Let's Kick this Pig

Posted on Sat Dec 28th, 2024 @ 11:09am by Captain Velasaria Azumé & Commander Roscoe Mayhew & Lieutenant Commander Clare MacArthur & Lieutenant Commander Benjamin Ingram Dr & Lieutenant Jennifer Matthews

1,996 words; about a 10 minute read

Mission: Mission 2: Bad Moon Rising
Location: USS Amaterasu

Velesaria took a deep breath as the turbolift doors parted, tugging on her uniform jacket as the din of the bridge in full hit her. Overlapping conversations, the hum of consoles on idle, foot steps along the deck as officers and crew rushed from station to station. It felt like home, Vel.had spent her life on starships and thankfully where the action was for most of it. This was it though, this was her ship, and they were about to take her out for the first time. Fucking wild. Who would have guessed an Orion, a refugee from the syndicate would sit in the center chair of a Federation starship.

As she took her first steps into the controlled chaos, a sharp voice cut through it all. "CAPTAIN ON THE BRIDGE." The noise of the bridge suddenly stopped, the crew snapping to attention. Chief Eldren, her towering Chief of the Boat was always able to command the attention of a room.

Looking around the room, Vel did her best to project calm and belief in those around her. The belief wasn't hard, the calm she had to work at, she was nervous and excited and jittery all at once. Vel stepped up to the Command Chair, pressing the ship-wide intercom.

"Captain to Crew. Almost time people, if you haven't already begin final checks to leave Space Dock. The Admiral wants us to get this boat off of her front lawn." Her joke earned her a polite chuckle or two from some of the Earther crew and confused looks from all the rest. "Ten minutes warning everyone." Vel clicked off the intercom to address the bridge crew.

"As you were people, XO contact Space Dock and request clearance to disembark, Helm, begin pre-flight sequence."

Mayhew stepped out of the turbolift after the captain, giving her deference due her rank to enter the bridge alone. She had given him an order, though, so he marched out like the good soldier he was.

"Aye, captain." Mayhew strode to Communications and relayed his authorization to the Spacedock. "Request sent."

"Farewell civilisation, and welcome to the parts of the map where depictions of dragons and banes of sailors are drawn," Ingram said from the science station, turning on his chair to look at the main viewer. "I'm looking forward to the chance to get out and do some actual science. Not just research and conferences."

The two crates of Andorian sapphire pinot in a cargo bay might have something to do with his good mood, but the wine was mere ballast.

"Before we engage warp drive I'd like to permission to run a quick spectal calibration using the system's primary star. Just to make sure the engineering crew bolted in everything according to the instruction manual?" He asked.

"Do it," Mayhew said from an auxiliary tactical panel, not waiting for the captain to reply. "Never can have too much intel on our surroundings."

"Should be plenty of time to run a calibration before we clear the markers for warp speed." Vel added as she surveyed the bridge one more time.

"Yes Ma'am," Ingram said as he began to queue up the test programs in the command buffer of his console.

Clare gave the Command officers a sharp nod as she finished glancing over her station, "All green here, Captain."

"Very good." Vel made her way around to the Captain's chair, her emerald hand resting on the back of it a moment. "I know there have been many sudden changes, and it was only a few months ago we were taking off for parts unknown, we thought for years. But life in the Fleet is about expecting the unexpected while we explore the unknown. I guess we just started that off a little sooner." Vel looked around the bridge. A calm, confident smile began to form on her lips. "Here's hoping our next adventure isn't quite so perilous."

Sliding into the chair, she pressed the comms button, a familiar chirping followed by a bosun's whistle. "All crew secure, prepare to undock." The internal comm clicked off and Vel tried to settle back into her chair. It felt big, too big. Looking up and around eyes were in her, hands at the ready.

"Helm release Moorings and Docking Clamps, advise Starbase we're taking under our own power."

"Aye Captain."

"Mister Ingram, calibrate navigational sensors for warp Jump."

"Yes, Ma'am," Ingram said dryly. He turned to his console, which ran along the flank of the bridge, and began his work. Much as a pianist might tune his instrument or a soldier calibrate his weapon, Ingram went about fine-tuning the keen senses of the Amaterasu. Light speed senses, subspace faster than light repeaters, even the super space transmitter that was little better than shouting in a vacuum which worked. Gravimetric sensors made of ultradense neutron-doped Osmium quietly vibrated in a cage of magnetic fields and cooling liquids, instantly repeating the tidal waves of gravity washing over the ship.

"Navigational sensors online out to one half light year at sub-micron resolution. Data syncing with deflector controller running at minimal packet loss," he said with a mew of disapproval. "The port side optical repeater is sticking to its gimbal. A problem I'm sure we can fix if the helm can just scrap us alongside the doors on the way out."

The helm officer looked back over her shoulder, the Andorian quirking and eyebrow and and both Antennae at Ingram and then toward the Captain. "I'm fairly sure he's kidding Ensign." She turned to Ingram with a raised eyebrow of her own.

"Engineering to bridge. Impulse and warp speed are available at your command."

"Well, you heard them people we're ready to.go." Vel smiled widely taking one last look around. Helm. Take us out, one-quarter impulse, and no scraping the fresh paint of the hull "

"Aye, Captain." The Andorian turned, their blue hands danced across the helm, first initializing thrusters. The chemical reactants flowing through the ship, Vel could swear she could feel a slight vibration as the ship slowly came to life and the thrusters fired. Pulling away from the dock, she watched the view screen as the umbilicals stretched and then released, the ship drifted a moment before the forward thrusters fired, moving the hulking vessel into the space lane.

---

Down in Engineering, Jenni stood above the pool table, checking each of the indicator lights running solid across the displayed schematics. One of the last upgrades at spacedock included a new display with touchscreen buttons. Sure there were still several switches and other buttons present, but advances in display technology allowed for new innovations to be introduced across the ship. These changes allowed for stations to be easily reconfigured to control damaged areas of the ship, or control panels that were cut off from physical access.

"Grok," she called out, "take a final look at the impulse cluster. Make sure the fuel rods are properly discharging."

"Yeah, yeah," the Tellarite grunted. "I've checked them four times already. If anything's going to ignite, it'll be the antimatter when the injector sparks."

Jenni groaned, even though she knew her assistant chief was joking. In all actuality, she was worried more about the replacement magnetic constrictors. Because the ship was still so new, replacement warp cores were not available, so theirs had to be patched. The last thing she wanted was a containment leak or breach, which meant that she and her staff were all wearing the white radiation suits as a precaution. "Then let's check those while we're at it. That call for warp speed will happen before we know it."

All crew secure, prepare to undock.

"Speaking of." One of the Junior Engineering Officers said as she turned to her panel. Taking a deep breath, she began the sequencer start up for maneuvering thrusters, a small shudder running through the deckplating as they came alive. Like a old racing engine, there was a ever present hum, as systems began to come alive around the room. "Thruster sequencing startup commenced, levels in the green. Ready for Impulse Engine start up on your command."

"Grok!?" Jenni asked, joining the Tellarite at the impulse monitoring station.

"Don't breathe over my shoulder!" protested the temperamental engineer. "The fuel rods are discharging at the same rate they were the last four times I checked them. Diagnostics are solid, and all levels show green."

"Excellent," Jenni said, satisfied once she completed her own lookover of the station. "Main power's already primed, so let's switch off starbase power officially." She returned to the center table and took a moment to close her eyes and calm herself. This was it, her first mission as a senior officer. No backing out now. Let's do this.

Jenni opened her eyes and tapped a couple of buttons in front of her. She could very easily delegate these next steps to a fellow engineer, but there were some things that were just best left to her own volition. And if anyone was going to detonate the ship's warp core by accident or purpose... it was going to be her. The injectors had already been primed. All they needed was a reaction chamber that was powered.

"Bringing the reaction chamber online now," she said out loud, entering a sequence of commands to activate the heart of the warp core. Lights above and behind the dilithium chamber hummed to life, its warm white glow casting a fill light across the forward work area. Lights down the rear power transfer conduit also came to life, indicating that it was ready to carry warp plasma. "Sanchez!" Jenni called out. "Engage injectors on my mark. Three... two... one... mark."

Moments later, matter and anitmatter swirled in their respective directions to the warp core. The glow behind the translucent window increased, followed by a flow of plasma down the rear of engineering. Warp power was now available, and its excess energy was siphoned off into the ship's power systems. Amaterasu's heart was beating, and other systems came to life as well. "Grok," Jenni then said, "initiate impulse fusion reactors."

Grok tapped away at his console. As he worked, new indicator lights sprang to life in front of Jenni at the pool table. After a few seconds, the Tellarite turned to Jenni and nodded. Jenni smiled in return. The first hurdle was now complete. "Engineering to bridge. Impulse and warp speed are available at your command."

"If we were going to blow up, it would be now. I owe the dock side engineers an apology," Benjie said quietly to himself. To be frank he owed them a single apology, not a blanket apology: he was gracious, not stupid.

=====

"Impulse Engine online, one-quarter." The Ensign announced as the ship began its forward movement. Vel sat back in her chair, smiling widely as she cleared the space dock doors, open space, sprawling before then. It was one hell of a view, she'd never get tired of it. As more and more of the Space Dock melted away and their view was full of the wide expanse of space Vel couldn't help but feel her heart pound in her chest. She sat a little straighter, a sly-excited smile graced her lips.

"Helm, set course for Beacon one-one-five-seven. Warp Six.

"Course laid in Captain, ready on your order."

"Engage."

The stars on the view screen blurred and stretched, the ship seamlessly accelerating forward. The jump to warp was smooth, smoother than they had been leaving Space Dock six months ago. So much was new since then, the ship, the crew, their mission. They were more than a warship now, they were explorers again, instead of turning to face their old enemy they were venturing out into the stars. Vel couldn't think of anything more appropriate, a vessel and crew forged in fire, heading out into the night, shining a bit of light into all the dark places undiscovered.

 

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