Lt. McKnight: Orders

[+ Anjar Thoran]

Some great characterization.

 

((Deck 3, Conference Room, USS Chin’toka))

 

Taking a seat, Amuro drank his coffee. Briefings have always bored him to no end. He'd rather get an assignment and straight to it but these are the trials of an officer.

 

Serala: Thank you all for coming. As you know, the Captain has been called away and has left me in charge. Meanwhile, however, our duties have not stopped. Starfleet Command has asked us to go on an exploration mission to a section of space just outside the Expanse, in an area that has been nicknamed the Uncharted Regions.
 

Raga: Interesting. We’ve never ventured there before.

 

Amuro brought up the map of the region and took a look at what they were going into. Since it was uncharted, it was a large blank spot on the map with a lot of question marks.

 

Peters: Response

 

Rosek: ::grins:: About time Starfleet Command gave us something relaxing. Just think. We’ll be one of the first, if not the first, Starfleet ships to map the region.
 

Azorius: Indeed, the prospect of exploring a new area would increase the morale aboard the Chin’toka. It is, after all, why many of her crew joined Starfleet in the first place.
 

Nar: Yes, um, I’ll make sure we’re ready to go in the lower decks science labs.

 

Kiax: I’m sure Stellar Cartography are going to be having champagne parties when they hear the good news. ::She chuckled.:: Two mapping assignments in a row!
 

Lephi: It's an exciting time to be onboard. We'll make sure we're ready for anything down in the bowels.
 

McKnight: There's a lot of space to cover, ma'am. Uncharted could mean a lot of things.

 

Any: Responses
 

Serala: Yes, it should be quite exciting to visit a region that few have ever been to. :: turning to Peters :: Our current course should bring us near the Drovna system. From there, we should be able to cut across Larokon space to Tigelis and then pick up the Homar route, which should enable us to kick it up to warp seven for a while.
 

Peters: Response

 

Serala brought up an image of the region they were to explore a few moments later. The conference room display was able to project the vastness of the uncharted space better. On 2D paper, the scope of an area can be misleading.

 

Serala: This is our destination. A wedge of space lying between two of the more powerful Houses in the Caraadian Republic.

 

Azorius: The Caraadian are a people from planet Oscion, is that right?

 

Raga: More or less. Oscion is their capital system, but it’s not their home world. The Caraadians are not native to the Expanse. They’ve merely taken up residence over the centuries after being forced out of their home world if I recall. They don’t even know where they come from at this point.

 

McKnight: I can relate. ::He mutters to himself. Then looked up to see if anyone heard him.::

 

Peters / Any: Responses
 

Serala: Correct, we will reach the terminus of the route at Tegedaar and proceed from there to Tiraan, then on to our destination. A small sector lying in a wedge between Beruna Province and Barahn Province, but not claimed by either as far as we know.
 

Raga: Most of our dealings with the Houses have been either the Larokon, or Beruna at this point. The Atlantis’ first mission after her recommission was to Devron. Most of our current crew got our first taste of the politics of the region in that mission.

 

McKnight: oO You mean getting shot at. Oo

 

Any: Responses
 

Rosek: ::pauses:: Do we know if there’s anything we should be careful of in the region? Anything that could affect the ship’s functioning?
 

Serala: Well, since it’s in uncharted space, we really don’t know what to expect there. That’s part of the reason we are going there. I would say, be prepared for anything. At the very least, we should keep the Science Department pretty busy. That’s where you will come in, Lieutenant Levinson. I would like you to oversee the science portion of the mission. :: turning to Ensign Ylsin :: Ensign, I am assigning you to assist her.

 

Levinson: Response

 

Nar: Oh!  Uh, yes, Commander.  And uh, Ensign Nar, not Ylsin, please.  Bajoran custom is for family names first, the individual's second. 
 

Serala: Response

 

Kiax: The long range sensors will be quite… Fuzzy… Toward the upper-middle of their range – though that is a problem we’re working to correct. The Astrometric lab won’t be much use until we do.
 

Levinson / Nar / Any: Response
 

Serala: Commander Kiax, please make sure our sensors are at full operating capability once we arrive. The trip through the Expanse might play a little havoc with them. :: turning to Rosek :: Same for the engineering systems, Commander.
 

Rosek: ::nods:: Understood, Commander.
 

Kiax: Will do.

 

Lephi picked her PADD up and hastily began making notes on which systems needed the most attention, it made it easier for her to prioritize things that way. 
 

Serala: Very well, then. Does anyone have any questions or comments?
 

Azorius: Do we expect any hostility between the two provinces, any war of territorial claim, or rivalry?
 

Raga: That’s a good question, Ensign. ::He smiled:: At the moment, both House Beruna and House Barahn are allies to one another. Beruna is the second largest of the Houses, Larokon being the first. The three of which make up the majority of votes in their Council. So, there shouldn’t be any conflicts in that regard, but the Houses aren’t entirely unified for a reason. I’m sure each is always looking to their own interests first and foremost. 
 

Serala / Peters: Response

 

Kiax: For once I actually have one thing to table while we’re all here… Lieutenant Levinson and I have been working on a way to combat some of the uncertainty that travelling beyond the confines of the trade lanes brings, though the technology could use a sounding out before we put it to use… We’ve been exploring the application of low-yield dampening fields to help filter out, beyond the capabilities of the normal sensor filters, some of the background noise that they’re subjected to when we try and push the range of them beyond a kind of medium range. Sort of like squelching RF signals, I suppose. So far, we’ve been able to extend range by about 20,000 kilometres at the cost of quality and fidelity, but it’s given us the ability to garner some more accurate predictions when it comes to establishing a pattern in the stellar debris drift.
 

Any: Response
 

Levinson: Response
 

Lephi: That's quite impressive, Commander. How are you modulating the dampening fields to achieve that effect?
 

Kiax: The dampening fields are being modulated by two factors; our own outgoing sensor frequencies, and previously obtained data on the incoming background noise from the usual detritus that is floating around the Expanse. By shielding the sensor clusters with the dampening fields, we can essentially screen out the interference. It’s not a perfect solution though. The constantly changing nature of the debris means that predicting what interference patterns to screen out is almost impossible – but, the more data we gather, the better the computer will get at predicting what kind of shifts will occur, which will ultimately give us longer and longer ranges at higher resolutions.
 

Lephi: Impressive indeed! I for one am looking forward to seeing how you fare with this.
 

Any: Response
 

Levinson / Snow / Logan / Rosek: Responses
 

Raga: Commander Logan. I want you and Lieutenant McKnight to make sure our tactical systems are ready and up to anything. Since this is literally uncharted space for us, we can’t know what we might expect. ::He looked to each of them:: We may have had a shakedown against a Valcarian cruiser already, but let’s be sure if we need to we’re prepared for a fight but hope we won’t.

 

Logan: response

 

McKnight: Working on that already, boss. ::Amuro had pulled up everything they knew about who they could go up against, even from the side that is supposed to be friendly. Best to know what everyone in the region is packing.:: I'll request checks on all defense systems.
 

Raga: Good. ::He looked to Snow:: I’d like the medical department to be on alert as well. Who knows what we might discover on this, perhaps something that might help advance our medical understanding or medicines. So, I’d like you on the bridge and keeping an eye on our sensors.
 

Serala / Snow : responses
 

Kiax: One final note from me – you’ll probably come across the notification in the computer regarding the Type 7 compliment eventually, but I figured I’d tell you all now to be sure. Until further notice they’re grounded while we work out an issue with their sensor suites and auto-guidance processors. Hopefully they’ll be back in action by the time we get to our destination, but for the time being consider using the Nines for whatever plans you submit through mission ops, if you need smaller shuttlecraft. The runabouts and Argos are available as well, if you need larger transports.
 

Azorius: I believe that with the crew facing new challenges, new prospects and the unknown, now would be a good time for me to begin offering the crew one on one appointments for counselling. I’ll post a schedule later today and the crew can request to see me. This is of course in addition to my mandatory crew evaluations which are planned to occur semi-frequently.  Is there anything else I can do to be of use for now, or shall I head to my office?

 

Any: Response
 

 

((ooc: Continue as needed!!))

 

Serala: Well, if there is nothing else then, let’s get to work.
 

Rosek: ::nods:: Yes, Commander.
 

Azorius: Aye, Sir.
 

Lephi: Aye, sir.

 

McKnight: Aye aye, oh captain, my captain. ::He smiled as he went off with Raga::

 

Any: Response

 

Amuro walked with Raga and Logan as they head to the assignments.

 

McKnight: I'll do a once over on our weapons and shields. Coordinate with Security. I've already messaged Tactical to check on our defenses.

 

Raga:

 

Logan:

 

McKnight: Alright, let's make sure our bracers are synced so we're on the same clock.

 

Raga:

 

Logan:

 

Amuro held his bracer up and made sure they're synced. He then remembered something else.

 

McKnight: Alright. Got work to do. ::He raised his hand to gesture to them to wait.:: Hold on.

 

Amuro walked over to Peters, pulling out another bracer.

 

McKnight: Pilot, sir. ::He called over.::

 

Peters:

 

Amuro tossed the helmsman the spare bracer for him to use.

 

McKnight: You break it, you buy it, sir.

 

Peters:

 

 

Lieutenant Amuro McKnight

Deputy Team Leader SORT

USS Chin'toka

D239302AM0

 

 

Edited January 28, 2021 by Lael Rosek