Not So Common Introductions

Posted on Mon Aug 13th, 2018 @ 10:20pm by Jasper Offermans

Mission: Mission 7 - Sabotage
Location: Operations deparatment
Timeline: MD02 11:00
1326 words - 2.7 OF Standard Post Measure

ON:

Jasper was a little disheveled after crawling around Jefferies tubes fixing breaks in conduit and COM lines. He had managed to clear quite a few but still had a half a dozen between levels 4 and 5 to get to. Overall the ship was getting in much better condition but it was an old bird and needed perhaps a little more TLC than a new one. His hair was a bit disheveled and there was a dark streak on his forehead along with a few beads of sweat that stood out on it. In his hand was the kit he had filled up with supplies earlier in the day and it was nearly empty now. He walked into the department and drew in a deep breath holding up his PaDD to make sure all the records were up to date.

"not done yet," he muttered pressing his lips together firmly, "not quite anyway."

"Ship like this will keep us all busy," Tucker answered, even though there wasn't a question being asked. "Sorry, I should probably introduce myself first. I'm Tucker Youngblood, I just signed on as the Chief of Operations. Haven't been on one of these old girls since my training days in Starfleet Academy."

Jasper looked up started and a bit confused. At first, he thought he was somehow out of uniform and back on a Starfleet ship then he broke into a smile, "Oh hello sir, I don't think we have met yet. I'm Jasper and I attended the academy too but the ship was pretty new then."

"You're one of the popsicles! Please call me Tucker, we're not Starfleet anymore," Tucker chuckled softly. "She's got a nice patina on her now. So you woke up, took a look around and decided to stay? Why not go back to Starfleet?"

"Popsicles?" Jasper furrowed his brow and then chuckled, "you mean one of the ones stuck in the transporter for so long." He shook his head, "well would you go back to an organization that decided to keep you in cold storage for a hundred and fifty years?"

"I must have misunderstood, I was under the impression they kept you in cryo, but it was the transporter buffer," Tucker nodded in understanding. "I studied the way Montgomery Scott did it, quite fascinating. Are you saying Starfleet left you in there? They knew and didn't pull you out?"

Jasper nodded, "we were an inconvenience from what it seems." He chuckled, "look they left a transporter room alone for a hundred and fifty years while the refit the rest of the ship, seem odd to you?"

"A bit," Tucker furrowed his brow, it wasn't like he had the greatest Starfleet experience but to leave a bunch of officers in a transporter buffer that long seemed odd. "The more I'm learning about this old ship the more fascinating it seems to get."

"That it is sir," Jasper said with a nod, "who would have guessed she'd still be in use so many years after she was built." He chuckled and drew in a deep breath, "if we treat her right she could make it another hundred and fifty years."

"As long at the super structure remains intact, this ship could be rebuilt from the ground up a thousand times. I studied some of the refit programs they did for the Excelsior class for the Dominion war," Tucker said. "They refit the Lakota with thirty type IX phaser banks. She was a beast, but in the end it was easier to build more Defiant class warships."

"Ok wait," Jasper held up his hand as if to stop traffic, "thirty torpedo bays and what is a type ix?" He chuckled, "you must excuse my ignorance, I haven't exactly figured everything out in the twenty-fourth century yet."

"Oh come now, you know what a phaser bank is. The tech has evolved, but it's the same concept. This ship had type VI phasers when it launched, when it was refit it had type VII installed. Type IX phaser banks would be two generations beyond that," Tucker arched one of his brows. "They're a lot more powerful."

Jasper chuckled, "not quite what I meant, though it is what I said." "I knew this ship had type VII torpedoes when she launched, I just haven't seen any schematics for the new versions, wanted to know how different they were, if they still worked on the same principles."

"I imagine they do, just have smaller components or are more efficient," Tucker answered the young officer. He might be out of time, but they were still both former Starfleet. "How long have you been out of stasis?"

"Just a few months," Jasper replied with a smile, "trying wrap my head around all new stuff." He chuckled and shook his head, "nearly jumped out of my skin when I realized we had a Romulan Doctor. Last I knew the Federation was anything but friends with them."

"They're still Romulans, but all the aid the Federation gave them after Romulus was destroyed they seem to have warmed to us," Tucker chuckled. "Still though, we're on the outside of things. It works differently out here and can make for unlikely bedfellows."

"Romulus destroyed?!" Jasper's expression was one of shock as he heard about the home-world distraction for the first time. He shook his head, "I guess I have some history to catch up on. He looked down for a moment then back up with a sheepish grin on his face and reddened cheeks, "Just learned about Betazoids from a crew member, she was kind about it though."

"Yeah, happened a few years ago. It was a real mess," Tucker shook his head. "Betazoids are a pain in the backside, when I was in the academy there was this gorgeous and I mean absolute knock out of an Andorian woman in my squad but there was this Betazoid punk that wanted her too and used his brain magic against me. Ended up getting a little bloody."

"Brain magic?" jasper furrowed his brow as he considered what he mean't, "Andorian, at the Academy?" He shook his had and drew in a breath, "so Betazoids have some form of telepathy, sort of like Vulcans? " "Now Andorians are able to attend the Academy? Wow!"

"They don't have to touch to use their telepathy," Tucker arched one of his brows. "What year did you say you were from? Andorians have been allowed into Starfleet since they helped found the Federation."

Jasper laughed, "2246 is when we were put in the transporter buffer." He nodded at his superior and smile, "Oh yes they were part of the founding species of the Federation but there wasn't a single one in the academy that I was aware of when I was there and we didn't have one aboard." "I guess my brain is still not altogether yet."

"I'll do my best to help, but I've always been better with ships and military life than I have people," Tucker said with a shrug. "My suggestion would be to have the computer sum up key events over the time you lost."

"Sort of a brief history of the Federation?" Jasper raised an eyebrow for a moment and nodded, "now that I can do though I can't say history wasn't ever my favorite subject." He chuckled as he drew in a deep breath and walked over closer to the COM, let's hope they didn't forget to update that portion of the LCARS."

"Might not be your favorite, but it doesn't hurt to learn. Besides I doubt there will be a test at the end," Tucker chuckled softly. "Well Jasper, looks like I got a lot to teach you about the world you've found yourself in."

"Thanks," Jasper chuckled, "i might be able to teach you a few thins about this old ship too."

OFF:

Jasper Offerman
Operations
S.S. Mary Rose

Tucker Youngblood
Chief Operations Officer
S.S. Mary Rose

 

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