AT/D02 - Bridge

[Tyra Crawford]

== The Bridge of the USS Artemis is a perfectly oval room located on Deck Two. The walls and carpet are the typical Star Fleet colors of beige and gray with consoles trimmed in faux chrome.

As one enters the Bridge, they will find the bridge divided into three levels.  The center of the bridge, near the stern, the Captain’s chair is found on the uppermost level. In front of the captain’s chair, one will drop down to a lower level with chairs reserved for the First Officer and Mission Advisor.  Taking another step down, one will find the Helm and Tactical stations.

Surrounding the perimeter of the bridge, one will find eight workstations.  Stations on the starboard side of the bridge include: Slipstream status, Engineering, Communications, and Operations. Stations on the port side of the bridge include Science, Environmental Control, Security, and Away Missions.

On the forward wall of the Bridge is the Viewscreen System, which is activated by voice or manually from any console as needed.  On the back wall of the Bridge is the Master Systems Display.

To the right and left of the Master Systems Display one has access to the rest of Deck Two, which includes access to the Ready Room, Briefing Room, Captain’s Office and Quarters, and First Officer’s Office and Quarters. ==

[Cassandra Givens]

>> CO Quarters >>

Cass tugged her bun self-consciously as the lift came to a stop, having already checked her uniform jacket during the short ride. For a second, the bridge seemed entirely empty as she stepped off the lift until a diminutive blonde wearing the purple of support made her presence known by standing up from the center stage. Cass had to briefly wonder if there wasn't a statement being made by the older woman's placement but Morgan was never anything other than polite and helpful in Cass' previous dealings with her.

"Commander," she greeted, though she was certain her smile came off as tense and a bit crooked.

There was a moment where she felt like she was being studied and assessed by the short lieutenant commander, dark eyes seemingly boring into her very soul. It had been a long time since Cass had felt the urge to squirm under someone's scrutiny but this tiny little quartermaster made her want to be anywhere but there.

"We have new orders," she continued, shoulders rising as if shrugging off the desire to flee as she offered a PADD to Morgan.

It was relief when her dark eyes dropped to the PADD but the relief was oh so short lived when the gaze came back on Cass with a hundred times the intensity. She could have sworn Morgan looked angry for the briefest of moments before her lips pressed together into a tight line.

"Captain, how many I assist?" Morgan's voice was crisp but there was an edge to it.

Cass blinked for a second, having expected a question or maybe, even an accusations but not an offer of assistance.

"I need to find Commander Coleman. Can you please notify the crew that they need to be aboard no later than 0630 tomorrow morning for launch?" She leaned forward and skirted a finger down the PADD in Morgan's hand until it hovered over a specific section of it. "I also need these individuals in the Briefing Room tonight at 2000."

She could see Morgan pause as she read the names, no doubt trying to determine what their significance was. However, instead of asking, she nodded all the same, her shoulders squaring and her expression slipping into a more pleasant, albeit it obviously fake, state.

"Of course, Captain. I will handle this immediately," Morgan answered, dipping her head ever so slightly before almost floating past Cassandra to the lift. The captain couldn't help but turn ever so slightly to watch the Quartermaster before the lift doors slid shut behind her, leaving Cassandra to commune with what was now apparently her bridge.

Her honey colored eyes regarded the center chair with trepidation as if she could possibly stave off this event by simply not acknowledging it and refusing to take custody of the chair. After a moment, she merely shook her head and turned towards the ready room, considering if it was captainly behavior to make use of her predecessor's misplaced bottle.

== ETL ... For now. ==

== Consider this the official recall, all player characters are to report to the Briefing Room for a meeting the night before launch (2000 hours). Recall issued by Lieutenant Commander Morgan. ==

[Miles Grant]

==Near launch==

<<Strat Ops<<

Having arrived to the Bridge fairly early allowed Miles to do the last minute Tactical and Helm checks beforehand so they would be confirmed and ready at the Captain's request. He wasn't all that surprised to find he was the Senior-most Officer present upon his arrival, considering how early he was. Per the schedule, Harriman would be slated to be at the Helm at this point just prior to launch, so he could trust her to do those checks as he set about with the others.

Given that he was the Senior-most Officer, his place was, at least for the briefest of moments, at the conn. Even though he had not taken the Command Certification as of yet (though he definitely aspired to do so sometime in the near future), he could still hold the conn with the ship still docked and the absence of anyone of higher rank/position. In the event of an emergency, it was his obligation to take Command, Certification or not. An obligation he would always take seriously, or else he would have refused the promotions he had received.

There was very little to do except wait and run any checks and diagnostics until it was time for the others to arrive.

==Tag all. GM input if necessary: Results of pre-launch checks and diagnostics, please?==

[Lucy Devereaux]

== Nearer launch ==

Lucy managed to get herself to the Bridge for 06:30. She couldn’t figure why anyone would launch at 07:00, but those were the orders given and she needed to be at her console in good time. Did mean an early morning for whoever on Delta Shift had been looking after the Science Console. It was standard nebula survey with tactical considerations. It looked like Lieutenant Grant had turned up before her. Lucy just shrugged and kept walking.

New responsibilities could be a lot. Miles had been ACTO, but now it was formalised. Lucy had her own responsibilities, but they were more in relation to herself than to her role. The officer in the chair was a little surprised, but didn’t mind moving onto something else for the rest of their shift. Lucy pulled up the standard diagnostics and let the computer run. The Artemis hadn’t been involved in anything dramatic, so theoretically the systems should be fine.

Sensors and associated systems were green. Integrating the new probes into the sensor network should be straightforward. The nebula would be a good test bed. Keep Starfleet happy and have a new probe for nebula surveys. Practical application was the goal. Keeping an eye out for Cardassian incursions was also useful. There was the matter of finding what was in there. Smugglers and the Maquis had a history with it, so there was something else to learn from it.

Lucy settled in for the wait. She needed to get through the mission and start to prove that she wasn’t a liability. Not saying or doing dumb stuff was the goal.

One step at a time.

[Omdor Jaein]

Jaein made a mental note to ask for a larger cup of coffee next time. He drained the last dregs of his coffee as the turbolift slowed and deposited him on the bridge, and sighed in disappointment. It had done it's job - he was more awake than he had been when the turbolift had started, though it was a matter of degrees - but he felt the lack of it in his cup keenly as he stepped off onto the sparsely-populated bridge.

Less bleary-eyed than he could have been, he walked around the room towards the engineering station. He'd discussed this with his team leads last night, but decided to ignore them and take this position himself for launch. While they had a strong point that his place was in engineering while everything was spooling up and getting into full running mode, he'd countered that at this point - barely over a day after being given the job - he didn't have the familiarity with the team to lead such an operation effectively, and that the apparent volatility in the command structure meant he might be more useful on the bridge.

Not that you have any idea what's going on there, either, he thought uncharitably. After all, it didn't seem like anybody had any idea what was going on here, not just him.

Instead, he sat down and set the cup on the surface next to him. He logged into the console with his credentials and pulled up his status board. It was one of his diagnostic programs he'd brought from the shipyards; there, it would read the new and unchristened Vesta's systems and give him not just go/no go's, but also would show some more detailed information on the primary screen, as well as allowing him to dive into them and find any more information if needed. It was likely overkill for this situation, but he could read it at a glance, and he'd found it never hurt to have more information than his commander needed.

As it launched, he absently lifted his cup to his lips before remembering it was empty. Disappointed and a little annoyed, he set it down with a hollow thud on the console.

==Tag anyone who wants to talk==
==GM Input for any required information if you want==

[Miles Grant]

As the pre-launch checks commenced, more personnel were beginning to enter the Bridge. The first of note was Lieutenant Devereux, one of the Science Officers. She made her way to one of the Science consoles, relieved one of the Delta Shift Science personnel, and began to do her own work.

Miles considered that Devereux was a good Officer, and was surprised that she hadn't climbed further than she had. Of course, personal aspirations could be considered, as well as other factors at play that Miles was not, nor needed to be at this point in his career, privy to. It could very well be a situation similar to his own and Harriman's. It could be something else altogether. Not something Miles needed to dwell on very long, as Devereux still did her job correctly and effectively.

The next person to enter caused Miles to stand from the center seat. The new Chief Engineer, Commander Omdor, came in with a cup of coffee and headed straight to one of the Engineering consoles. Miles frowned momentarily, but considered the fact that the Commander had come from elsewhere, and there may have been different procedures where he had come from, to include dedicated conn shifts. Nevertheless, until others arrived, he would now have the Bridge.

Miles walked over to the new Chief Engineer and addressed him.

"Commander," he said, respectfully. "Welcome aboard the Artemis. I don't believe we've properly met yet. Lieutenant Miles Grant." He gave the man a moment to respond before continuing.

"With your presence, I relinquish the conn to your Command, sir," Miles finished, awaiting the reply before he planned to head back to the Tactical station.

==Tags==

[Tyra Crawford]

== After the posts in the security office ==

By the time Tyra's boots hit the bridge decking, she was already on her third coffee of the morning and truthfully, she felt that low of a figure was an accomplishment based on what she had already been dealing with through the night and into the morning.

In addition to reviewing stop gap options to fill Coleman's position in the short term and trying to maintain her own sanity, she'd also hunted down Bill, though by the time she'd gotten to him it seemed like Givens had gotten her claws into him first. He'd chosen to play the conciliatory card over deny and evade, though she didn't think he would have chosen that tactic regardless. It usually just made her mad and she doubted he had wanted to have a knock down, drag out fight at 0200.

While she didn't believe Bill had told her everything, he'd, at least, given her two very interesting points to think about. He'd admitted that the plan to get her off of Earth had been in the works for weeks, though it had only begun to include her return to Artemis within the last two weeks when it became very clear to those on high that Coleman was coming precariously close to falling into the fire himself. While he had admitted that with seeming ease, he'd been reluctant to admit why he had been determined to send her elsewhere -- apparently the original plan had been to send her and Logan to the DMZ for a retrieval assignment -- and it was only when she became testy that he had admitted the reason. If she wasn't on Earth, she wouldn't be available to testify at Elias' trial and she wouldn't be able to take a final swing at falling on that sword with the very likely side effect of digging her hole deeper, which she had to admit was very likely. She'd admit now, after some sleep and some time, that her anger at having that choice taken from her shouldn't have been directed at Bill. He was doing what he felt he needed to do to protect her and she couldn't fault him that, not when she had tried to do the same thing for Elias.

His second point had cooled her anger almost immediately, though, as the truth of it had settled into her gut like a stone. If she hadn't returned, the wolves would have been circling Artemis before the handcuffs were even double locked on Coleman. If Bill hadn't placed Givens and assigned their mission, Artemis would have remained docked while the admirals threw their weight around to place their preferred candidate in the captain's chair. And given some of the names Bill had tossed out as the chosen ones of the committee, she couldn't imagine the chair would have been graced by any great leader. No, this way, even if Coleman never returned and Tyra chose not to remain beyond this mission, assuming it was even her choice, there would be more time for a worthy candidate to be chosen, not a political pick or puppet. That was a game she trusted Bill to play, for her sake and the Fleet's.

And her role to play in that game was to keep the circus under control and try to keep the fires to a minimum. She hoped, after her conversation with Mara, she had at least minimized the risks of a total implosion and yet experience told her that the circus -- this particular circus -- always managed to throw punches from the most unexpected places.

As her boots carried her further onto the bridge, her blue eyes swept the bridge quickly. Lieutenant Devereaux was seated at science, which was a rather brave decision on Aeryn's part as the new Chief Science Officer. Then again, she supposed having the poster child for poor decisions within arm's reach of Tyra would likely keep her from making any further poor decisions. Lieutenant Grant was also present and fortunately, Tyra didn't feel he fell into the category of a likely fire starter. He was reliable and dependable, which was what she needed most.

And then, there was Commander Omdor. She hadn't had a chance to speak to the Interim Chief, who she was very much trying not to view as Elias' replacement, but Givens had spoken highly of him, having vetted him personally. Tyra had combed through his file while reviewing Cera's list of possible acting first officers. His record was impressive and she had no doubt that he was a capable engineer, though she wondered if he was capable of filling Elias' shoes. And that was why she hadn't selected him; he had a monumental task in keeping engineering running in the wake of a rather abrupt and traumatic severance of its leadership and he didn't need to add protecting her sanity to his list of duties.

Only two other members of the crew had been seriously considered. She had dismissed Cera almost immediately; not because the woman wasn't capable but because Tyra needed her in her usual capacity, providing intel and information before Tyra even knew she needed it. Mayfair had been her other consideration and while she felt the young nurse likely would have been an excellent choice, she hadn't missed how haggard she had looked at the briefing. Whether a side effect of the last mission, its fall out or something else entirely, Tyra didn't know but she knew it wasn't a good starting point for what she would need out of a right hand for this mission.

So she'd looked externally and she'd selected the candidate, though a tad unorthodox, that she felt was up to the task of helping her reign things in. Or at minimum, not make them worse for her. She'd received confirmation that her request had been approved shortly after leaving security but she had some concerns that the approval might have come too late, despite having given the candidate a heads-up of her intentions. If worst came to worst, she guessed she'd be finding out how capable one of her own senior officers were…

"Gentlemen, how are the launch preparations going?" she asked of Omdor and Grant as she stepped down to the command level with a slight smile.

== Tag! ==

[Omdor Jaein]

==Apologies for the delay to replying, Miles; it's been a rough couple of days==

Jaein hadn't reckoned with one thing: it takes time for the programs he likes to run to load for the first time on a new install. The program did some fairly intensive polling of the internal sensors and the regular system monitors, cross-checking with maintenance logs as well. Subsequent runnings wouldn't require much in the way of update, but for the first activation, it had a lot of data to sift through to provide him the picture he wanted.

So, by the time Lieutenant Grant walked up, he still didn't know a lot more than he had before he went to bed last night. However, he set that aside as the younger man spoke up.  "Commander," he said, respectfully. "Welcome aboard the Artemis. I don't believe we've properly met yet. Lieutenant Miles Grant." 

Jaein stuck out a hand to shake, as he knew most humans preferred, and gave him a smile. "Commander Omdor Jaein," he said kindly, "though feel free to just call me Jaein if you'd like. I work for a living, or at least used to before they saddled me with the paperwork, too."

"With your presence, I relinquish the conn to your Command, sir," Miles finished.

Well, Jaein thought, I guess he'll still be calling me Commander for a while. He nodded, though he didn't get a chance to reply before the doors opened once again to reveal another officer, thankfully more senior than him. Captain Tyra Crawford walked onto the bridge, surrounded by the aroma of coffee and instantly making Jaein regret not going for the bigger mug, the empty by his station hanging ominously in his peripheral vision. Jaein kept his mouth shut for a moment, waiting on her for a moment.

She looked around the room, taking in the officers present, before she spoke towards himself and Grant.  "Gentlemen, how are the launch preparations going?" she asked, stepping down to the command level with a slight smile on her face.

"Still getting my diagnostics in, Captain," he said, "but all of the reports I've gotten from my officers so far say we're ship shape and ready to cast off on your word. Should that change, you'll be second to know - after myself, of course." He flashed a smile at her as well, offering a little humor at the start of the day. "I would ask, though," he ventured, holding up his empty cup, "I haven't memorized where your replicators are - closest place for a fresh cup?"

As he stood to follow her advice, he set a hand briefly on Grant's shoulder. "Guess she has the bridge now," he said, smiling. "Maybe we can meet up at some point for a drink."

==Tags!==

[Miles Grant]

==No worries. I know the feeling==

The introduction with the Engineering Commander, who told Miles to refer to him as Jaein, went well enough, with Miles taking the man's outstretched hand in a shake. Miles was usually one to stand on principal, so referring to Commander Omdor as anything else but was probably not going to happen. At least not on duty in front of everyone. Miles understood that some were comfortable doing so, but it was much more difficult for Miles. He had become more relaxed on his stance so that it didn't bother him when others were comfortable, but that was unimportant to the task at hand.

Before either could respond further, another person had entered the Bridge. This time, it was their wayward Captain, Crawford. She gave the Bridge a once-over before proceeding over to where Miles and Omdor stood.

"Gentlemen, how are the launch preparations going?" she asked. Omdor was the first to report, speaking on diagnostics and readiness. He then requested where he might locate a replicator for more coffee. Once receiving his answer, he made to locate the machine, though not before placing a hand briefly on Miles' shoulder, mentioning that Crawford had the Bridge now, to which Miles nodded, a small grin creasing his face.

"Maybe we can meet up at some point for a drink." Once again, Miles returned the smile and nodded, though did not speak openly. The mention of getting drinks wasn't an unpleasant idea, but there was a part of him still tensing due to how the Artemis crew's pension for drinking had been on embarrassing display during the meeting the night prior. Regardless, Miles quickly shifted his attention back to Crawford as Omdor departed.

"Tactical at the ready, Captain," he addressed her. "Also awaiting some diagnostics reports, but my Department is at full readiness." After giving his report, he made to take his place at the Tactical console, but paused and turned back to the Captain.

"It's good to see you onboard," he added before continuing his small trek to Tactical. There was definitely much left unsaid in his statement with everything that had happened and what the crew was made to believe of their Captain's fate.

==Tags==

[Carol Harriman]

After visiting the shuttle bay, verifying things were prepped and ready, Carol wasn't early to the bridge. As she arrived, she saw that Captain Crawford had arrived along with the proper departmental officers. She nodded to the captain and greeted her as she hadn't done so earlier. 

"Welcome back captain."

She continued to make her way to the helm position as Lieutenant Grant asked her. She nodded to her department head as she passed by.

"Sorry sir," Carol began. "Went by shuttle bay. All is good."

Carol slid into the seat at helm, as she spoke to Grant as she logged in. She began the typical pre-launch check routine, noting Grant had already started this, which she was thankful. She could just continue the work and prep navigation.

[Tyra Crawford]

"Still getting my diagnostics in, Captain," Omdor said, "but all of the reports I've gotten from my officers so far say we're ship shape and ready to cast off on your word. Should that change, you'll be second to know - after myself, of course."

She shot the engineer a small smile, appreciating the attempt at humor. "Unless it's catastrophic and then, we'll all find out together," she offered with a grin of her own.

"I would ask, though," Omdor ventured, holding up his empty cup, "I haven't memorized where your replicators are - closest place for a fresh cup?"

"Ah," she answered with a sympathetic look. "We can't have any under caffeinated engineers on this ship. It just won't do."

She motioned towards the stations assigned to environmental controls and security. "There's a replicator tucked in there but between us, it's finicky. The one in the briefing room hands out much better coffee," she stated, her tone entirely serious but her eyes seemed to sparkle just a bit.

Grant reported that tactical was fully ready to go and she offered him a nod of thanks. Despite all the other changes, it was always comforting to know that tactical was in steady, reliable hands.

"It's good to see you onboard," Grant added before moving to his station.

Her smile this time was warmer, a sign to those that knew her best that it was genuine. For better or worse, she'd mastered the art of faking it until she made it and there was a great likelihood that much of her current mood was a facade, a need to appear normal and put together, but that smile was genuine.

"Thank you, Miles," she answered. "It's good to be back," she added. And it didn't taste like ash on her tongue, didn't taste like a lie at that moment.

She was dropping her coffee mug into its holder in preparation for diving into her tasks when Harriman appeared on the bridge, taking over her station.

"Welcome back captain," the helmsman greeted Tyra and she offered another smile.

"Thank you, Carol. I'm glad to see you've managed to survive another shore leave without causing too much trouble or paperwork," the redhead teased with a knowing smile as she dropped into her chair.

Her fingers began moving over the console as she checked that personnel were checking in as expected. It appeared there were still some stragglers, including one very important one, but there was time yet.

"Commander Omdor, can I assume that you had adequate time prior to recall to become acquainted with the Vesta class and her systems?" She asked once the engineer had returned with his coffee, her blue eyes briefly flickering up to him before returning to her console.

== Tag! ==

[Robin Mayfair]

Robin Mayfair's southern-accented voice, lighter than that of the Captain but still recognizable, reached the bridge.

[Sickbay to Bridge. This is the Chief Medical Officer. Reporting ready for departure.]

[Miles Grant]

Miles had not known the Captain as long as some others, such as Harriman or Morgan, but he felt he knew her long enough, as well as years of training to read a person's face, to know the smile Crawford sent his way at his words was genuine. He returned the smile as he set up his station to prepare for the upcoming launch.

He was a bit surprised when Harriman entered the Bridge and reported in, apologizing as she had been in the Shuttle Bay checking things. He had to do a double take, as he swore the Officer at Helm had been Harriman. Alas, when Harriman took her place at the Helm, he noted the minutiae details between her and the crewman she had relieved. He made a mental note to double check and ensure who he thought was present was present.

As it was, he thanked her for her report on the Shuttle Bay before going back to check on the status of his diagnostics. He noted Omdor's return and heard Mayfair call through the comms Medical's readiness. Things were coming together, and it looked like they would be due to launch soon.

Of course, he noted Security still needed to check in, and he had not heard any word on the status of their First Officer. He was sure Crawford had it handled, but he was a little curious to see how that situation played out. For now, though, he would concentrate on what he needed to do.

[Omdor Jaein]

"Ah," the captain replied with a sympathetic look. "We can't have any under caffeinated engineers on this ship. It just won't do." She then pointed out a replicator that he felt a little ashamed he hadn't noticed at the rear of the bridge, but then confided that it didn't always work right and directed him to the briefing room.

"I'll see about getting someone up here to look at it," he told her with a wink. "If we can't fix it, I'll get a new unit installed next time we're in dock." He stepped out to the briefing room for a moment, and returned with a steaming cup in his hand and, if not a smile, then at least a decidedly content look on his face.

A quick look around noticed another face in the room, also wearing tactical red. He recognized her from the briefing last night, though he didn't have a name to go with her face. He nodded a greeting and resumed his seat as medical checked in.

He'd had time to look at his diagnostic program and note it's progress when the captain spoke up again. "Commander Omdor," she said with the briefest of looks as she monitored the check-in process, "can I assume that you had adequate time prior to recall to become acquainted with the Vesta class and her systems?"

For a moment, he felt a little called out, before remembering that she had been back in command of the ship for less than twelve hours. Between the incredible drama that had sideswiped her at that briefing, along with having to procure a new first officer and hopefully getting some form of food, sleep, and a shower in there somewhere, he reasoned that reading the jacket of a chief engineer she had been saddled with wasn't exactly a priority for her.

He covered his flash of annoyance and the hesitation with a pull from his coffee, letting the very strong and very hot drink focus him as he answered. "You could say that," he said. "Spent the last several years building two of them a year at the shipyards near Vulcan. Happened to be back home for some R&R when Captain Givens very politely dragooned me to fill in for this mission. Every one is just a little bit different," he said, "but I can get by until I learn Artemis' little quirks."

==Tag back, captain!==

[GM-02]

==Sorry for the delay, was waiting on developments to give input closer to time==

Everyone that was looking at diagnostics and systems checks would find that they were all well within safety standards, and that the ship was reading green and ready to launch.

Omdor, looking at a more detailed report, could see some minor power fluctuations in the EPS grid centered on Deck 16 near the cargo bays, though even that was within tolerances.

[Miles Grant]

Though it seemed like it had been quite some time since Miles had submitted the diagnostics, in reality it had only taken the standard few minutes that these diagnostics normally took to come back. Miles took a moment to review them, pleased that everything was showing green and all safety protocols were up to standard. He confirmed a few more things before reporting.

"Tactical diagnostics report green and ready for launch, Captain," he stated. He knew the next steps were to check with Deep Space 9 for undocking and launch procedure clearance, which he would leave to Harriman, as she was at the Helm, and for the orders of Captain Crawford to get underway.

Of course, there were still other things they were waiting on, but, as of the moment, Miles and his Department were prepared.

[GM-02]

==Cdr Jolann, Denobulan==

Jolann walked onto the bridge of the Artemis with a scowl. At 190, he was well past what should be his retirement, but the thought of going home to his three wives - and pair of exes, he dourly reminded himself - was distinctly unappealing.

Instead, he'd done what he could to keep himself constantly occupied and unable to go home. Bouncing from ship to ship across his decades-long career, with notable stops on the Oceanside and the Istanbul which were second-contact specialists and chronically overworked, he'd done a little bit of everything. To say that he'd expected to wind up on a ship as prestigious as the Artemis would have been to call him a liar. He'd worn a number of descriptors in his time - cantankerous, ornery, unwelcoming, even simply mean-spirited - but honesty was one of his more scrupulous points. Particularly if it wasn't welcome.

He took a sip of his raktajino and stepped forward, surveying the bridge as he did so. He noted several officers, including a Bajoran engineer, a pair of human tactical officers, male and female, and then a female human scientist. He assumed he'd eventually learn names, but for now, he didn't worry about it. Considering he had barely had time to pack a bag when his orders came in, much less review personnel records, he was just glad he was conscious right now.

Instead, he stepped up to the redheaded human in the captain's chair and presented his padd. "Commander Jolann, reporting as your new first officer," he said sullenly.

==Eh, you were expecting maybe someone else?==

[Miles Grant]

Miles continued to keep an eye on anything just in case something came up that would require attention. Aside from that, like always, everything became a waiting game. Another unfortunate side effect of the early, pre-launch and launch shift. But there wasn't always going to be action. Sometimes, it came down to hurrying up and waiting.

As Miles continued to do his checks and collecting reports from his Department, the turbolift opened announcing another arrival to the Bridge. Miles looked over to see who it might be, though did not know who the newest arrival to the Bridge was. A Denobulon wearing a scowl on his face, along with the Maroon denoting Command with the pips showing him as a Commander. The most immediate thought that came to Miles was that this new arrival would be the First Officer for this mission.

Those thoughts were confirmed when the Commander, named Jolann, reported in to Captain Crawford as her new First Officer. The words were said sullenly, though whether from exhaustion, as the fragrance of raktajino emanated from the Commander's cup, or he was just in a sour mood, Miles did not know. He didn't particularly care, either, so long as it did not put the crew in danger.

After the Commander had reported in, Miles turned his attention back to his console to continue sending and receiving reports.

[Tyra Crawford]

Omdor's answer was nothing, if not, diplomatic. "You could say that," he had answered. "Spent the last several years building two of them a year at the shipyards near Vulcan. Happened to be back home for some R&R when Captain Givens very politely dragooned me to fill in for this mission. Every one is just a little bit different," he said, "but I can get by until I learn Artemis' little quirks."

It seemed when Givens had assured her that she had located the best possible engineer for the position, she hadn't been exaggerating. Nothing short of dragging Neilson herself out of Utopia would have been an improvement ... That or giving her Elias back but miracles seemed to be in short supply, as became apparent only a few moments later.

Grant reported that tactical was ready with an air that suggested tactical was ready to have an actual task at hand. Medical had also reported in. However, Tyra was still awaiting word from Cera or Givens that the last member of their crew was safely aboard, a task Cera had taken a particular interest in completing for rather obvious reasons.

When the turbolift doors swished open behind her, she turned her head expecting to see a familiar form in either maroon or purple to be stepping through and yet, that wasn't the case at all.

Her lips pressed into the tiniest hint of a frown for a split second before she smothered the irritation and turned to face the incoming commander with a neutral expression. It didn't take half a brain cell to understand who he was and she wondered whether her top choices had been unavailable or if this had been an opposing chess move to counter Bill's tactic. Either way, it didn't appear he was anymore excited about being aboard than she was to have him so at least, they had that in common.

"Commander Jolann, reporting as your new first officer," he said sullenly.

"Welcome aboard, Commander. Have you already been provided with the mission parameters?" she asked, the last part of her question coinciding with the turbolift doors opening once more as Cera scurried out.

With the way her dark eyes darted before landing on Jolann and her shoulders dropping at the sight, she'd clearly been trying to beat the new FO to the bridge. Having failed to do so, she tucked herself into the nearest station to observe, which Tyra noted with the barest flicker of a glance.

The redhead was silent for a moment, both to allow the older man to answer and to review his orders. Once she was satisfied, or as satisfied as she would be, she offered a report of her own.

"All departments have checked in and..." She glanced at her console,"all personnel are now accounted for. I think we've dawdled enough. Tactical, obtain launch clearance and let's get on our way."

[Miles Grant]

Captain Crawford and the new First Officer spoke briefly regarding the mission parameters before informing Jolann that all Departments had checked in and personnel accounted for. With that, she addressed Tactical to obtain launch clearance to get the mission going.

Though Helm would do the actual work of flying the ship, clearance was usually best done through Tactical, or by the Chief Tactical Officer...which was Miles himself. As such, he took the opportunity presented to open a channel to Deep Space Nine.

"Artemis to Deep Space Nine Launch Control," he stated. "Requesting permission and clearance to undock and launch." He left the channel ready in order to receive the reply.

==Tag. GM input: Response from DS9, please.==

[GM-02]

[This is Ops,] came a reply. [You are cleared for launch. Use lane 8 while in local space, and you are clear to the edge of the system. Prophets guide you, Artemis.]

A quick sensor scan would confirm the readings: lane 8 led from the current slot that Artemis was docked at to the edge of DS9's interdiction zone and was clear of any traffic, and there was nothing between the end of the lane and open space. Once outside of DS9's operational range - roughly 100,000 km, or about 2 minutes with thrusters or about 15 seconds at quarter impulse - you would be free to navigate and go to warp.

[Omdor Jaein]

Jaein could tell that his attempt at levity in telling Crawford his qualifications hadn't exactly had the desired effect. She'd appreciated what he said, obviously, but she seemed almost a little gloomy after he spoke. I wonder if I should've been a little more serious, he thought, but didn't dwell on it. There wasn't exactly a lot of point in dwelling on what had happened, after all.

And besides, his console chose that moment to beep at him that the diagnostics he'd wanted to run were complete.

He turned and looked, and was glad to note that, as he'd reported earlier, everything was still showing green across the board. However, there was a niggling little power issue near the cargo bays. Nothing that would keep them from flying - it was probably just an EPS junction that wasn't quite installed correctly, or had some manufacturing defect - but it was enough to show up on the report. He made a note to head down there to fix it once they were under way.

Before he could do much more, though, the turbolift opened and their new FO appeared. The most dour-looking Denobulan he'd ever seen walked in, an impression which was only confirmed after the man opened his mouth to report in. How he wound up here was a question he'd have to ask the Prophets, and he doubted they'd give him an answer. At least we're about to launch, he thought, and sat back in his chair and waited to see where the road would take them.

[Tyra Crawford]

From where she sat, Tyra could hear DS9 provide the clearance for launch and now that they'd acquired their newest crew member, even if it wasn't who she had expected, the redhead was more than ready to get out of there before anymore curve balls were thrown at them.

"Helm, take us out, please. Let's not scratch the paint, Carol," she said with a small smile, not bothering to tell the pilot to take the slower route. She wouldn't, not if experience meant anything.

"Grant, you've got the coordinates for our destination. I'd like an estimate of our travel time once we're clear of space dock. Commander Jolann, I'd recommend you take the time to read the mission profile while we're enroute."

With that, the redhead settled back into her chair, one leg crossed over the other and an arm resting on the armrest with an air of ease that was unlikely to settle below the surface.

== GM: feel free to move us along as needed ==

[Lucy Devereaux]

Lucy watched as launch preparations began. The various consoles and seats were filled gradually. The absence of Captain Givens was odd as officially she was the one in command of this mission. It was the unofficial stuff that was close to giving Lucy a headache. It was good that Tyra was present, even if Ben was gone and Damian had been taken off the board. The crew needed a guiding star. Being able to work independently was survivable, but working cohesively required sound direction.

Commander Jolann was a curious choice for First Officer. Denobulans were a species Lucy hadn’t come across outside of Academy classes. Biology, psychology, and culture. Generally amenable, but had their limits the same as everyone else. Odd to see one at a command level. Somebody must have thought that he fitted the bill or they wouldn’t have sent him. The mission had the appearance of just checking the borders, but motivations behind the curtain were out of reach.

All systems seemed fine and they departed DS9. The EPS fluctuations in Deck 16 were a niggle. Science did fiddle with power flow when it was absolutely necessary, but that was primarily in the wheelhouse of Engineering. Jaein would definitely have noted it for attention. Lucy left a note for herself to be wary of that area. The cargo bays held stores and supplies. Something that often was forgotten. Matter replication required the necessary parts. Rations were only for the most dire of emergencies.

Time to go pretend not to poke the bear.

It was generally borders or some shade of ideology or in some cases just weird ****. Butting heads with the Cardassians and the Breen was just one of those things that would keep happening. The antagonists would change at times, but there was always some conflict.

Just gotta get through whatever is next and not **** it up.

[GM-02]

==Cdr Jolann==

The reception he received on his arrival was exactly what he had expected. The captain spoke while everyone else either busied themselves with their consoles or just more blatantly ignored him. "Welcome aboard, Commander," she said. "Have you already been provided with the mission parameters?"

He was about to answer when another swish of the turbolift doors interrupted him. He saw a diminutive blonde in support colors come out and visibly slump upon seeing him. She must be the captain's spy, he thought, in addition to being the quartermaster. He nodded to her as she took an unobtrusive corner to herself, before turning back to the captain who continued speaking, ordering the helm to obtain clearance to leave.

Jolann took his seat as the helm complied, which didn't take long he noted. The crew appeared to be fairly well trained. Captain Crawford issued a few orders, including one to him. "Commander Jolann, I'd recommend you take the time to read the mission profile while we're enroute."

"Yes, Captain," he answered, frowning as he realized he had neglected to answer her earlier question in a similar vein. "That is top of my agenda, now that I have the luxury of not sprinting for the airlock, followed by familiarizing myself with the crew and any issues that may arise there."

[GM-02]

The trip from Deep Space Nine was an uneventful one, even if it wasn’t entirely a straightforward one. Directly rimward from Bajor, it nonetheless required a fairly roundabout route as Cardassian territory jutted out into Federation territory in between the two. Fortunately, the Artemis was a fast ship, and they were on station by noon, ship’s time, the day after launch.

As Artemis came up on the Hugora Nebula, there was no one else in the area - as it should be. Long range scans found the nearest ship was nearly two lightyears away, on the nearest shipping route between Federation planets. Within the nebula, scans were more indeterminate. Artemis’ sensors could only penetrate a quarter million kilometers - a pittance when compared to the nebula’s size.

However, as best as could be determined, there was nothing standing in the ship’s way to begin executing her mission - placing the sensor buoys and testing their effectiveness. The initial deployment plan called for Artemis to do what amounted to a depth test: place the buoys in a line going straight into the nebula and see at what point they lost communications with the outside world.

[Miles Grant]

==Prior to time jump==

Everything was set, they had gotten the clearance to depart, and Captain Crawford had given the order. As the Helm guided the ship to waypoint, Miles double checked the estimated time of arrival at recommended Warp.

His readings confirmed what he had suspected, which would be a trip that would take a day and half to two days time. Satisfied that everything was set, he allowed himself to focus on their departure while still keeping an eye out for any alerts.

He overheard the continued conversation between Crawford and their new First Officer regarding mission outline and briefing. Things Miles and most of the others who hadn't needed to arrive last minute were already familiar with. With little else to do but keep an eye on systems, Miles settled back for their journey.

==Timeskip==

Aside from the necessity to detour around Cardassian Space, the trip to the Hugora Nebula had been rather uneventful. The only concern that had come up during the journey was a slight spat between two of his Enlisted crew members. They had apparently brought an ongoing dispute on board that had not been resolved before departure. Luckily, Miles was made aware of it before it could escalate too far and was able to squash it. He would still keep an eye on the two, but nothing further had come of it.

When he received notification that they were less than hour from exiting Warp and arriving in-system, Miles had made his way to the Bridge to be there for their arrival. Once he arrived, he relieved the Ensign at Tactical and took his place there. Doing a few last minute checks and preparing for them to drop from Warp, Miles was all set once they did.

Once out of Warp, Miles began Tactical scans of the area. He knew Science would be doing their more in-depth scans, but he would still be able to make a report. He didn't have to wait long before he had something he could address to the Command Officer(s).

"Currently not detecting other ships on scan of the immediate vicinity," he began. "Long range scans are picking up the nearest known ship approximately two lightyears away...on a shipping route between Federation planets." With that, his particular report was finished, and he gave the floor to Science and Engineering for their reports while he made a note in scans to keep the closest ship in the shipping routes tagged for updates just in case while he continued in-system Tactical scans.

==Tags. GM input: Is there anything further Miles can surmise from basic Tactical scans, such as possible sensor blind spots? Thank you==

[Aeryn Miller]

A call then came through from the science complex. 


[Commander Miller to the Bridge, we have five completed probes ready to be deployed and positioned manually]



== Tags ==

[Omdor Jaein]

Jaein was annoyed as he came back to the bridge for the arrival. His sleeves were rolled up and he was in his work clothes, tools softly clanking in his pockets as he stepped off the turbolift. He hadn't been able to pin down that power fluctuation he'd found, though to be fair he'd only been able to work on it for the past half-hour or so.

Most of the previous day he had spent, unfortunately, on paperwork. He'd intended to get down to the science labs and help young Ensign Hu and the science team, but getting pulled into this position so last minute had meant he still had a lot of cleanup to do that should've been taken care of during their layover at Deep Space 9. The remaining team had done an admirable job, but even they were more focused on just maintaining rather than making sure every 'I' was dotted and every 'T' was crossed.

Figures that by the time I can actually do any actual engineering, I get called out before I can really get started.

However, there wasn't any use for it. It was the job, and so here he was. He took his seat, and ran a quick diagnostic, making sure that the ship was ready for passage into the nebula and for it's task of deploying the mines.

==GM Input: anything crazy happening? Let me know if there's an issue.==

[Tyra Crawford]

== Arrival Timeline ==

Tyra had made a point of being on the bridge ahead of their scheduled arrival and was settled into her chair with a fresh cup of coffee in hand before the ship began to noticeably slow down. Givens seemed to have made a similar decision and was seated at one of the empty stations, watching everyone and everything with interest as things developed.

"Currently not detecting other ships on scan of the immediate vicinity," he began. "Long range scans are picking up the nearest known ship approximately two lightyears away...on a shipping route between Federation planets," Grant reported, though none of it surprised her greatly. They were literally there because they couldn't detect anything in the nebula.

[Commander Miller to the Bridge, we have five completed probes ready to be deployed and positioned manually,] Miller offered before Tyra could answer Grant.

"Acknowledged. Were we provided any guidance on their optimal spacing or suggested distance?" She asked Miller, though her blue eyes also shifted towards where Omdor had made himself comfortable and Givens.

"Helm, begin easing us into position at the edge of the nebula for the first drop. Grant, boost our sensor range as much as possible so that we've got a current baseline to compare the buoys' effectiveness to."

[Aeryn Miller]

Aeryn quickly responded to Captain Crawford. 

[Yes, Captain. They need to be positioned relatively close to one another to allow them to keep in contact and communicate with the next in line, to not only detect any ships but also if anything goes wrong with one of the other probes]

There was a slight pause before the COS continued. 

[I'll see if we can find anything more specific regarding a suggested distance and forward the information to Tactical]


== Tags ==

[GM-02]

==Cdr Jolann==

Walking onto the bridge from the Deck 2 hallway, Jolann had to catch himself lest he start grumbling in front of the bridge crew. He had intended to be in position before they dropped from warp; unfortunately, time had gotten away from him and the first he knew of it was when he felt the warp engines stop thrumming below his feet in his office.

He navigated the room and took his place, nodding at Captain Givens as he did so before turning to Captain Crawford. "Apologies, ma'am," he said, his low voice almost growling. "I must have been engrossed in last mission's efficiency reports."

He listened as Science and the helm both checked in, and Crawford gave some efficient orders. "According to our brief," he said as he pulled up the relevant section on his padd, "we should be deploying the probes every quarter of a light-year for maximum coverage." The document also specified that the nebula was nearly three light years across in any direction, which meant that their paltry five probes wouldn't even get them to the heart of the nebula, but then they weren't there to finalize deployment but only to see if it would work.

==GM Inputs==

==Grant==

There were no additional blind spots other than the nebula itself. Everything was clear on sensors and ready to proceed with the captain's plans.

==Omdor==

The ship was as prepared as it was possible to be. Sensors would be degraded in the nebula - hence their probe deployment experiment - and shields would be at reduced power, approximately 80% of normal. Engines would be normal, and weapons should be unaffected, though targeting could potentially have an issue at longer ranges.

[Miles Grant]

After Grant gave his report, he overheard Science give theirs regarding the Probes. Once those reports were in, Captain Crawford gave her orders. Miles commented an "aye, Captain," before following through. He knew the nebula itself, just due to composition, would weaken a few of their systems, so boosting was going to be a little more difficult. Regardless, he checked to see what he could divert power from in order to make the boost. He turned to Commander Omdor for assistance.

"Commander," he addressed the Chief Engineer, "how much auxiliary do we have available for me to utilize to try to boost the range?" As he awaited the older man's response, he noted the arrival of their new First Officer. The Denobulon apologized for his apparent tardiness. Miles returned his attention back to Omdor.

After getting the response, he went about boosting the sensors as much as possible with what he had. That would hopefully give them a more significant baseline to work with, since the probes would only provide them with so much additional information.

==Tags==

[Aeryn Miller]

A message would also come through from the Science Complex, specifically to Tactical and the officer at the Helm.

[The suggested distance is a quarter light year between probes]

== Tags ==

[Omdor Jaein]

Jaein was very nonplussed at the computer. Unfortunately, it wasn't anything that he could actually correct; it was just a report, after all. Nebulas habitually caused starships problems, and this one was no different.

Fortunately, it appeared that this one was relatively mild as far as actual operations went. No problems for weapons other than targeting, and then shields at 80%, meant that they would be at nearly full capacity. This was traded by a severe curtailing of their sensors, but this at least underscored why they were here. He caught Crawford looking at him as she asked about probe spacing, but the new FO spoke before he could.

This was just as well, as Grant, in pursuit of his own orders, spoke to him instead.  "Commander," Grant asked him, "how much auxiliary do we have available for me to utilize to try to boost the range?"

"Should still have full reserves," he said, consulting his console. This early in the mission, there hadn't been any need to tap into the extra power that the warp core and the fusion generators put out. "I can give you an extra 15% to the sensors of their normal power availability." He hit a few commands and put actions to words, simultaneously making a note that they would want to subject the sensors to extra diagnostics and some preventative maintenance once the mission was over.

"See what that gives you," he told the tactical officer with a smile.

==GM Input: Grant was kind enough to implement the boost in his post already, so what does the extra power show us?==

[GM-02]

==Grant==

With the added power, the sensors were able to gain several AU worth of distance penetrating the nebula. Unfortunately, they would still only penetrate to about half the distance that the probes would be able to. While Artemis wouldn't be blind, they wouldn't be able to see much more than approximately double torpedo range - an uncomfortable distance, to be sure, but it still let Artemis see something before they could be fired at.

[Miles Grant]

Miles thanked Omdor for the information and transference of a good portion of auxiliary power reserves to boost the signal. He reran his checks, awaiting to see what the results were. It didn't take long, as was normal, but he did keep an eye with the additional boost on any affects that may occur. Once he had his information, he relayed it to the Command staff.

"With the boost, sensors will only penetrate approximately half the distance the probes will," he began. "Approximately double our torpedo range, to put in Tactical terms. Not the greatest, but we'll be able to have better visual just in case...better than what we started with."

Miles returned his attention to the scans in case there were any alerts, updates, or changes. Aside from that, he also ensured to split his observations between his console and the viewscreen. Sometimes, just sometimes, the eye would be able to pick something out before any sensor could in these kinds of situations.

==Tag any==

[GM-02]

==With permission from the captain==

==Cdr Jolann==

"With the boost, sensors will only penetrate approximately half the distance the probes will," Grant said from his post. "Approximately double our torpedo range, to put in Tactical terms. Not the greatest, but we'll be able to have better visual just in case...better than what we started with."

"Hngh," Jolann acknowledged. It was pitiful, really, but that appeared to be the best possible at this point. He bore no malice against the crew for that - environmental factors were what they were - but it still was nowhere close to where he wanted to see it. Still, they had a job to do and no impediment, so he saw no reason not to move on.

"Helm, move us to the first drop-off point," he ordered - it was on the edge of the nebula, approximately half a lightyear inside which let it stay in contact with the Federation communications grid while not losing too much of its scanning range. "Best impulse speed."

Turning slightly - he didn't know why, but he always looked at absolutely nothing while he talked on the comm - he triggered his comm. "Bridge to Science. Prepare the first probe for deployment. Moving into position now."

Orders issued, he sat back and waited to see how the crew responded.

==Grant - feel free to narrate us into position. Assume no problems.==

[Lucy Devereaux]

The Hugora Nebula was an impressive sight. The only drawback was whose territory it bordered on. Lucy zoned out watching the general sensor reports and attempting to take in the back and forth that was going on. Aeryn and Ju had done a brilliant job reworking the probes to meet the requirements of the mission. The worst bit was you had a limited amount of space in a general probe casing and balancing that space with what you needed required a lot of thought.

The adjustments did mean that the Artemis would need to enter the nebula to deploy the probes. That was a reasonable requirement. Boosting the power to the sensors was good, but the flow of a nebula could be risky. Lucy remembered the EPS conduits on Deck 16. Engineering should hopefully have it under observation, hopefully.

Lucy had thought about suggesting the use of the tractor beam for positioning the probes, but she wasn’t certain of the range of the beam, especially inside the nebula. She kind of understood the FO’s frustration, but a nebula needed to be balanced. Preparations had been made, they’d be ready enough.

As the Artemis moved into position to launch the first probe Lucy decided to run a sweep of the nebula to try and get a feel for what was going on. Somebody had compared a nebula to a pond or lake. There was a lot going on, but you couldn’t see everything that was in there. The way light refracted was one thing and sometimes you didn’t want to see everything that was down there.

Nebulae were slightly different and not as icky. The things that dwelled in the deep of Earth’s oceans could be strange and exceptionally unusual. Interstellar fauna were a curiosity. Lifeforms could exists in many places and the definition of a lifeform was wide and varied. Also there had been discoveries that weren’t carbon based.

= = GM input request, does Lucy’s initial sensor scan of the nebula reveal anything of note? ==

[Hallowette Maxas-Darl]

==A few days prior to cast off==

Hallowette had been aboard the Artemis only a few days prior to mission commencement and in that time she had rode the wave of emotion that many green officers experienced as they joined their first posts.

As a Cadet, Hally had enjoyed her success - both academically and socially, rarely finding her experiences in the Academy as negative or particularly punishing, even when her courses or extracurriculars became difficult or challenging, she eventually buckled down and found her way through, and generally near the top of the class. Coupled with her generally affable personality and experience in the Youth Diplomatic Corps, outside of a few questionable romantic encounters, she found herself popular, well liked and more or less successful when it came to the often complex interpersonal interactions that came with the mix of species, ages, and genders that made up the student body at Starfleet Academy.

So it was that Hallowette's introduction to the reality of Fleet life came as quite a shock. When she had received her orders to join the crew of the Artemis, Hally had been elated. A Vesta Class with the pedigree of the Artemis, as her very first posting!?! She had dreamed of quickly climbing the ranks, immediately making a name for herself in Tactical, and getting along swimmingly with everyone from the first jump.

This was far from the reality of things.

The young Trill/Bajoran Hybrid was green as an unripe Moba Fruit, and every interaction and assignment on the ship had reminded her so. As a freshly minted Midshipman she was assigned mainly to Senior Enlisted with FAR more experience than her, and while generally gentle with the diminutive auburn haired girl, they had expectations and time schedules, and the young Ms. Maxas-Darl was continually reminded how far she had to go before she would ever see the bridge, much less crew a chair there.

Hally had spent the majority of her time on the Hangar Deck working as a deckhand. This involved loading, stacking, supervising junior enlisted and very occasionally prepping shuttlecraft for stowage or maintenance. She had become well known to the crew there, but as a newcomer she was met, while not coldly, but as an outsider - new to the ship and it's struggles. The more experienced crew seemed slow to engage, and few wished to talk about what she quickly discovered was a sore point - the last mission and the status of the Captain and Chief Engineer.

Over time she was able to piece together a few facts about what happened, but honestly, given the stress of learning, doing her job, and trying to parse out her place, she had little time to devote to what had come before - she simply decided to do her best, to be someone people could rely on and put her dreams on hold until she proved she belonged here; IE deserved to be considered an equal among an entire crew of people who excelled at the Academy just like she did, but who had actually proven themselves valuable.

==Present==

Hallowette had just arrived at Hangar Bay 2 when she noticed several of her peers pointing or looking her way. She checked her uniform and ran a hand across the back of her bandana'd curls before a Caitian Petty Officer named Ferjak almost bowled her over.

"Hallowette!" bellow-purred the feline male, "The duty roster was updated this morning, you aren't going to believe it!"

Ferjak gave Hally little time to respond before dragging her to a kiosk and retrieving a PADD. She shoved the device at the little woman and cast a clawed finger at a portion of the screen.

[Maxas-Darl, Hallowette - Midshipman - DECK TWO BRIDGE, HELM, ALPHA SHIFT]

The sound of the young tactical officer filled the hangar with a jubilous 'woop' before she hugged the PADD to her chest and she sprinted for her quarters. She didn't have long (in fact only about a half hour) before she was going to get her chance.

==Bridge==

Midshipman Maxas-Darl felt the hum of the turbolift as it rose through the decks, her hands clasp behind her back. She tried not to overthink the situation, she had simulated this moment in the holodeck hundreds of times, but her nervous energy insisted on manifesting as an anxious throb along the vestigial pouch in her abdomen. As she ran a hand over it, her nose ridges sympathetically itched and she brought her other hand to the bridge of her nose -  Of course the second she did, the lift arrived and the doors swooshed open.

The auburn haired woman quickly placed her hands at her sides and strode as confidently onto the bridge as she could muster. The weight of the moment slowed her though as she crested the top of the stairs cast her glance around the room. She knew only one person here, Lt. Grant, and even he she had spent only a limited amount of time with. This was the big time - the show, the most important people in her world, and she was about to make or break her reputation with what she did next.

The pouch throbbed again, and her nose itched. Her breath felt short in her lungs, and as the senior crew began to glance her way she felt a slight panic begin to well up inside her. That is until her eyes came to rest on the Helm, and then on the viewscreen above.

Hallowette giggled, and not quietly. She had always been prone to stress laughing, but this was different. She was confronted with her destiny, all she had worked so hard for, and the image of her larger than life father drifted into her mind.

Hallowette turned to Lt. Grant, and she composed herself before announcing, "Midshipman Maxas-Darl reporting for duty Sir."

She took her seat as the Denobulan commander stated curtly, "Helm, move us to the first drop-off point," he ordered "Best impulse speed."

Hallowette adjusted her seat a bit higher to accommodate her short legs and applied her personal layout settings. A final look over the console confirmed she was ready, and under her breath she said, "I made it Dad. It's time to fly."

"Aye Sir." She stated confidently as she input the coordinates and engaged the ships engines.

==I know this is long! I promise not to be so wordy from here on out. Please let me know how I can improve or sharpen my contributions. I'm glad to be here!==

[Aeryn Miller]

Commander Miller soon responded to the FO.

[Acknowledged, Bridge, preparing the first probe for transport.]


== Tag FO & Tactical ==

[Miles Grant]

As Miles gave his update, the doors to the Turbolift opened once more, this time spilling out the newest Midshipman from his own Department. He looked over to the younger woman expectantly as she did what most would do in the situation and assess the Bridge. Miles considered such action a good habit, as it allowed a person to be more aware and observational. He felt she started off on the right foot...

Until she chuckled. He could tell by the inflection of the chuckle it was probably one bred of nervousness, but it could still reflect badly on the young Midshipman, especially when it was done in front of so many Senior Officers, to include the Captain and First Officer. She seemed to bounce back quickly as she reported in to Miles.

"Welcome to the Bridge, Midshipman," Miles responded. "Go ahead and take the Helm." She followed the order to take her place at the Helm as Commander Jolaan gave the order to move to the first drop-off point. Miles hummed approvingly to himself as Maxas-Darl gave the affirmative with a certain tone of confidence. Not enough that Miles might consider that she had already gotten cocky, but there was a reason he had assigned her to the Helm at this point.

As a Midshipman, there were very few opportunities for newly minted Officers or Enlisted to find themselves with Bridge Duty, let alone on Alpha Shift. But Miles had read his new Midshipman's file. It was impressive, to say the least. Aside from that, he felt getting the opportunity to have at least one shift early into a new Officer's career would help long-term, as it would ensure they were prepared as they made their way up the ranks. Miles was assessing how well she performed now, so he could assist in her development...and whether or not she would see the Bridge again.

His primary focus was the readouts and ongoing scans, but he made sure to keep an eye on other things, namely her performance, as he notated things in his log for their discussion after shift. As this occurred, the response from Commander Miller rang through the Bridge that they were preparing the first probe for transport. They were moving along nicely now.

==Tag any and all==

[Tyra Crawford]

For a brief moment, the noises of the bridge dulled into a low, easily tuned out murmur as Tyra's blue eyes had been drawn to a message on her console -- a series of messages truthfully. She likely would have missed the initial message but it was the rapid fire response as the other two participants had gone back and forth that had drawn her attention away from the rather tedious task at hand.

It wasn't until a rather out of place chuckle cut through her thoughts, drawing her gaze up from her console to a rather nervous looking midshipman, that she focused back on the situation at hand. Fortunately, her new, hopefully temporarily first officer had stepped in as only a seasoned right hand would know to do. She even offered him a very brief grateful smile before her eyes flitted back to her console for a half second, messages still coming in as Cera updated her and Givens on recent developments. It seemed she'd have to let Givens handle that for the time being.

[Acknowledged, Bridge, preparing the first probe for transport.]

"Deploy as soon as you're able. As soon as we have confirmed successful deployment and operational functionality of the first probe, we'll move into position for the second deployment."

"Helm," she paused for a moment as she registered the owner of the nervous laugh as being her new helmsman. She'd grown rather use to Carol in the position but she was likely helping Eli in the shuttle bay. She could only hope the young woman's hands were steady. "Go ahead and map out course to the next deployment point."

"They keep getting younger and younger," she muttered into her coffee before taking a hefty mouthful of coffee. She could only imagine what Aaron must have thought when a 20 year old Tyra, brimming with idealism had stumbled into his office ages ago.

== Tag guys! ==

[Hallowette Maxas-Darl]

Holodeck simulations were incredible tools and Midshipman Maxas-Darl had been ever keen to take advantage when the opportunity presented itself. Over time Hallowette had practiced flying everything from venerable hulls like the Excelsior and Miranda, to modern ships like the Gagarin and the Sutherland.Time and again, hour upon hour she would settle in and just fly the ships, noting every unique rumble, tremor and sigh the simulations would give her.

Still, simulations were dim candles compared with reality, and having extensively flown Peregrine's, Shuttlecraft and Runabouts as a member of the Academy flight team, Hallowette vastly preferred the real thing.

Her first time in control of the Artemis was an experience all of its own.

Ok, work with me girl.

The Vesta class vessel was powerful, responsive and remarkably agile given her size. Hally manipulated the coordinates deftly, her nervous energy dissipating as she maneuvered the ship along the coordinate vector and accelerated towards full impulse. Her time on the flight team had offered slightly more experience navigating celestial hazards than typical green helmsman, and as fate would have it, she had flown from Bajor to Cardassia a few times as a teen, so Hallowette was somewhat familiar with some of the more esoteric peculiarities of the sector. Though she had never spent any time near this particular nebula (her father's experience with the Maquis after the end of the occupation meant he had strictly forbade her from navigating in the multitude of sketchy areas along the border) she was certain to be aware of some of the issues she had encountered in the past. 

Adjusting for common solar drift and occasional ionic rifting allowed her to maintain .94 Impulse, a number she felt quite accomplished at maintaining. A number of times she fought the urge to turn around to see how the Captain, First Officer and Lt. Grant were appraising her performance, but the longer she flew the more her anxiety fell away. Before too long the console reported their destination was approaching and Hally backed the ship down and settled it into position.

The curly auburn haired jr officer lifted her head as the ship came to a stop and the engines powered down. She peered out the viewscreen and held in a smile as she said her first words to her legendary commanding officer.

"Artemis has arrived at Drop Off One and is in position as ordered Captain."

==Tag Grant and Tyra, all else!==

[Aeryn Miller]

[Yes, Captain] came the response from Science. 

A couple of minutes later, Aeryn spoke again.

[Deploying the first probe, standby for an update.]



== Tag ==

[GM-02]

==Devereaux==

Initial scans of the nebula show nothing out of the ordinary. The gas composition matches Federation records, and there's nothing within the nebula within the Artemis' compromised sensor range outside the ordinary.

[Aeryn Miller]

The COS came back with the update. 

[Miller to Bridge, the first probe is in place and functioning as expected, with a range of 3% less than anticipated. However, that shouldn't affect our plan that much considering how far they'll be spaced apart]

== Tags ==

[Miles Grant]

Miles overheard Crawford's statement regarding personnel getting younger and younger, and he had to agree. Of course, Miles himself had started his career in Star Fleet a little later than most. But he watched intently as his new Midshipman guided them to the first drop off point.

She did very well, as there didn't seem to be any issues, and communications between the Bridge and Science continued as they prepared to deploy the first probe. Once it was deployed, there was a bit of a wait, not long, as the scans began. Once those were through, the voice of the former-Security-now-Science Chief once again commed in with an update.

[Miller to Bridge, the first probe is in place and functioning as expected, with a range of 3% less than anticipated. However, that shouldn't affect our plan that much considering how far they'll be spaced apart.]

Although it didn't give them anything new or a much larger picture, it was an expected outcome, and they would be moving along to the next waypoint at any moment.

==Tag any and all==

[Tyra Crawford]

"Artemis has arrived at Drop Off One and is in position as ordered Captain."

Tyra, who had been watching her console, nodded at this before realizing that couldn't be seen by the forward facing pilot. "Thank you, Midshipman."

There were a few moments between their arrival and Miller's next update. And a little more wait before Miller provided the outcome of the initial drop.

There were instances where 3% was significant but this hardly seemed like one of them. A 3% reduction of range than expected was minimal in the grand scheme of things and certainly not a large enough variant to not continue forward.

"Acknowledged. As soon as we arrive at the next drop point, launch the next buoy as you see fit," Tyra answered before Tyra's attention moved to helm. "Midshipman, please move us to the next set of coordinates."

She felt the subtle hum of the deck plates as the ship began to ease the short distance to the next drop point. She was certain Miller was watching their progress as well and would soon have an update on the next deployment.

"Science, continue to monitor the probes after they are dropped and we continue to increase distance. We need to know how long we actually keep communication with each one as we move away."

[Hallowette Maxas-Darl]

"Acknowledged. As soon as we arrive at the next drop point, launch the next buoy as you see fit," Tyra answered before turning her attention to the helm. "Midshipman, please move us to the next set of coordinates."

"Aye Sir." Hallowette answered efficiently. 

Cross referencing the plans displayed in the LCARS auxiliary display, the youthful curly haired junior officer set to her task quickly. Within seconds the ship eased towards the second set of coordinates. As it arrived Hallowette began to input the next point in the grid, assuming any further vocal input from herself was unneeded. 

Hally quickly checked over the waypoint log and verified her inputs were correct. From this point she simply awaited her place in the chain of actions, once Commander Miller stated the next probe was in place and functional she would usher the Artemis to the next place in the series.

[Omdor Jaein]

Jaein sat on the bridge, watching the crew work smoothly. He felt a little like he was extraneous to events, but knew that something like this required his attention.

Unfortunately, that attention was focused on when he could get his next cup of coffee.

He half listened as the crew dropped the first probe, and was pleased with how well it went. He'd heard about the work that Hu had done with the science team, and was glad that she'd done well. He had thought about running his own diagnostics on them, but decided he should leave well enough alone. After all, the CSO had done her own work, and he didn't want to seem like he was shoving his nose in where it wasn't needed. He'd worked for micromanagers like that before, and he hated them.

So instead, he ran diagnostics. A quick check on the comms to make sure they were receiving the probe's telemetry, and another one on the sensors to make sure they were still going alright with the added power. He didn't want anything burning out at the wrong time.

==GM Input on diagnostics==

[Lucy Devereaux]

There was nothing of note inside the Artemis’ sensor range. The nebula was vast, so there’d be a lot more to discover. Aeryn and Ju had dispatched the first probe and were working on getting the next one ready. Using the transporter system to place the probes was certainly effective. An intelligent implementation to cope with the restrictions for the probe design.

Lucy pondered what would be a suitable dispersal pattern. The Captain was right about keeping any eye on the signal strength between the probes and the Artemis. Figuring out maximum distance and any stellar affects on the communication between the two would be increasingly important as they went deeper.

Hansel and Gretel had done well enough until they started using breadcrumbs.

“Acknowledged, Captain.”

Lucy sent the first probe a reading request and included a request to the computer to check for signal quality and variance. The improved sensors in the probes were meant to be a step up on the standard equipment. It would be curious to see what they saw. Tracking back to the first buoy would be vital. The alternative did not bear thinking about.

== GM Input request, what are the readings from the first probe? Also is there anything noticeable about signal communication with the probe? ==

[GM-02]

==Omdor==

Diagnostics proved just the same as the last set: clear across the board.

==Devereaux==

The first probe was being picked up just fine, and it's telemetry was still reading clearly. The signal was strong, but beginning to attenuate as the Artemis came into position for the second probe. This was by design - the drop points were meant to balance maximum coverage with networking the probes to their neighbors.

==Everyone==

As the second probe was dropped and came online, the Artemis was patched into the new sensors. Immediately, a contact was picked up.

Just inside 3,000 km from the probe's outer range, a ship appeared. There wasn't supposed to be any traffic in the area at the moment.

[Aeryn Miller]

Aeryn quickly updated the Bridge on the outcome of the second deployment.

[Miller to Bridge, the second probe has deployed without any issues. However according to the telemetry that it's sending back, it's picking up a ship about 3000km inside the probe's outer range]


== Tags ==

[Miles Grant]

Drop off one had gone off without a hitch, and Miles looked on as they moved to the second drop off point. The journey there had also been smooth, and Miles ensured to notate his new Midshipman's performance. He still kept his eyes on everything, though nothing much had changed in the last few moments.

Eventually, they arrived at the second drop-off, and the second probe was deployed. Miles was able to notice that the updates had been patched through the sensors. Which was helpful, since there was an immediate contact. As Miles brought up the notification, the voice of Miller chimed through the comms.

[Miller to Bridge, the second probe has deployed without any issues. However according to the telemetry that it's sending back, it's picking up a ship about 3000km inside the probe's outer range]

Miles quickly worked on Tactical sensors if he could narrow down the view and determine the origin and/or type of ship that had just flared up. As he did so, he addressed the Command Staff.

"Captain," he said. "Recommend we go to Yellow Alert until we can determine ship's origin." As he awaited the confirmation, he prepped the ship to fulfill the order should it come.

==Tags. GM input: Is Miles able to get a clearer picture on the type of vessel?==

[Tyra Crawford]

[Miller to Bridge, the second probe has deployed without any issues. However according to the telemetry that it's sending back, it's picking up a ship about 3000km inside the probe's outer range]

Tyra tipped her head slightly, assessing that piece of information as her eyes shifted to her console to see the information for herself.

"Captain," Grant said. "Recommend we go to Yellow Alert until we can determine ship's origin."

The redhead's nose crinkled slightly as she considered what this likely was. Her experience told her it was most likely smuggling activity or something else illicit. It was certainly a tiny burst of excitement in an otherwise dry mission objective.

"Agreed. Take us to Yellow Alert. Helm, begin easing us further into the nebula to intercept. I want to know everything there is to know about that ship ASAP."

"And helm, how far off an intercept course is the third drop point for the probe? I'd like to know what else might be lurking back there if possible..."

== Tag guys! ==

[Omdor Jaein]

Jaein was pleasantly not surprised that the diagnostics turned up no issues. The ship was, as he had known, in excellent shape for this mission. So as the Artemis moved into position to deploy the latest probe, the Bajoran engineer sat back and listened.

Which was when things started to be interesting.

[Miller to Bridge, the second probe has deployed without any issues. However according to the telemetry that it's sending back, it's picking up a ship about 3000km inside the probe's outer range.]

Uh-oh, he thought. He knew that one of the stated reasons for setting up the probes was to try and curtail smuggling activity through the nebula, but he hadn't actually thought they might find something other than empty space. But it seemed like the universe was going to play tricks with him today.

He saw Grant, the tactical officer, move into activity as he tried to work out what the ship was. "Recommend we go to Yellow Alert until we can determine ship's origin," he told the captain.

For her part, Crawford was also swift on the alert.  "Agreed," she said. "Take us to Yellow Alert. Helm, begin easing us further into the nebula to intercept. I want to know everything there is to know about that ship ASAP." The lights began flashing yellow, alerting the crew that something was amiss.

Jaein sent an alert down to engineering for damage control crews to be on standby. He didn't expect to need them, but he'd never been one to take chances. That done, he worked his console and tried to find out what he had available to transfer to other systems if - and when - it was needed.

==GM Input: what's available?==

[Hallowette Maxas-Darl]

Hally sat quietly, her eyes scanning the probe data. Much of the information was superfluous and as her inexperienced eyes danced over it the scrolling information, her department head spoke up, "Captain, Recommend we go to Yellow Alert until we can determine ship's origin."

Ships origin? Aww crap, There's a ship???

The young woman focused her full attention on the data stream and finally latched onto the relevant info. 3000km or so, just inside the probe's furthest scan point. 

She winced slightly. How did I miss this? I should have seen that immediately...

Hallowette shrugged off the feeling, knowing there would be time later to beat herself up over it. Luckily everyone else had seen it. In the time she had come to terms with the error Grant had noted the situation, recommended yellow alert and the Captain had confirmed it. As the ships consoles and lights displayed the new alert status Hallowette refocused on the task at hand, doing her best to ignore the growing shot of anxiety eating at away at her stomach like  so many carnivorous lilyflies.

Prophets, this is happening! Yellow Alert on my first bridge shift!

She fought the nervous urge to giggle, allowing only the faintest of smiles to creep upon her flushed face. A moment later the Captain addressed her directly.

"Helm, begin easing us further into the nebula to intercept. I want to know everything there is to know about that ship ASAP." Crawford paused, then added, "And helm, how far off an intercept course is the third drop point for the probe? I'd like to know what else might be lurking back there if possible..."

To the young Midshipman's credit, despite the excitement that had just been poured over her, Hally went straight to work. As she began to ease the ship in the direction of the interloper she quickly ascertained the answer to the Captain's query, "Captain..." she calculated, then swiftly adjusted the course to better complete both tasks. "The unknown ship is approximately 3011 km from our current position. The third drop off point *is* a bit out of the way, but I think..."

Do you think or do you know? Hals, you know this. She heard the voice of her Father say in her mind.

"Sir, I am confident that I can plot a course that will be within the maximum range of the ships transporters, so shields will have to be dropped momentarily, but I believe this will allow us to both deploy the probe and still make best time to intercept." 

==GM input (Hi GM!) - Is Hally correct in ascertaining a vector that allows both a nuanced and quick intercept, but also the placement of the third probe? Ty!==

==Tags!==

[GM-02]

==Grant==

The ship is a Klingon transport vessel, with a transponder that shows the vessel's name as qoH, registered out of Arcturus IV. The planet was a known safe haven for ships that, if not outright smugglers, at least wanted to play very fast and loose with cargo manifests and other regulations. The qoH was moving at a sedate pace, clearly not expecting trouble. She appears to be undamaged, but the probe doesn't have the capability of determining lifesigns or what cargo she may or may not be carrying.

==Omdor==

There was still approximately 75% of the reserve power available for other systems, and that was before considering any non-essential systems to be rerouted.

==Maxas-Darl==

Unfortunately, the course plot proved to be incorrect. While under normal conditions the course would have been sufficient, the nebula was playing havoc with the Artemis' sensors, including the transporter's targeting array. If they followed the intercept course, the transporter would be unable to put the probe in the right location. A choice would have to be made.

==Just a note for the future, Midshipman: best practice here would've been to describe trying to come up with a course plot and asking me whether it's possible, rather than saying you've found one and then asking whether you're correct. I did love your post otherwise, though!==

[Hallowette Maxas-Darl]

==GM: My apologies! I'm happy to play it as something Grant or the Captain can correct in the moment or during the attempt. Sorry to all for adding an unnecessary wrinkle!==

[Miles Grant]

==No worries. You're doing great, and we're here to guide you. Definitely makes for a good role-playing moment==

Miles results came in soon enough, and he perused the information as courses were determined on drop-off versus intercept. Though he wasn't able to get a clear idea on lifesigns or cargo, the information provided was that of a ship with ties to smugglers. A Klingon vessel wasn't always the best to have to engage, though Star Fleet's current peace with the Klingons definitely helped to mitigate any worry of a political incident drastically. It was never zero when it came to any of the powers in the galaxy, but it helped.

As he was about to give his report, Maxas-Darl spoke up on her determination of the intercept and the drop point. As he looked at what she spoke of, he could see where she had come to the conclusion she did. However, his brow furrowed as he wasn't as confident in the answer as his Midshipman was. As such, he ran a quick projection of his own to confirm. He got the results, and, as he suspected, there was more to the situation than the Midshipman's answer. He would need to correct it, but he needed to ensure he did so in the right way. He wasn't upset with his new Officer's report, it was just misguided from a lack of experience.

But she would get there. She was already on the path. She just needed guidance.

Miles motioned over to one of the available Petty Officers to watch the Tactical station as he approached the Helm. He looked over his Midshipman's shoulders for a brief moment to confirm she had received the same telemetry as he had before speaking.

"Under normal circumstances, Midshipman Maxas-Darl's plot course would be correct," he began. "However, given the nebula's interference to our systems, we won't be able to navigate quite as cleanly." He paused for a moment before giving his own report.

"Based on what I was able to determine of the ship," he continued, "It's registered as a Klingon transport vessel named qoH. It's registered out of Arcturus IV. Reports show the planet is a known safe haven for ships that, if not outright smugglers, aren't exactly...forthcoming...with cargo manifests and regulations. The ship is moving at a sedate pace, appearing to be undamaged. However, the probe doesn't have the capability of determining lifesigns or what cargo she may or may not be carrying." After giving his report, he turned back to Maxas-Darl and gave a reassuring smile.

"You're learning," he addressed her, quietly. "You'll make fumbles. The best thing is to pick up the ball and push forward. Don't let it affect you in the now. You're doing good. We'll talk more later." With that, he gave her a final nod before making his way back to the Tactical station to continue to keep an eye on the ship.

"Given that information, Captain," he said as he was back at station, "I do recommend we continue to the third drop-off, but I'll make sure to keep tabs on the qoH."

==Tag all. Hope this helps play things along. ==

[Tyra Crawford]

The midshipman's answer was confident, a perfect demonstration of the bell curve they showed officers during command school. She'd been around long enough to shake the nerves of a newly minted officer for the confidence of an inexperienced officer, who would shortly be humbled back to the bottom of the graph with enough time and trauma. Which was where she would likely remain for the rest of career as most everyone did after enough kneecapping. And Artemis specialized in traumatic kneecapping.

Her humbling came much faster than Tyra had anticipated but also much kinder as Grant gently corrected her calculation to account for the disturbances from the nebula.

"Under normal circumstances, Midshipman Maxas-Darl's plot course would be correct," he began. "However, given the nebula's interference to our systems, we won't be able to navigate quite as cleanly."

"Based on what I was able to determine of the ship," Grant continued, "It's registered as a Klingon transport vessel named qoH. It's registered out of Arcturus IV. Reports show the planet is a known safe haven for ships that, if not outright smugglers, aren't exactly...forthcoming...with cargo manifests and regulations. The ship is moving at a sedate pace, appearing to be undamaged. However, the probe doesn't have the capability of determining lifesigns or what cargo she may or may not be carrying."

As the CTO turned to encourage -- she assumed since Grant didn't seem like a yeller -- his midshipman, her blue eyes shifted to her console as she considered all the different variables.

The transport vessel was moving calmly and slowly for one of three reasons: they were unaware of Artemis' presence, they believed Artemis was unaware of their presence or they had no reason to be nervous about a Starfleet patrol. She found it unlikely that Artemis' arrival would have gone unnoticed to any passing ships and most smuggling operations had been lookout systems in place that watched ship movements for these random patrols. She also found it just as unlikely that this ship was innocently wandering through a nebula as part of their flight plan.

If they felt safe despite Artemis' presence, there was a chance that they'd remain on their flight path regardless of what Artemis did but that also presented the opportunity for them to observe Artemis' probe deployment if they had a way of scanning through the interference, which was intel Tyra wasn't certain she wanted to make public just yet. Alternatively, if they somehow didn't know about Artemis' current location, they might when they moved to drop the next probe and there would be little chance of keeping track of the ship in these conditions. That was tactical risk she wasn't sure she liked.

"Given that information, Captain," Grant said as he was back at station, breaking through Tyra's musing, "I do recommend we continue to the third drop-off, but I'll make sure to keep tabs on the qoH."

"I have to disagree, Lieutenant. It's been a while since we've run a cargo inspection but I think this is a good opportunity to dust some cob webs off," she answered, her lips curving into a smile that was more mischievous than pleasant.

"Plus, it'll be better to make the next drop without a potential audience..." She added before turning her gaze from Grant to the midshipman.

"Plot a course to intercept, best safe speed. We want to catch them unaware before they can run but have the tractor beam ready. As soon as we're within intercept range, open a channel for me, Lieutenant Grant."

"Crawford to Security. We're encountering a potential smuggling vessel. Please have a small boarding party ready in case an inspection is needed."

== Tag! ==

[Hallowette Maxas-Darl]

“We’re going to stumble, make mistakes, I’m sure, more than a few before we find our footing. But we’re going to learn from those mistakes. That’s what being human is all about.”
 -Jonathan Archer, Principles of Command and Ethics, Starfleet Academy Archive 1204

"Under normal circumstances, Midshipman Maxas-Darl's plot course would be correct," Grant said gently. "However, given the nebula's interference to our systems, we won't be able to navigate quite as cleanly."

Midshipman Maxas-Darl's moment of satisfaction was short lived as Grant addressed the Captain. Her face immediately went white and a rush of disbelief and disappointment erupted from the pit of her torso. 

What? No, I know this is right... Her eyes searched the course, calculating and recalculating all the variables as quickly as she could.

And there it was. *Her mistake*. Grant was absolutely right, and her mistake wasn't even one born of difficulty. The interference rather blatant, something most any proficient Starfleet Helmsman would see fairly quickly. But Hally hadn't - She knew the nebula was problematic - that was the entire reason for this mission, yet she had let her overconfidence and worse, her need to excel (and be SEEN excelling) blind her to the obvious.

"I uhm..." she managed to mutter before Grant lowered his voice and spoke directly and softly to her, " "You're learning. You'll make fumbles. The best thing is to pick up the ball and push forward. Don't let it affect you in the now. You're doing good. We'll talk more later." 

Hally didn't know what to say. Lt. Grant had to have known that her mistake was not born of inexperience. He had to know that she simply messed up.

Yet he had been positive, and gentle, and reassuring. Hally was incredibly relieved by the grace and leadership her supervisor had shown her. 

"I'm sorr..." she began before wiping away the urge to appear sheepish, and bringing her bright teal eyes to meet his, "You are right, thank you Sir."
 
As Grant returned to his seat, Hallowette turned in her seat and addressed the Captain and First Officer. "I see my mistake Captain. My apologies." She did her best to retain professional bearing, but also admit to the blunder. "I'll endeavor to minimize any further."

The young Officer turned back to her console as Archer's quote drifted through her head. Grant had given her a reprieve, and as he said, it was up to her to push forward and not let it undermine her duty.

As Grant and the Captain spoke of their options she replotted several approaches to their objectives, this time with the nebula's influence taken into account.

After just a moment the Captain again directed orders her way. "Plot a course to intercept, best safe speed. We want to catch them unaware before they can run but have the tractor beam ready."

"Yes Captain." Hally answered as she chose the course that best fit the request. "Best *safe* speed engaged."

==tags! (thanks for being gentle Miles, haha!)==

[Lucy Devereaux]

It made sense that the first probe would be fine. It would get interesting the deeper the Artemis travelled into the nebula. Lucy was about to report on the probe’s condition when the read from the second probe caught something of interest. A Klingon transport vessel making its way through the nebula like another standard delivery.

The query about letting it go on its way had been interesting, but it would be prudent to check what was being transported. The qoH wasn’t acting as if they had detected the Artemis. It would also be educational to know how they were traversing the nebula. There was almost a drift in the sensor readings. The bridge switched to yellow alert.

Cautious was good as the qoH had appeared on the edge of the second probe’s sensor radius. Under the Captain’s orders they were heading to intercept the qoH and see what they were up to. Cargo inspections were an odd idea. Might have made sense when it was a case of taxes, but smugglers moved more than alcohol these days.

Lucy put another request through the system. This time including a comparison of the reads between the two probes. If there was an effect further in it would be nice to know where it was strongest. Travelling in a straight line would only be practical up to a distance. Areas of space were susceptible to eddies and currents of unusual strength.

Between tachyon eddies and other phenomena could get exciting if you didn’t maintain a level of awareness. Complacency would get you into genuine trouble and Lucy got why not taking things at face value was important.

Learning curves. I’ll get there.

== GM input request, are there any notable differences between information coming from the first and second probe? ==

[Omdor Jaein]

Jaein was pleased with how the ship was holding up so far, with ample spare power available and no troubles so far. Of course, that wasn't likely to last.

Grant gently corrected the helmswoman over her minor error and then recommended that they proceed to drop off three. Crawford, however, had other ideas.  "I have to disagree, Lieutenant," she said. "It's been a while since we've run a cargo inspection but I think this is a good opportunity to dust some cob webs off."

He couldn't help but agree with her. The ship was out of place, and maybe it was just his age talking but between the Occupation, the Maquis, and the Dominion War, he couldn't think of a legitimate reason for a ship to be here in this nebula. Much less a Klingon ship, so far from the Empire. Crawford finished her orders:  "Plot a course to intercept, best safe speed. We want to catch them unaware before they can run but have the tractor beam ready. As soon as we're within intercept range, open a channel for me, Lieutenant Grant."

He hoped she was right, and would be rewarded with a quiet cargo inspection. However, he didn't expect that to happen. He instead checked on shields and weapons, figuring they would be needed before long.

==GM Input: yet more checks! If they're fine, don't worry about anything, just let me know about problems.==

[GM-02]

==Omdor==

No problems were indicated.

==Devereaux==

There were no noticeable differences between the two. The nebula was rather uniform in density in this area, though it did have a region that was thicker further in. The test pattern that Artemis was ordered to deploy the probes in, however, stayed away from that area.

==Everyone==

Artemis pursued a fast, but safe, intercept course for the qoH. It was odd following the freighter via the probe's sensors rather than Artemis', but eventually the qoH came into their own sensor range. As the sensors picked it up, it became possible to open hailing frequencies. While the Artemis kept the qoH just within range of their sensors - and right at the edge of their weapons range - the Klingon ship stayed on course, as if it couldn't see the Federation ship.

==Grant - you may hail when ready==

[Tyra Crawford]

As Grant worked on opening channel, Tyra shot a look at Cass, her eyebrow arching slightly. There was a time where this sort of action would have been the dark haired Captain's bread and butter but the grin she shot back at Tyra suggested her current thought was more along the lines of 'not my monkeys, not my circus'.

Seemed it was up to Tyra to brush off the cobwebs on her interdictionsl skills.

Once Grant signaled the chanel was open, the redheas squared her shoulders. "This is the USS Artemis. We were conducting a routine patrol when we noticed your vessel within the nebula. We wanted to make sure y'all weren't lost or suffering from navigational issues that we might be able to assist with."

It was bullshit, absolute bullshit, but it was better than coming out swinging with Federation regulation 5051.12 ©, which granted them the ability to conduct inspections when indicators for smuggling were present. After all, her Pops always said you got more bees with honey than vinegar but she found that only worked so well when it came to work place issues.

She just hoped Grant and their young pilot were on their toes for of this went poorly.

== GM: Do we get a response? ==

[GM-02]

The Klingon freighter hovered on the screen as Captain Crawford spoke, and for a moment, a heartbeat, all was still on the bridge. Artemis continued to advance on the ship, letting it grow ever so slightly on the viewer.

Then beams of red disruptor fire lashed out at Artemis, and the freighter turned and tried to run, throwing her engines to maximum as she came about almost a full 180, heading deeper into the nebula.

Artemis, her shields up as was standard for a yellow alert, took no damage. They were at the extreme range of the disruptors, and the damage even to the shields was negligible.

==We have a runner!==

[Mara Calleja]

As she stepped out onto the Bridge, Mara tried to think if she’d been up here since transferring to Artemis. She’d been on the bridge of other ships in that time but never Artemis’ own.

First time for everythin’. And I get to do it now in what is very much a hostile environment. It’s my own fault for pickin’ fights with people in crimson shirts. I know that. But now it’s all business…

The powerfully-built Chief of Security was clad in tactical body armour with a rifle over her shoulder and a helmet clipped to her belt, along with a type II and a knife holstered at her hip. She cut a distinctive figure with her side-shave and braids, dark eyes quietly taking everything in.

Given the tense situation and everyone in the middle of things, she made the choice not to vocally report, settling instead for a nod of greeting to the senior officers present and staying at the back of the Bridge out of the way.

As the freighter on screen actually fired on the Artemis, Mara planted her feet and folded her arms as she tried to evaluate the freighter on screen. The fact they were trying to run had just dramatically increased the odds of a boarding action so she wanted to be as ready as she could.

None of these ships keep the standard layout for long. I just want to get a good look at this thing. How big is it? Are we gonna need more teams to take it?

== Sorry GM, very quick question! Is it possible to gauge how big the qoH is please? Are we talking a smaller blockade runner, or a bigger cargo vessel that’s possibly frigate sized? ==

[Tyra Crawford]

As the Klingon vessel seemed to hang in space, Tyra mentally considered the likely outcomes of this moment. Unlike Givens, interdiction had not been a specialty of hers during her time as a security officer, which she wasn't overly disappointed about given the often monotonous nature of interdiction patrols, but she had plenty of experience with the boarding side of the equation courtesy of her years with CSAR. In fact, she had frequently taught the boarding portion of the Advanced Interdiction course at the Academy, which meant she had also sat through the interdiction portions more times than she had wanted to count. Per the textbook, compliance to interdiction inspections sat at 80% but personally, Tyra felt it had to be closer to 50-50 in moments like this. This certainly felt like a toss up.

One that they apparently lost as the Klingon ship decided to take a pop shot at their shields before darting off into the nebula in a very un-Klingon-like manner. There was a moment of red alert as her mind briefly considered why it might have darted off but it was overridden by a surge of confidence that hopefully wouldn't bite them in the ass.

"Oh! That's the game you want to play. Okay, *******. Game on. Take us to Red Alert," her tone was firm with a hard edge but her lips were pulled into a grin that bordered on predatory.

"Midshipman, here's your chance to show me what you've got. Hunt 'em down," she said to pilot before turning in her chair slightly.

"Grant, as soon as we're in range, I want their shields taken down, weapons offline and then, engines. If they decide to do anything stupid like ramming us, make their engines a priority."

She paused as she considered something, pondering how much multitasking was needed for what she was asking for. "And transfer control of the tractor beam either to Commander Omdor or Captain Givens. We might need it."

"Science, please keep an eye out for any other ships lurking in the nebula. I don't want to walk into a ambush, though I don't think that would end well for them."

With those orders given, she glanced down to note a message on her console from Givens. [Klingons don't typically choose retreat as their opening tactic. Could be Syndicate or anyone who fancies the joys of Klingon craftsmanship.

Do you want me to summon engineering and medical to support the boarding team?]

Tyra turned her head to look at the other captain and nodded her head, catching sight of Calleja in the process. She arched her eyebrow up slightly at the unusual visitor to the bridge, surprised she wasn't in the transporter room already even though she was dressed for it. She must have dressed in a hurry and practically ran to the bridge to get there that quickly.

Or she lives in the body armor…I wouldn't be shocked.

== Captain Cassandra Givens ==

There was absolutely no surprise when the Klingon vessel opened fire; Cass had seen her fair share of brazen and outright bizarre reactions when confronted. However, the Klingon ship's progression into a tactical bailout was surprising and led Cass to suspected it likely was not Klingon smugglers. In considering that, she had to acknowledge that if this was not a Klingon operation, there was a chance that the ship would either surrender upon being hunted down or upon boarding.

Either way, medical and engineering support would likely be needed for the boarding team as they were obligated to treat wounded and keep the ship from falling apart under their feet. She still remembered the first time she'd led her own boarding action on a smuggling ship and after refusing to bring an engineer along, she was forced to call home and request instructions on how to turn off the ship's self-destruct without the cooperation of its crew. She hadn't lived that down with the Chief for years.

Fortunately, Crawford agreed with her suggestion, offering her a nod to her message. She quickly set out notifying the appropriate department heads. Despite the fact that Omdor wasn't far away, she still elected to send him a quick message to prevent having to yell across the bridge.

[Captain would like an engineer on stand by to support the boarding team. Do you have someone you can spare to report to the transporter room?]

With that sent, she contacted Sickbay quietly. "Givens to Sickbay. The Captain is requesting a member of the medical staff to report to the transporter room to support a potential boarding action. Thank you."

Now, she leaned back in her chair and reached for the harness, not quite trusting that their new midshipman might not kill them in her excitement to stretch her legs.

== Tag everyone! ==

[GM-02]

==Quick note to answer Calleja==

The ship was small, approximately the length of Artemis' saucer section though narrow. Much of that internal volume would be given to cargo space, and as Artemis closed it might be possible for her more powerful sensors to get a reading on what types of cargo it was hauling, since Artemis is no longer relying on the probe's broader-spectrum sensor suite.

[Hallowette Maxas-Darl]

"This is the USS Artemis. We were conducting a routine patrol when we noticed your vessel within the nebula. We wanted to make sure y'all weren't lost or suffering from navigational issues that we might be able to assist with."

Hallowette's bright teal eyes centered on the Klingon Vessel hanging partially obscured on the viewscreen, the slightest hint of a smile creeping at the corners of her mouth as the Captain began "the game".

A few years earlier, as a member of the Youth Diplomacy Corp, the young Midshipman had been given the opportunity to observe and learn from some of the finest Ambassadors, Attaches, Legates, and Chargé d'affaires in the Federation. One in particular, an ancient Aenar called "Keh'lan" had taken a shine to her, and it was at Keh'lan that Hally had seen the real politic that took place behind the scenes; the deals, the considerations, and the often cut throat social interaction that sometimes drove the business of running a Starfaring government. 

One of the most poignant lessons imparted by her Aenar friend was to always give your opponent the chance to save face. Give them an out. When you hold the cards, allow them to dictate where the negotiation began - begin soft, but be prepared to go hard - in other words, give them enough rope to hang themselves with.
Apparently the Captain subscribed to a similar strategy. 

So it was with a noticeable wince that Hally suffered her first enemy fire. Simulations, drills, tests - all was well and good when you know the stakes are only so dangerous. Glowing shields and the slightest nudge of the ship absorbing the blow before dampeners compensated, ever so very slight...

Ho! Shit, they actually fired on us....!

The hybrid curly haired redhead immediately straightened in her seat and began going to work. Hours and hours of simulations, theorycrafting scenarios, and academy preparations went to work. The result of over four years of her life culminated in the here and now - her very first shift as the ship's helmsman. While her emotions attempted to override her training, thoughts of freezing, panicking or the desire to look to Grant for guidance were suppressed as her CO responded to the attack.

"Oh! That's the game you want to play. Okay, *******. Game on. Take us to Red Alert," said Crawford, her tone almost sassy.

The underlying playfulness in the Captain's voice served to set Hally's mind on a course of action. Where she had struggled to allow her training to kick in, Tyra's words cut through the emotion, calming her, reassuring her, and setting the tone on the Bridge.

In the back of the green young officer's mind, a quiet part of her was thankful that Crawford was her first CO. That she was part of the Artemis' crew. While the enormity of the situation (in reality, likely a very small blip on the radar of an experienced crew's logbook) threatened to undermine her actions, Hally knew she was where she was supposed to be - where she WANTED to be.

Then the Captain spoke something that the Trill/Bajoran would remember forever...

""Midshipman, here's your chance to show me what you've got. Hunt 'em down,"

Hally allowed a predatory grin of her own cross her freckled features. She looked down to the console and quickly finished the last of the calculations on the helm before her.

"Aye Captain... Pursuit course laid in."

==GM: Hally intends to intercept the Klingon ship in a fashion that allows the ship's weapons and tractor to function with consideration to the nebula, but gives a bit of a cushion for evasives etc. In other words she's attempting to fly aggressively, but not overtly recklessly. Maybe her mistake is already helping teach her....or maybe not ==

[Robin Mayfair]

Robin Mayfair's mild Southern accent, similar to Crawford and Givens, came through.

[Confirmed, Bridge. They'll be there shortly.]

[Miles Grant]

Miles had nodded at the Captain's response. Though his reasoning of continuing along while keeping an eye on the goH had been so they wouldn't be caught off guard, he understood and respected Captain Crawford's assessment and would follow through with her orders. As they approached, he considered the possible ways a response would come. When they were in range, he opened the channel per the Captain's request and waited.

He didn't have to wait long, though, as the response came in the form of a few pot shots that barely grazed the shields of the Artemis before the goH decided to turn heel and run. Miles immediately moved to place the ship in Red Alert at the same time the Captain called for it. Now in Red Alert, Miles focused on the task at hand, which included a pursuit and disabling of the vessel. He took in the order in which Crawford wanted the other ship targeted, giving a quick "Aye, Captain" as he brought up targeting.

He knew he would have to account from any interference from the Nebula, and listened intently on the Captain's orders to his Midshipman on the pursuit. This was the big moment for Maxas-Darl to prove herself. She appeared focused, and he hoped that translated to her piloting. As other orders were being given, Miles addressed Maxas-Darl.

"Helm, Approach Maximum Aspect," he informed her, indicating the very simple, but usually effective maneuver given their current situation. He just needed as much target space as he could to follow through with the Captain's orders. As they got closer and he continued to get his targeting, he heard the orders for a boarding party. He had also noted Calleja's presence on the Bridge. Unusual, given she would most likely lead the Security detachment for the boarding party. Nevertheless, the boarding party was not Miles' concern.

Taking out the goH's shields was.

==Tag all. GM input: Do Miles' adjustments for Nebula interference give him a clearer aspect to fire upon? Once in range, Miles will target their shield generator, so results of that, please.==

[Mara Calleja]

Mara’s face didn’t flicker as Tyra added a medic to the boarding team. It went without saying that the COS didn’t think it was necessary but it also wasn’t worth arguing the call.

I’ll save what little credit I have left until it really matters.

The Security Chief turned her attention back to the ship they were now in pursuit of. It wasn’t the biggest ship but it did look big enough that she was leaning towards adding a second Security team to the boarding party. Dark eyes looked around until the Bandaran saw an empty station and she moved to take it.

OK. What can I figure out on this thing…

Reviewing and refining sensor data was definitely not Calleja’s strong suit, but she was gamely giving it a go. She wanted to see what information she could pull on the qoH to give her officers the best possible data. Deck plans would be ideal - she started to cross-reference any available information held on file - but details of the cargo would be a massive help with the planning.

I’ve been caught before on what looks clear but turned out to be really hostile. Can we figure out a safe space to beam into?

Mara looked around. Most of the Bridge crew was fully engaged but she saw Harriman at the next station.

“Hey Carol. Little help please?” Calleja asked. She didn’t see anything wrong with asking for help from someone better suited to the job she was trying to do. “I’m gonna have to take some teams over to that bucket. Can you give me a hand with a sensor sweep? Could use your expertise with anything you can get me. Deck plans. Crew complement and location. Definitely cargo.”

She looked over at the older woman and made room at the console.

== Tag Carol! GM input as well please - is there a match for the qoH or its class on file anywhere? If so, how much info is there? Looking for deck plans in particular. Thanks! ==

[Carol Harriman]

Carol stayed active on the sensors at the back of the bridge, but at the moment, she felt caught up in the chase. She couldn’t help but appreciate the thrill the young officer at help was probably feeling. Nothing like that. Go get’em Midshipman.

The Captain was cool as a cucumber as the ship was basked in a red glow. Mara, the ship’s new security head sat down at an empty console. She couldn’t help but take interest in what Mara was up to. It didn’t take long for her to know though as Mara sought some help.

“Got’cha,” Carol said in her typical informality, making her way to the station Mara manned. “Let’s do some reconfiguring here…”  Carol worked with Mara in adjusting sensors used to scan the vessel, starting with a few small tweaks first.  “Always liked a good game of hide and seek. Let’s see what we can find…”

[Omdor Jaein]

Jaein was unsurprised when his latest round of checks showed no issues with the Artemis' systems. He was, however, surprised when the freighter ran for it's life. Typically Klingons would at least bluster first before employing the better part of valor.

"No damage," he called as the disruptors impacted nigh-impotently on the shields. Though he couldn't be sure until he'd performed a more detailed scan, he wouldn't be surprised to see old and underpowered weapons on it. Freighters as a rule didn't have good weapons, even Klingon freighters, and if they weren't with the Defense Force - which seemed likely, given where they were and that they just fired on the Artemis - they wouldn't have kept up to date.

"And transfer control of the tractor beam either to Commander Omdor or Captain Givens," Captain Crawford ordered. "We might need it." He waited a moment, but the tactical team seemed preoccupied and so he called up the controls on his console. Shortly after, he saw a message from Givens, asking if he had a recommendation for the boarding party.

For a moment, he considered sending himself - after all, if he wasn't willing to lead from the front would they be willing to follow? - but he considered and nodded. She wasn't asking him to prepare, she was asking him to recommend someone. Obviously, she considered the Artemis the appropriate place for him during this, and he couldn't argue with that assessment. As such he hit his commbadge. "Omdor to Han, please report to the transporter room. Bring your kit and a weapon."

==Tractor beam standing by!==

[GM-02]

==Maxas-Darl & Grant==

As the Artemis closed the distance, the helm did a fine job of keeping the qoH well within range. Keeping approximately 10 km off her port and astern, tactical was able to get a clear shot targetting first the shields, and the avenue was open to go after shields cleanly from this position.

The adjustments made helped, as did keeping so close to the enemy, and Grant scored a pair of direct hits in quick succession, dropping the Klingon ship's shields quickly.

==Harriman & Calleja==

The records were able to find a match to this class of freighter, showing where the bridge and engine rooms were, along with some other critical nodes. However, it wasn't entirely helpful, as the class had a very configurable cargo space, capable of handling all manner of goods, so it would be unknown what the ship would look like just from the file records.

As for the qoH herself, it was unknown what her current cargo was. The records for her registry were within the Federation database, but specifics would have to be requested from Arcturus IV proper, which would take longer than feasible in the current situation.

As they drew within engagement range, sensors were able to get a better scan on the qoH and some of the information popped up. There were a dozen lifesigns currently registering on the ship, all Klingon. Half of them were distributed between the bridge and engine room, while the remainder were running through the cargo area. While the cargo itself couldn't be determined, it appeared to be inorganic, and didn't appear to be anything volatile.

[Mara Calleja]

“Got’cha,” Carol replied, moving over to where Mara was gamely doing her best. “Let’s do some reconfiguring here… Always liked a good game of hide and seek. Let’s see what we can find…”

“I usually do my seekin’ at the end of a rifle. Very different scales we work at,” Calleja answered with a wry grin.

The Security Chief had managed to get a layout of the ship that pretty much matched the records, but it wasn’t until Harriman worked her magic that they were able to pinpoint the enemy ship’s crew complement and where they were.

“Ah, there they are,” Mara said. “Thank you Carol! What have we got… All Klingons. And half of ‘em runnin’ through and messin’ with the cargo. That ain’t ominous at all,” she added, reading through the information present on what was being carried, such as it was. “Wish we could pick up more info on that cargo. I don’t like goin’ in blind on what they’re carryin’. I do know I want some more bodies on our side though.” She tapped her commbadge.

“Calleja to Security. I need Trevathan’s squad to gear up and report to transporter room 2. Tell Okehampton to send Danny with them. I’ll join them shortly.”

[Acknowledged Chief. I’ll get them going.]

“Thanks. Calleja out.”

With that taken care of, Mara knew she had to report their findings but being up here made her oddly nervous suddenly. It felt a bit like hostile territory. There was an FO she didn’t know. Givens who she definitely did know but right now wished she didn’t. And then Tyra herself, who was not going to be in a forgiving mood if the Amazonian Lieutenant screwed up again.

Calleja took a deep breath to compose herself before turning round to face the command chair.

“Cap’n Crawford?” the Bandaran said. “We got some details on the ship. Can’t identify the cargo yet but it looks inorganic and it’s not settin’ off any of the volatile substance markers. Crew of 12, all Klingon. 6 split between the bridge and the engine room, and the other 6 are chargin’ round the cargo bays. Probably hidin’ evidence and seein’ what can be flushed out an airlock. I’ve got rough deck plans thanks to Lieutenant Harriman. With your leave, I’d like to go brief my teams. We’ll be ready to go on your order.”

== Tags! ==

[Tyra Crawford]

Tyra settled back into her seat as her helmsman and her CTO worked their magic in pursuit of their latest quarry. Her blue eyes shifted between the main viewscreen and her own console, which was showing tactical information as they surged forward.

Her lips quirked slightly as Maxas-Darl made it look easy to keep them in attack position and it became a full grin as Grant took advantage of the position to surgically take down the shields. She felt that itch to go ahead with the next phase but she reminded herself that hunting often required patience.

"Grant, next target at your leisure."

“Cap’n Crawford?” Tyra heard from over her shoulder and shifted in her chair to train her gaze on her hulking Chief of Security. “We got some details on the ship. Can’t identify the cargo yet but it looks inorganic and it’s not settin’ off any of the volatile substance markers. Crew of 12, all Klingon. 6 split between the bridge and the engine room, and the other 6 are chargin’ round the cargo bays. Probably hidin’ evidence and seein’ what can be flushed out an airlock. I’ve got rough deck plans thanks to Lieutenant Harriman. With your leave, I’d like to go brief my teams. We’ll be ready to go on your order.”

The redhead didn't answer immediately as she considered a few different aspects of the information dump. What would Klingons be smuggling that they were so concerned about being caught with that they would make the effort to shoot and then, flee? Were the Klingons now smuggling weapons to the Cardassians? It wasn't people, which was usually another high risk smuggling operation, but she also wasn't so stupid to think the Klingons didn't have a method of hiding items from sensors.

And there was the matter of the boarding team. As much as Tyra wanted to give Mara the free reign that she would have craved in Mara's shoes, she couldn't ignore that she was also likely giving her the rope to hang herself given her last two outbursts. It would have been easy enough for Tyra herself to accompany the team as was her usual mode but she was well aware that she was also on thin ice of a different nature and being reckless like that would likely send her through the thin ice and into the arctic water below.

"You're dismissed but take Captain Givens with you as a… diplomatic liaison of sorts," Tyra stated bluntly, even though she knew it would chafe Mara and the COS was unlikely to see it for what it was, an attempt to give her a buffer from hanging herself with all the rope Tyra was handing her.

Tyra knew she could have sent her new FO but while she expected Givens would approach the assignment like she had everything else -- observe and only step in as needed --, she felt the new FO wouldn't have been so hands off and he and Mara would likely have just slammed heads repeatedly.

You can only run interference for so long… she thought as she shot Givens a look, which the brunette merely answered with a nod as she stood up before moving towards the large COS.

Tyra couldn't deny there was a sliver of internal amusement as she wasn't sure who would enjoy her order less, Cass or Mara. She'd probably find out around the time they returned from their excursion.

== Tag! ==

[Miles Grant]

Miles' adjustments given the nebula's properties worked wonders, as Maxas-Darl was able to get them in perfect position for Miles' shots to bring the goH's shields down quickly. With few shots being needed to do so, Miles knew he would need to be careful on his continued assault to bring down the weapons and engines, as it became ever clearer how outmatched the goH was to an advanced ship like the Artemis. Miles couldn't let that train of thought keep him from focus, however, as that could mean the difference.

"The goH's shields are down," he reported, as he made to target their weapons and engines. Captain Crawford was quick to respond, apparently having noted when the shields went down around the same time Miles had.

"Grant, next target at your leisure," she stated. He gave a quick "Aye, Captain," as he set about using the same adjustments to target weapons first, then the engines. As he did so, he overheard the Captain making preparations with Calleja for the imminent boarding action. Assigning Givens to join had somewhat surprised Miles, given what had occurred in the briefing. Nevertheless, he trusted Crawford's judgment in the matter and focused on his own task at hand. As he got ready to fire the phasers to disable the weapons and engines, he addressed his Midshipman.

"Helm," he stated, "once I knock the weapons and engines of the goH offline, be ready to take a defensive orbit around them." Once he had given his orders to her, he ensured his targets one last time before firing, first at the weapons, then at the engines, small bursts effective enough to disable the systems, with a yield he believed to be low enough not to cause critical damage.

==Tags. GM input: Result of Miles targeting of the weapons and engines of the goH, please and thank you? ==

[Hallowette Maxas-Darl]

The Artemis was everything a young officer could dream to fly and more. Responsive and powerful; a reluctant, proficient Predator.

The curly haired novice helmsman put every ounce of her training into flying the advanced vessel, allowing her anxiety and desire for validation to evanesce, fully giving herself over to the duty she had prepared so fervently for. The qoH was easy prey, even now with the challenges presented by the nebula. Scenario's, flight training, and even the few times the flight team had goofed around chasing one another beyond this system or that - it all informed the young women's movements and tactics. The qoH was no military vessel, and the Artemis was no simple freighter. 

It was outmatched from the start. Which begs why this was even taking place to begin with.

Hallowette wondered in the back of her mind if this was some sort of ruse. If the qoH was leading them into a trap. She thought to mention it to the sensor operator - she wasn't sure of their name yet - but the thought disappeared as the forward phaser array erupted with rippled aggressiveness. She had seen live phaser fire - even controlled it during her WSO training, but this was on a different scale. The Vesta's modern arrays were light years more advanced than that of the Academy training vessels, and the experience of seeing the sheer power of the weapon circle the phaser strip and pulse towards the Klingon vessel was new...and almost breathtaking in a way - even the way the Klingon ships shields responded to the Artemis' attacks, glowing red like a hot steel before winking out of existence was something the young hybrid realized few in the galaxy would ever get to see first hand.

Nice shooting Lieutenant! Hallowette had thought to herself. She knew better than to offer the accolade to her superior in the moment - this wasn't a flight of Peregrine's playing at wargames, mind - but she still made a note to compliment Grant when this was over.

"Grant, next target at your leisure," Crawford said with authority, and the CTO responded with a quick, "Aye, Captain," before addressing Hallowette directly, "Helm, once I knock the weapons and engines of the goH offline, be ready to take a defensive orbit around them."

The Bajoran/Trill nodded and gave a quick affirmative in response, preparing the Artemis to take up a position that granted the boarding action cover from the ship. If this was some sort of diversion or trap, then Hally pledged to make sure she was ready for it.

The young woman allowed a moment to remove a stubborn curl that had fallen out from under the Bajoran style bandana she wore to keep her hair in place. As she did so she dared a glance around the bridge, only now noticing the presence of not only the first officer but another Command level officer, as well as an impressive female wearing a security uniform. Hally had heard stories from other crewmen about the intimidating Chief of Security, but this was her first time seeing her for herself. 

Hally's father had been the Chief of Security aboard the USS Ark Royal before he resigned his commission and took a position as a Bajoran cultural liaison to Cardassia. He had been equally large, muscular, fit - altogether commanding, much like the woman standing near Lt. Harriman. She wondered if the crew on the Ark Royal had been as equally awed by him as she was by Calleja.

She refocused her attention on her console as Grant fired again to disable the freighter. If the stories being spread among the lower decks regarding Calleja were true, then any boarding action would be over almost as soon as it began.

==tags==

[GM-02]

As the Artemis maneuvered, the qoH opened fire repeatedly. Though the ship shook under the barrage, they proved mostly ineffective other than knocking the young non-com at the mission ops station from her chair. 

Artemis, as fitted her status as a ship of the line rather than being a freighter - even a Klingon freighter - did better. Grant's barrage was able to land several hits around the engines of the qoH, and she swiftly slowed and lost attitude control, beginning to drift further into the nebula without propulsion. Another exchange of fire gave the Artemis the better result again, as the freighter's disruptors were silenced.

[Mara Calleja]

"You're dismissed but take Captain Givens with you as a… diplomatic liaison of sorts." The Captain’s tone brooked no arguments.

Oh I know exactly what kinda diplomacy you got in mind Mara thought. She’d expected a babysitter and it was no surprise to be assigned Givens. That’s just how the universe works. Not gonna let it bother me. Gives me a chance to try an’ win her over, or at least bury the hatchet. In the back of a Klingon’s head.

“Aye Cap’n,” Calleja replied with a curt nod. She turned. “Cap’n Givens? We’re assemblin’ in transporter room 2. See you down there.”

The Security Chief rested a hand on Harirman’s shoulder.

“Cheers for the help. I owe you a drink when we get back,” she said, before making her escape from the Bridge to the turbolift.

>> Transporter Room >>

[Miles Grant]

Even with shield's down, the goH did not give up easily. It was still sending barrages in the direction of the Artemis, though all it appeared to do was shake the Artemis some, which had caused one of the non-coms at mission ops to fall from their chair.

As this was occurring, the rest of Miles' well placed shots lanced out from the Artemis, quickly disabling the goH's engines, causing the telltale sign of drifting within the nebula. The next set caused the disruptors to go silent. Miles took a moment before motioning for one of the Enlisted to once again keep a quick eye on Tactical.

"The goH's engines and weapons have been disabled, Captain," he reported, before moving over to the non-com. He had already given Maxas-Darl the order to set defensive orbit, so trusted her to do so. "Are you okay?" he asked to the non-com, giving a quick assessment to see if they needed any medical care.

==Tag. GM input: How fares the non-com?==

[Lucy Devereaux]

The Artemis had moved in on the qoH and their response was to open fire. It was a curious armorment for a freighter, but it's give a headache to the kind of vessel on basic border patrol. The qoH had attacked the Artemis which was a few classes up from your average border patrol. Lucy had been tasked with watching for signs of vessels coming to support the qoH.

Lucy realised the reason why they'd run into the qoH was that they were following the same channel through the nebula. There had been mention of smugglers, though what the crew of the qoH was up to was a mystery. There had been no detection of biological matter in their hold, but a crew of twelve had been detected.

Lucy ran a sensor sweep of the area incorporating the feeds from the two probes. A boarding party was being put together once the qoH’s engines and weapons had been dealt with. Mara was on the boarding party with Captain Givens. An interesting mix, but Tyra knew best. Even with the shields protecting the Artemis this had been Lucy’s first proper sortie. Quite intense and an illustration of how diplomacy worked out here.

== GM input request, does the sensor sweep pick up anything of concern? ==

[GM-02]

==Cdr Jolann, Denobulan FO==

Jolann was pleased with how smoothly the crew was operating in the skirmish. It wasn't a particularly difficult engagement, but that didn't mean it wasn't something that could be tricky for some crews. This one wasn't one of them.

The Artemis maneuvered smoothly beside the freighter, keeping it from escaping, as Grant expertly disabled it and kept it from leaving too soon. "Mister Omdor, engage the tractor beam if you please," he said more warmly than he'd spoken since coming on board. Maybe it was the adrenaline that made his disposition brighter. Maybe it was simply that the Klingon freighter had proven so appropriately named: qoH translated into Federation Standard as something approximating "fool".

He punched up a comm channel to transporter room 2, and told them "Bridge to away team; you are free to depart when ready."

==Grant==

The young man sat up next to the CTO, holding a hand to the greenish bruise on the back of his shaven head. "I am alright, lieutenant," the Vulcan said, "though I am afraid I may have injured my head."

==Devereaux==

A quick check with the probes showed the qoH's wake from where it came into the nebula, as well as the larger disturbance where the Artemis had done battle with the freighter, however limited that skirmish had proved. No other ships were detected anywhere within range of either the ship or the probes.

The qoH itself was still showing up as powered, though the engine section was running hot. It looked like the Klingons might be trying to increase power to the engines, but with them disabled there was nowhere for that power to go. Sensors showed nine crew - three in engineering, three on the bridge, and three in the cargo bay.

[Lucy Devereaux]

The lack of other vessels wasn’t too bad at this point, but the readings from the qoH were worse. The Klingons were gunning their engines, but propulsion had been disabled. Their actions made their intentions harder to grasp. They’d been coming from Cardassian space, or thereabouts and hadn’t reacted to the Artemis until they were hailed.

The change in the number of the crew was concerning. Had three died or was the crew attempting something else? Initial lifesigns had them at 12 and they were all Klingon. Smuggling was the obvious conclusion. Captain Givens diplomatic skills might be needed if things weren’t so obvious.

“Captain, the crew of the qoH are trying to do something with their engines. They’re putting too much power into them.

“Also sensor readings for their dispersal have changed to nine. Three in engineering, three on the bridge, and three in the cargo bay. Can’t figure what has happened with the last three.

“So far it’s just us and them in sensor range.”

The wake of their activity in the nebula would either conceal stuff or reveal other things. The timing of the encounter was one of those coincidence things. Starfleet had a history of planning stuff, but that kind of subterfuge didn’t seem to be on the menu today.


== tag. ==

[Omdor Jaein]

Battle wasn't new for him, but he was glad to get this fairly low-key reintroduction to the concept. The last battle he had been in was during the Dominion War, having spent most of the intervening period between then and now either in system defense or, more predominantly, in construction. But the rhythms came back quite quickly.

So Jaein was pleasantly surprised when it turned out he wasn't likely to be needed. The freighter was fairly poorly armed, especially for a Klingon ship, and was failing to do much damage beyond draining the shields. He sent a message down to engineering to get the batteries tied in to them to make sure the shields recharged quickly as the first officer turned to him.  "Mister Omdor, engage the tractor beam if you please," he ordered, and Jaein turned back to his console.

"Aye, sir," he said, and engaged the controls, trying to get a solid lock on the enemy ship. He targeted the most solid section he could find, around the bridge itself, to make sure they didn't have anywhere else to go, and said a quick prayer to the Prophets that they didn't have any hidden surprises to throw them off.

“Captain, the crew of the qoH are trying to do something with their engines," the young scientist working the bridge noted. "They’re putting too much power into them." That made him concerned, and he trained some sensors on the qoH to try and figure out what was going on. Uncontrolled energy buildups were a danger, not just to those aboard a ship but potentially those nearby - after all, the difference between an engine and a bomb was just how the energy was channeled.

==GM Input: Does the tractor beam work? And what can I learn about the buildup?==

[Tyra Crawford]

Once Tyra was certain that no blows would be thrown between her COS and her advisor, her blue eyes shifted back to the screen to watch this mismatched battle play out. She'd give the Klingon vessel points for effort and spunk but the fact of the matter was the battle couldn't have been more one sided if they'd tried. Their disruptors were barely scratching the paint and Tyra had to wonder if they were reconsidering their tactics on running.

"The goH's engines and weapons have been disabled, Captain," Grant reported.

"Good work," she called out to the younger officer, her blue eyes shifting between the screen and her console in assessment. It was her first officer that spoke next, ordering Omdor to active the tractor beam before the vessel drifted too much further into the nebula.

“Captain, the crew of the qoH are trying to do something with their engines," the young scientist working the bridge noted. "They’re putting too much power into them."

"Of course, they are. Heaven forbid we do this the easy way," she commented dryly.

"Crawford to Givens and Calleja. They're in the process of overloading their engines; if y'all can't get system control ASAP, we might need to pull you back before they blow themselves up."

"Grant, establish a transporter lock on all of our people. If Omdor deems the power surge to be too much, pull them back."

== Captain Cassandra Givens ==

The brunette had paused as Crawford had issued her orders to Calleja, which had unfortunately included Cass. Out of the corner of her eye, she watched the large security chief for any type of reaction but it seemed Calleja had anticipated the orders.

For Cassandra's part, she had hoped such a duty would fall to Jolann but she understood why Crawford had chosen her. While Cassandra had authority and rank, she wasn't in the direct chain of command, whereas Jolann would likely have wanted to take charge, Cassandra could step back and allow Calleja to either thrive or fail, at which point she stepped in. It also helped that Cass had literally built part of her career on this type of assignment.

The brunette sighed as she stood up, knowing she'd need to make a detour on her way which would put her slightly behind everyone else.

>> Transporter Room >>

[GM-02]

==Apologies, Omdor, and a thank you to Captain Crawford for reminding me to look here!==

==Omdor==

The tractor beam held solidly; with the engines disabled, there wasn't much that the qoH could do to escape.

Not that that appeared to be stopping them from trying. The freighter's reactor was building power, and relatively quickly. It was unclear whether they were aware that the relays connecting to the engines themselves were destroyed - and from outside the ship, no less - or whether they were trying to fix them somehow and were trying to get the quickest start they could. Either way, it wasn't exactly a recipe for success. If things didn't change, within ten minutes the buildup would be irreversible.

[Omdor Jaein]

On the one hand, things were looking good. The Artemis had taken effectively no damage - it would take some time for the shield generators to get back up to full strength, but not that long - and the tractor beam was holding strong.

On the other, the qoH was threatening to explode.

Whoever passed for an engineer over there was pushing the drives. Jaein didn't know if they didn't know that the engines weren't responding, or if they just didn't care. Either way, it wasn't exactly good. "Tractor beam in place and holding, Captain," he called, "but that energy buildup? It's not looking good.

"I don't know what they're thinking, but the generators are creeping towards the red line. At current rates, call it 10 minutes before it can't be reversed. I'm keeping a close eye on it."

He said a silent prayer to the Prophets, hoping that Hu would be alright in getting the situation in hand, and that the away teams would be swift.

==Tags==

[Hallowette Maxas-Darl]

As the away teams departed, Hallowette sat quietly, listening to the conversation around the bridge, and the various stations as they reported on their findings. From time to time she would look up from the helm, but for the most part she watched as the computer automatically adjusted the thrusters in order for the ship to maintain its position. From here, barring something unknown or some sort of subterfuge, her job was done - at least for now. 

The young officer allowed a free hand to call up the by the moment away mission log on the lower left of her console, and she followed along as the computer translated the communications traffic and translated it to text. She narrowed the filters to allow any background voice as well, and it took little time for her to discern the Klingon voices were yelling various curses, war cries and one, if her linguistically favored brain was right, even seemed to be singing some sort of operatic prose. Things didn't sound to be going particularly well, though honestly, she had little idea. Ground and small weapon combat was far from the Trill/Bajoran's expertise, and she was very ok with that.

Still, there was little that she could do to offer to help. Just make sure the ship was where it needed to be, and ready for whatever came next - which hopefully did not include evading enemy fire, or more to the point, an overloaded engine core or warp reactor.

Hell of an interesting first day though.

=tags (though more of just a narrative thing because I felt like writing)=

[Mara Calleja]

A report came over from the away team.

[Calleja to Artemis. Engine room is secured, Han is workin’ to take control supported by Okehampton and team. Bridge team takin’ fire. We’re investigatin’ the cargo and accordin’ to the tricorder we literally got Klingons comin’ out the walls. Will report back.]