This is a First

Posted on 31 Jan 2025 @ 12:09pm by Lieutenant Colonel Alexandria Somers & Lieutenant Karyn Somers & Chief Warrant Officer Glenn Stone Mr

6,530 words; about a 33 minute read

Mission: Orientation Posts
Location: Starbase 51
Timeline: Current

[ON]

This time around Karyn was on duty in Security when an alert came in that a ship had beamed some new crew onto the station with their kit, this was the process now, well until they located the Saboteur, she pulled up the file and her eyebrows raised "this is a first for the Tomcat!" She said to herself, standing up and tugging down her tunic and then she left Security.

- Arrivals -

A few moments later she arrived in arrival and immediately located the COB, her head tilted to the left slightly, then she shrugged "Chief Warrant Officer Glen Stone, I am Lieutenant Karyn Somers Security Officer, welcome to the Mimra Sector, apologize you had to arrive by transporter from your transport, but the station is currently in lockdown" Karyn said tugging down her tunic again and straightening her Rifle Officers belt and sash, she quickly looked at her white piping across the base of her shoulders making sure that there was no lint on it.

Turning to the station COB, who was walking away, Stone talked with the Station COB for a while before Lieutenant Somers arrived from the Tomcat. Stone said, "Think you for the coffee," and the Station COB just waved a hand as the Station COB walked off. Stone turned back to look at the Lieutenant. "Yes Lieutenant, it is, and I feel like a criminal getting through all the checkpoints on this station," replied Stone, looking a little annoyed at what happened.

Lieutenant Somers looked attractive. She was Slim with great curves. Her red hair and green eyes stood out. Her uniform was in good condition, and everything was in order. He looked at the Lieutenant as if anyone were inspecting an officer. Stone handed the Lieutenant his Padd with his orders. "I see you are from security. I think the problem is still here by all the checkpoints?" asked Stone with a slight grin.

Taking the Padd she looked at it "Well a sabotage attempt on one of our docked ships will intend to do that Chief, if you will pick up your kitbag and follow me" Karyn said "I will take you to see what will eventually be your new home, currently the crew are out on a mission in a borrowed Sovereign class Starship, but if we need to we will get you to the ship, but for now let's begin your orientation" she added leading the way to the nearest turbo lift she remained silent in case the Chief had any questions.

Following the lieutenant, Stone thought for a moment sabotage attempt. Is that interesting? Stone stepped into the turbolift with the lieutenant. I would not hunt anything, but this might change my mind. I can't have someone messing with the ship, can I? "Since I was told nothing about this. Was it the Tomcat, lieutenant? "Asked Stone. His tone was one of claim and examination.

So far, the station seemed about average; everything he had seen made it newer than most but being way out here on the border made sense to him. All the people or lifeforms Stone had seen walking around did not surprise him. Nothing has happened to Stone in a long time. This is why he asked for this assignment.

"It has been a while since I have been hunting such a two-legged animal, lieutenant," said Stone, half joking. He was not lying to the lieutenant. The last person he had to hunt down was a rather nasty terrorist over a year ago. That one was threatening someone in the academy. The turbolift stopped, and Stone followed the lieutenant. "if the crew is out, why did they leave you behind, lieutenant? inquired Stone.

As they neared the turbo lift she paused and looked at him "You will not be doing the hunting Chief, as for the crew being out and my being here, I am not part of the crew of the ship, I am stationed here at SB51, and yes it was the Tomcat that was the target of saboteurs, the ships outside and insides are all but complete, there are still some finishing touches and testing to do first" she paused as the lift doors opened and they stepped in when the lift doors closed "Secure bay fifteen" she said and the lift began moving, now she added "back to your question about my being here and not with the crew out there. We are all assigned duties and positions Chief, this one is mine" she finished and fell silent giving the COB time to digest what she said and the option to ask some more questions.

"I apologize, Lieutenant. The normal SOP is that someone from the ship normally greets the COB or chief warrant officers, " Stone said, looking around and taking in the station when the doors opened. "Hmm.. no hunting that takes all the fun out of it. "So if I invite them back and then take them down, is that acceptable?" It was hard to tell if he was joking or serious.

As they exited the lift, Karyn said, "All the command crew and such are currently out on a mission, but normally, you are correct. But out here, all Orientations are completed by station security, especially as sometimes, like now, the crew is out on a mission and the job has to be done." They walked down the corridor and came to the checkpoint, which was in front of a large window showing the new-look Tomcat ship sitting there being worked on by Workbees and Exocomps.

He paused when he walked out and down a corridor. Looking out the window, he saw the Tomcat.

The USS Tomcat is a medium-sized, heavily armed vessel. In addition to the classic round saucer section, The ship consists of two catamaran-like sections. It was one solid piece with two warp nacelles attached to it. A roll bar atop the rear houses a weapons pod. Unlike almost every other starship, the bridge is nestled between two raised areas on the upper saucer, protecting it from enemy fire. This emphasizes the class's military use. The external navigational deflector, connected to the bottom of the primary hull, is another typical feature of the Akira class vessel.

Stone could spot the other unusual Akira class feature, the hangar bay arrangements. There are two large shuttle bays in the saucer section, one at the forward edge and one at the rear. These are linked together through the ship's center, allowing large numbers of launch and landing operations to be handled simultaneously.

He had never been on this class of ship before, and he was in awe of it. He let out a whistle. "Lieutenant, I bet that has the new ship smell," commented Stone.

As they paused at the checkpoint while Security checked their details, "Might do after her retrofit, upgrade and redesign are completed, she looks different in style to your standard Akira class, she has been essentially redesigned, and she now has Transverse bulkheads, these are the physical safety should the emergency shields fail, she has some other internal features, most other ships of her class still have isolinear circuitry, the Tomcat now has a log of bio-neural gel packs installed. The saucer section has been made bigger in diameter to accommodate Combat Drop Pods, thus the quarters had to be adjusted and the only way to do that was to redesign the ship's saucer section" Karyn paused.

"The rollbar has been updated, the torpedo pod has been redesigned and modernised, and the after-added point defence launchers she had have now been integrated into the pod launcher. This version will have modern advanced systems the best Starfleet has to offer, but with the recently attempted sabotage the timeframe for completion has been set back somewhat" she said as the pair were allowed through "You can leave your bag here before we go onto the ship, yes most of her internals are in place, there will be some places still blocked off, but there should be enough completed for you to have an idea of what ship you are going to be serving on" Karyn added as Stone put his kit back down and followed her onto the gangway and heading towards the ship, again she fell silent allowing for any questions.

"Drop pods are slightly different, but I am familiar with them. I was not told about having them on this ship, Lieutenant," replied Stone, looking around and inspecting as he went. I am qualified with their drop pods, lunch, recovery, and operations. I am sure the Marines will be happy about the pods." commented Stone walking beside the Lieutenant. "What did the terrorist sabotage?" asked Stone with some concern.

"As you can see Starfleet is going for colour coding," Karyn said as they entered the tomcat on the lower decks during this time she took time to think about answers to the questions she had been asked.

The corridors were the new standard for Federation Starships. They were well-lit, and the computer interfaces were spaced according to the standard. The doors were colour-coded along with the corridors. On this ship, the crew should have no problem getting around, thought Stone.

"You said the crew quarters were adjusted by how much?" Stone asked another question as they walked.

As they walked the level which was the engineering level, Karyn escorted him to the main engineering, as they entered the place looked in good order, but there were still some visible scorch marks in the places that affected one of the interfaces where the grille was off. "Hmm, Paul must be back working," she said mostly to herself as both entered Engineering "This is modernised engineering, please ignore the scorch marks, as to your sabotage question the computer conduits and ODN relays were affected by the damage to the new warp core," she said pausing in front of the warp core. "the core itself and the power conduits connecting it to the nacelles were almost destroyed, we were lucky the warp core was offline at the time of the attempted sabotage," she said as she let Stone look around a moment,

"Ther drop pods are not wildly known, to date as far as I am aware the Tomcat will be the only ship in active service to have them, so your not knowing is understandable, as it is not wildly known. As for the quarters, Ensign/2nd Lieutenant on up have small but well-furnished quarters, as COB you will be allotted one of these junior Officer quarters even though you are a Non commissioned officer, the only other two enlisted on the Tomcat besides you with their own quarters is the Captain's Yeoman and Sergeant Major Kildare 95th Rifle Demolitions but only because he is married to the ships Chief Counsellor, all other enlisted regardless of department or branch are in bunk quarters, four bunks to a room very much like what the NX Class had" she answered.

"Now any questions before we move on?" She asked.

"None, Lieutenant. I was looking into the situation with the enlisted housing on the ship. one of the many things I have to look at," replied Stone, his interest showing though as he kept going.

The pair approached the powered-down warp core, but it still bore some cosmetic damage, "we were lucky the core was powered down, so while there was damage it was mostly cosmetic, over there where there is a panel of one of our engineers are working on the computer systems, feedback is a bitch. Now let us go and show you, your domain, have you ever worked on an Akira Class before Chief?" Karyn said as she led them out of engineering and headed to the main shuttle bay at the center of the ship's saucer section. The pair walked down the corridor and into the nearest lift when the doors closed "Launch bay" she said and the lift whisked them to their destination.

While they were in the lift, "You have an office in the launch bay at the back, it has never been used so everything in it will be fresh, especially since the upgrades have been done" Somers paused, allowing for any responses or questions from Stone.

He nodded to the information about the cosmetic damage to the warp corp. He paused, looking at it closer to the damage. He reached over, ran a finger near the damage, and rubbed his pointer finger and thumb together. Stone said nothing. "I have been around many classes of ships. This model of the Akira Class no. I still had to go through all the training for this class, just like all command staff. Honestly, this will be my first time working in this capacity on a starship," Stone explained in his experience.

"Nice, new office smell. I like to joke about that, but if you ever get on a Klingon starship for a long time. You wish for such a thing. "Office in the launch bay at the back." As long as there is corridor access, I am good with that," said Stone, showing no emotion over the news.

"Oh you have, or will have plenty of access" Karyn said as the doors opened onto the Flight Deck, which was expansive "Okay Chief, this will be your domain, over in the back is your office" she said pointing in the aft direction. On either side of this bay are maintenance and prep hangars a Level below you are the Gryphon Mk 2 Launch catapults, landing and recovery will be on this level of the bay, and the pilots upon launch will be one level directly below you, all that is down there is engineering space and those catapults, there is a lift at the back of this bay that goes down two floors, below the catapults is the shuttle and auxiliary craft storage, a large portion of the shuttles will mainly be on this deck, but what we are not using will be down there. Four key Auxiliary craft are two Troops shuttles, they are for the rifles when transporters cannot be used, although with the new drop pods being installed the shuttles may be used less. There is also one Runabout and one Venture Class scout ship, all other craft save for the fighters are standard aux craft. feel free to have a wander of this level and ask questions if you have any, then we will return to the Security Office where you will get your Security codes for the Tomcat" Karyn said as they walked into the center of the bay, she fell silent allowing Stone to have a little wander.

Stone nodded as he started to walk. He looked down, mainly over the ports and covers on the ground where the power conduits could be placed to power equipment or ships and the mounts for locking down the spacecraft if required. He would stop, hold a hand palm out, look through his fingers, and then resume walking.

There was still equipment here or there from the upgrade work being done. In true Federation style, everything was neat and in its place. He was walking over to a window and looking at his soon-to-be office. Walking along the wall, he stopped, placed his hand flat against it, and closed his eyes. Waiting about a minute, he continued to the center of the flight deck. He looked around and, kneeling, touched the deck.

He walked back, stopping an ordinance lift. There was no power to the panel, but Stone inspected what he could. He then continued to where the Lieutenant was standing. "This is new. I had not seen an ordinance lift like that one," said Stone, walking up. "This will be impressive when watching this flight deck operate," stated Stone, giving one last look around. "What is next, Lieutenant?" Stone asked.

*Smiling* "Now it is back to the Security Office to get you the required security clearance you will need, I know you have standard fleet clearances, but considering the Tomcat works out in the Hinterland of Federation space the extra codes and such come in handy, so we will go back the way we came so you can pick up your bags and then we head to Security. Do not worry there will be full power in this area when it is complete, but power from the starbase is currently sufficient, that lift is for the deck crew to get to the shuttle storage and launch bays quickly, the pilots have their way to their ships" Somers said and she headed back the way they came.

"As mentioned when complete this ship will have neural gel packs a larger Science package suite and transverse bulkheads, also as mentioned the saucer section has been adjusted and made larger at this point to accommodate the re-arrangement of crew and officer quarters which made way for the drop pods. The ship has three squadrons with twelve fighters to a squadron and there is a Fleet Squadron a Marine Squadron and a Klingon Squadron, the fighters are Gryphon Mk 2s," Somers added as they rounded a bend and entered the lift.

As they entered and the doors closed, "airlock," she said, and they were whisked to the airlock they had entered from. She kept silent, allowing the Chief to ask a question.

"Thank you, Lieutenant. That was an informative tour. I think I stated before I had to go through the command training and qualification for the Tomcat and the class of ship. As you know, Starfleet requires that qualification to be on the command staff." Stone informed the Lieutenant. "I think I was also assigned to the ship because The Captain probably saw my qualifications with drop pods," suggested Stone. " Jsoc, I Have been using Drop pod for a little while." Stone grinned. "It is one hell of a ride," suggested Stone.

Stone was quiet when the turbolift doors opened. He let the Lieutenant out first and followed.

"Well, I can only guess how much of a ride it will be, but the Rifles on the ship will need training, as they have chemical RCS thrusters, so they are immune to any tech that would act like an EMP," Karyn answered.

They arrived back at their starting point after a short walk across the gangway. When they got into the room, they entered: "Okay, pick up your Kitbag, and it is off to the Security office to sort out Security codes and clearances. Just to recap, your Commanding Officer is Fleet Captain Jasmine Somers, First Officer is Lieutenant Commander Remington Dodd, and your Second Officer is Rifle Captain Mazal Falk. Yes, the Captain is my Cousin, in case you are wondering," Somers said.

As the pair walked away from the mechanic bay they entered the nearest turbo lift and when the doors closed "Security Chiefs Office" she said and the lift whisked them to their requested destination, during the ride Karyn remained silent so that Stone had a chance to query her about the Command Staff if he so desired.

"I was briefed on the ship's staff and crew and read that report thoroughly. I have no questions about the chain of command," replied Stone. I also know it can be nice or stressful if your family is nearby, " Stone remarked, walking with Somers.

-Security SB51-

Arriving at Security, Stone looked at Somers. "We have to go over my Security codes and clearance? Is there something I have not been briefed or debriefed on?" All my information, security codes, and clearance should have been transferred already," inquired Stone, waiting for Somers to enter her office.

As she entered the office, "Please have a seat Mr Stone," she said as she took a seat behind the desk and sat down, "You are correct on security codes, but those are your standard issue Starfleet ones, the ones you are going to get and some other stuff are unique to the Tomcat and as she patrols mainly in the Wilds of Federation Space, the added security is a requirement" Karyn said as she accessed the computer and pulled up Stones's file and started the process. The small niche to her right in the wall began to hum and out came two items, Karyn nodded in satisfaction as she registered the items on his file, and looked up "Any questions before I continue?" Somers asked.

"No, ma'am, I have none. Waiting for my next set of instructions," replied Stone. He wondered what the devices were. He could not imagine they were a key. It's more like Fobs back in the 20th century. He had to use something like that before with some starship special ordnance that he would probably never see again, he hoped.

He waited for her reply, thinking about the ship and the tour. He thought he would oversee the refit, but his instinct told him differently. Stone did not want to chase the crew around the stars. Besides, this lieutenant was not bad to look at. The Padd notified him of some requested data, and he looked through it while waiting. it was on Somers and the standard stuff about her and her Starfleet basic records.

Without looking up "If you wish to know something about me Chief that is not in my file you are currently reading all you have to do is ask" Karyn said, not missing much. As she finished typing something on the computer she picked up a card-like object and held it out "Um... Chief, forget my service file for the moment" she said still holding the ID Card out.

When he gave her his attention "This is your standard ID Card, but adapted for use on the Tomcat, and it is to only be used on the Tomcat, if able to it is to be displayed at all times when on duty. Off-duty wearing is optional, but if not worn it must be kept on your person whenever you are off-duty on the ship. If you are ever assigned to an Away Team your ID Card is to remain on the ship, any questions on the ID Card?" Somers said waiting for Stone to take the item.

Taking the ID, Stone nodded in agreement. "Understood, Lieutenant," Stone replied, wondering about the ID he had been given. So, is the scanner broken? The computer can tell by body scans, voice recognition, voice password, and com badge. This allows the three-step process of recognizing a person," he explained. Thinking about the ID and its use.

"With all that, the security systems are very strong and mostly hard to fool. Now, there are certain Shapeshifters, doppelgangers, and things like that. There are even ways to detect them if you have the equipment for that on the ship, " Stone further explained without giving any top-secret information away. He left the information vague enough.

He slipped the ID into his bag and waited to see what Somers would say. If Somers knew, he would be interested to know what the Captain of the Tomcat was thinking.

"That ID is keyed to not just your DNA but Bio-signature, so look after it" Karyn said and perked up as an alert came over the line "damn we are going to have to hurry this up you have already been assigned to an Away Team on the Themistocles" Karyn said and entered something and a strip of red paper with black numbers and words on it came out of the wall dispenser, she picked it up and handed it to him.

Holding it out to Stone "As you are essentially part of the Command Staff, you answer to the Captain, First Officer and when there is one a Second Officer Directly, this is a one-time use alphanumeric code, should all the officers and senior NCOs be incapacitated then this one-time code will allow you to lock down the Tomcat from any intruders, memorize it then destroy the strip of paper, that code is unique to you and you alone, it is a verbal command given. Now I have to find you a pilot" Karyn said as the strip of paper was taken out of her hands she finalized the file on the computer logged off and then tapped her Commbadge.

=/\= Karyn to Alex, you up for a little trip? =/\= She asked.

There was no mistaking excitement in her Sisters' voice =/\= Sure where too? =/\= Alex asked.

=/\= I need you to take the new Chief of the Boat to the Themistocles ASAP, he has already been assigned to the Away team at Arth =/\=

=/\= Acknowledged, I will arrange transport and meet you at Security, Somers out =/\=

When the line went dead Karyn looked at Stone, my Sister is the best shuttle pilot in the sector, she will get you to where you are going, so have you any questions about things so far and your new Commanding Officer? we have some time, but you will need to be ready to go the moment my Sister arrives" Karyn said.

"Thank you for all your help and the tour of the ship, Lieutenant Somers," said Stone, grabbing his bag beside him. Maybe next time I can get you a drink when I am back in the station," he suggested. His tone was friendly but professional. He had no hidden intent. "Where do I meet the Shuttle or pilot?" he asked.

"Why here Chief, so you can be seated" Karyn said then before Stone could be dressed in her standard duty uniform, with a green undershirt Officer belt/Sash and hair immaculately coffered Alex entered, Chief Stone I presume?" Alex asked.

The guy seemed a little taken back by seeing a Lieutenant Colonel in the Security Office, but he recovered quickly "I am Lieutenant Colonel Alexandria Somers and I am your pilot, we can talk while we are on-route to Arth, but for now, grab your gear and let's go" she said then looked at her sister "all done here Sis?" She asked.

"He is all your Alex, fly safe," Karyn said.

"Lieutenant Colonel Alexandria, I am honoured and sorry to take up your time shuttling me to my ship. I don't normally get flown around by a Lieutenant Colonel," commented Stone, standing up and looking at the redhead. "I am at your service, Lieutenant Colonel," he commented almost at the position of attention.

A small smile played at the corners of her lips "I do not mind I want to get as much flight time in before I have to return to Starfleet Academy to finish my bridge command training" she paused "At ease Chief, unlike most officers in Starfleet I got promoted from the rank and file and I still find the deference I am given as an officer unsettling" she added with a light laugh.

Looking over at Karyn "See you when I get back Sis" Alex said and looked at Stone "Let's go" she said and headed to the nearest lift, her moves were so quick that Stone was slow to realize she had left and he followed. As Stone arrived at the Lift both entered and when the doors closed "Shuttle Bay" she said and the lift moved.

Looking at Stone "Ever been on a Delta Flyer class shuttle before Chief?" she asked.

Stone grins at Lieutenant Colonel Alexandria. "It is classified," he responds almost in a quizzical tone. Looking at the Lieutenant Colonel. He has been on a great many ships in his time, some known, some unknown, and his records are not too clear on most of them. His records mostly state operation or mission names with little detail. So is the world of special operations. "But I have seen a few I hear they are nice," said Stone.

"I could easily find out if I wanted Chief," Alex said, smiling. Well, whether you've been on a flyer class or not, you will be going on one this time around," she added.

The doors opened to the turbolift with a swish. Letting Alexandria out first, he followed her as she walked, taking in the sight of the house bay and people. " that's the fight time as are looking at for our ETA?" asked Stone respectfully.

As the pair approached the Flyer class shuttle, Somers answered, "The speed I fly, I will be just pushing past the flyer's top warp speed, but I estimate about six hours as Arth is not too far from where we are."

"So am I to assume it has a replicator on board? I do get a little cranky if I don't get my Coffee," he said, half joking.

He looks it over as they walk up to the Delta flyer. "Well, nice I guess. 6 hours should not be that bad," commented Stone, still looking.

Looking at Stone, "Yes, there is a Replicator, a good one on the shuttle," she said as the lift stopped and opened onto the shuttle bay, where a Delta Flyer Class was waiting. " Get aboard, Chief, and take the Operations station. I have to go finalize things with the shuttle bay controller," she said, pointing to the mentioned shuttle.

Walking to the shuttle and looking at the flight line crew, he nodded as he passed. He then walked to the back ramp of the Delta Flyer. He walked into the Delta Flyer and stowed his bag. Then, moving to the front, he looked at the stations. Seeing the Replica, he started to order some coffee.

As Stone headed one way, Alex went to the flight control booth, signed some paperwork, so to speak, and then returned to the shuttle. She got on board and noticed Stone was at the replicator.

She stuck her head in the side room. "Geeze, already, Chief, we have not even left the station. Leave that for now and take your seat," she said, heading to the pilot's seat and doing the flight prep while Stone sorted himself out.

"Ma'am, did you not know flying without coffee is a sin?" commented Stone with a grin.

He sat in the operations console, placing his coffee to the side in the holder; his fingers moved across the panel, activating the screens. "Lieutenant Colonel Somers, I also have all green on my end," he announced, looking over the readings

"Excellent, it is Colonel, Colonel Somers or Sir, depending on the situation unless permission is given to use my given name," Alex said in a neutral tone as she was concentrating on a quick flight prep, when this was done with permission from flight control she activated the shuttles anti grav units and taxied to the launch window, then switched to impulse as the flyer close shot out through the atmospheric shield, she came up and around the ships Nacelles and angled for Arth and when clear she engaged warp. From her position she saw stars become star lines, putting the ship on auto-pilot she turned in her seat "Okay a few hours, you can have your coffee" she said pulling out an old book, leaning back and putting her feet up.

Stone grins. He picks up his coffee from the holder and takes a sip. "Yes, Colonel Somers," says Stone, telling her he understands the Rank and name she requested. And you are right; the coffee is not too bad on the Delta Flyer. Did you want something, Colonel? " asks Stone respectfully and politely. He wondered how hardcore this Colonel was. Special Warfare was not an easy-going place like most explorer Starship types of personnel.

Stone was used to shooting, then asking questions, or just shooting. He had to play nice and control himself when dealing with others other than Starfleet. He would have to see how he integrated outside the Special Warfare Operational Groups. Now, he did not travel to exotic worlds, meet exotic people, and kill them. Now, it was travelling to exotic worlds, meeting exotic people, researching, and making peace.

She looked up from the book she was reading, "hmm!" she said, "If I want something I usually ask, but for now, settle in for the trip, hopefully, it will be uneventful!" Alex said, as she sat back to read the shuttle proximity sensors sounded, book forgotten she returned to flight controls and took the shuttle off autopilot.

"Yeah do not say it Chief, I jinxed us by speaking too soon!" she exclaimed as she moved into action "Pirates here! Holy shite, okay strap in Chief prep countermeasures we in for a bumpy ride" she added.

Stone smiled. "Ok, Colonel Somers, show me that fancy flying. Do you know this particular group?" asked Stone, showing forces. "Pirates always show when you don't want them to," He said, his hands moving across his panel. "Yup! They are used to hitting Starfleet Freighters. I am not an expert in space battles, but they know our strategies. I say I think outside the box, Colonel." suggested Stone, his face now showing the G forces as the Runabout manoeuvred.

"No, the amount of Pirate raids has increased of late, but they usually avoided attacking Starfleet ships that are not freighters, so as we have little of value they are probably out to destroy us" she said as the ship went to Red Alert and she began evasive tactics. "They may know Starfleet Basic tactics, but they do not know mine and for the Record Chief I always think outside the box" she added as she banked right to avoid weapons fire "Target lead raider," she said.

"I also have a few tricks, but let us see what they know before I pull out my bag of tricks, " Stone replied as his fingers started to work across his panel. Phaser beams laned out in a pattern, making the Pirates break up their formation. He made it look as if he was inexperienced. But He still looked lucky and landed a hit on one of their shields, so they might think. He did this intensely to evaluate their experience. If they rely mostly on their tactical computer or instinct, Stone would know what to do next.

Alex banked a hard left and narrowly missed a hit. "Too close, get a firing solution on the ship directly aft, then hold onto your britches as I am about to do a Looping move and get around behind them. Fire the moment you have a clear shot," she said as she quickly began her climb. Despite the SIF being active, both felt the G-Forces with the tactic she used.

"Aye," replied Stone, his hands moving again across the panel. The G-forces were what he was used to and did not hamper him in his work. He watched and waited for the right time to fire. Letting off with a brogue of phaser fire, the phaser fire hit the vessel's rear shields, making them move into the line of the torpedo launcher. The red ball of light streaked out, striking the vessel. The shield flickered some as the light damage could be seen.

The shuttle rocked as Stone checked his screen. He had been concentrating on the ship before him and had lost track of the other one. "Damm! Oppss.. dam, it's been a while with ship-to-ship combat," explained Stone.

Without looking back as she was concentrating "no worries I have not done combat flying in a shuttle for a long time too, hold onto your britches!" she said and she slammed the reverse RCS on, despite the SIF generator being on full the sudden stop forced them both forward. But it had the desired effect, the Pirate ships shot past.

Alex quickly set the ship in forward motion "Okay Mr Stone there are your targets fire at will" she said keeping them on the enemies aft.

He slammed against the reprints with a sudden stop. He had not felt something like that since his loss drop. Stone grunted under the stress of the shuttle manoeuvre. His muscles flexed, trying to keep up the strain of the G-forces. He even felt the light-headedness of the Gs.

He wanted a second to let them pass, not wanting to be in the weapon's blast radius. "Hold on, this will get bumpy, " he said as some of the power was shifted to weapons. Phaser fire and torpedoes fired and launched rapidly. Warnings of overheating alerts flashed it was a gamble, but Stone was not playing anymore. Several phaser hits and torpedo hits rocked their shuttle from the hits on the pirate's shuttles. The pirate shuttles died in space as their warp drives and power plants died.

The pirate's ships spin out of control and then collide. "Oops, did not see that happening," commented Stone, sounding surprised. Their shuttle rocked from the explosions, and the shield flickered. Stone frowned. "Shields down to 50%." Targets destroyed," announced Stone, his voice sounding of relief.

"Excellent shooting, Mr. Stone. Now let's make like trees and leave. We need to get you to the Themistocles," Alex said and jumped into warp.

Hours later...

The shuttle arrives in the area of Arth space on the dark side of the planet's moon. Alex spots the running lights of the Sovereign-class ship, so she opens a channel to the ship.

=/\= Flyer shuttle Earhart to Themistocles flight control I am approaching you directly aft, I have your chief of the Boat, requesting permission to land and some maintenance, we got jumped by some pirates on our way here =/\= She said as she sent her IFF code.

A Moment of silence then the ships flight controller came back =/\= landing permission granted, opening main shuttle bay doors =/\=

The voice said then went silent.

"Okay Chief when we land drop your kit bag in your office on the flight deck and head straight to the shuttle you have been assigned to for the Away Mission," she said as she brought the shuttle in to land manually and so smooth the first anyone would know they had landed was when she put the ship to idle.

"Well Mr Stone, it was nice meeting you and best of luck on your assignment," Somers said as she lowered the shuttle ramp and opened the hatch.

"Colonel Somers, it was an honor to fly with you. Let me know if you ever need a weapons officer on a fighter. I will fly with you any time," said Stone, picking up his kit bag. He nodded with respect to the Colonel as he started to walk off the Shuttle.

- Hour Later -

Chief Stone was led to his room, where he dropped his kit bag. Some of his personal baggage had arrived, so he opened a few marked boxes and grabbed some gear for the next mission. He had little information on the mission, but when did he ever have all the information?

[OFF]

Chief Warrant Officer Glenn Stone, Mr
Chief of The Boat
USS Tomcat




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