JDL | Commodore Ivanova & LT Khan | On With The Show

Posted on Fri May 22nd, 2015 @ 6:56am by Admiral Rochelle Ivanova

1,168 words; about a 6 minute read

Mission: Agua Mala

Finally, the day had arrived when the young Lieutenant would be taking her place at the helm of the massive Discovery class ship that had been named Vindicator and she would be the one in charge of piloting it through the depths of space. New frontiers, new planets, new species and countless opportunities to say that she had safely navigated them there. To Kelly, it was more than simply entering in numbers to let the computer handle everything - not that the computer didn't do a vast majority of corrections, but it was pilot instinct and finesse which truly mattered.

Arriving on the bridge, the young Lieutenant - indeed the new Chief of Flight - wore her uniform as if it were a code of honor, one which she would not violate. Her wavy brunette hair was elaborately done in a French braid and her hazel eyes sparkled as she relieved the crewman who had been on duty while docked at Cold Station Theta. Taking her seat at the conn, she let her eyes rove over the controls and flexed her fingers in anticipation.

Getting an incoming message, she looked over her shoulder. "Cold Station Theta has cleared us for departure on schedule, Sir."

"Perfect." Ivanova replied, sliding into her seat with a cup of tea in hand. "Reports are that all crew are aboard, all supplies taken in, and Enterprise has received the same clearance." She mused out loud as she scrolled through the information presented to her. "Release docking umbilical, Lieutenant, prepare for departure."

"Aye, Sir," Kelly responded, her fingers dancing over the controls. "Docking umbilical is cleared." Her hazel eyes darted over the conn and checking the reports. "All clear, Commodore." Her fingers poised over the Helm controls, her mind going down a checklist of what she was about to do, but she didn't presume to second guess the Commodore. Some Captains wanted everything exactly their way and she wasn't about to make an assumption that her current commanding officer wanted it any differently.

Rochelle hummed around a mouthful of tea, nodding appreciatively at the sound of progress. "Ops, hail the Enterprise and inform them of our departure, they'll be waiting for our mark. Lieutenant Khan, take us away at quarter impulse, no need to terrify the locals or shake the station. Once clear, warp 6 to these coordinates," Rochelle's fingers flew over the command console, shooting the aforementioned numbers over to the brunette, "Once there, we'll confirm the Enterprise is with us before we enter the badlands. Heading through there..." She sighed, crossing her legs, "Will take a lot of fancy flying according to the information given to us by the Stenellian Ascendancy. I'm sure you'll navigate it just fine with minimal scrapes and dings?" Rochelle's eyes glittered with her good humor as the final pieces of information were relayed across. Toying with the young bird handler was not only easy, it was tradition.

Laying in the coordinates, Kelly began to ease the humongous ship away from the station using the maneuvering thrusters at first, then once she was angled away from the station at a forty-five degree arc from the station, she engaged one quarter impulse until she reached the minimum required distance as stated by Starfleet regulations. Checking the coordinates, she entered them in and set warp speed to six and engaged. "Warp Six engaged, Sir. The Badlands, Commodore? That should be a walk in the park." Yes, the young woman had a lot of confidence, but inwardly she cringed. She had heard about the notorious storms in The Badlands and hoped that all of her training had prepared her to take them on without getting the ship destroyed.

The wryest of smiles painted itself across the Commodore's coral lips, "I sincerely hope so, Lieutenant. This empire managed to stay hidden for thousands of years before initial discovery and then for nearly thirty more when the route was lost." She replied, casting a knowing glance off in the direction of her more seasoned bridge crew. "Vindicator is a valiant warhorse, but remember that she's paving the way for the Enterprise behind her. What this ship can take, the Enterprise may not. She's almost half our size in comparison and much older."

"Understood, Sir," Kelly replied as she brought up the navigational surveys that had been taken of The Badlands. There were no definitive easy ways through the massive plasma storm, and a frown crossed her lips for a fleeting moment as she plotted various ways through the most recent survey. Many ships had been lost in the storm and even more had sustained some type of damage. The Commodore's words placed a heavy responsibility on her shoulders and she dedicated her full train of thought to possible solutions, trajectories and maneuvers which would aid in navigating the celestial tempest. It was ironic that the Enterprise, the former flagship of the fleet was both older and less able to take more, but she wouldn't want to see the loss of any hands. "I am confident that we will come through in a reasonable condition, Commodore," she said at last. "I will not lead the Enterprise into an area where their chances are less likely."

"That's what I wanted hear, Lieutenant." Rochelle nodded, keeping her eyes on the viewscreen. "Projected ETA?" She asked, watching the stars whip by as the Vindication stretched her proverbial legs, happy to be back in space instead of cramped up on a nearly too small outer docking pylon. The older stations always had trouble accommodating her, the newer ones had been designed after the initial building of the Discovery class and, as such, had made stipulations and improvements to design that left relatively welcoming arms wide open for a visit from one of the massive mechanical beasts. Lucky for them... There was only one. Rochelle soothed the palm of her hand down along the leather arm of the command chair as if to reassure the ship of the pride she took in her.

"At Warp Six, estimated time of arrival is six hours and fifteen minutes, Sir," Kelly replied after glancing at the readouts on the terminal in front of her. She looked up at the viewscreen, watching the stars 'approach' them and go by but knowing that the ship was the only one moving. She really wanted to see what the Vindicator was truly capable of beyond the specifications, but knew that there would be a time and place for everything.

"Perfect. Ops please relay this information to Enterprise and tell them to hold on to their butts once we get into the badlands." Rochelle nodded. "Lieutenant, you have the conn. I'll be in my ready room."

"Aye, Sir," Kelly responded, happy that she had the opportunity to make preparations in advance of entering The Badlands without anyone breathing down her neck.

Lieutenant Kelly Khan
Chief of Flight
USS Vindicator NCC 78213-E

&

Commodore Rochelle Ivanova
Commanding Officer
USS VINDICATOR, NCC 78213-E

 

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