All Hands!

Posted on Tue May 16th, 2023 @ 5:07pm by Lieutenant Commander Rhiana t'Aegis & Captain Malcom Llwyedd & Lieutenant Commander Cynfor Rees & Lieutenant Commander Jörgen Leed & Lieutenant Tor Ezzo & Lieutenant Owen Woodhouse & Lieutenant Phoebe Baxter & Lieutenant Jackson Smith & Warrant Officer Arlan Harlan & Chief Petty Officer Charles Stephens Jr. & Petty Officer 1st Class Kipp Lak & Ensign Gazo Daw
Edited on on Fri Jun 9th, 2023 @ 9:37am

3,654 words; about a 18 minute read

Mission: Mission 1: A Long Hard Road Ahead
Location: USS Firebird, Various
Timeline: 23 August, 2396, 1000 Hours

[ON]

[Captain's Ready Room]

Malcom was sitting in his office, feet up on his coffee table, shoes off, reading a PADD about the new flight dynamics of the experimental classes of ships currently being built. He'd taken some time to brush up on his flight skills over the past few months, using the Runabout as a way to get off the ship from time to time. He scratched at the new beard he'd decided to grow. His wife thought it was a very questionable decision and reflected his deteriorating mental acuity. He'd ignored her, of course. Outside his windows, the dazzling colors of warp shimmered as the ship cruised along sedately at warp three. He'd tried to increase their speed to warp six a few months ago but had been reprimanded by Starfleet Command for undue wear and tear on the engines. He'd simply wanted to squeeze out a few days of R&R for the crew but had obediently gone back to warp three.

The door to his ready room slid open, and Kipp strode in, back ramrod straight as always and his uniform perfectly creased in all the right places. Kipp glanced around the room, his nose wrinkling.

"Sir, perhaps we should revisit the 'Final Hygiene Conference' we had a few months ago?" Kipp said as he approached the Captain.

"I don't see a reason to do that, Yeoman Lak," Malcom said, avoiding eye contact.

"I'm not talking about your eyes, sir. Your nose would be more appropriate if you catch my drift."

Malcom looked down at his feet. When was the last time I bothered with a shower? he thought. Kipp's key job was to make sure Malcom had what he needed when he needed but his secondary job was to make sure he didn't lose his bearing, which was becoming harder and harder as the months wore on. He knew it wasn't just him either. He put his feet on the floor and sat up, setting the PADD aside.

"Point made, Kipp. I'll drop by my quarters and clean myself up," he said.

"Normally I would consider a small cheer at those words. However, you have an incoming transmission from Starfleet Command."

Malcom jumped out of his seat. This was different. Different was good? "Why didn't you say so!?" He yelled, dodging around his desk and sliding into his seat.

"I was assaulted by the smell and lost my mind," Kipp said, turning to the door. "Oh, and it is Admiral Lebel."

Great. Malcom pulled his uniform straight, mentally questioning the beard, and tapped on the screen. The familiar form of Admiral Lebel, Malcom's long-time protector, and antagonist, appeared.

"Good morning, sir," Malcom said.

Admiral Lebel frowned. "I think you mean afternoon, Commander Llwyedd," the Admiral said. Malcom grimaced.

"Yes, of course, sir," he replied, trying not to grind his teeth. She'd chosen to use his reduced rank on purpose.

"I won't drag this out, Commander. The Firebird is being diverted from your regular supply run, effective immediately. You will proceed to the Bajoran Wormhole, make your transit, and expedite your arrival at Deep Space Eighteen." Her words were clipped and he could hear the stress behind them.

"I... see, sir. Can you tell me the cause for this diversion?" Malcom asked, using his politest tone.

"The station is still under construction. Three hours ago we received a transmission indicating that they were under attack. Since then we've heard nothing. The timing is probably not a coincidence. The fleet-wide exercise is in full swing and the USS Constitution is at Earth for resupply. Your ship is the only one in the area. In fact, you're the only one anywhere nearby."

Her phrasing made it clear that had there been any other ship, she wouldn't be contacting him at all. "We're ready. The Firebird will find out what's going on."

Admiral Lebel frowned. "Just try not to start an interstellar war, Malcom. Lebel out," she said and the screen went black. Malcom sat back. His head was a little fuzzy. He took a deep breath, nodded to himself, and tapped his combadge.

==<>All Hands, this is the Captain speaking. The Firebird has been ordered to Deep Space Eighteen to investigate a possible attack. All departments prepare for possible hostilities. All department heads meet me in the conference room in thirty minutes. Yellow Alert is ordered throughout the ship. Captain out.<>==

---

[Bridge]
The past few months had not been anything like Cynfor had expected when he took the position of Executive Officer. He knew better than most that the life of an officer was not all save the galaxy, however, they had not had anything out of the humdrum since who knows when.

Rees spent most of the past few months either on the bridge or in his quarters. As time went on, the Captain had become slightly withdrawn and that did not bode well for the Captain's morale or anyone else's for that matter. Rees had finally had enough of the Captain's distance and the crew's lazy mood lately. They may have been relegated to boring duty but the Firebird was still a Starfleet vessel. Cyn stood from the center seat on the Bridge and was about to head to the ready room when Malcom's message came through. Rees smiled as if something was finally happening. He turned to the Duty Tactical Officer. "You heard the Captain sound yellow alert." Now I wonder what is to happen. he thought.

Sitting at the CONN Lieutenant Torr Ezzo watched the view screen almost lost in the warp trails as the Captain's message was relayed throughout the ship. Tapping his workstation he paged Ensign Nusien to the bridge to take over on the CONN so he could attend the meeting. Ezzo had set up a macro to quickly page the ensign to take over at the helm when need be. If he didn't show up he'd have another officer cover the helm in the meantime.

Ezzo took a deep breath. Even if his current path had led him away from the prophets he'd never been through the wormhole. His whole life it had been the celestial temple and now he would be journeying through the home of his gods. Ezzo's heart jumped in his chest a little as he prepared for the department head meeting. Gathering his things he thought to himself, Time to get to work.

There was a lot to digest from the captain's brief announcement. Lieutenant Owen Woodhouse glanced up from the ops station and locked eyes with a few other bridge officers as the bridge's lights dimmed and the cast of yellow alert lighting bathed the perimeters of the room ominously. Well, at least there is no question what that priority call was about, he thought to himself.

---

[Shuttlebay]

Nusien was making a final upgrade to one of the Firebird's shuttles. These upgrades were needed necessarily, however, they kept the Edosian busy and he had the blessing of Lieutenant Tor so here he was. The sound of the bosun's whistle brought him out of the maintenance console. That tone meant there was a message from the Captain coming through. That was something Nusien had not heard in months. He listened to the orders and when the message had ended Nusien finished his work to make his way to the Bridge. He would take the helm while the Lieutenant attended the meeting. It would also give Nusien a chance to go over evasive maneuvers and prepare for combat. Finally, the Firebird was needed for something and this made excitement well within him.

---

[Chief of the Boat's Office]

Charles was posted up in his office that had been assigned to him when the Marines left. Six months ago he loved the idea of being in an office and having a real place for the enlisted to come with issues, but after the last six months of boredom and the drain of the same shit, different day, he was pretty sure his new title was Moral Officer. He was doing his best but when the crew gets restless and unhappy they resort to letting their grievances fly and he frankly was fed up with it. When the hue in the room dimmed and then turned yellow and he heard the Captain's voice a grin came on his face. The Ole Bird was needed again. 'Time to do what we do' he thought as he almost sprinted to the turbolift. "Computer, bridge." He said like an excited schoolboy.

---

[Armory]

B'rala was actually caught off guard at the whistle and Captain's announcement. She was at her post in the Armory but had taken a break from checking inventory for a mid-shift siesta. Once the announcement was completed she bolted out of her chair and first made sure her uniform was not disheveled and then ran to the nearest console and typed in some commands. All of a sudden weapon locker doors all around the room started to slide open and drawers auto-opened as well. Lastly by the main door to the room and podium slide up from the floor. This is where she would be posted ready to issue whatever was needed to personnel as they came for it. It was go time!

---

[Spy Cave]

Jackson was doing his best not to doze off as he was writing up his report of the last trip to Deep Space Nine, when the Captain's voice jolted him into action.

Fighting, people in danger... this was what the Firebird was for! Jackson wheeled over to his console and started frantically typing away. He had thirty minutes to get as much information on the area as he could. First, he would send off a requ... Jackson stopped typing as he noticed there was a message waiting for him in the system. He quickly opened it and it was an encrypted message from Yumi with a file attached to it. A big smile came across his face, she always knew what was happening. Jackson opened the file and began to read up on all the intel they had for that area.

---

[Chief Science Officer's Personal Quarters, Deck 3]

Phoebe was sitting on the floor of her quarters covered in potting soil when the captain made his announcement. She was halfway through transferring her collection of plants to larger pots, her hands cradling the root system of her fuchsia Rhododendron. She felt her heart drop in her chest at the yellow alert, concerned about the prospect of hostilities. The last few months had been boring to some, but Phoebe had found countless ways to occupy her time. She wouldn't have time to finish her gardening, but she had to secure the flowers in her hand quickly so she could shower and make herself presentable for the meeting.

---

[Gym, Deck 5]

"Again," Rhiana ordered a second before the captain made his announcement. She was with Xavi in the gymnasium, working on the boy's combat skills. Unlike almost the entire crew, neither Rhiana nor the boy had been bored or found the lack of 'exciting' missions bothersome. But Rhiana had had a longer career than most crew members and had known similar periods of ordered boredom.

She had taken advantage of quiet duty shifts to continue working on the additional course material she had received at Starfleet Medical. When off duty, she had spent a considerable amount of time training Xavi. He had become rather good at the Romulan martial art she was instructing him in and even though Rhiana made sure not to show it too much, she was proud of his progress. At the same time, the regular hours of schooling that were possible because of the routine cargo delivery runs had a considerable impact on his academics and she was reasonably certain that he would be accepted into Starfleet Academy if he chose to apply in a few short months' time.

Rhiana blocked the blow Xavi was trying to land as the whistle announced the captain's message and immediately took a step back, out of his reach. Thankfully, he reacted quickly, dropping his hands and listening without her having to tell him.

After the announcement, Rhiana looked at Xavi. "After cleaning up here, you will return to our quarters. You have schoolwork to do." Her tone did not allow for any kind of negotiation, but Xavi understood the situation, even though he did not like it and probably would have preferred to hang out in engineering or even on the bridge.

Without another word, she left Xavi to clean up the training area they had used, while she returned to her quarters to shower and put on a uniform. Seven minutes later, she left the quarters again and made her way at a swift pace to the bridge. She may not have suffered under the mandated boredom, but she could not help hoping that this would mean the end of the months-long punishment detail.

---

[Crew Quarters, Deck 3]

Potter was resting in his bunk, watching a video on his wall display when the Captain interrupted his downtime with his whole monologue. He sat up when the message ended, realizing that the good times were about to be over, and somehow, some way, he was going to end up getting shot with a phaser again.

"Shit."

---

[Main Engineering]

Fhiri held the magnification lens to her eye, leaning over the electronics workbench as she stared at the circuit. Over the past six months, she'd done everything Chief Harlan had asked her to do. Somewhere along the way, his gruff mannerisms and clear lack of understanding in regard to modern electronics had become... endearing? That was the point she'd realized that she was going space crazy. Ferengi were not meant to be cooped up on a starship for months on end. They didn't possess the wanderlust of humanity, although greed could appear similar. In desperation, she'd taken to building antique electronics. By hand. When the Captain's voice boomed in her ears, she jerked back, melting the delicate metal circuit she'd been working on for the past three hours, ruining it.

"AGGGHH!" she yelled, throwing down the tool she'd been using. At some point, her brain caught up with her lobes and she processed what was happening. A space station!?. She mumbled a phrase to herself.

Lopt, who had been working nearby and had continued to do so while Captain Llwyedd spoke, looked up. "What did you just say?"

Fhiri shook her head. "Ferengi Rule of Aquisition number two hundred eight: Sometimes the only thing more dangerous than a question is an answer."

"Oh. Ok," Lopt said. "I guess we better go find Chief Harlan and see what he wants us to do."

"Great," Fhiri muttered, eyeing her ruined project and feeling like it was a harbinger of things to come.

Harlan heard the alert and grumbled. "It was about darn time we had some excitement. Let's see what this refit has up its sleeve."

---

[Jefferies Tube Somewhere Between Decks 4 and 5]

With a soft pop, the old chip array popped out. Gantt scanned the alignment readings of each one. The new arrays from the refit were more durable, capable, and finicky than the old ones. A few degrees out of alignment and efficiency tanked.

Realigning the array wasn't even why Gantt was here. There were temperature fluctuations that looked like a bad converter, which itself was actually fine except the new arrays that controlled power flows to life support systems were out of alignment. Gantt thought about how often one thing you thought or set out to do became something else entirely. Like most of the Firebird's missions, he mused to himself with a small smile.

He gently realigned the array while the captain's message echoed through the tube. A small thrill of adrenaline was all he felt--a far cry from his first mission. He was no longer filled with fear but he wondered what this mission would turn into.

---

[Chief Diplomat's Office]

"Therefore, we believe the Cardassian Union is attempting to purchase land on Bajor through agreements with other parties. We have been asked to help determine the legitimacy--that is, not Cardassian--of the purchase requests," said Leed. He paused, waiting for his next thoughts to coalesce before recording further. Lieutenant Harren might have insights into some of the purchasing organizations from the Kalur symbiont. His hand paused, hovering over his combadge while the captain gave his message.

"Computer, begin additional recording." Jörgen stood up to pace the room while he spoke. "This is the first combat mission and the first acute mission since receiving our new mission. Perhaps fortune smiles on us with a chance for the crew to prove themselves, again, and win a lift for their own spirits.

However, one cannot be too careful. There is also a chance that this attack came precisely because we are the only ship in the area. With a less military complement of personnel. End recording."

He began to compose his thoughts into ideas for the captain to consider if called upon. His thoughts also went to Helle and Jörgen stopped pacing, closed his eyes, and sighed. He had to separate his daughter from the ensign she had become. "I hope it grows easier with time," he muttered, and tapped his combadge.

"Lieutenant Harren, please come to my office to discuss this change of events."

---

[Cargo Bay 2]

After one final tap on the PADD, Baris sank down onto a cargo pod. Six hours of work. Six hours of straining over the PADD to compare requisitions, orders, and notes. His report to Lieutenant Woodhouse was done. He drew in a long breath and let it out slowly, the relative silence of the bay broken by the captain.

Possible attack. Possible hostilities. Yellow alert. Six hours flushed faster than a wild hair at a dabo table. An entirely new set of operations and demands had to be prepared pending decisions by command. Baris headed back to his office to prepare, the only witness to the muttered cursing under his breath.

---

[Shared Personnel Quarters]
Gia curled comfortably on her bed with her nose in a PADD, had been immersed in her own world of reading and studying since she and Daw had ended their Gamma Shift rotations and returned to the room several hours earlier. Their shared quarters were lit only by the ambient starlight scattered across the warp field outside. Daw was a great roommate; she'd nearly lost track of what he was doing, if he was still awake, or even still in the room.

The chime of the intercom and subsequent announcement from the Firebird's captain brought Gia back to the present moment. She set the PADD aside and listened intently until it was finished. "Through the wormhole?" she asked aloud, biting her lip for a second with anticipation as questions burned in her mind. "That's... exciting."

In his dreams, Daw was back home on Bajor. He was inside his body but also could see outside his body. It made no sense, but that was the way dreams sometimes worked. The sky was clear and beautiful overhead. He knew, he felt that somewhere overhead, was the Celestial Temple. He'd seen it a few times before and it was always staggering in its beauty. He took a step and then the Captain was in front of him, yelling.

"WAKE UP CADET!" Captain Llwyedd screamed and Daw fell down.

He hit the deck with a groan, his face slapping against the floor and his eyes fluttering. He could hear the Captain still speaking.

"What's... what's going on?"

The two cadets looked at each other in excitement or fear or both.

[OFF]

Commander Malcom Llwyedd
Commanding Officer
USS Firebird NCC-88298

Lieutenant Commander Cynfor Rees
Executive Officer
USS Firebird NCC-88298

Lieutenant Commander Rhiana t'Aegis
Second Officer / Chief Security/Tactical Officer
USS Firebird NCC-88298

Lieutenant Commander Jörgen Leed
Chief Diplomatic Officer
USS Firebird NCC-88298

Lieutenant Jackson Smith
Chief Intelligence Officer
USS Firebird NCC-88298

Lieutenant Tor Ezzo
Chief Flight Control Officer
USS Firebird NCC-88298

Lieutenant Soto Gantt (NPC by Leed)
Assistant Chief Engineering Officer
USS Firebird NCC-88298

Lieutenant Phoebe Baxter
Chief Science Officer
USS Firebird NCC-88298

Ensign Nusien (NPC by Rees)
Flight Control Officer
USS Firebird NCC-88298

Chief Warrant Officer B'Rala Of House Seeth (NPC by Stephens)
Master-at-Arms
USS Firebird NCC-88298

Chief Petty Officer Charles Stephens Jr.
Chief of the Boat / Assistant Chief Intelligence Officer
USS Firebird NCC-88298

Warrant Officer Arlan Harlan
Chief Engineering Officer
USS Firebird NCC-88298

Cadet Gazo Daw
Cadet Junior Grade
USS Firebird NCC-88298

Cadet Giana Djokovic
Cadet Junior Grade
USS Firebird NCC-88298

 

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