LT Gila Sadar & PO3 Xandeus Filistrien - A Brief at Warp
LT Gila Sadar
((USS Griffin - Main Shuttlebay, Deck 11, USS Artemis-A))
Gila looked at the entrance to the cockpit as the rest of the volunteers for this joint mission entered. Some were familiar - Lieutenant Junior Grade Gnai was a welcome addition, and its expertise would no doubt come in handy during the mission - while others were as good as strangers. She was familiar with Ensign Bergmen and Ensign Imril, but only as prospective patients. The coming week and a half would likely rectify that, however.
Sadar: W-Welcome aboard. I-I don’t know if you’ve met, but uhh ::gestures to Filistrien:: this is Petty Officer Filistrien. He’ll be observing the mission.
Xandeus stood at attention, nodding to the two officers.
Filistrien: A pleasure to be serving with you, Sir.
While the Bactrican Ensign seemed to have a double take at his presence aboard the shuttle, Ensign Bergmen instead stepped forward to shake his hand with surprising vigor. Xandeus followed the human tradition with the kind of practiced distance that came with having internalized alien rituals, though he made sure to offer a slight smile at his superior’s attempt at being welcoming.
Bergmen: Ensign Ollie Bergmen, Operations. Pleased to meet you too.
Imril: ::to Sadar and Filistrien:: Ensign Imril. Engineering.
Gnai: Response
Then, they all took to their seats, as their departure grew ever more imminent. Gila twisted her anxiety ring unconsciously, still trapped in the panicked hope that - at any moment - a more senior officer would enter the shuttle, berating her for even considering that she’d be capable of leading a mission like this. She really didn’t care who at this junction, just so long as someone came to sideline her.
Bergmen: So, Mr. Filistrien, how does it look? Will it be taking off soon?
Filistrien: We have received the all-clear to depart from both Artemis Flight Control and DS224 Ops, so I believe our departure is imminent, Sir.
Seeing her window of opportunity shrink, and the hopes of being replaced as team leader dim, Gila started to slowly accept the knowledge that she was going to be the ranking officer... It wasn’t an easy pill to swallow.
Sadar: Well, I-I guess we’re all here, so- Wait, what about-
Gnai: response
At that very moment, a clatter of footsteps predated the appearance of the redheaded helm officer who’d been quick to accept the charge of piloting the Griffin on its voyage. Seeing as the Artemis was rather locked while docked with DS224, Gila imagined that Ensign Lyara had mostly been fulfilling her Operations designation during shoreleave.
Lyara: Hopefully you guys aren’t taking off without the pilot?
Gila shuddered slightly at the idea of her having to pilot the shuttle, but quickly decided that - had Ensign Lyara not shown up - she would’ve had to delegate that particular task. She did not consider herself even a half decent pilot.
Lyara: Sorry I’m late sir, got caught up in PADDwork.
It was a familiar excuse to the workaholic Mizarian, and in spite of herself, Gila found herself smiling slightly.
Sadar: Like you said, Ensign; can’t very well leave without a pilot.
Lyara: ::Giving a small wave:: Hello petty officer, I’m Ensign Lyara.
Xandeus looked over to the exuberant Ensign, a thin eyebrow raised in greeting. He supposed newly assigned officers didn’t have to respect deadlines and meeting times as vigilantly as others did, but considering the assembled team, he too shared in the Doctor’s opinion that getting the Griffin out of the shuttle bay without her would have been a concerning task.
Filistrien: It is a pleasure, Sir. ::inclines his head:: Xandeus Filistrien, Signals Analyst.
Gnai/Bergmen: Response
Gila took a deep breath, dropping her hand from the black obsidian band wrapped around her right ringfinger, and instead turned her attention towards the assembled team.
Sadar: Kahines II is two days away at Warp 6, so you shall all have plenty of time to become acquainted with both the mission profile and each other.
Evidently catching on to Gila’s meaning, Ensign Lyara took a quick swig of her carry-on beverage before accessing the helm computer.
Lyara: So did we get our pre-flight checks done?
Imril: ::Fingers zipping over the interface:: Commencing Engineering pre-flight… All systems green.
Gnai//Bergmen: Response
Filistrien: DS224 Ops wish us a safe journey, Sir.
Gila nodded slowly. This was it.
oO How come the Captain always appears when I least want her to, but at times like these, is a no-show? Oo
She sighed, before claiming the co-pilot’s seat.
Sadar: Thank you. All right... ::shaky breath:: E-Ensign Lyara? Take us out. Warp 6 when ready.
Lyara/Imril/Gnai//Bergmen: Response
Gila was quiet as she watched the scenery outside move as Ensign Lyara commanded the Griffin into flight, through the open shuttle bay doors and out into space. DS224 - the hovering bastion of Starfleet’s presence in the Borderlands - seemed to almost bid them farewell with the slowly blinking lights on its surface, before the Griffin pointed its nose towards the Klingon Border and headed for the edge of the system, and Warp 6.
Once they reached their intended speed, Filistrien looked up from the comms console.
Filistrien: For the moment, our projected approach is void of unexpected complications. Klingon Border Control will apprise us if anything changes on their end.
Sadar: Thank you. ::looks around to the gathered officers:: I won’t go into the details here - the mission outline provided to us by Starfleet is more detailed than I could be regardless - but upon our arrival at Kahines II, we will be engaging in a joint archaeological expedition with a team of archaeologists from the Klingon Research Outpost on Brestant, and we will be staying as Starfleet’s representatives until the team of archaeologists from Starfleet Historical Society make landfall. Any questions?
Lyara/Imril/Gnai//Bergmen: Response
Xandeus nodded, deeming it best to address the elephant in the room ahead of time.
Filistrien: While I may be Intelligence now, I was a Communications Specialist originally. Consider me predominantly here in that capacity, though I am also here to provide a counterintelligence perspective to any information we might be able to parse from the ruins themselves.
The black uniform was likely to cause some raised eyebrows and hushed whispers on their arrival, but Gila had opted for him to remain in his proper uniform. Not only did she consider it exceedingly rude to the Petty Officer to ask him to conceal his proper rank and designation - an action completely unheard of for Mizarian sensibilities - but if they took measures to conceal his position and it was later discovered, that could cause even graver misunderstandings with their Klingon allies than being forthright would.
Besides, there were other graver concerns than the Klingons.
Sadar: The colonists on Kahines II are worried that the discovery of the ruins might lead to the Empire claiming the colony as their sovereign territory, so while our main focus should be on the archeological survey, we also need to be mindful that the colonists’ fears don’t lead to conflicts with the Klingon scientists.
Filistrien: There has been no indication that the Klingon scientists are there for any other reason than to ascertain the identity and legacy of the Kahines II installation. ::considers:: That said, there is a precedent for similar incidents in modern history - like the DMZ near Cardassian space - so the colonists’ fears, while irrational, are not entirely illogical.
Lyara/Imril/Gnai//Bergmen: Response
TAGS/TBC
LT Gila Sadar
Medical Officer
USS Artemis-A
A240006GS1
&
PO3 Xandeus Filistrien
Signals Analyst
USS Artemis-A