Ensign T’Fearne - Flight of the Vulcazoid
teayl.thorn
((Security Complex, Deck 11, USS Ronin))
Ensign T’Fearne stood poised in front of the auxiliary console in the security briefing room, her arms crossed with a PADD tucked under one arm, her sharp eyes scanning the general data on Proxima Sigma. The hum of the ship’s systems usually filled the quiet, but the abrupt end of the awards ceremony caused a sharper buzz of activity around her.
Carpenter: =/\= Chief Carpenter to T'Fearne, Syrex, and O'Connor. Grab your gear and muster to Deck 9. Mister O'Connor has prepped a ride for us, I believe. You have ten minutes...=/\=
A short pause before the Chief abruptly came back on the comm before T’Fearne could reply.
Carpenter: =/\= Make it 15. =/\=
Syrex: =/\= Acknowledged =/\=
T'Fearne: =/\= Understood, Chief. =/\=
O'Connor: =/\= We’ll be ready for take off as soon as everyone gets here.=/\=
T’Fearne’s lips curled into a quiet smile. It seemed she was being pulled for an away mission. And Alyndra was going too.
oO Good, I can keep an eye…:: Wince:: on her. No losing any more body parts! Oo
The previous mission had given all of them reasons to doubt themselves, but the downtime and new friends of shore leave had given her a chance to metabolise some of her troubles. She felt fit and ready for duty.
She glanced upward, imagining the Chief and the senior officers' several decks above her in a briefing room, parsing details and dissecting whatever the reason for the sudden departure.
Transferring the Proxima Sigma file to her PADD, she swung by the armory to grab her gear. There’d be time for more research once they were en route.
((Timeskip, Shuttlebay 1, Deck 9, USS Ronin))
T’Fearne arrived at the shuttle bay slightly ahead of schedule, and her eyes immediately landed on the Sojourn, seemingly their ride to wherever they were going—shuttlebay prep already underway. Then she spotted an individual she had not had the occasion to meet before now, though he was easily recognisable. The bright green officer was difficult to mistake for any other aboard, and his matching colourful reputation had travelled faster than his arrest at Quark’s on DS9. She hadn’t heard anything about him in the months afterwards.
Still, T’Fearne held back judgment for the most part. They had duties to perform.
As she stepped closer, Lt. O'Connor was already in motion, clearly all business and time seemed to be of the essence.
O’Connor: Glad you’re here a couple minutes early. I haven’t had a chance to check all the security equipment they packed aboard yet. :: He handed her a padd:: Could you stow your gear and double check our armaments. Anything else you want to take along feel free to grab out of the weapons locker. It’s across the deck on the far wall near the Anna Pavlova.
T’ Fearne::: nodding, taking the padd:: Of course, Lieutenant. I’ll take care of it. Any more intel on the nature of the mission?
Just then, Alyndra entered the bay, her medical gear slung over her shoulder. The shiny half-pip on her collar caught the light, and T’Fearne contained her smile inwardly.
Syrex: Hey both, how are you?
T’Fearne: As ready as I can be without a more in-depth briefing on the situation, Lieutenant. :: Sketching a salute::
O’Connor: Good doc. And you? Enjoying the new pip?
Syrex: I’m alright thanks, and thanks. I wasn’t sure if I was getting promoted to begin with though! I thought I was being kicked off of the ship!
T’Fearne: It is well deserved. :: Offering a reassuring smile::
O’Connor: There does seem to be a razor’s edge between the two sometimes.
Alyndra chucked.
Syrex: Hey, you said it!
T’Fearne excused herself to focus on the task at hand. She boarded the Sojourn, stowing her gear and inspecting the security equipment. The compartments were well-stocked with standard issue armaments—phasers, rifles, power packs, transporter enhancers, survival gear, she left the medkits as Alyndras purview—but something told her this mission was anything but standard. She scanned the inventory, looking for anything that might give them an edge in an unexpected situation.
A phrase from an old Academy instructor echoed in her mind: The first weapon of a Starfleet officer is their mind.
She wasn’t sure what awaited them, but she'd be ready to improvise. Then her gaze landed on a combat tricorder on the manifest, and she grabbed four of them, along with an assortment of grenades—both lethal and non-lethal—that had been useful in the Lattice Alliance attack on DS33. She stowed the items and updated the PADD before exiting the Sojourn as Commander Carpenter’s voice echoed through the shuttlebay.
Carpenter: Response
Syrex: Commander.
T’Fearne: Chief. :: shifting from an attention stance to a nod of greeting::: Armaments and security equipment are well stocked and securely stowed. :: fishing for more intel:: More intel on what the mission is would be helpful for determining if we need any additional supplies.
Carpenter: Response
O’Connor: ::to Carpenter:: Your chariot awaits:: Ian gestured to the Sojourn::
T’Fearne nodded as she passed him, handing back the PADD with the updated inventory list. She returned to the shuttle ahead of the others, quickly checking her gear again and making sure everything was in place.
O’Connor: Can you give a quick glance at our supplies and if there’s anything else you want…::He pointed at a couple of items:: Ensign T’Feare added this and this. ::He met Kristy’s eyes:: Prudent or paranoid? You’ve been to this place before, right?
Carpenter: Response
Her keen hearing caught most of the quiet conversation between the senior officers at the entry, and for a moment, she wondered if the Lieutenant was genuinely asking if she was being overly cautious. It didn’t matter much, though. As she finalized her prep, she noticed Alyndra looking over some of her gear.
The Volga class was smaller than the Rhine, a cosy 16 meters in length, so she easily heard the Lieutenant address her.
O’Connor: Ensign T’Feare, you minored at the Academy in helm didn’t you?
Rising from the stowed gear container and coming forward to the helm where the pilot perched in the co-pilot’s chair. He had gotten her name wrong again but he had clearly looked up her file for him to know her minor. The empty pilot’s chair made the suggestion clear, and she felt her heart rate rise slightly at the prospect of taking the helm.
T’Fearne: It’s Ensign T’Fearne, Sir. :: emphasising the ‘n’ in her name:: Yes, I flew this and several other models at the Academy, and I also have prior experience with piloting some Betazoid shuttles.
O’Connor: From what I’ve heard you were a decent pilot. What do you say you get some more flight hours in and begin working on your instructor’s certification? ::He gestured to the pilot’s seat and smiled::
T’Fearne: Gladly. It has been a few months since I’ve had occasion to fly as other than the co-pilot. Do you have our course?
She slid into the pilot's seat, a rush of familiarity sweeping over her as she re-acquainted herself with the Volga class. She began running the preflight checks, leaving the navigation to O'Connor.
Carpenter/Syrex/O’Connor: Response
T’Fearne::: Eyes flicking over her instruments:: Due to the nature of this mission, I assume we’ll be taking this trip at maximum warp?
Carpenter/Syrex/O’Connor: Response
That was all she had been waiting to hear, and as time was of the essence and the Sojourn’s systems were showing optimal across the board, T’Fearne opened a connection to Flight Ops.
T’Fearne: =/\= Flight Ops, this is Sojourn. All crew aboard. Systems are optimal, we are ready for immediate departure. Request clearance to depart? =/\=
She raised an eyebrow at O'Connor, waiting for any additional instructions before they left.
Flight Ops: =/\= Response =/\=
Carpenter/Syrex/O’Connor: Response
The controls felt familiar beneath her fingertips as she engaged the maneuvering thrusters, feeling the shuttle lift ever so slightly off the deck.
The Sojourn, for a compact craft, responded well to her touch. She eased the controls back, gently guiding the shuttle forward, feeling the familiar pull of the inertial dampeners working their magic as they exited the Ronin’s shuttle bay and moved clear into the glittering sea of space, coming about in the direction of Proxima Sigma and jumping to warp.
[Tags, You're it! / TBC]
((OOC: Rob, I hope you don’t mind, I turned your typo on T'Fearne's name into part of the sim, thought it was funnier that way XD))
===============================
Security Officer
USS Ronin - NCC-34523
R240107T14