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Personal Log, Lieutenant-Junior Conrad Matsiyan, TSN Lancer, 4th L.D.
Stardate: 19316-2237What a cheerful shift, if only by the skin of its teeth.
The Officers Mess was a very light hearted place as I swung in there. This was just as well as I was a bit put out to discover yet another systems update, right on top of adding the custom Helm extensions to my console and Mundy’s. Add to that the overhaul and faster storage I‘d added to my datapad required a full reinstall, which changed my central comms net ID and required me to go begging to the Duty Officer to get it registered with central records so that, it not only recognized me, but my correct rank and all the privileges thereto pertaining.
Not sure what was in what they laughingly call coffee in The Galley but it had the whole division’s junior officers raising voices in joyful chorus and all like that. At least until the spoilsport DO had us head down to the Briefing Room to attend the pleasure of our lordly and masterful senior officers to start the shift.
First off exciting news that BUSHIPS was sending us two new ships, another Missile Cruiser-II to replace the battle-weary Hawk and a brand spanking new escort Carrier to replace the late, lamented Hydra.
Cadets Draeco and Toro passed their exams with silver pins and were promoted to Acting Ensign. Acting Ensign Blaze Strife having completed a shift to his senior officers’ satisfaction was promoted to full Ensign. Ensign Adam Parra having served the appropriate time in grade with distinction was elevated to Lieutenant Junior. This was all just as well as there was a fresh crop of eager cadets needing someone to look up to.
ECS Asia swung through the station on her return journey coreward. With a bit of deft manoeuvreing and a couple of rounds of drinks for Captain Keu’s purser and the local station quartermaster sergeant, I was able to broker a deal exchanging some Unukalhai insignia and those ornamental daggers they carry for not only some Hjorden Ale for the Galley but also a supply of Hjorden yeast and grain so that Guy and his friendly techs can brew a fresh batch or two. The quartermaster did not require too much convincing. Those items were slated for disposal, but when I explained the collectors’ market and pointed out that we could encase them in preserving resin (after capturing threedyprint images for the replication market) and had records of the prisoners and ships they had come from which could be released after hostilities are over, plus the morale benefits of fresh Hjorden ale, he seemed quite amenable. And it’s not as if I personally benefited from the transaction in any way.
As usual the shift started with a standard simulator exercise to sharpen crews and particularly this time to shakedown new cadets assigned to active duty for the first time. Fortunately my temporary berth aboard Lancer was still open. Commander Jemel was required to supervise ensign’s examinations. So he was out of play.
Lt. Hall gave the the opportunity to shuffle stations. I had a crack at SciCom at last. It was an interesting challenge and one that needs more study. Not directly controlling the ship’s engineering, helm or tactical systems often makes it seem like a less complex role, but I found that there was a surprising quantity and variety of inputs I am not accustomed to. In particular I found it hard to pay attention to Com while trying to do a good job at Sci. I did score one surrender and I started getting the hang of calling enemy shield frequencies, being ready with course headings and absorbing detailed scan information. I got nowhere with station inventory management or local allied shipping control.
The sim did encounter radical time-dilation at one point (lousy programming or local network maintenance probably). That crippled Helm so badly that the ship was sucked into a black hole and destroyed. When the sim command authorized a respawn for Lancer she blew up immediately because she materialized in a minefield or back in the gravitational anomaly. I am not sure which.
Still worthwhile practice and useful to ease into familiarity with the other voices on the bridge. But that did not stop us resorting to primary stations when Cdr. Jemel returned to take command of the mission.
Mission
“The TSN Science Directorate has requested additional Scans of the Dimensional Rupture observed in the Poseidon Rift, sector 4. TSN Raven, Hawk, and Phoenix have each been equipped with a Sensor Relay that they are to deploy in an approximately equilateral triangle at a range of 25-30,000 units around the Rift. This will naturally be complicated by the dangerous nature of the Rift itself. A reminder: the Rift is a Classs Red Navigational Hazard, the Terrain will be as dangerous as the possible Caltron and USF presence in the area. Sensor range is likely to be degraded, the recent probe reports around 33Km however it has since been projected to worsen. Keep the Relays safe until the scans are complete. If necessary you may need to pick up and redeploy them. Take Sensor Relay readings preparatory to closing the Rift itself.”Lancer formed up with Raven on an 090 heading to Arietis gate. Through Arietis gate and one sector over at heading 090. Then 000 to Arietis command then 090 to next sector.
We encountered 2 Unukalhai fleets of their usual overpowered designs. Lancer made some fast hits, obtained some surrenders, pursued surrendered and fleeing vessels to force lifepods evacuation so that the capital vessels can be destroyed to deny them to the enemy without granting them a propaganda coup of martyrs.
Another sector transition on a heading of 090 to transition after encountering exobioforms Charybdis, moving black holes, Piranhas. Raven go too close and was forced into a random jump translation across hal the sector.
Caltrons emerged rapidly from the Rift; Senary, Tertiary, Primaries. The initial waves were eliminated without too much difficulty by prompt action.
Unukalhai singleton heavy vessels appeared next and required more concentration to deal with. Lancer took a big hit and had to limp out to recuperate. Hawk was caught up in a fresh wave of Caltron incursion and went down in a welter of overlapping beam arcs and possible a mine or some other sort o explosion. Lifepods were successfully ejected by Hawk, but one o them didn’t make it. Comms net had major issues at around that time too.
Completed the scans of the Rift. Unuks appeared but the division fell back to a stable system. Preferring to fight without gravitational waves and moving black holes. It was a tricky op but command seemed satisfied that it represented a Good success.
On return to the station the division had a brief liberty that rapidly turned into another choir practice, if you can call wordless tone poems practice. And then there was a Hymn for Hawk.
I saw Mundy head aboard Dauntless for her shakedown cruise before the official commissioning ceremony. It was pretty special to see the refitted Hunter floating in the station’s roads even if they have not yet assigned her a crew. She showed her worth in the chase after Hydra. I stopped by BUSHIPS and made a few inquiries. For a very reasonable taste of chocolate, a bag of fresh pistachios and a good sob story I wheedled out of the clerk the exact shipyard and the repair crew that worked on her.
Of course the formal commissioning of Eagle came with mixed feelings. She was planned to replace Hawk and it is hard not to imagine that the old girl chose to go out in a blaze of glory earning her escort to Valhalla rather than retire to some exhibit or some breaker’s yard. But I like to think she would not have deliberately put her crew in harm’s way and she went down putting herself between the USFP and rude strangers.
I don’t know what Mundy and I did at the Academy to earn the interest of the Cultural Outreach department or how it managed to create such a strong role for itself in the civil war priorities. Before I was called away to assist with escorting two botanists on a tour however, I did hear Cadets Slate and Garion who had taken their exams at the start of the shift with Commander Jemel both earned silver pins. The briefing announced a pair of sims to exercise Dauntless and Eagle. I hope they went well.
[End log.] Full log History
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