So Much For The Little Training Cruise

Posted on Sun Jan 1st, 2023 @ 12:28pm by Captain Tristan Faust & Ensign Tobias "Toby" Dienstag & Commander Lucy Heartfilia & Lieutenant Commander Marc Kitchner M.D. & Lieutenant Braun Bernhardt & Lieutenant Shinobu Miyake & Lieutenant Thraxina
Edited on on Mon Jan 16th, 2023 @ 8:33am

1,543 words; about a 8 minute read

Mission: Mission 1: A Fool’s Errand
Location: Bridge
Timeline: M1 MD07 (2268.22.05) 0200

The ship's chronometer changed to 0200, 18 hours since leaving dock and Charlie shift, the night watch aboard the Midway was three hours in. With all of the over time and general headaches getting the ship to launch, tonight's watch was made of enlisted and green junior officers.

In command of the ship was Ensign Toby Dienstag, who sat on the edge of the Captain's chair. In all honesty he felt incredibly uncomfortable in the chair being a only few weeks out of the Academy. The duty log open on the clipboard wedge sitting on the left armrest. Starting with 2300, the log read "Condition Green" with each subsequent hour being blank except for two small "ditto" marks. Freddy was about to make the same notation for 0200 when a light on the communication console flashed.

Toby dropped the pen into the deck, "Report Crewman," he said in a rather hurried tone.

"Picking up an automated distress call, not far from our flight path," the fresh faced young man responded.

"Source?" Toby asked.

"USS Detroit, NCC-789…," the crewman responded before keying in a sequence into the ship's library computer, "Ptolemy class ship assigned to colonial duty."

The petty officer at navigation turned around to look at the command chair.

Toby paused for a moment, "Condition Yellow, plot an intercept course," he said before hitting the intercom button, "Condition Yellow, Captain to the Bridge," he said.

The announcement pierced through the serene surroundings of the Captain's cabin. Tristan knocked the squat rectangular chronometer off of the night stand. He picked it up with a grimace, 0202.

Lt. Braun Bernhardt, the chief navigator, laid in his bed, his head pillowed by his large meaty palms as he stared at the ceiling. He missed activity; when having something to do it distracted him from...memories. Things he had to do under cover in order to earn the trust of his bosses. He had performed quite a few...questionable actions that had not gone into any debriefing...but he was pretty sure his superiors had an inkling of what kind of sewage he had to wade in to get intimate with the scum he had run with.

And now...here he was. On a pristine Starfleet vessel, wearing nice, clean uniforms and understanding his role as well as the roles of those around him. It all felt so...alien.

His eyebrows rose when the condition yellow alert went off. Without a word his legs swung off the bed and he snatched his boots off the floor....

"Mmf... for God sakes, it's, like, two in the morning..." came the voice of Lt. Shinobu Miyake, Chief of Security from across the corridor in her quarters.

Grumbling unintelligibly, the brunette hastily threw back the covers and swung her legs over the side of the cot, shivering a little as her feet touched the cold, steel floor. Muttering a few choice words, she got up and stumbled over to the wardrobe, where she plucked her neatly-pressed Operations uniform off the rack.

"Seriously, what the hell could they possibly need at this hour?" she grumbled as she quickly pulled the uniform down over her neck. "I swear, they'd better not be waking me up at two in the morning for a friggin' drill, or I'm going to be royally pissed..."

Marc had fallen sleep on the sofa in his office when the klaxon all but threw him to the deck from shock. "Bloody hell. Tris this had not be another drill, I swear to god." He said half under his breath. Mac smacked the direct comm link to the bridge with his hand making some things on the desk jump. "Bridge .... Kitchner, what the hell's going on up there?"

"Bridge, this is Ensign Dienst," the young man said over the intercom, "We just received a priority one distress call. The captain and the commander haven't arrived to the Bridge yet."

"Priority one from where?" Marc asked.

"Several points port of our current heading, not far past the planet Green," Toby responded over the intercom.

"Ensign ... Listen close. PUT! IT! IN! ENGLISH!!!" Kitch bellowed loud enough he probably didn't need the comm system.

Toby flinched and cocked his head away from the intercom. "Sorry Doctor. The USS Detroit sent out a priority one distress message. The Detroit is a Ptolemy class freighter/colony transport, with a crew of 250. Currently we approximately 2.3 parsecs out. We will keep you updated as soon as we know more."

"Thank you. Medical is standing by, Sickbay out." Marc closed the comm link. "Jack ass, I hope he gets a nice case of hemorrhoids." He said under his breath as he stepped out of the office. "Okay the folks, go back to bed," he said to the assembled crew of medical personnel, "What ever is going on, there is nothing we can do at the present."

Just then Captain Faust made it to the Bridge, clad in the green wrap aound tunic. Toby jumped out the chair, almost in shock. "What's the matter Mr. Dienstag?" Tristan asked, rubbing his left eye.

"Priority one distress call from the USS Detroit, Ptolemy class, colony configuration. They are approximately 2.3 parsecs off our set course. Condition Yellow alert and we have plotted an intercept course," the young man explained.

The Captain just nodded and looked at the starfield, hoping the green blog would clear from his vision. He looked over at Toby, "You did a good job Ensign, don't let it get to you," he said in a reassuring tone.

"Dr. Kitchener gave me an earful," Toby responded.

"He does that to everyone, don't let it bother you," Tristan said, as he sat down into the command chair, "Take a station, most seem to still be free."

The turbolift doors swooshed open again and Braun...stood a moment, taking in the scene before him. It was an old habit, one he really needed to quit because he knew people thought it was weird. He stepped onto the bridge, murmured, "Captain", then stood gloweringly over the poor ensign at the navigation station who almost stumbled in his haste to vacate the seat. Braun sat and without a word acquainted himself with the situation via his console, suppressing an urge to ask what was going on.

Thraxina, who looked like she had spent hours getting dressed and made up rather than seconds, was relieved when the big, bearded, burley figure of Braun thumped down to her right at the helm: she hadn't quite trusted the braidless officer, whom he replaced, not to have plotted them a course through a couple of planets and the odd star to get to the distressed ship.

Not that she and the man beside her had exactly formed a 'fun and friendly' relationship in the short time they had been aboard, but at least it was clear to each of them that the other knew what they were doing. "Distress call, course laid in but you'll want to check it." she murmured to him.

Shras stood in the turnoff, feeling rater groggy "0200..the glorious starship life" He grumbled to himself, trying to perk himself up. Ordinarily he'd have a thermos of coffee with him, but in hustling to get dressed he forgot it. Shras was still kicking himself for that one. The doors swished open and the Andorian nodded to the CO. "Captain " he said before taking his seat at comms.

Lucy rushed out onto the bridge, she still had a serious case of 'bed head' as her hair was a mess. Usually the ships Science and First Officer valued how she looked, however with messy hair and bags under her eyes from being woke in the early hours, today she did not. She made her way groggily around towards the Science Station.

"Did someone say distress call?" she yawned as she peered into the sensor scanner.

"Priority one from the U.S.S. Detroit, Ptolemy class tug in a colonial ship configuration. Not far from the planet Green," Ensign Dienstag reported to the commander as she relieved him from the science console.

"We have altered course and have increased speed to Warp 8," Tristan added from the command chair, "Commendation to Mr. Dienstag for handling the emergency while we were all asleep."

"I have the ship on sensors" Lucy reported as she studied the readings through the scope. "I am picking up no life signs at this distance, however there may be something interfering with our long range sensors". She stopped looking through the scope and turned to the Captain.

"Captain, I suggest we board her and conduct a search of the vessel." the young blonde suggested.

"Agreed," Tristan responded, "Mr. Bernhardt, what is our ETA to the Detroit? And any hazards in our flight path?"

"Nothing known in this region of space, sir," Braun replied without glancing at the chart. He was all too familiar with these 'waters'. After a moment he added, "Estimated six hours eta at this current speed."

"Lieutenant Thraxina, increase to Warp 9, I want to see how the engines can take the strain," Tristan responded before standing up. "Commander, if you would come with me, Mr. Bernhardt, you have the CONN," he added before heading towards the turbolift.

 

RSS Feed