The First Starfighter

Posted on Tue Nov 5th, 2024 @ 9:11pm by Captain Malcom Llwyedd & Petty Officer 2nd Class Fhiri & Commander Siora Carberos & Lieutenant Henry Hamilthon Sky & Lieutenant Jackson Smith & Lieutenant Soto Gantt

1,811 words; about a 9 minute read

Mission: Interlude 1 Gamma Quadrant
Location: USS Firebird, Deck 1

[ON]

Malcom arrived in the conference room and saw that Kipp had already set out a steaming mug of what he suspected was mango green tea. He smiled and made his way to the chair at the head of the table and sat down. He'd invited his new Chief Engineer, Commander Carberos, Lieutenant Gantt, Petty Officer Fhiri, his new Chief of Flight Operations Lieutenant Sky and, Jackson to a meeting that he hoped would help alleviate some of his concerns about DS18's defensive capabilities.

Henry, as a newbie, did not want to arrive late for his first briefing, so it was with his PADD under his arm and his most beautiful smile that he entered the conference room, nodded to his Captain and went to get a chair or sit while waiting for other officers.

Siora trailed closely behind the officer in red. She had yet to meet many of the crew, as she was still getting acclimated, but a summons to the conference room for a meeting with an undisclosed agenda had come. In the meantime, she was swamped with coordinating repairs on DS18, ensuring her presence there, and upholding her duties on the Firebird. It felt akin to juggling holca cats amidst flames while being assailed by the Jem'Hadar.

Malcom smiled at two of his newest officers. "Good morning to you both," he said, waving them into their seats. "I hope that you both are getting situated in your new quarters. Lieutenant Sky, I'd like to introduce you to Commander Siora Carberos, our new Chief of Engineering. Commander, this is Lieutenant Henry Sky, our new Chief Flight control officer. The two of you are the newest additions to the Firebird and you will both be critical to this crazy scheme I have in mind," Malcom said.

Henry at the sight of Siora jumped from his seat and greeted her.

"My respects Madam, I am happy to meet you, I hope that we will have the opportunity to get to know each other with this new mission."

Siora grinned at the young man's spirited demeanor. "Oh, just call me Siora. I'm a sprightly 285 years young," she quipped with a wink. "Madam status is still a few centuries away for me!" With a chuckle, she gave the man's shoulder a friendly tap.

Malcom was pleased to see the new officers getting along right away. "Commander Carberos is the voice of wisdom in our meetings. Or at last I hope she is," Malcom said with a grin. "Ah I think I see Lieutenants Smith and Soto as well."

As the turbolift ascended, Jackson hastily buttoned his uniform, attempting to smooth out the wrinkles and regain a semblance of composure. He winced as he patted down his hair, encountering a tender lump beneath his fingers. His hand shifted to his eye and he gingerly felt the soreness. Hopefully, the black eye he was about to have wasn't too noticeable, he thought, grimacing.

He'd just come from a tense meeting with a particularly unpleasant Kadrin informant, a far cry from the smooth dealings he was used to with Zulg. Gorlab, it seemed, was nowhere near the skilled businessman his cousin was, and Jackson was finding it increasingly challenging to prop up the Ferengi's fledgling information network. Still, it was a necessary step in his plan to infiltrate the underworld, and he was determined to see it through.

The turbolift doors slid open, and Jackson stepped out, squaring his shoulders and forcing a confident stride as he approached the conference room. Jackson noticed his friend, Lieutenant Gantt approaching from a separate corridor. He nodded to him as he took a deep breath, steeling himself for the meeting ahead. With a casual air, he slid into the room, nodding to the Captain and casting a quick glance at the two new officers.

The first was Lieutenant Henry Sky, the new Chief Flight Control Officer, taking over Jackson's former post. A pang of longing resonated within him as he briefly imagined a life where he could have indulged his passion for flying. He quickly pushed the thought aside, burying it in the graveyard of what-ifs. He looks young, eager, Jackson mused, observing the new pilot. I wonder how long that'll last.

His gaze then shifted to the second officer, Commander Siora Carberos, the new Chief Engineer. She was an intriguing figure, her jet-black hair streaked with vibrant pink highlights hinting at a playful personality. Jackson recalled her file: an El Aurian, nearly three centuries old. She must have some stories to tell, he thought, making a mental note to engage her in conversation later. He also needed to gauge her stance on his and Gantt's... extracurricular activities.

With a practiced ease, Jackson flashed his trademark smile, nodding to each officer before taking a seat across from Commander Carberos. He then turned his attention to the Captain, ready for the briefing to begin.

Nodding to the others, Gantt slid into his seat quickly and smoothly. Not easily. Not anymore. Everything felt a shirt a half-size too tight. He pulled up his PADD to go over some ideas he'd cobbled together over too many nights staring at the dark ceiling over his bed. Too many shadows lived beside him. Gantt suppressed a shiver and focused on the schematics in front of him.

The last person to arrive was the lowest ranking member of the group Malcom had created. Petty Officer Second Class Fhiri marched into the room, nodding at the Captain and sliding into the seat farthest away from any officer. Her uniform was wrinkled and she had black smudge on her right cheek. She set down the two PADDs she was carrying and scooted her chair closer to the table.

"Thank you all for coming. I know that everyone here is busy with not only their usual jobs but also additional duties that have been assigned to you," he said, looking at each of them in turn. "I can assure you that your work is appreciated. Having said that," he added and then grinned. "I am going to have to ask you all to do more. I've been reviewing the defensive capabilities of the Firebird, DS18 and our new fleet that grows daily with Commander Rees and Commander t'Aegis. To be honest, we're not thrilled. If the Coalition decided to return in numbers, they could make life very unpleasant for all of us. I would like to create additional defensive measures. The idea made me think of my time on the Iowa and how effective our fighters were. We don't have anything like that here but we do have industrial replicators and some very smart people. Do you think you could create a fighter that would be effective against the Coalition?"

Henry begins to enter data on his PADD: "I think I will be able to help you with the software part of the project, I have a lot of data on the best ways to use vectors and accelerations at the right time."

"They need to be extremely agile and maneuverable," Siora stated, tucking a bothersome pink hair strand behind her ear that had been irritating her all morning. "They should be lightweight, powerful, and simple to produce, with a solid defense system included. Given that resources are scarce due to the station's repairs, we can't afford to lose many once we have an adequate reserve," she added candidly.

Jackson leaned back in his chair, acknowledging the expertise of those around him. He knew his strengths lay elsewhere – in gathering intelligence, not designing starships. Besides, he didn't want to step on Henry's toes; the young officer seemed eager to prove himself in his new role.

I can be of more use behind the scenes, Jackson thought, his mind already sifting through the growing network of contacts he was cultivating through Gorlab's enterprise. With the right specifications, he could potentially uncover valuable technological data that could aid in the fighter's development.

He turned to Siora, a polite smile gracing his lips. "Commander," he began, his voice carrying a quiet confidence, "if you wouldn't mind sharing some specifics on your desired capabilities – agility, weaponry, defenses – I will see what intel I can dig up. I'm happy to help in any way I can."

Gantt edged into the pause the followed, hoping Siora wouldn't mind the interruption. "My suggestion is we don't over-engineer the specs in an attempt for maximum efficiency. Shoot for modularity that lets us swap out parts easily to take advantage of the different tech here and minimize our main problem--not having an endless array of the latest Starfleet tech at our disposal. We need to remain creative and flexible."

Siora glanced at Gantt, giving a firm nod. "Absolutely! Piling on the tech just turns into a time-eating monster later on—think updates, fixes, or tech tag-outs. I'm all for a 'keep it simple, smarty' approach: use what we've got, make it snazzy yet straightforward, and above all, make it tough enough to take a beating." She paused, her brow furrowing in thought. "Modular's the way to go. Imagine a 'plug-and-play' system for our fighters—fly in, patch up, fly out. Keeps our defence up without a fuss." Turning to Lieutenant Smith, she smiled. "Thank you, Lieutenant. Spill the beans on the local critters and The Coalition's firepower, any information would be helpful. It'll give our fighters the edge they need."

Henry handed his PADD to the captain and told him that he thought he had noted all the ideas during the meeting. "And now sir, what do we do?"

Malcom grinned. "Now, Lieutenant, all of these experts are going to work together to build it and then you are going to have the opportunity to make sure it works like we want," he said. "Let's make this a top priority. I can't shake the feeling that something bad is going to happen sooner or later and we need to be prepared."

He looked each of them in the eyes. "Get it done."

[OFF]
Captain Malcom Llwyedd
Commanding Officer
USS Firebird NCC-88298

Commander Siora Carberos
Chief Engineering Officer
USS Firebird NCC-88298

Lieutenant Jackson Smith
Chief Intelligence Officer
USS Firebird NCC-88298

Lieutenant Henry Hamilthon Sky
Chief Flight Control Officer
USS Firebird NCC-88298

Lieutenant Soto Gantt (NPC by Leed)
Assistant Chief Engineering Officer
USS Firebird NCC-88298

Petty Officer 2nd Class Fhiri (NPC by Llwyedd)
Computer Systems Specialist
USS Firebird NCC-88298

 

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