Getting Underway

Posted on Thu Mar 11th, 2010 @ 8:06am by Vice Admiral Iluvar & Commander Earlond & Commander Christopher McNeil & Commander Fala Awen & Commander Michael Evans M.D. & Lieutenant Samuel Bishop & Lieutenant JG Hannah Andeti

Mission: Episode 1.2 - "A House Divided"
Location: Main Bridge, USS Pandora
Timeline: MD01, 1200

ON: [[Main Bridge, USS Pandora, MD01, 1200]]

Awen had arrived at the bridge ten minutes prior, after discussing some details with Korina (NPC). After finding her station, she'd spent at least three to five minutes simply staring at it. It was a far cry from her station on the Tethys - this one was a large wrap around console...with a chair. The presence of the chair had completely thrown her. The Bajoran was tempted to ask Engineering to rip the chair out and raise the station so she could stand instead, but doubted that would go over well, especially since the ship had just been refitted. So, eventually Awen had decided to sit and start looking through her control interfaces.

Dr. Evans had been on the bridge for at least a half hour just wandering around. He'd used the excuse of having Cadet Eckles briefly familiarize himself with the layout and various stations of the bridge, but really it was for his own enjoyment. He liked this bridge. It was laid out well. Had a good feel to it. Not quite as tactical-feeling (if that was the right way of describing it) as the Tethys' bridge had been. He was also quite excited about finally getting under way. He'd enjoyed the time to collect himself, what with the transfer and all, but it was time to move on.

As time for launch neared, Michael moved towards the expanded Sciences station and took a seat. This, too, was good; surrounded with readouts and information from all the internal and external sensors, a wealth of information at his glance or easily brought to life with his fingertips. He also had a good view of the rest of the bridge... removed enough that one could concentrate on the task at hand, but still a part of everything that might be going on. He brought up the medical and life sciences display at his primary console and waited with anticipation.

The turbolift doors hissed open and Earlond strode onto the bridge. He glanced briefly around before letting his gaze settle on his seat to the right of the center chair. It looked far too comfortable for his tastes, but he'd have to endure. As he crossed the bridge to take a seat, he noticed that the Tactical station had a chair as well. He frowned. How inconsiderate of the designers. If it were him at that station, he'd have a word or two with them.

"You look ready to go," Earlond said to Evans. "How's Dr. Haelen holding up? Last time I was down there, he was having trouble with the Mark X."

Evans chuckled. "Like oil and water, those two," he said. "For the most part they've been keeping to their respective sickbays, but once in a while someone will say the wrong thing in activating the EMH sequence and both will pop up. I've asked Bishop to tweak the activation commands, so we shouldn't be having that problem for much longer."

From where he stood just behind the doctor, Jesse surveyed the bridge and the preparations underway for their departure. This was his first time ever witnessing the launch of a starship. He couldn't help but feel the excitement bubbling up within him. A short distance away, he could see the empty command chair, as the admiral had not yet arrived on the bridge. Part of him wondered why it was that he was not standing just behind that chair rather than where he was with a med kit slung over his shoulder. The thought managed to put a slight damper on his enthusiasm, but it could not diminish it completely.

In Engineering, personnel moved quickly and efficiently around the multi-level deck, preparing the ship for launch. To the untrained eye, it appeared to be chaos, but there was a pattern to be seen, like a high-speed ballet. Standing amidst the chaos next to the warp core, Bishop directed the movement of personnel. "Alright people move! Move! I want this ship ready to launch five minutes before the Admiral asks for it! Murphy, get that plasma relay locked down! Arrix! You're station is G-17, not F-3! McCabe! Get your butt up to Impulse Control and make sure the lagabouts up there have everything standing by!"

"On it boss!" McCabe called with a grin, jogging toward the turbo lift.

Bish looked about and nodded. "Damn thing may have been designed by monkeys, but she's got heart," he said to no one in particular, garnering several smiles.

Andeti realized that she was running late and was out of breath. She hadn't had a chance to even visit the bridge, let alone get used to her station and the fact that she had only managed to scarf down half a sandwich before reporting was only compounding her discomfort. At least she managed to bring a cup of coffee along and she sipped it, tapping her foot as the turbolift sped upwards. The lift doors opened and she was impressed to see the bridge spread out before her. She stepped onto it, grinning automatically at the officers already assembled and took her post at what was technically communications. She wouldn't have much to do on the bridge, but then she rarely did and wasn't going to bother setting up the console to her liking. While she would be monitoring communications she wasn't about to change things up for the junior officers that might be using the panel after her. She turned and began to watch the other officers as they worked, each so enveloped in their own task. Not for the first time she envied their place here at the heart of the action. Her eyes accidentally met those of the Commander and she smiled before returning to her console.

Jenni had been on the bridge for the last hour, having grabbed an early lunch, and had been making sure that all of the power from the core was being allocated properly in accordance with Engineering, and that any resource requests were being dealt with. Her console felt completely different to the one on the Tethys; it was no longer shared with the helm console, but behind and to the side, opposite the tactical console. The chair also felt like it was more relaxed; instead of sitting almost ram-rod straight like on the Tethys' bridge, she got the impression she was leaning back somewhat without slouching, with the console half surrounding her. Personally, she felt the best thing about the new console was its warp-around nature; having interfaces to the side of her where she could easily reach them was much more efficient than having to lean halfway over the console to reach a series of buttons.

Tyreel walked in a bit late, but still before the Admiral, so he figured it would be fine. He made his way to the lowest station on the bridge, which was his. He had already been and gone, and switched the Conn controls to his preferred layout. He checked the Mooring lines, making sure they were all still in place, and that the engines were online and awaiting his command.

The door to the ready room at the aft of the bridge hissed open, allowing Iluvar to emerge onto the bridge. No sooner had he set foot across the threshold than a young crewman nearby announced, "Admiral on the bridge!"

At the announcement, Awen turned to glance over at the Ready Room doors. She saw Iluvar had emerged, so they would likely be getting underway shortly. The Bajoran gave a brief nod in the Admiral's direction, but did not stand. Of course, on the Tethys she would have already been standing, but since it'd already taken her awhile to force herself to sit at her station the first time, Awen didn't want to go through it again.

Pausing, Iluvar turned his head so that he was looking at the young man who had just made the announcement. The crewman was standing at attention, but Iluvar could tell that he was nervous. "Thank you crewman, that will be enough of that," Iluvar said firmly, burying the tiny smile that threatened to spread across his face.

From his seat, Earlond shook his head. Already sitting with his back ramrod straight, Earlond didn't have far to go to get to attention, but he wouldn't have anyway. Despite the immense respect he held for Iluvar, Earlond also knew that the admiral disliked the 'snap-to-attention' response that seemed to be drilled into fresh crewmen.

Jenni smiled to herself as she swiveled her seat back round to face her console, having known that such an event as that had to present itself sooner or later during their launch on the Pandora.

Hannah had jumped at the call to attention and had half-stood automatically before realising it was only Iluvar. She laughed quietly at herself and regained her seat, thanking the universe that Iluvar didn't usually insist on that kind of ceremony.

Earlond raised an eyebrow at Hannah. It was probably a good thing Iluvar was looking away when Hannah did that; he wouldn't be happy if he thought his senior crew were treating him as just a rank.

Tyreel had spun around, but hadn't left his seat. His job was to control the ship, and this close to departure, he didnt think he really should. When he saw that the XO too wasn't standing, he knew he wouldnt get in trouble. So he simple spun back around and checked the display again.

McNeil smiled. He had been standing between the aft turbolift and the Engineering station, leaning against the bulkhead with his arms across his chest. Straightening up, McNeil stepped past the vacant Engineering console and down to the center of the bridge. He calmly took the seat to the left of the center chair and looked disdainfully at the miniature control panel to his right. Perhaps in the future he'd have to take the Mission Ops station behind Iluvar's chair.

"Y-yes sir," the young man replied. Iluvar tilted his head slightly, then turned back toward the center of the bridge where most of the senior staff were already at their positions. He proceeded toward the center chair at a steady pace, making eye contact with his staff as he passed.

Iluvar reached his position at the center of the bridge and slowly lowered himself into the chair. It didn't feel quite the same as his old chair had, but the Pandora wasn't quite the same ship as the Tethys had been. All around him, the bridge crew were making their preparations for the imminent departure that was soon approaching. Within moments, they would be free of the skeletal structure of the drydock and on their way toward the Romulan Neutral Zone. Iluvar had come to realize that the small thrill he was feeling would never truly go away, no matter how many launches and departures he witnessed.

"Bridge to engineering," Iluvar called, "How are we doing, Mr. Bishop?"

Bishop took the PADD he was using and tossed it to a passing crewmember. He shot a look at another young woman, who nodded at him and smiled. "Sir, Engineering reports ready, warp and impulse engines show green across the board, and all systems are standing by." He paused a moment and adjusted his voice so that his Engineering crew could hear the pride in his voice. "Give the word Admiral and we'll this tin can movin' so fast they'll name a warp factor after us," he said with a grin.

"Glad to hear it, Mr. Bishop," Iluvar replied with a small smile. The word that the ship and crew were prepared for their departure was reassuring. Though they hadn't been at Starbase 386 for that long, he knew that many of them were eager to get back out into the field. He couldn't blame them in the least, knowing that he shared in their feelings of anticipation.

Evans could almost feel the anticipation from everyone around him. The electric excitement as the ship would come under her own power and forge ahead with purpose charged the air with a sense of adventure and discovery. He glanced over his shoulder at Cadet Eckles trying not to be too obvious as he craned his neck around. It wouldn't be any fun for him back in the scuppers with the science geeks. "Cadet," he said quietly, "take a position behind the Admiral near the Mission Ops station and observe carefully from there," he ordered. "And be sure you mind your P's and Q's."

Surprised, Jesse slowly edged his way toward the mission ops station, which was located directly behind the admiral's chair. Standing next to the smaller console made Jesse feel like he was closer to the middle of the action. He cast a brief glance back toward Evans, but the doctor had already returned his attention to the console before him. A small smile began to form on Jesse's face as he turned back forward and waited with anticipation.

"All stations, standby for launch," Earlond ordered. "Ops, clear us for departure." Earlond glanced around, then returned his gaze to the viewscreen. It was certainly different from the last launch he'd been on - for one thing, he was standing at Tactical back then. He still had some reservations about the Pandora, but he knew she was a fine ship. It was time to see what she was really made of.

Jenni tapped a few controls on her console, sending the pre-formatted request to Station Ops, the response being received promptly. "Station Ops has cleared us for departure," she reported. "Routing their requested departure vector to helm," she continued, as the traffic control services routed her the details.

"Clearing mooring lines." Tyreel said, as his hands danced over the control panel. "Lines Cleared, Detaching Umbilical." As he said it, the ship shudder with the detachment, along with a small dimming of the lights as the ship's internal power took over. "Everything cleared, we are ready to depart."

"Ahead one quarter impulse power, Mr. Keloas," Iluvar said confidently. He paused a moment before adding with a slight smile, "Take it easy...we don't want to scratch the paint."

"Aye Aye." Tyreel responded, imputing the power and course into the console. "Ill try not to damage her sir."

The Pandora began to ease forward, slipping free of the skeletal structure that surrounded her. On the main viewscreen, the framework of the drydock slip gave way to open space. From where he stood just behind the admiral, Jesse's eyes were transfixed on the forward viewscreen. He couldn't understand why, but he almost felt as a caged animal that had been set free to make its own way in the world. Things seemed to be progressing quite smoothly for his first launch.

As the Pandora began to move away from Starbase 386, Awen watched the main viewscreen. She liked space, and being amongst the stars, but she was also unsure about their new mission. Her eyes moved from one section of her console to another, checking the tactical readout to see which ships were positioned where and their proximity to the base.

Dr. Evans really had nothing to do at his station during a launching sequence, but he felt the excitement as they slipped away smoothly from the docking structure. Honestly, he was glad he had nothing to do: it left him free to enjoy fun.

Hannah felt herself grinning as the ship pulled away from the starbase and shifted in her chair. Maybe it was the excitement of the ship filtering through her defenses, or maybe it was her own excitement that was doing it but her heart rate was up and her adrenaline was definitely flowing.

Tyreel watched his sensors carefully, watching closely as an Akira class got closer and closer, he hit the thrusters a bit. The Pandora moved away from its approaching counterpart, finally after the traffic began to clear he looked up at the sensor screen. A great blanket of white pinpricks dotted the black sky, with a few grey forms here and there.

McNeil watched the forward screen as the Pandora left Starbase 386. He didn't really have any regular duties on the bridge and were it not the ship's first departure with her current crew he would have been down in his office where he could watch the ships and planets pass privately. Still, every now and again he liked to be on the Bridge in a non-crisis situation.

McNeil leaned over to the console next to him and punched up an aft view. 386 remained visible for a few moments, then dwindled in comparison to the bright glow of Aldani 4 basking in the light of the system's primary. He held almost as great an affection for the Starbase as Admiral Meyer did, having used it as a home and a base of operations for most of his duties for the past decade. It was always somewhat of a sad moment when he had to leave, especially when he didn't know how long he'd be gone.

Once the Pandora cleared the high traffic area surrounding Starbase 386, she began to angle out of the Aldani System. The departure had proceeded as smoothly as expected, leaving little, if anything, that would give Iluvar any cause for concern. "Mr. Keloas, lay in a course for the Romulan Neutral Zone, warp eight," he ordered.

"Course laid." Tyreel said, as he input the course. "Sir, Conn is awaiting your word." He sat back and rested his hands, he waited for the command to tap the button and make them go, off on another great adventure.

"Engage," Iluvar said confidently. The stars on the main viewscreen shifted, stretching into streaks of light as the Pandora's engines pushed her past the speed of light. Even at warp eight, it would be some time before they reached the Romulan Neutral Zone, where a warbird would be waiting to escort them on their journey through Romulan space. No doubt, that would provide Iluvar with plenty of time to prepare for the assignment they had been tasked with.

OFF

A JP by:

Rear Admiral Iluvar
Commanding Officer
USS Pandora

Commander Earlond
Executive Officer
USS Pandora

Commander Christopher McNeil
Mission Advisor/Chief Intelligence Officer
USS Pandora

Lieutenant Commander Michael Evans
Chief Medical Officer/Second Officer
USS Pandora

Lieutenant Commander Fala Awen
Chief Security/Tactical Officer
USS Pandora

Lieutenant Samuel Bishop
Chief Engineering Officer
USS Pandora

Lieutenant JG Jennifer Lockheart
Chief Operations Officer
USS Pandora

Lieutenant JG Hannah Andeti
Chief Counselor
USS Pandora

Ensign Tyreel Keloas
Assistant Chief Flight Control Officer
USS Pandora

and

Cadet Jesse Eckles (PNPC)
Command Cadet
USS Pandora
Played by: RAdm Iluvar