USS Kerkes

 Shuttle Bay 2, Deck 23

 It swallowed up two hours to get the necessary permissions from the Phoenix security officer Ensign Scott Giles, and star base security clearances for flights onto and off of the Phoenix. Proximity to the USS Horizon also induced a precursory warning that increased traffic could be expected near the Lotus class flag ship; a process which took some time to clear through the Horizon's senior security officer's. As a courtesy, the request for one of the Horizon's security personnel, Chief Warrant Officer Daniel Williams; Master-at-arms, was ferried across to keep a watchful eye on the proximity flights of the Phoenix craft as they passed by the Horizon on route to and from the massive space doors.

 After the main shuttle bay test flights concluded, David led the group down shuttle bay two and the pre-flight tests were completed on the remaining shuttles there. As the flight crew's and engineering  specialists flew from the ship to the base doors they then initiated impulse drive checks up to full  and then jumped to warp one. Once satisfied that the core's were operating at peak efficiency, the then jumped to full warp and did a short hop out one or two parsecs before stopping and repeating the process to return to the star base and the Phoenix. Each test took approximately an hour and a half depending upon the top speed of the shuttle being flown.

 Thus it remained that the last shuttle test came down to the USS Kerkes and the captains  yacht, the USS Firebird. David sent security officer Scott Giles, propulsion specialist Bradley Carroll and matter/energy systems specialist Jennifer Brady down to the yacht to prepare it for it's shake down. However, David warned them that the actual test flight would be at the preference of the captain, as it was his ship after all. For himself, Rogers had boarded the Kerkes and taken the pilots seat, with the Phoenix's assistant chief operations officer Ensign Adelia Valerous riding  in the right seat. She had been watching over the flight ops portion of the tests. Along for the final test ride was a structural/environmental specialist, Master Chief Petty Officer Christopher Gorski behind Valerous.

 Seated aft of Rogers in the fourth seat was Chief Warrant Officer Daniel Williams, the  Horizon's security officer. Having obtained clearance from the bay the Kerkes exited the bay and made toward the base exit doors awaiting them past the Horizon. As the type eight shuttle cruised past the flag ship of Lotus Fleet, David was impressed by it's sheer size and beauty. Upon obtaining clearance and exiting the base, David and Adelia ran the standard impulse diagnostics and the Kerkes then ran up to full impulse directly away from star base ten. Once that routine was complete, they jumped to warp one and began the test run up to full warp.

 Powering down and returning to normal space, David brought the Kerkes to a full stop roughly twelve parsecs out from the star base. Out here, the Hromi sector stood in spectacular view with it's myriad stars and faint nebulae glowing around them. Ahead of them they could make out the Hromi cluster, a small cluster within the sector. Off to it's right, faintly visible to the naked eye, the four could discern the Azure nebula bordering the Azure and Nimbus sectors of Romulan space. But sight seeing was not the reason they were out here,so David turned over control to Ensign Valerous.

"Time back to base at warp 2 Ensign?", David asked casually as he rose from his seat.

"Approximately two hours fifteen minutes Commander."

"Alright," David nodded as he stopped at the replicator, "Take us home Ensign."

 As the small vessel sped around and jumped back to warp speed, David manipulated the controls of the replicator while asking for requests.

"Who wants some tea?"

--------------------------------------

After docking the Kerkes, David had dismissed the crew and walked to the nearest transporter room with Ensign Valerous. Once she had beamed back to the Horizon ... amid a protracted security scan and analysis from the flag ship itself, David made his way casually toward his quarters on deck six. While he rode the lift, he accessed the reports submitted by his staff on the Phoenix's status, noting that everything had been checked off as completed. Making a brief report in his PADD, David stepped out of the lift and made his way along the corridor to his quarters and entered.

 It was spartan in contents, as his bag was still on the bed where he had told the crew to place it. He then realized that this was the first time that he had been in here. All of his infrequent naps had been in his office by main engineering. Taking the bag off the bed, David removed his uniform and crawled into the comfortable bed.

"Computer. Set alarm for zero six thirty hours. Reduce lighting by ninety five percent."

As the computer chirped a low acknowledgement and the lighting dimmed, David drifted off to sleep.

~