[S1 M1] The Shakedown

[Safefta Pardek]

[Briefing Room]
"You never forget a freighter do you Dylan" he joked as he looked around the room and found he was wringing his hands as he waited to speak. Why am I this nervous? Am I fidgeting? Did I remember my PADD? Where's my coffee? His mind was bouncing all over the place while he was trying to rid his nerves from his system.

He noticed then that those who were assigned to come had stopped filing in and figured he might as well start.

He stood straight and tugged down his uniform "Thank you all for assembling so quickly" he began as his stomach finally ceased the backflips "First and foremost, welcome to the Challenger, your home for this tour. As I'm sure you have already noticed, the ship still has systems that are Duotronic but all Critcal Systems such as Weapons, Shields, Warp Propulsion and Impulse Drives are all Isolinear so the response times should be nearly identical to that of a Galaxy Class."

He clasped his hands behind his back as he continued into the next part of his speech, if you could call it that "Our Primary Mission is the exploration of the Gamma Quadrant, make contact with new species and fulfill Starfleet's requirements for Outposts and the like." He took a breath and looked at the assembled officer again "Our mission today is simple, we are shuttling to an uninhabited planet where scientists will set up a Science Outpost."

Now came the part he had rehearsed "Now, I don't know what level of formality your previous CO's used on the Bridge but I tend to speak to officers by given name instead of rank. I feel it allows me to form a better bond with the crew. As for myself, 'Sir' makes me sound old" he let out a light chuckle to inject some levity into an otherwise serious talk "Commander or Captain is fine as is just Will."

And now came the final section "Now this may sound cliche but you and your respective staff are the best Starfleet has to offer. They don't send any old group of people into the Gamma Quad if they weren't the best at what they do. That said, I expect nothing but your best anytime you come on duty. This Quadrant isn't our friend and we will face challenges but we will overcome them and push forward. We're Starfleet, it's what we do." He finished and gave a nod to the table, allowing anyone to speak should they want to.

[Briefing Room]

The best of the best. How many times had she heard those very lines given out like candy on new assignments? It's important, of course, for the morale, she supposed. She didn't find the prospect of forging into the gamma quadrant to be a particularly noble occupation. Dangerous, maybe, with their slightly out-of-date tech and the general unknown nature of the whole endeavour, but not something necessitating grandeur.

Pardek frowned as the more personal, informal nature of the command structure was revealed. That simply wouldn't do-- not for her. If the captain was reluctant to be referred to as 'sir', then the rank would do. As for her own preferences, anyone who tried calling her by given name would meet the short end of a long glare. It wasn't as though she hated her name-- she just had a stickly sense of professionalism, bred with the Romulan nature of containing and concealing unnecessary information. Words were powerful-- names especially so.

She glanced around in turn when each person introduced themselves, and took in small details about each person to keep as a mental record. A coroner with psychological experience was a valuable asset, as was having a science officer not beholden to rambling and unnecessary commentary. Perhaps she could grow to find this staff... tolerable.

"I am Lieutenant Commander Pardek. I am your current chief of security and tactical, and I have previous operations experience throughout my career." The stiff tone and blatant disregard for the loose naming scheme made her intentions quite clear-- she was an officer and would be addressed as such.

[Lena Atwood]

[Main Shuttlebay]

Lena kicked the connector. She briefly knelt to inspect her work, before she stood and kicked it again repeatedly in quick succession.

"Bloody stupid heap of..." Lena knelt again, gently she wiggled the head of the connector in the socket of the shuttle. Exasperated she yanked the wire from the socket slamming it against the floor.

"SOD IT!" Rang out across the hangar. Seconds later the furious Lena emerged from behind the shuttle. She smiled at the few that dared make eye contact with her. Arriving at the maintenance office she sat down at the computer, she filled out the work order quickly whilst sweating slightly after her 'percussive maintenance.'

[William Waring]

[Conference Room]

Zex listened to the Senior Staff.  Both men seemed quite capable.  And friendly, which was a plus.

"I'm Zex.  I started my Star Fleet career as a Coroner.  So, I have spent most of my time in Sickbay working more on the living the dead.  I have also hold a degree in Clinical Psychology and have served as Ship Counselor a time or two.

[Briefing Room]

Dylan smiled and shook his head. "Can't say I do. I remember every detail of every freighter I've ever seen or been on- guess it's a habit that I picked up on and never let go." He said, shrugging. "Sometimes those quirks come in handy, but other times not so much". he said, as he thought back. What that really spoke is that Dylan had served with this man before- and spoke to how far they'd come. Other than that Dylan was ready, and excited for this opportunity.

Dylan listened as the man spoke, running off the specifications he had found and read up on for the ship. The ship had a lot of history, to be sure. The mix of Duotronic backups and noncritical systems and Isolinear main systems was interesting enough, but what really took Dylan's cake was that there was a dual LCARS system, allowing Dylan to fully immerse himself and use the older-style look of LCARS, back in the era of weird blue and greens. It was awesome.

Dylan knew about the jist of the main mission, and so didn't pay as much attention until his new CO spoke and told them all about the atmosphere on the bridge. Relaxed, informal, and friendly- quite the opposite of anything from the Athena. Captain Admiral Lafayette would blow a gasket at the atmosphere that Will described.

Dylan decided it was time for him to speak up. "Well, while we are all here, might as well introduce ourselves. Dylan Torngate, XO. Former freighter boomer." He said simply. "Formerly from the Athena, looking forward to being here." he said, not really giving much away. Unlike Will, he would usually refer to the people around him in a more strict manner, by rank or last name. Thank the Constance for that. He sat back and looked around, wondering if anyone else would speak.

[Briefing Room]

Jettis listened as the meeting began,and the Commander outlined the ship, their mission, and how the atmosphere of the ship would be as a whole. It was useful information he would definitely take into account, even though it wasn't too vastly different from the Discovery.
Leaning forward in his seat, he physically demonstrated that he was indeed hanging on to every word spoken, including when the XO spoke to introduce himself, followed by the Medical officer. Nodding to each in turn, he decided it best to introduce himself as well.

"Lieutenant Jettis Jyur, I'm the chief science officer. My last assignment was aboard the USS Discovery." He paused, wondering if he had any other information or questions that were pertinent. Having none, he sat back and waited for the answer to Zex's question.

[Briefing Room]

The best of the best. How many times had she heard those very lines given out like candy on new assignments? It's important, of course, for the morale, she supposed. She didn't find the prospect of forging into the gamma quadrant to be a particularly noble occupation. Dangerous, maybe, with their slightly out-of-date tech and the general unknown nature of the whole endeavour, but not something necessitating grandeur.

Pardek frowned as the more personal, informal nature of the command structure was revealed. That simply wouldn't do-- not for her. If the captain was reluctant to be referred to as 'sir', then the rank would do. As for her own preferences, anyone who tried calling her by given name would meet the short end of a long glare. It wasn't as though she hated her name-- she just had a stickly sense of professionalism, bred with the Romulan nature of containing and concealing unnecessary information. Words were powerful-- names especially so.

She glanced around in turn when each person introduced themselves, and took in small details about each person to keep as a mental record. A coroner with psychological experience was a valuable asset, as was having a science officer not beholden to rambling and unnecessary commentary. Perhaps she could grow to find this staff... tolerable.

"I am Lieutenant Commander Pardek. I am your current chief of security and tactical, and I have previous operations experience throughout my career." The stiff tone and blatant disregard for the loose naming scheme made her intentions quite clear-- she was an officer and would be addressed as such.

[Briefing Room]

Will watched as his Senior Staff introduced themselves to the each other and to himself. Pardek seemed more formal then the rest, no doubt due to her background. Other then that the Staff seemed like a capable group of officers but now, with introductions over he return to Zex's question.

Question, will we be going down to the planet?" she said.

"Yes, Science and Engineering Teams will go down to establish the planetside base. We will remain in orbit for one weeks time to provide any additional support before we receive our next set of orders."

[Dylan Torngate]

[Briefing Room]

Will watched as his Senior Staff introduced themselves to the each other and to himself. Pardek seemed more formal then the rest, no doubt due to her background. Other then that the Staff seemed like a capable group of officers but now, with introductions over he return to Zex's question."Yes, Science and Engineering Teams will go down to establish the planetside base. We will remain in orbit for one weeks time to provide any additional support before we receive our next set of orders."

[Briefing Room]

Dylan judged the reactions of most of the senior staff. Absent was the Chief Engineer, and the Second Officer. Dylan made a note to check on them later. With the formalities out of the way, and the business seemingly accounted for, Dylan made to stand. As he did so, he thought. Pardek and Jyur seemed very used to regimented and structured styles, and Zex was a Deltan. Not one to try and judge lightly, it would end badly. As he heard the answer to the question he stood. "If that's all?" he said, nodded to the group, and walked toward the door. "Let's get to work."

[Bridge]

Dylan walked back out onto the Bridge and made his way across the Bridge, sitting down in the XO's chair and tapping on the computer console. He was curious- What was Pardek's story? He tried to access the records of the woman, but only got to the basics when a red bar appeared across the screen and an electronic blat made it clear that Dylan wasn't getting access to those files. He tried again, using his clearance codes, and still nothing. Whoever had sealed her backstory had done quite the good job at it. Dylan tried to see who had classified the files, but even that was classified. A mystery.

Dylan made a note to find out more, eventually. But this was not the time or place. "Helm". he spoke, "What's our current velocity and ETA at the planet?" he asked, a light tone. If Captain Waring wanted a looser ship, he could do it himself. Dylan was used to structure, but with some flexibility. Hopefully everything was on track and they were a few hours from the planet still. Dylan wished he could go down and work on Engineering, but right now his place and job was elsewhere. Instead he looked out at the stars, listening to the Bridge.

[Alexander Wu]

[Starbase Columbus - Ops]

Glancing at the sector tactical map, Alex scanned through the masses of IFF codes until he spotted Challenger's, making her way out of the sensor grid. Only minutes before, he had been in Luke's office saying his farewells after yet another posting cut short. Giving a brief nod towards the various Ops staff whom he recognized, Alex strode towards the turbolift and made an unhurried exit, deep in thought.

[Starbase Columbus - Turbolift]

Challenger was, in his mind, a perfect representation of Alex's own psyche. An old workhorse of the fleet, she had been modified and upgraded multiple times, all to let her stay in the fight. She wasn't the fastest, the strongest, or the best looking, but it would be nice getting back onboard a moving deck again. And while it was still too early to say, Alex reckoned she'd be a nice ship to retire with when they finally decommissioned the old Excelsiors.

[Starbase Columbus - Promenade]

Stepping out into the milling crowds with practiced ease, Alex headed towards the lifts which would take him towards the Starfleet shuttlebays. Before he could take up his new position onboard Challenger, he once again had to go back home, to Earth and Starfleet Academy. It was a tad strange, he conceded, having switched his trade several times over more than a decade of service. This time, it was moreso a lateral move than a complete career change, but he still needed to pick up a refresher course on Shipboard Ops.

With the closeness of the course start date and the posting, it made no sense for Alex to board Challenger and then leave again a few days later. So while his new ship was flying off to set up a science station in the Gamma Quadrant, Alex was going the opposite direction. I'm sure going to be glad when I can finally set roots down, he conferred internally, stepping into another turbolift. Hopefully this one will last.

[Kirok]

[Briefing Room]

Will watched as his Senior Staff introduced themselves to the each other and to himself. Pardek seemed more formal then the rest, no doubt due to her background. Other then that the Staff seemed like a capable group of officers but now, with introductions over he return to Zex's question."Yes, Science and Engineering Teams will go down to establish the planetside base. We will remain in orbit for one weeks time to provide any additional support before we receive our next set of orders."

[Conference Room]

Zex nodded.  "If you need my assistance, I would be happy to help" she volunteered.  Then she turned her attention back to XO.

[Briefing Room]

Dylan judged the reactions of most of the senior staff. Absent was the Chief Engineer, and the Second Officer. Dylan made a note to check on them later. With the formalities out of the way, and the business seemingly accounted for, Dylan made to stand. As he did so, he thought. Pardek and Jyur seemed very used to regimented and structured styles, and Zex was a Deltan. Not one to try and judge lightly, it would end badly. As he heard the answer to the question he stood. "If that's all?" he said, nodded to the group, and walked toward the door. "Let's get to work."

[Conference Room]

"Aye, Sir" Zex replied.  She stood and returned her chair to its proper place.  Then she followed the others out of the room.

[William Waring]

Four Hours Later - Detrix IV

[Bridge]

"Take us out of Warp and put us in a Standard Orbit" he said to the helm before turning to address Science "Let's get some surface scans, ensure the Science Team's landing spot is secure"

Now came the mundane part of being Captain, the waiting. He wouldn't get to beam down or get his hands dirty, no. He was expected to sit and watch over the progress instead of helping make it. It would take some getting used to.

[Dylan Torngate]

Four Hours Later
[Deck 10-Transporter Bay]

Dylan was standing in the Transporter bay. The ship had arrived at the planet of Detrix IV, and the scientists they had shuttled here were raring to go. However, as was protocol, the area had to be swept and checked out first- And Dylan was taking that on. He knew Will would want to go, but this was not the time. Instead, it was time for Dylan to finally lead another Away Mission... a task he didn't have as much experience in as he'd have liked.

He had the standard kit for an away team. His uniform and Commbadge as usual, and a tricorder. Other than that he missed the comfortable weight of a tool kit on his belt from his training, and his Engineering experience. But that was not to be. He'd left that life behind and was now no longer an Engineer... no matter how much he wished he still was. He sighed. This wasn't the time for a self-pity party, it was time to get to work and explore a strange new world.

He tapped his commbadge. =/\=Lieutenant Jyur, Lieutenant Commander Pardek, Ensign Zex, report to Transporter Room One. he said, before tapping the badge again. He wanted most of the Engineers on the ship, but it never hurt to have an extra Engineer with them. Dylan to Mulchano, report to the Transporter Room. We're going on an adventure. he said, as the other man responded and a few minutes later arrived in the transporter room, toolkit in hand. Mulchano had known Dylan for quite a while, and was used to random calls by the man.

[Lizzie Vaughan]

Deck 3 - Officers Quarters

Lizzie looked round her new quarters and gave a small smile. The last few months had been hard. First her Father had gotten sick, then she had been called into Starfleet Intelligence for a briefing which had triggered a re-occurrence of her PTSD. This had resulted her having to take a leave of absence while she sought treatment. She was now well on the road to recovery and had accepted a position under her old friends Will and Dylan to try and get back to full health and maybe get back on the promotion ladder.

She looked in the mirror and checked her uniform. Satisfied that she at least looked fit for duty, she headed out of her quarters and down to Deck 7 to report to Sickbay.

Deck 7 - Sickbay

Lizzie entered sickbay and took a look round. She had never served on an Excelsior Class before and had never even been inside the Sickbay of one before. It was compact, like all other ships of the era, but well equipped. She checked the duty roster and saw she was not due to start for another few hours. Being new on board, she decided to go and find Will. She headed back out of Sickbay and took the turbolift to the Bridge.

Bridge

Lizzie stepped out of the turbolift and onto the Bridge. She immediately saw a familiar figure sitting in the centre chair so she took a step up to him.

"Lieutenant Vaughan reporting aboard Captain." She said formally as even though they were friends, he was still the Captain.

[Jettis Jyur]

[Primary Science Labs]

After the meeting, Jettis had headed back down to the lab to continue his work. This also gave him more of a chance to speak with his officers, figure out everybody's strengths and weaknesses. And just in general, force himself to be more comfortable around them - not like he could avoid them, might as well get it over with.

Once the time neared that they would arrive, he started assembling what he would need. A PADD full of pertinent data, and a tricorder, not much other than himself. But that was likely for the best, they were only going down to establish a base after all.
Glancing up from the PADD when his commbadge chirped, he nodded to nobody, and tapped it as soon as it fell silent. "Acknowledged."=/\= He uttered, starting on his way to the agreed Transporter room.

[Transporter Room one]

Sliding into the room, he did his usual sweep, eyeing everyone present for a split second. It seemed he was again one of the early birds, and  he didn't have a problem with that. Nodding, he offered a smile to Dylan, before moving to wait for the rest of those called to arrive.

[Kirok]

Four Hours Later
He tapped his commbadge. =/\=Lieutenant Jyur, Lieutenant Commander Pardek, Ensign Zex, report to Transporter Room One. he said, before tapping the badge again. He wanted most of the Engineers on the ship, but it never hurt to have an extra Engineer with them. Dylan to Mulchano, report to the Transporter Room. We're going on an adventure. he said, as the other man responded and a few minutes later arrived in the transporter room, toolkit in hand. Mulchano had known Dylan for quite a while, and was used to random calls by the man.

[Sickbay]

=/\=Aye, Sir=/\= Zex replied.  She tapped her com badge and ended the link.  The she left Sickbay.

[Transporter Room one]

Sliding into the room, he did his usual sweep, eyeing everyone present for a split second. It seemed he was again one of the early birds, and  he didn't have a problem with that. Nodding, he offered a smile to Dylan, before moving to wait for the rest of those called to arrive.
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[Transporter Room one]

The Deltan arrived minutes later.  She was prepared for the trip, with a medical kit hanging at her side from a strap on he shoulder.  "Good to see you again, Jettis.  Congratulation on the promotion" she said by way of greeting after offering a nod to Dylan.

[Safefta Pardek]

Four Hours Later
[Deck 10-Transporter Bay]

Dylan was standing in the Transporter bay. The ship had arrived at the planet of Detrix IV, and the scientists they had shuttled here were raring to go. However, as was protocol, the area had to be swept and checked out first- And Dylan was taking that on. He knew Will would want to go, but this was not the time. Instead, it was time for Dylan to finally lead another Away Mission... a task he didn't have as much experience in as he'd have liked.

He had the standard kit for an away team. His uniform and Commbadge as usual, and a tricorder. Other than that he missed the comfortable weight of a tool kit on his belt from his training, and his Engineering experience. But that was not to be. He'd left that life behind and was now no longer an Engineer... no matter how much he wished he still was. He sighed. This wasn't the time for a self-pity party, it was time to get to work and explore a strange new world.

He tapped his commbadge. =/\=Lieutenant Jyur, Lieutenant Commander Pardek, Ensign Zex, report to Transporter Room One. he said, before tapping the badge again. He wanted most of the Engineers on the ship, but it never hurt to have an extra Engineer with them. Dylan to Mulchano, report to the Transporter Room. We're going on an adventure. he said, as the other man responded and a few minutes later arrived in the transporter room, toolkit in hand. Mulchano had known Dylan for quite a while, and was used to random calls by the man.

[Hallway -> Transporter Bay]

A simple visit to an uninhabited planet usually did not call for an engineer, and Safefta raised an eyebrow when she entered the room. Then again, a science outpost required a little more outfitting than just a grease monkey and a supervisor (as much as it often felt starfleet tasks boiled down to). Pardek, being the main security officer on this mission, had taken the liberty of opting for the slightly larger type-two phaser, rather than the diminutive type-one standard for a sidearm.

She'd had no inference that the planet was dangerous-- but she'd also yet to see it for herself and determine it was safe. There was no call for any phaser rifles, but if she'd been assigned to bring one, she wouldn't have complained. Safety took priority in all things.

She nodded to Torngate once she'd double-checked her equipment. She was ready for this... 'adventure'.

[Dylan Torngate]

[Transporter Room one]

Sliding into the room, he did his usual sweep, eyeing everyone present for a split second. It seemed he was again one of the early birds, and  he didn't have a problem with that. Nodding, he offered a smile to Dylan, before moving to wait for the rest of those called to arrive.

[Transporter Room one]

The Deltan arrived minutes later.  She was prepared for the trip, with a medical kit hanging at her side from a strap on he shoulder.  "Good to see you again, Jettis.  Congratulation on the promotion" she said by way of greeting after offering a nod to Dylan.

[Hallway -> Transporter Bay]

A simple visit to an uninhabited planet usually did not call for an engineer, and Safefta raised an eyebrow when she entered the room. Then again, a science outpost required a little more outfitting than just a grease monkey and a supervisor (as much as it often felt starfleet tasks boiled down to). Pardek, being the main security officer on this mission, had taken the liberty of opting for the slightly larger type-two phaser, rather than the diminutive type-one standard for a sidearm.

She'd had no inference that the planet was dangerous-- but she'd also yet to see it for herself and determine it was safe. There was no call for any phaser rifles, but if she'd been assigned to bring one, she wouldn't have complained. Safety took priority in all things.

She nodded to Torngate once she'd double-checked her equipment. She was ready for this... 'adventure'.

[Transporter Room One]

It appeared that the crew had assembled remarkably quickly. All three officers plus the Enlisted man had arrived, making this five-person team complete before Dylan would have ever guessed. While nobody really said anything, mostly acknowledging the existence of everyone else by nods, and conversing among themselves. As expected he noticed the Deltan more than the rest, but then his curiosity fixated on Pardek. The lack of much information had led to quite a few questions and speculations, none of which Dylan expected to find the answer to.

When the crew arrived, Dylan spoke. "Thank you for assembling so quickly. We're beaming down to the planet. As far as we can tell, the planet is a Class O planet. Oxygen/Nitrogen atmosphere but only 5% of the planet's surface is land. We're going to be beaming down to the coordinates of the southern half of the major land mass. Any questions?" he asked, giving a brief overview but still keeping things informative.

"If anyone has any gear they want to bring, you're free to do so within reason. Don't encumber yourself but be thorough. When you're ready go ahead and get on the pad."

He called up to the Bridge. =/\=Away Team to Captain, we're ready to beam down. he said, waiting on a reply as he and Mulchano stood on the pad.

[Kirok]

[Transporter Room One]

It appeared that the crew had assembled remarkably quickly. All three officers plus the Enlisted man had arrived, making this five-person team complete before Dylan would have ever guessed. While nobody really said anything, mostly acknowledging the existence of everyone else by nods, and conversing among themselves. As expected he noticed the Deltan more than the rest, but then his curiosity fixated on Pardek. The lack of much information had led to quite a few questions and speculations, none of which Dylan expected to find the answer to.

When the crew arrived, Dylan spoke. "Thank you for assembling so quickly. We're beaming down to the planet. As far as we can tell, the planet is a Class O planet. Oxygen/Nitrogen atmosphere but only 5% of the planet's surface is land. We're going to be beaming down to the coordinates of the southern half of the major land mass. Any questions?" he asked, giving a brief overview but still keeping things informative.

"If anyone has any gear they want to bring, you're free to do so within reason. Don't encumber yourself but be thorough. When you're ready go ahead and get on the pad."

He called up to the Bridge. =/\=Away Team to Captain, we're ready to beam down. he said, waiting on a reply as he and Mulchano stood on the pad.

[Transporter Room]

"Aye, Sir" Zex replied.  She walked to up to the platform.  And stood on the one in the back.  She offered a nod when she was ready.

[LK Reede]

[Bridge]

It was hard to believe but LK was actually glad to be on the bridge manning the tactical station's console. She'd thought at first that the bridge officers would be intimidating to a young Lt(jg). But they were experienced star fleet officers. Well, more experienced than herself. Okay, MUCH more.

Humming quietly under her breath, LK scanned the near perimeters for traces of ion particles or other tell-tale signatures from passing ships. Anyone or anything that would want to interfere with the ship's mission... nothing there to hold her attention.

She glanced at the view screen before her then said, "All clear, Captain. Transporters are ready to go."

(OOC Post restored due to server outage - Rayek tr'Lhoell)