Posted by Lieutenant Commander Natasha Knight (Chief Medical Officer) in Starfleet Academy - First Cadet mission

Posted by Captain Dante Knight (Commanding Officer) in Starfleet Academy - First Cadet mission

Posted by Captain Dante Knight (Commanding Officer) in Starfleet Academy - First Cadet mission
Posted by… suppressed (3) by the Post Ghost! 👻
SNIP
Walking out after Kelly and Ric, Ethan turned around and walked backwards facing Nat and Dante for a moment. “I’m sensing some tension here,” he said with a smirk, his hands moving from side to side, palms down. “You sure you wanna bring Captain Plucky along for this one? Maybe she will behave if you let her choose what phaser colour we use on this mission huh?” With a laugh, Ethan turned and made his way into the shuttle behind the first two leaving Nat and Dante on the tarmac.

“Heard that,” Kelly’s voice echoed in the metal casing of the shuttle down the ramp to Dante and Ethan. “And dude would you rather look left and see a stunning blonde next to you or a dude. That is why Dante is CO material. He knows what is important and what makes a crew function. How do you think we got Berkern and Gertz? It had nothing to do with Dante’s smolder at the bar and charming wit convincing them how stunningly…talented they were.”

“I think we got them cause they wanted to be got,” Ethan replied, “till you dropped them harder than than a prom date that kisses like a goldfish.” Stepping into the shuttle, his voice echoed like Kelly’s had. “And anyway, you said something about a stunning blonde on this mission, who you talkin bout Willis?”

“Dude…me,” Kelly held her hands out like Ethan was clueless. “I mean I know you are into hot little red heads but,” Kelly winked at him. For all their banter, Kelly did like Ethan. He had a quiet reserve about him that she found attractive. He was quick with the wit but a stabilizing presence in people’s lives. He reminded her a lot of both Ric and Dante. That was probably why she liked him so much and fought with him just as hard.

“You know,” Dante said, looking at Nat, “I think Perkins is going to get that program shoved so far up his jacksie, that he will be speaking in computer programming for a week despite us winning or losing.” He sighed and grinned slightly. “Damn her for changing my team, we’re going to need them on this one.”

“Your smolder,” Nat raised an eyebrow and crossed her arms. “Was this the night you said you didn’t want to go out but ended up showing up at my dorm room drunker than a skunk claiming ‘Oh baby I scored the dream team tonight?’” Nat completely trusted Dante in the romance field but in the not to get thrown into prison field, she had her doubts.

“Yes,” Dante admitted, then raised his hand with a pointed finger. “And it really wasn’t my fault this time, that wench of my XO has a mouth that humms harder than a warp core and before I knew it we were at the bar scouting talent. For any future mission we had coming up.” He added hastily seeing the glint in Nat’s eye at his description of ‘talent’.

“Tell me baby what did you say with those lips of yours that turned Berkern and Gertz to Team Knight and stopped them from being a free lanced command team.”

“Well, that’s a long story and I don’t really remember it all. Remember how drunk I was when I got back? There might have been a drinking contest where if they lost they had to be my subordinates, for a mission, Nat.”

Cadet Knight

“Subordinates,” Nat crossed her arms. “You an admiral now?” Her banter was fun and flippant but her eyes were slowly turning that green shade most associated with jealousy. “All I can say is they had better just be bringing you coffee when you snap your fingers or there will be hell to pay and I am pretty sure you don’t have enough in your account to cover that bill.”

“For your story you will fill in the details for or the mission because I am slightly confused. Let’s hope my confusion clears up if I need to give you medical treatment.” Natasha turned and moved rapidly into the shuttle. She wasn’t as mad as she was amorous. This little story bomb would make Dante work a bit harder later and that was always a bonus for her. While her steps we firm and rapid, the smile was also large and sly on her face. This was going to be the best mission ever.

Natasha Daye…cadet

Dante watched Nat walk up the ramp and enter the shuttle, tapping his hand against his thigh as he looked around the launch pad. One way or another, this crew was either going to give Perkins a pasting that would be talked about for decades, or would end up on a beach drunk somewhere accused of stealing a near-derelict Starfleet cruiser. “Saddle up!” He called out, to nobody in particular considering his entire Command Crew had already left him on the loading ramp by himself.

Cadet Knight

“Sir,” one of the ground crew nervously approached him. “You are the only one not on board.” Handing him the PaDD to sign off on the mission the man looked up at the cockpit. “I am not telling you anything but with Cadet Shultz behind the controls, there is no promise she won’t leave you behind.”

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Five hours in transporting the fleet captains to their destination
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“Oh my god I am so bored,” Kelly messaged Dante via the PaDD. With the senior officers sitting around them that they had to transport to their destination, it was not like anyone could speak freely. It had to be all professional and on the up an up. “Maybe we could fly right through a star or bounce a little close to a supernova. That would show them how great we can fly wouldn’t it?” Kelly was only half joking. This trip was so dull and uneventful. Their better halves were in the back pretending to do work while Kelly and Dante were stuck actually having to remain on task. The last time she checked, Ric was cleaning and calibrating the weapons. Since the man could literally do this in his sleep he was sleeping. At times she hated her boyfriend. Daye was reviewing medical charts which meant she used the excuse of needing a private and secluded area to work. This translated to her doing those lame quizzes she loved. The reason Kelly knew that was every ten minutes she was getting pinged to answer a question. Ethan was the closest to doing actual work but for the life of Kelly she could not figure out exactly what that was when she glanced back.

Ethan noted Kelly’s glances out of the corner of his eye, but ignored them. He had no doubt the Star Pupils of the Academy had found a way to shirk doing actual work once again, likely plotting more ways to get out of putting in real effort and actually learning something that might save lives later on. Both of them had the devil’s luck, a way to make the most unlikely and idiotic of plans actually work. Ethan wasn’t going to take that chance though, his Tactical Station was alive with charts and information about the space ahead of them, marauder reports on pirates and bandits operating in the area, anomalies recently charted and even the merchant shipping lane schedule was open. With the VIP’s on board someone had to be doing something to keep everyone alive.

A soft ping on the PaDD beside her caused to Kelly to scowl. “There Are Only Six Types Of People In The World And You’re One Of Them. Why is she having time to do this and we are not?” The annoyance in Kelly’s voice was plain. Still that did not stop her from continuing the quiz. “I am supposed to look at 20 photos and react to each of them on a scale from negative to positive.”

“Is that all you got?” Dante said, looking over at Kelly’s screen like he was trying to cheat. “I have to do What Type of Cheese am I, I think that even Natasha is starting to get bored down there. What type of cheese am I? There has never been a feta time to find out.” He read the words out loud, but only loud enough for Kelly to hear, then made a face. “Yeah she’s scraping the bottom of the barrel on this one.”

Kelly poked and stabbed at the screen clicking each image as she groaned about how this trip was not exactly what she had hoped it would be until finally announcing, “I got the builder. It says personal fulfillment, for me, comes from being creative. If you’re doing work that doesn’t flex that creative muscle, you’re bored to death and practically useless. And satisfaction doesn’t come easily as you hold yourself to an incredibly high standard. When you’re supposed to be basking in the glow of a completed project, you’re constantly wondering how you could’ve made it better. It’s both a gift and a curse; it’s how you’re able to constantly raise the bar and improve over time. But it can also be paralyzing and cause you to miss deadlines. Sometimes, you just need to set the bird free.”

“This is nothing like me,” she looked over at Dante and rolled her eyes.

Cadet Natasha Knight (aka Kate O’Neill who this assessment is exactly like :rofl: )

“Noooooo, nothing at all,” Dante shook his head, and snickered. “Well maybe it is a bit, but you know those things are like horoscopes right? They make them sound fancy but really it’s just what everyone wants to hear about themselves. See what would have made that one better for you, is if it mentioned how you rejoice in victory over another group once you have completed your project, and even break out in little dances,” Dante shrugged, “well you do.”

Hitting buttons on his own screen, his face curled up more than once. “Who comes up with these things? Describe the cheese that comes in little plastic square packets? Does Cheese go with fish? DoI like Blue Cheese? Pick a musical instrument, now what’s my favourite drink?” Shaking his head, Dante still plugged away his answers even as an impatient beep came from Natasha asking what the answer was.

“I’m Halloumi,” Dante announced. “You’re an interesting one! You’re one of the only cheeses that can be fried and grilled and doesn’t melt. You’re salty and delicious, and probably magical in some way too. Who knows?” He read to Kelly as well then looked at her and frowned. “I am not salty!”

Behind them, Ethan sniffed loudly as if he was holding back a cough or a gurgle or something, but kept his head down and bashed his own buttons. His own console pinged, and a message from Natasha appeared on his screen. Opening it, he frowned and read aloud. “There are Nine Personality Types, Which Disney Princess Are You?”

He blinked and looked up, meeting Kelly’s eyes, then sighed. “I’m Elsa,” he said, and then read out loud, You’re a Reformer like Elsa! You’re purposeful, driven, and well-organized. Elsa’s key motivation is making things “right” and taking care of her loved ones, so she’s def a Reformer! Like you, it’s hard for Elsa to accept help from others and she puts lots of pressure on herself to do everything correctly.” Ethan looked up and frowned, “That isn’t me at all.”

Cadet Knight and Cadet Nash

bump

“Let it go. Let it go,” Kelly broke out in sang laughing. Nat’s fascination with the online quizzes at times did make one crazy but always led to levity. “You don’t care…what they are going to say....because”. Before Kelly could finish she badly sung rendition to Nash her console lit up like a Christmas tree with a blinking message.

Snapping to attention she began inputting numbers to accept the message. “Sir putting message through,” Kelly reported to Dante. The honorific sir always indicated to him Kelly was no longer his friend but his subordinate.

The rank and urgency of the message made Kelly groan. Giving Dante a side glance she spun slightly to face him. “If this person starts his second sentence with Let’s unpack this I am not going to be responsible for my actions or reaction.” Unpack this was Kelly’s newest annoyance which she could feel already bubbling just below the surface.

“Cadet First class Knight,” a face whose neck bore the rank of captain appeared on the screen.

“Your current mission is going to require a detour. I need you and your medical officer to take the shuttle from the runabout and proceed to course 00.847 to the planet Lonestra III. They are having a situation. Let’s unpack this for a moment,” the voice continued.

“There is it,” Kelly said after muting the call on their end. She wore the same still formal expression but it was burning just under the anger growing inside her . Kelly hated the catchphrase and even though Dante was well aware of it, he was again going to hear why again for what had to be the twentieth time this week. “Why did he have to go there? Huh…huh,” her tone was testy but her spoke through just a small space in her mouth to have it appear she was silent.

“Lonestra III is a newly encountered planetary system that is applying for Federation membership. I am not sure you need the history but,”

“But you are giving it and unpack it,” she spoke over the man as he gave useless fact. “The problem I have with unpacking this is the metaphor. I mean all it means is to analyze something into a greater detail. So why the catchy preamble? I am here. I am a captive audience. If I could run from our lecture I would but I can’t because you are the professor or ranking officer and that means I have to just sit here and listen.”

“Now what you might not know is that Lonsestra III has a unique mineral with properties in the scientific and medical fields,” the voice droned on.

“See right there. You know we could so Bang or Gaggle that. It is not like we are first-year cadets that have never read a mission briefing or prepared for what we are about to do on duty. This guy as not imparting knowledge. He just wanted to hear himself talk. Why can’t people be more like Hornsby? Knight…Shultz,” she imitated the security officer. “Get your asses to Lonsestra and report back ASAP.” Kelly was on a role. There was no stopping her. “Short sweet and to the point.”

“You need to evaluate what is occurring and report back to command ASAP. Cadet First Class Shultz you are to assume the rest of this mission dropping off the cargo and then report to Lonestra III”

“See he just wasted ten minutes of my life that I am never getting back and what did he exactly unpack for us. Go to the planet and report to the ground officer who I can bet knows far more than this guy,” she said reaching forward to activate the comm system again. “Yes Sir. Understood.”

Kelly gave Dante a side glance. She hated when they split missions like this. The general perception was she and Dante flew on a wing and a prayer. The truth was ever detail was painstakingly gone over by them, even if it was drinking a pitcher of beer and eating wings. This did not sit well with her.

Nat

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Lonestra III
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As Natasha and Dante descended from the thin wispy clouds of the atmosphere the blue, white, and green planet began to appear less idyllic and more sterilized. Large fences and partition walls could be seen from the atmosphere marking off sections of the land. On one side of the partition, it was easy to see a sparkling gleaming metropolis that was the poster child of Federation cities. The areas outside of the partitions were less so.

Natasha cast an uneasy glance at Dante. “These people have applied for Federation status,” she asked as they flew over what could only be termed a slum on route to the landing zone.

OCC: I am adding to this so when you get back it has not been bumps. ; ) Kate