#29 (Preemptive post) Taking Command

Posted on Mon Mar 6th, 2023 @ 12:53pm by Taavis {SF Capt. Ret.} {UFP Intel Agent} & Commander Kehlani & Lieutenant Commander Billi & Lieutenant JG Griffon Resch "Nazgul"

Mission: Mission 9 Deal with the Devil
Location: USS Nova
Timeline: current/somewhere in between

OOC: This post takes place after the JP for the promotions. Again, out of sync since I had ideas and wrote a post so, my apologies if it confuses anyone. Hence, the timeline being current/somewhere in-between.

ON:

Taavis, upon leaving Commodore Sureth's offices, headed to a transporter room, beaming over to the Nova-A. Upon arrival she stepped to the edge of the transporter platform, looking at the chief behind the console. "Permission to come aboard, Chief?"

"Aye, Sir, and welcome. I will need to see your orders, Captain, for permission to be here since we are in mid-maintanence."

"No problem, Chief." Taavis stepped down and walked over, offering her PADD to the younger man, her eyes looking around as her face angled this way and that to take it all in. Apparently, Starfleet was doing away with the foolish carpeting, and going back to actual deckplates and solid wall panels. The walls and decks were now stark white, with plenty of lighting, and certain areas cordoned in different colors to denote their departmental use (SNW starship interior design). A phaser cache on the wall had a gold strip around it in a square, with a red pinstripe around the outside of that. A medical locker had a blue line to denote it was a cache for medpacks and other items useable by all crew during emergencies. The exit doors were red and she could tell they were the most modern Starfleet had available.

"Oh, uhh, sorry, Captain." said the transporter chief. "I had heard Captain Rivers was in a bad way medically, but hadn't been informed yet as to who was taking command."

Taavis gave him a friendly grin as she took her PADD back. "It's alright, Chief. No one has been informed yet. I'm here to have a look around and log myself as aboard and on duty for the ship's log. Can we keep this between us for now?"

"Aye, Sir."

"Well, let's get to it, then." Taavis stepped around to his side of the console and got in next to him, her hands flying over the face as she tapped keys rapidly, adding herself to the roster as CO, effective immediately, and on duty. "There." She stood up straight and looked over at the man, extending her hand. "Hi, I'm Taavis. Whom do I have the pleasure of speaking with?"

The man shook hands, her casual demeanor putting him at ease. "Raul Alvarez. Ensign Raul Alvarez, Captain."

After the handshake, glad the man had seemed to get his anxiety over her appearance under control, Taavis began to talk as casually as she could to him. "I take it you're my transporter chief? That you are responsible for the state of all transporter systems aboard?"

"That's correct, Captain."

"Have we had any issues, Mister Alvarez? Anyone get put back together wrong, or cargo that ended up outside instead of on board?"

Raul gave a grin and a slight chuckle at that. "Sorry, Sir. That caught me off guard. And, no. The transporters have been operating at peak efficiency."

Taavis gave a nod at that. "Good to hear. Would you have an Operations team meet me at the CO's quarters? We need to pack up Captain Rivers' personal belongings and have them sent to 69. Once that is accomplished then I will tag my own belongings in my quarters on station and have them brought over by transporter."

"I can do that, Captain. You want them there now?"

"Give it half an hour, then send them. I need to do a bit of a walkabout to get to know the decks."

Alvarez set a timer on his console. "When it goes off I will send the personnel to assist, Sir."

"Thank you, Raul. Nice meeting you. Until later," she said. Taavis then left the transporter room. Knowing that the Nova-Class was a modular internal design like the Defiant-Class, she knew that the refit would take very little time from an engineering point of view. As she had stated to Sureth, all the redundancy checks could be done in flight, to get the crew used to how the ship would handle while seeing to any further maintenance needs.

***

As per her directive, Taavis arrived at the CO's quarters, and the doors opened for her without a hitch. Obviously, Sureth was as efficient as always with her assignment and transfer already listed and locked in. There were three Ops. officers to assist, and very carefully they all gathered Deke's personal belongings, as a team of four, and made sure they were packed in foam layered containers if they were breakables. With the tags set on all the containers she then ordered Alvarez to send them over to 69, beaming them to the cargo hold for personnel belongings. After thanking the three officers who had assisted Taavis sent word to Ops on the station that Captain Rivers' belongings had been packed and beamed over.

Once that was accomplished Taavis returned to 69, going to OPS and working with Callaghan on getting her set-up as the new Number One for the facility, her last act while transferring control, to place Billi as the FC Chief for the USS Nova-A. The messages were sent, encoded, directly to Lieutenant Billi about her new position. Finally handing the reins over to Callaghan, Captain Taavis left OPS by being beamed directly back to the Nova.

As soon as she materialized, Taavis gave a grin to the transporter chief as she stepped down from the platform. "Hello, Raul. Good to see you again."

"You too, Captain."

"Any news that might interest me," she asked the younger man as she approached his station.

"The Bridge module is being inserted and hooked in as we speak, Captain." Answered Alvarez. "From what I'm to gather it's the last piece to be put in place. All other systems/departments are showing green across the board."

Taavis gave him a wink and smile. "Seems you're my good luck charm, Ensign. Keep up the good news." She began to head out the door with a "Yes, Sir" said behind her as it shut. Having gone to her quarters and packed her own belongings she had them beamed over to Nova, directly to her quarters aboard ship. Since her quarters were on the Bridge deck it would put her in close proximity for being the first to stand on the command deck, other than the engineers who would be busy wiring everything together. Stepping into her quarters, Taavis began to unpack and decorate.

Hours went by as she got her quarters set, glad her Ready Room was just next door and a small walk from either her personal spaces or the Bridge. While she had been busy with her quarters she had felt several reverberations through the hull of the ship, and looking out her window, had seen the workbees bringing the Bridge into a dorsal position over the Primary hull, and seating it where it needed to be. A dozen engineers in EVA suits came in and began to bolt the Bridge into place, being delivered by runabout as they exited the small starship to do their part in getting the Nova back into running shape. It was a complete refit, right down to the interior design and the Bridge itself and Ejo was running a tight crew, with all of them, combined with the station engineers, to get it all done in record time. The USS Nova, NCC 72380-A would be ready for a trial run of her basic systems fairly soon.

Taavis had to admit it to herself, she was excited over the prospect of getting out there in her own command, making her own decisions, with exploration and defense of the sector they all called home. Starbase M-69 was their port-of-call, their seat of command as it were, but Nova would still have operational independence to a degree simply by being a starship out on another frontier.

Her door chime sounded.

"Come," said Taavis, turning to face her entryway.

Billi walked in, a big smile on her face, her own face alight with excitement as she glanced around the CO's quarters. "Settling in well, I see." She came in quickly and the two women hugged before stepping back.

"Damn skippy," said Taavis, her own smile showing her emotional high. She had her emotions under control but was not trying to hide them as a follower of Jarok.

"Well, Skipper, thank you for the opportunity," said Billi. "Finally, a starship to steer around the sector instead of traffic control. I'm hoping that out there we can actually make a difference and reduce the chaos within our sphere of influence."

"Alvarez to Captain Taavis."

Holding a hand up to Billi politely, Taavis tapped her badge. "Taavis here. Go ahead, Mister Alvarez."

"Captain, the IKS Foes Bane has pulled up alongside the drydock and Commander Kehlani has requested permission to beam over, along with Ensign Resch."

Taavis gave Billi a knowing grin and a wink. "Raul, please beam them both directly to my quarters." Billi stepped out of the open, central entry area.

"Aye, Captain. Energizing. Alvarez, out."

In a few moments the humming of the transporter signal was heard and Kehlani materialized, with Resch at her side. Kehlani did as Billi had done, stepping in to hug Taavis before stepping away while Resch simply gave a nod and grin.

"Welcome aboard the USS Nova, you two. Apologies, Kay, but I'll need Mister Resch on the Nova. Once we get our systems squared away over the next few days then we will accompany you out to the initial mine site and aid with the investigation," Taavis explained. "The base will be moving so we'll have the duty of aiding in towing it to its new coordinates."

Kehlani gave a nod to all of that. "Just when the Klingon hazing was to begin," said Kehlani, with a chuckle, glancing over at Griffon.

"Should I wait to recall him," asked Taavis, her eyes showing her own mirth.

"Please, don't," said Resch, his tone denoting he was going along with the humor. They all grinned at one another. "I like gagh but bregit lung...not so much." That got them all chuckling.

Taavis got them back on track. "While aboard, Ensign Resch, you will be the Security/Tactical chief for Nova. Your specific skill set for Intel makes you and Billi well suited to the position, but I need a driver. Bone up on your Security protocols. Be prepared to be out with Nova more so than previously done. The job of a starship of this caliber is to move, not sit idle next to a starbase. That's what the Defiant class was built for. That's what the runabouts are for. Tactically, we have failed this base and this sector, over and over. All of us. It's time to go back to the fundamentals of our Starfleet training and act accordingly for the safety of our civilians, as well as, our personnel. We have Commander Kehlani, now back in status as a KDF officer, here as an ally and another vessel for support. Here mere presence will bring more Klingon forces and colonists this way which can only add to our ability to secure this sector. All Klingon forces will act according to M-69 directives, as has been promised, so there will be no illegal searches or seizures of civilian ships."

"We will be Klingons in stature, but the orders from Commodore Sureth will be followed to the letter," stated Kehlani. "I am also honored to remain as the Strategic Operations Chief, maintaining my status as a part of the M-69 crew. As Taavis puts it, I have been deputized."

"A ship able to cloak will make a difference for both Strat Ops and Intel, since the Treaty of Algeron limits the Federation's use of cloak technology," said Billi.

The Treaty of Algeron was a peace treaty signed between the United Federation of Planets and the Romulan Star Empire in 2311, following the events of the Tomed Incident. The Treaty of Algeron was signed approximately 160 years after the conclusion of the Earth-Romulan War. The treaty reinforced and redefined the Romulan Neutral Zone, and made clear that any violations of the Zone without adequate notification, by either side, would be considered an act of war. The treaty also expressly prohibited the development, or use, of cloaking device technology by the Federation.

Taavis watched her guests interact, her own thoughts going to how many times the Defiant, under the command of Captain Sisko, had violated the treaty secretly while using the cloak in the Alpha quadrant. But, in her opinion, what the Romulans did not know would not hurt them. And, a Romulan liaison officer was to be assigned to Defiant to keep an eye on its use but that never came to fruition. Perhaps the Star Empire figured they would use it anyway, and the only time it would matter is if they were actually caught by the Romulans while doing so. No harm, no foul, as it were. She went to her wetbar and took up a bottle of blue liquid and four tumblers. This was not the vibrant blue of Romulan ale, but a more subdued blue, like a sapphire. She set the glasses down and filled each appropriately, then capped the bottle and set it aside before handing the drinks out, one for each.

Resch, taking his glass, gave it a sniff and immediately jacked his face back. "Whoa! That burns the nostrils. Definitely not Romulan ale."

Taavis grinned. "No, Griffon, it's not. This is kali-fal. A fair approximation for designation would be a form of Romulan brandy. And, as you just discovered, it should forcibly open one's sinuses well before the first sip, so the aroma can be fully enjoyed in its entirety." She stepped in, the four creating a circle/square and facing each other. "To the success of M-69, the USS Nova, and our allies." They all clanked their glasses and drank their first sips, with Kehlani practically finishing hers in the first go. All of them released a hissing breath, for the liquor had definitely done what Taavis had described. They all took their glasses over to the sink and placed them within as Taavis put the bottle back in its place, returning to the group. "The Bridge is in place and operational. Shall we?" She motioned towards her door, and as they all nodded agreement Taavis led them from her quarters, down the short corridor, and stepped onto the Bridge if the USS Nova.

Billi's eyes widened and lit up as she looked around the command deck. Instead of the frumpy grayish or tannish colors, this Bridge was dark in color, contrasting with the well lit LCARS screens and consoles, each station's area illuminated for ease of the eyes. The large panoramic bay window forward provided an epic view of space beyond, with a section of the drydock and M-69 off to the left side. As the others began to walk around and investigate the various stations, Billi made her way up front, to the helm/FC station. Everything was set to standby while Nova was in the clutches of the dock, but she still reached out and tapped a few keys to look at systems she would operate, all in the neutral status while at station keeping. As per Starfleet standard, she even had her own console section for weapons and defense, should it be necessary for her to take them over in an emergency. The Nova 2 was better than she had ever imagined.

Taavis watched as the guests, and crew, wandered from post to post, with Resch stopping to check out the Security/Tactical station just inside the Bridge entry. As one walked onto the Bridge he would be directly to the left of them, ready to stop those coming on the deck, if need be, and providing him an excellent view of the window/viewscreen without much effort. Her own captain's chair had a plethora of keys and buttons to utilize as the CO, to tie in to almost every section of the ship, or station on the Bridge, with holographic emitters that would create midair screens for her to tap on, as well as, read and allocate orders for. Nova 2 was, in a word, a marvel. Federation technology had increased by leaps and bounds after the Dominion war, with Starfleet drained to around 50% of the ships it needed to protect their own. Now, as ships were being produced to replace those lost, their technology was next level. Also, building vessels off of some of the designs of old gave starships hardened systems once more, to be able to take a pounding and still function with minimal repairs, until such time as a full maintenance and repair schedule could be had out of combat. Survivability. The last class of vessel to have such hardened systems was the Ambassador class, and as had been proven by the Enterprise-C, those hardened systems had kept Captain Rachel Garret's ship in the fight long enough to save a Klingon colony, even when the Enterprise-C had been outnumbered 5 to 1 by Romulan warbirds.

"A worthy vessel," said Kehlani as the group came back together over by the entry.

Taavis gave a bow from the neck. "Nova is something else, for sure. I plan to have her out of drydock within the next 24 hours, and running full system tests while we zip around to test the impulse drive."

Billi smiled. "My fingers are tingling just thinking about steering this beauty."

Resch had his piece to say. "We'll need to do weapons testing, Captain. There are plenty of space flotsam to choose from for target practice."

Kehlani was glad for them but, she had her own ship to see to. "I'll return to Foes Bane. We'll remain in the area and see to our own maintenance needs while we wait. Qapla'." She lifted her bracer and pressed another Klingon glyph, and within seconds was caught up and whisked away by a Klingon transporter signal.

Taavis slooked to her two officers. "Get any belongings from 69 you want aboard. Once in transit we won't be returning anytime soon. Your quarters are listed in the manifest, and already assigned. Find them, adjust them, and be ready for a busy few days."

"You got it, Captain," said Resch.

"Will do, Skipper," said Billi, both teasing and being respectful at the same time. She used 'skipper' in reference to old Earth submarine captains, and with all starships, they were essentially submarines in space with a sea of vacuum all around them.

"Get to it, then," said Taavis. Both her officers exited the Bridge, leaving the newest captain in Starfleet all alone on her command deck. It was a moment of serenity for Taavis. For several long minutes she stood on the dais for her CO's chair, just before the seat, eyes closed as she meditated, centering herself. Feeling more aligned both physically and mentally she then sat down and brought her PADD up from the pocket on the side of the chair, for the yoeman to gather and replace daily. As she sat, legs crossed at the thighs, Taavis put a recall order out for all personnel assigned to Nova specifically, letting them know it was time to return and prepare the ship for leaving drydock. With a crew of eighty she felt that their return would not take too long to accomplish, and they would all need to reacquaint themselves with the refit interior.

OFF: