Prologue -- Episode 1

== Shuttle Tidirium ==

Shalla watched as the shuttle cleared the Earth's atmosphere. The stars became clearer and the San Francisco shipyards came into view. Numerous ships were in her berths, awaiting repairs, resupply, or picking up crew replacements. Off away from the main docks was a section where older ships were being recommissioned. The shuttle banked away from the main section and towards the older ships.

In the midst of the recommissioned/decommissioned docks was the USS Invincible. It was an Excelsior Class Refit that was being brought up to replace some of the ships that had been lost. She remembered how Reynolds had laughed at her which they were discussing the ships they were assigned to. He had been assigned to a Galaxy Class Starship, the USS Revenant. She also remembered the look on his face when she broke his nose.

Now she was on her way to her first assignment... a Tactical Officer. The shuttle came about and made for the hangar of the Invincible. As the shuttle sat down, Shalla exited the shuttle, stopping only long enough to thank the pilot. Then she walked across the hangar. Despite being at the tail end of a refit job, the hangar was almost completely empty. She entered the ship, noticing how differently the older ships' hallways looked compared to the new one. It was like staying in a grand hotel after staying in one of those modern ones.

Turning to the left, she made her way to where the living quarters were at. Her quarters were on Deck 7, Section 9, Room 12. She had just enough time to stow her gear before she had to report to the bridge.

His vessel was steaming along from the asteroid belt... Just past Mars hrbhad left the belt with four other ships, cadets. They had setba friendly wager about how close one could get to an asteroid before maneuvering on to another asteroid, the closer the better. He had won, not unexpected, he was a good pilot, a combat pilot. He had spent the last hour or so giving lessons of sorts, explaining how you could feel the distance from the asteroids, feel the places of the different visual or audio cues. He had said goodbye and set course for the ship yards.

He wouldn't take long to get there and he just set back and watched the stars go by.

...

The yards loomed infront of him, he opened a channel to the station, "This is the Leonardo requesting permission to approach the Invincible."

Bringing his ship to a halt at the appropriate place.

Darco idly piloted his small ship into the shuttle bay. He was a pilot and almost wishes that he could have ran off to the asteroid belt beyond Mars to teach a few of the cocky cadets a thing or two about flying. He always enjoyed that, he wasn't mean or anything but sometimes young ones (especially humans) needs to be taken down a notch, not a big notch but just enough to make them think.

He didn't though, he had been assigned this runabout not for personal use but it was his job to pilot, inspect, and maintain the craft. He had seen it done before and he hoped it meant he was close to promotion. He was a bit green for command roles and other than a few times on the night shift he had yet to be put in command of anything. He would have to take care to make a good impression with the CO.

He grabbed his things after signing the runabout into the ships inventory and doing the necessary "paperwork" and stopped off at his assigned room to freshen the uniform and such. Then... Off to the bridge to check in.

...

The turbolift slowed to a halt and the doors opened quietly. Sounds of a working bridge filled his ears. He smiled, he knew these sounds and for him, such sounds just meant the hearth of home. He had spent most of his life in space.

He left the turbolift and stood at attention near the command module of the bridge as was protocol, "Lieutenant J G Darco reporting for duty."

His posture was perfect... If a bit eager. At attention his bulky Klingon frame and height seemed to tower over most humans. One Bajoran commander had actually asked him to slouch so she didn't have to strain to look at him. He wondered for a moment if his deep voice was too loud, some people got the wrong impression from that. He hated beig nervous, it was not his natural state.

Sarah stood before the Admiral the young Bajoran woman was grinning from ear to ear as she heard every last word that he muttered to her. The incident that had landed her in the Admiral's office was two weeks ago, and they had decommissioned the Kennedy afterwards. Their faces still rang inside her head, after she managed to pry the bridge turbolift doors open she had contacted a replacement staff. She was the most senior officer on the ship being that most of the crew was pretty junior save the Captain and Exec.

"Lieutenant having seen your performance following what Starfleet is calling the Terra Incident we have extended to you the chance to become a Command Grade officer. For now you are going to be under probation and retain your rank of Lieutenant. If you are successful and we know that you will be, then you will receive your promotion. A position on board the U.S.S. Invincible under Commander Matthew Archenon who is also pretty new at command has opened up. Starfleet, and myself, feel that you are ready to take on this role, please gather your belongings the first shuttle to San Fransisco leaves in two hours. You are dismissed Lieutenant!"

Clarke could see the joy stricken in his face as she nodded stood at attention and saluted. It was at this point that she went to the temporary quarters she had been given and gathered her things. She smiled looking at the red uniform that she was wearing though Sarah missed engineering greatly. After a brief moment of gathering her belongings the Bajoran made her way to the shuttle station and boarded. The flight didn't take long, and she was at the shipyards looking upon the Invincible.

.:.USS Invincible.:.

Sarah stepped on board being led to her quarters by the transporter chief where she would quickly place all of her items. Once she felt settled it was time in her mind to head to the bridge, her new office could wait until after she met with the Commander. Once she had stepped inside the turbolift she turned to face outwards, "Bridge deck one." She felt it take off as thoughts of the Kennedy continued to bother her it was after all the bridge where everything had taken place.

She stepped out looking around the ship was sort of old looking, but that didn't matter to her, it was her first permanent tour of duty as an Executive Officer and she hadn't served for twenty years yet. It was going to be difficult for her to get used to this area of a ship again after a week and a half of intensive counseling she felt like she could try to tackle the fears she swallowed upon walking onto the bridge. "Commander, I am Lieutenant Clarke Sarah your new Executive Officer."

(Tag Matt)

-- Tag Matt --
Darco relaxed considerably, yeah he had been a bit too intense. He smiled, "Yes sir, I would love to sir, she's a fine ship. A fine ship indeed!"
-- /Tag Matt --

He moved over to the CONN station, the person sitting there got up gracefully and he sat down, moving the console into position. He actually liked the retro-style wood panels and the relaxed reclined position of the seat and the view of the main screen.

Moving his hands over the console as the doors slid open again, he glanced over for just a moment to see a Bajoran XO. She was cute... Best keep that to himself. He began working the controls and checking out the ships specifications, readings, etc.. He smiled to himself at the smooth console controlling the vessel.

The Bajoran woman though young for being an Executive Officer did as ordered and sat down in the chair next to where the Commanding Officer sat. So far she was longing to be inside Engineering again, but this was her new place it was all apart of rising in the ranks she presumed. The Lieutenant looked at the helmsman for a moment before turning her attention to the Commanding Officer. "So Captain tell me about yourself please?" She asked him.

(Tag Matt)

She nodded listening to what he had said, recalling for the moment also that he had mentioned her service record. The Bajoran knew that it was in there about what happened on her previous ship the Kennedy, but she wasn't aware of anybody other then the Admiral she had met with to have read it. It could only have made sense she presumed. "What made you choose command?"

(Tag Matt)

When his CO mentioned that he father had been a helmsman Darco put in a word quietly, enough to be heard but not enough to break their conversation... He said lightly, "All great men come from pilots or people who wish they could be pilots."

His deep voice was quiet, calm. He wondered how many people would expect his Klingon voice to be rough and angry. It wasn't, he smiled to himself. Listening. He knew that Federation had lost a lot of ships to the Dominion.

Shalla had just finished stowing her gear. To her, that meant open the door to her quarters, look inside and chuck her gear on the couch. Because she was the interim Tactical Chief, she had a bunk all to herself. I could get used to this,, she thought. Looking at the time, she knew that she was due on the bridge in the next 10 minutes and it wouldn’t do for her to be late… not a good impression indeed.

Now she was making her way up to the bridge, wringing her hands, trying to work out the nervousness. Her appointment to the Invincible had been last minute and she had not had time to see anything about the CO or any of the bridge crew. While she would pick up on their personalities and preferences, she liked to be well informed before going into a situation.

The doors opened and Shalla stepped out. Already on the bridge was the CO and who Shalla assumed was the XO, given their placement in their respective seats. Up before them was a huge Klingon Male at the Helm. I could use him in Security, thought Shalla. Then she grinned. Later, I’ll find out how I compare to him in fighting skills. Shalla prided herself on being a force to contend with, even with her small stature. In fact, it was a weapon that she could use at any moment. Most males would overlook her abilities due to her size, but many of the suffered broken noses or limbs as a consequence of that assumption.

She approached the CO before taking her position at tactical.

“Lieutenant JG Shalla Itris reporting in, sir. I am got be your Security/Tactical Chief.”

{tag Matt and Others}

She sat there listening to him speak, and for a moment she smiled and nodded every so often. He had good reasons for choosing to be a Command Grade officer. She really didn't know her reasons other then it had been offered to her by an Admiral in Starfleet Command. That wasn't a totally good reason to be honest, but she was content with it all the same.

"What about you, Ms. Clarke? A service record only tells so much about a woman."

She looked at him, "Well, I'm from Bajor obviously I mean look at it." She gently touched the ridges along her nose for a second, "My father was a Captain in Starfleet he served aboard the Providence and was killed close to the end of the Dominion War during the Battle of Cardassia protecting his best friend and XO when the ship was boarded. My mother still hasn't recovered from that instance. In fact she wasn't too pleased when I joined Starfleet myself. That was okay my dad's friend Ronnie came to my graduation, and I got to put his pip's on him when he made Captain."

She smiled, "He received word that I had been selected to make Executive Officer and was the primary push that I had to become an Exec." It was at this point that a woman in yellow stepped on the bridge and approached her and the Captain. She was new in fact most of the crew was new since the ship had been slowly been coming around to come out of the shipyards. She looked out the viewer towards the edge of the yard and space. This made her smile, "Welcome aboard!" She responded to the Security Officer.

(Tag Everyone)

Lieutenant Joshua Seetar stepped onboard the USS Invincible. He gazed around the older hallways and made his way (slightly aided by the computer) to his quarters. He moved as quick as possible without running since he was a little late to the bridge.

As the Chief Engineering Officer and Second Officer he felt the weight of his responsibilities aboard the ship. Much of the welfare of the crew depended on him, something he wasn't used too. Josh was excited to serve with his good friend, Matt Archenon, but hoped he could satiate and impress the Command staff.

Josh checked in for a quick visit at his dorm to make sure all was stowed and then headed straight for the bridge. He received a few curt nods from random officers and enlisteds along the way and he returned the gestures. The newfound respect gave him a nice feeling. He stepped aboard a turbolift and shot off for the bridge.

On the way he straightened his uniform. He had been issued a new one, since his old had maintained rust stains and the like, but he had refused to turn it in on his old stay as CEO. The new one felt too clean and sanitary. "We'll change that soon..." he thought.

The doors opened and he stepped aboard the bridge. He saw a gathering of the senior staff and headed for there. "Hello everyone. Lieutenant Seetar reporting in, Commander."

(tag everyone)

"I am sorry for your father..." he muttered. He was not a sentimental type, but this was his best way of expression. He turned as an exotic woman entered the bridge. Matt turned to discreetly whisper in his Bajoran XO's ear. "This one'll be a fun crewman."

It was alright, she had grown used to her father not being around, though she did miss him terribly sometimes. More so when she was on the bridge then any other place on a ship it reminded her of her childhood before Daddy went away to war. That sudden surge of sadness was quickly washed away though when he whispered in her ear. She smirked looking at the woman that stood there, it was at this point that a Lieutenant stepped on the bridge and stood before them.

"Hello everyone. Lieutenant Seetar reporting in, Commander."

When he spoke her cheeks turned a sudden flushed shade of pink for no real reason then she covered them. "Sorry...Welcome aboard Lieutenant. I was an engineer prior to becoming an Exec. I'll most likely be down in Engineering later if that is alright with you? Just got to look at the engine room you know..."

(Tag Seeter)

"I look forward to it, ma'am. I haven't had the chance for a runaround of the systems and such but I'll make sure it's spick and span on your arrival." He turned the Commanding Officer. "It's good to see you again, Matt."

(tag Sarah and Matt)

(tag Matt and Everyone else too)

Darco listened to all this go on. He was almost glad his piloting comment went unnoticed on. Without knowing how Archenon waned to run his bridge, it shouldn't have been made. When the, apparently, security officer went to tactical he smiled a bit. She had the step and the feel of a warrior. One warrior could always tell another when they walked into the room. The dangerous one, well no... The overtly dangerous ones... The really dangerous ones were the ones you couldn't peg as a warrior.

Darco waited until the Chief Engineer finished speaking and asked, "Sir, may I ask, do we have an ETA on departure? I am looking forward to seeing how our ship handles after its refitting."

(/tag Matt and Everyone else too)

Shalla spun on her heels as Lt. Seetar appeared on the bridge behind her. “If I may, I would like to take my console, sir”, she said to the Commander. “I need to see what this baby can do.”

{Tag Matt}

Shalla moved up the ramp and to the rear of the bridge, where the tactical station was located. She decided not to correct the Commander in front of the bridge staff on the mispronunciation of her last name, but she would bring it to him in secret. Standing behind the CO and the XO, Shalla began to type in commands on the console, setting up her preferred settings. While it had a default setting, she had grown familiar to a certain way of looking at things and wanted to retain that layout. After a few minutes, her setting were locked in and set. She had the computer save them to her voice command so that she could go to any station and pull up her settings at those consoles as well.

The Invincible sported an impressive array of weaponry for a ship so old. It had fourteen Type 8 phaser arrays and two torpedo launchers in the forward arc and two in the aft. Better shielding and upgraded hull armor rounded out her defenses. While it was an older ship, Shalla preferred the personality of the older ships.

Being the interim Security Chief, she also noted that a skeleton crew of security and tactical officers were onboard with the rest arriving with the bulk of the crew later in the day. Sorting through the information, she began to sort the crew into shifts and squads, notating several for their ground experience and others for their skills and achievements. While most security types saw this type of work as boring and tended to put it off, it actually stimulated Shalla’s analytical portion of her brain. It was like solving a puzzle with living beings being the pieces. It only took her a few minutes to re-organize the shifts. She, of course would remain on Alpha Shift until relieved, at which point she would go wherever the new Chief would want her.

As she worked, she kept loosely involved in the conversations happening around the bridge. Most were introductions, but one question did pique her interest. It was from the huge Klingon at the Helm.

“Sir, may I ask, do we have an ETA on departure? I am looking forward to seeing how our ship handles after its refitting.”

Shalla stopped and listened for the answer. She knew that most of the crew would be arriving later on, but maybe the Commander want to get a feel for the ship before they officially left the dock.

(tag Matt)
Darco smiled and brightened immediately, if that adjective really ever applied to a Klingon. Leave... Leave was good...

As Archenon finished his departing words Darco said happily, "Thank you sir, I'll put it to good use."
(/tag Matt)

(tag Shalla)
The Security Officer Started to leave the bridge... He always did have a thing for the Starfleet security types... Good with weapons, dangerous, and most of the time the ones around his age were short tempered. What more could someone ask for?

Standing up he set his console to automatic, a junior flight officer would be up soon to take his place, the computer would notify the next person in line to report to the bridge. It always did. He glance up at... Shalla was her name did she say?

"Ma'am... Mind some company? Security is sort of... A hobby you might say, if you don't mind a tag-along?"

(/tag Shalla)

Joshua left the bridge and headed for engineering. He took the turbolift down and whistled quietly to himself.

Josh exited the turbolift and saw only a skeleton crew of officers on duty. "Who's in charge here?" he asked, looking for his most senior officer on duty. A NCO stepped forward. "Me, sir, Chief Petty Officer Malcom." Josh nodded at him. He was slightly troubled none of his commissioned officers had arrived yet but he knew it would all work out.

"Nice to meet you, Chief. I'll take command." The Petty officer nodded and stood aside. "Alright, everyone. My name is Lieutenant Joshua Seetar, Chief Engineering Officer. I look forward to working with you all. Now, I want everyone doing something. This ship needs to be in tip top shape for launch, so let's get to work, eh?"