Return

Posted on Mon Nov 23rd, 2009 @ 1:42pm by Captain Vorn Krace & Lieutenant Commander Abigail Valera

Mission: Into a Devil's Heart
Location: In Proximity of Starbase Ronin
Timeline: MD09 1400 hrs

=^=USS Lincoln, prepare to drop out of warp on my mark,=^= Vorn sent over the comm. channel. The two ships had been travelling at Warp 5 for just under two days as they made their way back from the nebula. Vorn had dispatched a shuttle to check up on the Omega IV colony, and ensure that no more of Captain Brown's acquaintances were hassling the governor. He'd also issued orders to the security personnel he'd left there to remain on alert until they were relieved by a team he would request Starfleet send to ensure that there are no unknown stragglers.

Nodding to the helmsman on the Iapetus to let him know that he should follow the 'mark' command, he took a moment to look at the countdown clock on his chair arm, before saying, "Mark."

As both ships dropped out of warp in quick succession, they each received an automated hail instructing them to hold position for an escort to the station. Apparently Commander Critchley had stepped up security after they'd left. The station's local space, sensors revealed, was almost filled with Sabre and Wallace class garrison vessels, two pairs of which had broken out of formation and were heading towards the two ships.

"Captain, we're being hailed," came the announcement from Ops.

"On screen. Conference in the Lincoln," Vorn ordered.

On the viewer appeared Abigail in the commander's seat of the Lincoln and a Lieutenant Commander sitting in the chair of one of the Wallace class vessels. "Captain," the commander began. "Lieutenant. Due to recent events, and the presence of certain individuals on the station, system security has been stepped up to ensure the safety of Starbase Ronin. Please state the purpose for your visit." If he was surprised at seeing a sciences-division Lieutenant in command of the Lincoln, he hid it well.

"We are here to hand over custody of a number of prisoners, and to attend the court martial of Lieutenant Commander Peter Brown," Vorn told the man. "My command authorisation is Krace-8-5-Delta-6-Pi, and this is Lieutenant Abigail Valera, commanding the Lincoln on my behalf."

"Since when has a Captain commanded two ships?" The commander asked.

"We are returning the Lincoln to continue its refit program." Abigail kept any information that Vorn might wish to keep under wraps quiet until he announced them.

"I trust that the criminal responsible for its theft is suitably detained?" It was clear that the man had known of the Lincoln's theft, and was trying to see if the two of them would come up with some sort of lie as to why they had both ships. Obviously, he was satisfied that it was being returned.

"He is," was all Vorn answered. He still couldn't articulate his feelings of having Peter in the brig, and he wouldn't have to this stranger if he could.

"Good," the commander replied. "You will be escorted to your docking bay, Captain. Lieutenant Valera, you will follow your escorts to the dry dock, and leave the ship for the engineering crews." With that, the man's visage disappeared from the screen.

"Watch you don't scratch the paint," Vorn joked to Abigail, as the two ships began to move off in different directions. Docking at the dry docks was a more sensitive manoeuvre than in the starbase proper due to the enclosure of the dock arms, though he knew that the helmsman he had sent over was competent enough to handle it. He'd also lent her a few of the Iapetus' shuttles for the skeleton crew to use to return to the Iapetus, since the Lincoln had been stripped of her compliment for the refit.

"Helm take us to the dry docks. Its time the Lincoln was there to stay." Abigail said to the helm. "Slow and steady. One quarter impulse should do it." Abigail sat back as she watched the ship slow and enter the docking area.

"You know the drill," Vorn told Petty Officer Cook, at the helm of the Iapetus. "Follow our escorts in, nice and smooth."

As the two ships moved towards their respective docks - the Iapetus towards the disk-shaped Elysian-class, and one of the external docking ports on the outer edge, whilst the Lincoln moved towards the closer series of drydocks which serviced the local shipyards - Vorn configured his armrest computer to show him the camera view centred on his old ship, watching it dock first. As he magnified the view, he saw the shuttlebay doors open, revealing the lights inside and the activity of the bay workers. Workbees immediately moved around the saucer section and the nacelles of the ship, but stayed out of the shuttlebay, allowing the crew of the ship to move down and out before the Starfleet Corps of Engineers moved in to re-take control of the ship.

The view quickly swept to show the upper edge of the planet which the station orbited as the Iapetus pivoted to align its number one airlock with the external port on the starbase, the two structures connecting mutely, the sound of metal clamping metal immediately silenced by the vacuum.

"Top up our supplies, and keep all systems on stand-by," Vorn ordered, as he closed down the view on his arm rest. "We hopefully won't be here long, so don't get too comfortable."

As soon as the Lincoln was docked, Abigail sat back. She had done it. "Ok. Let's get out of here and return to the Iapetus. You all did well."

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Captain Vorn Krace
Commanding Officer
USS Iapetus

&

Lieutenant Abigail Valera
Acting CO, USS Lincoln
Chief Science Officer, USS Iapetus