Underway

Posted on Sun Jul 18th, 2021 @ 2:08am by Captain Temperance Harding & Lieutenant Commander Andromeda Lightfeather & Lieutenant Commander Hope Ross MD & Lieutenant Rey Watson & Lieutenant Tyler Elbrun DSci & Lieutenant Emony Kerev & Lieutenant Scott Mitchell "Ghost"

Mission: Mission 1: Distressed Cargo
Location: USS Endurance | Starbase 48

ON

Temperance Harding stepped out of her Ready Room and scanned over the Bridge. All Departments had been alerted to make ready for departure, and she was pleased to see the Bridge crew were assembled. The lack of a Security Officer on board was unfortunate, but she was confident in Lt Commander Lightfeather's ability to handle things.

Temperance moved to the center of the Bridge, standing in front of the two seats - hers, and the XO's. "Ops, give me ship-wide." She paused for a moment, collecting herself, and her thoughts.

"Attention all hands. We are about to embark on our journey. Our first mission is - on paper - a simple one. Find a wayward cargo ship. Do not let this fool you. It may well be a hard search, and may well have an unpleasant result. I need your best. Those people out there need your best. Federation colonies relying on that cargo need your best. More than that, though, you owe it to yourselves, and the uniform you wear to give your best."

"I want to show Starfleet that the Endurance is a ship that can live up to its name. Her motto, a quote from Winston Churchill. 'Success is not final. Failure is not fatal. It is the courage to continue that counts.' Those are the words by which we shall be measured. Our willingness to continue. To push. To keep putting one foot in front of the other, no matter the hardship. That is the ideal we must strive to achieve."

"I know none of you has served with me before. Nevertheless, I have faith that every one of you can live up to that ideal. Every one of you are ready for this. Prepared for this. You have gone through the Academy or a Specialized technical program. You are all qualified to be here. I want to see what you can do. What we can do. Together, there is no challenge we cannot overcome. No challenge we cannot meet. We will endure."

She allowed a heartbeat. Two, three, four. "Senior Staff, there will be a Briefing in 30 minutes." She glanced at the Ops officer and gave a nod, cutting the ship-wide announcement.

"Bridge to Engineering. Start taking us off Drydock power, and switch to internal systems."

"Ops, prepare to seal all airlocks and have the umbilical arms retracted. Lieutenant Watson, once we have clearance to depart, take us out of the Starbase, thrusters only."

Rey tapped on his console to bring thrusters online and in standby mode. "Yes ma'am, thrusters on standby." He said as he waited for the order to take them out of the Starbase.

"Thank you. Ops, where we at?" Temperance glanced at the Ops station.

"Moorings retracting, ma'am. We have been cleared by Starbase flight control. We are clear to proceed."

"Mister Watson. Thrusters ahead, take us out. Once we clear the Space Doors, your heading is 042 mark 118, Full Impulse til we clear the Solar System."

"Aye Commander, taking us out now."

Lightfeather was in the XO seat observing her new commander giving the undocking instructions, from what little experience she had he was doing good, but unless she was needed during this moment she stayed silent.

Emony stood off to one side, not obstructing things as she watched the crew move about. Others seemed to cast odd glances at her, Intelligence seemed to be harbingers of bad news and bad times ahead. But Emony internalized that as she watched along. It was more important that she be seen as a part of the crew, not as some ill omen that appeared to make everyone's lives difficult.

After the Commanding Officers announcement, it didn't take long for Doctor Ross to make her way to the bridge. There should be no issues in sickbay during the launch that her team wasn't capable of taking care of. She stepped off the turbo lift with a PaDD in her hand in case she needed to make notes and stood silently by.

"Captain, I have scanned the area of space ahead of our flight path and have uncovered no immediate danger to the ship," said Tyler Elbrun from his post.

"Thank you. Mister Watson, you have your course, full impulse. Let me know when we are departing the solar system."

As the Endurance cleared the space doors, Rey tapped at the helm to lay in the course, and at full impulse. "Course for 042 mark 118 laid in at full impulse. ETA should be about 3 minutes until we clear the system."

"Thank you, Lieutenant."

"And so begins the adventure!" Lightfeather said loud enough so that anyone could respond to her comment, she looked over at an Ensign that was manning the tactical station.

“The universe’s mine oyster, Which I with sword will open," Emony commented, with a slight grin crossing her face as she stepped to the side of Tactical, hands behind her back. Thinking back for a moment, all three ships she'd been posted to in the past had been underway already or at least were at a Starbase. She'd never gone out with a ship at launch.

Scott had finished making sure his pilots and crafts were secured and made his way onto the bridge just in time to see the ship pass through the docking bay doors. He had seen the sight a million times but it always caught his eye with the sheer size.

No matter how many times he had seen this in his career, the sight of a ship leaving starbases always made his heart jump and flutter. He had been a scientist pretty much his entire life even as a child. The thought of flying amongst the stars was still extremely fascinating to him. So, he smiled broadly and hoped his commanding officers were watching.

Looking around Andi saw one of the pilots smiling from ear to ear, if his smile got any bigger her whole tribe could ride a horse through it, looking at the Lieutenant, she was not yet familiar with the crew names so she used his rank "so Lieutenant, I take it seeing a ship depart spacedock is a fascinating thing for you then?" Lightfeather asked.

"I'm sorry, Commander. Were you speaking to me?" Elbrun asked the Exec. Elbrun looked over to the new XO, "Just puts everything into perspective ma'am."

Hope smiled at some of the chatter on the bridge and then returned her gaze to the view screen to watch the same thing the chatter was about.

"Yup, I was Lieutenant," Lightfeather said simply before turning to face the viewscreen again, this was indeed an adventure of what proportions she could not say.

"Well yes, no matter how long I've been in Starfleet, there are still things that I find fascinating," Elbrun returned comment to his new XO. He noticed Dr Ross was watching the exchange. For what, he didn't know...yet.

Scott had been standing in the rear of the bridge trying to stay out of everyone's way, feeling as if the bridge was no place for a fighter jock like him to be. As he continued to watch the show of the ship leaving spacedock he couldn't help but glance around at everyone's reaction before his gaze settled on an all too familiar face. "Enjoying the view Spooks?"

"That's not going to stick." Emony commented, "And the term is singular." She added with a lighthearted chuckle.

"But yes. It often gives one perspective to be faced with a reminder of new beginnings, the promise made. Ah, but can it be kept? Always the question." The Intelligence officer waxed philosophic for a moment, "But if we knew that, I would have to find honest work."

"What a shame that would be," Scott chuckled. "And you might want to inform the flight deck that your callsign is changing."

A few minutes later, the Ops officer spoke up. "Ma'am, we're approaching the edge of the solar system."

Temperance glanced up from the PADD she had been browsing. "Mister Watson, take us to Warp 7." She paused for a moment, relishing at the moment. "Punch it."

"Aye Captain taking us to warp 7." Watson tapped at his console to bring the Endurance to Warp 7. Soon after, the Nebula class starship jumped to warp.

With the order done, and the ship now under warp drive, Temperance rose from the chair and headed for the Ready Room. There was still some time before the meeting, and she wanted to review a few pertinent details first. "XO, the bridge is yours." She said.

Tyler began to wonder just what exactly the ship's mission was going to be and he needed to speak with his staff soon and very soon. Quoting an ancient Earth hymn he had heard somewhere through his travels among the stars.

Looking up at the Captain, "aye Captain" Lightfeather said as she sat back and watched the starlines, "Watson, what is our ETA?" she asked the helm officer.

"12 hours and 45 minutes Commander," Rey answered.

"Thank you, Watson keep her straight and steady, she needs to be broken in gently after our refit," Andi said with a smile and sat back 'I wonder what it is we are going to face in our journey's she thought to herself as the ship sped through the stars.'

Tyler was at his post pondering what this mission would entail for his department. As he understood the brief, it was a simple rescue mission that shouldn't require his nor his services staff's complete attention. Perhaps this would provide him with ample time to go greet his staff or maybe even call a meeting with his department heads? That was something to think about.

OFF