Flying Mr. Curmudgeon

Posted on 15 Oct 2016 @ 2:47pm by Captain Nathan Cowell MD & Lieutenant Commander Shelby Adams

Mission: Prelude; Breakfast at Curmudgeon's
Location: Various
Timeline: MD -1: 1030hrs

Fresh from her private party with friends and family at the new family home on Kovar, Lieutenant Commander Shelby Adams had soon embarked on the short journey to Starbase One, the temporary home of her new assignment, the starship Arizona.

Aboard a Danube Class Runabout, the Commander had been travelling for some three days, but thankfully, she had not been alone. She had shared the journey with two other Starfleet crewmen who she had learnt would be assigned to her ship. One, Ensign Harry Jones, fresh out of Starfleet Academy, was quite a little bright spark, a modern day Wesley Crusher if you will. He had graduated at the top of his class and was annoyingly talented in the field of engineering and the Auburn haired Lieutenant Commander was sure that he would make Chief within the next two years – based on the boys ego if nothing else.

The second, Petty Officer Kozak, a Bolian, had been in the fleet for some 15 years and was vastly experienced. The Petty Officer was content as an enlisted man and had no delusions of grandeur. He knew his place and was content with life.

Adams had found her niche too. Yes, she had enjoyed nearly every minute of every previous assignment, but as she sat there at the helm of the Runabout (the ship actually on auto pilot), her legs resting up on the console, she couldn’t help but think that her career was incomplete, that there was more that she wanted. She certainly did have delusions of grandeur, often dreaming of what life would be like as a commanding officer. Now, her dreams and ambitions were taking a step in the opposite direction. Instead of moving further up the ladder, taking her first job as an executive officer, Adams was in fact taking a lateral move, assuming the same role she had held on the Prestige.

“Hey, Commander.”

Shelby turned her head to see the young Ensign enter the cockpit, stretching and yawning as he took a seat to his superiors left.

“Morning Harry. Sleep well?” She asked, her head the only part of her body to move and look towards her young companion.

“Better than Kozak I think. He was tossing and turning all night.” Harry informed with a bit of a grimace. “How far are we from Starbase, if you don’t mind me asking?”

Shelby pulled her feet down off the control pad and placed them firmly on the carpeted, metallic deck of the Runabout. The Commander tapped the console and smiled. “20 minutes Ensign. Eager to get started down in Engineering?”

“Very,” Harry smiled as he tapped away, taking care of a few things whilst he had the chance.

Grinning and shaking his head, remembering how he had been on the way to his first assignment, Romaes decided he would take the ship off of auto pilot and pilot it the rest of the way.

“Incoming transmission for Lieutenant Commander Shelby Adams.”

The voice of the computer surprised the two occupants, the Commander tapping a second control area of the main computer screen before her. The transmission was text only, forwarded to the Runabout from the Arizona itself. She opened it on the screen and read whilst the Ensign assumed flight control.

“To: Lieutenant Commander Shelby Adams, USS Arizona
From: Lieutenant Shantic Romaes, USS Equinox

Message Reads: Hey Shel, it’s me. Just wanted to let you know that I miss you already and I’ll be looking out for you from time to time, hopefully I’ll be able to bring the Equinox on by and say hello. Remember, save up your free time and I’ll see you on Risa in four months. Rom x”

Blushing as she read the message from her next of kin, the Commander downloaded the message into a data PADD for posterity. She loved him and he loved her, even if neither of them had been brave enough to say it yet. Besides she knew his career came first. He was an old softie though, that was something she loved about the Bajoran.

She’d first met Romaes almost three years earlier whilst aboard the Livingston and the two had hit it off straight away. Ever since, they had met up whenever possible, with frequent stop over's at Deep Space 10 and Starbase Five Sixty Five the perfect opportunity to do so.

“Ma’am, sorry to interrupt you, but I took the liberty of increasing our speed. We are approaching the Starbase.”

Adams glared at the Ensign quickly before smiling and nodding in response. She must have been day dreaming for longer than she had thought. Placing the data PADD down and opening a communiqué to the Starbase, the Commander prepared for final approach. “Starbase Control, this is the Runabout Winchester, requesting permission for final approach.”

There was some time between the message and the acknowledgement from the station. As the Commander waited, Petty Officer Kozak entered and took a back seat, giving a silent nod to the Lieutenant and the youngster in the co-pilot’s seat.

“Runabout Winchester, this is Station Flight Ops. We are experiencing heavy traffic around the Station. Please reduce speed to one quarter impulse power and stand by to be tractored in.”

With a sense of apprehension, the Commander gave a funny grimace to the Ensign beside her and then a wink to the Petty Officer behind the youngster before slowing the ship down, after all, she didn't fancy bumping in to any of the larger vessels they could see in and around the Starbase. Sitting back as the tractor beam took over and slowly guided the Runabout towards the station, Adams could do nothing now but wait.

"Hope the food's good," the gruff sounding Bolian scoffed from his position in the back.

==[Transporter Room Two, USS Arizona - Twenty Minutes Later]==

The hum of the transporter coming to life filled the transporter room of the Arizona, the Chief at the control station watching the progress of the transport intently as the body of a person started to re-materialise on the transporter pad. The flash of blue light was enough to blind anyone staring at it as the Chief faffed with his controls and sure enough, a few seconds later, a fully formed female in command red stood on the pad, carry case slung over her shoulder.

"Thanks Chief," Adams smiled, stepping off the pad and towards the door.

"Err, Commander," the Chief called out, stopping the man in his tracks.

Adams turned and looked at the Enlisted man and smiled, stepping closer to the controls as she waited to see what the man wanted.

"The Captain wants senior staff to report in ASAP," the older male informed.

Adams tapped the control console in acknowledgement, and gave a nod. "Thanks Chief," she smiled again, this time departing without interruption. First she would drop off her bag and then pay a visit to the bridge.

==[Bridge]==

The turbo lift doors to the bridge opened and Shelby Adams was deposited firmly onto the bridge of the Sovereign class starship that would be her home for the next tour of duty in her career. Now all she had to do was find the Captain.

A tall man wearing the mustard colors of the Security department took notice of the Lieutenant Commander who had stepped off the turbolift and cleared his throat, "Can I help you, Commander?"

"I'm looking for the Captain," Adams responded, looking the man up and down and noting his rank insignia.

"Captain Cowell? He's in his Ready Room as always," Lt. McChet replied, indicating a door down toward the fore of the bridge, "Though if you want my advice, I'd say don't waste your time with the door chime, he's only going to ask you what you want. Best to just walk on in. I've yet to see the Old Man throw anyone out for it yet."

"Thank you Lieutenant," the red head smiled with a polite nod before wandering over to the Captain's ready room, deciding to follow the advice of the man she had spoken to. She walked up to the doors and pressed the button that opened the door. She walked inside and spoke clearly. "Commander Shelby Adams, reporting for duty sir."

The Old Man sitting behind the desk glanced up from what appeared to be a book and grunted, "Good for you." It took a moment before Nathan picked up what seemed to be his bookmark and placed the item on the desk. He then leaned back and swiveled in his chair to face the woman. He motioned vaguely toward the chairs in front of his desk and watched the woman sit down.

"If I remember right, you're the pilot they sent me," Capt. Cowell remarked.

Taken aback at the older man's remark it took a moment for her to register the offer of a seat, but once she did she swiftly pulled the chair out and sat down. "Yes sir, I am your Flight Controller," she confirmed with a nod before adding, "it is an honor to be here."

"You flown anything this big before?" Nathan asked as he rocked slightly in his chair.

"No sir," the Commander shook her head as she mentally recalled all of her previous assignments. "The Kensington was the biggest. An Akira class," she told in case the Captain had no idea what class of ship the Kensington was, but she got the feeling he probably wouldn't care.

"Well, I don't know much about those boats so I can't say whether you'll have a bitch of a time handling this one or not. What do you do when you aren't flyin' around?" the Old Man shrugged.

"I've been known to visit the holodeck from time to time," the female smiled as she recalled the last time she had been in the holodeck - it had been a hoot! "I'm also fond of trying regional beverages at the local watering hole," she grinned. Truth be told, she had visited many a watering hole in her life time.

"Well, the Gulch has some good stock... though the good stuff you'll only get to have off-duty. Don't want people drunk at the helm... hell, I wouldn't even let people ride a horse when they were drunk back in the day. Couldn't even stay on the damn thing... Speaking of which, how are you at paperwork?" the Captain asked rather abruptly.

Once again, the Captain had surprised her. Twice within the space of a few minutes. "Paperwork... I do my fair share as required sir," she confirmed with a nod. Deep down, she hoped this wouldn't land her with too much more work, wherever this conversation was headed.

"Well, when you aren't flying, how about you take those skills of yours and apply them to personnel reviews and what have you. Put you on the fast track to your own boat one of these days. You get some real world experience, I get more time to nap. I call that a win-win situation from the word go," the Old Man said.

"I'll gladly accept your offer Captain," the woman smiled as she ran a hand through her hair. "Is there anything you would like me to do now?"

Nathan thought it over for a moment before giving her a shrug, "Nothing comes to mind. Since we ain't flying anywhere at the moment, maybe you want to hit the other departments up and see how their coming along with making ready to leave. Get to know the crew while you're wondering about, that kind of thing."

"As you wish Captain," she nodded as she rose from the seat she had occupied. "I'll get all my stuff situated and then I'll do the rounds," she told.

"You do that, Commander," Nathan waved the woman out before returning to the book he'd been forced to abandon when she'd walked in.