that order. "Course laid in for Carina Nebula Sector 45 Beta. Warp drive in 3...2...1...mark." Ryan pulled the handle that engaged the warp drive.

Steven felt a surge of power that was probably his imagination. Because if something had gone wrong , everyone on the bridge would have been reduced to liquid splashed over the back of the bridge. He loved this part of the mission as the ship went into warp and they were off.

Callie had never noticed the effects of warp much before, but the fragility of her stomach right now made her feel a little queasy. She took a slow deep breath hoping not to have to get up and rush off.

For her part, the Captain settled into the chair, smiling as she watched the star lines streak past. "Frontier, here we come."

 

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