Stardate 2365.02.19
USS Peregrine; Main Engineering – 1210 hours

 After his meeting with Drake, Eric had headed to his quarters, taken a brief look around and once again felt grateful to be home. His gaze took in all of his Viking artifacts, keepsakes and mementoes, and he felt an unconscious weight lift from his shoulders. This is home. Thank you, Odin. He tossed his duffel onto his bed, straightened his uniform, and had headed straight to Main Engineering.

Eric now strolled through the open doorway into Main Engineering, the doors hissing shut behind him. He simply stood in place for a moment, taking a slow and methodical look around the room, returning the frequent smiles, greetings and welcome-backs from colleagues as he did so. He noted that all of the status displays he could currently see showed various systems and subsystems running smoothly, efficiently and correctly. He even noticed that a few outputs and efficiencies were looking a few percentage points better than they had before he left. Now he looked forward even more to meeting this Lieutenant McTavish, who had, from all appearances and reports, done an absolutely astounding job after being thrust into the Chief Engineer spot with little or no warning.

As if on cue, Eric spotted Lieutenant McTavish just then rounding a corner, head together with that of one of the Engineering staff over a PADD, earnestly discussing the information displayed upon it. McTavish glanced up and spotted Eric just before he would have walked right into the Nordic man’s stout form. He broke off his conversation with the staffer as Eric reached out to shake his hand.

“Good afternoon, Lieutenant McTavish! I’m Lieutenant Commander Eric Thorson, reporting for duty. It’s a pleasure to meet you!”

((OOC: McT’s response))

“Excellent! I’m looking forward to working with you. I…suppose we should get the formalities out of the way.” He raised his voice just slightly. “Computer, confirm Lieutenant Commander Eric Thorson as resuming duties as Chief Engineering Officer, USS Peregrine.” The computer’s response was immediate:  =/\= Starfleet orders confirmed. Lieutenant Commander Eric Thorson ordered to report as Chief Engineering Officer, USS Peregrine, Stardate 2365.02.19, 1200 hours. =/\= Eric replied, “Reporting as ordered. Reset all Engineering command codes per regulations, transfer to my authority, and transfer all command overrides. Authorization Thorson Beta Tango, one nine seven four.” There was a brief series of beeps and the computer announced, =/\= Command authorization and overrides have been transferred. Command change logged. =/\=

Eric smiled at McTavish. “You really did a great job here, and I appreciate it a lot. Please, feel free to contribute any and all input you may have. And by all means, if you ever feel I’m making a wrong call, let me know. You obviously know your stuff, and I’ll always be glad to listen to whatever you have to say. I want us to have a good working relationship and to enjoy working together, and I’m sure you have a lot you can teach me. And if the fates are kind, perhaps I’ll have a bit of wisdom to pass along as well.”

((OOC: McT’s response))

Eric smiled and folded his arms comfortably. “So, catch me up. Anything in particular I need to know before I get to work?”

((OOC: McT’s response))

Eric nodded. “Sounds good. All right, unless something comes up that needs our immediate attention, you continue with whatever you were working on. Just holler if you need me. We’ll be getting underway shortly, so I’m going to babysit the warp core for a bit, make sure we’re ready for the next bit of shenanigans. I haven’t had time to look at today’s rotation yet, so I’m not sure when you get off, but have a good day until then. I’m guessing the Captain will be having a meeting some time soon. I’ll be sure to go over the highlights with you afterward.”

((OOC: McT’s response and any final remarks for now))

Eric smiled as McTavish departed. Seemed like a good fellow; Eric thought he was going to like working with him.

After a quick look at the warp core’s status readouts and power levels, Eric tapped his combadge. “Thorson to Bridge. Everything’s in order down here, sir. All systems in the green, warp speed available at your command.”

Shortly after Drake’s brief acknowledgement, Eric felt the familiar shift as the Peregrine leapt into warp. The mesmerizing blue pulses of the warp core shifted faster as power demand increased; it was a sight he never grew tired of. Eric stepped over to the master readout table and started scrolling through various power output displays, diagnostic results and status check results. Everything seemed to be running smoothly and without a hitch. Eric heard a ding from his workstation and stepped over to see the captain’s invitation to a briefing at 1600. Excellent. Even though Eric had tried to keep up with the news during his convalescence, he still knew that there was a lot he didn’t know, and he was looking forward to getting some gaps filled in.

In the meantime, Eric once again looked around the smoothly-running engine room and smiled. No denying, it felt awfully good to be back.

Stardate 2365.02.19

USS Peregrine; Quarters of Haemis McTavish – 0430

“The time is Oh four Thirty, bleep, bleep, bleep…” his alarm he had set blared at him.

Haemis sat up in his bed and groaned. “Shat ap ye bloody thing, or I’ll eat yer isolinear chips for breakfast…” he slowly rubbed away the remaining annoyance of sleep as he threw his legs over the side of the bed. It was nice to be back on the ship, though things had been in what felt like a state of flux since the trial, a whirlwind trial at best and of course the anticipation of getting the ship back from the yardies.

Slowly Haemis stood and pulled on a pair of sweat pants, and a long sleeve shirt, taking only a moment to slide both feet into his running shoes before he did a quick stretch. As he limbered his muscles he took a moment to look over the itinerary for the day, he knew while the ship was fixed they would likely have to undo any of the buggering the ‘yardies’ had done to their ship, but then a message popped up on his screen.

Haemis opened the file and continued to stretch then stopped reading through the message, he felt his heart suddenly skip a beat as he read the notification that the ships old chief engineer would be reporting back aboard, he had known that the position might be temporary but who didn’t hope to keep their dream job. He frowned for only a moment, gave the screen a nod and a smile, then bolted from his room, his feet pounding away any of those thoughts as he began a morning jog through the nearly empty corridors of the ship.

Stardate 2365.02.19

USS Peregrin, Main Engineering – 0600

                Haemis rounded the corner passing through the doors to the engine room, the team were somewhat milling about and some were going over displays as he walked in. He gave a smile and a nod. “Morn’n” he said and pulled out a padd. “While the yardies have been play’n in our systems and everything might look hunky doory, that’s not good enough for us. I’m sure you’ve been through a yard period before.” He pointed to the consoles. “Lets get some good diagnostics completed, and get the ship ready to depart. We’ll figure out what we need to do from their, off ye go!”

                “Hey…” Caity asked as she came to stand close enough and with a hushed voice. “For what its worth you did a great job, I’m sorry your having to take a step back.”

                He turned and offered the woman who had been his second during their last mission. “No need to be lass.” He gave her a reassuring smile. “If its not the right time, its not the right time. Besides it will be great to work with an outstanding engineer such as Commander Thorson, I still have a lot to learn myself. No hard feelings here at all, its another new adventure. I’ll get my ship when the time is right.” He said with a confident nod. “Besides, I’m finally in a place where I wanna be, not with some jack hole of a Capt’n like that bastard from the…” he stopped and shook his head. “I donna have to tell ye, you know.”

                “Glad to have you with us Lieutenant.” She said with a smile, and she turned to her own station to start running diagnostics.

                The morning wouldn’t be the most exciting, but he was sure it would be an interesting day regardless. He glanced down at his console and watched as the diagnostic data scrolled past as the team began doing system wide checks in preparation for departing. 

Stardate 2365.02.19

USS Peregrine; Main Engineering – 1210 hours

                Haemis had to stop himself from pacing, part of him was nervous about meeting Thorson, the last time he had seen the man wasn’t in his best moment, but he had a chance to review his records and he knew he would be working with a fantastic engineer, but he had no idea what to expect from the person. They didn’t really have a chance to interact so that part of the man was an enigma.

                “Hey chie.. I mean Lieutenant.” Lieutenant Sa’eridon stammered, then took on an embarrassed look. “Sorry…”

                “It’s alright, what can I help you with?” he asked and took the Padd from her. He glanced over the readings and nodded, then started walking around from the workstations tucked around the corner from the pool table. “Good catch, nothing too serious here just a few adjustments we’ll have to go out and make to those EPS Power taps to that Structural Integrity field generator. But nothing that should ultimately effect performance. Let’s get that added to the list.” He said as he came to a stop at the end of the Pool table. He began entering when he felt eyes on him.

                “Good Afternoon, Lieutenant McTavish! I’m Lieutenant Command Eric Thorson, reporting for duty. It’s a pleasure to meet you!”

                Haemis tensed a little at having missed the man’s entrance, he gave him a nod. “Sir, welcome back aboard. Nice to finally have a chance to meet you.”

                “Excellent! I’m looking forward to working with you. I…suppose we should get the formalities out of the way.” He raised his voice just slightly. “Computer, confirm Lieutenant Commander Eric Thorson as resuming duties as Chief Engineering Officer, USS Peregrine.” The computer’s response was immediate:  =/\= Starfleet orders confirmed. Lieutenant Commander Eric Thorson ordered to report as Chief Engineering Officer, USS Peregrine, Stardate 2365.02.19, 1200 hours. =/\= Eric replied, “Reporting as ordered. Reset all Engineering command codes per regulations, transfer to my authority, and transfer all command overrides. Authorization Thorson Beta Tango, one nine seven four.” There was a brief series of beeps and the computer announced, =/\= Command authorization and overrides have been transferred. Command change logged. =/\=

Eric smiled at McTavish. “You really did a great job here, and I appreciate it a lot. Please, feel free to contribute any and all input you may have. And by all means, if you ever feel I’m making a wrong call, let me know. You obviously know your stuff, and I’ll always be glad to listen to whatever you have to say. I want us to have a good working relationship and to enjoy working together, and I’m sure you have a lot you can teach me. And if the fates are kind, perhaps I’ll have a bit of wisdom to pass along as well.”

Haemis nodded. “Thank you sir, I was just doing my job at the time. I will let you know if I have anything to contribute and rest assured I’m always open to learn’n new things.”

Eric smiled and folded his arms comfortably. “So, catch me up. Anything in particular I need to know before I get to work?”

“Well at the moment were wrapping up a battery of Diagnostics. Wanted to make sure the yardies didna leave us any gremlins in the systems that might crop up to bite is in the arse as is pretty common. We’ve already had a chance to identify several items which we’ve started putting into a list and triaging them based on priority. Outside of that everything is looking good other than the need to get back on the usual maintenance schedule.” He pulled up the list of items they had pulled together in the last few hours. “We’ve already gotten started on some of these items.” he picked up his kit, “I was about to head out to start working on a couple of items myself unless you need me here?”

Eric nodded. “Sounds good. All right, unless something comes up that needs our immediate attention, you continue with whatever you were working on. Just holler if you need me. We’ll be getting underway shortly, so I’m going to babysit the warp core for a bit, make sure we’re ready for the next bit of shenanigans. I haven’t had time to look at today’s rotation yet, so I’m not sure when you get off, but have a good day until then. I’m guessing the Captain will be having a meeting some time soon. I’ll be sure to go over the highlights with you afterward.”

Haemis gave a nod, “Aye sir, I’ll be a comm away if’n ya need me.” He said and with that he turned and headed out with his kit in hand.

Eric smiled as McTavish departed. Seemed like a good fellow; Eric thought he was going to like working with him.

Stardate 2365.02.19
USS Peregrine; Deck 4, 1240

The turbolift door whooshed shot behind him as the Captain made his way down the corridor of deck four.  Naturally, Sickbay was the first thing that he came to; it made sense that the vrious Science labs and offices would be further from the turbolift than Sickbay and the CMO's office.  Momntarily, he found himself outside of the CMO's office, and pressed the chime.

OOC: assuming he gets a "come in" or the like...

Silas stepped through the open hatch to fid himself face to face with a dark skinned woman in Medical blues with her dark hair up in a ponytail.  He offered a smile and a hand to shake.  "Captain Silas Drake.  You would be Doctor Reine, I presume?"

OOC: assuming some affirmative

Drake nodded.  "I apologize for the delay in formally welcoming you, but I'm afriad that I was... unavoidably detained on Starbase 118 for the past few days."  Sure, that joke is old already, but she hasn't heard it yet, Silas mused internally. 

With a wry grin, Silas carried on.  "I noticed that you are quite well traveled; it seems that you rarely stay with one ship for very long.  Hopefully, you and the Peregrine will be ideal fits for one another, and we will be able to keep you here for a longer stint than you seem to be accustomed to.  After all of the recent upheaval, there is little that would make me happier than knowing for certain who each of department heads will be!"

OOC: chance for Melody to add whatever

Drake stood up straight.  "Well, Doctor, I don't want to get in your way; I'm certain that you have a lot to do.  I did, however, want to personally welcome you aboard, and to offer mysef at your disposal if you are in need of anything.  I will see you at the staff meting at 1600; have yourself a great afternoon."

With that, the Captain left the office. 

Stardate 2365.02.19
USS Peregrine; Deck 3 – Corridor – 1155

“Absolutely, Lieutenant,” the Trill nodded gesturing toward the turbolift, “the Captain wouldn’t have it any other way, we’re sure. I’m on our way back to the bridge, myself.” With that, the XO resumed his path back to the lift with the new Ops Chief at his side.

Silence fell as the pair stepped into the turbolift. It wasn't an uncomfortable silence, at least not to Nyle. He was aware that many other species felt the need to fill the silence with 'small talk', but that was never something that Nyle had been good at. Nor had he ever really wanted to become good at it. He normally would have made an attempt, however, mostly just to be polite. He enjoyed the company of his shipmates, but he just couldn't understand how they were able to talk about nothing. It was really much easier to just listen. 

Wait, did he refer to himself in the plural? The thought suddenly popped into Nyle's head, and without realizing it, Nyles eyes shifted to look at the Trill standing next to him. That was certainly strange. I wonder if he is healthy in the mind?

Nyle opened his mouth then, but stopped himself short. That would certainly be an impolite question. Quickly closing his mouth, the Daa'Vit looked away from his XO, hoping that he had gone unnoticed. That would be something that he would have to figure out later, perhaps a little more circumspectly. As for now, he needed to focus on his station. 

Nyle did not have long to mentally prepare himself, however, because as soon as he set his mind to that train of thought the turbolift gently halted, and the doors swooshed open. 

Commander Zai barely waited for the doors to open wide enough for him to slip through before striding onto the bridge and heading straight for CONN. Nyle stepped out, hot on his heels, but paused upon seeing the man seated in the Captains Chair looking in their direction.

He was a fit, brown haired man with blue eyes. Blue eyes that looked rather stern at the moment. Nyle didn't need the three golden pips on his collar to know this to be the Captain of the Peregrine: Commander Silas Drake. 

Quickly, Nyle snapped his best salute, and staring straight ahead, he stated, "Lieutenant Nyle, reporting for duty as the Chief Operations Officer, sir."  He didn't even think of smiling. 

The Captain returned the salute before asking, "Cutting it a bit close, aren't we, Lieutenant?"

"Sorry, sir. It won't happen again, sir."

"Take your post, Mister Nyle.  We are ready to make weigh." Captain Drake replied, waving his hand what Nyle took to be a dismissive gesture.

"Aye aye, sir." quickly striding to the opposite side of the bridge, Nyle relieved Petty Officer Amai, nodding his thanks to the Betazoid as she slipped past him and off the bridge.

Glancing back at his CO, Nyle wondered if the captain felt a little slighted. He had reported in to the XO, not the Captain, but LCDR Zai was who was on his orders, so that was who he reported to. That aside, Nyle felt very... dissatisfied with the first impression that Captain Drake must have at him. Arriving a mere five minutes before takeoff to assume the watch. That was just bad watchstanding. If you weren't 15 minutes early to a turnover, then you were late. And Nyle didn't tolerate tardiness.

The Captain spoke again, breaking into Nyle's thoughts, “Maneuver us clear when you’re ready, Commander Zai.”

“Aye, sir,” Tochi responded, “All moorings and gantry-ways are clear, RCS and Impulse engines are online. Taking us out, now.”

Putting those concerns from his mind, Nyle turned his full attention to his panel. Silently, Nyle tapped his screen, pulling up the Sensors Diagnostics page. Both short and long range sensors where operating at optimal capacity, no error codes, and internal self tests were returning satisfactory. Excellent. He tapped again, pulling up the actual Sensor Display. The passive scans clearly displayed the Starbase behind them, just over 3 kilometers behind them, showing Nyle the distinct electromagnetic and heat signature that was common to most Starbases. An active scan would give him more information, but that was unimportant.

Another order from the Captain broke the silence, "Tochi, take us out at heading 225, mark 110, one quarter impulse, please."

“225 mark 110, one quarter impulse” Zai acknowledged, “Aye, sir.”

Nodding to himself, Nyle tapped out of the Sensor Display and brought up Communications. The system also seemed to be function properly. Nyle tapped through the subspace channels, verifying each was capable of recieving signal and verifying the readouts confirmed the ability to transmit communications. Pulling up the Communication backpage, Nyle verified that they were able to connect to the nearest subspace relay. All satisfactory.

Backing out of the Communications page, Nyle was about to pull open the Universal Translator diagnostic when the Captain spoke up again.  

“Commander Zai, I’ll be in my Ready Room,” Silas stated, “Let me know when we hit about thirty million kilometers from Starbase 118; that ought to put us safely out of any traffic.  You have the CONN.”

“Acknowledged, Captain,” the Trill returned, “Present velocity should see us at your waypoint in 26.7 minutes.”

Nyle watched Captain Drake leave the bridge, before returning his attention to his panel again. Where was he... Ah, yes, the Universal Translator...

USS Peregrine; Deck 1 – Bridge, 1228

The soft hiss of pnuematics drew Nyles attention away from his panel, everything there was fine anyway. Captain Drake strode back onto the bridge, setting himself down in the Captains Chair. 

“Commander Zai, lay in a course for the Trevil system please,” he spoke.

Nyle couldn't help but watch as the Trill in the CONN seat began to tap his panels. This was it, after over three years at in this one location, he was leaving. Perhaps never to return. He felt... well, not melancholy, but there was a small pange of something. It had been his home, after all. 

“Course laid in, Captain,” Commander Zai said, glancing back at the Captain, “we are good to go.”

The pang faded, as Nyle too looked at the Captain, replaced by a strong sense of anticipation. This was it.

The Captain hesitated a breif moment, drinking in the view in front of him, then he spoke four clear, precise words. “Warp factor five; engage.”

Nyle watched the stars in front of them distort into long lines before snapping into the almost phsychadelic view of space in warp outside them. It really was a beautiful view, up here on the bridge. Just absolutely magnificent. 

“Commander Zai, I think I will drop by and introduce myself to our new Chief Medical Officer,” Silas intoned after a moment, “Once again, you have the CONN.”

“Of course, Captain,” Tochi smiled, “We think you’ll find her quite interesting.”

Nyle returned his attention to his panel again. He hadn't found anything of concern, so he opened up a sub window and accessed personnel files. It was time he really learned about who was in his department.

USS Peregrine; Deck 1 – Bridge, 1443

"I'm ready to relieve you, sir." 

Nyle looked up, unsurprised to find Petty Officer Amai standing before him. This was good, as he was supposed to assume the Command watch in about six minutes if the duty schedule was anything to go by. 

"Excellent, Petty Officer." Nyle replied, standing from his station and stretching. "You have the station."

"Aye aye, sir." Amai replied as she sat down at the panel.

Nodding to himself, Nyle walked towards the center of the bridge and addressed Commander Zai. 

"Commander, sir. I believe I'm due to relieve you as Command now." he said, saluting formally.

(OOC: So, I'm making the assumption that Zai is still in Command at the bridge, and assuming a positive confirmation. I will edit as necessary.)

"Thank you, sir."

(OOC: I'm assuming again that it is not a faux pas to sit in the Captains chair while standing a Command watch.)

Nyle strode back to the captains chair and sat down. It had been a long while since he had stood a watch like this, but it was not to hard to maintain the current heading and speed. In fact, it was downright easy. He just had to sit here and -- 

=/\= Murinite is a mineral that can be found on Rigel IV. The Hill People of Argus River region of Rigel IV often used this mineral in the handles special knives. =/\=

What in the world was that! Nyle stared up at the ceiling. That was the computer, but no one had called on it.

Nyle let the silence sit for a moment before breaking it. 

"I am assuming I'm not the only one who heard that." he stated, peering at the other watchstanders on the bridge. 

"No, sir." Petty Officer Amai replied. "I have pulled up the Computer Diagnostics page, but see nothing abnormal, sir."

"I see." Nyle stood from the chair and strode over to the OPS station. Amai had not missed anything, the computer was functioning properly by all indications. Internal Automatic Self Tests? Satisfactory. CPU Usage history? Peaked at 19% three hours ago, but now steady around 8%. "Petty Officer Amai, pull open computer operation history."

"Aye, sir." With quick, practiced hands, Amai tapped the screen, pulling open the requested window.   

Nyle quickly scanned through the list. Not one mention of.... what was it? Some sort of mineral?  On Regal Four? 

"Petty Officer Amai," Nyle said, straightening from the panel. "Set the computer to record all program data and operations for the next twenty four hours. I expect this was merely a small blip and an isolated occurance, but should it happen again I would like a indication of what the computer thought it was supposed to be doing."

"Right away, sir."

"And find out if other spaces heard the same announcement."

"Aye, sir."

"Computer, who is the Commanding Officer of the USS Peregrine?" Nyle asked as he walked back to the captains chair.

=/\= The Commanding Officer of the USS Peregrine is Commander Silas J. Drake. =/\=

So the computer was definitely still functioning then, perhaps its not cause for too much alarm, Nyle thought as he settled back down into the Captains Chair. That was definitely most strange, however...

With his thoughts on the computer, Nyle settled into his watch, waiting until the meeting at 1600 that the Captain had invited the Department Heads to.

Stardate 2365.02.19 (Friday - 42165.7)
USS Peregrine; Science Lab 1, Deck 3 – 15:40

/= You have twenty-minutes until your staff meeting, Lieutenant Sh’iraolnas. /=

Blinking away the intense strain afflicting her vibrant eyes, antennae flicking in mild frustration, Asovil allows the PADD to drop from her hands and clatter on the desktop a mere couple of millimeters below. Pressing the palms of her hands into her sockets, she purses her lips and breathes in deeply through her nose.

“Thank you, computer,” eventually rolls from her tongue along with the hot air from her lungs. Rolling the grip tension has on her shoulders from the muscles she asks, “What meeting?”

/= You set a reminder to alert you twenty minutes before the Captain’s Staff Meeting. /=

Oh! Yes. That meeting.

Glaring at the PADD, she glances towards the paper notebook she had replicated and the delicate looking spindle pen. This whole paper would be so much simpler to write if I had a computer that wasn’t compromised. The captain had been back in command for close to an entire shift and still hadn’t approached her about the potential security breach. The chance that the report was mysteriously eliminated from existence again just wasn’t an option. She had stopped submitting those when it became apparent that whoever was behind this sabotage wasn’t going to allow the report to exist. Instead, she had verbally relayed the instance directly to Tochi and she cannot imagine he hasn’t relayed the events to Captain Drake by now. Even amongst the hubbub of departing Starbase 118 and the admission of the new crew, surely a security risk is worth some investigation.

Perhaps he’ll bring it up in the meeting… Rising, she tugs at the hem of her top, a subconscious move to straighten her uniform after being seated for an extended length of time. Returning a critical gaze to her PADD screen, she sighs—an affectation she’s picked up from her time among Terrans—and abruptly snatches it from the smooth, reflective desk as she practically stomps towards the door.

Passing through the portal, she barely spares a glance for the lab before bringing the screen to life. Before her eyes, Ensign Maize’s proposed adjusted schedule appears. For whatever reason, she has suggested that Asovil spends all of Alpha Shift at Science Conn 1 on the Bridge. There are a lot of people on the Bridge and though she can still develop and run her simulations further pursuing the subject of Dark Matter and its uses aboard a Federation vessel, it can be wholly distracting.

Unintentionally ignoring the salutes of a couple of crewmen as she steps into the hall, the tall Andorian woman instinctively turns towards the turbolift. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she registers how strange it is that she’s been on board for such a short duration and still, her subconscious has accepted the ship as Home and built a memory map of the locations she visits most.

There is nothing wrong with this schedule, she mentally huffs, striding forward with rigid antennae and a placid look upon her beautiful, alien face despite the annoyance she feels inside.

Stepping into the turbolift once the doors part and she’s admitted, Asovil turns her back on the remainder of the chamber and scrolls down to the “reasoning” portion of her subordinate’s proposed schedule.

Petty Officer Crane is still enduring her punishment and won’t be a contributing part of the crew for a number of days yet, but this is something that Dalia appears to have considered. Once Lauren is returned to active duty, she’ll be able to spell Maize in Sci Lab 1 which will free Dalia up to occasionally take Asovil’s place on the Bridge on occasion—the barely perceptible sensation of her stomach lurching as the lift rises is brushed off like an Andorian Licefly—which will provide the Chief Science Officer with some much needed, uninterrupted lab time.

“Seven days…” she whispers and lifts her head to stare at the plain tan of the lift door interior. Returning to the PADD screen, she uses her thumb to press the acceptance reply and the screen immediately switches off as she shifts her digit to that option.

Shoving the thoughts on her department into a mental filing cabinet, she sets her brilliant mind to the task of predicting the future. What could this mission be about…?

Stardate 2365.02.19
USS Peregrine; Mess hall - 1235

Chief Dana Cook grabbed a tray from the replicator and found an empty table at which to sit. She had decided to grab a bite to eat now since the sickbay was all squared away and the new Doctor had settled in. She knew there was a Senior Staff meeting at 1600 hrs and she would need to take over the Medical watch early so the Doctor could attend.

Dana liked the new Doctor so far; she seemed confident and eager to work hard to get the job done right. She could appreciate that kind of attitude because it echoed her own. The real tell would be when things happened and the Medical staff was required to do what they did; would the new Doctor step up and lead the group as was required of a Chief Medical Officer. Dana had a good feeling about this doctor, and she hoped she was right; she was tired of 'breaking in' new CMOs.

As she ate, she watched others come into the mess for a break; she saw Petty Officer Prudnikov, a Geologist from the Science Department. PO Prudnikov worked with Chief Lauren Crane, or rather PO Crane now. She thought of her friend Lauren still serving out her sentence imposed by the Captain, now confined to her new quarters. Dana sighed, she would miss her friend; Lauren had been moved to enlisted quarters once she got out of the brig and Dana is now alone in her quarters. She thought of all the good times she and Lauren had together, and they would have others, but coming back to Chief quarters she previously shared with Lauren and not finding her there would be rough for awhile. Dana hoped that they didn't immediately assign anyone to her quarters just yet; she felt she needed some time alone to adjust.

Chief Cook ate her meal in silence, and others passed by her table to find seating elsewhere after they saw the look on her face; it told them the often cranky Chief Petty Officer was in no mood for polite conversation at the moment.

After picking at her food for awhile, she picked up her tray and put it in the disposal unit before heading out and back towards sickbay. She didn't have to report for awhile yet, but she didn't have anything else to do right now; she wasn't in the mood.

Stardate 2365.02.19
USS Peregrine; Sickbay – 1250

Walking into Sickbay, Chief Cook walked over to her desk and sat down; calling up the ship's roster she called up the new arrivals to the ship. She began to lay out a schedule for the new crew members to come in for physicals to take place within the next week.

Stardate 2365.02.19
USS Peregrine, Captain's Mess - 1600

Captain Drake sat at the head of the rectangular table and let his gaze drift to each officer seated there. To his right was Lieutenant Commander Zai - his Executive Officer - followed by Lieutenant Sh'iraolnas and Doctor Reine. To Drake's left was Lieutenant Commander Thorson, followed Lieutenant Tal and Lieutenant Nyle.  The foot of the table remained empty.

The Captain's Mess was a cozy little space tucked away on deck two, and it served two functions. First, it was the space reserved for private meals hosted by the Captain; most often, these would be handpicked officers, guests, diplomats, or other VIPs. Second, it was used to host meetings such as this.

On larger ships, staff meetings would typically take place in a larger observation lounge, but a Saber class vessel had no such luxury.

One of Drake's first acts as commanding officer had been to have a tabletop holographic projector installed here in the Captain's Mess. He had originally intended to mount a proper viewscreen, but the cramped quarters prevented doing so in any spot where at least a few people would not end up with their back to it. So, instead, he had gone with the tabletop unit, and it had proven to be wise decision.

Everyone was present and on time, not that Silas was surprised; he couldn't recall a starfleet vessel where discipline and punctuality had een issues. Silas differ from some commanding officers in that he did not believe in daily staff meetings; such gatherings of the senior staff were usually reserved for shipwide efforts, the discussion of new mission orders, or other matters of wide import. The Captain felt that officers senior enough to be qualified to run a department should be trusted to do so without endless meetings and red tape, believing that his department heads would come to him if anything required his personal attention. Instead, he chose to meet with each in one on one situations every two or three weeks to stay caught up. However, Drake made it a point to stay very well informed about the state of the ship; he read every bridge watch log, daily department summary, incident or exception report, and kept a close eye on all of the critical system readouts. When the time came for one of the "face to face" meetings with a subordinate, Drake almost always knew exactly where a given project stood. The joke around the ship was that the Captain had unseen eyes everywhere, and truth be told... Silas liked it that way.

Looking around the table, Silas drew a breath.  "Thank you all for joining me," he stated.  "Once again, the Peregrine has seen a large amount of turnover; I'd like to officially welcome Lieutenant Tal, Lieuteanant Nyle, and Doctor Reine aboard.  Furthermore, I'd like to welcome Commander Thorson back."

Drake glanced down at his PADD for a moment before continuing.  "Let's go ahead and address the elephant in the room.  I am well aware that my face has been plastered all over the holovids of late.  Yes, I was court martialed for my actions in the Gamera system.  I was, in fact, aquitted of all serious charges.  No, I am not particularly intrested in rehashing any of this.  My focus is on the missions to come, as should yours be."

After a slight pause, he continued.  "Now, then.  Since Lieutenant Lasad has transferred out, I do need to name a Second Officer."  Glancing to his left, he acknowledged his new Tactical Chief.  "Lieutenant Tal, you have tehcnically been a full Lieutenant longer than Lieutenant Nyle.  However, while on medical leave, you did not accumulate seniority, which means that Lieutenant Nyle has a little over three months on you.  This makes the decision very clear."  Drake then fixed his gaze on the new Daa'Vit Operations chief.  "Congratulations, Lieutenant Nyle - you are now offically the Second Officer of the USS Peregrine."

OOC: any response

"Moving on," the Captain spoke as the projector flared to life to reveal a star chart,  "Starfleet Command has ordered us to proceed to the Trevil system, which lies in the middle of an important shipping lane that has come under attack several times by pirate vessels in the past few weeks.  Starfleet Intelligence has reason to believe that another attack is immenent, so we will be patrolling the lane from Trevil, through Akgor, and back as far as Denbir."  A glance around the table revealed less than enthused expressions.  "Yes, we have drawn guard duty, which is hardly glamorous or iteresting - but which is vital to the interests of the Federation."

His gaze settled back on Kara.  "Lieutenant Tal, I got your message.  I think that drills are an excellent idea.  I'd like for you to put together a proposed schedule, and have it on my desk by 0900 on Monday, please."

OOC: any response

The Captain looked back around the table.  "Are there any other concerns?  Any items I should know about, anything else that we should be preparing for?"

OOC: any responses, now is the time.  Otherwise, I'll wrap the meeting and push things forward.

Stardate 2365.02.19
USS Peregrine; Deck 1 – Bridge – 1441

As much as he enjoyed (and, perhaps, even preferred) his seat at the helm over the Big Chair, the flight control station wasn’t the most conducive spot from which to tend his duties as the ship’s XO. Considering that he had plenty of work in that vein to attend and given the fact that Silas had yet to return to the Bridge, Tochi had, nearly an hour ago, relinquished the helm to Kook and spent the time since perched in the command seat pouring over departmental reports and myriad other files that required but had not yet been given his attention.

The bulk of it was standard, administrative bilge, really – repair reports on Peregrine’s Antimatter Field Injector and the resultant refit of the associated Primary Transference Inverter, some minor turnover of enlisted personnel, and the like – which is why the Trill had set much of it on the proverbial backburner. There was one matter, though, that had been nagging at him for the better part of the ship’s time in spacedock and, once he’d waded his way through the backlog of inconsequentials, it was that particular issue that Tochi was determined to address. As he scrolled through the list files he had queued up, however, he discovered that the directory in which he had compiled all the reports, notes, and communiques regarding the matter was missing…

Again?! Zai heaved a sigh that lay somewhere between disbelief and frustration. What in the names of all the frilling ancestors is going on?

…Asovil had come to him, nearly a week ago, asking if he had seen the reports she had filed about her Dark Matter Displacement Method data and research repeatedly and surreptitiously disappearing from the computer. He had assured her, then, that he hadn’t even received such reports, let alone read any of them, but promised that he would look into the matter. Initially, he had wanted to attribute it to possible damage the ship had sustained when the Rytain radicals bomb had gone off and, to that end, had ordered both Ops and Engineering to run recursive diagnostics on the computer core and all sub-nodes and relays, ship wide. When even the most comprehensive of those efforts failed to identify a possible cause, he had requested the repair and refit crews from the starbase (in coordination with Peregrine’s own people, of course) to perform a physical inspection (and replacement, if necessary) of all ODN conduits and relays. Still, despite that invasive inspection, nothing unusual was found…

…Strangest of all, Tochi found himself musing, not for the first time, unless there are things going unreported, only the data and files related to Asovil’s dark matter research seem to be affected. The Trill stopped scowling at the console long enough to massage an ache that had begun to build at the base of his skull and threatened to creep into his brain. Another vexed sigh whispered past his lips as he jabbed a finger at the console, closing the file list, and made a mental note to be sure this particular item was brought to the fore at the staff meeting.

“Commander, sir,” Tochi looked up to see Nyle standing before him, rendering a salute, “I believe I'm due to relieve you as Command now.”

Relieve me of… Zai blinked, glanced at the chrono, and blinked again as he started to haul himself out of the chair. “Right,” he said, quickly returning the salute before gesturing vaguely at the Big Chair, “We stand relieved. The Bridge is yours, Lt Nyle.”

“Thank you, sir,” the Daa’Vit returned as the XO turned for the turbolift.

“Thank you, Lieutenant,” Tochi called back over his shoulder, “Enjoy your shift.”

As Nyle claimed his first ride in the Big Chair, Zai stepped into the lift and, as the door slid closed, lifted a hand to, once again, rub at the nagging ache in his neck. “Deck 5,” he commanded, “We could use a good, strong raktajino.”

((OOC: Tochi will be in The Aerie nursing an extra strong Klingon coffee (or two) from ~1500 – 1540. Following that, he’ll be found making his way to the staff meeting… just in case anyone wanted to bump into him in that time. ))

Stardate 2365.02.19
USS Peregrine, Captain's Mess – 1600

Occupying his customary seat to Drake’s right, LCDR Zai sipped at what was left of the raktajino he’d carried with him from The Aerie. The strength and spice of the stuff had gone a long way toward easing the headache which had been threatening him and, despite the still gnawing concerns over Asovil’s computer problems, had also produced a notable upswing in his frame of mind. As each of the senior officers had entered the Captain’s Mess, Tochi had greeted them with a smile and engaged in a moment or two of chit-chat before Silas arrived and everyone took their places.

From his place at the head of the table, Captain Drake took a moment to look them all over before drawing a breath. "Thank you all for joining me," he stated.  "Once again, the Peregrine has seen a large amount of turnover; I'd like to officially welcome Lieutenant Tal, Lieutenant Nyle, and Doctor Reine aboard.  Furthermore, I'd like to welcome Commander Thorson back."

Drake glanced down at his PADD for a moment before continuing.  "Let's go ahead and address the elephant in the room.  I am well aware that my face has been plastered all over the holovids of late.  Yes, I was court martialed for my actions in the Gamera system.  I was, in fact, acquitted of all serious charges.  No, I am not particularly interested in rehashing any of this.  My focus is on the missions to come, as should yours be."

After a slight pause, he continued.  "Now, then.  Since Lieutenant Lasad has transferred out, I do need to name a Second Officer."  Glancing to his left, he acknowledged his new Tactical Chief.  "Lieutenant Tal, you have technically been a full Lieutenant longer than Lieutenant Nyle.  However, while on medical leave, you did not accumulate seniority, which means that Lieutenant Nyle has a little over three months on you.  This makes the decision very clear."  Drake then fixed his gaze on the new Daa'Vit Operations chief.  "Congratulations, Lieutenant Nyle - you are now officially the Second Officer of the USS Peregrine."

Setting his mug aside, Tochi made a note on his own PADD, then, offering the Daa’Vit a faint nod, said; “Congratulations, Nyle.”

"Moving on," the Captain spoke as the projector flared to life to reveal a star chart, “Starfleet Command has ordered us to proceed to the Trevil system, which lies in the middle of an important shipping lane that has come under attack several times by pirate vessels in the past few weeks.  Starfleet Intelligence has reason to believe that another attack is imminent, so we will be patrolling the lane from Trevil, through Akgor, and back as far as Denbir…"  

Wonderful, Tochi sighed inwardly, tipping the mug to his lips, again, before tapping out a few more notes, back to patrol. We can, at least, hope for it to be a more eventful route than our last pirate chasing venture, I suppose.

…A glance around the table revealed less than enthused expressions.  "Yes, we have drawn guard duty, which is hardly glamorous or interesting - but which is vital to the interests of the Federation," Drake reminded them.

“At this point, Captain,” Tochi scoffed absently, “we think it’s likely preferable to escorting diplomats.”

Drake’s gaze settled back on Kara, then. "Lieutenant Tal, I got your message.  I think that drills are an excellent idea.  I'd like for you to put together a proposed schedule, and have it on my desk by 0900 on Monday, please."

The Trill arched a brow at this… Drills?... It was the first he’d heard of it; not that he found that particularly surprising as hectic as things had been. He tapped another note into the PADD, then, and drained away the rest of his raktajino.

The Captain looked back around the table.  "Are there any other concerns?  Any items I should know about, anything else that we should be preparing for?"

“Yes, sir,” Tochi spoke, pushing both the PADD and the empty mug away as he folded his hands on the table, “First, I believe we speak for all of us when I say it’s good to have you back. We weren’t looking forward to having to train a new Captain should it have turned out otherwise.” He glanced to his right, then, and met Asovil’s sapphire eyes for an instant before continuing. “Secondly and, perhaps more important,” he intoned, “Lt Sh’iraolnas has been experiencing some rather disconcerting oddities, shall we say, where the computer is concerned. It seems that any data, files, and/or communications regarding her research into her Dark Matter Displacement Method – which proved instrumental to our success in the Gamera system – has repeatedly and surreptitiously disappeared from our systems…”

He went on to detail the issue and the actions he and the crew had taken to identify and correct the problem, explaining that, regardless of their efforts, there had been no problems found with the computer’s hardware or software that might point to a cause.

“…As far as we are aware, sir,” Tochi said in conclusion, “the only items affected seem to be those even remotely associated with Lt Sh’iraolnas’ work. While we have no concrete evidence that it might be related to a security breach, we do believe there is a definite cause for concern, here.”

((OOC: Cutting it off there for interjection and continuation as need be. Will address anything further as it is posted by others.))

Stardate 2365.02.19
USS Peregrine, Deck 5, Phaser Range - 1908

The last of the targets flickered away in a puff of light, and the Computer spoke. 

=/\=Exercise complete.  Total accuracy, eighty-five percent. =/\=

Crewman Stephen Galla let out a whoop, then holstered his sidearm.  The hours he had spent working wth Lieutenant Reid were finally paying off - this was his third consecutive result of about the same score, even once he had raised the difficulty.  He would be sure to qualify this week, meaning that Petty Officer was no longer a pipe dream.  For a good six months now, his phaser range scores has been all that were holding him back; soon enough, his performance evals would check the "Meets standards" box in that area, if not "Exceeds standards".  Hah!  Who would have believed that?

Still grinning like an idiot, Stephen stepped out into the corridor.  "Computer," he spoke, "please locate Petty Officer Juarez."

=/\=Pretty Officer Juarez is in the Observation Lounge. =/\=

"Perfect!" he exlaimed as he headed down the corridor. 

---------------------------------------------------------

As he entered the Aerie, Galla scanned the room, finding Juarez sitting at a small table with a brown-haired human woman that he didn't recognize.  Stephen walked slowly across the room, wearing a mask of disappointment.  Juarez caught his eye and stood.  "Steve!  How did it go?

Galla shook his head slightly, and Systems Specialist winced.  "That bad, eh?  Man, I'm sorry.  Hang in there - you'll get it, I know you will!"

Galla cut his eyes meaningfully to the left, and Juarez coughed.  "Oh, I'm sorry!  Steve, let me introduce you to Merida Peers.  Merida just transfered aboard yesterday, she'll being doing damage control.  Merida, this is Steve Gallo, my best buddy in the fleet. We did basic together."

The brown haired woman offered Galla a firm handshake and a smile.  "Honestly, let's hope that things are boring and I end up spending my time fetching tools for Chief Davis.  Nobody is happy if I'm actually doing damage control, right?" 

The group shared a polite laugh and took seats around the table.

Juarez fixed his freind with a stare.  "Steve is in Security, and has been working hard on phaser qualification.  If he can earn the next level, he'll qualify for Petty Officer."

Gallo simply nodded.

"Okay, man. Spill it.  How bad was it?" he asked.  "You had me thinking that you were going to make it this time."

Deadpan, Stephen looked his friend right in the eye.  "Well, Marcel, I scored eighty-five percent."

The words hung in the air for a moment before the darker-skinned man sputtered in disbelief.  "But wait, doesn't that mean... you ass!"  As he spoke, Juarez punched his friend in the shoulder.  "You made me think you had blown it!  It's time to celebrate, and you'd better believe that this round's on you!"

Merida found herself laughing along with the two friends.  One drink turned into four, stories were swapped around the table... all in all, it could have been a far worse first night on a new cruise. 

Stardate 2365.02.19
USS Peregrine, Captain's Mess - 1600

Asovil remains an emotionless shell as she awaits Captain Drake’s opening. She’s straight-backed, her white hair pulled back and worn up in a tightly woven braid that tucks her length out of sight within itself. This is the first time she’s seen some of the newest command staff let alone been in proximity. Now, her analytical mind goes to work assessing each of them with all of the exterior passion of a statue and the interior focus of a laser.

Within the confines of the Captain’s Mess—a room she has only been in on one other occasion—she is surrounded by a menagerie of species. A Trill (Asovil quickly decides to skip further thoughts on him), a Betazoid, a Daa'Vit (she’s rather proud of herself for being able to remember his race’s name), and three Terrans. Oh! And herself. The Federation represented rather well, if she does say so herself.

The new command staffers include the return of Lt. Cmdr Thorson and his very intriguing cybernetic arm, Lt. Tal, Lt. Nyle, and Lt. Reine. The Andorian knows little of Thorson other than what had occurred just after she had arrived on board. Tochi has mentioned his friend in various conversations but aside from the stories, she hasn’t had the opportunity to interact with the engineer. Lt. Tal appears to be confident but there’s something about that confidence that is confusing to the scientist.

Azure eyes drift from the platinum blond woman’s angular face to her shoulder and arm. Rumor has it that the Tac Officer has a haptic rig. Asovil has heard of the technology but never experienced it herself. The thought of being mentally tied into the computer is fascinating. Perhaps the lieutenant will share one day.

Next, she takes in the gaunt, grayish features of the new Ops officer. He looks young and untested, gangly even. How old is he? He’s an interesting one. Lt. Sh’iraolnas knows nothing of his race and is keen on learning more, especially about their sciences. If there’s one thing she’s learned from her time in Starfleet, it’s that each species adds their own flavor to the scientific community and that’s exciting. As an operations officer, Lt. Nyle may not know much of his people’s sciences, but then again… he could know just enough.

The new Chief Medical Officer is another who appears fairly young for her role—Not that I’m much different—and Asovil is sure she’ll get to know the doctor fairly well as their departments interact. Medical and Science usually find themselves working in concert on many different projects—Silas draws a breath, immediately tearing her away from her thoughts and captures her attention.

"Thank you all for joining me," he states. "Once again, the Peregrine has seen a large amount of turnover; I'd like to officially welcome Lieutenant Tal, Lieutenant Nyle, and Doctor Reine aboard.  Furthermore, I'd like to welcome Commander Thorson back."

Drake glances down at his PADD for a moment before continuing. "Let's go ahead and address the elephant in the room. I am well aware that my face has been plastered all over the holovids of late. Yes, I was court-martialed for my actions in the Gamera system. I was, in fact, acquitted of all serious charges. No, I am not particularly interested in rehashing any of this. My focus is on the missions to come, as should yours be."

After a slight pause, he continues. "Now, then.  Since Lieutenant Lasad has transferred out, I do need to name a Second Officer."  Glancing to his left, he acknowledges his new Tactical Chief. "Lieutenant Tal, you have technically been a full lieutenant longer than Lieutenant Nyle.  However, while on medical leave, you did not accumulate seniority, which means that Lieutenant Nyle has a little over three months on you. This makes the decision very clear."  Drake then fixes his gaze on the new Daa'Vit Operations chief. "Congratulations, Lieutenant Nyle—you are now officially the Second Officer of the USS Peregrine."

Aside from a small twitch of her antennae, Asovil remains impassive. The Captain must have some information on Lt. Nyle that makes him confident in the Daa’vit. Very interesting.

"Moving on," the Captain says as the projector flares to life revealing a star chart, "Starfleet Command has ordered us to proceed to the Trevil system, which lies in the middle of an important shipping lane that has come under attack several times by pirate vessels in the past few weeks. Starfleet Intelligence has reason to believe that another attack is imminent, so we will be patrolling the lane from Trevil, through Akgor, and back as far as Denbir." Captain Drake allows his gaze to pass over each of their faces. "Yes, we have drawn guard duty, which is hardly glamorous or interesting—but which is vital to the interests of the Federation."

Turning into her memory banks, Asovil attempts to place the route and location of the mission but finds herself drawing a blank. Her brother most certainly would know, as would one of her mothers, but she has no recollection of reading anything concerning the system.

Drake’s gaze settles back on Kara. "Lieutenant Tal, I got your message. I think that drills are an excellent idea. I'd like for you to put together a proposed schedule, and have it on my desk by 0900 on Monday, please."

Drills? Asovil slowly blinks as she processes the thought. Pirates… Likely nothing to do with my department. I’ll do some research on the system when I get back to my office. Perhaps there’s something of interest in the area to the Federation Science Council. At the very least, I’ll be able to continue my research.

The Captain looks back around the table, "Are there any other concerns? Any items I should know about, anything else that we should be preparing for?"

“There is, sir,” Asovil speaks up. She isn’t sure about the protocol behind such a junior member of the staff going first, but true to her Andorian personality, she presses on. “We may have a security breach.”

Unaware of the drama behind her pause, the blue-skinned alien looks calmly at her superior officer for a moment before continuing. Not even her antennae are revealing her feelings, which are getting hot with renewed anger at the thought. “I’ve been contacted multiple times by a mysterious figure who has demanded that I not seek publication for the method of cloaked vessel detection. The affront does not stop there, sir. All of my work—all of my documentation concerning the discovery has been deleted.”

Here, she dips her head towards Thorson. “Engineering cannot find how this is happening though they have valiantly tried. All that we know at this time is that any digital trace vanishes from our system including reports.”

Clasping her hands on the table in front of her, the elegant Andorian waits for her Captain’s reply.

Stardate 2365.02.19
USS Peregrine, Lt Kara Tal's Quarters - 1442 (edited time to fix continuity)

It's happening again. Kara Tal slouched on the edge of her bed, holding her head. It's just stress. It's just the new posting doing this, it has to be. It can't be like it was before... "I have to do something about this," she mutters with her eyes squeezed shut, "Computer, compose a message to Melody Reine."

=/\=

Doctor Reine, this is Lt Tal. I'll be stopping by Medbay shortly.

=/\=

"End message. Set an alarm for 30 minutes and wake me then." And just like that, Kara Tal falls asleep.

Stardate 2365.02.19
USS Peregrine, The Brig - 1540

The Caitian sat crouched outside of the cells in the Brig. Her hands flew across the PADD in front of her. "Mmm, yesss," she practically purred, "The Boss will love this code. I think I'll call it the Shieldbreaker, yes. Yesss. She'll just love it," she says excitedly with a squeal that turns the head of the nearby Bolian. "Keep it down, Crewman Klarita," Ensign Larb Forb snaps, "The review I'm doing to prepare for these drills Lt Tal wants to run is bad enough as it is without you yowling over there." Crewman Dianissa Klarita shakes her head, "Yes sir," she sighs, feeling chastened.

Nearby the Marine Sgt chuckles under his breath. Kids, they never change. It's good that they're already busy, though. I can feel something coming in my gut and we need to be prepared. Tal seems competent and Drake's record speaks for itself. It's an easy bet that he'll approve her request. Good. We can never be too ready. Looking up, he says, "Don't be too hard on her, sir, she's doing important work. You mind if I look over that review?"

Ensign Forb nods, "It'd be my pleasure." He stares at the Caitian tapping away on the PADD and says to her, "Apologies Crewman Klarita, your enthusiasm is understandable. Just keep in mind you share this space with the rest of us, understood?" Is this what my sister sounded like? I hope I don't let her down. Looking up from her PADD, Crewman Klarita smiles a sharp-toothed grin, "Yes sir. I'll be more mindful in the future. Oh but this code, though, it's a thing of beauty. The Lieutenant is a genius when it comes to intrusion and I've just made it even better. So much better, and this is just the start." She giggles, "You'll have to look at it and see how nice I made it!"

Forb sighs, "I'll look at it when I've finished this review. Sergeant Davies, come on over." Like that human game Red Rover. What a strange game. Humans... Out loud he sighs softly, slightly overwhelmed. ...and Caitians now, too. What-ever shall we do?

Stardate 2365.02.19
USS Peregrine, Captain's Mess - 1600

Captain Drake sat at the head of the rectangular table and let his gaze drift to each officer seated there. To his right was Lieutenant Commander Zai - his Executive Officer - followed by Lieutenant Sh'iraolnas and Doctor Reine. To Drake's left was Lieutenant Commander Thorson, followed Lieutenant Tal and Lieutenant Nyle.  The foot of the table remained empty.

The Captain's Mess was a cozy little space tucked away on deck two, and it served two functions. First, it was the space reserved for private meals hosted by the Captain; most often, these would be handpicked officers, guests, diplomats, or other VIPs. Second, it was used to host meetings such as this.

On larger ships, staff meetings would typically take place in a larger observation lounge, but a Saber class vessel had no such luxury.

One of Drake's first acts as commanding officer had been to have a tabletop holographic projector installed here in the Captain's Mess. He had originally intended to mount a proper viewscreen, but the cramped quarters prevented doing so in any spot where at least a few people would not end up with their back to it. So, instead, he had gone with the tabletop unit, and it had proven to be wise decision.

Everyone was present and on time, not that Silas was surprised; he couldn't recall a starfleet vessel where discipline and punctuality had een issues. Silas differ from some commanding officers in that he did not believe in daily staff meetings; such gatherings of the senior staff were usually reserved for shipwide efforts, the discussion of new mission orders, or other matters of wide import. The Captain felt that officers senior enough to be qualified to run a department should be trusted to do so without endless meetings and red tape, believing that his department heads would come to him if anything required his personal attention. Instead, he chose to meet with each in one on one situations every two or three weeks to stay caught up. However, Drake made it a point to stay very well informed about the state of the ship; he read every bridge watch log, daily department summary, incident or exception report, and kept a close eye on all of the critical system readouts. When the time came for one of the "face to face" meetings with a subordinate, Drake almost always knew exactly where a given project stood. The joke around the ship was that the Captain had unseen eyes everywhere, and truth be told... Silas liked it that way.

Looking around the table, Silas drew a breath.  "Thank you all for joining me," he stated.  "Once again, the Peregrine has seen a large amount of turnover; I'd like to officially welcome Lieutenant Tal, Lieuteanant Nyle, and Doctor Reine aboard.  Furthermore, I'd like to welcome Commander Thorson back."

Drake glanced down at his PADD for a moment before continuing.  "Let's go ahead and address the elephant in the room.  I am well aware that my face has been plastered all over the holovids of late.  Yes, I was court martialed for my actions in the Gamera system.  I was, in fact, aquitted of all serious charges.  No, I am not particularly intrested in rehashing any of this.  My focus is on the missions to come, as should yours be."

After a slight pause, he continued.  "Now, then.  Since Lieutenant Lasad has transferred out, I do need to name a Second Officer."  Glancing to his left, he acknowledged his new Tactical Chief.  "Lieutenant Tal, you have tehcnically been a full Lieutenant longer than Lieutenant Nyle.  However, while on medical leave, you did not accumulate seniority, which means that Lieutenant Nyle has a little over three months on you.  This makes the decision very clear."  Drake then fixed his gaze on the new Daa'Vit Operations chief.  "Congratulations, Lieutenant Nyle - you are now offically the Second Officer of the USS Peregrine."

Trying not to look relieved, Lt Tal nods with a smile, "Congratulations...sir. I look forward to serving with you. Captain Drake, I appreciate the consideration, but it's just as well - I have my hands full with my department."

"Moving on," the Captain spoke as the projector flared to life to reveal a star chart,  "Starfleet Command has ordered us to proceed to the Trevil system, which lies in the middle of an important shipping lane that has come under attack several times by pirate vessels in the past few weeks.  Starfleet Intelligence has reason to believe that another attack is immenent, so we will be patrolling the lane from Trevil, through Akgor, and back as far as Denbir."  A glance around the table revealed less than enthused expressions.  "Yes, we have drawn guard duty, which is hardly glamorous or iteresting - but which is vital to the interests of the Federation."

Drake’s gaze settles back on Kara. "Lieutenant Tal, I got your message. I think that drills are an excellent idea. I'd like for you to put together a proposed schedule, and have it on my desk by 0900 on Monday, please."

Lt Kara Tal simply nods in acknowledgement. Good thing I'm already working on that, with luck I'll be able to deliver them tomorrow. Tonight if Forb is as good as his scores say he is. I think Drake will like the surprise we're working on as well. We'll see if the Caitian is as good as her scores say too. She grins, looking at the rest of the officers present, trying to gauge their reaction to the mention of the drills.

Drills? Asovil slowly blinks as she processes the thought. Pirates… Likely nothing to do with my department. I’ll do some research on the system when I get back to my office. Perhaps there’s something of interest in the area to the Federation Science Council. At the very least, I’ll be able to continue my research.

The Captain looks back around the table, "Are there any other concerns? Any items I should know about, anything else that we should be preparing for?"

“There is, sir,” Asovil speaks up. She isn’t sure about the protocol behind such a junior member of the staff going first, but true to her Andorian personality, she presses on. “We may have a security breach.”

Unaware of the drama behind her pause, the blue-skinned alien looks calmly at her superior officer for a moment before continuing. Not even her antennae are revealing her feelings, which are getting hot with renewed anger at the thought. “I’ve been contacted multiple times by a mysterious figure who has demanded that I not seek publication for the method of cloaked vessel detection. The affront does not stop there, sir. All of my work—all of my documentation concerning the discovery has been deleted.”

Here, she dips her head towards Thorson. “Engineering cannot find how this is happening though they have valiantly tried. All that we know at this time is that any digital trace vanishes from our system including reports.”

Clasping her hands on the table in front of her, the elegant Andorian waits for her Captain’s reply.

As she says that the previously mentioned Lt Tal arches an eyebrow and looks to the Captain, also awaiting his reply. This is a security matter... and the first I'm hearing of it? That's problematic. Let's see what Drake has to say, though.

((OOC: assuming Drake wants to address this issue))

Lt Tal raises a hand briefly, then speaks, "I'd like to point out that my department is... particualarly relevant to this issue. Especially as several of my people have a fair bit of experience breaking into systems and, ahem, retrieving data without permission. Specifially myself and Crewman Dianissa Klarita, a Caitian." She nods towards the Andorian, "I'd like Crewman Klarita to run an investigation with Lieutenant Sh'iraolnas, with assistance from we where necessary. This could affect fleet security in a very problematic way and we need to get to the bottom of it. Especially if we find ourselves depending on the systems whose information has been compromised." She grimaces microscopically. Not again.

Stardate 2365.02.19

USS Peregrine; Sickbay – 1310

Chief Cook was just finishing up the schedule for the New Crew member physicals, as was required on a new assignment, when the door to Sickbay opened up and Crewman Reynolds walked in. Dana was confused as Reynolds wasn't on duty at all today.

“Crewman?” Cook asked questioningly, “you're not on duty today. I figured you would be resting especially after all the pre-departure routine.” Dana knew she had worked the entire Medical staff furiously to make sure everything was resupplied, stored, and all equipment was functioning properly. She had wanted the New CMO to be impressed with her new staff; first impressions were everything.

“Oh, hey Chief,” Crewman Reynolds responded nervously, “I just wanted to do a little studying for a little bit, and there was too much going on in my quarters with my roommates that I just couldn't concentrate, so I figured I would come here. If that's alright?”

“Of course Crewman,” Cook nodded appreciatively, “carry on.”

Reynolds nodded and moved over to a side station and sat at the console and pulled up some medical training manuals and began to study. Cook watched her for a moment and then smiled slightly and nodded; her staff was improving more and more. She was becoming extremely happy with them in the day to day performance, but they hadn't been through a crisis situation just yet; then she would see how well they performed as a team.

Setting the PADD aside with the new schedule completed; Cook thought for a moment and then rose to her feet.

“Crewman,” she said as she walked over to Reynolds, who jumped slightly at being addressed, “I need to run an errand, since you're here, can you handle anything that comes in while I am gone?”

“Of course, Chief,” Reynolds replied.

“Good,” Cook said as she headed to the door, “If any emergency does come up, summon me immediately.”

Leaving Sickbay, Cook headed down the hall to the turbolift and towards the new quarters for her friend PO Crane.

Stardate 2365.02.19

USS Peregrine; Deck 3, Crew Quarters – 1321

Chief Cook stood before the door of the new quarters her friend Lauren Crane had been assigned. She hadn't visited her yet since she had been released from the Brig and confined to her quarters. Dana figured she would have wanted some space for awhile, so she had stayed away. Now, she figured it was time for a 'wellness' check; at least that is how she would sell it to the Captain, if he complained about Lauren having visitors. She didn't know if the Captain had set any guidelines for her confinement; maybe only her roommates were allowed. But, being Medical personnel, she figured she had a right to check on her mental and physical condition. She reached out and pressed the summoning button.

/Door chime/

((OOC: assuming permission to enter))

Dana takes a deep breath and enters the room. She pauses just inside the doorway for a moment, looking for her friend. Once she sees her, Dana smiles.

“Lauren,” Dana says with a smile, “It's good to see you. How are you doing?”

((OOC: Assuming a response ))

“I came to check on you and see how you are doing,” Dana said with a shrug, “I'm not sure if you're allowed visitors, but I'm here on 'official' business.” Her faint smile broadened as she lifted her medical tricorder from her belt. She figured that Lauren would understand that she would use that as any excuse as to why she was there, though she would know Dana well enough to know it was a personal visit.

((OOC: Leave it here, awaiting responses so it can continue.))

Stardate 2365.02.19
USS Peregrine, Captain's Mess - 1600

Quietly Nyle sat in his seat next to a blond haired women in a yellow uniform and across from another woman, this time with wavy brown hair in a ponytail. He didn't know who either of them were, but over the next couple of days he intended to officially introduce himself and get to know them. For now, however, he had too much to think about to put forth the effort. 

The incident with the computer on the bridge was troubling him. Petty Officer Amai had given him the report; about half of the other compartments on the ship had recieved the same random announcement and nothing in the system itself indicated why. He had never ran into a problem like this before, but rarely did you ever encounter the same issue twice. Well, at least if you were competent in making repairs you didn't. It frustrated him to no end to be presented with a problem with no way to work towards a solution. Dwelling on it now, however, did him no good. 

He was spared any further agonizing over the situation, however, as his attention was draw to the Captain who spoke up. "Thank you all for joining me," he stated.  "Once again, the Peregrine has seen a large amount of turnover; I'd like to officially welcome Lieutenant Tal, Lieuteanant Nyle, and Doctor Reine aboard.  Furthermore, I'd like to welcome Commander Thorson back."

Drake glanced down at his PADD for a moment before continuing.  "Let's go ahead and address the elephant in the room.  I am well aware that my face has been plastered all over the holovids of late.  Yes, I was court martialed for my actions in the Gamera system.  I was, in fact, aquitted of all serious charges.  No, I am not particularly intrested in rehashing any of this.  My focus is on the missions to come, as should yours be."

Direct and to the point. Nyle could respect that. He could also respect the desire to let the whole situation be left alone. He had certainly grown very sick of talking about his experience when in a similar predicament.

After a slight pause, the Captain continued.  "Now, then.  Since Lieutenant Lasad has transferred out, I do need to name a Second Officer."  Glancing to his left, he acknowledged his new Tactical Chief.  "Lieutenant Tal, you have tehcnically been a full Lieutenant longer than Lieutenant Nyle.  However, while on medical leave, you did not accumulate seniority, which means that Lieutenant Nyle has a little over three months on you.  This makes the decision very clear."  Drake then fixed his gaze on the new Daa'Vit Operations chief.  "Congratulations, Lieutenant Nyle - you are now offically the Second Officer of the USS Peregrine."

Nyle blinked. That was certainly unexpected, he honestly didn't expect to come near a Second Officer position for two or three years yet. Still, he wasn't going to say no. He did glance at the blond woman to his right, however. Lieutenant Tal may not be to happy to be overlooked for this position. Was she the type of person to hold on to resentment over lost promotions? He didn't know her well enough to say, but he doubted it. Starfleet was quick to quell any of that behavior. Still, his initial instinct, something bred into him from growing up on Daa'V, was to preemptively lash out. Show her that he was not someone to be trifled with. Nyle stomped down on that feeling quite fiercely. There was no room for that at all! Turning his eyes to the man at the head of the table, Nyle tried to smile.

"Thank you, Captain." he replied, trying to nod his head in what he presumed was a gracefull show of gratitude. "I shall not disappoint."

Setting his mug aside, Commander Zai made a note on his own PADD, then, offering the Daa’Vit a faint nod, said; “Congratulations, Nyle.”

Again, Nyle nodded. This time in the direction of the XO.

"Moving on," the Captain spoke as the projector flared to life to reveal a star chart,  "Starfleet Command has ordered us to proceed to the Trevil system, which lies in the middle of an important shipping lane that has come under attack several times by pirate vessels in the past few weeks.  Starfleet Intelligence has reason to believe that another attack is immenent, so we will be patrolling the lane from Trevil, through Akgor, and back as far as Denbir."  A glance around the table revealed less than enthused expressions.  "Yes, we have drawn guard duty, which is hardly glamorous or iteresting - but which is vital to the interests of the Federation."

“At this point, Captain,” Commander Zai scoffed absently, “we think it’s likely preferable to escorting diplomats.”

Nyle glanced at the XO, but returned his attention to the Captain. He said 'we' again. Strange. 

Nyle didn't mind guard duty. Honestly, little of what the mission actually was changed his day to day job. Or, at least, that was the case in previous vessels. Either way, his attention would be focused mainly on the maintenance of systems and ensuring that everyone was getting what they needed. If they ran into problems out there... Well, he would adjust accordingly.

Captain Drake's gaze settled back on Kara.  "Lieutenant Tal, I got your message.  I think that drills are an excellent idea.  I'd like for you to put together a proposed schedule, and have it on my desk by 0900 on Monday, please."

Again, Nyle glanced at the woman sitting to his right. Drills? Nyle approved, not that that accounted for anything, but a prepared and practiced ship was all that much more likely to return home after the unexpected happened. Yes, Nyle approved greatly. As his eyes slid back to the Captain, Nyle made a mental note to offer her his assistance after the conclusion of the meeting.

The Captain looked back around the table.  "Are there any other concerns?  Any items I should know about, anything else that we should be preparing for?"

(OOC: So, I'm not sure who spoke first, Zai or Asovil, and as such I'm just not going to include their discussions in this post as of now. I'll edit accordingly when I have a better idea of how the conversation flowed.)

"Also, Captain." Nyle broke in blandly, after everyone else had quieted down. "There was a minor mishap with the computer system approximately thirty minutes ago. It activated without any request and stated some information that was pertinent  to nothing in particular. We are currently investigating the cause, but as of right now it appears to be an isolated incident with no symptoms of further problems. I will keep you informed if anything new developes."