Returning to the Stars
Posted on Wed Apr 26th, 2023 @ 6:15pm by Commander Mashiro Munetani "Shiro" & Captain Akeno Misaki & Lieutenant Commander Raelyn Mckenzie & Lieutenant Commander Mark Johnson & Lieutenant Luna Eclipse of the House of Martok & Lieutenant Torvin Anor & Lieutenant Rania Bhatti & Lieutenant JG Patra Rommel
Edited on on Wed Apr 26th, 2023 @ 9:38pm
Mission:
When on Risa...
Location: USS Wayfarer
The Intrepid Class Starship USS Wayfarer sat in her booth at Starbase Twelve. She had been exactly where her crew had left her, although she looked far more shiny and new. The last of the repair teams had finished the work on her hull only a few hours prior.
[Sickbay]
Mark slowly walked into the sickbay of the Wayfarer. Freshly shaved and with the duty uniform perfectly fitting his shape.
“Good morning everyone” he smiled and saluted while making his entry. As a couple of officers returned his salute, he quickly made his way towards the CMO office to interface his data PaDD to the CMO console to oversee what happened during his absence.
As he entered his access code into the CMO console he glanced around in the, luckily empty, infirmary, the head nurse entered and cheered him.
“Good morning, doctor” she smiled “I see you’re well rested. Some off time was badly needed after all that mess of the last mission, mh?”
“Morning Betty” he nodded “indeed. Risa had been…regenerating” he smiled “although I feel like I miss something. This time departing from shore leave was quite …difficult”
“Something or someone?” she curiously inquired trying to hold off a chuckle.
The lieutenant just smiled back at the black-haired nurse “So, what do we have here?” he said changing the subject of the talk “have all the supplies been replenished? All equipment being tested?” as he waited for Betty to answer he started going through the information on the data PaDD nodding here and there in acknowledgement.
Betty frowned “you’ll have to answer that question, sooner or later” he chuckled “Sir” she added to then recall a file into her data PaDD and give a quick recap of the situation to Lt. Johnson.
“All supplies had been replenished, equipment checked up and we’re back at full staff as well. There has been some change in the staffing. Someone disembarked and someone embarked, as usual”
Mark nodded “I’m sorry we lost Peter, he was a good doctor. Who did we gain?” he asked.
“Oh, it’s a neurosurgeon” Betty answered “I don’t remember her name, but you’ll have the chance to meet her soon I’m sure. Heard good things about her” she smiled.
Mark kept going through the various details of the list while acknowledging her thought.
“Sounds good” he concluded “I’ll get the captain know we are space ready and then I’ll start the onboarding medical checkups”.
Betty nodded, “I’ll let the new crew members know they will have to show up for the medical check up starting this afternoon” she noted something on her PaDD to then return to her duties.
[Bridge]
LT Torvin was rushing around, running between the consoles for a moment as he looked at their diagnostic pages just before everyone got to their stations. Finishing with his own, Green lights all around.
It had been a crazy time for the chief engineer while everyone had been away. A golden period with access to Starbase resources and the Wayfarer crew mostly away from home. Gutting out a few of the more damaged systems that were patched from their earlier exploits and refitting them in the short time they had was a herculean task and one he had basically thrown himself into.
But now, just like the crew, he'd made sure the Wayfarer herself was refreshed and ready for action. A brief shakedown cruise around the station and it's system the day before had cleared out any cobwebs, and he had even taken the time to adjust some of the minor things in the bucket list as well, the engineer had even made sure to replace the carpets scuffed by electrical discharge and phaser burns!
And now he stood ready to get back to his real job. Fixing everything they broke all over again. Even for him, the ship had felt too quiet without them all.
[Docking Port]
A small suitcase of her personal belongings in tow (she always remembered to pack lightly in case of an unexpected redeployment), Mashiro made her way down the gangway that connected the Wayfarer to Starbase 12. She'd already paid her farewells to Hiromi and most of the other staff members aboard the station, and was a little surprised with just how many of them had one thing or another to thank her for during her time there as XO. She was certainly going to miss them- all of them- but she at least knew that what lay ahead of her would finally give her the chance to move up the command ladder.
Presently, she was running through her head what sort of speech she'd be giving once her new position as the Wayfarer's XO was made official. A long-winded speech would just make her look cocky to a new crew, so she elected to keep things short and precise as to what she would be expecting of her crew-mates.
Taking her first steps aboard a new ship was always an exciting affair for Mashiro; a change of scenery, (often) a change of crew, and a new chance to prove her worth. She'd been dying to hold a center chair of her own, just like her mother and sisters before her; and while Admiral Sutok hadn't been the man to make that happen, she was banking on the fact that the Wayfarer's CO-- whomever that would eventually turn out to be-- would be more flexible.
She managed to locate a computer interface console not far from the entrance, and pressed her finger against the smooth, black surface.
"Computer, this is Commander Mashiro Munetani," she began. "Transfer all command codes as Executive Officer to me, by orders of Admiral Sutok."
The console chirped a few times before lighting up.
"Command Codes verified," the computer reported. "Commander Mashiro Munetani is now accepted as the Executive Officer of the Federation Starship Wayfarer."
Mashiro smiled. "Thank you, Computer," she nodded before closing the program and continuing on her way.
Lieutenant Mckenzie stepped out of the turbolift. Despite the shore leave, she was ready to be working again, though she did enjoy herself during her leave even if some of her peers had more interesting stories. Raelyn nodded to everyone currently on the bridge including the Chief Engineer, who had arrived shortly before herself. She was grateful for his work in getting the ship repaired and she noted that it was a damn good job too. Visually you couldn't see that the ship had been in battle.
She moved over to her console and logged herself in and configured it the way she wanted. She also confirmed all updates that her security members had sent her. Afther that, she sat down at the chair behind her station. While most officers besides helm, navigation, and the command crew typically stood up during their duty shifts, it was nice to have the option to sit down every once in a while and that was one of the perks of the newer Intrepid
Class vessels.
As she rounded the corner leading to the Turbolift, Mashiro stopped dead in her tracks as she was greeted by the last thing she was expecting to see-- or the last thing she had wanted to see, for that matter:
A cat.
Sitting there, flicking its tail idly, blocking her access to the turbolift, its yellowish-green eyes staring at her with an air of judgement- almost as if it were daring her to come closer.
Her grip on her belongings tightening, she nervously took a few steps back.
"Sh-Shoo!" she stammered, trying to wave it aside.
The cat simply remained there, clearly unfazed by Mashiro in the slightest.
"Scram!" Mashiro repeated, this time louder and with more firmness in her voice.
Again, the cat failed to budge.
"Please?" Mashiro begged out of desperation. "I'm trying to get to the bridge, here?"
Again, nothing.
Turning back towards the hallway, she was just in time to spot an Ensign in Operations gold passing by.
"You there!" she called out. "Could I get your help, please?"
the officer stopped and glanced over in Mashiro's direction. "What can I get for you, Commander?"
"That... thing," Mashiro began, directing his attention towards the cat. "Would you be so kind as to get it out of the way, please? I have business up on the bridge I have to tend to."
The officer glanced over at the cat, and then back at Mashiro to make sure she was serious. "Um, Ma'am... it's a cat."
"I know that," Mashiro stated simply.
The officer glanced back at the cat and sighed.
"Alright, Mittens, come here," he muttered, gently scooping the cat up in his arms. "Let's get you back to Lieutenant Bhatti, eh? She's probably looking for you right now..."
"Wait, it's not a stray?" Mashiro remarked, her brow furrowed in surprise.
The officer glanced back at Mashiro. "She's the Chief Counselor's, yes; we occasionally let her roam around the ship from time to time to keep her from getting bored and causing a ruckus."
Mashiro's complexion visibly paled. "Th-the Counselor's?" she stammered.
Wonderful; of all the assignments she could've gotten, she somehow got lumped with the ship whose counselor owned a cat. Just.. wonderful.
"You okay, Commander?" the officer remarked, noting that Mashiro was looking a bit clammy. "You could sit down for a minute, if you'd like."
Mashiro shook herself back to her senses. "I'm... fine."
"You sure?"
"Positively. Now, if you don't mind, I'd best be getting on my way."
The officer looked on with concern as Mashiro stepped onto the turbolift and the doors snapped shut behind her.
***
The officer had taken 'Mittens' back to Counsellor Rania Bhatti's quarters, but no response came from the Counsellor when the officer pressed the chime. Instead, they had to request a security override to get the quarters opened so that they could let the Havana brown cat bat inside the quarters.
'Mittens' as some of the crew referred to her as simply strutted into the quarters and licked herself pridefully, though flicking her tail a few times before the door closed, clearly not fond of having been carried away from where she had previously been. Such was was the way of things when people were not fond of the feline and her roaming about.
***
Luna, having gotten back the night before, woke up refreshed and ready for a new start!
Luna showered, dressed, grabbed a paw paw, and headed for the Bridge.
Counsellor Rania Bhatti arrived on the Bridge fixing her hair and let out a slight sigh. She tried to settle in somewhere that she would be somewhat out of the way and not an inconvenience for anyone. She did like to be as present as possible for anything important or ceremonial.
"Attention!"
All heads turned as a tall, imposing brunette strode out onto the bridge, her arms folded firmly behind her back.
Luna's head came up, and a smile tried to wiggle onto her lips as Mashiro stepped onto the Bridge.
[>i>YES!] Luna mentally cheered!
"I understand that a lot of you here are already wary of yet another change in command," the woman began, carefully making her way over to the central command pit. "In the past year alone, this ship has seen an abnormal amount of crew rotations: Two XOs listing as MIA- one, I am told, who was brazen enough to attempt a mutiny- and a third who sustained life-altering injuries as a result of your previous assignment. I have no doubt in my mind you are all hesitant to welcome me, given this ship's track record of going through an XO in what seems like every other week, but make no mistake; we all accept the risks when we put on this uniform. Miller recognized this, as likely did Perkins and Sito. As for me, it is a fact I have come to grips with my entire life, as my mother, and her mother, and her mother before that, have all answered the call to duty and served honorably in Starfleet. And in this post-war galaxy in which we find ourselves, we can hardly consider ourselves as being out of the tunnel; resources are scarce, the unity we once shared in wartime is fluctuating, and desperadoes prey upon the weak and vulnerable. So I ask of you, as this ship's Executive Officer from here on forward, to stand firm in the face of danger; if we can survive the Dominion together, there is no threat we cannot overcome by sheer willpower."
She glanced about the bridge.
"That will be all, Gentlemen; carry on as you were."
The turbolift doors swished open. A moment of silence fell upon the room as there was only one person not yet present on the bridge, that would be the Commanding Officer of the Starship Wayfarer.
Raelyn looked around and noticed that it was Akeno who was in the process of stepping out of the lift. She loved doing this. Not because it was a naval tradition, but because it made the occasional officer jump. She stood at attention. "Captain on the bridge".
Luna jumped to attention as the Captain came on the Bridge.
The young woman whom they all knew stepped on the bridge. Captain Akeno Misaki looked around at the officers at their stations as she made her way towards the center. Four gold pips on her collar shone in the bright lights.
"Good morning Shiro-Chan," she said with a mischeavous smirk.
"Ohhhh... shit," Mashiro muttered with a bug-eyed expression.
"Hmm..." Akeno said as she looked Mashiro up and down. She outstretched an arm with one of her index fingers and thumbs together. "Language, Shiro-Chan" she said giving the Commander a quick but effective forehead flick.
Mashiro glared coldly at her, clearly not amused.
Luna had to cover her snicker with a coughing spell.
"Status of the Wayfarer Commander?" Akeno asked her tone changing to that of being more professional and 'Starfleety'.
"I can confirm via cross-analysis of maintenance records that all damaged and/or faulty components have since been refurbished or outright replaced," Mashiro reported, still looking a little annoyed, but attempting to maintain an air of professionalism in front of her new CO- even if it was Akeno. "Refueling of the vessel was also completed at 0640 hours this morning. All things considered- we should be ready to disembark from Starbase 12 at your orders, Captain."
"Thankyou Commander" Akeno replied. She lowered herself into her chair and seemed to relax a little as she crossed one leg over the other. "Right then. Take us out." She ordered simply, this time with a small smile directed at Shiro.
Mashiro nodded and took her seat in the adjacent chair.
Counsellor Bhatti crossed her arms in amusement watching the exchange. This formality is like watching paint dry she thought to herself. "Wonderful," said the Counsellor. "With all these upgrades and replacements, we can see if she purs like a bio neural circuitry kitten."
Patra was mopping as she went about her duties in engineering. As usual the Starfleet Corps of Engineers had did a fine job of repairing a starship; especially one that had endured battle. She had verified all deck plating that had been damaged or even suspected of being damaged were replaced. She had personally verified the shield generators were up and capable. She was running out of things to do, and missing Victoria already. She wondered if Commander Johnson could help her with the situation. “Ensign Isaak, take over for me. I’ll be right back.” With that she left engineering and headed to sickbay.
Luna's hands flew over the Holosole as the 'new adventure awaits!' butterflies woke up and started their routine in her stomach.
"Alrighty folks...let's get this big beautiful bird back up into the sky where she belongs!" Luna couldn't help but whoop as she guided the Wayfarer out of drydock and back into her home in the the star field.
[Sickbay]
Patra was chomping away at her cherry flavored gum as she approached sickbay, she suddenly realized she was still in her engineer coveralls, and they were filthy. Oh well, not like Doc will have an issue with that. The Sickbay doors swished open, and Patra stopped dead in her tracks.
[Space]
Slowly the Wayfarer glided out of the drydock, the ship turned slightly as its engines powered up. Both of the nacelles lifted and with a flash, the USS Wayfarer returned to the stars.
Posting by:
Captain Akeno Misaki
Commanding Officer
Commander Mashiro Munetani "Shiro"
Executive Officer
Lieutenant Commander Raelyn Mckenzie
Chief Security/Tactical Officer
Lieutenant Commander Mark Johnson
Chief Medical Officer
Lieutenant Luna Eclipse of the House of Martok
Chief Flight Control Officer
Lieutenant Torvin Anor
Chief Engineer
Lieutenant Rania Bhatti
Chief Counsellor
Lieutenant JG Patra Rommel
Structural/Environmental Specialist
'Mittens' - Havana Brown Cat
Feline Friend
