A Security Problem Waiting To Happen.

Posted on Mon Mar 14th, 2022 @ 7:00pm by Lieutenant Etrara Khalten & Lieutenant JG Miraj Derani

Mission: Season 5: Interlude: Darkness Abounds
Location: Main Shuttle Bay
Timeline: MD02 1500
1288 words - 2.6 OF Standard Post Measure

Miraj stared across her shuttle bay, plotting where she was going to get all the jolly boats moved to to make room for the Shuttle Replicator. She was mostly there, but she'd finish once she'd met the new CTO, and showed the incoming officer what resources they had. She hummed as she waited, a cheerful shanty with words that always made her smile, fingers twisting in the ends of her pink bunches.

Etrara entered the shuttle bay, she was still finding her way around the ship and it had taken her longer than expected. She looked around and saw a bright pink flash that turned into hair and then developed into a person. “Ensign Derani I presume? I am Lieutenant Etrara Khalten, pleased to meet you.” She held out her hand in greeting as she walked forward.

Miraj looked round at her name, and saw the very tall woman coming towards her. She hadn't realised Etrara would be half klingon. That was so cool. She bounced over, skipping lightly on her bare feet, and shook her hand. "Welcome to Elysium, No trouble finding us I hope? We're a bit big, its easy to get lost."

Etrara looked down noted the bare feet and smiled, she liked this woman already. “I am trying to find my way about, it’s difficult but I am getting there. So” she gestured around her “tell me about this?”

"Main Shuttle bay. One of three. Number two is the auxiliary bay right below, and the third is the air group drop hanger right in the orlop. That's exclusively the purview of the CAG, so you'll need to talk to her. Or her deputy. She's not here right now." Miraj made a sweeping gesture, taking in the bay with its long white runabouts, and the squat boxy white shuttlecraft, the pointed oval of the Captains Yacht, and the broad glossy black arrowhead of her own Queen Anne's Revenge "We've got 5 Runabouts, and the class 9's up here. Down below we have the class 11's, the work pods, the other runabouts and some others. Want to come meet them?"

“Of course” she said, this was the most excited she had felt since she came aboard. These were the practicalities she needed to know about and her fingers were itching to actually pilot something. “Queen Anne’s Revenge?” Sounds like a pirate ship? It looks good, I would love to see it sometime.”

Miraj beamed as she moved over to her precious baby, running her fingers lovingly along the gleaming plating. "The original was, the most feared that ever sailed the Spanish Main." She continued to pat the spaceship like someone else would rub a prized horse. "But this one's never been on account. She's a salvaged Waverider, my dad and my brother rebuilt her for me. She aerodynamic, so can fly in atmosphere without repulsors, proper flying. She's glorious!"

Etrara stood back and took in a breath. “She is beautiful, how fast?” She said as she walked around the craft.

Miraj beamed at the compliment ot her darling ship. "Waveriders were never meant to have warp core so its a bit...improvised. Only warp 7, and then with a following wind and a light belly. But the Impulse engines made up for it. She's faster than Elysium. Point four c. Ship of line only does Point two five. Too much mass to shift suddenly."

“I would love to have flight in her one day Miraj, but, now unfortunately we have to get on, you have a lot to show me. What do you have in the auxiliary bay?”

Miraj beckoned to the lieutenant to follow and she headed to the side stairs that lead down to the lower bay. "Quite a bit. What was your last ship like?"

She talked as she walked taking in every aspect,”The Prometheus was much smaller than the Elysium. She never talked about her past positions as her psyche was totally invested in this place. “What led you to serve on this ship?” She asked.

"Oh, I was assigned here," Miraj said, skipping down the next flight of stairs. The Bays were tall, and whilst the auxillary deck wasn't as roomy as the main deck, it was still several stories high. "Not many people can handle a QSD full stop, and there's were even less people trained on it."

“This might seem a silly question but are there any weapons kept down here?”

"Not really. The jollyboats are all armed, phasers and a handful of small load photon torpedos, nothing serious. But unless a mission calls for it, there's no personal weapons." It would be a good way to scuttle any ship, she realised. Have the jolly boats open fire on its unprotected innards.... " You can get type one or two phasers from the replicators if you have clearance though."

“So is there a designated control area and who would have access?”

"THere's an ATC booth for each bay, they're not off limits. Plus the bay doors have overides at helm and tactical on both main and battle bridges." Miraj shrugged. ATC wasn't exactly the beating heart of the ship, people popped in all the time to book shuttles or arrange a chauffeur.

She harrumphed as only a Klingon can…. “It is much too accessible to anyone. A ship does not have to be in space to damage the Elysium don’t you agree?
especially when there are weapons onboard?”

"well, yes, I suppose." Miraj could see the logic of that. But the shuttle bay was as much transit hub as storage hangar, not to mention she liked to see people in amongst the shuttles. People shouldn't be afraid of them, and familiarity prevented fear.

Etrara smiled, “is there a member of the security team based here in the shuttle bay full time?”

"No. Why would we do that?"

“I am not saying we would it is just that this is an important area, lots of people coming and going so, maybe in times of alerts it would be safer to place a member of security in here.” she paused, “come on let’s go back upstairs. Do you have any questions for me Miraj?”

Miraj hid her disappointment at the Lieutenants cursory glance at the auxilary bay. SHe'd been loking forward to showing off some of the other shuttles. "No, ma'am. Except... can you fly? Just to check. Most people can, but I get one or two."

Etrara turned back, “I can fly very well, in fact I love flying. “She looked at her chronometer. “In fact I can spare little more time, how about showing me the different type of craft you have here, in detail.” She smiled at Miraj, “it would make me very happy.”

The young pilots face lit up like a sun, and she started heading out across the bay. "You have to come meet our newest. A delta flyer. He still needs a name, but I just can't think of one. I thought about Royal Fortune Black Bart's ship, but that was an overgunned old galleon so that doens't really fit. A Delta Flyer is more of sloop, And Cutty Sark is just wrong. Freedom might work, that was Hornigold's, and there's always - " Miraj continued to chatter as she headed across the bay.

Etrara smiled as she followed the excited woman across the bay, she certainly knew her ships, she thought, and to have someone with a great amount of knowledge and a love for her position was a plus for the ship. Spending time with Miraj was never going to be time wasted. She quickened her steps to keep up with her.