From nitefitr@cyberhighway.net Mon Jun 8 20:24:29 1998 Date: Wed, 3 Jun 1998 12:49:04 -0600 From: Mike Groner To: INDIGO FLEET List Serve Subject: USS CONSTELLATION: Is the battle INSIDE or OUTSIDE the ship? [The following text is in the "iso-8859-1" character set] [Your display is set for the "US-ASCII" character set] [Some characters may be displayed incorrectly] ---OFFICIAL INDIGO FLEET TRANSMISSION--- Date: Wed, 3 Jun 1998 12:47:11 -0600 From: "Mike Groner" Subject: USS CONSTELLATION: Is the battle INSIDE or OUTSIDE the ship? ************************************************************ SD: 100603.0634 GMT Scene: Bridge, USS CONSTELLATION NCC-1017-F ************************************************************ FMD: 7.0900 Bochu was not pleased. Despite pushing everything to the max, the ship could not get underway for what was now approaching an hour after the formal meeting. Granted, there were unusual circumstances. Transferring auxilliary vehicles from one ship to another was not as easy as just flying the shuttles the 1300 meters that separated the CONSTELLATION from the PROMETHEUS. There was paperwork. Granted, Captain Sovak would have just "signed" anything more then likely, but Bochu was Vulcan too. Or at least he liked to think so. It was illogical to skip Starfleet protocols and procedures for the mere fact that Captain Sovak wants them "quicker". The fact of the matter was that the PROM wasn't leaving yet anyhow. If they were under current battle conditions, things would be different. But each shuttle had to be inspected, serial numbers of weapon systems, flight control systems, and the standard Shuttle supplies had to be accounted for by Commander Kraltz, who doubled not only as the Operations officer, but the ship's supply officer. She was ultimately accountable for everything in the ship's inventory to the Captain. The only glory that Bochu could claim during this whole fiasco of transferring 4 vessels off of his ship, was that he was giving Sovak the 4 OLDEST shuttles in his inventory, they did NOT have D-warp capabilities, and they were the ones that were in need of more maintenance then any other. Oh, they were space-worthy, and were definitely not "hunks of junk", but he wasn't about to give away his best shuttles, OR his best pilots, for that matter. They were drawn from the bottom of the barrel too. Although it was a terrible thought, and definitely illogical, Bochu thought Sovak would probably destroy these ones too. Hopefully, not the pilots. As Bochu was a pilot himself, he feared for the men he was transferring away from the ship. He could no longer protect them, and considering the green-horn ness of the Captain of PROMETHEUS, he hoped his instincts about the Admiral's choosing an.... "archeologist" to command that vessel over an experienced Commander like himself were wrong. Wait. What if Captain Parrot wasn't sick? And he was still in command of CONSTELLATION? Maybe Bochu would have then be chosen to lead PROMETHEUS! He couldn't take PROMETHEUS because he was needed to command the CONSTELLATION until the Captain's return. That had to be it. No, we had mister Bertoli, here, that could have commanded either ship himself. He could have temporarily taken CONSTELLATION until the Captain was healthy enough himself, and Bochu guessed he made that statement to the Admiral himself. It hadn't happened. It would probably eat at the Vulcan/Betazed for quite some time, despite the illogical aspect of the whole thing. The fact was that the Admiral would promote Bochu if he thought he was ready. Obviously, he wasn't. He'd have to study harder, and become a shining example. Unfortunately, Bochu would have to face danger, and face his ship and crew to danger. Something to date, Bochu did not have a good track record in, as the last time he was in command of the CONSTELLATION, he let the staff officers get spread thin on 3 different planets, and was nearly destroyed by a Klingon Bird of Prey. The Captain, Marine Commander, and Chief of Sciences for that mission were still missing. Bochu's heart broke again with the memory, and a tear welled up inside before his Vulcan instincts welled it deep inside. He shook it off, and focused his attention back on the bridge. Besides, he had other battles to face, both inside and outside the ship. *************** FMD: 7.0910 *************** "Mister Sindel. What is the status of shoving those shuttles away?" Bochu said, cranky. "Commander Kraltz is opening the shuttle bay doors herself now, sir." "About damn time..... Bochu to Kraltz. How long?" There was a distinctive pause before she replied. "Captain, the shuttles are departing as I speak. Outer doors will be closed in less than 2 minutes." "Very well. Bochu out." He looked over to Lieutenant Shall, who sat at OPS. "Prepare to shove off. Final separation procedures." Shall nodded. "Aye aye, sir." "Transmitting request to remove docking clamps now, sir. All personnel are aboard, and all visitors are away." Kzar said, with a slight grumble that Bochu had realized after working with the 8.5 foot tall orange feline for so long, as slightly sarcastic. What was HIS problem?! "All thrusters reporting green. Helm has full control." Sindel Ares said. "We have permission to disembark.... Captain." Bochu said, again with some slight sarcasm. Bochu turned and looked at the large Kzin, but Kzar was looking down at his controls, ignoring him. He turned back around. "Proceed." "Aye aye, sir. Docking clamps removed." "Take her back, Ensign. And watch out for the PROMETHEUS on the Starboard bow. We don't want to "assist" her anymore then we have." "Aye aye, sir. Forward bow thrusters engaging now..... departing at 1 meter per second." Externally, in the quietness of space, the huge Starbase OMEGA looked like it just had a big chunk fall off as the CONSTELLATION departed. Her running lights lit bright, and for the most part, all her battle scars healed, she was a magnificent display of Federation technology. The fat-bellied, sharp "mosquito"-like physique of the PROMETHEUS was incredibly close to her Starboard side, shuttles still in sight approaching her main shuttle bay in the rear of the (non-removable) dish. Her battle damage was obvious, as there were maintenance pods and engineering crews in space suits welding new skin to several places all over her. There was a tug from OMEGA doing something to one of her nacelles... probably re-alligning them. With the finesse of an expert, after CONSTELLATION cleared the Starbase and the PROMETHEUS, Sindel spun the large ship around by activating opposite Starboard and port thrusters, and it appeared that the ship spun on it's center point. "Very well. Set course for the coordinates given you, Ensign Sindel Ares." Bochu said. "What coordinates are those?" Bertoli asked, sitting in the XO seat. Bochu just looked at him. Bertoli hadn't even bothered reading the Captain's notes given him before the staff meeting. "Coordinates laid in, Captain." "Mister Kzar. Do we have permission from OMEGA OPS to depart?" "Aye aye, sir." Kzar said, flatly. "Very well. Ensign.... take us out of OMEGA space, one half impulse." "Aye aye, sir." Just then, Kraltz walked onto the bridge. It was apparent in her attitude and the way she walked, she was not in a good mood. Even more so then usual. She went to replace Shall at OPS, who was getting up. Then Bochu stood up. "Wait." He said, to Shall. "Mister Ares. Once we have cleared OMEGA space, take us into D-warp to intercept the coordinates given you.... Mister Shall, you have the Conn. Mister Kraltz and Mister Bertoli. Please come with me in Captain's.... uh, my ready room. The two commanders looked at each other blankly, and followed Bochu, and Shall took the Captain's chair. *************** FMD: 7.0920 *************** Bochu walked into the ready room and sat hard onto the chair behind the desk there. He was fuming, and the Vulcan side of him slowly began to quelch the emotions. Bertoli and Kraltz just looked at him blankly, with their arms behind their backs. When Bochu managed to get his emotions under control, he spoke. "Commander Kraltz. Did I give you a PADD this morning, before I asked you to assemble the crew?" Kraltz wondered where this was going. "Yes, you did sir." "Did you read it?" "I did, sir. in it's entirety." What had she missed?! "I see. Can you tell me what was on it?" "Well, the eligible promotions list was on it with all the promotions for the ship's crew, as well as those you had approved to in fact get those promotions.... A request for status reports from the different department heads to be delivered to me before we departed, a list of what you wanted checked for qualifying what ships we transferred to the PROMETHEUS, and your order for me to see to it personally after consulting Ensign Sindel, and a copy of our mission orders, or at least what we had at the moment." "You are correct." Bochu said, looking at Bertoli, who was still puzzled about this, as was Kraltz. "What did those orders explain?" "Well, just what you said in the meeting, sir. That we are attached to CruDiv 7, and we are to rendezvous with them at a specific set of coordinates." Where was he GOING with this?! "And did I mention those coordinates?" "Yes you did, sir. Would you like me to repeat them?" "No. I would like.... mister Bertoli to repeat them." Bertoli gave a slight smile. "I'm sorry, Captain, I have not read that report, yet." Bochu smiled back. "I know." Then his smile went away. "Do you mind telling me why, Commander, that my executive officer finds it that he has more important things to do then read a PADD that I gave you over 3 hours ago?!" "I was overseeing more important matters, sir... trying to get the crew organized and then to get the ship ready to...." "If you had READ the report then you would have known that I delegated that authority and responsibility to Commander Kraltz, Commander! In other words, you were wasting your time. And your time... is MY time." His emotions were flaring again. Control. Bochu sighed, trying to stop his anger. He then looked up at the Commander. "I'll tell you something, Bertoli..... I don't like you. As you probably know, I am empathic. I can sense your emotions, and I can sense your desires. I could sense your disappointment when you saw the Captain was reported as recovering, and I could sense your disappointment when you heard I was to command." The smile was gone off Commander Bertoli's face, now. And although he didn't show it, Bochu could now sense a slight anger and embarrassment happening. Bochu wouldn't mention those, though. But he'd exploit them. "And I'll tell you something else. After reading your record, as I'm sure you've read mine, I decided I wanted Commander Kraltz to be my first officer, and that you would remain as tactical officer." Bertoli's lips tightened. "But for reasons unknown to me, when I mentioned it to Admiral Brooks, he said nonsense, that you were a much better qualified candidate and that I should re-consider my decision." He paused, and Kraltz' face was blank. He could sense relief and frustration at the same time. Relief probably that Bochu had chosen her over Bertoli. Frustration because the Admiral didn't. "But I will tell you this. You had BETTER perform to the expectations set forth to me by the Fleet Admiral. In my book, you are a hot head. Based on the reports of your actions in the past, I think you rationalize quickly and make hasty decisions..... well know this, Commander. If I see you do another foul-up like you did this morning by not reading my report, and thus you knowing less about what was going on with this ship then anyone else on the Bridge, I WILL have you relieved from your position. Is that understood, Commander?!" Bertoli's face was slightly flushed. "Crystal clear, Commander." "That's CAPTAIN." Bochu said sternly. Bertoli nodded. "Captain." He said. "Permission to speak freely, sir." His tone was not flat. "Why not?" "Commander, er, Captain, I don't like you either. You mentioned that I am hot headed, and make hasty decisions. From what I have read, you are just the opposite. You take too long making decisions, and have a track record of making wrong decisions. I believe that it is for this reason I have been assigned to this ship, given the ill Captain's current situation." "Nobody asked what you believed in, Commander." Again, Bertoli nodded. "That may be, Captain. But I have seen the Dalriada in action. I know their capabilities, and if you hesitate, you could destroy the whole ship." "Yeah, and you could easily destroy this ship by jumping to conclusions. Where is this going, Commander?!" Bochu asked sternly. "Well, first I wish to apologize for not being prepared. I will not do that again." "First impressions are a real bitch, aren't they Commander?" Bochu asked. Betoli blew it off, but Bochu could sense it hit home. "I suggest that we run several simulations I have already prepared before my arrival here, so we can work together and develop strategies." "Strategies like the PROMETHEUS and AGAMEMNON, I suppose." Kraltz interjected. Just then, the stars outside the ready room view port blurred into a managerie of light. They had gone into D-warp. Betoli looked at Kraltz. "I would hope we could develop strategies to avoid such happenings, Commander.... I have downloaded the information that PROMETHEUS obtained during their battle with the Dalriada. We should all study this." "I agree." Bochu said. "Commander Bertoli, set up a schedule to perform some battle drills for after their shifts are over. No more than 12 hours of work is to be performed unless absolutely necessary, though. We need our crew rested." "I think Holodeck simms would be more accurate to train with, sir." Bertoli added. Bochu remembered that Bertoli had extensive Holodeck programming background. "Very well. Holodeck simulations for each shift instead. Don't violate the 12 hour crew rest policy without my consent." "Thank you." Bertoli said. "Very well. Dismissed." Bochu said. "And know this. I don't care if everyone in this room hates each other's guts. But on the Bridge, we work as a team. If you cannot work as a team, you will be relieved and I will replace you with someone who will. Is that understood?" "Aye sir." Kraltz said quickly, her teeth grinding. "Yes, sir." Bertoli bellowed. They both did an about face and headed for the door. "Commander Kraltz. Please stay." Bertoli froze and looked at Bochu and Kraltz, and then stormed out of the room. "Commander, have a seat." Kraltz approached the desk. "I prefer to stand, sir." "Sit DOWN, Commander." Bochu ordered. She reluctantly replied. "It's obvious you have something to discuss. You are part of our family. Bertoli definitely isn't, and while I have anything to do with it, won't become one. Tell me what's on your mind." Respectfully submitted, CDR Mudoro Bochu acting Commanding Offficer USS CONSTELLATION NCC-1017-F Indigo Fleet http://www.cyberhighway.net/~nitefitr/starship.html ________________________________________ <<>> FMD: 7.0900 Bochu ponders the moving shuttles & his career Mike G. 7.0910 CONSTELLATION departs Starbase OMEGA Mike G. 7.0920 Bochu rips Bertoli a new one Mike G. All: First off, I forgot to give Margaret credit in my previous post for her portion I included. Her signature should have also been on that post. Everyone: Feel free to interject your character's views of what's been going on. And, we know that each shift will be performing battle drills on their off-time. Back to 12-hour shifts! Aren't half-day schedules GREAT?!!! Mike Groner nitefitr@cyberhighway.net AKA's CDOR Dirkas Mirtox, Commander, Dante Expeditionary Force CAPT Jim Ericcson, Executive Officer, Starfleet Public Affairs CAPT Marcus Delaney, Commander, USS HERAKLES NCC-25001 CDR Mudoro Bochu, Executive Officer, USS CONSTELLATION NCC-1017-F LT Tholar Sheltaz, ALB Instructor, Holodeck 3 ***This message sent by an official member of Indigo Fleet*** Are you also posting your message to the newsgroup?!!! ---END TRANSMISSION---