MSNPC Capt. Madison St. Claire: Marching Orders

[Zephyr]

 

So, my favorite bit outta this whole sim is the line about the Bolian. Well written, Jim. Very well done indeed.

 

(( Bridge, Deck 1, USS Yanktonai, NCC-67205 ))

Madison sat in her chair in the center of the bridge, and gripped the arms of her chair to force herself to not get up and pace. It was a nervous habit of hers and her crew was used to it, but this was the first time she and the Caitian Captain had interacted and she wanted to make a good impression. His service record was something to be envied, though her own was nothing to sneeze at. She had received numerous awards and accolades throughout her career, mostly for her work in the field of science. She was a Xenologist by trade, and thanks to her scientific contributions, she had played significant roles in helping discover the reasons behind an outbreak on three different worlds, had led several expeditions to study different new worlds and their inhabitants. Her track to command had been a bit slower than the distinguished officer facing from the viewscreen, but she had managed it.

Mei’konda: =/\= ...The Yanktonai will be briinging up the rear, the Chin’toka will be in the heart of the fleet, and the Diligent will taake point along our journey. Diligent is the faastest ship in the fleet, with sensors as good as ours, so she will be able to respond quiickly to anything out of the ordinary. =/\=

Delano: =/\= We’ll be ready over here, Captain. =/\=

St. Claire: =/\= Understood. =/\=

Transport Captains: =/\= Response =/\=

oO Rear guard, not the most glamorous position, but someone has to do it, I suppose. And his logic is sound. Oo

Several of the transport Captains piped in with questions that were easily and quickly answered, and Miranda had to once more remind herself that these were civilian ship captains, not Starfleet, and they were not very familiar with typical Starfleet protocol in these situations.

Mei’konda: =/\= Any other questions? Claarifications we should make about the journey before we get under way? Speak your mind, anyone. =/\=

Chin’toka Bridge: =/\= Responses =/\=

Transport Captain NPCs: =/\= Responses =/\=

St. Claire: =/\= What does our route look like, Captain Mei’konda? =/\=

Mei’konda: Current telemetry from Deep Space 26 indicaates that our route is clear. As you all know, we deployed several comm and sensor relaays along our route to the rendezvous from our initiaal survey of the Shemsh system, in order to maake sure that any hazards were catalogued. At the moment, there is no indiication of any problems. She started to reply to the other Captain when a couple of his officers interjected their own questions and comments, so she patiently waited her turn.

Peters: =/\= Understandable. Thank you, captain. =/\=

McKnight: =/\= Tactical, ready, cap'n. =/\=

Peters: =/\= And we will be travelling at warp 6, correct? =/\=

Marseille: =/\= Yeah, that’s right. It’s our maximum cruising speed. No fancy Starfleet engines over here. =/\=

Delano: =/\= :: In a playful tone :: Don’t worry Marseille, we can always give you a tow if it comes down to it. =/\=

It had been a source of frustration for Madison. While nowhere near as fast as the refitted Akira-class starship, her Dakota-class starship could still reach speeds of up to warp 9.85 and sustain it for twelve hours, and Madison was secretly a speed freak. It wasn’t unusual for her to push the ship to warp 9 and hold it there for as long as she could before her Chief Engineer began to turn blue in his face - ok, that was unfair since he was a Bolian - but the expression still counted.

Kiax: =/\= We’re capped to Warp Two as we go through the Jenatris Corridor anyway, Captain. After that I wouldn’t want to be going much faster than Six – even with our navigation aids pointing the way. =/\=

She had heard of the treacherous navigation within the Expanse and she had studied it on her trip here. The expanse was filled with high volumes of space debris and dangerous gases and posed a hazard to space flight. It even had designated space lanes which were considered safe for travel, apparently at slower speeds if the pink-haired Trill was to be believed, and Madison saw no reason to doubt her. They worked there, after all. 

Serala: =/\= I would also recommend modifying your shields to the specification we have sent you. The Atlantis has some issues a couple years ago with the gases of the Cloud seeping through and causing some rather unusual effects amongst the crew. =/\=

Chin’toka Bridge: Responses

St. Claire: =/\= Noted about the shields. And I think we can manage warp six. It might be a strain on the engines, but I like to keep my Chief Engineer on his toes. =/\=

She said it in such a deadpan tone and with such a straight face, she wondered how seriously anyone had taken her. Certainly the Starfleet officers, at the very least, should know she wasn’t serious.

St. Claire: =/\= And what about a risk assessment? Are you expecting any kind of resistance, Captain Delano? :: she belatedly realized there were two Captain Delano’s, though the CO of the Diligent was actually a Commander. Still, his position afforded him the title. :: Captain, Mei’konda Delano. Forgive me, I forget there are two of you here. =/\=

Delano / Transport Captain NPCs: =/\= Responses =/\=

There was a brief pause as another officer entered the viewscreen image and spoke to the Caitian and then she noticed that they were receiving telemetry data detailing some areas of concern. 

She studied the data for several minutes as the others conversed, taking note of those places that had been marked. Finally, the newest arrival to the conversation spoke.

Rosek: =/\= Lieutenant Commander Lael Rosek, the Chin’toka’s Mission Specialist at your service. =/\=

St. Claire: =/\= Well met, Commander. =/\=

Transport Captain NPCs: =/\= Responses =/\=

Rosek: =/\= A pleasure to meet each of you. :: turns to Evan :: And a pleasure to see you again, Commander. Back in the big chair I see. =/\=

Delano: =/\= Sharp eyes, as always, Commander Rosek. It’s a little ship. We had to compensate somewhere. =/\=

Chin’toka Bridge: =/\= Response =/\=

Transport Captain NPCs: =/\= Responses =/\=

There was some more conversation and when it was all finished, Captain Mei’konda returned to the screen to give final instruction.

Mei’konda: =/\= Very well then. If that’s all, then let’s get under way. Commander Delano, you’re leadiing the pack. Good luck to all of you. =/\=

St. Claire: =/\= Thank you, Captain. I am looking forward to it. Yanktonai out. =/\=

St. Claire: Helm, slow speed, fall to the aft position of the convoy and then increase speed to match the slowest ship. Keep us astern of the convoy by one thousand five hundred kilometers. If anything does happen, I want a little breathing room between us and the convoy.

Helm: Aye, Captain. Reducing to one-half impulse and coming astern of the convoy.

St. Claire: Tactical and Ops, keep your eyes peeled. Let’s make sure nothing slips up on us.

A round of ‘ayes’ followed as she gave more instructions and her various officers carried out her orders.

--

Captain Madison St. Claire

Commanding Officer

USS Yanktonai, NCC-67205

as simmed by

Commander Serala

First Officer

Training Team Member

Image Collective Member

Chat Team Moderator/Facilitator

Academy Statistician

USS Chin'toka NCC-97187

A239412S10