Capt. Shayne: What A Man Must Do
Quinn
((Deck 1, Captain’s Ready Room, USS Arrow))
Shayne: Now, whatever you think will happen- and chances are, if you can think of it, it has happened or will at some point- I need to know that we can depend on your professionalism and teamwork, just as I depend on every other officer, enlistee and cadet on this old boat.
Hobart: ::firmly:: Captain, whatever else I may be, I will never be the weak link in your chain. Whatever breaks, sir, I can fix it, I’m confident of that.
He shut his eyes for a moment, and allowed a small smile. When his eyes opened, there was a twinkle there, a sort of convergence of conscience. Hobart was more than a reminder of himself; he was a demonstration of what he could have been, and should have been, starting out as an officer. Where such a thought would normally bring resentment, jealousy, Shayne could only delight in it; for he was not so bitter so as to pass up a chance to change. Indeed, it felt indescribable to finally feel like he was on the right track. Come what may, he was confident he was becoming the man he ought to be, and he could look to fellow officers, young and old, for thanks.
It was also good to know that, whatever doubts Hobart was saddled with (understandably, considering his lack of experience) he would not let them drag him down. There was a sort of conviction that came with confidence, and vice versa, and Shayne felt reasonably certain that this greenhorn- green though he most certainly was- would do well in.
Shayne: Very well. When this mission is concluded, we’ll discuss some of Arrow’s more interesting upgrades, along with Mr. Dewitt. For now, join me on the bridge.
Shayne sharply moved past Hobart, leading him onto the bridge. The ranking officer was his chief of the science department, Quentin Collins. His excitable presence was only marginally tempered by his moment of confusion.
Collins: Captain. New...person?
Shayne: This is Ensign Hobart of the Engineering department.
It would never cease to be a wonder to Shayne, how new officers would arrive from the woodwork. Orders were orders, but sometimes he wished Starfleet would be more flexible in when ensigns could report to their ships. Shayne himself had arrived at his first vessel, thoroughly wet behind the ears, in the middle of a battle.
Hobart: Response
Collins: Ah! Excellent timing, Ensign. I'm Quentin Collins, Chief Science Officer. Apologies for leaving the welcome wagon packed up. It's been...a day.
Shayne held up a hand- he disliked being so rude, and apologized to Hobart with a contrite look, but pondered on with the job of being a senior officer.
Shayne: Report, Mr. Collins.
Collins: Yes, actually, a few things, sir. Firstly, Con-...Mister Dewitt has a plan to bring down the facility's dampening field. Something to do with a specialized phaser pulse attuned to the resonance field.
Shayne’s eyes narrowed. The idea itself had some potential; energy fields meant to keep out other energies were often susceptible to phaser strikes. However, the nadion base for phaser energy presented its own drawbacks.
Shayne: Tuned phaser pulses don’t have much functional range. How do we get close enough?
He should have figured that Collins was on the ball.
Collins: That's where I come in hopefully. Using a move from the Oddas Aria Playbook. ::he said with a sly grin.:: A "shield cycle". A cascading, randomized feedback loop across the deflector and kinetic array, making the whole shell refractory. Just long enough for us to get close enough to poke out that comms block and possibly drop a team to the surface.
The idea was sound; moving close enough to activate the phaser pulse would require some kind of sensor trickery, and this seemed as valid as any other. It wouldn’t need to be a long-term ruse; just enough to confuse the enemy. It was simply the mention of Oddas Aria, his former CO and mentor, that caused Shayne to grunt.
Shayne: Hm. Very well. Mr. Hobart, when we’re done here you’ll assist preparations in that regard. Cadet Perim, do you have a lead on an approach angle that will give us the best surprise advantage?
As the pair responded, Shayne realized that he was going into a dangerous circumstance with more new folks than normal. That was something they’d signed up for, of course, but they had not signed up for his vendetta.
Hobart: Response
Perim: Response
He turned his attention back to Collins.
Collins: Commander Niac and the others should have an insertion plan momentarily. They checked in earlier after we re-tasked the probe for a better look at approach.
Shayne: Good. Commander Niac will be in command of the bridge for this operation. We’ll converge with him on plans.
Perim/Hobart/Collins: Response
His eyes swept back and forth, searching shrewdly for two things from his staff; disapproval with his decision to lead the mission from the ground, and further suggestions for contributions.
Collins/Hobart/Perim: Response
Tag/TBC…
Captain Randal Shayne
Commanding Officer
USS Arrow
NCC 69829
G239202RS0