High Flight

Posted on Sun Oct 27th, 2024 @ 3:12am by Lieutenant Naoe Kanno & Commander Hikari Karibuchi & Commander Fan Shuren & Lieutenant Commander Ashlynn Regan & Lieutenant Commander Sakaan & Lieutenant Fran & Lieutenant Paisley F'rar & Lieutenant Minerva Zephyrin & Lieutenant Halcyon Attixx

1,307 words; about a 7 minute read

Mission: Season 1, Episode 0: "A Time To Heal"
Location: USS Yorktown (NCC-91781)- Bridge, Deck 1
Timeline: June 21, 2403, 1200 hours (Stardate 78015.54)

"Captain on the Bridge!"

The bosun's whistle sounded as the doors to the conference room snapped open and Hikari strode out onto the bridge. The bridge crew immediately stopped what they were doing and snapped rigidly to attention, their gazes fixated on the young Commander.

"Status reports, everyone," Hikari ordered as she calmly made her way over towards the center pit.

"All Auxiliary craft are currently stowed and a flight plan out of here has been established." Naoe responded, the helmswoman remaining standing next to her station. "We'll adjust our heading for Annexari space once we're clear of the congestion."

Naoe knew that flying in and out of the Sol system was among the most challenging things a Starfleet CONN officer could ever do, and as such, it was always advised to lay in a course for one's destination once they were clear of the congested space.

"Medical is stocked and staffed and we've already produced about twenty-thousand emergency medical kits and stored them for immediate transport to the planetary surface as needed." Minerva stated from the compact-yet-present emergency medical station on the bridge. She figured she'd be leaned on heavily, because the aftermath of what the Annexari had been through was never pretty.

Sat at one of the general use consoles towards the rear of the Bridge, Sakaan savoured one of the rare moments she would be present on the Bridge as part of her duties. It was much preferable for her to work from the small Intelligence Office each ship now carried, the better to keep the information she dealt with more sequestered from unauthorised eyes. Most other times it won't be as peaceful when I'm up here, she thought to herself. 'Intelligence is ready,' Sakaan said, turning her chair around to look at the viewscreen.

"Astrometrics and Stellar Cartography working at normal levels. Science labs are stocked and operable, and the entire science department is ready for anything" Ashlynn reported to the Captain.

She was nervous though. Ash hadn't served in a ship-board position since the Horizon. She knew she'd be fine however.

"All systems are go," Paisley noted from the Ops con. "Coordinating now with Engineering to ensure we're prepped for launch," she said, pressing some buttons. Immediately, a screen popped up. Fran's input had integrated with hers. Excellent. They were ready.

"Engineering to Bridge. Ship is ready to go" Fran's voice called over the comm system.

"Here." Halcyon responded from the secondary science station that he'd appropriated for the launching of the ship. Ever the diplomat, he decided that the better part of diplomacy was to say as little as possible until needed.

Having heard all the verbal reports, and having followed up with departments in the last few minutes before scheduled departure, Shuren concluded the report. “Captain, all stations are ready. We are go for launch.”

Hikari lingered for a moment or two, standing before the coveted center chair- many the dream of an aspiring Starfleet Officer- and, with a swell of pride, she turned face and took her seat. She leaned back, allowing the contours of the chair to shape to her body, as she closed her eyes and thought back to her graduation, and how she couldn't have dreamed in the 10 years since that time that she'd actually be holding her own command.

She fondly recalled the speech she had given that day- standing up there on the podium before a crowd of a thousand people, she felt the President of the UFP with the presence she commanded- perhaps, one might even argue, a taste of great things to come. She had ended the speech by reciting an old human poem, written by an Anglo-American Fighter Pilot in the early days of the Second World War. A pity he had lost his life in a training accident a mere three months later, having never had the chance to experience the profound legacy left behind in his works. Owing to to its gleeful and ethereal portrayal of flight, the poem had become many a favorite amongst Starfleet Cadets, embodying the romanticism of adventure in the great beyond. She had spent the weeks leading up to graduation memorizing that poem by heart, and it was once again these all-too-familiar words that came to mind as the next chapter of her life lay open before her:

"Oh, I have slipped the surly bonds of Earth
And danced the skies on laughter-silvered wings;
Sunward I’ve climbed, and joined the tumbling mirth
of sun-split clouds, — and done a hundred things
You have not dreamed of – wheeled and soared and swung
High in the sunlit silence. Hovering there,
I’ve chased the shouting wind along, and flung
My eager craft through footless halls of air....

One by one, the bridge staff recognized the poem and began to chime in:

"...Up, up the long, delirious, burning blue
I’ve topped the wind-swept heights with easy grace.
Where never lark, or even eagle flew —
And, while with silent, lifting mind I've trod
The high untrespassed sanctity of space,
– Put out my hand, and touched the face of God."

A long silence passed before Hikari opened her eyes.

"Take us out, Lieutenant Kanno."

And with that, the bridge staff burst into applause.

"Initiating maneuvering thrusters." Naoe recited, her fingers dancing along the smooth surface of the CONN station, commanding the Mighty Yorktown into motion.

Paisley sat at the Ops console, deft, leathery fingers dancing across the console's keypad. She smiled as the anthem begin, and added a bit-quietly. No one wanted to really hear her sing, trust. She was full of personality but couldn't carry a tune if her life depended on it. She was smart, and the Gods were fair, after all.

"Systems are go," Paisley said aloud, smiling. Finally. They were airborne, and she was ready.

Turning to her station, pushing down the emotional reaction to the poem, Sakaan ensured that the dedicated encryptions for Starfleet Intelligence's updates and data downloads were in working order. Best to ensure that any bugs are ironed out before we leave Sol, she thought to herself as her fingers glided across the console in front of her, and her pale Vulcan eyes scrutinised the screens.

Under thruster power, the Yorktown slowly, but surely cleared the structure of the drydock which served as its birthplace. For all intents and purposes, the Yorktown was flying the nest.

"Nacelles clear of drydock." Naoe reported. "Impulse speed available at your command, captain."

"Excellent," Hikari replied. "Once we've passed Saturn, prepare to lay in a course for Sector 5591."

"Aye, sir," was all that Naoe replied.

Tamping down a surge of excitement Sakaan allowed herself to swivel from her console to regard the Main Viewer for a few moments, marvelling at being in space once more. An inner peace spread from her chest, a feeling she had not experienced in a long while. The Olympic Peninsula had served her well, but this is where she belonged, on a ship, in space, with a mission.

"Initating warp on your order, Ma'am," Paisley piped up.

"Engage," Hikari ordered, nodding towards Naoe to make the jump to warp.

"Course laid in for Sector 5591, initiating the jump to warp." Naoe said, her fingers gliding along the surface of the cconsole, sending instructions to the Yorktown's warp core to power up and accelerate the massive vessel to the speed of light and well past it.

Posting by

Commander Hikari Karibuchi
Commanding Officer

Commander Fan Shuren
Executive Officer

Lieutenant Commander Ashlynn Regan
Chief Science Officer
Second Officer

Lieutenant Commander Sakaan
Chief Intelligence Officer

Lieutenant Naoe Kanno
Chief Flight Control Officer

Lieutenant Paisley F'rar
Chief Operations Officer

Lieutenant Fran
Chief Engineer

Lieutenant Minerva Zephyrin
Chief Medical Officer

Lieutenant Halcyon Attixx
Chief Diplomatic Officer

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