Transitioning To The Sitting Bull--Lae'Or

Posted on 12/22/2020 @ 2:05pm by Captain Cian D'Anvers

Mission: S3E1: Time of Change
Location: USS Sitting Bull, Captain's Ready Room
Timeline: Day 95 at 0930

Tahlin stepped onto the bridge of the Sitting Bull with a bit of trepidation. This was the largest Federation vessel--no, scratch that, largest vessel from any power--that she'd ever been on. The bridge was, by her standards, cavernous. Still, she didn't think the transition would be too bad, with familiar faces around, notably the captain and CMO. That said, she did have a twinge of regret that K'Taal couldn't be here, but her girlfriend was off on her own adventures, scaring Vulcans and defending the Federation.

Signaling the captain's ready room, she waited to be admitted.

"Enter," Cian called out. His Ready Room, on the port side of the ship, just off the Bridge, was larger than he'd expected. Following the theme of grays and blues found throughout the ship, the walls were painted a very pale gray and the rug a medium gray; the desk and coffee table were both done in dark gray wood from Alpha Centauri. His desk sat directly across from the entrance to the room, sandwiched between a long credenza, also done in the same richly grained wood, and two chairs, done in midnight blue. To the right, was a step up into a sitting area with a long sofa and wing-backed chair, also done in the same midnight blue. The step led up on the left, to the right of the seats facing the desk, and a low railing ran the length of the raised portion of the room. On the far right was a replicator and wall unit that was used for storage. The walls were adorned with artwork, from his personal collection; music was playing softly, a concerto for Trill piano and Taresian Chimes. In this serene environment, Cian sat at his desk, reading, and looked up as the door opened.

Tahlin entered. "Captain..." She saluted. "Lieutenant Lae'Or, reporting aboard, Sir." Taking in the room, she was privately very impressed but would say nothing until the captain spoke to her. She winced just slightly as she came to attention; she was still a little sore from the survival test she had to take. Alice Springs, Australia and its environs were not conducive to comfort, and it was the site of survival training for a good reason.

"As you were ... and welcome aboard, Lieutenant," Cian said and waved her in the direction of one of the two chairs that sat facing the desk. "I hear you passed your survival test."

The Bajoran sat, gratefully. "I did... Still a little sore--I'd almost forgot how brutal Australia can be. Still, it's over, and I know they make us do it for a good reason... I like the look of the room--they certainly don't skimp on the small touches, do they?"

He looked around the room, trying to see it from a perspective other than his own, and compared that to typical Starfleet decor and nodded thoughtfully. "Not a Starfleet vessel," he said at last, "and we're going to be out on our own for quite some time. The designers said that they wanted to give everyone a chance to feel energized by the workspace and their quarters, as much as that was possible." He shrugged slightly. "So, I gave them my ideas and we worked into the design some of my own things. I think it turned out alright."

"You could have been an artist," she told him, quietly. "On to more important things... I've looked over the specs--I'm impressed. What's this subspace aperture drive, though? I know it's not quantum slipstream--I'm familiar enough with that, even if it gives me a headache."

"If I remember correctly, it's a way of opening artificial wormholes that pull the ship and close thereafter," Cian said as he picked up his coffee mug. "For more detail, I would suggest you sit down with our new Chief Engineer, Lieutenant Walking Bear. She'll be able to give you a more complete understanding, I'm sure."

"I intend to... Are you familiar with the phrase deus ex machina, Captain?"

"No, I don't know it," Cian said as he picked up his coffee mug, emblazoned with the logo of the Sitting Bull on its side, and took a sip.

"It's a human expression... It means "God from the machine"--no idea what the context of that is supposed to be... Anyway, it basically means that something is implemented to make things easy, almost too easy... I'm a little skeptical of both the quantum slipstream drive and subspace aperture core, as I think we miss something if we go too fast. Still, the Sitting Bull is a marvel of a ship, and it will be my pleasure to fly her into anything you might wish... Just don't ask me to fly into an ion storm too frequently--I hated that part of the training. "She gave the older man a grin.

Cian chuckled, shaking his head at the same time. "As I recall from my history classes," he said, "that's not a new notion by any means. I think it was intended more for escape than everyday use so cheer up, we won't be using it all that often. As to the rest, I know that the Omantu Expanse is going to be challenging from a navigational perspective so no promises on that score."

"Right--I'll be sure to brush up on that... I think I'll send out a message to everyone, just in case they feel the need to get flight re-certified... If you approve, Captain?"

"Of course," Cian said. "Automated probes don't last long in the area but this," he swiveled to the credenza behind him and picked up a PADD, then turned back and passed it over, "should give you the essentials."

She took the proffered device. "Thank you, Captain... I'll be sure to study this... If there's nothing else, I think I'd better go look over the shuttles. A helmswoman can't just be on the bridge all the time, no?"

"Especially not when the ship is in orbit," Cian said and, smiling, added, "Dismissed."

A Post by:

Captain Cian D'Anvers
Commanding Officer
USS Sitting Bull

and

Lieutenant Lae'Or Tahlin
Chief Flight Control Officer
USS Sitting Bull