Lost Harbor - minuteman-mission

:: It depended entirely on Doctor McKenzie whether having to sit and wait a bit qualified as awkward, but Rak'nar held himself to no such system. Major Woods had spoken with his authority when he said fifteen minutes, and on this ship, the captain made his presence known precisely when he had said he would. No sooner, and no later. Thus, it was fifteen minutes on the dot following the announcement that Rak'nar strode in with a PADD and made for the seat at the end of the table. Once seated, he nodded in greeting at the assembled staff. ::

@Minuteman Crew Welcome aboard. I look forward to our first PROPER meeting around this table. On this ship, at meal times, all department heads enjoy an open invitation to the Captain's Table, and duties permitting, their attendance is expected. Major Woods will be your primary point of contact for all ordinary matters, but I make a point of maintaining SOME direct knowledge of what transpires on my ship. This meeting, however, is NOT that.

::With that, Rak'nar tapped a few commands into his PADD, and a moment later, a holographic projector set into the ceiling conjured the rotating image of a planetary sphere above the table. It was obviously Class M at a glance, blue oceans and much green on its single large continent. On the eastern coast of that continent could be seen a blinking red dot::

:: despite being the first arrived, he had no issues about waiting, just working on his PADD, and right as the Captain entered, he saved his paperwork and slid the PADD away, turning full attention to the CO ::

@Minuteman Crew This is Alerion IV in the Vakis Sector, approximately 40 light years from our current position. The blinking light is the New Roanoke colony; I am told the name is ironic in some way. Seven hours ago, the U.S.S. El Cid responded to a distress call from that colony, claiming they were under attack by an unidentified vessel. By the time they arrived, the El Cid's crew discovered undeniable signs of battle, but no ship and no living colonists were present. As of my most recent correspondence with command, 85% of the local population remains unaccounted for.

:: unable to hide his slight amusement at the colony’s name, but quickly clears his expression at hearing how many of the locals had gone missing. :: Oh God. @LtCol Rak'nar: By signs of battle, sir, what signs are we discussing here?

:: Rak'nar saw no point in sugar coating anything, as humans sometimes put it. Any soldier of any service needed to be prepared to face these things, and if their surgeon was particularly upset by such things, best he come to terms with it now. :: @1Lt Caelum McKenzie Blast craters. Fires still burning. Collapsed structures. Residual energy signatures of myriad weapons types. Several dozen bodies recovered.

:: nods slowly :: @LtCol Rak'nar: Are the bodies being preserved? Upon arrival, if I have permission to conduct autopsies on the bodies recovered, maybe the dead might tell us something. :: nothing seemed to impact him much, let alone with the details provided about the battle signs ::

:: At that, Rak'nar simply shook his head silently. :: @1Lt Caelum McKenzie For us, there will be no arrival at Alerion IV. The El Cid is still on site, with medical and scientific facilities far superior to our own, and they have already completed their preliminary analysis. The fact that such priority was given to abduction over slaughter, the frankly amateurish brute force pattern of the assault, and the sheer variety of weapon types used all point to Hinterlands slavers.

:: At that, Rak'nar pressed a few further commands into his PADD, and the holographic globe promptly dissolved, only to be replaced by a three dimensional galactic map which Rak'nar immediately zoomed in to display the area in question. From a much smaller Alerion IV, a thin, milky white trail could be seen leading away from the planet. It was faint, and even disappeared entirely in places, but its overall destination was obvious: the area of space yielded by treaty to the Free Fleets. ::

@Minuteman Crew This is the invading ship's warp trail. The attackers made attempts to mask it, but the El Cid was able to reconstruct its course. Unfortunately, without any actual ID on the ship or evidence of its identity, the treaty with the Free Fleets bars Starfleet from dispatching any overt naval presence beyond that border in pursuit. Our presence, however, is far from overt. Make no mistake. If it has not already occurred, the Free Fleets will vehemently deny any involvement. They will probably pledge to investigate the incident. Depending on who the Diplomatic Corps manages to get in contact with, it may even be sincere. But the disorganization of Free Fleets space is no secret; if anything, it is a point of pride. There is no telling when anything will come of that, if ever. Command is not content to roll the dice on the lives of our people, and neither am I.

:: He paused then for a moment to let that sink in, then continued. :: @Minuteman Crew Our mission is to follow that trail, make an undetected crossing into what will no doubt prove hostile territory, then find and recover the colonists by any means necessary. If you have questions OR misgivings, speak them now. Otherwise, I have individual assignments for you all.

:: Although AJ was quite accustomed to Rak'nar's open Captain's Table, she was new to this particular seat at it; for the first time, she now sat to the Colonel's immediate left in the chair designated for the second officer. AJ sits and impassively listens to the briefing, her face expressionless as she starts a mental list of preparations, including a request for any helpful intelligence from the SFIA. While the suffering caused was obviously awful, they have a duty to perform to those who may yet survive, and this mission was an excellent fit for the Minuteman and her capabilities. Preferring not to interrupt the CO, she waits to the end to ask her simple question. :: @LtCol Rak'nar: When do we leave, sir?

:: he nods slowly, having no questions or misgivings about this particular mission, before letting his attention shift to Zuriyev ::

:: sits in his seat uneasily, his mind processing the information presented. Does he have questions? Of course he does, but he's also new to this sort of thing and wants to make sure that his inquiry is legit and focused. Right now, he doesn't have any other information than the briefing. He taps his PADD a bit. He listens to AJ's inquiry, but also has a question that he stifles. He nods, instead. ::

@Cpt AJ Zuriyev Two hours. Enough time for station personnel to top off our deuterium storage tanks, load additional emergency aid stores, and offload all but one of our support craft to make space. Even by Minuteman standards, this voyage shall be cramped.

:: The nod not escaping him, Rak'nar then casts his gaze over to Slate. :: @1Lt Nico Slate Lieutenant?

:: sits in his designated seat for the briefing, taking in everything being said as well as the reactions of the other senior staff. His usual smile is missing given the seriousness of the matter, his game face and the slight set of his jaw betraying that he has a particular problem with what has happened to the settlers. His eyes mostly rest on the Captain, but occasionally scan each face in the group. He looks to Zuriyev as she speaks, then back to the Captain for his answer, and he gives a small nod of understanding. Then as the Captain addresses Slate, he looks over to him expectantly. ::

@LtCol Rak'nar :: Gulp. Own it. Nico shifts slightly in his seat and then brings himself to proper posture. :: Colonel, from your previous explanation, the El Cid has medical and scientific capabilities better than our own. But tactically, with an obvious trail to follow, are we... uh... worried about a trap? An ambush? If the El Cid can pick it up, it means they aren't looking to cover tracks. It seems to me that whoever did this is drawing us to them.

:: And with that, for the first time, Rak'nar's demeanor shifted from the stolid, all business that he'd shown to all but Woods. A grin appeared, somewhat feral and showing an abundance of sharpened teeth. :: @1Lt Nico Slate Oh? Are you a hunter, Lieutenant?

:: blinks at the question. Nico takes a moment. He doesn't know his new CO, but he knows the data that he's been presented. He also trusts his leadership. He takes another moment - to others it may seem long, but he'd digress on his picking and choosing of his words - and settles in to his thought. :: No, sir. But such an egregious act, while overtly callous, seems ill-planned if one simple ship can track a departure route.

:: can't help but flash a small smirk at not only the question but the Captain's reaction. It was a good point, but a small part of him hoped that these slavers were waiting for them. ::

:: stares at Slate with a expression twisted into one of confusion, brain starting to work as the other Lieutenant spoke, glancing from Slate to the Captain and Major, then back to the holomap, trying to piece the pieces that they knew ::

@1Lt Nico Slate Ah, a pity. The lessons it has to teach are now few. Not least among them, that a trap set can be more dangerous for the hunter if the prey is underestimated. I still bear that scar reminding me never to repeat the mistake of thinking I enjoyed the upper hand on a saber cat until my spear had already sunk home. In any case, the El Cid DID report attempts at masking their trail. However, once they realized the distress signal had been sent, the slavers had only so much time to complete their raid and THEN flee to safety. You know better than me the challenges of hiding your passage at high warp, particularly from the sensor suite of a Federation starship, but they are not insignificant. But yes, what you propose is possible. If it could be baited, a lone Federation ship would be a worthy prize. We shall be watchful for opportunities to spring such a trap, on our terms. Well considered, Lieutenant.

:: Looking around the table for more questioning faces and seeing none, Rak'nar pressed on and began addressing each officer in turn. ::

@Cpt AJ Zuriyev Captain, by the time we are underway, I would like a full briefing prepared on everything of use that Starfleet Intelligence knows about the area of operation. Who are the petty kings? What is their strength? Where are their strongholds? Alliances, rivalries, you know the list.

@1Lt Nico Slate Lieutenant, your role is both critical, and multi-layered. As you can imagine, everything must be done to free up space. We are only leaving with a full fuel reserve because the storage tanks are already fixed in place. As such, some of our normal stock of consumables and replacement parts must be left behind. Your first task over the next hour is to set aside a list of critical parts that cannot be easily machined or replicated. Everything else is a candidate for offloading. After that, we must look to other solutions. I need to know how many can safely be stored in the transporter pattern buffers, and for how long. Needless to say, between this and our greater than normal reliance on the replicators, I need to know that our power systems are ready for the load.

:: She nods with appreciation at Slate's question, and when she receives her assignment, AJ maintains her facial expression, having become adept at concealing her slight irritation at being explicitly assigned something so routine. As the SFIA Liaison, it was her duty to get any information from the agency that could help their mission, and she always had such a briefing prepared for the Colonel, yet he still felt the need to explicitly ask for it. Nevertheless, he would have it. :: @LtCol Rak'nar: None here, sir.

:: He nods in acknowledgment, pulling up the crew files on his PADD absentmindedly, and starting to piece together an emergency medical team ::

:: looks around the table and assesses the reactions to their assignments, seemingly satisfied that everyone seems to know what their role in all this is. He looks forward to seeing what he hopes will be a well-oiled team in action, knowing only competent officers could have made it to this table in the first place. ::

:: nods and makes a note on his PADD for his inevitable briefing with his team. :: @LtCol Rak'nar Engineering will be ready, sir.

::Nodding briefly to Slate, not doubting it, he then leans back in his chair and nods again, this time to the entire table.:: @Minuteman Crew Then with the exception of Major Woods, you are all dismissed. Status reports to the Major before we depart, and we will reconvene for the intel briefing enroute.

:: nods again, stands and grabs his PADD off the table. :: @LtCol Rak'nar Yes, Colonel. :: also acknowledges @Maj Eric Woods :: Major. :: moves briskly out of the briefing room towards the turbolift, already going through his head the process of his briefing. He had briefed engineers and peacekeeping forces before, but he had not briefed seasoned, battle-hardened marine engineers before. Nico had all the confidence in his abilities, but he also knew his nerves. From experience, Nico tended to be mindful of his words and spoke only when necessary - or not at all. We all have to keep growing, he said to himself as he entered the lift, The only thing that remains constant is the universe is change. :: Main Engineering. :: exhales sharply as the doors move to close. ::

@1Lt Nico Slate: Lieutenant. :: he returns the nod, watching as Slate gets up and heads to the turbolift. He remains planted in his seat, knowing that the Captain has something to say to him once the others have left the room. ::

::Once the room had cleared out, Rak'nar waited a moment, then swiveled in his chair to face Woods directly.:: @Maj Eric Woods Well, Major, you've met your assembled senior staff for the first time. What are your impressions of them?

:: once dismissed, AJ stands and nods to the CO and XO :: @LtCol Rak'nar/@Maj Eric Woods: Sirs. :: AJ then tucks her PADD neatly under one arm and turns to exit, headed for her office, where her first task will be to file the necessary expedited requests with the SFIA to get the required intelligence on the region ::

:: Not necessarily the question he had been expecting, he takes a moment to think on it before responding. :: @LtCol Rak'nar: Hm. Well, Zuriyev seems sharp as a knife. I think I'd like to be on her good side, and she seems very capable. Slate seems a little more green, but like someone who can piece together information to solve a problem. I doubt he'll need things explained to him too carefully. As for Doctor McKenzie, a bit more enigmatic and aloof. I hope he has a good bedside manner, if he does, he'll do well here I think. I know marines don't like doctors, so maybe a bit of detachment will help him, even.

:: Rak'nar just grunted softly as he considered that assessment. :: @Maj Eric Woods Detachment in a healer, perhaps. In a counselor...I have never chosen to avail myself beyond the required psychological assessments. As to the others...competence, you may take as a given. But it will fall to you to ensure they deliver far more than simple competence. Let there be no mistake; I am master of this ship, and those lives aboard. The Starfleet Marine Corps dictated it so. But as my second, YOU are leader of the crew. Their representative, their advocate, and their taskmaster.

@Maj Eric Woods The others have received their assignments. This is yours. Build on this. Learn to know your people, see to it that they they are the best versions of themselves, individually and collectively. Because I expect nothing less.

:: he nods firmly, agreeing with the assessment of his duty. He's glad to know that his staff's competence is considered a given by their Captain, and that the Captain will give him the space as well as the support to fulfill his role as head of staff. He looks forward to what this new assignment will entail, and he feels more confident than ever in his role in all this. He smiles, a glint of strength in his eye indicating his satisfaction with how the meeting went. :: @LtCol Rak'nar: Aye, Captain. You'll have my all, and I know you'll find that satisfactory. :: he stands :: Let's go find those colonists.

:: Rising to his feet as well, Rak'nar met that nod with a vicious snarl. :: @Maj Eric Woods And take the heads of the cowardly filth responsible. Since they're almost certain to make extreme action on our part necessary, of course. Any misgivings there?

:: A storm washes over Eric's expression, his lip curling back to reveal one of his canine teeth reflexively :: @LtCol Rak'nar: None whatsoever.

:: having already left to do final inventory check on the medical bay ::

:: Now seated at her meager desk in her just-as-meager office, she's made the requests to SFIA and has already started her tactical assessment when they arrive. Thankful that the Agency is always prompt, AJ begins integrating the new information into the briefing that the Colonel expects. ::

@Maj Eric Woods Hmm. :: Interesting. Gratifying as it was to see that he and his new second were already of a mind, the intensity was frankly more than he would have expected. Most humans in his experience, even marines, tended to be more weighed down by a culture that balked at the taking of life even for their basic sustenance. Was it simple outrage at this act of brutality committed against his fellow citizens that inspired this ferocity, or was it more personal for him? Well, Woods would get to know the crew and ensure their focus. Rak'nar would make as close a study of Woods. But as the mission progressed.:: @Maj Eric Woods That will do. Two hours, Major. See it done.

@LtCol Rak'nar: Aye, Captain. :: He nods, not answering the Captain's curiosity because he doesn't sense it immediately through his mood. It wasn't a deep or incredibly personal story, but he had his reasons to feel especially attached to victims of kidnapping. As for his lack of inhibitions about the idea of taking life, some of his past missions could account for that. Some people, he had found, could not be reasoned with. He turned and headed out the door before realizing he should probably give his staff a couple of minutes to get settled before he checked in on them, so he begins a pattern of the hallways at a brusque pace, being sure he's got the layout all settled in his mind before any (non-simulated) action might occur ::

:: After a bit of wandering, he feels satisfied that he's given his team enough time to complete their tasks, or at least give a reasonable update on their tasks. He makes his way to @Cpt AJ Zuriyev's office, trilling the door signal to indicate his arrival and respectfully waiting for the invite inside. ::

:: Without looking away from the terminal that's reflected in her dark brown eyes, she answers, "Come in." Upon seeing the XO enter her office, AJ immediately stands and snaps to textbook attention: "chin up, chest out, shoulders back, stomach in,"" as goes the centuries-old military mantra. :: @Maj Eric Woods: Sir!

:: chuckles, waving a hand through the air as if to brush aside the tension in her posture :: @Cpt AJ Zuriyev: At ease. How's it coming?

:: Zuriyev responds with a textbook at ease posture, relaxing slightly as she widens her stance and clasps a wrist behind her back. :: @Maj Eric Woods: Quite well, sir. Starfleet Intelligence has already responded to my request for information, and I am nearly finished with organizing the relevant data into a briefing. :: with a hint of pride, she adds :: My department stands ready to go, as always.

:: manages a small smile, giving a single affirmative bob of his head. It was nice to see his right-hand woman was good at getting things done, even if she seemed a little overly formal. :: @Cpt AJ Zuriyev: Sounds good. And I'm sure I can trust you to come to me with any needs or problems you may have? In general, that is.

:: moves through engineering after his little speech to his supporting crew. They seemed oddly accepting, but he did feel an aura of uncertainty at him. It could have been one of many things: his lack of active duty on a starship, his Betazoid nature which he was sure they were all aware of, or the simple fact that marines were trained to question what they don't know while still maintaining their service. Regardless, they all scampered away to do their required preparations without a question. For that, he felt confident that he was moving towards a good place in his new post. ::

:: AJ relaxes slightly upon hearing that, and even a little more when she integrates it with their off-duty introduction in the 101st Club, though she still remains in an at-ease posture. With a nod, she does offer a small smile as she answers. :: @Maj Eric Woods: Yes sir, and thank you — I appreciate it being made clear that you are available to help, if necessary.

:: Eric claps his hands together with a note of finality :: @Cpt AJ Zuriyev: Alright, good stuff. See you back at the Captain's Table when your time is up at 1500 hours. Keep up the good work. :: he smiles, and with that turns on his heel and heads out of the small office. Next on his list, he makes his way down to main engineering. He almost makes a wrong turn but manages to catch the mistake after only a step, and fortunately it seems no one saw. He's pleased to see engineers abuzz with activity when he arrives, waving to flag down Nico from his work @1Lt Nico Slate: Lieutenant! How's it coming down here?

:: sees the Major enter Engineering, heads down the catwalk towards the entrance. ::

Crewman> Slate: Lietuenant, here's the update on the warp core diagnostics. :: hands him the PADD ::

:: rests his hands on his hips and looks around, taking in the entirety of the buzz that indicates work he's not specialized in understanding. Engineering was one of his weak points, but fortunately that was not the case for the people doing the work. It was good to see people knowing how they fit into the overall machine. :: @1Lt Nico Slate: Glad to hear it. No one giving you any trouble, I hope? :: he looks around to be sure no one is too close and lowers his voice :: Especially Rogers? :: he refers to an engineer who'd been written up a few times at his previous posting, a small red flag in the file Woods had read through. ::

:: For his part, Rak'nar had initially spent his time lending Slate some unannounced support, specifically by overseeing the cargo transfer...and by personally hauling the supplies about at a pace which the rest would hurry to match. The overall mission plan was, if not easy, at least relatively simple and any alterations would be made enroute, pending the content of Zuriyev's intel briefing. Thus, his greatest contribution to the expedient execution of his orders was as another strong back. Besides, if he had to get rid of his cherished gagh for this mission, he'd see it handled with care on the off chance the stasis field would keep it until their return. However, once he's satisfied that the acceptable pace has been established, he hands off the charge to a nearby Lieutenant and makes for his second intended stop. ::

:: He had essentially shot down an attempted contribution by their new physician during the initial briefing. Not with any judgement as to its worth, of course; information which McKenzie had not yet possessed had simply rendered the notion not viable. Were this a Klingon ship, that would have been the end of it, and at least theoretically, no Federation ship should be any different. But even after all these years, humans were still occasionally a bit of a mystery to him, meriting a bit of additional consideration. So, a personal visit it would be. Having verified the doctor's location via the ship's computer, he strode into the ship's compact sickbay. In truth, McKenzie's office was actually second only to his own in size, built as it was to accommodate visitors without feeling entirely claustrophobic, but the rest was basic. An operating area with two cutting edge biobeds, a supply room beyond, and little else. But that did at least make the master of the space easy to find. ::

@1Lt Caelum McKenzie Lieutenant. Can your task spare a moment?

:: hears the footsteps, and turns away from double-checking the supply list for medical, having put on the white coat that was common amongst the medical staff, to greet the Captain with a smile. :: @LtCol Rak'nar: Aye, Captain, I can spare a few minutes for you. Should I put up the privacy shielding for this conversation? :: gestures to two chairs tucked into the corner where he had setup a small desk-space. ::

:: Noting what seemed to him an odd use of the limited space, Rak'nar took it in with a quizzical arched eyebrow, an affectation he'd unconsciously picked up from his former second in command over the years, then moved on. Holding up a hand, he shook his head in the negative in regards to both chair and privacy. :: @1Lt Caelum McKenzie I've nothing to say that needs hiding from any ears. I simply came to be assured you had the resources you need.

:: AJ nods and yes-sirs in response to the Major's farewell, thinking a bit as she watches him go, and a corner of her mouth quirks up a bit with a stray thought, but she only fully relaxes once the doors close and return her privacy. She sits back down and returns to her work, eventually finishing the briefing with time to spare. ::

:: blinks a second or two, trying to figure out who Rogers is. :: @Maj Eric Woods Uh, not that I know of. But, I've only just in the last 36 hours started to verse myself on my team. Rogers? He's on the night shift. Maintenance guy, I think. I don't think I've talked to him personally yet. What type of issues are we talking about? :: Nico's mind swims as he mentally goes through all the performance evaluations he's read. So many... so, so many. ::

:: nods solemnly, not having expected Slate to remember every name or service record on his team just yet, just wanting to have him prepared for any issues that might arise :: @1Lt Nico Slate: You got it, night shift maintenance guy. He got in a fistfight with another officer on his last posting over a parrises squares game. And then another one over some something to do with a hyperspanner. Bit of a hothead, apparently. Hopefully you never notice an issue, but if he ends up giving you trouble you can let me know.

@Maj Eric Woods Well, joyous day. I'll keep an eye on him. I don't have time to deal with unruly officers. Hot-tempered is one thing, but physical altercations won't be tolerated. I appreciate the heads up and if there's any trouble, I'll definitely let you know if I can't handle it myself. :: gets passed another PADD from a passing worker. :: No, 24 micron alignment, not 42. Fix it, please. :: hands the PADD back. ::

:: nods firmly, satisfied with that answer. He glances at the PADD during the short exchange, smiling and resting his hands on his hips :: @1Lt Nico Slate: Alright, well, I'll get out of your hair. Keep up the good work and remember, if you need anything, I'm your guy.

:: With the briefing complete, AJ uses the remaining time to inspect her department before the Minuteman's departure. It's nothing formal, since she trusts her people to do their jobs, but she takes a walk through with an appraising eye, starting with the ship's weapons systems areas. ::

::As no immediate deficiency in sickbay's resources was in evidence and the new ship's surgeon was settling in the the captain’s satisfaction, Rak'nar nodded once as he grunted his approval.:: @1Lt Caelum McKenzie Very good. If ever an issue should arise that you do not feel you can bring to Major Woods for whatever reason, you know where to find me.

ACTION> As the ship's chronometer ticked inexorably down toward the designated time of departure, Rak'nar wrapped up his final communication with command, briefing them on their projected timetable and receiving the coordinates of several courier drones which their superiors would attempt to insert within enemy space. Assuming said insertion was successful, that would be the only available exemption from their required comm silence. That done, and an update on his computer informing him that the cargo transfer had been completed slightly ahead of schedule, Rak'nar exited his office, turned left and competed the short walk onto the bridge. Nodding to handful of officers assigned to the control center, he settled into the center chair and punched up shipwide::

@Minuteman Crew Minuteman, this is the commanding officer, and the time is now. Prepare for departure. Engineering, we await your confirmation of full system readiness.

:: AJ has now assumed her usual place at the tactical console on the bridge. When the Colonel enters, she looks up from her diagnostics and calibrations on the weapons and defense systems and offers a professional nod. From experience, AJ knows that he usually speaks shipwide when departure is imminent, so she does not yet offer an update on tactical readiness until he's done. ::

:: hears the Colonel's call :: All: Okay, everyone! Disembarkment procedures go. Double-check all systems! Lock down non-essentials for departure. You! :: points :: Make sure all the relays are online and the engines are ready to go. You! :: points :: Check plasma relays and the impluse manifolds for any irregularities! :: Nico realizes that he doesn't know any of their names yet, but the ship needs to be ready to go. Once he gets notification from people that all is okay, he nods in respect to all of them. :: All: Good work! Here we go! @LtCol Rak'nar Engineering to Bridge, we're good to go, sir.

@1Lt Nico Slate Very good, engineering. Bridge out. ::At that, Rak'nar nodded to the first officer, seated at the helm. That would be a new dynamic to get used to. He'd have to think on how best to minimize disruption if he had to dispatch Woods to lead a shore party. Just transfer Helm function to the secondary scroll center and relay orders via comm, perhaps? Well, there was time yet to develop and perfect that system.:: @Maj Eric Woods Major, signal the fort to retract umbilical, then back us away. Thrusters out to 10 kellicams...er, 20 kilometers. After that, show me what you can do.

:: having already verified final crew compliment, received final readiness status from her department, and secured their departure clearance from the dockmaster, AJ reports in to the Colonel before turning her attention to the Major, as she's also curious to see what he can do :: @LtCol Rak'nar: Tactical and Operations systems and personnel ready, and we have departure clearance from the Fort.

:: had meant to ask how the doctor was doing, but not only did the Captain beat him to it, it had already come up on time to leave. He made his way directly to the bridge and slid into the seat in front of the NAV console, logging in and ensuring that everything in it was as the simulations had been. He glanced back at the Colonel, a curious dynamic indeed, it would be very different than standing next to each other, but there was a reason he'd volunteered to do the flying. Anecdotally, he had been a legend in the moon-cart racing world. And of course his academy record spoke for itself, he had all the qualifications to be a test pilot for new and experimental craft, so this? This was nothing. :: @LtCol Rak'nar: Aye, Captain. :: he presses a few buttons, smirking. :: Kellicams is fine, too. :: The umbilical withdrew back into the fort, the ship drifting away from it then slowly beginning to pick up speed. Eric cracked and then wiggled his fingers. He set the ship into its intended course, then when a safe distance from anything else he allowed himself to play around a little. He ducked the ship into a spiral, then a corkscrew, straining up against the limits of the inertial dampeners, skillfully avoiding disturbing the crew but getting a good feel for how tight of a turn his new ride could take. Then he jumped into a set of evasive maneuvers, similarly testing his limits with starting, stopping, and juking. The only interruption to the smooth ride were the wild view of the viewscreen, and the feeling of an elevator reaching its floor when he was done. :: :: spins around in his chair, patting his console affectionately :: LtCol Rak'nar: She's a beauty.

:: AJ studies the way this new pilot flies, as it's quite important for the helm and tactical officers to work in tandem during combat. She and Thrace had gotten to the point of predicting each other's actions, so AJ hopes that she can find such a rapport with Woods. During the flight, she runs a few targeting exercises on simulated enemies, but also takes a moment to appreciate his skill at the helm, and nods, suitably impressed with the display of piloting prowess. ::

:: watches on his console the process of disembarking, smirking with excitement, but also trembling slightly with nervousness. :: Self internally: All right, Nico, here we go. :: turns around and looks at his crew, hustling and bustling about their duties. He admired their abilities and their dedication, but he knew that most - if not all - of them had been out on a ship in the vastness of space doing God-knows-what. He was green at this, though tactically and engineering trained. His biggest concern right now, as funny as it was, was the challenge to starting learning people's names. That would come in time. ::

:: He can't help but chuckle at the description, noting the stark contrast with the last pilot he regularly shared a shift and space with. Major Thrace, while she had always capably gotten the most out of the ship, would frequently and profanely curse the way "this damned pregnant cow" handled in anything other than a straight line. Rak'nar had taken some exception to it at first, before coming into a certain affection for the Andorian's temperamental charm. And in fairness, compared to the starfighters she'd been used to, the Minuteman had hardly been designed with agility in mind. :: @Maj Eric Woods Indeed. A pity that its purpose is to go unseen. Now, please take us on a heading of 147 mark 255, maximum warp.

:: Nico returns to his office and starts perusing the crew database to familiarize himself with his crew, leaders of other departments, and other staff that he may interact with. He starts putting together a list of descriptive traits, jop positions, and shift rotations. He makes the conscious decision that, even in his off-hours, he will pop in to establish his connection with shift-leads and those crew that he won't regularly see given the schedule. Some people are already on his radar (names, ranks, postings, etc.), and some people he hasn't seen at all. This would be a serious undertaking, to be sure, as they were looking to him to lead. :: Self: This is going to take some work.

:: Eric could feel the ship’s weight, and it had some quirks he was already filing away that weren’t exactly like the simulation he’d been practicing in. In truth, it was a bit of a clunker. However, Eric was one of those people who believed in being nice to technology just in case. He could even occasionally be caught saying “please” to the computer. :: @LtCol Rak'nar : Aye, Captain. :: he gets right to the proper course, then takes a look around the bridge at all his fine officers ::