Getting Underway

Posted on 01 Apr 2026 @ 2:54am by Captain Harvey Geisler & Commander Madelina Barnes & Commander Camila Di Pasquale & Lieutenant Commander Joey Geisler & Lieutenant Commander Kennedy Monroe M.D. & Lieutenant Ranul Frex & Lieutenant T’Mari Rael & Lieutenant Daynah Ral & Lieutenant JG Aerie Mak & Lieutenant JG Kelly Khan

1,711 words; about a 9 minute read

Mission: Acceleration
Location: USS Black Hawk || Bridge
Timeline: February 7, 2391 || 0930 hours

The Black Hawk was no stranger to cargo runs. If one had been keeping track, this would have been their sixteenth trip in the last five months. A peculiar energy had been rippling throughout the ship. Perhaps it was due to this being the last cargo run. Or maybe it was the fact that the fighter squadron was absent, temporarily attached to the Yorktown for a special assignment. Or maybe it was the fact that the ship had yet another "new" Executive Officer, a Commander Madelina Barnes who had just been assigned a couple of days prior.

But what mattered the most was that the Black Hawk was about to leave New Risa's orbit for the last time in who knew how long. No one knew what adventure awaited them.

Maddy stepped onto the bridge and halted just long enough to take it all in. She knew the layout from her tour, but standing here as the Black Hawk’s new Executive Officer made everything feel sharper, more real. Her gaze locked onto the center chair, then to the one that would be hers. This was a new beginning for her, and with it came new responsibilities for her.

Joey glanced over from her station, pausing what she was currently working on to study the woman. She knew they would be getting another, but it seemed the ship was starting to make a game of it. Still, there was something about her that the Intelligence Chief couldn't quite put her finger on. But, there would be time to figure that out.

It was a bittersweet ache that Camila felt, knowing they were leaving for Mellon for the last time. She had gotten to know quite a few colonist and had revealed herself to be the pirate that had helped them and had came back again and again with supplies. She had also taken the time to get to know Emily Carter and learned about her father and made a promise to keep in touch with her and other colonists.

Now she faced the forward viewscreen and reviewed the status of the weapons, shields, torpedo bays, roving Security teams, drone overlays on a MSD of the ship. One thing after another flashed before her eyes before she configured the console for Tactical. She had met Commander Weisz and had been assured that she had read all the Black Hawk's missions and was ready, but Camila held her opinion in reserve and merely welcomed the new Executive Officer. She would see how the redheaded Commander faired when the fan hit the shit.

T’Mari stepped out of the turbolift and made her way over to a seat, giving all those present a polite nod and a smile as she did so. It was good to be getting under way again, it would give everyone something to concentrate on instead of lingering on what had already happened. In her opinion that was a good thing, getting the crew back to work would be beneficial.

Ranul walked out of the next turbolift and looked around the Bridge. This was one of the first times in a while that he stepped into the command center when it wasn't Auxillary or in the middle of an emergency. Ranul took it all in for a moment before he took his seat at the Engineering station. He brought up the specs of the ship and double checked with Main Engineering to make sure that the various fluxes that they had seen over the last few days were fixed. They confirmed that everything was within a micron of where they needed to be. So, Frex let out a small sigh and looked around once more, waiting to see if the Commodore would be coming in soon.

Daynah made her way from the turbolift to the Science station. A few quick commands and the station hummed to life. She had a listing of all the systems and the probes at her disposal. Everything was ship shape and bristol fashion as it was said. Now, all that was left was for the Commodore to give the word. She keyed her console to link with the Microbiology Lab. She wanted to keep an eye on the experiment she ran while she was on the bridge.

As activity bustled on the bridge, the doors to the Ready Room opened, permitting Captain Harvey Geisler onto the bridge. He hadn't worn his newly reduced rank for long, but it still felt so foreign. For a non-Betazoid, he could feel the energy on the bridge, the uncertainty of the unknown and the eagerness to be finished with the mundane. Hopefully the unknown was filled more with excitement than intrigue or danger.

Always danger, Harvey, he chastised himself.

"Report," the Captain called out as he positioned himself next to the Ops console to face the entire bridge crew.

"Security and Tactical reports all systems ready, Captain." Camila said.

Aerie Mak quietly hummed to himself while working on the ops console. He'd noticed a few people entering the bridge, including the new executive officer. Refocused on his task, he monitored the deuterium level of the fuel systems and the power relay across the Akira class. Already present on the bridge early, he made sure everything flowed right. The small, hidden device under his ear hummed, quieting him. Grounded him as he focused. As his captain positioned himself next to the console, Mak looked up and replied, "Ops reported ready, sir. Power levels are stable."

His annoying earworm crawled away for the moment.

Maddy was settled into the chair beside Harvey’s, smoothing her uniform with a quiet, controlled breath. She offered Harvey a respectful nod before speaking. “Captain,” she greeted formally, her voice steady. “Shift rotations confirmed and all off-duty personnel and civilians are accounted for."

Across the bridge, Joey glanced up from her console. “Intelligence is online, Captain,” she added. “We’re running long‑range scans now—traffic patterns, subspace activity, and any anomalies along the projected route.”

"Flight reports all is steady and ready, Captain," Kelly reported from the conn, unable to believe that she was bridge crew now.

“Counselling department is organised and ready to go Captain” T’Mari smiled warmly, also giving their new First Officer a warm smile. The last 5 months had been pretty routine, the cargo runs had given T’Mari plenty of time to get through those of the crew who had needed counselling.

Daynah smiled warmly from her station. The part of her that was once Alaryc Ral swelled with pride at the idea of taking another starship out into the unknown. "Science labs are secure for departure. All sensors standing by. We are ready to boldly go sir." She said softly with a slight curve to her lips.

"Engineering is green across the board. All drive systems are ready to go whenever you need it," Ranul said as he turned back for a moment. Flipping back around, he double checked all of the systems.

"Medical is green across the board, sir," Kennedy replied, adding, "no one should hesitate to come by if they need anything. I'd like to keep everyone humming on all cylinders for a long time to come." The memories of treating Joey and Harvey and caring for the crew in chaos had faded some, but Monroe knew they would linger for a long time. She was experienced and pragmatic enough to know she couldn't keep people in bubble wrap, but that didn't mean she didn't want to.

"Excellent," Harvey stated as he moved towards the center seat. "Commander Barnes, give us the rundown of our final cargo run to Mellon and take us out."

Maddy straightened slightly in her chair, acknowledging Harvey’s directive with a crisp nod before addressing the bridge as a whole. “Our final run to Mellon will complete the last of the supply commitments we’ve maintained over the last several months,” she began, her tone steady and clear. “We’re delivering the remaining agricultural supplies, replacement atmospheric processors, and the medical stock they requested after the last colony assessment. Cargo bays two and three are secured, and all containers have been verified and sealed. Off‑loading procedures have already been transmitted to the colony’s logistics team, so they’ll be ready for us the moment we arrive.”

Her gaze swept briefly across the crew. “Once we complete the drop, Mellon’s supply chain should be stable for the next quarter without further Federation support,” she added. “After that, we’re officially done with cargo duty.”

Her attention shifted toward the helm, settling on the young officer seated there. “Lieutenant Khan,” she said, addressing Kelly directly, “Take us out—warp five.”

"Aye, Commander, warp five," Kelly verified as she double-checked what had become a very well known route over the past few months. As she guided the Black Hawk a way from the space dock where they had taken on supplies and swung the Akira class starship around. With a smile as bright as day, she engaged the warp drive once they were cleared and took them out on what would be their last peaceful run until who knew when.

Ranul looked back to his station as he felt the lurch of the warp drive being engaged. He knew the feel of it within his boots without even looking back at the screen because he had gotten used to the engines of the Akira Class starship now that he had been on one for a bit. He knew when the ship had settled into warp 5 and all was green across the board. He looked back at the Captain and said, "Engines are green across the board. We shouldn't have any issues out of them for the duration of the cargo mission to Mellon, sirs. It looks like those hiccups I saw last week have been worked out of them."

"Roger that, Lieutenant," said Captain Geisler as he got comfortable in his chair. There wasn't much for him to do out here on the bridge, other than make his presence known amongst the bridge crew. "Let's hope our last cargo run goes as smoothly as the rest."

RSS Feed