Sea Legs

Posted on 25 Mar 2009 @ 12:49pm by

693 words; about a 3 minute read

Mission: M1: Prepare for Battle
Location: USS Freedom
Timeline: Present

The transporter beam coalesced, and Lieutenant Alexander Langley stepped off the pad on very unwieldy legs. He hadn't been aboard a starship in nearly ten years, and then with his posting to Obsidian Fleet, had come the shipping out to the frontier aboard a Sabre-class high-speed cruiser. The long trip had been a shock to his system, used to terrestrial or orbital station gravity, and he felt every bump as though the inertial dampeners had been badly calibrated.

He'd barely been aboard Deep Space Five a few minutes when he'd been all but flung at the Freedom and told to expect combat. Langley had blanched at that - he hadn't been in combat for a long, long time and that hadn't ended well the first time. (Well, you wanted a fleet posting again) he thought to himself, (you only have yourself to blame). Leaving the transporter room, and feigning a confidence he didn't yet feel, Langley was immediately intercepted by an enlisted crewman.

"Lieutenant Langley, sir? Petty Officer Forrester, I'm to help you come aboard-"

"Thank-you Mr. Forrester, as you can see I've managed that more or less myself. What's our current situation?"

"Uh...uncertain, sir. Deep Space Five has confirmed an imminent attack, and we're to deploy-"

"I understand, Forrester." Langley interrupted as they strode up the corridor. "What is the Freedom's current status?"

The crewman checked a PADD he was carrying. "Nearly all primary systems are at 100% functionality, but we've had some issues with the shipyard personnel-"

"If this deployment order hadn't come, these issues wouldn't EXIST!" Langley snapped, taking the PADD from Forrester's hands sharply. "Hmm, it seems Engineering is already preparing for the situation. Who took charge here?"
Forrester's eyes creased in recollection. "It was a Lieutenant, wearing Intelligence colours-"

"Eircson, I suppose. Hotshot secret agents." Langley made a disapproving noise. He'd browsed through the crew biography reports, having consumed the Freedom's technical specifications in a single, voracious sitting.

"Well, I can't fault his organisational skills. Here's where we part, Petty Officer." They'd reached a turbolift, and Langley thrust his carryall bags and cases into Forrester's arms. "Deck Three, Section Nine, Cabin Twelve. Good luck!"
Langley flashed his one-sided grin at the flustered Forrester, who managed to bleat "A-Aren't you coming to Engineering-?"

"Having not reported in to the CO?" Langley blinked in surprise. "Lines of communication need to be laid, Mr. Forrester! If the Captain can't pass orders through to me, how can I pass them on to you? I will be down as soon as I'm confident."

Langley shot Forrester a one-sided grin of ironic humour, and darted into the turbolift before the young crewman could say another word.

"Central operations!"

"Please restate destination." Demanded the computer, and Langley winced. "Uh...Bridge!" He'd forgotten he was no longer on Jupiter Station, or any of the other bases he'd visited...no, he was back on a starship, for better or - if rumours about the upcoming battle were true - for worse.

==Main Bridge==

Langley exited the turbolift, taking a steadying breath as he did so. He'd never become accustomed to the infinite view of space they enjoyed, even from their berth in the shipyards. All these changes and surprises were coming as shocks to his old system...but Starfleet training never fully fades away, and Langley was working hard on re-asserting control.
He leaned on the rail around the upper curve of the deck, but all the command chairs were empty and the only senior officer he saw was a tall Lieutenant JG in command red just settling into the helmsman's chair.

"Lieutenant DeHavilland?" Langley guessed, and as the officer turned round, he gave a quick wave. "Langley, Chief Engineer. Have you seen the Captain or anyone else we should be reporting to?"

"C.J. DeHavilland." he replied, thumbing towards the Ready Room. "They're in there but enter at your own risk." he warned with a sly grin. Langley's eyebrows raised in surprise.

"That bad? I read their bio-profiles, but I didn't think they'd be spitting flames so early on!" Langley shrugged. "I think they need breathing room...I'll wait out here where it's safer. Relatively speaking."

 

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