Shuttle Approaching

Posted on 24 Jun 2012 @ 10:51pm by Lieutenant Theron Rhodes & Lieutenant JG Delainey Carlisle & Lieutenant Commander Chauncey Remington III (KIA) & Commander Andreus Kohl & Ensign Rhett Brubwick & Lieutenant Aria Rice & Commander Scarlet Blake & Chief Petty Officer Lucalin Mrina Ph.D. & Verity Thorne & Chief Warrant Officer 2 Oliver Sylver

3,693 words; about a 18 minute read

Mission: Episode 01 - Project Sienna
Location: Starbase 152 - Shuttle Craft
Timeline: MD 07 - 1300 hours

ON:

Theron finally received confirmation that the Galileo had arrived at Starbase 152, and that a shuttle craft for transfer was available in Bay 12.

Stepping off the turbolift, Theron realized just how busy things were here on the starbase. The corridor was literally filled with personnel. Making his way to Bay 12, Ens. Rhodes walked up to a crewman and asked, "Is this the shuttle to the Galileo?"

He didn't reply right off, just looked down at his PADD, "Name!" he said loudly.

Theron then noticed that the crewman had a phaser on his side. Theron glanced around the room and amoungst all the moving about, he also saw armed security standing and looking in all areas of the launch bay.

"NAME!" the crewman said louder.

"Sorry." Theron appologized, "Ensign Theron Rhodes, tranfer to USS Galileo."

The crewman then looked up and squinted at Ensign Rhodes. "All right. Place your left thumb on the PADD."

When Theron placed his thumb on the PADD, it kind of shocked him.

"Please enter the shuttle, sit down, and do not talk." the crewman said very seriously. "Move along, move along."

Theron had been in tight security before, but this seemed very different. He stepped into the shuttle, secured his duffle bag, and sat down.

"Kinda makes you think his parents didn't love him, doesn't it?" The blonde human female in the teal uniform spoke at normal volume and her tone was clearly sarcastic.

Theron smiled at the young lady. He glanced over toward the door of the shuttle, then back to her. "I do not think it is just him. This whole facility has been tight lipped." Theron smiled again and said, " I am Theron. Ensign Theron Rhodes."

"Delainey Carlisle," she replied, offering her hand to shake, "nice to meet you, Theron. I haven't met so many barkers since the Academy," she quipped with a chuckle.

Theron lifted his hand slightly, but hesitated to where it became awkward, then gently grasped her hand and let go quickly. "forgive me." Lieutenant Rhodes began, "We do not shake hands in the Tandaran culture. I am still getting use to it."

"No need to apologize, Theron. It was wrong of me to assume a handshake was something you did. I'm sorry for making you uncomfortable."

Theron replied with a smile, "Oh, not a big deal really. Just old habits."

"I'll be glad to get to the Galileo and then get to work."

Theron leaned forward with anticipation, "Me as well. I can not wait for some serious Security work."

Rhett had taken the injunction against speaking seriously. He couldn't help but smile at the awkward handshake. It was a ritual made common in western society before the third world war and had perpetuated throughout humanity since then. Not so other species.

Perched on the edge of the bench closest to the bow of the shuttle, Ensign Andreus Kohl paid no mind to the new arrivals. He hadn't spoken since the crewman had instructed him not to speak; Kohl didn't feel much like talking anyway. His right arm was folded across his abdomen, and his left hand held a PADD in a white-knuckled grip. He kept his eyes on the PADD, but didn't ignore the people in his peripheral vision. He thought he saw the blonde woman looking his way, and so he kept his eyes on the down.

Delainey took note of the others in the shuttle, most of them remaining silent, but she turned to face Theron again when he spoke.

"So Lieutenant," Theron said respectfully, "What is your specialty?"

"Counseling," she replied without a hint of apology. "I've been assigned as the Galileo's Chief Counselor as a matter of fact."

"I see." Theron replied, "I suppose after we all get aboard, we will be making an appointment with you?"

Delainey nodded. "I expect I'll be handling a big chunk of the psych evals, but as I understand it, I have at least two experienced junior staff members."

"Hello y'all..." a woman smiled as she moved in, pulling her duffle bag after her...too heavy for her to carry properly. She got it secured though and sat down, stretching her legs out as she strapped herself up. "It's all shuttle to shuttle to shuttle nowadays..." she looked at the others and smiled, easily, holding her hand up in a Vulcan greeting. "Yo. All good here?"

Kohl glanced up briefly at the greeting, only long enough to stare at Aria blankly, and then he bent his head to look at his PADD

Carlisle chuckled and her eyes lit up upon encountering such a colorful greeting. She mimicked the other's gesture and said, "All good on my end."

"Good..." she smiled warmly as she watched her. "I'm Aria Rice. Just transferred to the Galileo...and I suppose we are all here for the same thing, huh?" she leant forward, her eyes warm as she studied them. "I am looking forward to it myself, you know. Nova class ships are pretty nifty!"

'Nifty?' Theron thought. He was not familiar with that description. But to be polite he said, "Hello, I am Ensign Rhodes, security."

She smiled as she met his eyes and gave him a wave. "Sweet, at least I am not the only Security Ensign here. Nice to meet you, Rhodes...gosh, you do look like a security officer..." she ran her eyes over him, taking him in before sitting back. "Nice to know you can have my back in a tight spot."

Theron did understand these innuendos by Rice quite well. He found that females of most all species enjoyed the art of flirtation. Theron simply smiled and replied, "In any 'spot', you can rely on me." He then glanced over to the counselor and winked, where Rice could not see. He hoped that she would understand that he was trying to say that he was 'just playing the game.'

Aria smiled warmly as she sat back, crossing her feet at the ankles. "Good," she said softly, her eyes going to the others. "So who does what?"

"I'm a counselor," Delainey replied.

"Uhm, I've been assigned as a nurse," Kohl said. His voice was foggy, as if he'd only just then woken up. He suspected a half-hearted answer would be less conspicuous than maintaining silence.

Aria smiled at that, watching them for a long moment before chuckling. "So really, it's a bit of a mottled crew in this shuttle. I like it...we should all meet up when we have the time, and just...I dunno...hit the bar? Party a bit? Celebrate!"

Pointedly, Kohl broke off eye-contact with Aria. He looked left, he looked right; he looked anywhere but the bringer of celebrations. Only after a dozen awkward heartbeats did Kohl remember the PADD in his hands, and he looked down at that instead.

Aria looked over at Kohl with surprise before sinking back, a little bit baffled. She looked away, moving to rub her own arm.

To salvage the moment, Delainey offered, "I'd welcome grabbing a drink and a meal once I get a feel for the department and get a handle on things." The counselor knew others sometimes found socializing with counselors to be awkward, so she was eager to take advantage of opportunities that presented themselves.

She was, however, curious about Kohl's reaction. He'd gone from a bit shy to practically a deer in the headlights.

Aria took a deeper breath as she gave Delainey a grateful smile, nodding. "Sweet," she said and winked. She looked around, her eyes landing on the woman and the child. She smiled, her eyes brightening. "Hey sweetheart..." she leant closer, to the child. "I'm Aria...liking this little journey?" It was strange to see a child here, especially so young. She looked at the mother, giving her a warm smile as well.

"A shiny boat!" the young child smiled to Aria, her blue eyes shining and dark ringlets of hair falling forward into her face with her trying to lean forward to Aria.

Scarlet Blake laughed gently, shaking her head as she stroked Lily's hair back from her face, pulling her a little more comfortably up onto her lap. "Shuttle," she corrected for about the fifth time, but it never seemed to make much of a difference. "Yes, thank you. It's nice to meet you, Aria. I'm Scarlet, and this little one is Lily. Don't worry, she's okay with flying," she added, knowing how some people didn't entirely appreciate sharing a shuttle with a child in case they cried. "Our journey was made easier by a gentleman who carried my bag for me," she admitted to Aria with a soft laugh, having seen Aria struggle with her own. She nodded to where a dark haired man was in a corner seat, his head tipped back and eyes closed. "A Mr Thorne. I think we must have worn him out."

"Well, when he wakes he gets to carry mine too," Aria said in a stage whisper, her eyes warm as she watched Scarlet and Lily with warmth.

As the shuttle made its way out of the bay and stars could be seen through the front view screen, Theron stretched his neck to see around a couple seats to see if he could identify anything. 'Nothing from this angle.' he said to himself. "So," Theron began, then looking face to face, and asked, "Does anyone know what where the Galileo is headed next?"

"My transfer orders didn't say..." Kohl replied without looking up. He held his breath, curious if any of the other officers had received orders of greater depth.

Rhett silently shook his head. He hadn't received any orders more revealing than the others. Although his orders had said he would board the USS Petersham and then go to Starbase 254 to transfer to Galileo. It was just luck that Galileo arrived first.

"I've not received anything specific," Delainey offered. "Though admittedly, I've had my nose in the personnell files mostly."

Theron could hear the flight control operator speak to someone about approaching the USS Galileo. He leaned forward a little and could see the Starship through the front view as they approached. "It appears that we will be there in just a minute or so."

"Thanks," Rhett said instinctively. He realized what he'd done a moment later. The silence barrier broken he shrugged. "Sorry to be a bit of a mute back there." He smiled, "That crewman was a bit intimidating, all things considered."

"I can understand," Carlisle replied. "Just remember, he can't take away your birthday," she added with a grin.

Rhodes just shook his head slightly at the dry humor.

Rhett chuckled, before he heard the telltale crackle of a forcefield enveloping the shuttle.


((Shuttle bay - USS Galileo))

The shuttle made a soft landing on the flight deck of the USS Galileo.

Theron rose and said, "Ladies first."

"Thanks..." Aria said and took her bag, clearly a bit subdued. She managed to get the monstrosity over her shoulder, the bag nearly as big as her as she staggered out of the shuttle.

Disregarding Theron's sentiment, Kohl was on his feet and weaving around Carlisle to get himself off the shuttle next. He strode down the shuttle's ramp with a duffel bag over his shoulder and his arms folded over the PADD clutched to his chest. With his eyes locked straight ahead, Kohl let his long legs outpace Aria, so he could get out of the shuttlebay well ahead of her.

Rhodes just shook his head slightly in amazement at what could have been considered arrogance, and then exited the shuttle with dufflebag over his shoulder.

Delainey managed to keep from falling to the deck as the nurse barrelled past her. "Maybe he really has to pee," she offered to no one in particular as she exited the shuttle.

Ens. Rhodes snickered at the comment about bodily waste. He found it interesting how many Humans found that topic humorous. Tandarans would not, but after a few years in at the academy an a posting, he understood it. He just smiled to Delainey and followed her off the shuttle.

From the far corner of the shuttle, what had appeared to be a lump of belongings slowly unfolded. Booted feet extended out from under one end of a blue blanket, then arms appeared from either side, long fingers curling over the edge of the fabric to fold the blanket and roll it up. As the cloth was tucked away, the creature beneath it emitted a little chip and then began purring like a small furry engine, plopping off its friend's lap and waddling towards the exit. The friend, gaunt and narrow, in a blue-collared noncom uniform, wore a black sling across his back, a tube running directly from a spout into a port in the back of his neck. Lucalin carefully levied himself up from where he'd fallen asleep waiting for the shuttle to take off, a little astounded that so many bodies had been on the shuttle without waking him. He whistled softly, getting a sense of the door, and followed in the wake of Flim Flam's chirps and purrs, his head gently vacillating back and forth to access the incoming echoes. The shuttlebay was quite a bit smaller than any of the bays on the stations, but then again, from what he'd read, the ship was quite a lot smaller than any he'd been on either. Except maybe some of the trading vessels. He pressed his lips together on a silent yawn and then clicked a few times to reassess where everyone was headed.

Rhett watched the man unfold. It was a unique experience. After the man passed, the diplomat stood, gathered his small hard-shell case from under the seat, and exited the shuttle, nearly last.

"Here," Crewman Verity Thorne had blinked and stretched himself awake, enough to get hold of Blake's bag for her again, carrying it off the shuttle for her.

"Thank you," Scarlet smiled warmly to him, lifting her young daughter up to carry instead, thankful for not having to balance the two. "If you ever need references, just come to me," she teased lightly.

Verity grinned at that, setting the bag down where the others were gathering in front of an officer. "You never know when it might come to that," he winked lightly to her.

The man who had remained silent during the whole journey, also asleep, got his bag and walked out. He was tall, with blue eyes and dark hair. There was a slight dusting of stubble on his chin. He didn't make eyecontact, rather just walked ahead before lining up on the deck with the rest of them.

A man in operations gold with two and a half pips on his collar was there to greet them with a pleasant smile. "Good afternoon," he said with a nod, "I'm Lieutenant Commander Remington, Chief of Ops and Second Officer. Welcome to the Galileo. Commander Holliday and Captain Saalm wanted to greet you in person, but our mission has left us with little time." He looked over the faces present, trying to guess who was who from the little pictures of their faces on the PADD he carried.

"If I may," began Ensign Rhodes from the back of the group, "What is our time-frame before leaving the Starbase 152 area?"

"If all goes well," Will replied, "we will depart within the next several hours. We will not be staying more than twenty-four. You will be briefed as soon as possible on our mission." He looked down at his PADD and began to look at the faces there. "Ensigns Rhodes and Rice, you report to Lieutenant Orexil. Ensign Kohl to Doctor Ni Dhuinn and Petty Officer Mrina to Lieutenant Barel. Ensign Brubwick, if you need anything to set up in your department, you may come to me or contact Ops through the normal channels. Same goes for you, Lieutenant Carlisle, and Ensign Blake here will be joining your department as well. I'm sure Doctor White will be able to familiarize you with the crew as needed."

There was authority in the voice that began speaking at the head of the group and Luca was grateful when he gave his full name and rank and positions. It was dreadfully difficult sometimes to figure out who was who and what department when everything was based on 'color'. Whatever that was. He gave a short whistle and Flim Flam wound her way back to him, huffing and nyaking, until she reached his legs and began petting herself against his calves, purring. He focused on the sound of Commander Remington's voice, counting and logging the names he listed. Rhodes, Rice, Kohl, Brubwick, Carlisle, Blake... how had he managed to sleep through that many people? Barel, he thought. Well. He could do that. His stomach groaned slightly. Well. Maybe after he found some food and refilled his nutritional pack.

Although Rhett was listening to the second officer's speech, he was focused, surreptitiously, on the man making the quiet clicking noises. He had no idea why, perhaps it was a nervous habit, or perhaps it served some biological imperative. Rhett simply stood straight. "Sir, where should we find the quartermaster?"

"Crewman Kilborne," Will told Rhett, gesturing to a young man overseeing the offloading of supplies from the shuttle. "He's already assigned your quarters." He looked over the group again. "Questions?"

Delainey simply nodded as she was addressed. She was fairly informal with most people, but in the presence of the ship's second officer, she decided to play it safe until she knew him better.

"All right then," the second officer declared, "We have work to do before we leave Starbase. Best start settling in now and report to your department heads. Dismissed." Will turned and headed to the back of the shuttle to join the quartermaster.

The best thing to do, Luca knew, would be to go ahead and meet his commanding officer, find out where he'd be working and with whom and if she had any specific projects she needed focused on before his own research. He could settle into his quarters while he figured out what to do with whatever information she gave him. Lucalin trilled - a sound somewhere between a purr and a whistle - and brushed his fingers over his PADD. 'Screen access, Mrina, accepted,' the pad announced at a pitch so soft it might have sounded like a whisper to most. Then, as his fingers traveled the screen, 'Memos, notes, messages, maps. Maps: planetary, star, territorial, schematics. Schematics: Starbase 173, Starbase 123, USS Kelvin, USS Priority, USS W'lal, USS Galileo. USS Galileo: overview, deck descriptions, guide. Guide: quarters (assigned - Deck Four), lab (not assigned), mess hall (Deck Two), Sickbay (Deck Four), Chief of Sciences office (Deck Four). Chief of Sciences office (Deck Four): logging into Operations crew location network. Mrina found. Guidance beginning...' As it began the careful instructions, Lucalin shifted his bag in his hand and nudged Flim Flam with his leg. She purred and set off a few steps in front of him, looking back at him every few seconds to make sure he was staying with her.

Ens. Rhodes glanced at Ens. Rice, giving her a nod, and then headed out of the shuttle bay. It being mid-day ships time, he knew that there was several things to get done.

"Dude..." Aria let out a breath, watching Rhodes walk out. She smiled gently as she moved over to Scarlet and Lily, pulling her bag with her. "See, smooth landing and all..." she looked at Lily and chuckled. "Don't worry, darling...I didn't get half of what was going on either. Sometimes, adults make things that should be exciting sound really, really dull..."

Lily giggled softly at that, watching Aria with a wrinkled nose and shining eyes. "Very serious," she said in a the kind of hushed whispered voice that was anything but quiet.

"You are never very serious!" Scarlet laughed warmly tickling the girl's side lightly with pretend justice for the falsehood. "Perhaps I could take you up on that offer of a drink, Aria? If you don't mind waiting until I have an hour free?"

Aria chuckled softly as she held her eyes. "I would love that," she said softly, nodding. "And hey, depending on what shift we get on..I am happy to help out babysitting. I'm good with tiny people, being tiny myself..." she winked at Lily, kneeling as she watched the girl. "I've been vetted, so I am safe to work with kids. Side effect, I end up acting like one..."

"We can dress up!" Lily clapped her hands lightly with excitement, smiling warmly to Aria at the prospect.

"That's incredibly kind of you," Scarlet said softly to Aria with surprise at the generous offer. When someone worked hard, there wasn't much that was more valuable than giving up part of their free time.

"Eh, no sweat...happy to," Aria grinned and winked to Lily before standing. "Contact me..." she winked before pulling her bag with her.

Delainey exited the shuttle but made sure to stay a couple of paces behind Aria and Scarlet, if she was remembering the counselor's face and name correctly. She didn't want to crash the conversation and make the counselor self-conscious about having her Chief nearby. Carlisle was beaming, however, as she set eyes on the little girl that appeared to be Scarlet's daughter. Delainey loved children and hoped to have some of her own one day.

The Warrant Officer in the flight control uniform let out a breath as he glanced at Delainey, before walking past the others and leaving. Oliver Sylver had a lot on his mind...and he was sure he would find ways for making up to the others for his silence at some later stage.

[OFF]



Lt. Cmdr. Chauncey William Remington III
Chief Operations Officer
USS Galileo

Ens. Theron Rhodes
Security
USS Galileo

Ensign Andreus Kohl
Nurse
USS Galileo

Ensign Aria Rice
Security
USS Galileo

W.O. Oliver Sylver
Flight Control
USS Galileo

Ensign Scarlet Blake
Counsellor
USS Galileo

Crewman Verity Thorne
Chaplain
USS Galileo

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