We Ride!
Posted on Sun Apr 6th, 2025 @ 3:32am by Captain T’Kal & Ensign Emmanuelle Larose & Lieutenant Commander Valerie Novis & Lieutenant Karane Inda & Lieutenant CASTIEL 'Cas' Johnson MD & Lieutenant Megosho Gehente & Lieutenant JG Sung Jin-Woo & Lieutenant JG Annika Johnson & Lieutenant JG Renata Novotná
1,487 words; about a 7 minute read
Mission:
ARYL 1X01: Bound for Cold Frontier
Location: Main Bridge
Captain’s Log, Stardate 8950.1. It has been one week since I was given command of USS Ark Royal, and in that time the crew, including the newly assembled senior staff, have been working diligently to prepare for launch. Spacedock Traffic Control has given us a departure window, which arrives imminently.
The turbolift door opened and Captain T’Kal strode upon her command centre. She saw her senior staff and a handful of others hard at work to prepare for launch.
“Captain on deck!” This came from the Ensign at Navigation, the one with bright purple hair and the red rank lapel. Ms. Larose, bridge support officer and T’Kal protégé, filled the lead Navigator position until an appropriate chief could be identified and summoned.
Castiel walked onto the bridge just behind her, something he had seen plenty, in another life, another aspect of his career. Those days were gone, now his time was spent away from the bridge, however, with it being departure time, he felt it fitting to be on the bridge, even for a short time as they departed. Looking the bridge over, he found a secluded spot in the corner, and took residence.
Sitting at the environmental systems controls Annika turned her seat to greet T’Kal with the proper respect as she arrived on the bridge, but her smile wasn’t just for T’Kal it was also for her husband Castiel.
Meg looked up from her station where she was already sorting through dispatches to and from Spacedock as she worked to communicate the time-frames for departure from dock and navigating traffic around Earth to the limit of her gravity well so they could warp to their destination. She gave a friendly nod and smile of acknowledgement before returning to her work.
Valerie stood to attention where she'd been observing from near the Captain's seat. The last twelve hours had been particularly busy for her, more so than two days before, just the final preparations for launch that typically consumed the second in command. She turned her head slightly to acknowledge the Captain before continuing as she was, ticking off things on the datapad she held. Until T'Kal acknowledged that she was taking over, she herself was still the Officer Of The Deck and responsible for everything.
From his position on helm, Jin-Woo stood to attention the moment the call for 'Captain On Deck!' was uttered.
Renata sat at the science station, familiarizing herself with her new console. She felt kinda nervous, this being her very first day as chief science officer. She wished for a nice cold glass of Bohemian Pilsner. She turned around in her seat and looked up as the Captain entered the bridge. She was never much of a military protocol person.
“As you were,” said T’Kal. “All departments heads, report,” she ordered as she took her seat.
“Environmental systems green across the board Captain, Counsellor is ready as she’s ever going to be.” Annika offered a wry smile.
'Communications are good - incoming traffic loud and clear,' Meg replied cheerfully to the status request, queuing up the last of the pre-launch logs to be transmitted over to Command. There were quite a few personal missives that were yet to be transmitted, and Meg arranged a lower-priority channel to distribute them.
As the Captain had assumed her chair, Valerie moved off and to the side, near one of the Tactical consoles, "Ark Royal is secure and ready for combat operations, Captain." Valerie said in an even tone, "All weapons and defensive systems check out as normal and ready for action. When we have a chance, I'd like to request a test-firing to ensure that all systems function properly."
"You will have it," T'Kal assured her XO.
"All flight systems are ready to go." Jin-Woo reported. "RCS Thrusters and Impulse Engines ready at your command, Captain."
"Navigation systems online," Emmanuelle reported. "We are connected to Starfleet's Tactical Positioning System."
"All engine power ready and available," Karane reported from the Engjneering monitoring station.
"Science department ready to rumble, Captain." Renata looked at her commanding officer and slightly nodded.
"Medicals are due be end of week, I expect to be seeing each and everyone of you in sickbay for your physicals, as well as seeing Lt Johnson for their psyche evals... failure to do so, will result in temporary adjustment of shipboard duties."
“Most excellent.” The Captain tensed slightly in her chair. This is it. “Ms. Gehente, open a channel to Spacedock Operations.”
'Channel open,' Meg replied after a moment, inserting the earpiece, and holding it there. 'Spacedock Operations reading loud and clear - ready for you, Captain.'
“This is USS Ark Royal,” T’Kal said into the air, “requesting departure clearance.”
After a brief pause, the Spacedock’s massive doors ahead of them began to slide open. “Clearance granted, Ark Royal. Before you go, message from Commander, Starfleet. Reads: ‘Wishing you a willing foe and sea room. And don’t scratch my ship.’ Message ends.”
None but a Vulcan (or possibly Counselor Johnson) would have detected the slightest curl of her lip.
Valerie snickered softly from her station and smiled broadly. A quip came quickly to her lips, but she kept her mouth shut. It wouldn't do to suggest the response of 'Scratches only show character and finding that willing foe to show it with.'
"No one is scratching ANYTHING!" Karane warned. "This ship is nice and shiny and by hell or high water its going to stay that way!"
Annika couldn’t help but notice the slightest of smiles from T’Kal as much as Vulcans claimed to show no emotion, she had witnessed the fact that they sometimes did.
“Mr. Sung, proceed on launch course, one-eighth impulse.”
"One eighth impulse." Jin-Woo affirmed as he proceeded to start the Ark Royal in motion. "Following pre-planned launch course."
"Spacelanes are clear on our course." Valerie reported as she watched the sensors, "Closest approach to another ship is estimated at eighteen kilometers once we clear the berthing area, movement is to open the range."
It was odd to think of a nearly-200,000-tonne behemoth as 'graceful', but that's exactly how the USS Ark Royal moved out of its berth in Spacedock, through the massive doors, and out into open space. Gracefully.
"Ms. Gehente, get me shipwide," T'Kal ordered.
'Shipwide, aye Captain,' Meg working the console in front of her. The refitted consoles worked like a dream and she soon had the internal comm open, a whistling noise alerting the crew to pay attention.
"Now here this," the Captain said, her voice echoing across every compartment and corridor of the ship. "Despite attempts by the Diplomatic Corps and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Klingon Empire has vowed to continue hostilities against the Federation. Starfleet Command believes that war may come at any time.
"Our mission is to dissuade Klingon aggression in Sector 262. It is far from Earth, but the people who live there are Federation citizens nonetheless, choosing to live on the edge of our territory, where Starfleet response times are often slower. We shall support our frontier worlds, conduct diplomatic activities with the independent powers of the region, and deter the Klingons from violence.
"I have every confidence that we will all do our duties and make a difference. Lives will be saved, and that is what matters. That is all." She gestured for the channel be closed.
"Mr. Sung, set a course for Starbase K-11, Warp Factor Seven. Ms. Novotná, work with Commander Novis and Ensign Larose to find a suitable location to test the tactical systems on route."
"Aye, sir." Jin-Woo nodded as he worked the controls. "Course laid in; Starbase K-11. Warp Seven ready on your mark."
"Aye, sir." Renata nodded. "Commander. Ensign." She tapped a bunch of commands into the computer and raised an eyebrow, which, she realized, was a very Vulcan-like notion, thus she quickly un-raised it.
"Execute warp."
"Warp speed." Jin-Woo called out, engaging warp speed and accelerating the Ark Royal to the speed of light, and far past it.
As the Ark Royal made her way into space, Meg felt the familiar thrill of departure, and the sense of possibilities that stretched ahead of her and her crew. I'm gonna enjoy this, she vowed.
END
Captain T’Kal
Commanding Officer, USS Ark Royal
Lieutenant Commander Valerie Novis
Executive Officer and Chief Tactical Officer, USS Ark Royal
Lieutenant Karane Inda
Chief Engineer, USS Ark Royal
Lieutenant Megosho Gehente
Chief Communications Officer, USS Ark Royal
Lieutenant Castiel Johnson
Chief Medical Officer, USS Ark Royal
Lieutenant jg Renata Novotná
Chief Science Officer, USS Ark Royal
Lieutenant jg Sung Jin-Woo
Chief Helmsman, USS Ark Royal
Lieutenant jg Annika Johnson
Chief Counselor, USS Ark Royal
Ensign Emmanuelle Larose
Bridge Support Officer, USS Ark Royal
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