Arriving and Orientation

Posted on 18 Jan 2019 @ 11:47am by Lieutenant Karyn Somers & Lieutenant Serina "Reaper" Donovan
Edited on on 22 Nov 2021 @ 10:13pm

3,336 words; about a 17 minute read

Mission: Orientation Posts
Location: Various

[ON]

- Serina's Temporary Quarters -

Serina was sitting in her temporary quarters wondering why she had to go through orientation yet again. Way back when, on the previous ship, she had undergone the same bleeding process, but again...this was a bit much in her opinion. Even so, she guessed it was a necessary thing as different ships run themselves slightly, so begrudgingly she opened the comlink.

=/\= Serina Donavan to Karyn Somers, I have arrived safely and have been directed to report to you for orientation before joining the Tomcat. Where do you wish me to report =/\= Well that part was easily done for Serina however, now came the next thing orientation. While she waited, the sonic shower beckoned to her and figuring it would be a good idea to shower, she did so.

- Security Office -

Karyn was hard at work and jumped out of her seat when her COmmbadge sounded, she tapped it and an unknown voice came out.

=/\= Serina Donavan to Karyn Somers, I have arrived safely and have been directed to report to you for orientation before joining the Tomcat. Where do you wish me to report =/\=

Steadying her rattled nerves =/\= Security Office please miss Donovan =/\= Karyn responded, she did not know what rank the person talking to her was, but a new arrival, all this was being done while she was waiting for a response. Karyn called up the list of new arrivals and saw a Lieutenant Jg Sarina 'Reaper' Donovan, she immediately did a facepalm motion and curse in her native tongue quietly =/\= at your earliest convenience, please Lieutenant =/\= she added.

- Serina's Temporary Quarters -

Looking at her computer panel, Serina just shook her head and headed for the office of the Chief Warrant Officer's office and hit the door chime.

"Enter," Karyn said, she was standing at a console as the new Lieutenant entered, with a small smile "you could have had a proper shower Lieutenant," she said.

"Well...", standing straighter out of respect for Karyn's rank but not saluting as the woman was lower in rank and then continuing. "To be blunt, I did shower...what I did not know was that there was actually honest water here. For future reference I will do exactly that", Serena said, still standing straight. It was very true that she was a military brat, she was well trained in how she spoke to her superiors. There was only one thing that went through her mind, oO Serena don't screw this up, girl. This is going via the captain of the Tomcat Oo. Serena thought to herself

*Looks up with a smile* "El-tee, relax before you pull a muscle, come have you a seat I will get your clearances done before we do us a tour" Karyn said amused that a Lieutenant would act in such a way and a Fleet Officer to boot, Karyn was impressed. As the Officer sat she called up her file oO So that is why she did what she did comes from a military family Oo Karyn thought and typed some things "So El-tee, before we moved on have you any questions, if I seem a bit brisque please excuse me, I am also a Drill Master for the 95th Rifles" she said.

*Finally relaxing* "Thank you, sir...", he said, taking the standard at ease stance. "A pleasure to be here sir. I do however have a couple of questions though", he said thoroughly. First off, I am flying in my own fighter and was curious to know if I would be permitted to use her on the Tomcat, or would I only able to use theirs? Secondly, what type of fighters does she have? It is important that I know what I will be dealing with when I get there", she stated. She felt that knowing exactly what she would be flying actually made all the difference in the world. No two fighter classes were alike as some might have you believe. Each had its own differences and payloads.

"El-tee, you do not need to call me Sir, Chief will do, it sounds strange an Officer calling me Sir, I expect this from those lower than me, but I do not expect it from an officer, as nice as it is. *smiles* "Your own fighter should not be a problem, but you may be required to leave it here, you will need to take that up with your new CO when you get to the ship, the fighters they use are Valkyrie Mk twos, these are modified slightly to carry a heavier payload of micro-Photon torpedoes, but are still limited by the space available" Karyn said then during a quiet moment she tapped her Commbadge.

As she had known Kildare a long time she had a familiarity with him, so she tapped her Commbadge =/\= Somers to Kildare =/\=

A moment later his voice came over =/\= Kildare here, what's up? =/\= he asked.

=/\= How goes your new arrival? =/\= Somers asked.

There was a pause =/\= She is stimulating company, what about you? =/\=

=/\= She is kinda cute and a military kid, still I think she will fit in on the ship =/\= Somers responded with a smile she kept her tone neutral and just stated a fact.

=/\=Down girl, remember you are on duty =/\= Kildare said with an amused tone.

=/\= Acknowledged, Somers out =/\= came a neutral response and the line when dead, she looked at the Lieutenant and felt her cheeks flush "that was Sergeant Major Chris Kildare, he is doing the same thing I am, but his charge is the Tomcats new Chief Operations officer. Kildare has one of those smiles that makes women go weak at the knees, hell he does weaken mine, with his smile, but he is not my type. Also, things are a bit more regimented on the Tomcat, here on the Starbase it can get somewhat boring. *pauses*

"Nowhere is your ID badge and Clearances for your department *she hands over the items* so what is it you want to know before we commence the tour?" Karyn said.

oO Boring Oo "Oh no...not on the Starbase, bored, not a chance. Not even on the Tomcat either. Too much to see and new routines to be learned. Besides....being a military brat, life is never boring", Serena said *taking the items from the chief*

*looking at her concerned* "all okay El-tee?" Karyn asked.

"No Chief, at the moment my brain is half here. The balance is just happy to get this posting.

*nodding in understanding* "okay before we do the tour, do you have any immediate questions?" Karyn asked.

*shaking her head negatively* "No, nothing immediate", she said smiling. This was going to be interesting, to say the least. She was a veteran fighter pilot, flying....."Chief there is one question though. The fighters on the Tomcat are Valkyrie ll's, in another sense, they are the Gryphon fighters. The Mk ll's are fighters I used to fly and they were Gryphons. Strange in a way but confusing if you ask me", she added.*looking at the chief*

Karyn looked at her and shrugged "I would not know I can pilot a shuttle and nothing more, still, the Valkyrie 2s are also stationed here, so there is significant Starfleet presence in the sector, so are you ready for the orientation tour?" Karyn said ending with a question.

A broad smile crossed her face, "Chief. Let us get to it...shall we go...Chief? I have a date with a fighter.", Serina said.

*nodding* "Okay let's finish this tour, then after you settled in, the time is yours," Karyn said and they left the office and headed straight for the Arboretum, which would then be followed by the "Civvy" Section they pair entered the nearest turbolift and entered when the doors had closed "Commercial level" Karyn said and the lift took them there.

Eventually, they exited out onto the commerce level and walked towards the station's Arboretum "have you any questions El-Tee?" Karyn asked as they headed towards the Arboretum.

Serina, walking with Chief Somers, was taking in all of her surroundings including some of the local inhabitants. *stopping suddenly* "Holy crap!", she exclaimed. *looking out the viewport pointing to an incoming Akira class ship* "Chief Somers, that wouldn't be.....Nah couldn't be the Tomcat could it", Serina said softly, trying not to sound too obvious.

Looking out of the window "Nope, that is the USS Thunderchild, she is carrying new Valkyrie mark three fighters for the stations fighter wing, but she is almost identical to the Tomcat, each Akira class is adjusted for certain mission profiles, like the Nebula class, depending on its mission the pod on the top is always different. Stay here long enough and you will see a Galaxy Class a Sovereign and some smaller ships and on occasion the Pathfinder ships Starfleet long-range explorers. *pause* Before you ask those Mark threes will not be available to the Tomcat, but I suppose you could speak to the ranking flight deck officer and ask if you can take one out for a spin around the station" Karyn said.

"I think I just might, but, before that, I probably will check my own fighter out and maybe go for a joy ride before that", she said. Serina did have plans to do that but, before that, she thought about the locals and who she might run into. oO maybe even a little playtime of the male persuasion Oo *sees a hunk walk by*

Karyn looks in the direction Donovan was looking, her look was one of hunger, she pitied the poor bloke who ended up on a date with her, she cleared her throat "Okay El-tee time to have a look at the fighter launch bay, you arrived and landed in the main shuttle bay, since then your fighter has been moved to the fighter launch bay" Karyn said as she led them into the nearest turbo lift and when the doors close "Fighter launch bay" she said and the lift began to move. "I think you will be impressed by the Fighter launch bay I am told it is the latest design, also you should be able to speak to the Officer in charge, as there is not current Permanent Station CAG, the department is run by a junior Officer" Karyn added.

"Oh really?", Serina said, listening now intently to what the chief was saying. "So it is accurate that the Tomcat has open flight decks? I have never really thought it possible to fly through the flight deck. Must be pretty impressive to actually do that and not hit anything in the process. Sounds a lot like taking off and landing on an Aircraft carrier, if you know anything about Earth's world war ll days. Used to dream about going back in time and flying off the deck of one of those babies", she added.

*smiling* "yes, the Tomcat has a fly-through launch bay and an open plan flight deck, all Akira class ships have this, and I am told that it is like an old style landing and take-off on an aircraft carrier. The Akira may be officially classed as a Heavy Cruiser but it is also a light carrier too, so essentially it is the space version of an aircraft carrier" Karyn responded as the lift finally came to a stop and the doors opened allowing the passengers to exits, they had a short walk down the corridor and paused outside the fighter launch bay and then enter the area, Karyn saw the look of awe on her charges face.

For Serina, this was a cool experience. True she had flown Earth's fighters on and off the decks of tossing ships in the holodeck but to actually fly a fighter from the deck of this.....it was more than exhilarating....it was phenomenal! She had heard that flying from an Akira class was awesome in its own right but for her to actually be assigned to one and fly from her was incredible. oO Brother if mom and pop could see me now! Oo

"Chief I feel like a giddy school girl going on her first date. This is incredible yet so...I don't have the words to express what I am feeling right now", she said. Serina was getting impatient and prayed that the bay doors would just pop open so she could see the bay and her fighter, she nearly burst. oO Come on doors open please Oo *tight-jawed*

Seeing the woman tense, Karyn knew what she wanted to see "You know El-tee, you should see the old fighters launching in a few minutes, the fighters are the earlier Mark Valkyrie fighters, they are being ferried to the Thunderchild and the new fighters from the ship will be landing" Karyn said as they looked at a split-level deck, the top half of the room they were in had a receiving bay for returning fighters, while the lower half had rail launchers, the whole thing was open-plan and all one section, incoming went up top, launching fighters went from bottom. Karyn had to admit the view was impressive, but her attention was fixed on the Officer who was wide-eyed, with Donovan too busy to notice, she pressed a signal button and the first four fighters which were to be ferried to the waiting Akira Class ship launched.

It was a good thing for Serina that she was standing still. Had she been mid-stride, she would have fallen flat on her face. Watching the fighters take off, "Oh My God! That was awesome and so graceful. They took off without even trying....wait *long pause* you mean to tell me that the new ones are scheduled to arrive now?", she said almost choking.

Serina knew that this was a rare treat but for her, it was special. In that, it proved to her what she had learned from the holodeck history lessons and flying those old buckets of bolts off the rolling decks of aircraft carriers. "Chief, I appreciate all of seeing this. It just makes me want to get done here faster *pointing into open space* and get out there and do my job...fly!", she finished.

*Smiling* "Yes the new ones will be landing on the upper level the older models launching on catapults below," Karyn said indicated both areas, as for the space part you will need to report to Captain Somers when the ship is docked with the station and as the new CAG, you will be able to stand in the straight-through deck of an Akira class, unlike the Starbase the Akira does not have launch catapults, so they land and take off like normal shuttles, but they do it faster" Karyn added.

"So you actually fly off the deck under your own power...Hm...that is really cool", she said, studying the hanger bay and noting the differences. Serina had to carefully make notes so as not goof on the Tomcat flight deck. Wouldn't look good for the new CAG to screw up landing her fighter upon her arrival. "Well Chief I hope I will do you proud and the captain of the Tomcat when she arrives", she said and smiled. oO I have to be patient Serina be patient. Rushing will not get you anywhere Oo *sighing softly*

As if reading her body language "Speak nice to the Officer in charge and you might get to launch your fighter yourself, but I have a feeling that you will do the ship proudly, remember the Tomcat is a Hands-on approach, there is an emergency tractor and such, but you will be expected to land your fighter without any assistance" Karyn responded.

"Chief, the only difference is that taking off from a rolling, bucking deck is harder than landing in an open-ended, calm flight deck. Even if I had only manoeuvring thrusters, using emergency tractors would be a slap in the face for me. I have had my share of bringing home a wounded battered fighter and landing in a small flight bay", she said smiling. *looking for the officer in charge* "I will be happy just to get my backside into my fighter and take a ride. But first I have a small something that I need to do before assuming my new post", Serina added. oO Oh brother and I need to do this soon to Oo

*Looking at the officer curiously but saying nothing* "Well, I think that is all we have at the moment, I think it is time to show you where you will be billeted while you wait for the Tomcat to return to base" Karyn said making to leave "Also, I hope there will be no confusion as the ship has a Major Donovan too" Karyn added with a smile.

*doing a double look* "Chief?" *long pause* "A Major Donovan? Really? Should prove interesting. As for confusion, shouldn't be as long as you holler for me by my call sign, Reaper!", Serina said laughing. "That I will answer to fast, but where am I going to billet?", she added.

*Smiling* "Yes I think it would, why do you think I am not on the ship," Karyn said "Let's get you to your billet, your stuff should be all there by now" Karyn added and led the way out of the fighter level observation deck and back up onto the main level for fighter personnel offices and then to the nearest lift. After entering the lift and the doors closed "computer level fifty transit section" Karyn said and the lift moved up and across, for the duration of the ride there was silence then after fifteen minutes the lift opened on level fifty and Karyn stepped out and looked back.

"Okay El-tee this is your level, if you need a guiding touch one of the wall panels and ask the computer for directions, and when it comes time to go aboard the Tomcat, contact supply and arrange for them to have your stuff moved to the ship" Somers said as they both walked down the corridor and turned right until Karyn stopped outside a transit room door and looked at the Lieutenant.

oO This is different. Wonder if I can...Oo "Oh so this is where I am to stay...ok...that's cool", Serina said. *nodding*

*Smiling* "Well El-tee, this is you, the replicators can do all types of food and drinks and uniforms and books or PAdds but nothing more, you will know when the ship docks and when you board the ship, the first person you speak to is Master Chief Petty Officer Lucy Armitage she is the Captain's Yeoman and will take things from there, now are there any final questions you have for me?" Karyn asked.

"Only one...when is the Tomcat due to arrive", Serina asked. *looking at the Chief*

Karyn thought for a moment "to be totally honest with you, I got no idea, but I think you would have enough time to get a date with someone in and launch from the bases fighter catapults before she arrives" Karyn answered as she handed Serina her door code key "You can change it to whatever you want as the locks are automatically reset when the room is empty" Somers added.

"Thanks Chief...*taking the code key and opening the door* Wow this is cool!", Serina exclaimed. oO Curtains there....bed here...hm...Oo "Chief Somers this is great, and I will change the lock code. You've been wonderful and kind to me, thankyou very much. I got to change as I am going out this evening, hopefully with that hunk I saw on the flight deck", she added.

*Smiling* "Not a problem El-tee I shall leave you to it" Karyn said and walked away leaving Donovan to her own devices.

[OFF]

Lieutenant JG Serina 'Reaper' Donovan
CAG/Raider 1
USS Tomcat

CWO1 Karyn Somers [PNPC: Somers]
95th Rifles SNCO
Starbase 51/USS Tomcat

 

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