Commander Addison MacKenzie - Drill
Addison MacKenzie
(OOC: For brevity’s sake, I decided to omit any banter or welcoming dialog at the beginning of the briefing scene, since tagging you all would quickly become unruly. That said, you can feel free to tag one another and/or MacKenzie as your characters arrive, and I’ll gladly backsim any responses. Likewise, feel free to ask questions at the end of the briefing.)
(( Bridge, Deck 1, USS Artemis-A ))
Addison sat in the captain’s chair on the bridge of the Artemis, mindlessly staring at the viewscreen, mesmerized by the stars streaking past. Though the crew had completed their first official mission on the Luna-class vessel, it hardly felt like home – they’d barely spent any time aboard, after all – they’d had just a week to familiarize themselves with the ship before being tossed into a large-scale humanitarian mission where several members the senior staff had been at the mercy of neurological toxin. Still, their time on Meranuge IV cemented the fact that she had a damn capable crew under her. She was sure that if Nicholotti could have seen their performance, she’d have been proud, too. Who knows - Addison wouldn’t be surprised if the Commodore was monitoring them from her perch on the Excalibur.
Still, with one mission safely under their belt, it was time to get on to the next. In thinking about the crew’s performance, she was quite confident in their ability to tackle whatever problems the galaxy could throw at them. There was one variable that had yet to truly be accounted for:
The Artemis.
The ship was still for all intents and purposes an unknown quantity to them. How would she perform for them, especially when the senior staff was used to a ship with significantly more teeth like the Excalibur?
They needed a way to get acquainted.
Her attention was once again drawn to the viewscreen. This time, as the ship dropped out of warp, a smirk spread across her face as the bridge was bathed in a beautiful purple hue. In the distance, the faint shape of a Reliant-class cruiser.
They’d arrived.
She pressed a button on the console in her arm rest.
MacKenzie: =/\= Senior staff, report to the briefing room. =/\=
Now, the real test would begin for the crew of the Artemis…
(( Briefing Room, Deck 1, USS Artemis-A ))
Addison had replicated a mug of raktajino and had a seat in her customary seat at the head of the table. As various members of the senior staff started to trickle in, she nodded, offered a welcoming smile, and exchanged pleasantries. When the last of the staff arrived, she stood and activated the holoprojector. In the center of the table, a rotating 3D image of the purple nebula just off their starboard bow.
MacKenzie: Good morning. This beautiful and moderately hazardous nebula is likely familiar to some of you and is to be the setting for our next mission. The Paulson Nebula is made up of a series of gases, including chromium, dilithium, and magnesium, it’s filled with dust clouds and asteroid-like rocky bodies and has volatile plasma currents. ::pausing to look in the direction of the science team:: I’m sure Jovenan and Lorana are going to have a field day.
Jovenan/Lorana: Responses
MacKenzie: Paulson presents its own unique set of challenges: the unique combination of gases means that sensor use is difficult if not impossible, particularly in the densest parts of the nebula. Likewise, full impulse is impossible. Dare I say that anything over half-impulse power would be treacherous. For these reasons, we know very little about it… ::smirking:: But that’s what makes it the perfect setting for our mission.
Addison took a moment to look at Genkos, a twinkle of mischief in her eyes.
MacKenzie: Commander Adea and I have decided that it’s time to get to know this ship. By comparison, we’re all still new here, and we have no idea how the ship will respond when the going gets tough, so what better way than to test that in a controlled environment?
Adea: Response
She tapped a command into the holoconsole and the image changed from the nebula to a rotating image of a Reliant-class ship.
MacKenzie: This is the USS Berlin – a Reliant-class cruiser on loan to us from Deep Space 224 for the purposes of helping us put the Artemis through her paces.
The CO rubbed the palms of her hands together, a devilish smirk across her face, as she had a seat.
MacKenzie: We’re going to engage in some friendly Opposing Force drills. Half of you will board the Berlin under the command of Commander Adea. Your goal is simple: try to destroy the Artemis. The other half of you will remain here with me and try to prevent that from happening. The goal is to see how the ship, and all of you, respond under adverse conditions, particularly when your enemy knows you as well as we know each other.
She paused as she glanced around the table, the smirk plastered on her face.
MacKenzie: On Commander Adea’s team will be Commander Dakora serving as his first officer, along with Lieutenant Osuna at security/tactical, Lieutenant Yellir at engineering, Lieutenant Jones at medical, and Ensign Lorana at science.
Adea/Dakora/Osuna/Yellir/Jones/Lorana: Responses
MacKenzie: On Team Artemis will be Commander Yalu as my first officer, along with Ensign Kader at the helm, Lieutenant Silveira at tactical, Ensign Savel at security, Ensign Vedic at engineering, and Lieutenant Jovenan at science.
Yalu/Silveira/Savel/Vedic/Jovenan: Responses
Addison sat back in her chair, her hands clasping together until her index fingers steepled just below her chin. As she scanned the faces of the staff, it was a mixture of excitement and apprehension, but from the command staff’s perspective, the best test of their preparedness was to actually put it to the test.
MacKenzie: Before we break into our teams to start our preparations, what questions do you have?
Any: Response
Tag, and TBC!
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Commander
Addison MacKenzie, M.D., Ph.D., FASFS
Commanding Officer
USS Artemis-A
Captains Council Magistrate
V239601AM0