Trip to Rigel (Part 2 of 3)

Posted on 14 Jan 2014 @ 1:46pm by Rear Admiral Lirha Saalm & Lieutenant Asahi Kita & Lieutenant JG Delainey Carlisle & Ensign Matthew Plumeri & Commander Luke Wyatt & Petty Officer 1st Class Siren Hex Saalm

1,955 words; about a 10 minute read

Mission: Episode 05 - Solstice
Location: Earth - Runabout Jermias
Timeline: MD 30 - 0915 hrs

Previously, on Trip to Rigel (Part 1)...

"Right," Lirha said, "time to get going." She looked back behind her at her occupants and gave them a heads-up on takeoff. "We are lifting off, please take your seats and strap in."

And Now, the Continuation...

[ON]

Matt could feel the inertial dampeners come online. It was a necessary evil of faster than light travel but it nonetheless always made him feel ill when they first came on. He took a deep breath and in a moment the sensation of being "dampened" faded until he hardly noticed it at all. It certainly didn't dampen his spirits. He said with a grin, "We're off!"

The commodore brought the runabout's main propulsion systems online and channeled primary power to the RCS thrusters. On the tarmac, the large shuttle slowly lifted off of the landing pad, leaving a shimmer of heated exhaust and a puff of thruster propellant in its wake as it began to ascend. Lirha brought the main impulse engines to half-power, and pitched the nose up, sending the craft speedily on its way to its designated holding pattern at 50,000 feet.

Luke fiddled with some of the console's commands before looking out into the space catching a glimpse of several different types of space craft and of course the orbital station =^=Orbital control this is the Runabout Jermias departing for the Rigel system with 5 passengers including a Commodore, request permission to leave the Sol System=^=

Orbital Control took a slight while longer to reply than the previous controller at Starfleet HQ, as there were many more and larger space craft in orbit which needed to be diligently accounted for. After about thirty seconds, however, the confirmation reply came through the comm. "USS Jermias this is Orbital Control, we have you on sensors. Departure request is approved, we are sending you your flight vector. Please advise, do not deviate. USS Manhattan is currently departing ESD at one-quarter impulse. Have a safe journey, commodore. Control out."

Looking down at her navigation console, Lirha watched while the runabout's computer received the planned flight vector which would take the craft safely around the departing starship. She locked in the coordinates and engaged the impulse engines, sending the runabout up through the upper atmosphere and into high orbit. Earth Spacedock (ESD) came into sight after a few moments, and Lirha craned her head to look out of the starboard window to view the departing starship.

"Look," she called out, pointing out of the window for all the crew to see. "It is the Manhattan, Starfleet's newest Sovereign Class and Second Fleet's flagship." It was quite a sight for Lirha to see, such a large and impressive vessel with its sleek silver hull and large glowing deflector. Galileo, by comparison, was less than half the size of one of its nacelles, and she privately wondered what it would be like to command such a large and impressive vessel.

Asahi would have had his nose pressed against the window as he looked out toward the Manhattan. The size of the vessel made his engineering taste buds tingle. Had he been any closer to the window, no one else would have been able to see the impressive vessel through the fog his heavy breathing would have made. If he cared what anyone else would have thought of him, he may have attempted to recompose himself as they passed by. Luckily (or unluckily) for everyone else, he did not.

Siren looked at the other people's reactions to the Manhattan and realised she must be missing a Starfleet gene for not having the same excitement over it. To her, it was just the same as the Galileo apart from having extra metal thrown in. If anything, bigger ships seemed clumsier and hulking to her.

Matt turned on the monitor in the aft cabin to see the larger ship come into view. He said, "Now that...is a big ship." He grinned as he thought, "How'd you like to be the first one to break something? Man! Starfleet must have pulled out the 'corporate card' for that one huh? Someone gonna get a lot of 'frequent flyer miles' when that's all paid for." He chuckled as the larger and impressive ship passed by.

"Value isn't always measured by what's on the outside," Delainey mused good naturedly. "She may be bigger and a little shinier, but, and I mean no disrespect to the engineers and pilots amongst us, I happen to believe the crew is where the heart is on any ship."

"Well put! I couldn't agree with you more. It's one thing that they can never automate, replicate, synthicate or duplicate." Then speaking in his native tongue, which sounded awfully similar to earth's Italian, "Il cuore della nave il suo equipaggio!" The heart of any ship has always been her crew!

Manhattan finished slowly departing from ESD then came about and began to streak away at high impulse, probably on her way for a quick shakedown run around the solar system. By this time, Jermias was well clear of any orbital stations and traffic, and Lirha locked in the straightest course towards the Rigel system and engaged the runabout's warp drive. With a flash of her nacelles, the small ship snapped into warp.

Letting out a quiet sigh now that they were underway, Lirha set the autopilot then got up from her seat and stretched her legs. She grabbed one of her duffel bags and summoned everyone to the small dining table at the back of the runabout, then sat down as she started to rummage through it.

Matt was at the replicator getting a raktajino when the Commodore entered, "Commodore! Excellent piloting by the way...hmmm...the way you got us out of orbit; brought a tear to my eye." He jovially teased as his grin went ear to ear. He laughed and said, "Can I get you something? I'm having raktajino."

"Why, thank you...I aim to please," she laughed lightly, then held up a green hand to decline the offer. "It looks like you are about to get your chance to see my homeworld. The real one, of course, not the holodeck kind," she added, referencing their first meeting aboard USS Nimitz in his scenic simulation. "I think you will like this one much more than the photonic version."

He finished getting the drink and then sat down at the table, I still can't believe I'm here. Honestly. What I've read and studied so far is. In a word; incredible. Now, I am really looking forward to just having some downtime. The chance to see your homeworld? Oh! I am so there!"

Turning to the Lieutenant he said, "Delainey and I were commenting that the heart of any ship is always the crew. As we passed Manhattan that sentiment was put forth by my table mate here." He gestured, politely, to the Lieutenant.

"Yes, indeed," Lirha agreed completely. "I am sure they have a fine crew...perhaps not quite as capable as Galileo's," she smirked, "but nevertheless very competent." She was, however, still impressed with the large starship from a technical standpoint, and privately hoped one day to be able to command a ship similar to it.

Matt said, "Indeed. Here here...to the Galileo...may she leave some science discoveries for the rest of us!" he teased playfully. "So, how long is the trip?"

"We should be at Rigel in three days at Warp 5, so we have some time to prepare." She found what she was looking for and pulled out six PADDs and six hyposprays, handing one to each of her guests. "I have compiled some information about Rigel VII as well as Orion culture which I thought we all might need. It has been some time since I have been back to my homeworld so I, myself, had to brush up on some of the native customs. I have also given each of you a hypospray loaded with ten doses of pheromone blockers. One dose should last roughly a week, so there is extra in there in case you need it. I strongly recommend using the hypos...all Orions -- not just the women -- emit strong pheromones, and I myself will not be taking my suppressants while on this trip."

Siren couldn't help but smile as she looked to the men. She wondered, briefly, if the guys would take the blockers. Maybe they wanted to experience Orions in....all their glory. "Yeah, I don't want to be infiltrating any clubs to have to rescue any men who have been made into dancing boys under the influence of their seductive Orion mistresses..."

Luke had now relocated just from the co-pilots seat and grinned and the group "I'd enjoy a mistress! That just sounds like a good night to me!" With that said he pockets the blockers and PaDD, packing them into his duffle bag.

Oh thank whatever heavens they were running off toward! Blockers! Asahi had wondered if that was going to be something he'd have to deal with, and he was quite honestly relieved that they were being offered. Luke's comment was dismissed as rabble by the engineer, who nodded and eagerly took the items offered.

Matt took the offered vial, looked at it, and tucked it away in his uniform sleeve and continued listening.

More accustomed to giving others hypos than administering them to herself, Delainey felt a bit uneasy for a moment as she considered the potential consequences if the blockers failed. Realizing how unlikely that was, knowing what she knew as a doctor, she reminded herself she needed a little adventure that didn't involve almost getting killed. She placed the hypo against her neck and depressed the trigger.

Lirha looked down at her PADD and began to thumb through some of the data displayed. "Now, Orion culture," she began, giving the team a quick briefing, "is much different from what you have experienced on Earth...or most places, for that matter. First and most importantly, remember that the Orion colonies are not chartered members of the UFP despite their location within Federation space. In fact, most Orions want nothing to do with the Federation and highly value their sovereignty. It would be a good idea not to wear your uniforms around because -- while you probably will not experience any open hostility -- it might possibly result in a difficult social situation if the topic of Starfleet comes up. Do not attempt to pull rank or enforce protocols and Federation law while we are there. They will not listen to you and it could create trouble for you. Should you witness anything overtly illegal, please contact me and I will advise you on the proper course of action. I recommend keeping your commbadges on you or in your pockets at all times...just in case." It was important for her to lay out some ground rules, especially since the last thing she wanted was to have to spend her time rescuing one of her colleagues from an Orion prison. It would be most embarrassing.

To Be Continued...

[OFF]

--

CDRE Lirha Saalm
Mission Advisor
USS Galileo

CPO Luke Wyatt
Security/Tactical Officer
USS Galileo

LT Asahi Kita
Engineering Officer
USS Galileo

Ensign Matthew Plumeri
Science Officer/Historian
USS Nimitz

Lt. Delainey Carlisle, M.D., Ph.D.
Counselor/Medical Officer
USS Galileo

PO2 Siren Hex
Intelligence
USS Galileo
[PNPC - Blake]

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