An Unexpected Arrival

Posted on Sat Jun 2nd, 2018 @ 11:57pm by Lieutenant Lynsi Mason & Colonel S'er'in'e

Following his appointment S'iraa found himself with the chance to get off planet, the stars were where he was most comfortable and there was a measure of freedom about the stars that reminded him of the Homeworld. Since stepping off the Dreadnought following the damage it had taken in the previous mission he decided, as per flag right to station his flag elsewhere. Along with his Mate, Commander Blackfur, he had sifted through potential assignment locations, bases, even the odd starship for a place to call home but as with the stars, distance also held an appeal. One facility held more than most in his opinion, it was distant yet not overly remote, it was busy but not in the focus of everything like Earth was when it came to Starfleets actions.

After consulting with his Mate on the option together they agreed and securing transport on the shuttle Ramillies, they headed off to Starbase 332. The transit would take a while with lay overs at several stations and planets to get out of the cramped design of a shuttle which to Caitians was a welcome relief.

When they arrived in the system however the situation was not as they expected to find it, the shipboard computer had reported an Ion storm had developed and if the readings were anything to go by it would be a race to see who or what would reach the station first. S'iraa was a capable pilot but Miranda was better and had no qualms about letting her take the number one seat. He slipped into the co-pilots chair and routed power to engines, they had to reach the station before they closed the outer space doors.

With time running out to get nearby ships to safety, Lieutenant Mason and her squadron was pulling extra duty. They had orders to get every bird in the air, and the decision to turn away or send inside had to be made quickly. Most ships complied with the orders. Either it was the threat of the oncoming ion storm, or the threat of the heavily armed fighters bearing down on them, but Blaze didn't care as long as the civilians did what they were told. But now they were facing a tough situation. Available berths had all been filled, with only room for emergency situations remaining. Her orders were clear; any approaching ship was to be turned away if at all possible. She checked her chronometer to verify that only minutes remained before they were to head back when her proximity sensors detected a small ship coming in fast. They seemed to have ignored all of the messages advising them to turn back.

Blaze adjusted her flight path to intercept. The registry identified the ship as the shuttle Ramillies, but beyond that she was in the dark. She reached over on her console and activated the ship to ship comm. "Shuttle Ramillies, by order of the station commander, we are asking inbound ships to reroute their flight path away from the station until an approaching ion storm has passed, barring an emergency situation. I apologize for the inconvenience, but our docks are at capacity due to the storm."

S'iraa heard what was said and looked at Miranda as she focused on piloting the shuttle. "This is Rear Admiral S'iraa, I am requesting permission to land immediately." He sent his authentication code from his console and from the window he could see the storm swirling, twisting within itself as it loomed on the horizon.

Blaze's face formed an puzzled but surprised expression, even though there was no one else in her fighter to see. There was nothing on the mission briefing about an admiral coming in. After a moment she realized that she hadn't replied. "Copy that, Admiral. Stand by." She put S'iraa on hold and switched to her flight control channel. "Control, I have a shuttle carrying who claims to be a Rear Admiral S'iraa. I'm sending his authorization code to you now. How should I proceed?"

Leo was informed about the Admiral's arrival and after checking himself he realised more information was available by a single code, unscheduled but such was the ways of Flag Officers. "Bring him into the CAG main hanger, have the CAG meet him Blaze. Confirm?" Leo felt that perhaps having a Caitian meet another Caitian would smooth over any displeasure that perhaps might have been suffered by the delays.

"Copy that, Control. Clear a space for us and I'll bring him in. Blaze out." Mason switched back to the external comm. "I apologize for the delay, Admiral. Our landing bays are still full, but we can clear a place for you to land in our fighter hangar. It's not the most luxurious landing site, sir, but it will have to do. If you can follow me, we'll escort you in."

S'er'in'e waited on the shuttlebay hanger floor for the shuttle to arrive, this one Caitian, the Caitian he'd heard much about. S'er'in'e had made sure that his ear pieces were on and his brow piece in place. Not strictly Starfleet uniform but very much so for Caitians. While S'iraa was from a different Caste his import was no less important than any other, S'er'in'e was from a warrior Caste and was more than happy to greet the Admiral. It dawned on him that the last Caitian he met swiped him during training and left him with more than a bruise or two.

Having been escorted in S'iraa watched through the cockpit viewport the hanger bay pull into view, he knew this was not the normal hanger considering there were more fighters than typical expected craft. The other Caitian was instantly picked out from the busy crews rushing about no doubt to secure craft for the pending storm. "Touch down in two Admiral." The pilot spoke.

"Very well." Retreating to the rear cabin S'iraa packed his things and made sure that his Mate, Miranda, was also ready to depart.

When the shuttle touched down and the rear door opened S'iraa stepped off first flanked by Miranda. S'er'in'e stood waiting and when he saw the Admiral he took a step towards. "Admiral, Ma'am. Welcome to 332. I'm Colonel S'er'in'e the CAG."

"Admiral S'iraa and my Mate, Commander Miranda Blackfur." S'iraa replied. "I would like some quarters for my Mate and I would like to see the Captain."

"Of course. Right this way." S'er'in'e spoke his hand to one side towards the door.

Rear Admiral S'iraa [P: S'er'in'e]
Starfleet Command, 11th Fleet

Colonel S'er'in'e
Commander, Air Group

Lieutenant Lynzi "Blaze" Mason [P: Von]
Squadron Leader, V/F-37 "Claymores"