SD241908.?? || Joint Log || "High--No, Very High--Temperatures"

Posted on 17 Aug 2019 @ 5:57pm by Captain Mallory Thorne & Lieutenant Talee Malena & Lieutenant Talrian Bran

2,278 words; about a 11 minute read

Mission: Tyr's Hand
Location: Shuttle Bay

=/\= Begin Log =/\=

Quinn headed down to the shuttle bay in advance of Lieutenant Bran. He knew that engineering and operations would be working on adding the holo-emitters, and he figured he would check things out. While it was his normal area to fly the fighter, the mission of the shuttle itself was paramount and he wasn't going to trust it to anyone else. He would fly this shuttle.

Talee was getting a bit frustrated her operations team wasn't well the greatest they were green or just nervous as they were in a situation that most people don't find themselves in. But all of that has turned into a lot of mistakes and wasted time that they just didn't have.

Talrian entered the shuttle bay, his combat armor strapped about him, the helmet and other items he felt might be necessary in a pack slung over his left shoulder. Cindreth entered behind him, wearing the same armor but not as well or comofrtably. For him it was something new and unusual but Talrian refused to let his team go into a hazardous situation without some form of protection. The combat armor would provide that.

"He's coming," Cindreth said to the unspoken question Talrian asked regarding the corpsman. "He's just...not as excited about the mission as others." It was said flat and neutral, tactful, but Talrian heard the unspoken rebuke nonetheless. Though, it didn't matter. And was truthful. He was excited. Much like his previous host, he was a student of history and this was History in the making. To see some of it, experience it, was a thrilling adventure. That they were inserting themselves into the unknown dangers of the Terran conflict reminded him why he was a Marine anyway.

"Report!" Talrian shouted as the doors closed behind him. "Romanov, I want wheels up in five!" It was an old expression, one he didn't fully understand, but for some reasons pilots always discussed 'wheels up' as a phrase meaning to take off.

Talee's ears perked at hearing the voice, ".....that is not doable. Not even close to doable." Taleesaid trying to remain professional but she was about to loose it.

"Yes, I know, because shuttlecraft don't have wheels to go up and down, but it's an expression," Talrian said as he turned to find the speaker. Only to see it was a gold collared egghead. Hell no!, he thought, I'm not going to be 'can't do it' by some egghead!

Instead he turned to Romanov. "You have your orders, Lieutenant." Then, turning to Cindreth, "Where's the pipsqueak?" But as he finished speaking, the cargo bay doors opened again and the young Terran corpsman entered, flushed and pale, laden with a heavy pack.

"Four and a half minutes, Lieutenant," he said again to Romanov while indicating the other two they should load up.

Talee growled, "....lieutenant!" She barked. which stopped. everyone. "When I saw we. well not be ready in. 5 minuets I mean that we are not going anywhere. Now the captain want's this mission to succeed we are not going on a shooters timeline."

"No," Talrian responded, glaring at the engineer, "we are on the mission commander's timeline. You should accept that and continue working because I don't have time to find a sandbox for you to continue this pissing match."

Talee growled again looking around considering her options. "Operations team stop what you are doing." Talee said her team. did as they were told but slowly. "Now you are gonna need to explain to the captain why there is no work being done. I am not gonna risk myself or anyone in my department because we were rushed by someone who doesn't understand what is being worked on right now."

"Typical," Talrian muttered to himself, glancing over his shoulder as several more security officers entered the cargo bay, each also ready to load into the shuttle and take off. "If you're not on this mission, then clear out. File your reports and you'd better pray to whatever gods you do or do not believe in that your ineptitude today has not cost your fellow crewman their lives." He moved to the shuttle loading ramp, preparing to oversee the loading of the crew assigned to the mission and then takeoff.

Talee then did something stupid she slowly walked over to a wall panel and looked down the bay making sure that no shuttle. or fighter could leave the ship. "We are in lockdown!" She barked/growled glaring at the chief of security. "We are doing this right to make sure we don't get anyone killed or worse mess around with the time continuum."

Talrian sighed, his hand going out of instinct to the grip of his sidearm. "Computer, override security lockdown on shuttle bays." His glare at the Caitain was more than just upset, it was getting to a point where he was going to have her thrown in the brig, and hoped with every fibre of his being she resisted. "I don't have the time, literally, to explain to your narrow minded slavishly idiotic devotion to the lies of "mess around with the time continuum". We have our mission to carry out and it will be done. Interfere just one more time," he said, his hand still on the grip of the sidearm, "and you'll certainly be in lockdown."

Talee couldn't just stand by and allow this to happen so she did what she knew with every fiber of her body was right. And went for another lockdown but this time making sure that the captain was aware of what was happening.

You warn a person and then they just stupidly decide not to listen, Talrian thought as he indicated the engineer. "Escort her to the brig," he growled, "and if she resists - shoot her."

Romanov's eyebrows rose as he watched the interaction. He then frowned, those same overhanging brows drawing together. "Lieutenant," he interjected, looking at the chief of security and foretelling that he'd be headed to the brig shortly... "I know you're the mission commander, but it's ill-advised to take a ship on a mission that is not operationally effective. Lieutenant Malena is the one who can declare it such. I won't fly something that's not cleared for flight."

Of course, a different issue was coming toward them as the captain had received the message from the shuttlebay and was on her way there...

Talrian wheeled on the pilot. "Didn't you tell me you could fly the mission?" he asked, taking a step toward him, glaring. "You're the pilot, isn't it your duty to do preflight check? Have you done so, Lieutenant?"

Talee growled and bared her teeth wondering how this man made out of the academy with what had to be a mental issue.

"What, precisely, Lieutenant, do you think the pre-flight check is? It makes sure there are no problems and if there are, that we call someone to take care of it before we fly. If Lieutenant Malena is already saying that the ship isn't done and ready for the mission, my pre-flight checks would be a waste of time because we already know the shuttle isn't ready." He turned to the chief of ops. "How long until you can clear the shuttle for the mission?"

"I don't give a Talarian rat's ass whether they've double and triple and quadruple checked the holo-emitters. Will the shuttle operate as is necessary is all that is required," Talrian growled. "That's all that matters, is the shuttle capable of normal operations because we have crew down there. Crew in uniform, in the middle of the worst, most lawless planet wide conflagration Earth has ever seen! Every second you delay us, they are put further and further at risk, if they're not dead already. Now, again, will the shuttle fly?"

"2 hours to make sure everything is working." Talee said, ".....but I am not working and neither is my staff until this idiot leaves. Also we do not need this much goddamn firepower for this mission." Talee said wondering where the hell is the captain.

"Great, just fine," Talrian said, "we're taking that shuttle then, presuming your lot hasn't screwed it up. Think you can fly that one, Lieutenant?" Talrian pointed to the other shuttle in the bay, which, from what he could see, hadn't been tampered with in the hare brained, misunderstood scheme to place holo-emitters on it.

Quinn opened his mouth to tell Bran exactly what he thought, when the doors opened.

"I've got a ship stuck in the middle of World War Three and a quarter of my crew missing, why have I been called down here?" she said brusquely, clearly frustrated as she stalked up to the three lieutenants--standing and glaring at each other.

"Because Fleeters would rather stand around talking the problem to death then get things done, Captain," Talrian responded. "Apparently they don't understand just how bad this period of time is for everybody on the planet, much less anybody in something resembling a uniform! I've been trying to get us underway but your Ops has everything on this shuttle screwed up. Instead, we'll take this other one and get our people out of there as you ordered."

Mal arched a severe brow at his tone. "I believe your orders were to get the shuttle covertly into the atmosphere to help reestablish our sensors and communications so we can find out where our missing crew are. We don't even know that they are on the planet yet. If they're not, we open a whole different of worms by going down there underprepared." She favored him with a stern look before looking at the chief ops. "What's the status of this shuttle?"

"The emitters are giving us some trouble. The shuttles optical data-network and EPS conduits do not provide quite enough power to power both shuttle and masking sure the shuttle stays at peak operational status as well as the emitters. I was working on that when well the calvary arrived."

The Arched Brow of Disappointment immediately turned on Malena. "Both of you, knock it off!" she snapped. "We are all under stress, but the Odin does not need either of your attitudes. I'm not your mother, I'm your captain and you are both officers in Starfleet. Act like it and cut the snipes. Am I understood?"

"Crystal, ma'am. Apologies for allowing my emotions get the better of me." Talee said her tail dropping and falling between her legs as well as dropping her head showing respect to the Alpha.

Fleeters! he said, mentally shaking his head. People are in danger and they wanted to stand around jawjacking! "Understood, Captain," he said, the only indication of his internal frustration was a tighter jaw and his words were a bit more clipped. If they wanted anybody to be found alive, however, they needed to get this going now.

Mallory took a deep breath through her nose and then blew it out as she turned to her cat-like ops officer. "What is the minimum amount of time needed for things to be working and, frankly, safe enough. We don't need a hundred percent efficiency. Lieutenant Bran is right in that time is of the essence. I want all of us safe but it doesn't have to be perfect, because every moment does put us further from finding out what happened to our ship-mates. We need bare bones of efficiency."

"A hour." Talee said reluctantly but decided to not push the issue.

That was still too long, Mal thought, but she rushed her thoughts through. "Take whatever personnel or resources you need and think as creatively as possible to make it happen sooner," she said. "Get to work, Lieutenant." She dismissed the Caitian with a nod before rounding back on the security chief.

"You stay off her back. If you can't keep a civil tongue while she does her work, then leave the shuttle bay. Your barking at her won't make it any better or any safer. In the meantime, work with the telepathic volunteers you've gotten and see if there's anything they and the ship's sensors as they are can do to give more information before you head down."

"Captain!" Talrian started before taking in a deep breath and slowly letting it out. "Yes, ma'am." He glanced at Cindreth, "Round them up and meet in holodeck one," he said, intending for it to be used no matter who may be there. He was ready to space the next person, not wearing four pips, to cross him. "Romanov," he said, "I'll be back in an hour, see to it we're ready to go. If that ship isn't ready, we're leaving in that shuttle. I'm not willing," he gave a pointed but quick glance to the Ops chief, "to let our people stay in any more danger than they need to be in down there."

"Captain?" he said, waiting for the dismissal.

"Dismissed," Mal told him curtly. Then to Talee, "Good luck. Quick as you can."

Talee put the man out of her mind as she and her team got back to work as her mind started working in double time as she started finding some out of the box solutions. Which she did not like especially with the amount of outside unknowns.

=/\= End Log =/\=

Captain Mallory Thorne, Lieutenant Talee Malena, Lieutenant Talrian Bran & Lieutenant Quinn Romanov (apb Bella)

 

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