Preparations For Launch

Posted on Thu Jan 12th, 2012 @ 11:59am by Captain Alexander Gunning & Lieutenant Commander Morgan Kelly & Senior Chief Petty Officer Gilbert Bones [PNPC] & Captain Liarra Von & Lieutenant Commander Nilani Prax & Lieutenant Commander Melissa Daniels M.D. & Lieutenant Commander Sean O'Connell & Lieutenant Marcus O'Connell & Lieutenant Commander Jonathon Bastin PhD & Lieutenant JG Erica De'Havean & Lieutenant JG Allison Price & 1st Lieutenant V'Shan & Lieutenant Palabra Suder
Edited on on Fri Jan 13th, 2012 @ 1:54pm

Mission: The Invasion of Thane
Location: Main Bridge - USS Metis, USS Jackal, USS Antietam
Timeline: MD01 - 1000 - (Launch Minus 0)

[ON]

[Main Bridge - USS Antietam]

Gunning took his seat in the centre chair of the USS Antietam. In fact, at first glance, the bridge of the Lexington class carrier looked more like a lecture theatre than a Starship bridge, given the sheer number of chairs which sat all facing the front. He looked to his right at the brown collared man sitting in the Executive Officer's chair.

"How does it feel, Commander?" He asked, trying to keep the mood light. Keeping the mood light while Thane's probably burning across space, you are a fool Alex. He thought to himself.

"All things considered? Can't say I notice the difference. I've hopped from seat to seat more times than I can count already... feels more like old times than anything else. But I'll try to act new and inexperienced for you if it'll make you feel better," Jon couldn't help but chuckle.

"That would be great. Maybe quake a little in your boots while you're at it." Gunning replied with a chuckle, "Lieutenant O'Connell, this'll probably be quite comfortable for you, won't it?" He asked, looking across at his new Operations officer. He had met him less than three hours ago and here he was being forced into a frontline battle situation. If he had a choice, he would have left him behind. This wasn't fair.

"Yes Admiral, I feet comfortable here." He felt right at home since he knew how to run the ships systems on the shiloh.

"Goodoh," Gunning replied, "do all stations report ready, Lieutenant?"

Marcus checked his station "All stations report ready Admiral. The dockmaster is hailing us." He said to Admiral Gunning

"Patch them through, Lieutenant."

Marcus patched him through. Lieutenant Wilson was on the comm "Dockmaster to USS Antietiam you are cleared for departure."

"Thank you, Dockmaster." Gunning replied as he turned towards the Antietam's stand-in helmsman. "All right Lieutenant. Let's hit the road. Depressurise and disengage docking clamps. Move us away on thrusters and fall into the designated exit path. Nice and easy."

He rose and walked over to Lieutenant Suder's chair. "Everything all right Lieutenant?"

"Everything is in order, sir." Suder replied with a small smile. It had been a while since she had manned Tactical but it was coming back relatively quickly, along with the familiar thrill of something different.

[Main Bridge - USS Jackal]

Lieutenant Morgan Kelly sat stoically and silently at his Tactical console. He had seen combat with the Jackal before but had never been party to such incomprehensible or such insurmountable odds as these. He did his best to measure his breathing as Commander Von came through the Starboard Ingress. After all, for some reason, they had made him Executive Officer for this mission and he had to keep up standards.

"Captain on the bridge!" He declared as he watched the Trill take her seat.

"What's our status, Lieutenant?" Liarra asked, getting straight to business. She had seen combat before, even had been at the tactical station during engagements. However, this was her first command. It was going to take everything she knew to get them out of this one.

"All stations report ready, Captain. Engineering are currently making some adjustments to the warp engines to try and get us a little bit extra on the maximum speed but Chief Bones assures me that they won't affect normal warp performance." Kelly reported before falling silent, reading a written message that had appeared in the middle portion of his console.

"Dockmaster has cleared us to disembark. It's on your orders now, Captain."

In Engineering, Bones was up to his eyes in making sure that the warp engines were working at peak operating efficiency. The last thing they needed was to be late to this "party". "Darva, hook that relay up to the phase accelerator." He called to a subordinate. "That might get us an extra hundredth on the warp coil. After all, that's what this could come down to."

Von braces her elbow on the left arm rest of her chair. Leaning slightly to her left, she visually scans the bridge. Her officers were doing everything thing they were supposed to be doing, but now, they were waiting on her. "Ensign De'Havean, clear all moorings and back us away, thrusters only."

Erica running her paw/hands over the helm controls bringing the USS Jackal alive when the commands to undock, hitting the right controls, soft thunks could be heard as the moorings fell away from the sleek defiant class ship. Soon as the main view screen came alive, it showed the station moving away from the ship as she worked the controls of the sleek ship's controls. "We cleared from the station, Ma'am!" came her soft reply as the view shifted to show more stars against the velvety black of space. "Destination?"

"Lay in a course for the rendezvous point, Ensign, and wait for orders from the Antietam. Then, set our course for the Thane system."

"Miaow," De'Havean responded, acknowledging the order, by sending the ship screaming into high impulse towards their destination as her paw/hands flew over the console, purrring softing and eyes aglitter with delight in finaly putting the US Jackel into flight. She was intune with the Defiant class ship, finding that sweet spot of excellent performance for maximum results. "Arriving at destination at the appointed time, Captain!"

[Main Bridge - USS Metis]

Sean was working on the bridge using the tactical and secondary console and walking between the two. he was working on perfecting the targetting sensors. As the Metis was a small class vessel like his last assignment a few alterations and updates from the Eagle would come in handy if this would end up in a fight. He also had commandeered a few spaces close to the torpedo armoury to double the torpedo compliment and had several extra power cells for the phaser if they where needed. He looked around, weapon wise he was ready, but he wasn't too glad with the tactical sensors.

"Vuter, right? Could you go down to engineering and ask if they could connect one of those science sensors to tactical or just boost the targeting sensors some how?" Sean looked at the Vulcan officer

"Aye-aye, sir," the Vulcan frowned, "and it's Vukal, sir," he said as he turned around and headed for engineering.

"Sorry about that, but good man, Vukal." Sean looked at the vulcan and shrugged then went back to his job.

Prax entered the Metis' bridge, and felt a slight chill of anticipation fly down her spine. Not only was this her first mission in command of the Metis, but it was to be a combat mission too. She could feel herself instinctively drawing on the calm and experience that Omar had so often been able to display on the bridge of the Farragut.

"Mister O'Connell; status report."

"Well, hungry and now confused as well, Mister O'Connell is my grandfather. As for Tactical, we are up and running. Other departments I have no idea. You'll have to ask the XO, Ma'am" Sean looked at her quickly shrugged and went back to his work.

"I'll let you know when we get one, Lieutenant," the commander responded, as she checked a few notifications on the side of her chair.

"What about a 2nd officer, we have one of those? I knew we where short on staff, just got assigned here a few hours ago, heck a few hours ago I was just a security officer. Now I'm head of station security and a member of this ship's bridge staff, commander.God I miss San Fran! Scarring the living daylights out of cadets and making their lives horrible, isn't that right, Mister Exeter!" He said turning his gaze towards the young man at the flight station.

"Oh, yeah, flight is ready, Captain!" the young helmsman blurted out. Exeter was dreaming away staring at the big view screen and just noticed a few unfamiliar faces on the bridge. He himself had just been assigned to the Metis a few hours ago. Maybe because he was sleeping during a briefing by the flight chief last week and the few days before that?

"Fantastic! Still the same lazy gobshite who graduated last year! Now do your job and remember! We where ordered to stay ahead of our main force." O'Connell grinned then looked back at his console

"Lieutenant, other than myself an Doctor Daniels, then by rank you'd be the closest thing we had to a senior officer," Prax said, a smile on her face as she imagined the amount of things that were metaphorically falling on the security officer. "The Metis' crew has been put together in a hurry. She's not even had a run around the block since she was transferred from the Yards at Cestus yet."

"Is minic an fhrinne searbh" O'Connell muttered and just shook his head.

"Captain, awaiting your orders. And I would just ignore the crazy Irish person at tactical in general, ma'am. Better for your sanity,ma'am." Exeter gave O'Connell a dirty look.

"I'll bear that in mind, Ensign," Nilani said with a smile. She watched on the viewscreen as the Jackal approached the bay doors, and heard her chair console bleep as the approval for departure came through from station operations. "Mister Exeter, take us out and bring us into formation with the Antietam's task group."

"Aye, removing all moorings." Exeter had checked everything as he didn't want to make a scratch on the Metis his first time out with her." Setting course for the outer marker, thrusters only." Exeter's hands glided over his console and then adjusted the thruster speeds. He noticed how jumpy the Nova class vessel could be.

As the Metis manoeuvred out of the bay doors a sigh of relief could be heard from her FCO. It was always tricky for a new pilot managing to get a ship out not matter how good he or she is. "Clearing bay doors setting course for the task group! one quarter impulse, captain." Exeter said as he made the adjustments as the ship exited the bay doors.

As the group reached their rendezvous waypoint the communications override set by the Antietam threw Captain Gunning's voice out across the bridges if both the Jackal and Metis. "This is Gunning. Lay in your courses for the Thane system and prepare to engage at Warp Eight."

[OFF]

USS ANTIETAM

Captain Alex Gunning
Commanding Officer
USS Antietam

Lieutenant Commander Jonathon A. Bastin, PhD
Chief Diplomatic Officer/Temporary First Officer
Starbase 332/USS Antietam

Lieutenant Marcus O'Connell
Chief of starbase Operations/Temproary operations officer
Starbase 332/USS Antietiam

Lieutenant JG Lester Wilson(NPC-O'Connell)
Dockmaster/Operations Officer
Starbase 332
USS JACKAL
Commander Liarra Von
Commanding Officer
USS Jackal

Ensign Erica De'Havean (NPC- Samanthia)
Chief Flight Officer
USS Jackal

Lieutenant Morgan Kelly (NPC - Gunning)
Chief Tactical Officer / XO
USS Jackal

Senior Chief Petty Officer Gilbert Bones (NPC - Gunning)
Chief Engineer
USS Jackal

USS METIS

Lieutenant Commander Nilani Prax
Commanding Officer
USS Metis

Lieutenant Sean O'Connell
Temporary Tactical Officer/Csec
USS Metis/Starbase 332

Lieutenant JG John Exeter (NPC-Brendan)
Flight Control Officer
USS Metis