Unto the Inky Black
Posted on Wed Dec 18th, 2024 @ 9:17pm by Captain Ewan Darrow & Rear Admiral Yoshi Minawara & Commander Jonathan Mantell & Lieutenant Commander Asahi Kita & Lieutenant Njalia Sayffier & Lieutenant Rufus Marocain
Mission:
Take My Hand
Location: Esquimalt; USS Vesta
Timeline: MD01
1773 words - 3.5 OF Standard Post Measure
If you were to make a film about a command centre of a Starbase, many people would show it quiet, calm, and almost boring. Only when something was going wrong would any action happen, to hype up and showcase the thrill of the moment. This was about as far from the truth as one could get without outright lying. Around Esquimalt Station Command a constant chatter filled the room. Comms officers talked to starships of all kinds directing them to their correct locations, and moving them where they needed to go. Security Officers read out directions to various members of their teams, and Strategic Operations mapped out the flow of vessels across the entire sector that responded to their command authority. It was busy, and constantly the room was filled with the general din of a room that was busy. To those who were not used to it, maybe more accustomed to the slow pace of a starship at warp, it was overwhemling and confusing. To those that were comfortable though it was the opposite, almost calming to have the constant flow of sound around them. Yoshi Minawara, Rear Admiral in charge of Task Force 72 sat somewhere in the middle. In the last while he'd been here, he had become accustomed to the constant chatter in his visits to the space, listening to the flow with a carefully trained ear. Once it was used for tracking noises in an Engine Room that shouldn't be there. Now it tracked the crowd around him, listening for a call out that would require his attention. Rarely any of them did, but still it was good practice. Such in the moment he was waiting for.
"Sir?" A young Bajornan Ensign turned to face him from her console. "We have confirmation that the USS Vesta is fully switched to axillary power and the umbilical cord is detached. Waiting for confirmation for ship start up." He nodded, looking towards Captain Penner who nodded back to him.
"Strat Ops," they said, stepping from where they were studying over someone else's shoulder toward the centre of the upper ring. "The USS Vesta will be headed out of here at Quantum Slipstream, departure will be bearing one-eight-nine, negative three. Get me clearance of that route in preparation for their departure. Station Operations get me Vesta's engine room. A series of 'Aye Captain's echoed around the room in response to their orders. A quick chime and another voice acknowledged the incoming transmission.
"Vesta Engineering, Lieutenant Bayer."
"Lieutenant," the Captain continued if there hadn't been a brief pause. "You are clear for Reactor Start." The line went dead. Somewhere aboard the other vessel as series of orders were being bounced around the Vesta-class to let them know they were good to go. Yoshi pulled up a display window on the station he was near, watching the form of his ship - now his flagship. There was a delay, he could read the checklist like the back of his hand, and then he watched as the nacelles came to life, then the impulse engines, next the deflector, and last the various marker lights. She looked as gorgeous as the day she'd first left spacedock. He let out a low sigh, before looking to the Captain. "Sir, your ship is ready for departure. We have connected to her bridge and will have you beamed straight to, your stuff has already been transferred over."
"Thank you, Captain," he said, stiffening slightly. To the left of him was the Command Centre's dedicated transporter, a quick access to ships or to other parts of the large station if needed. "Ensure we are cleared for departure here shortly." Esquimalt's Commanding Officer nodded to him, and he nodded back. Crossing the space he entered the transporter, and waited for the all-too-familiar feeling of himself dematerializing only to appear back in reality standing just aft of the the pool table on the Vesta's bridge. "Captain Darrow," he said somewhat casually as he stepped around to where he could see the rest of the bridge, his eye falling to the centre seat stopping himself from taking it by instinct. "Permission to come aboard?"
Ewan snorted as he looked back at the pool table from the bridge's centre. Ewan stood at the apex of the platform, standing above all the other stations, the centre of attention and the supposed calm of the storm. "You wouldn't listen if I said no anyways. Welcome aboard Admiral." Ewan finished more formally, "Systems are running at peak efficiency. Your flagship awaits it's orders."
"No probably not," Yoshi said with a smile as he took a couple steps forward and surveyed the bridge.
Njalia ran a third check of the sensor systems, she knew it would not be different from the first two, but getting ready to leave on a new mission always made her nervous. It was unreasonable, she knew, but still, it had become habit by this point. She idly noted the notification of the transport from Esquimalt but continued with her check.
The doctor was normally in medbay, but for Vesta's relaunch Martin had decided to take advantage of his position as 2XO (and the fact that there were enough non-EMHs in this medbay for him to feel comfortable that they could handle anything in his absence). He smiled and nodded to Yoshi as the Admiral walked on to the bridge.
Rufus swiveled in his chair, a big canid grin showing just a hint of teeth giving the impression of a hound eager to spring to the chase. "Welcome aboard, sir. Ready to depart."
This chair was too comfortable, that was the problem. Jack sank into the seat more than usual, struggling with legs that didn't quite reach the deck. He'd done everything asked of him, and now even Vesta herself was making him regret it. The boy engineer —no matter how temporarily promoted he would remain that— finally wiggled out of his seat, crouching down to examine the chair's adjustment controls. He frowned at them until the chorus of welcomes made him look up, poking his blond spikes over the top of the chair to add his as well. "Engineering reports ready, Admiral. I might not be there, but I promise it's all going great!"
Njalia finally noticed the Admiral and gave him a quick salute before turning back to her board. Jack's comment making her check the energy flows and power systems..
There was a mumble and a small wave from the back. Despite his position, Asahi had managed to keep himself as far as possible from more than giving basic monitoring and updates. With any luck, this would go smoothly and he could shuffle back to his hidey hole office when this was said and done.
"Thank you all. I am sure you've been briefed, so we'll keep it quick. Captain, we're to make for Shalia, authorized for Quantum Slipstream Velocities up to Three, so when you're ready you are clear for the departure." He took steps down the bridge, instinct controlling the movements as he paused looking at the three chairs, the central one once more catching his eye. Instead he settled himself into the mission specialist chair, and crossed a leg in mild annoyance. "Starfleet wants to put on a show, so don't feel compelled to slow down be fore we get there, they think it might be good for our case to show off a bit of flash with our arrival."
Rozha Yarl was at the science station, the chance to observe a quantum slipstream transfer, firsthand, from the inside was an opportunity she could not miss. She nodded to the Admiral when he arrived. Rotha made sure that all of the sensors were properly set, nodding in approval that Operations had everything well tuned.
Ewan nodded as he turned to face the screen, "Lieutenant Marocain, take us out at quarter impulse until we clear the main traffic from the starbase at which point you're clear to take us to Slipstream. Lieutenant M'rrina, please advise the rest of the traffic of our departure and advise them to steer clear of our wake until we're gone. Lieutenant Sayffier, let the rest of the ship know we're departing and to prepare for slipstream transit."
"Yes, sir," replied Njalia propagating the departure message throughout the ship followed by the slipstream transit notification. "S I G at Ops, sir."
"Heading out, one quarter impulse, sir," Rufus replied, trying to contain a tail wag as his hands glided over the helm console. It felt good set Vesta in motion again.
From the too-plush chair designated for the first officer, Jack leaned out across at Yoshi. The Admiral looked about as happy about the seating arrangements as he was, which was enough to make a big grin appear on the Only's face. He whispered across, below the volume of other bridge officers shouting out their duty responses, "Feels weird, doesn't it?" He tossed his head to indicate Captain Darrow's center seat, "You're usually there and I'm usually not here at all."
Yoshi's attempt at a somewhat commanding presence and face cracked into a smile that hid a laugh making a rush to escape him. "You know Jack, I was thinking just the other day about all the swapped seats. You think anyone would notice if I slipped into a gold uniform again and snuck into engineering? Really switch it all up?" The laugh finally broke through, escaping as a quiet suppressed laugh he made a poor attempt to hide as a cough. A sideways look of mild interest from one of the secondary officers on the bridge, cause Yoshi to make a face, leaning back in his chair and exchanging a somewhat playful sideways glance at Jack. Clearing his throat, he nodded back towards Ewan, suppressing another giggle. It was such an alien and weird situation, it was hard to do anything but laugh about it.
Ewan turned and looked at Yoshi and Jack incredulously before simply shaking his head with a chuckle. Walking back towards the centre chair, Ewan sat down in it and grabbed his tea mug to take a sip. "Once more unto the breach and all that, " he said as the viewscreen ahead of them changed, the pinpoint stars moulting into the familiar splotchy, spinning mess of Quantum Slipstream. "Shouldn't be more then a few hours until we arrive, I hope you're ready Yoshi because we both know the Chorus will be."
