USS Alsea: Cleared for Departure

After dotting the I's and crossing the T's on the paperwork in between introductory meetings with his senior officers Oseno set down the last PADD and closed the console on his desk.

"Computer, have all officers and crew reported aboard?"

"Affirmative, as of fifteen hundred hours all officers and crew of USS Alsea are aboard ship."

Oseno nodded even though the disembodied voice could not see the gesture. Then he strode out of the office and onto the circular bridge of the warship. He stopped for a moment taking it in just as he had the very first time he was aboard her, but this time was different for Jureth. This time it was his ship, his crew, and not just because he was the last man standing but because Starfleet Command, and Lotus Fleet had put their confidence in him. The fate of a world had been laid at his feet, and it was up to him to drive these men and women to ensuring that world survived their current ordeal. 

Jureth moved to the command chair which Cathereine Steele happily vacated moving to her tactical station and triggered the ship's intercom.

"Attention all hands, this is the captain. Prepare for immediate departure, alpha shift report to the bridge. All departments submit readiness reports to the XO. Oseno out."

Jureth took the command chair and over the next few minutes the senior officers filtered on to the bridge. Shawn Hunter slid into the helmsman's chair, Lieutenant Sirus took the science officer's position and Lieutenant Commander Sangliar took his XO's spot. Once they were in position Oseno stood and addressed Lieutenant Steele.

"Cat, raise spacedock control."

"Aye Sir, channel open." 

"Spacedock control this is USS Alsea requesting departure clearance." 

"Alsea, this is control, you have priority clearance, all traffic is halted for your departure. Spacedock doors opening, good luck Alsea." 

"Mister Hunter, clear all moorings."

"Moorings clear Captain, all spacedock personnel are clear of the bay, umbilical lines retracted."

"Let's make sure they know the Alsea is underway" Oseno said with a smile. "Take us out Mister Hunter, ahead one third impulse."

Hunter smiled in his chair, that was one of the things the pilot liked about the Bajoran; he was a commander who wasn't afraid to take a little flak to leave an impression, though Hunter suspected the XO might not appreciate the maneuver given his engineering background.

A muffled grunt confirmed his suspicions.

"And me thinking only Andorians were show offs."

The Alsea's impulse engine fired and the Prometheus Class warship slid from it's bay. Docking fixtures rattled as the ship maneuvered toward the spacedock doors and then it was quiet again as the Alsea slipped into the space lanes outside of the dock. 

"We are clear of spacedock and free to maneuver, Captain." Hunter reported

Oseno nodded before turning to Sangliar.

"XO, we will proceeding to our destination via the navigation plan you and Lieutenant Hunter have discussed. Please, take us to warp."

"Aye, Captain," the Tellarite acknowledged as he stood up; which meant that he actually jumped down from his chair. "Helm; maximum emergency speed for one hour then resume standard cruising speed, bearing 28 mark 45... and don't go easy on the engine. If anything wants to go wrong, we need it to happen while we are still in our territory."

"Yes, Commander," Hunter replied, inputing the coordinates. "ETA with Starbase 284, eleven days, four hours, seven minutes... if we don't blow a tire of course."

He tapped his combadge.

"Sangliar to main engineering; we are starting pre-planned in-flight testing as discussed. Take all fingers out of wherever you usually put them in and get to work!"

Then he turned his dark bearded face back to Hunter.

"Warpspeed!"

His little black eyes ignored the display of streaking lights on the main viewer that followed the brief flash to warp velocity as they went to the science station.

"We will proceed from Starbase 284 towards the Narendra star system, then the Balduk star system to cross Klingon Space towards Starbase 123. We will be using these and all intervening coreward stars' energy output as a screen. You have eleven days to come up with the formulas for power engine signature that will match those stellar emissions."

Sirus blinked a few times before she acknowledged and immediately contacted astrometrics to start on the surprising task.

As he went back to his seat, he addressed their chief medical officer.

"Doctor, our travel route will be a convoluted one and will skim pretty close of just about every star between here and starbase 123 for three sectors. Although the Laforge program of metaphasic shielding should offer us full protection even if we have to go right into a star's corona, technical failure is always a possibility. It might be wise to prepare contingencies for cosmic irradiation and other such unhealthy effects."

Sangliar finally faced his commanding officer.

"Sir, I suggest tactical prepares strategies and tactics to help us blind enemies that could happen to come to us and to elude fire and pursuit... unless you want some Klingon s for breakfast, that is."

Oseno nodded.

"As much as I'd like to test our weapons arrays I don't think Starfleet would appreciate it if I did so on the Klingons. I had a thought on that, is there anyway we could somehow simulate the effects of the Spectre's Dycep armor? If we could produce such an effect, the Klingons and anyone else for that matter would a much harder time even knowing we were in the area much less shooting at us." 

"Hmmmf... I would have bet my beard that you would beam down something like that on my lap... Sir," Sangliar grunted between his massive teeth. "The Dycep is a system of orientable reflecting hull plating that is built-in the very superstructure of the Spectre. Installing it on another ship like the Alsea would require months of drydock... But we're not going to stay anywhere near that long at either Starbases. However..."

The Tellarite went silent for a moment, his eyes glancing at the various consoles, instruments and implements on the bridge. Finally, a smile crept up his ebony face as he lifted it up to his commanding officer.

"If you leave me time to properly work as an engineer, Captain Sir, I may have something for you by the time we reach Starbase 284."

Turning from the engineering station Sorripto interjected himself.

"Sir, I do not mean to interrupt, but I may be able to help with that. Working with nanites, nearly all of the early trials are simulations including millions of potential variables. Given the chance to study the shields, I should be able to generate an accurate simulation for you sooner. I am also in charge of the second shift, so I will be up tonight anyway."

Sangliar lifted his dark face to the captain but pointed a thick thumb in Sorripto's direction.

"Cardassians; now there's a people with caracter."

Wether he tried to gauge his captain's emotional reaction or truly praise Sorripto, no one could be sure. It might have been both. Next, he focused his attention to his assistant engineer.

"Well Mister Sorripto; you're aboard in order to prove yourself.  I Beleive what you propose is quite an opportunity to do so. Get on with it and laugh as your task will deprive me for the moment of the chance to vacate this chair to do some real work."

He pointed a warning finger.

"But not while I'm looking."

With a decisively exagerated sigh, he climbed back to his XO chair to look at the viewing screen with an affected sour face.

"You have eleven days, Lieutenant."

Oseno nodded in confirmation "You have any resources you need Lieutenant. That said, mission briefing in one hour ladies and gentlemen. XO, I will be in my ready room until then. You have the bridge."

"Aye, Sir."

Once the bajoran vacated the seat, Sangliar climbed down his own chair to get to the central one. But before he did so, he activated a lower control that lowered the seat to his own size and sat with a self satisfied smile  that lingered when he saw others on the bridge had noticed.

"What? I'm not this ship's captain of engineering for nothing!"

"No? How much do they charge, Sir?"

"Don't be so smart, girl, and try not to crash us in the next star."

With a charming smile even the gruff Tellarite could not resist, Elisha Leône brought her attention back to her helm controls. Within Federation Space, there was not much to worry about. But that would change the nearer they would get to the Klingon border. The organian peace Treaty Zone ahead would ensure that no hostility whatsoever would occu between them and the Klingons; but that would last only one hour... and there might be other unfriendlies even there. So, for now, she relaxed; but only for now.