Real Estate

Posted on Sat Jun 7th, 2014 @ 10:07pm by Lieutenant Commander Ciaran McIntyre & Captain Tim Williams & Lieutenant Commander Horatio Hawke & Counselor Melony Taylor & Lieutenant JG Cody Fredericks & Doctor Devoni Jala

Episode: Orphans
Location: USS Highlander - Bridge | Dreyas Four
Timeline: MD28 1345hrs

If he was honest with himself, Tim felt a little strange with the seat to his left devoid of a first officer. It wasn't as though he hadn't been sat on the bridge of his ship whilst his XO was elsewhere before - on the ship or off on a mission - but the knowledge that since they had left Cygnet XIV that he no longer had a first officer was a rare situation for him.

Still, despite the fact he had had to take on a lot of his own delegated paperwork again, Hawke had been doing a good job filling in in the meantime, and he was coming along well with his command tests. Just a couple more left, which Tim hoped to be able to sign off whilst they were getting the colonists settled in, and he could make the pilot his official new first officer.

The ship had just dropped out of warp inside the Dreyas system's Kuiper belt and was proceeding in-system on impulse power.

"Leon; link up with the Terraforming Agency's satellite and download the latest monitoring data to the science database." Tim knew that Mason would want to look over the data once they got back from their initial planet-side survey. "Hawke; take us into orbit of 'Four. Put us above one of the sites identified as a likely colony base camp."

"Aye aye, sir," Hawke replied, tapping the commands into his console. After the rigors of the testing he had been going through, he welcomed such a simple manoeuvre and calmy guided the ship into the inner system.

McIntyre lifted his hand from the console which automatically reset the controls to standard variation. "I'll ready the Security team, Cap'n. I'll meet you in the Transporter Room." He turned to the turbolift just as his Assistant, Lieutenant (JG) Cody Fredericks stepped onto the bridge. "Cody. The system is on a calibration sweep- it should be finished within the next thirty minutes but just keep an eye on it, will you?"

"Sure thing, Boss. " said Cody as he passed by his department head to take over for him.

Tim kept his attention forward while Mac left to get his security detail ready, privately hoping that he wasn't planning on bringing half of the ship's compliment down with them. The planet was clearly visible and taking up the majority of the main viewer, so he could cast a practised eye over the world presented to them. The world carried roughly equal amounts of blues and greens, with perhaps just a little more of the latter, and a small band of brown on one of the continents near the equator. There were a few mountain ranges, but most of the planet seemed to be fairly well forested, which would provide the colonists with plenty of raw building materials until they could either get some sort of material supply or small mining operation going. He knew from the last records they had downloaded from Starfleet of the planet's progress that the world also possessed a number of natural clearings, a number of which had been picked out as likely colony sites.

Hawke finalised the orbital parking manoeuvre and settled the ship into a suitable orbit high above Dreyas IV. He turned his head slightly and reported over his shoulder, "We're in position, Captain."

"Alright. Away team to the transporter room; Hawke, you've got the bridge. Try not to scratch her while I'm gone," Tim said, as he made his way around the railing towards he turbolift.

The Acting XO rose from the helm and signaled for Ensign Reilly to take over. He strode back to the command chair and smiled after the captain and the away team. "I'll take good care of her, sir."

Melony looked up as the away team was leaving "I'll see you on the planet when you're beaming down the colonists"