You've Been Thunderstruck (Part 1)

Posted on Wed Sep 20th, 2023 @ 6:11am by Commander Patricia Cooke & Lieutenant Charlotte E. "Charlie" Yeager & Lieutenant Commander Tsukasa Izumi & Lieutenant Commander Lahki Bakshi Dr & Lieutenant Akira Kogami & Lieutenant Zelea Arlidd & Lieutenant Zara Ghemora
Edited on on Wed Sep 20th, 2023 @ 6:12am

1,082 words; about a 5 minute read

Mission: Auld Lang Syne
Location: Manhattan Fleet Yards and USS Missouri
Timeline: 8 PM, January 1, 2400

The Delta Flyer runabout Bluesmobile dropped out of warp at the edge of Manhattan Fleet Yards. It had been a long day, pushing the runabout's maximum warp as much as possible to reach Manhattan Fleet Yards. But alas, here they finally were:

Lieutenant Yeager was at the controls. As the arrangement inside the ship was pretty tight, with the ship at it's maximum crew and with both Yeager's children and Tsukasa's son Shouta on board, was well exceeding its maximum passengers.

"Shipyard traffic control, this is runabout Bluesmobile, requesting permission to redock with our mothership, the USS Missouri." Charlie radioed in.

"Runabout Bluesmobile, confirmed." The controller responded. "Proceed to Dry Dock 21."

"Roger, proceed to Dry Dock 21, Runabout Bluesmobile." Charlie signed off.

Patricia had joined Charlie in the cockpit once the runabout had dropped out of warp. Her eyes scanned the drydocks they flew past, most containing ships in varying states of construction and repair. Soon, they were approaching a row of drydocks that housed Bellerophon class starships. These odd starships looked like Odyssey class starships, but in the iconic shape of Intrepid class starships.

"So, which one's the Missouri?" Patricia asked.

"If I've plotted our course right, it should be..." Charlie muttered. "That one!"

Charlie pointed to a Bellerophon class starship that didn't seem all that different from the other ones in the row. Yet, the sight of the ship made Patricia's blood run cold, knowing that the ship they were approaching bore the name of the ship which her grandmother served aboard, and many generations further into the past, her ancestor as well, and she was the one being trusted to sit in that center chair on the ship's bridge, with her hero's younger sister at her side as her number one.

Naturally, it was all quite overwhelming, and with tears of joy forming in her eyes, Patricia instinctively reached for the right side of her upper chest, running her finger along her three full rank pips:

Commander Patricia Martin Cooke; Commanding Officer of the Starship Missouri. Now, that was something Patricia could get used to saying.

"Should I perform a flyover, Commander?" Charlie asked.

"Affirmative, Lieutenant;" Patricia nodded. "Let's give the crew a look at the power about to be unleashed."

Nodding, Charlie's fingers danced over the console as she brought the Bluesmobile in for a flyover.

Stamped on the Bellerophon class' saucer section ahead of a running light projector was the ship's name and registry number:

U.S.S. Missouri
NCC-78316

"So this where it all begins," Akira was the first to speak up, moving up behind the pilot's chair to get a better look. "NCC-78316; fourth Federation Starship to bear the Missouri name, and eighth vessel overall..."

"Pretty staggering, isn't it?" Patricia responded. "And I'm third in my family to serve aboard one. First to actually sit in the center chair."

Akira glanced over at Patricia smiled. "Your grandmother would be proud of you, Patty, you know that?"

"Kogami, not a day goes by where I'm not 100% sure she's smiling on me from up there." Patricia sighed.

Only once before had Lahki served on a ship fresh out of the Fleetyards, and it was her second-ever assignment, back on the USS Nightingale-a specialized Medical ship, meant to serve as backup to the ships that had come when her home was attacked. The Betazoid pushed that thought away, and instead stared out of the window.
"This is...admittedly...the coolest thing I've seen, and I have been around AWHILE," she said. She was the oldest crew member, but she still saw the awe in everything.

From what Zelea had seen of the USS Missouri so far she liked “very impressive vessel, Captain” the Engineer called from the appropriate bridge station.

Flyover complete, Charlie took the Bluesmobile on one final banking turn before entering the Missouri's shuttlebay through the open doors, touching down on the deck at 1907 hours.

As the shuttle's ramp lowered, Patricia stepped off the shuttle, allowing her lungs to take in their first helping of the Missouri's air before assuming a serious demeanor.

"Alright, people; let's not waste time getting underway:" She said. "Arlidd, I'll be expecting you down in Engineering. The rest of you, I'll be expecting on the bridge. Commander Izumi, Lieutenant Yeager, I'll permit you both time to drop the children off at your assigned quarters first."

Charlie nodded. "Thank you, Captain."

Tsukasa nodded in response. It was strange going back aboard the Missouri, especially since she had served on the previous ship.

“Aye” the Bolian Engineer made her exit from the bridge to take over things in Engineering.

"...What do you mean they aren't ready yet?" she asked the Master Chief having arrived early to drop off her things and get the first look at what should have been her office. Getting a less-than-satisfactory answer in return, a small chime coming from her subdermal communicator told her the Commander had finally come aboard, leaving no time for Ghemora to complain. "I guess I'll just have to be patient," she said handing the man his PADD back…

---

At 1915 hours, the stillness and calm of the Missouri's bridge was broken by the synchronized arrival of the port and starboard turbolifts on deck one, and their doors swooshing open to reveal the arrival of the Missouri's senior staff on the bridge, led by Commander Patricia Cooke emerging from the port turbolift, whose arrival was signaled by the sounding of the automatic boatswain's whistle.

When the whistle sounded, the junior officers of the Missouri's skeleton crew stood up from their stations and went to attention as Patricia strutted across the bridge towards the command pit. She gave a nod to the junior officers on duty.

"As you were." She said.

Officially relieved of duty, the junior officers made their way towards the turbolifts from which the senior staff had just exited as Patricia first lay eyes on the center chair- no, her center chair.

Wiping the tears from her eyes, Patricia turned to Tsukasa, whom had just arrived from dropping off her son at their assigned quarters.

"Commander, would you care to do the honors?" Patricia asked, referring to the order to call all personnel to their stations for departure.

"All hands take your stations please..." Tsukasa said, a hint of nervousness in her voice.

To be continued...

 

RSS Feed