Farewell Friendly Skies, Hello Delta!

Posted on Tue Oct 1st, 2019 @ 6:36am by Lieutenant Commander Arianna Sky Kamar & Major Naomi Sylan Griffiths & Lieutenant Commander Yarinna "Fanthom" Hawkins & Lieutenant Oscar Vladinchi & Lieutenant Thegog Grun & Lieutenant Cyrin Xanth

Mission: Onboarding & Departure
Location: Bridge
Timeline: Episode 001 Day 09

Frank finished his coffee in his ready room before stepping onto the bridge. Today his crew would come face to face with an engineering marvel the Graviton Catapult. The catapult would create a null space around the ship and then use Gravity from the Iota system to "pull" them through. It still made Frank a bit uneasy to think about, but his duty was to lead his ship safely through. He'd spoken to another Captain, who'd been through the process. His advice was to just suck it up and do it.

With a deep breath, he walked across the bridge and looked at the viewscreen, the fact that was the last bit of friendly space they'd see for a while was not lost on Frank. The responsibility of the Penn, and a few hundred crews, including an annoying Ferengi Ambassador, weighed heavy. As with many hardships and difficult tasks previously experienced, Frank just kept on moving on so to speak. Sitting down in the Captain's chair he pressed the intercom button, "All stations prepare for departure, department heads check-in when ready."

Thegog looked nervously at his console, trying not to let the worst get in his head. "Sir, Sensors are active. The pod is shut down and secured, ready for...Whatever we are about to do." Unbeknownst to the rest of the crew, the Tellerite had snuck a bucket under his console. He had also spoken to someone that went through this. They said the internal dampeners try to compensate, but it causes a disconnect between what you are seeing and what you are feeling. They said about 10 seconds in, they lost their lunch all over their console. Thegog also made a point not to eat this morning.

Lieutenant Oscar Vladinchi was at his station, having woken early to do his rounds and check with his security personnel at the beginning of his shift. He was present at the tactical console, checking over systems when the Captain spoke up for a report. Last night he had done some light reading on this new method of travel, but it barely made any sense. From the reports on similar ships enduring the jump, there was a possibility of various situations happening. While no mention of unknown parties boarding ships had been found, Oscar had found that due to the extremely experimental nature of this drive he wasn't about to take chances today. His reply came after the Chief Operations Officer.

"Security is on alert," Oscar replied. "I have my men stationed at key points across the ship, ready for any emergency; medical, crowd control, repairs...or boarding. Tactical systems are online, shields ready to power up by your command, sir."

Arianna, still not sure about this......"Engineering is a go. All systems at 100%. SIF and IDF fields have been modified and strengthened for this sleigh ride", she said.

Yarinna was at the helm awaiting her boss to arrive and relieve her but until that happens, "Helm is ready, course laid in, engines ready".

"Security, verify all external doors are sealed," Frank said to Oscar.

"Aye, sir," Oscar replied briskly. A few fingers across his console and he looked up. "All outer doors sealed and locked, sir. All supply lines disengaged."

"Helm begins departure procedures at half impulse," Frank spoke quickly, with a deep breath, "Ladies and gentlemen say goodbye to the last bit of friendly space we'll see for a while. Things are about to get interesting."

"Departure procedures, one-half impulse initiated. May the gods watch over us", Yarinna said as the Penny moved ahead.

Feeling a little on edge Griffiths stood and looked over Oscar's shoulder "not judging Lieutenant, just observing" she said with a friendly smile.

Oscar nodded towards the First Officer. "Major," he greeted, seemingly unphased by having a superior officer over his shoulders. His attention returned professionally to the fore, observing the situation as his fingers carefully tapped at his console. The display there overlaying the status of the unberthing as it completed, then the deflector shield and hull integrity as if the Lieutenant was monitoring the ship for any chance of a scratch or dent. Eyes focused, he was attuned to his task.

"El-tee" She was rapt with attention watching Oscar work, she remained silent as she knew to sort things out as the ship undocked from its berthing hatch required the full attention of all included, this is why she was observing when she finished with Oscar she moved over to the Science station and observed from there for a time.

The turbolift doors hissed open to allow Cyrin out onto the Bridge at last. With a wry grin as he approached the Major and Lieutenant Vladinchi, he apologized, "Sorry for missing the show. One of the shuttles failed final inspection, red all across the board, and that seemed way too unlikely. No worries, just a fresh crewman forgetting to reset diagnostics, but it did take a minute. Permission to assume my station, Major?" He'd yet to gauge just how much formality this First Officer preferred, she was a hard woman to read, so was being extra careful.

Hearing her bosses voice, Yarinna turned and stood up, "Lt. Xanth I stand relieved sir. Helm is ready for this sleigh ride", Yarinna said smiling as she stepped away from the helm to allow Xanth to take his seat.

Frank watched the Major walk across the bridge as they departed the starbase. His initial thoughts of her just being a Marine grunt was way off target. She seemed thoroughly interested in the actions that were occurring on the bridge. Frank made a mental note to speak with her later about some training on the helm or science stations. His thoughts were interrupted by the late arrival of the Security Chief, once the Lieutenant explained his absence, Frank waited to see how the Major would respond since the question was directed at her.

From where she was Naomi looked up at the Security Chief when she heard her name and someone was speaking to her. Giving him a friendly and courteous smile "permission granted Lieutenant" she said in response as she returned to her chair to the Captain's right.

Yarinna stood just off to the left of the helm station near Arianna. This trip through this thing gave her concern as to how much movement the Penny was going to get hit with and how her fighter and the scout would fare.

Arianna said a silent prayer to the god's that be for protection.

With the formal command given, Cyrin flashed a quick, excited smile at the Major and hurried down to the front of the bridge to relieve Yarinna. So far, so good, he appeared to still be on good terms with the XO. "Thanks for covering for me," he said under his breath as they swapped out the helm. "And if you don't mind, I'd like to pick your brain on some shuttle systems later."

Looking at her boss, "With pleasure Lt. Xanth. You may pick my brains at your leasure", Yarinna chuckled.

[Graviton Catapult]

Frank watched as the Graviton Catapult appeared on the screen. Staring at the thing that would fling them through space. Even after reading all of the reports and discussing it with other Captains it still made him a tad nervous though he would do his best to continue to exude confidence.

He listened to the communication between the Catapult engineers and his helm as they lined up the approach and began powering up the Catapult. The Space in the middle of the catapult began to take on a blue hue as Frank stared. He pressed the intercom button on his chair, "All Hands prepare for the catapult launch, the first minute or so maybe a bit bumpy." He didn't want to alarm the crew, yet he wanted them to know what to expect. Sitting back in his chair he focused as his bridge prepared for entry.

"Sir, everything is looking green across the board. All systems seem to be operating within allowed tolerances. All deck have been secured and ready for departure." Thegog said as he danced his stubby hands across his console checking and double-checking everything.

"Thanks, Grun," Frank replied. "Engineering, last chance to give a go or no go, Do you feel there is any reason for us not enter the catapult?"

"Wish I could say there is a problem but no nothing is keeping nothing is keeping us from entering into that god awful contraption which I still don't trust!", Arianna growled. With a lot of misgivings about this thing.

From her position Naomi saw the Catapult "That is one big utility, it looks intimidating" she commented.

Oscar watched silently as the large construct became larger on the viewscreen. As he casually glanced down at his readings, his eyes would dart back up in wonderment at the oddity of the thing. He had seen massive structures before, Earth Spacedock the first in mind, but this was something completely different. Releasing his appreciation in a silent sigh, he allowed himself to focus intently on his readouts. Nothing had transpired to cause any alarm; a minor power fluctuation in phaser array 2, for example, was simply a false reading that had been calibrated by Oscar himself. He'd make a note of it in his log to the Engineering team, but he saw no need to shout it out at the moment. Not unless it happened again. His mind continued to focus on his job, but his wonder was held by the ever-growing catapult on the viewscreen.

Having just finished some basic diagnostics, Cyrin turned around from the helm to look back up at their leaders, "Approaching the final manoeuvres now, Captain. Engines are core are purring like a Grishnar cat with a chew toy." While he had voiced his concerns earlier about the catapult, Cyrin wisely kept them to himself now, and reported, "Main propulsion systems are ready to be locked down for transit on your command, sir."

oO Oh my, that thing is way bigger than I thought it would be. Oo Thegog thought to himself. He was having trouble focusing on his console because the sight in front of him was so intimidating. Without thinking, he reached down and pulled the pail closer to himself.

Frank listened to the chatter on the bridge as the helmsman brought the ship into position, "Helm notify the engineering team at the catapult we are position, once the engineers give the green light we will jump to Warp Six and begin the journey."

"Aye, Captain," Cyrin replied as he spun back around to his controls. He sounded cool, relaxed, but there was a definite tenseness to the young man's shoulders. Cyrin's board beeped under quick fingers for a few moments as he loaded in the pre-programmed flight path; there was no way he could manoeuvre once they were one their way, the computer was going to handle everything. A quick few keystrokes sent a message to the link-up with the catapult crew, then he nodded. "Station is acknowledging...and here we go."

The viewscreen lit up as the catapult activated, the centre rippled almost like a gentle wave across a lake, the comms link chirped as a female engineer from the Catapult Station gave the green light to begin an entry. Gripping the armrest on his chair, his calm exterior was betrayed by the single drop of sweat sliding down his forehead, "Warp 6, Engage," Frank said as he braced for the inevitable jolt.

Outside the Pennsylvania, as the ship's warp nacelles began to glow, multiple beams of gravitons seemed to reach out to grasp the vessel in an even brighter-blue radiance. The surge grew rapidly, in rhythm with the warp bubble forming around them, until the light was brighter than breaking the light-speed barrier. In less than five seconds they had vanished, leaving torn photons and a blurred afterimage, along with their friends, families, and homes, behind.

The Ship shuddered as it lurched forward through the catapult and as it built up to warp 6. There was a weightless almost sinking feeling, as they reached unimaginable speeds. It reminded Frank of taking off in an antique aircraft. The vibration settled down after a few minutes. Frank released the death grip he had on his armrests and stood up. "All Stations report in," Frank commanded to his bridge team. He wanted to make sure everything was working as well as possible.

There was a brief period where Oscar was transfixed by the display, then he went back to work. His fingers flew across his console. "All weapons and defensive systems online and functional," reported Oscar. "No reports of injuries coming in, so far all Security assets report no issues. If there is something, I'll be sure to tell you, Captain."

Thegog came back up from under his console wiping his mouth. He tapped a few buttons. "Sensors are offline but still operational. Hull and shields are at 100%."

Arianna was frantically trying to keep the gravity intact as the AG fields started to give up. "Fek'lar! Grab on to something the AG field on the bridge is losing integrity. Trying to correct it now", she said as she felt herself getting light.

“Damn it, fix it now!” Frank barked as he gripped his chair to prevent himself from floating upward.He cussed under his breath as loose objects on the bridge began to float. “Science, Ops, work with the engineers and figure out what the hell is going on. I swear if Starfleet gave us a lemon I’m going to be having a conversation with a couple of Admirals.”

"This is not my fault!" Cyrin called out as he planted a foot against the side of his console to keep himself in place. He was sure they'd nailed the flight path the station had given them, down to the micron. With a grimace he pressed the command that secured the flight controls behind numerous layers of security; even the slightest change of direction at these impossible speeds could send them wildly off course, or worse as far as he understood the physics - which even for him wasn't by much. Trying to sound cheery though, he looked back over his shoulder and smiled at the Captain, "But all admit I'd been meaning to lose a bit of weight. Propulsion systems are locked down for the voyage, sir. We're in this till the end."

Oscar grunted. Not because of the happenstance of the mistake in the artificial gravity, but because this was the second time he personally witnessed this ship fail in such a critical capacity. You'd think that with a power failure that the artifical gravity would fail in other areas as well, perhaps lower decks, but to have it specifically fail on the bridge signaled something was amiss. He gripped his console, eyes darting around the bridge as he braced himself. It was difficult, but he managed. He began to suspect that these random power failures were intentional. For them to happen so close in relative time to one another and in key critical areas spoke that either someone intentionally wanted to kill someone on this ship or that the ship they was offered was defunct. It made more sense to consider that sabotage was the main culprit.

Thegog, having gotten engrossed in the situation forgot to brace himself as he started to float away. It wasn't until he was no longer touching his console did he realize why. Frantically, he tried to reach for it to no avail. As he floated higher and higher, he started to try swimming through the air, but that didn't work either.

Arianna saw another green light go red, "Oh shit.......engineering's gravity is going.......damn it. Has to be a computer glitch. Come on girl get the AG fields fixed........come on...come on......damn it!", she exclaimed as her hands flew over the console. Suddenly she felt heavy as the AG field suddenly snapped on. "AG is back on the bridge and also engineering. I got a team already on it. We are checking the computer program to see if it originated from there", she said aloud.

Thegog stood up from the floor where he fell once the Gravity kicked back in. His arm had landed in the bucket of his own sick. Feeling quit embarrassed by the whole situation, he decided to not say anything and keep working.

Three days later the bridge crew was again at their stations. The Penn slowed down as the Iota station came into view. “Welcome to the Delta Quadrant.” Frank said with a sigh of relief.

[OFF]