Breakfast Meeting - Part II

Posted on Sun Jul 30th, 2023 @ 2:18am by Captain Robert Burke & Lieutenant Commander Lachlan Lamont & Lieutenant Haruka Amami & Lieutenant Ryssa Dari & Lieutenant JG Austin Faust

1,080 words; about a 5 minute read

Mission: EPISODE 1: SHAKEDOWN
Location: USS Hecate - Deck 3 Officer's Mess
Timeline: Three Days Prior to Launch

::ON::

Vesna wasn't late, but she was later than she liked being. She had a call home, and then suddenly, it was ten minutes to meeting time (and past the kids bedtimes).

She walked in, and noticed the conversation already ongoing. She nodded her greeting to Burke, and turned to the food, choosing some veggies, bread and a coffee, before joining the others at the table. "Morning Captain, Commander, Lieutenant. Commander Vesna," she presented herself.

Beaming in greeting, Burke motioned to the rest of the senior officers that were present. 'Commander Vesna is our Chief Flight Control Officer, and my First Officer.' Almost grudgingly he added, 'she's most distinguished in her fields as you would expect, given the Hecate's current mission profile.'

"Hi," Ryssa said to the new arrival.

"A fascinating career path, Commander," stated Lachlan. "I know some excellent officers that started in navigation or helm before taking on more command duties, but I certainly admire balancing your positions. I've worked with First Officers who were Chief Science Officers, but never at the helm of a starship."

Vesna returned Burke's smile, and nodded to Ryssa in recognition of the greeting. She then turned to Lachlan, she knew it was a little unusual, but she also knew she was good at what she was doing. She didn't blame him for being curious, though. "Yes, that is a little more usual, those positions. I started out in navigation and then became curious to see where Command would take me."

'Quite far, it would seem,' Burke observed idly.

Gonzalez slipped in, conscious she was cutting it fine. She tugged the sleeve of her duty uniform, conscious that she wanted to make a good impression during her first encounter with the rest of the senior staff. Hovering at the back of the room, the Lieutenant glanced about for a few minutes, unwilling to approach the breakfast table.

Spotting her, Burke motioned her over to the little knot of people around him. After picking up some breakfast and a coffee as instructed, Burke turned her to Darri and said, 'Lieutenant Gonzalez here is a science officer by training, I'm sure both of you have a lot in common.' Smiling widely at the two, he wandered off, leaving the two women together.

Smiling wanly, Gonzalez extended her hand, 'Sofia Gonzalez, a pleasure to meet you Lieutenant.'

"Ryssa Dari," the science officer replied, shaking her hand. "Nice to meet you. What sort of science are you in?"

'Archaeology, initially. My time in Starfleet broadened my horizons, though,' Gonzalez smiled, 'call me Sofia.'

Striding in, Mel'nyk in her rank-less uniform, beelined her way to the table, nodding at those she passed. Picking out a heaping place of food and a large mug of tea, she turned and observed a knot of officers around Burke and made her way over. Noticing Lachlan, she nodded in his direction. 'Chief of Security on a new boat, huh. Must be a busy time for you.'

"It has kept me occupied," the man replied back teasingly. "Can't say I have any complaints," he noted.

Lastly Lieutenant Haruka Amami entered the room. Her uniform showed she belonged to the Engineering department. She was in her early thirties and seemed quiet and reserved as she entered.

Burke motioned for the staff to be sat at the table. Bringing his own plate, he set it down in front of him. He was particularly enamoured of the pickled Centauri beets. After they had sat, and settled, Burke took a sip of his coffee then cleared his throat. 'Now, you know that you signed up for a five year exploratory mission.' He peered at the assembled staff, 'for some of you this will be a feather in your cap, on to bigger and better things,' he looked over at Gonzalez and Lachlan, 'for others,' he continued, scanning the table, 'some redemption,' he said pointedly to Mel'nyk. Burke broke out into a smile, 'but we are all here in the main to further our knowledge of the stars and those who call them home.'

He cleared his throat, and continued mildly, 'the one part of the assignment that was classified until this morning was that the Hecate is being used as a test of the Khitomer Accords.' Burke laced his fingers together. 'Our mission will take us initially to Qo'noS, then across Klingon space to explore the Beta Quadrant.'

'Questions?'

"Is there anything in particular we're looking for, or just exploring?" Ryssa asked. She was looking forward to this and couldn't help the spark of excitement dancing in her eyes.

'Just exploring, as you put,' Burke confirmed. 'The space beyond the Klingon Empire hasn't been mapped by any ships of the Federation. Not even the Vulcans have sent ships that far out themselves.' Pushing a button on his data slate Burke updated the rest of the senior officers. 'All we have are Extremely Long Range probe telemetry. Most of these passed through Klingon space during the Cold War, and they were usually shot down before any meaningful intelligence could be gathered. All we really know is that the Klingons and Roumlans have a common border towards the north of the Empire, but that's about it. If during our five year mission we happen to learn the extent of Romulan space, that would be a bonus.'

Haruka sat there quietly. She didn't have any questions, as most of the ship's engineering needs had been taken care of.

Ryssa's smile grew brighter. "Excellent. I'll put together what we have and see if I can find anything to add to it." This was an opportunity of a lifetime and she was excited to be part of it.

'Thank you Lieutenant, that will be much appreciated,' Burke replied with a smile. As there were no other questions, he opted to move on with his briefing. 'As you've probably noticed, the Hecate is still docked to Utopia Station One. Although she has been certified fit for service, no shakedown has been undertaken. I have proposed to Starfleet, and they have accepted, that we will undertake the shakedown while en-route to Qo'noS.'

::OFF::

Captain Robert Burke
Commanding Officer
USS Hecate

Lieutenant Haruka Amami
Chief Engineer
USS Hecate

Lieutenant Commander Lachlan Lamont
Security Chief
USS Hecate

Lieutenant Ryssa Dari
Chief Science Officer
USS Hecate

Lt. Junior Grade Austin Faust
Chief Operations Officer
USS Hecate

 

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