Nazgul/Station #11. Redirected

Posted on Sat Mar 30th, 2024 @ 5:53pm by Captain Taavis & Captain Tore Bjorgo & Lieutenant Sheyla
Edited on on Wed Apr 3rd, 2024 @ 5:31pm

Mission: TALES FROM THE MIDDLE STARS
Location: USS NAZGUL
Timeline: Current

ON:

Captain Tore Bjorgo sat in his command chair facing the main viewer/window. Everyone had been recalled the night before, were allowed 12 hours to recover from 'shore leave', and now it was business as usual. So, as his eyes scanned his bridge, gazing and glancing at each officer in turn. Some had their backs to him simply due to their stations, others could see him moving out of the corner of their eyes. Some of those few would detect the movement and look over and give a quick nod of greeting before going back to their consoles. The symbiosis between ship and crew had finally been achieved by those who called the USS Nazgul home and it showed in how quickly they had the ship ready to break dock and get underway. That was when his eyes went to the communications station which had previously just been used as an extra station, now reclassified as communications. Ejo and Covenant had done a bang up job of getting it ready in a timely fashion. However, the newest Bridge officer assigned had yet to arrive for her shift.

Instead of tapping his badge Bjorgo tapped the comm key on the arm of his chair. "Lieutenant Qeritas, report to the Bridge." Her voice immediately came back at him.

"Arriving now, Captain, port lift."

The familiar hiss of activated doors was heard to his left so Tore turned his chair slightly and looked over as Qeritas entered the command deck. "Everyone, this is Lieutenant Qeritas. She is now our dedicated communications officer working directly for Number One as a member of the Command Division and command staff."

The words of greeting came from around the Bridge, done quickly, and then eyes went back to their posts.

Qeritas made her way around the aft section of the Bridge and took her seat, and once seated she began to arrange her station the way she would like it.

Seeing she was now seated Bjorgo angled forward again, looking out the window at the superstructure of M-69. "Miss Jazmin, release docking clamps and prepare for departure."

"Aye, Sir." Jazmin's hands seemingly floated over the face of her station, her experienced and skillful fingers tapping where needed. "Docking clamps released, Captain. Gravity umbilical releasing...now." She tapped that key as she said it. "Free and clear, Sir."

"Reverse thrusters, Ensign. Back us away. You do know how to use your mirrors, right?" Bjorgo asked, being flippant as always. He had formed quite an attachment to his young helm officer. She was both professional and friendly, and her intellect was quite impressive when one found time to chat with her for more than a minute. And, they had done that on several occasions as they would randomly bump into each other in the corridors. Though he kept it at bay for hierarchy reasons, to not appear to play favorites, they had formed a friendship.

Jazmin Al-Sahir did not look back at her CO, but she did smile to herself and did a tongue in cheek, shaking her head at his tease to show him that she had heard him. "Of course, Sir. Can you?"

Ahead, through the forward viewport, the large section of M-69 that was the only thing they could see right now, began to move and back away from them. "Of course, Jaz. But, that's why we have you so I don't have to."

Even as they spoke Jazmin had a finger on the reverse thrust steering slide, easing it down the screen and curving. The USS Nazgul responded instantly to each command and the view forward showed the station starting to swing to the starboard as Jazmin backed her up in a turn to get the bow from aiming at the base. When the ship stopped it was now facing into deep space with M-69 to starboard. There were numerous vessels moving around as they came in, or left, using the vectors provided by Lieutenant Lasso and his Flight Control people on 69. Aside from that there were small craft moving about on various tasks. Some for patrols, some for maintenance as they carried repair crews to external work areas, and then just those shuttles that were being used for personal down time. It was all quite a sight and good to see. M-69 was now fully operational and set.

"Miss Jazmin, one-quarter impulse and follow the vector provided by 69. It is high time the Nazgul left Minas Morgul." Bjorgo grinned to himself at that. Over time the crew had begun to use Tolkien references in regards to the ship even if it was named after one of the most evil forces in the stories. He often wondered to himself who it was that had suggested such a name back at SFHQ.

"Minas Morgul?" Qeritas asked, spinning her chair to look at the Captain. She knew the reference but was feigning ignorance for the sheer entertainment of it.

"Earth literature. The Lord of the Rings-slash-Tolkien." Bjorgo explained.

"Ah," Qeritas responded, then slowly turned her chair back to her post. Internally she was smiling to herself. One more point scored for subterfuge. Minas Morgul, eh? I'll have to keep that in mind she thought to herself.

Having set the impulse churn, Jazmin slid her finger along the speed line for the impulse engines. Set to one quarter she then announced that to her superiors.

"Thank you, Jaz. Get us free of the traffic and head for the outer markers." Tore's orders were acknowledged and the ship began her trek to leave the vicinity of their home port.

***

An hour later the USS Nazgul was plowing through open space without fear of running into another ship or even being bothered by traffic vectors. "We are now free and clear for open space, Captain." Jazmin announced.

"Captain," Qeritas said aloud, to get his attention, spinning halfway to look at him. "Captain Taavis is on comm, Sir, and would like a conference with you."

"Number one, take the Conn." Bjorgo got to his feet. "I'll be in the Ready Room. Continue at impulse until we find out what the Captain needs. Carry on." Walking to the port lift, his ship's basic Bridge module designed after the Nova class style, he stepped within to be met by Doctor Sheyla. The fact that she did not step out when the doors opened told him she was up here to talk to him. So, the doors closed on them, the car spun in place and the doors opened to allow access to the small corridor leading to the Ready Room/main conference room.

"Busy already?" Sheyla asked, stepping out with him.

"Remains to be seen, Blue." Tore answered. "But, it is a call from Captain Taavis so we will know soon enough." The time in which those words were traded they had entered the Ready Room, with the two officers stopping along their side of the conference table, a large viewer on the wall on the opposite side of them. It was the main viewer for conferences. "Miss Qeritas, route the call, please." She acknowledged and did so.

Taavis appeared on screen, and from what Bjorgo could see she was at her desk in her quarters. Not the first time he had been privy to such a call as they were a commonplace thing for officers in command. But, this time, Taavis appeared to be wearing a robe and in the background behind her were scattered clothing items. Tore had never seen Taavis being this unkempt in all the calls he had ever taken from her quarters.

"Good morning, Captain Taavis," He said with a grin. Tore noted that she even had a bit of bed head going on and it looked to have been finger combed to make it that much more presentable despite herself looking like she needed an analgesic and a hot bath. "Rough night?"

Taavis actually gave a sheepish smile and a slight chuckle. "You could say that." Her eyes moved to look at Sheyla. "Oh, jeez." She dropped her head a moment to rub her fingers through her hair again, and to center herself after being spotted by another of Bjorgo's officers, thinking this call would have been between just the two of them. Her face came back up. "Good morning , Doctor Sheyla. Good morning, Tore."

Sheyla was giving a wide grin. A knowing grin as a medical professional who could recognize the signs of a hangover when she saw them. "Water, Captain. Rehydrate and get some food in you. Vulcan or Human, that will make you feel better."

Taavis went to speak but was interrupted by a plate of steaming breakfast that was placed before her on the desk, in full view of the other two, by a hand that did not belong to the Captain. Then, a face leaned in and smiled, with both officers recognizing Lieutenant Gavin Lasso. "She's covered, Doc." He gave a smile and a wink before his face disappeared from view.

With that Taavis just gave them a shrug and a grin. "He's useful," she joked.

Bjorgo and Sheyla exchanged an amused look before looking back to their Fleet Captain. "So, Taavis, what instigated the call?"

"Oh, that," Taavis said, chewing some bacon and washing it down with breakfast tea. "Do you remember that Gola creature you had dealings with?"

"How could I forget." Bjorgo said. "Don't tell me, someone pissed it off and now its wrecking timelines again?"

"Not entirely accurate, but close." Taavis finished the one strip of bacon and then set her plate aside, keeping her tea in fornt of her. Her brain was back on point as she allowed herself to use Vulcan discipline to get there. Her recent explorations of allowing full on emotional expression without that discipline would have to begin anew. "Captain O'Connell got the unenviable task of towing the creature out to the Mutara sector, at its request. It was quite a trip and he has arrived out that way. However, there are parties living out that way that do not want the creature in their area, concerned over the dangers of time dilation to their societies. But, the Gola did request to be taken there so O'Connell is facing a quandary."

"Wait," Bjorgo said, bringing his hands up briefly to stop what Taavis was saying so he could ask a question. "The Mutara Sector? The Genesis wave completely eradicated the mutara nebula there, and then when the Genesis planet exploded it further pushed all those particles out or destroyed them. Why would the Gola want to go there?"

Sheyla, having never heard of Genesis, its waves, or any of that, looked confused. And, from the way Taavis's demeanor changed as her eyes narrowed and she looked back and forth between herself and Tore, it was not something that was to be voiced in a casual setting. "Genesis? What's that?"

Taavis gave an immediate response to quell any further questions on the matter. "The first book in the Bible. That is all you need to know, Doctor. Understood?" Sheyla gave a nod. "Good." Taavis went back to looking at Tore. "We'll talk about that slip later. Right now, Captain, we need you to head out that way. Get to the Mutara Sector as quickly as possible and assist the Peel. They were towing the Gola, so you should be able to get there faster than they did without dragging something along by tractor beam."

"Are we to suspend our journey to the Duran Folk," Bjorgo asked.

"Yes. We will contact them and explain the situation, and that their meeting will need to be postponed. This is Starfleet 101, Captain." Taavis said. "The Gola needs our aid, we provided it, and now it needs us to go a step further. If it cannot be appeased, or won't change its mind on where it wants to nest, then this could develop into a very bad situation."

"Understood, Taavis. Nazgul will head out immediately. Anything else?" He asked.

Knowing she might regret this, Taavis went on. "I grant permission for you to inform Doctor Sheyla of what you meant. It goes no further, do you hear?" The two of them nodded along. "That event has been buried in the archives for a hundred years, with the galaxy left ignorant as to what actually happened there. And, why. Don't forget to mention WHO caused it all." That was in reference to Khan Noonien-Singh. If he was to tell her then she needed to know how dangerous his kind could be to the galaxy as a whole if left unchecked. "You keep my secrets, I'll keep yours."

Sheyla responded first. "I'm a Doctor, Captain. I consider this part of the confidentiality I live by. Plus, if this Genesis thing is dangerous then a medical officer should be informed."

Bjorgo spoke. "It's not quite that simple, Blue." He looked to Taavis. "Your privacy will not be on display, Taavis. But, since we have a long journey ahead of us I will let you go and get to it."

"Sounds good. Taavis, out." The channel closed and the screen went back to the SF screen saver.

"We'll talk later, Blue." Tore said as they both moved to the door and went to the lift. Bjorgo was deposited on the Bridge and Sheyla returned to the Sickbay deck. As he came on the Bridge Captain Bjorgo began issuing orders. "Helm, plot a course for the Mutara Sector, maximum sustainable warp." Getting to his chair and standing beside it he tapped the comm key. "Ejo, we're going to need to push the engines. Give us as much sustainable speed as you can muster. Bridge, out." He tapped that off even as the screen swung around to their knew course and Jazmin announced they were ready for light speed. "Engage, warp factor eight."

On the exterior the warp nacelles flared as bright as suns for a second before the warp drive kicked in and the ship shot into the wormhole created by its own heart. Jazmin spoke up. "Steady at warp eight, Captain. All systems in the green."

"Steady as she goes, Helm." Bjorgo ordered. Handing the Conn to Billi he then left the Bridge to go and have a talk with his CMO in his quarters under Code 47. There would be no record of any kind of their future discussion about Genesis under that directive. But, he had brought it up and now he was responsible for dealing with that folly.

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