Not Lookin For Trouble...

Posted on Wed Oct 26th, 2011 @ 8:41am by Major Patrick Smith & Lieutenant James Holbridge

STRATEGIC OPERATIONS CENTER
MAIN OPS DECK

Jim enjoyed being in the thick of the action, taking beta-shift watch in Ops and feeling generally useful again. Jim was able to see raw intelligence as it came in and was learning very quickly that his analysis people usually jibed with the stations Intelligence department. Holbridge often annotated analyses with opinions of his own, something the admiral appreciated.

In between shifts, assisting Security, coordinating the construction of long-range sensor arrays, and post-secondary work at the Academy, Jim was stretched thin, yet he relished the work. He had more than one task to do and he had a lot more resources at his disposal if he needed them.

A message was waiting for him. Jim, congrats on your transfer. I have a bit of a situation and could use your help in locating Commander Kh'ali. I'll fill you in on the details later. Meet me on the Flight Deck ready to turn and burn. Smith. Holbridge was not thrilled, and sent his former boss a negative reply.

This had been three hours previous. Now, Jim was absorbed in the minutia of constructing long-range sensor relay stations when Captain Smith came barging over to Strategic Operations fiefdom on Ops.

Smith was furious. Hours had been wasted trying to teach idiot technicians to use the sensor package while someone who could sat up in his cozy chair in Ops. Barging over to Jim desk he slammed his hands on the desk and started on Jim. "What the hell is your problem? An officer goes missing and when the best person on the base for a job is asked he decides not to and instead sits in his cushy office chair! Three hours I've spent trying to get those blasted technicians to use a Peregrines sensor package! Three hours you could have been up there searching. What on earth is your problem?"

Jim rose to his feet and put the padd down he had been working on. "I don't have a problem, Mr. Smith! While you have been wasting time and resources dinking around with a small sensor package, I have been busy prepping a scoutship for a SAR run around the station. I sent you a negative reply because the simulations I ran with the Peregrine's systems would show minimal results, which are automatically masked in the damn sensor heuristics! Kh'ali is not detectable, yet and I am working closely with sciences and engineering to make that happen. That's my new job, Paddy!" Jim stared at the man with hard eyes, unwilling to let his former CO know just how badly he disliked flying fighters.

Patrick sighed the wind taken out of him slightly. "Right ok show me what you have then, but your still flying shotgun."

Jim sighed, the held up his hand. "Sorry, I have been pushing this thing through and haven't slept a lot. The gizmo here is a sensor relay, which takes the sensors from the station and runs them through the ship the relay is installed on, say a fighter, or in this case a scoutship.

Pat looked at the results and the simulations Jim had run. "Are they run with the Valkyries advanced sensor pack or the normal sensors?"

Jim scowled again. "Pay attention, Pat! We're using a scoutship for this run because of the greater range of the ship itself and its greater sensor sensitivity, or so one of my chiefs tells me." Jim rolled his eyes playfully.

"That's a good option. The range thing isn't a factor that will be a problem but the sensors on that would be great." He wondered if there would be a good way to add extra power to the sensors. "Here's a thought, if we added another power source to the ship dedicated to the sensors would that give us any worthwhile boost?"

"Negative, we're channeling power directly from the station and if we add much more we'll short out the scout's deflector." Jim said, wishing his former boss listened once in awhile. They hadn't been out of the cockpits that long, had they? "Chief, Security just sent us specs for a multi-phasic of the outer perimeter. They want to use our ship for a tighter resolution."

"I'm on it, skipper. Lift-off is still at plus-five, so you might wanna get suited up." the female chief said, ascending the ladder.

Jim looked at Paddy as the pair followed the senior chief up the ladder. "If i let you drive, promise me you won't ding the ship!"

Pat got a sly smile on his face, "As an ex test pilot I can't guarantee that. But I'll try my best," he said with a wink." Besides you'll be there to keep me right."

"Shit, I'll be too busy with the ships new systems to baby-sit you! Chief Overby will be on engines, so it's all you, Paddy!"

Smith Laughed, "Pfft no pressure. I distinctly remember you being the menace in space, especially during the close flying exercises."

Holbridge shook his head. "Man crashed a simulator into a bulkhead and calls me a fucking menace! Up the ladder, retread!"

Patrick started up the ladder face in fake horror, "Oh common you know that was it not rooted down properly," he protested as he slipped inside the ship taking a brief look around its interior. Much roomier than a fighter that was for sure.

On the scout's small bridge, Jim slid into the Ops position as Paddy strapped into the conn chair. The chief was below decks, keeping her eyes peeled for trouble from the new gear. "Boards are green. Move this heap!

"Aye aye Mr. Bossy Boots. Docking clamps released and we are free," he said as the ship slid away gently from the base. "Seeing as you're the one with the plan where do you want to start?"

"We start on the approach vector the Divitians used then we give the station a nice once-over with the new gear. By the way did you get a glimpse of the Divitian ship as we left?"

"Sounds like a plan," Smith replied setting the ship to that course at a nice gentle pace. "And yea I took a few extra flights during training before this mess started. I wouldn't want to get in a firefight with it. Roughly the same armament and just as durable as a Galaxy class. What do you think of her?"

"My hair on my neck is all stiff, something is up with it."

It was a quick trip to the Divitian section for the start of the search where the ship in question was also positioned and Smith brought the ship to a slow. "Ok Jim your turn. Kick that fancy sensor into action and let's get going.

Jim activated the sensor suite and in no time, the screens were overflowing with data. "Odd, just before they docked they gave an unused dry-dock a very serious scanning. Marked and noted."

"Probably just checking to make sure there's no one on the other side," he said moving the ship further along the side of the base. "So how's strat ops treating you?"

"Not bad. Hours are better I don't have to worry about losing my backseater or getting shot down by my own people....hey, Paddy swing back around. This here gizmo is picking up some weird readings." Jim called up the known specs of the Divitian ships in the immediate area. "Why in hell are they scanning empty areas of the station so closely?"
Jim slapped the intercom. "Holbridge to Ops, what the hell is on Deck 515?"

=^=Escape Pods, sir. That part of the station is rarely used.=^=

"Thanks, Holbridge out...what the hell, we're being scanned!"

"Shit looks like a Divitian cruisers. Tell them we are friendly already," Patrick said, the urgency clear in his voice as he maneuvered the ship away from the side of the base to give them a clear run away.

"This is Lieutenant Holbridge on GUARD frequency. We are conducting experimental scans of our station, we are not armed! Cease your scans at once as they are interfering with our experiments!" Jim said loudly, hoping Security and Flight Ops were monitoring his transmissions.

The scans suddenly stopped, but the Divitian Warship was still closing.

"Paddy, ever play chicken with a battlecruiser?"

Patrick looked out the windows at the size of the ship heading towards them and their own. "Yep just nothing as big as this tin can. If he starts shooting we are up the creek without a paddle. Send that idiot another message."

"This is Lt James Holbridge on GUARD frequency to Divitian ship closing on my position; back off before you ram us!"

"Raise the shields and divert auxiliary power to engines. I'm getting us out of here." The ship began to slowly turn around as the engine power built up.

The Divitian ship suddenly stopped its pursuit and then just as quickly backed off.

"As you were, Paddy. Get us back on the deck. I need to look at something in my quarters. I need you to see what has transpired on the surface of Divitia since Lorenz left."

"Ok meet me in intelligence once you're done." Pat moved the ship away relieved and flew it gently back to the dry dock. Who said Marines got all the fun?

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A Post by

Lieutenant Patrick Smith
Intelligence Officer

&

Lt James Holbridge
Strat Ops Officer