Reporting Aboard The Station

Posted on Mon May 29th, 2023 @ 4:48am by Lieutenant Kaal Eraar & Commander Irene Vincent "Rally"

2,356 words; about a 12 minute read

Mission: Season 1, Episode 1: Wanted: A Few Brave Men
Location: Shuttle Bay
Timeline: Between "Par For The Course" and "The Gravity of The Situation"

Alpha Centuri had disappeared long ago and the transport craft, a larger shuttle with a greater range moved through the blackness of space. He could feel the motion of the craft an almost humming vibration under him, but Lieutenant Kaal Eraar was content to sit quietly, reading over his orders on the PAAD he carried.

It was in effect one more in a short list of transfers and reassignments in his career with Starfleet. The Capellan was, as usual, accepting of such things as simply a part of his service in the fleet. To be sent where he was needed.

This time he was headed for a space station, Deep Space K-9, located in sectotor 813, a place he had never been, and was unfamiliar with. The station he noted was located between the Eifie Republic and Rheuysian Reich, and close to the Klingon border. That in and of itself was not problematic, he had dealt with Klingons for years growing up.

=Lieutenant? We're here.= The pilot said as the craft glided toward one of the shuttle bays, "Strap in and I'll set her down.= There was communication between the station's flight control and the pilot which Kaal paid little attention to, in moments he would be on board the next new duty station.

He stepped out of the shuttle and was greeted by one of the bay crew, "Can I help you Lieutenant?" he asked.

"Your Commanding Officer? I am reporting in." Kal said.

"Deck 9, sir, her office is there." Came the reply.

"And the nearest turbo lift?" Kaal asked.

"Third one's working just to the right, should drop you right
at her door."

"Thank you," Kaal said, remembering that being polite was always proper. And with that, he walked to the lift, entered it, and called for deck nine. In moments he arrived. Turbo lifts were not a favorite.

The office was, as he had been told close by. So he adjusted his tunic and walked to the office and stepped inside where no one was on duty, so the door labeled 'Commanding Officer' received his knock.

A few seconds passed before one of the heavy steel doors was forced open, revealing whom Kaal presumed to be his Commanding officer- a tall, athletic woman with a darker skin pigment and black, neck-length hair.

"Okay, what's broken this time?" she sighed, evidently mistaking him for a member of the engineering staff.

"Broken?" He asked, "I wouldn't know, Ma'am, I am Lieutenant Kaal Eraar, Chief Of Operations. I am reporting aboard." He continued, he was not quite sure what to make of her question, however, it was obvious to him that the Commander was distracted concerning the station's problems, though he was unsure how he could help.

The Commander looked a bit surprised. "I wasn't expecting a Chief of Ops for another few more days, but... not like I'm complaining with this arrangement."

She stepped back, motioning Kaal inside her office. "Come in Lieutenant; we have lots to discuss."

"Yes Captain, I am sure that we do. I was surprised to be afforded the opportunity to be assigned as Chief of Operations as a Lieutenant, but pleased to be of service."

"So, I suppose first thing's first," the Commander began, sliding the door shut behind her. "What has Starfleet Command informed you about in regards to our situation?"

"Well, not to my expectations, I was assured that I would be afforded all the information that was necessary. I do understand that there are to be negotiations between the Rheuysian Reich, Eifie Republic, with Starfleet offering membership to both parties. Other than that I was shuttled off as quickly as possible to get aboard the station with the least amount of delay possible, at the cost of a more thorough briefing I'm afraid."

The Commander pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed. "I swear to Christ, Starfleet needs to stop sending me officers and expecting me to fill them in..."

Moving back over to her desk, she sat down and neatly folded her arms together. "Alright, let's go through this, one thing at a time, starting with the negotiations. At present, we're expecting to host them in about 2 weeks' time, so it's of an utmost priority that we have the station up and operational in order to welcome them. Your role in all of this will be twofold: one, to coordinate with Engineering in the manufacture of any small-to-medium parts and components, and two, coordinating supply lines between this station and any nearby Starfleet Outposts, to ensure that any larger supplies we order are delivered to the station in a timely fashion. Any questions?"

"I will do the best I can Captain. Once I get myself settled in I can begin to see where we are in the repairs, as well as the need for parts so that I can get on to ordering the ones that cannot be manufactured on board," He responded cooly. "It won't take me but a day or so to get acclimated to the ship, I'll begin with the Engineering Department and we can go from there, as I suspect everything will be going through them. There is a Fabrication Deck on board is there not? For those things, we can build right here? A pity to have to order everything needed."

"We've got five," Rally smiled. "The main one on Deck 20 is already reserved for Engineering, but we have an auxiliary Fabrication Deck on Deck 22, as well as a smaller fabrication decks located on each of the annexes."

"Good, I thought as much, I mean why would the station not have at least one." He admitted, "Engineering, now, they have crew working steadily I would imagine"

"That we do," Rally nodded. "Things are proceeding at a much a faster clip now that Commander Hopkins is aboard. Granted, a lot of this is still a work-in-progress..." -she motioned towards the non-functioning door- "But it's in a lot better shape than it was a month ago."

"So, parts we cannot fabricate, have they been ordered, at least those we know about, and I would imagine there are things which are suspect at this time, as well." Kaal inquired, almost anxious to dig right in, yet one question remained, "And where is this diplomatic meeting to take place?"

"That is a two-fold answer," Rally explained. "In regards to that first statement, we have at least three major shipments inbound; the first is a replacement parts order for five sanitary recovery units, which will replace the units that Commander Hopkins has determined to be beyond the point of repair. They should be here in approximately... two days, give or take. The Second major item of interest is our garrison vessel, the USS Tigerfish; she's been a few mothballed for a few years now, but she's presently under tow and we should expect to take delivery of her in 5 days' time. However, the warp core is... well, as we humans would say, FUBAR'd- so we've ordered a replacement core, which should arrive a day or two after the ship itself does. Engineering will be responsible for handling installation, but it'll fall on Ops to sign the forms and store the components in a suitable environment until they're needed."

"Yes, well that is certainly a phase to which I have become accustomed to, and you have been busy getting what is needed. The work will occupy a great deal of time and energy." The Capellan replied

"As for the second part of that question," Rally continued, "We'll be expecting to host it in the main conference room across the way from my office; we're already working with Commander Chornovil in regards to additional security measures- should someone be foolish enough to make an attempt on one of the diplomats- but with only two doors leading in and out of the room, we believe it's one of the most secure location on the entire station for these sorts of talks."

"Good, that I am glad to hear. Not that I do not believe in the process of diplomacy, but I understand there are those that disagree with negotiations and peace. All in all, I seem to have found myself in a very busy situation."

Rally suddenly perked up, as if she just had a thought. "Before I forget, Lieutenant, there is one other thing I would like to discuss with you..."

"Yes Ma'am, fire away. I'm pretty much an open book." Kaal replies almost honestly, there were Capellan things that were not something he was at liberty to disclose or discuss.

"A couple of months ago, Starfleet command received some concerning reports that the House Khartan was constructing a shipyard in the Phantohk system, no more than two lightyears from Eifie space," Rally explained. In response to these claims, Starfleet covertly dispatched a spy probe, code-named "Dolphin," to survey the Phantohk system and confirm the presence of a Klingon shipyard for themselves. Unfortunately for us... that probe went silent two weeks ago."

"Not surprising, knowing the Klingons as I do. We dealt with them on my home world, Capella IV. Most were honorable, yet some were brash, yet there were no confrontations. We did not seek war with the Klingon Empire."

"Now, as to this probe, I would say that they destroyed it. They are not much for disabling anything. This space station as you have explained it, is a launch point, or, that is how I see it. They wish to expand, as always, and this Eifie Republic seems to be its first target, Depending of course where the shipyard is located. Either way, it puts them at our doorstep."

"A single House looking to expand without the backing of the Empire, highly irregular."

"Highly irregular," Rally replied. "But seeing as the Klingon Empire is in no rush to discipline them for their actions, we have to anticipate that this is an outcome that they're actually in favor of. And even if the probe has been destroyed, we can't leave the possibility up to chance; we'll need to confirm for ourselves if that probe- or whatever's left of it- still contains sensitive data that the House Khartan might be able to use to their advantage. And if, for whatever reason, we also manage to confirm the presence of a Klingon shipyard in the Phantohk system, then we have direct orders from Starfleet Command to destroy it."

"And so, if I am hearing this correctly, Starfleet is prepared for an all-out war with the Klingon Empire? As we all know, the Klingons do not dabble when it comes to war. It's all or nothing, or that is my experience with them." Kaal quizzed the Commander. "Pretty touchy business, poking the Targ."

"It would seem we have more than one mission, other than making this station ready and that of the diplomatic meeting to come. Interesting situation, indeed."

"A war with the Klingon Empire would be a worst-case scenario," Rally explained. "But as of right now, it's not beyond the realm of possibility, so it'll fall on us to keep one step ahead of them, should they launch a surprise attack."

"Well then, we must complete the repairs on this station before any real hint of a Klingon incursion happens. For now, there are suspicions, and likely well-founded suspicions." He paused, "I agree we need to get our hands on what may remain of the probe. We could get lucky and it may reveal just how far along this shipyard is. But how are we to do this?"

"Well, Commander Hopkins and I have our hands tied up with the station, so your priority will be getting the Tigerfish up and operational as soon as we take delivery of her," Rally explained. "Because this mission is of critical importance to both Starfleet and the Eifie Republic, I can provide you with any necessary accommodations to help you in fulfilling that task, short of blowing up the station. Any questions?"

"ah, the change in orders and responsibilities. I thought that it might be this way, and I assure you I will do my level best to get this Tigerfish prepared and ready for whatever she may be needed for." Kaal stated firmly. "A question, the Tigerfish is an armed vessel? And shielded, or are we, am I, to see to armament and shielding? Not that either would be a problem, Captain."

"You can bet your top dollar it's an armed vessel," Rally replied. "Lancasters are notoriously tough little ships, easily capable of holding their own in a firefight. However, since the Tigerfish has sat for as long as it has, it will be necessary for you to work with Engineering to assess all the major combat systems and determine what exactly needs to be replaced."

"As I would expect Captain. That will be of the utmost importance to its mission and perhaps our well-being. We will see what is required to upgrade her weapons system and defensive shields, among other things. I am sure such upgrades are available. Getting them?" A question of supply and demand, where would the upgrades be available from, and how difficult would obtaining them be? All that in due time.

"Simple enough Captain. That, and the progress on getting the station ready will be my priorities, unless. of course, they should change." He added.

"I'll be sure to keep you in the loop, should the situation require your expertise elsewhere," Rally nodded. "But until then... Welcome aboard Deep Space K-9, Lieutenant."

"Thank you Captain, this will certainly a challenge, a most interesting challenge." He said, rising from the chair. With nothing more to add he walk toward the door way, the door sliding open and he walked out. Now to find his quarters.

Posting By (In Order Of Appearance):

Lieutenant Kaal Eraar
Chief Operations Officer, Deep Space Station K-9

Commander Rally Vincent
Commanding Officer, Deep Space Station K-9

 

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