The Other Shoe Drops Part 1
Posted on Tue Mar 5th, 2019 @ 3:40am by Commodore Tyler Malbrooke & Gunnery Sergeant Flarn & Staff Sergeant Shayla Kunadt & Lieutenant Commander Larim Myles & Ensign Dana Wakefield
Edited on on Tue Mar 5th, 2019 @ 4:02am
2,215 words; about a 11 minute read
Mission:
Episode 6 - Old Habits Die Hard
Location: USS Pioneer Bridge - Deck 1
Timeline: MD004 1100 hrs
The hour had come, Tyler had discussed and mulled over and planned with Quinn and Andrew and now was the time all of that would be set into motion. They would either start a war today or end one. He jogged from his ready room and took his seat. Tyler decided perhaps a relaxed approach would ease the tension with the crew a bit. He looked around bridge and realized that with the exception of Larim and Dana the rest of his bridge crew was on assignment. "Whelp this won't due..." He said to the stark bridge. He tapped his comm badge =/\=Will the following people please report to the bridge for duty. Lance Corporal Shayla Kunadt, Ensign Clarissa Rockwell, Staff Sergeant Flarn, Lieutenant Ameri O Flannagain. On the double please...Malbrooke out.=/\=
Tyler heard the turbolift doors open and noticed that Dr Ballston stepped off. "Ah Doctor looks like you have a temporary promotion. Have a seat you're the XO for now." He smirked as he pointed to Quinn's chair. "Myles keep a close eye on the skies as it were. I don't expect company but if someone shows up I want to be ready for them. Once the teams leave raise the shields and keep them raised. Dana I am going to need you to work with Ms Rockwell when she arrives. Keep this ship together. Top three systems Shields, Weapons, Life Support in that order. Understand?"
Larim had just stepped out of the number two turbolift in time to see the good doctor take his place in the XO's seat. "Looks good on you!" he smiled as he proceeded to get onto tactical. Wow this place is empty he thought to himself as he took his station over from the crewman that was manning it.
Dana for one was enjoying the quietness on the bridge if only every shift could be like this, only a gentle hum and the occasional beeps from her console. Normally with all the noise and commotion, you couldn't hear yourself think, it was pleasant but somewhat eerie at the same time.
"Aye, sir, shields, weapons and life support. After the recent upgrades and modifications my department has done, we are more efficient than ever, plenty of reserves and available power if you need it Lieutenant Myles." she replied tapping away and glancing over various system reports on her console.
"Great work. Keep it up. I expect that we will be tapping those reserves. I also expect to be coming out of this with the shop in tact." Tyler smiled as he tapped the Ops console.
As Tyler made his way back toward the command area, he heard the distinct gruff voice of the Pioneer's EMH, Bones. "Sick Bay is ready and standing by for whatever you cowboys can through at us." Bones said. Ballston who was taking the report smirked and relayed the news to the Captain. "Somehow I know we will make it through with him around." Tyler said about the EMH.
Shayla had been sitting in the Snake Pit as she played a game of strategema with Flarn. The two had been side lined for this mission. She was rather forlorn about that, well until the Captain's call came over the comm system. She smiled at Flarn "Well it looks like this will have to wait. We are needed on the Bridge no less. Rare opportunity for jar-heads like us eh big guy."
Flarn snorted "You are just excited because I was winning. Now you get out of the loss yet again." He stood up with as close to a smile as a Tellarite could get. "I guess we should see what the Captain would like."
Shayla laughed and tapped her comm badge. =/\=Sir yes sir! Flarn and Kunadt on our way.=/\=
Ameri and Clarissa were on the same turbolift, when the doors open. They were just making small talk, when both ladies took their station. Ameri wondered how Quinn was doing with his team. She walked over to the science station, and got herself familiarized with the bridge layout for the station.
Clarissa had walked over to the engineering station, was not as eager as Ameri was. She would have preferred to spend her time in engineering. The idea of being on the bridge, was a little intimidating to her. She was an engineer not a bridge officer. She did not say word, she was hoping to be called on for actions and orders. Not for small talk.
Within moments the two Marines were on the Bridge. Shayla's eyes widened as she had never been to the Bridge and her fingers were itching to get a hold of the ship's helm. Flarn being the senior of the two stepped around to the command pit. "Sir Staff Sergeant Flarn, and Lance Corporal Kunadt reporting as ordered sir!" He sounded off in typical Marine cadence. He took the liberty of nudging his friend into attention, something that did not go unnoticed by Shayla.
"Sarge for the duration of this mission I need you to be my link to the ground take the Marine Ops station next to tactical." Tyler said and as soon as the words left the Captain's mouth Flarn took his station. With a smirk Tyler turned to the woman. "Corporal my helmsman is on mission and none of us can fly the Pioneer. Take the helm please..." His voice trailed off as she crossed to the front of the command pit and stared at the helm in wonder. "...And Corporal keep her in one piece."
"Yessir!" was all Shayla's smiling face could muster as she took her seat. If only her Drill Instructor could see her now, and he said she would amount to nothing. Yet here she was about to take an Intrepid Class Starship into a fight.
"Welcome to the Bridge, Sarge." Larim said from tactical
Flarn nodded and gave a snort to Myles. "Thank you sir. Is there anywhere on the ship that you would like the Marines to take station to assist in the security of the Pioneer. The Cure is at your disposal."
"My guys have the armory down, and the bridge. Some of them. But the rest are on patrol. I figure one of mine and a Marine on call. like a team." the Betazoid said.
Flarn nodded and dispatched the rest of the Cure to take up positions as ordered by Myles. Flarn did take one extra precaution. After reading the mission specs he had the Marines arm to repel boarding parties. Just in case.
Dana glanced around, she really didn't know any of them. But she had noticed how the Engineer had been awfully quiet.
"It's not going to bite Ensign." She said with a smile as she looked at Rockwell "And if it does, we have a few marines that can beat it into submission, isn't that right guys." She said now focusing on the other arrivals.
"I'll keep that in mind." Clarissa said, as she started to work the controls. Deep down she wished she was back in engineering.
Tyler cocked an eyebrow and let out a deep breath. They are junior officers but they are starfleet nonetheless. This ship will pull through... he thought. "Ensign Rockwell welcome to the bridge. As usual you will be coordinating repair work with Ops and the Engineers below deck. For the duration of this mission you are the Chief Engineer. Lieutenant O Flannagain I need you to keep those sensors trained away from the planet. I need to know when anything or anyone enters this system. Also prep a probe and a communications buoy. Launch the science probe toward the Badlands. The Comm buoy send to the edge of the system."
Shayla ignored all that began to bustle around her as she slid back and forth and wheeled chair in front of the helm. She reconfigured the console. She had no idea why fleeters liked things so spread out. She condensed all the controls and centralized them. More efficient, quicker for her to use and more Marine. She glanced at a set of controls that read landing systems. She hoped that was something she would not have to look at again. Landing a starship was not something Shayla wanted to do.
Flarn saw that a small seat came out from the console below the Marine station. He felt it was a bit much for a Marine so he chose not to use it. He flipped open a small panel in the console and an earbud with microphone was there. Flarn placed it into his ear. =/\=El t this is the Mission Ops how do you read?=/\= A few moments later Flarn spoke again this time as a series of Starfleet and Marine symbols appeared on his screen. =/\=Yessir read you five by five. Happy hunting to you and the Gunny.=/\=
Clarissa still feeling uncomfortable on the bridge. She wondered how Lieutenant Diari was doing? She could not imagine, what was going through her mind. She was about to head down to the surface of Cardassia. She heard how warm it was on the planet's surface. Almost as bad as being on Vulcan. Not only was she going to Cardassia. What was that like? Very few Federation officers, had ever stepped foot on Cardassia. Part of her, wished she was going to Cardassia, but a bigger part of her was relieved she was not.
Ameri unlike Clarissa, was happy to be on the bridge. She did not realize how much she missed being a Starfleet Officer, she took a seat at the Science Station. At the moment, there was nothing going on. The attention was on her husband's team, and carrying out their part of the mission. She hoped the mission went according to plan. But how often did that happen? All she could was hope. Ameri like Clarissa were not very talkative. Both were trying to get acquainted with their stations on the bridge.
Tyler let the crew talk and speculate among themselves. Deep in the back of his head he chuckled that only the grizzled senior officers were silent, himself and the good doctor. Richard sat in the XO's chair and gazed out at th view screen. Tyler took one last look around the bridge and then sat down in the center chair. He leaned over to Ballston "Speculating about the number of casualties I'll wager." The doctor grimly nodded in the affirmative. "I am as well if that mean anything, but, if we get this plan executed perfectly they will be minimal. Richard informed Tyler that he left Bones in charge of Sick Bay for the time being.
The tones of the bosun's whistle sounded as Tyler Malbrooke opened a shipwide channel. "Attention all personnel, this is the Captain. What we are about to embark on breaks any number of Starfleet regulations. However, it is my belief that our actions will be in line with the spirit of everything that Starfleet and the Federation holds dear. We stand as the last line of defense for a people who are so torn they fractured themselves. As our teams transport to the surface to assist in freeing Cardassia from itself, we will remain in orbit to hold the line. To make sure that none enter the fray. As the dedication of this ship states we will strive, we will seek and we will never yield. We are Starfleet... We are Pioneers." Tyler waited about a minute as his words sank in. "Transporter rooms energize! When transports are complete engage red alert. Corporal take us to the edge of the Cardassian system and set a patrol vector."
The bridge staff looked at their Captain as he sat rigid in the chair and they swelled with pride. Only the doctor knew the turmoil that roiled beneath the surface of Tyler's veneer. A small baited sigh escaped the Captain's lips as the crew set to their orders with the dedication that Malbrooke had come to expect from them. Richard looked at the Captain as the latter spoke sotto voce. "And like a thousand other commanders on a thousand other battlefields, I wait for the dawn..."
A Joint Post By
Captain Tyler Malbrooke
Commanding Officer, USS Pioneer
Lieutenant Commander Larim Myles
Chief Security/Tactical Officer, USS Pioneer
Lieutenant Dana Wakefield
Chief Operations Officer, USS Pioneer
Lieutenant Commander Richard Ballston M.D. PsyD
Chief Medical Officer/Second Officer, USS Pioneer
Ensign Clarissa Rockwell
Engineering Officer, USS Pioneer
Lieutenant Junior Grade Ameri Ó Flannagáin
Stellar Cartographer, USS Pioneer
Staff Sergeant Flarn
Rifle Fire Team 1 Leader, USS Pioneer
Lance Corporal Shayla Kunadt
EVAC Specialist, USS Pioneer
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