Runabout Launch

Posted on 17 Apr 2018 @ 9:11pm by Lieutenant Commander Camila Di Pasquale & Ensign Kelly Khan & Commodore Harvey Geisler & Commander Thiago Teixeira & Commander Jayla Kij & Lieutenant Commander Joey Geisler & Lieutenant Reginald Hawthorn & Lieutenant JG Jazmin Parks & Staff Warrant Officer William Griffin & Senior Chief Petty Officer Charles Stephens Jr. & Lieutenant JG Catherine Cooper & Lieutenant Jennin Rhula & Lieutenant JG Daniella Blake & Ensign Quinn Mackie & Petty Officer 1st Class Allen Miller
Edited on on 02 May 2018 @ 6:27pm

4,564 words; about a 23 minute read

Mission: The Search Begins
Location: Flight Deck
Timeline: MD 2 || 0600 hours

Kelly arrived on the flight deck, pleased that she had been selected to fly the Mississippi for the away mission even though she had very little idea where she would be flying to at the moment. The joys of being an Ensign she thought. We're the last to know anything.

Camila arrived with four Security personnel with her and each of them and her wore a Tactical belt with a Type-II phaser, field medkit, one anesthetic grenade, a general use Multi-Tool, a Tricorder, Exographic Targeting Sensor and handcuffs/zip ties in the various pouches with two Sarium Krellide Power Cells for their phasers.

Griffin looked up from the port thruster assembly of the Euphrates that not fifteen minutes ago had been a pile of parts on the deck, he'd just finished reassembling and testing it and had just secured the last retaining bolt on the outer cover. He stood, arching his back for a second to stretch out kinked muscles and then strolled over towards the small group of security grunts. "Lieutenant Di Pasquale, the Euphrates is all ready to go." He told her, "I even polished the glass. Ya'll look like you're ready to raise some hell?"

"WHAT?!" Reggie's head popped up from the top of the Mississippi hull, where he'd been hunkered won with a engineering work team fiddling with something or other. He twisted the cover the Captain had given him back around so the bib faced forward. "Ain't gonna be no hell raisin'. You know why? Cause these here Runabouts are granted to you folks on the knowledge they don't come back in the way they were delivered I'll be the one collecting dues. Devil can take a number and wait."

He looked back over his shoulder at the engineering team.

"Can you believe-...why are you putting that there?" he walked over and pointed. "That goes there, and that goes there!i"

"That," Griffin added in his best stage-snarl that was somewhat defeated by the grin on his face, "is if there's anythin' left after I get done with ya. Ya'll best take good care of my babies."

Jazmin arrived at the flight deck, eager to begin her first away mission since joining the Black Hawk. Checking her equipment load, she was satisfied that all was where it should be, making last minute adjustments to her Tactical Belt. She looked around for Cooper, her partner on this mission, before checking over the runabout. She knew that was a job for engineering and the flight crew, but she liked to be thorough, besides it kept her mind occupied.

Laden with two small medical totes full of an assortment of pain killers as well as the typical away team medkit, Jayla entered the shuttle Bay, her customary almost-smile back in place. Losing her memory had recentered her somehow and while she was still not fully recovered from all the recent emotional trauma, she felt far better then she had in a long time.

Perhaps it was owing to the fact that her recent memories had been the last to return, leaving her to ruminate on more pleasant ones. It had reminded her that her life had been overall very good and she didn’t have to dwell on the bad stuff.

She arrived in time to hear the banter between the two men. “What are you two on about?” she asked, her almost-smile spreading into a full on grin. “If we bang up the shuttles a bit, it just gives you something to do. Job security, you know.”

"I can't speak for Lieutenant Hawthorn, but I've got enough on my plate keepin' the fighters in workin' order without havin' to rebuild a couple of runabouts." Griffin retorted, deliberately gruff. "You don't add to my workload an' I won't add to yours, 'kay?" His threat was made moot by the grin he gave her.

"I was always of a mind to let NCO's do what NCO's want to do, helps with the paperwork," Reggie said with a grin.

Barely supressing the giggle that rose into her throat, Jayla returned his grin with one of her own. “You’ve got a deal,” she replied. “While I appreciate being busy, it often means that people are ill or injured. Those are both considered curse words in the medical field.”

"Exactly, ya'll bring my runabouts back in workin' order an' I won't send anyone to sickbay." Griffin grumbled, "I want all of ya'll and my runabouts back, whole an' healthy."

Joey made her way onto the flight deck and paused to take a look around. A few members of her team had already arrived, and that brought a smile to her face. Prompt as ever. Normally, she would have been one of the first to arrive, but there were a few things she needed to get from Intel before making her way to join the rest of the crew that would be heading to one of two places in hopes of gathering information. The last time they'd done something like this, it resulted in a new tattoo on her ribs, but it hadn't been for nothing. This time, though, someone else would have to put themselves on the line like that if it was necessary.

She approached her team as she adjusted the Intel equivalent of the tactical belt she had on for what felt like the millionth time. It wasn't uncomfortable, but with her ever growing belly, she did wish she had something a bit more forgiving to wear. "Good morning, everyone," she said with a smile, turning her attention toward Griffin. "How's she looking?"

Griffin rapidly changed gears, sobering as he turned to face the lady. "She's lookin' fit as a fiddle, ma'am. All systems are 100% an' ready to go." He did wonder at the wisdom of sending a pregnant woman on any kind of mission and his eyes flicked down to her belly for a beat, but he kept his thoughts to himself. He wasn't about to question the captain's wife.

Joey smiled, taking note that his eyes drifted toward her stomach. She didn't get to be where she was in her career without being able to pick up on little things like that. Still, she wasn't going to say anything unless he, or anyone else, did. "Glad to hear it. I had everything worth taking with us sent ahead. Do you know if it was all loaded up, or do we need to get that done?"

"Both runabouts've been loaded up, 'far as I know." Griffin told her, "though you might wanna double check, wouldn't wanna leave anythin' behind."

"I'll do that," the Intel Chief said.

Dani wasn't too far behind the Intel Chief. She made her way toward the Mississippi with her gear in hand and offered a smile to those that were present already. "Morning," she greeted.

Kelly smiled and waved at Joey and Dani before she started her own inspection of the Mississippi. While the Engineer and the Chief of Fighter Maintenance had gone over it, as a pilot, it was her job to do an inspection of it as well and she checked off everything on a PADD as she went.

"Just remember this ship is a bonafide work of art when you take off with her. Ships this perfect don't crash unless you mistake the attitude control's for a cup holder. It crashes, you crashed her," Reggie said, and slid down the sloping canopy of the Runabout in true Dick Van Dyke style. Even landed with a flourish. He buffed the Starfleet crest that streaked down the side of the Runabout.

"I tweaked the RCS thruster quads some, bigger vents on all three axis should give you a solid full G kick at full rotation. She'll turn faster, so you might want to get to know her a little 'fore you go dancing." he offered.

"I shouldn't need to land in another spinning out of control ship anytime soon like I did with the Tigris when we were going after the Cochrane," Kelly said. "So I think I should be good. Besides, I was in Nova Squad at the Academy. If it flies, I can fly it."

"Don't make me regret signing off the release on this thing," Reggie said with a hiss. "Cause I will find a way for the CMO skin you, throw that skin into the matter reclamator, and use the reconstituted matter to replicate the hull plates needed to repair every dink and dent."

Kelly looked up at the tall Engineer and raised an eyebrow. "You are aware threat threatening a Starfleet officer, in the presence of other officers no less, is grounds for you going to the brig, facing a potential Captain's Mast, court martial, expulsion from Starfleet and spending the rest of your life in a rehabilitation facility, don't you, Lieutenant?" she asked in a calm voice.

"Well...when you say it like that it does sound like something of a vacation, Ensign Khan." Reggie said wit ha grin. "Best make sure you don't dent the runabout, or Momma Hawthorns gonna be making a lot of visits to Mordor. That's where they have the penal colony on Earth right? Some place they call Middle Earth?"

"If that's how you see it, be prepared for a lot of visits at Moron on Mundane Earth," Kelly said before she turned and entered the runabout to do her pre-flight.

"I think I'm growing on her," Reggie said to no one in particular. "GIve me time I'll have her just burning my face off with that glare."

Camila gave a smile to Joey. "Up for another wild ride like the last time, Lieutenant?" she asked as she checked her Tactical belt.

"Always," Joey confirmed, flexing the gloves she wore a bit. "But, I'm putting this out there now... if getting answers comes down to any kind of body modifications, someone else is going to have to take one for the team. I did it the last time."

Camila laughed. "I'll volunteer Miller for that. He'd appreciate it."

"Voluntold... there's nothing quite like it, is there?" Joey asked with a grin. "If I remember correctly, I think he was there when I took one for the team last time we went to a station."

The Security Chief laughed again. "I'll have to remember that one."

Cooper had been in the back checking her gear, she thought she'd be delayed making sure the tactical department was well prepared to handle things while all three of the senior security/tactical officers were gone but fortunately was able meet up with the security team as they entered the shuttle bay though did not pass up the chance to check her equipment one more time. She rather enjoyed the Chief Engineer and felt his colorful competency would do well here. She walked over to her partner for this mission and smiled, "All set Lieutenant?" She asked the Deputy Chief.

Jazmin was excited to be working with Cooper. Over the course of Jazmin's short tenure on the Black Hawk, she had come to enjoy working with the feisty and strong-willed security officer. She smiled and waved her over. "Hey Cooper, glad to hear we're on the same team. Between the two of us we ought to be able to keep these guys safe."

Cooper stopped near to Jazmin with a smile, "I rather hope so, here's hoping we don't have to split the party. And now that I've jinxed us, should we check the rest of our group? Make sure everyone is set to go?" She'd not worked with Parks long but found her good at her job as well as easy to work with and for, both of which Cooper appreciated. She only hoped they were both bored out of their minds on this mission.

Allen Miller strolled in with the prescribed tactical belt around his waist. He saw that several people had already gathered and were talking. The Petty Officer walked up to the general area. "Well, looks like a couple of pretty good groups we have here.”

Jayla grinned. “We might not know what’s coming or what to do when we get there, but at least we’re pretty,” she joked. She knew what Miller meant, but it was the first thing to come to mind.

Though he and Kelly lived together, she and Quinn arrived separately to the Flight Deck. The young Operations ensign had to make a few early morning stops to acquire a few things he needed to take with him, including his toolkit that he'd forgotten to take home the prior night. Quinn had served aboard the previous Black Hawk, and he'd come to know the Mississippi well. He was, in large point, disappointed that the Tigris, which was destroyed months prior as a means to close a tear in the space-time continuum, wasn't replaced with one of the newer Arrow or Volga classes. The fresh coat of paint on Euphrates could not conceal her age, but Quinn had no reason to doubt its reliability. Quinn considered finding Kelly to bid good luck, but she seemed involved in a preflight check, so he determined that now was not a good time. Rather than step aboard and get settled, he found the captain's pregnant wife and the team that was gathering around her.

Joey looked to Miller and Quinn as they arrived. She hadn't seen the younger man since he'd helped her out with her uniform issue, and it'd been longer than that since she'd seen Allen. Were things really that busy she didn't have time for a social life? The answer to that was... yes. Lately it seemed that the Black Hawk and her crew were always on the go, which meant free time was scarce. She'd have to find a way to fix that, but first there were other things that required her attention.

So far her entire team was present except for one, and as soon as Rhula arrived, they'd be on their way. In the meantime, the Intel Chief boarded the Euphrates to make sure everything was present and accounted for before they departed.

Camia gave a nod to Miller and Jayla as she joined them with the other Security personnel. "Who's missing?" she asked as she took note of Quinn and offered him a nod as well.

"From what I can tell," Joey said after she stepped back onto the flight deck. "The only one we're missing is Rhula. So, which one of us is flying today?"

"I can since you're leading the mission," Camila said. "I'll go do the preflight check so it'll be ready until Lieutenant Rhula arrives."

"Thanks," the Intel Chief said with a smile. Of course, then climbed aboard the runabout to do a few more checks herself.

Griffin stood to the side of the Euphrates, tricorder out, triple checking the systems once more. He'd run the preflight check three times himself, but didn't begrudge Camila doing one of her own, any good pilot would. This was the winding-down, the tension would fade and he'd be left, bereft, standing on the deck as his charge departed. His part was done.

"They are gonna undo every single piece of good work we gone done," Reggie said, rubbing a hand under the brim of his cover. "Engineer's should fly those ships. Someone who respects the machines."

Joey poked her head out of the runabout and cracked a grin at Reggie. She didn't really have any issues with the man, but the way he showed up in Medical during such a stressful situation was a bit much, which she took into account was likely because he was stressed, too. Who wouldn't be? Still... it was time to let it go. "See... if Engineers were the ones doing the flying, then they wouldn't be Engineers, would they?" she asked, her grin never wavering. "Of course... there's always the possibility of cross training and getting yourself certified. Just a little food for thought. If you're interested. We have some damn good pilots on this ship."

"Been a pilot before, didn't seem all that complicated. Just hit a button and let the engine do the work, seemed a easy way to pass a work shift," he said wit ha easy smile. Of course said engine was still going, and because Reggie was a good engineer it would keep going until it landed somewhere on the far side of the Delta Quadrant. Of course, it didn't have an off button, but prototypes were prototypes for a reason.

He grinned.

"Be sure to try the seat warmers, hear they're something special," he winked.

"I appreciate what you and Warrant Officer Griffin have done, Lieutenant. Thank you," the Intel Chief said.

"I'm just doin' my job, lieutenant." Griffin grumbled at the Intel Chief, softening his abrupt tone with a smile, "but thanks, all the same. An' I'd stay away from the seat warmers, 'less ya want your butt cooked the far side'a medium."

"And in that, we proved those cables could take the power load," Reggie said. "I mean you got your nose outta joint over a little singeing. Wasn't even your pants that got smokey it was that techie. Fast movin' fella on his way to sickbay."

"Hrmp," Griffin growled, folding his tricorder with a click. "You don't gotta deal with the kid's fiance, sir." He sounded angry and irritable, mostly because he always sounded angry and was generally irritable, but when he turned to face Joey he gave her a wink and a lopsided grin. "She's never gonna let me alone for cookin' her boy's bee-hind with a half-a-gigajoule power-surge to the ass an' it wasn't even my fault! Anyway, ma'am," Griffin addressed Joey, his tone switching mid-sentence to calm. "There's nuthin' wrong with the seat warmers, now, problem solved."

"Hot seat," Reggie said with a firm nod. "Just sayin', choice of words, 'hot seat' would have been a good zinger for this here situation."

Jazmin took another look around. "Anyone seen Blake or Senior Chief? It'd be nice if the whole team made it before the Commander Teixeira arrived."

"I've been here," Dani said, raising a hand and weaving her way through people. At only 5'3" tall, it was easy for her to get lost in a crowd.

Cooper nodded a greeting, "Great just need the Senior Chief and we're good. All set Lieutenant?" she asked Blake.

"I am," Dani confirmed, gesturing toward her gear with a nod of her head.

Jazmin set her jaw, taking a deep breath. "Sorry Blake." Jazmin felt her heart skip a beat at the oversight. She did the last thing she ever wanted. Embarrassing herself in front of a group, especially people who she respected. Stop that Jazzy! Just do your job and all will go well. She thought. "Glad you're here."

She turned to the runabout, stepping closer to Cooper, dropping her voice to a whisper. "My God, I can't believe I missed seeing her."

Cooper nodded to Blake and stepped into Jazmin's personal space to speak just as quietly, "Don't worry about it, some people are naturally stealthy and there's a lot to prepare." She tried to joke a little seeing how worried Parks seemed to be about it. She stepped back, "I don't see the Senior Chief, he may be late or waiting in the craft." She said looking around.

Jazmin breathed a little easier. Cooper was right. She caught the other woman's gaze and nodded in thanks. "Hopefully he gets here soon. I hope everything is okay."

Captain Geisler arrived on the flight deck, armed with a mug of steaming tea. He was not going with either of the Away Teams, but it didn't feel proper being alone on the bridge near the end of Delta Shift with a large chunk of his senior staff about to depart the ship. He approached the assembled groups who were either waiting on orders or waiting on someone else to finish their jobs. "Everyone ready to go?" he asked before sipping his tea.

Joey looked toward the Captain when he made his way in, forcing herself to stand a bit straighter. "Captain," she greeted. "We're nearly there. Everything is present and accounted for, though I think we're still waiting on a few more people to arrive. It shouldn't be much longer."

Camila looked out of the runabout. "Everything checks out. Captain," she said when she saw the commanding officer of the ship. Two of the Security personnel entered the runabout while the other two headed to the Mississippi."

He was late. He knew he was late. So, Thiago was walking rather swiftly through the corridors. When he arrived on the flight deck, he received confirmation that he was, indeed, late. Even Harvey was there. Damn, he thought, before crossing to the assembled crew. "My apologies," he said as he approached the Mississippi. "Ensign Khan, you've done pre-flight?" The young pilot had proven herself to be very capable in the past and Thiago was glad to have her on his team.

"Everything checks out, Commander," Kelly said as she looked over her shoulder while finishing up the check. "We're all clear for launch as soon as everyone is aboard.

"Great." He looked around. Parks, Cooper, Blake....Khan, obviously, he thought, identifying all the members of his team. Only missing one. "Anyone seen Stephens?"

"Right here Sir," Charles said as he made his way onto the Mississippi. "My apologies was stuck in a jefferies tube trying to work on a relay conduit and lost track of time."

Rhula entered the flight deck, apparently from the wrong side, as everyone was crowded across the room from him. He approached quietly, still annoyed that he was going to be stuck on a mission with the Trill CMO. That they had to share Sickbay was bad enough, but now he wouldn't even get away from her on an away mission. At least the other one isn't coming too, he said to himself. That the two department heads he worked for were both Trill was beyond frustrating. He approached the crowd, ignoring what Teixeira was blathering on about.

“I almost forgot!” Jayla muttered and crossed to the opposite group. “Commander,” she said to Teixeira. “I’ve brought a few painkillers you might be able to use in trade. They, uh,” she added, giving him a significant look, “have a mildly narcotic effect on all organic life forms. So of course, I cannot condone their recreational use by anyone to whom you may trade them.” She held out the small medical tote, giving him the barest hint of a wink and an almost non-existent grin. She knew the power of narcotics and while she couldn’t condone their use, she also knew that they needed information. The painkillers were non-addictive, so at least she wouldn’t be in danger of turning people into drug addicts.

Taking the offered tote, Thiago thanked the Trill physician. It was strange that he would use narcotics as barter, but this was a case of the ends justifying the means. And it's possible that it won't come to that, he thought.

"And I, also, have something to offer up for the barter," Reggie said, and gave a nod to one side of the runabout. From behind it a pair of engineering petty officers wheeled a cart of metal canisters, each locked to the cart with straps and clamps.Reggie walked to the cart and took an item off of the top. He then held the long glass bottle filled with an amber fluid to Commander Teixeira. "That there is a Hawthorn family legacy, passed down from grandfather and to father to son. Not entirely sure I can call it Montanan sipping whiskey given we ain't on Montana, but the alcohol content should at least give it value as a drink or a solvent. Don't go barrel rolling through any radiation belts you need to raise the shields for."

"And come back in one piece," Harvey cautioned. "That includes the runabouts. The squadron will be on standby to warp in and provide cover fire if you need to make a hot escape."

"That's the plan, Captain," Joey said. If she was even a little nervous, she didn't let on. The truth was, she wasn't. She'd been in similar situations like this before and viewed it as another day at the office. However, this time, the Intel Chief really hoped she wasn't on the receiving end of a ham sized fist flying toward her face. No matter what department or line of work someone was in, that always hurt. "We will return as soon as we're able to. Hopefully, with more information than we'll know what to do with." She offered the Captain a smile, wishing she could kiss him goodbye, but there were far too many people around and protocol had to be followed. Instead, Joey turned on her heel and made her way toward the Euphrates. "My team... load up."

"Aye, aye," muttered Quinn, following Joey aboard the runabout. He was especially looking forward to this mission and the station that they were about to explore. Hopefully, they'd all be able to learn more about what awaited them.

Allen stepped inside. "You've got it, Lieutenant." The last time he was on an away mission with Joey, it was quite different. He was still charged with protecting her and the rest of the team.

Her package delivered, Jayla took the second identically stocked tote and her medkit and hurried back to the Euphrates. Hopefully, they wouldn’t need these, but she was more concerned with them being considered contraband or something.

With all of his team now arrived, Thiago announced, "Everybody in." Then, turning to Harvey, he said quietly, "Take care."

The Captain nodded to Thiago. He surveyed the crew once more before withdrawing to the elevator that would take him up to the flight deck's control room to observe the launch.

Jazmin put a hand on Cooper's shoulder. "Let's get on the runabout. Hopefully, Senior Chief shows." She entered the runabout, taking a seat next to the entrance.

Cooper nodded in agreement and headed in their assigned shuttle, finding a seat.

Teixeira was the last member of his team to enter the Mississippi, where he took a seat behind the pilot. "When you're ready, Ensign," he said to Khan.

"Ready, willing and able, Commander," Kelly said as she lifted the Mississippi off the Flight Deck and headed for the forcefield that separated them from space, and then into space the moment she had clearance.

From the control tower, Captain Geisler watched both the runabouts leave. It was not the first time he sent his crew off to an unknown space station, nor would it likely be the last. Rather than worry about the sixteen people on the Away Teams, he still had a full ship to worry about... in addition to navigating the Alpha Trios system. Hopefully, they'd find a clue or two while they were here.

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