"Maiden Voyage" (LAUNCH)
Printed From: USS Vanguard
Category: In Character
Forum Name: In Character Posts
Forum Discription: Posts in Progress here
URL: http:/www.aerth.org/Vanguard/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=393
Printed Date: August/03/2026 at 1:28am
Software Version: Web Wiz Forums 9.65 - http://www.webwizforums.com
Topic: "Maiden Voyage" (LAUNCH)
Posted By: Shirik Lektar
Subject: "Maiden Voyage" (LAUNCH)
Date Posted: July/16/2026 at 11:16pm
"Maiden Voyage"
Captain Varissa sh'Orthamu, Commanding Officer
Lt. Cmdr. Greggory Griffith, First Officer
Lt. Korn Zaje, Chief Tactical Officer
Lt. Cmdr. Shirik Lektar, Chief Ops Officer
Lt. Cmdr. Raikon Achaea, Chief Engineer
Lt. Cerys Rowan, Chief Science Officer
Crewman 1st Class Dagh bim Braffin, Pilot
(Other characters as needed)
Stardate: 58807.11, 08h00
Location: Bridge, USS Vanguard
***
The time had finally arrived. The warp engines had been brought online and run through a series of tests, all the supplies and equipment for the ship's launch was in place, and her crew was mostly complete. Everyone was at their posts on the bridge preparing to leave Utopia Planitia.
Shirik sat at her console monitoring systems as the ship prepared to launch. She was a bit nervous as she'd not spent much time on a bridge position except during Gamma shift. This was her first launch. "Captain, we have received final clearance from Launch Control to leave drydock." she reported.
|
Replies:
Posted By: raikon achaea
Date Posted: July/17/2026 at 8:08am
|
Shirik Lektar: "Captain, we have received final clearance from Launch Control to leave drydock.".
Raikon chirped in after her "All systems nominal, main power is online, engines are ready and warp drive is ready to go.".
He was proud of his team. The last few weeks they put in some hardwork to get the ship ready and now everything was running perfectly. He looked over his schoulder to see what the rest were doing while keeping an eye on his own console.
|
Posted By: Cerys_Rowan
Date Posted: July/17/2026 at 9:13am
Cerys rested one hand on the edge of the science console, more to remind herself she was standing still as the Vanguard prepared to move out of dry dock. She always got motion sickness.
This was it.
For years, she had imagined this moment on the bridge while buried in xenobotany texts. Somehow the real thing was quieter than she’d expected.
Except, of course, inside her own head.
In her head, an orchestra had decided today required a full overture. French horns swelled. Strings climbed. Percussion waited just behind the curtain, ready for the instant the ship cleared the dock. If someone had opened her skull, they might have found an entire symphony packed between her ears.
She glanced around the bridge at her new colleagues. Everyone carrying their own mixture of excitement and responsibility. Soon these strangers would become like family.
Cerys drew one slow breath, fingers dancing lightly over the science controls as the sensors fed out information.
Let’s go find something wonderful, she thought.
The imaginary timpani rolled.
|
Posted By: Zaje Korn
Date Posted: July/17/2026 at 4:06pm
|
The familiar hum of a starship readying for departure is a strange familiar comfort for Zaje. He watches the bridge closely, reminding himself to keep calm. "Deep breaths Zaje" he whispers to himself.
Watching the tactical console, reports flood in.
"Tactical systems are green Captain. All stations report ready for departure"
-------------
Korn Zaje
|
Posted By: Varissa sh'Orthamu
Date Posted: July/17/2026 at 6:08pm
The familiar rumble of the warp engine that had become such a calming, centering vibration for Varissa was humming… the pitch, the cadence all new… but the familiarity was there. This was a Federation vessel like all the others she’d served with. This one was just hers. Hers and her crews. This was the USS Vanguard. They needed a bit of pomp and circumstance; this was her coming out party and the galaxy was watching.
Captain sh’Orthamu ran a finger down her control panel before standing from her seat and looking to each of her senior staff members and tapping the comm on the left chest of her uniform.
“Computer… patch me through shipwide comms, please. I’d like to address the entire crew for a moment…”
The artificial voice of the ship confirmed her order before she took a deep breath and continued.
“This is your captain speaking. I want all of you to remember this moment as we pull away from the shipyard and Mars and everything familiar. Not every crew gets to christen a ship, so this is one of those times you’ll be telling future generations as they look at you with awe in their eyes and adventure in their hearts. We are the USS Vanguard. Our ongoing mission? To explore places known and unknown… to conduct science to better understand this existence… to meet new beings and discover new wonders the likes of which we do not yet comprehend. That’s our job, people… to define the undefineable. To explain the inexplicable. To chart the unknown. To find logic in the illogical. I am not a scientist… but I’m in charge of making sure each and every one of you is given the space, resources and security to do your science… stuff. I will be with you every step of the way as your personal cheerleader and ringleader, so do not hesitate to come to me with ideas and suggestions and whatever else you are cooking up in those brains of yours. I welcome it! I’m a fighter pilot that just has the experience to make a ship run the way it needs to. I’m your captain and you’re my crew. I work for you and you work for me… and we’re going to have a hell of a lot of fun doing what we do. We are the Vanguard; we lead the way where others only dream to follow.”
Another deep breath… and the Andorian sat down, letting the shipwide comm halt.
“Alright, team… let’s let those ample nacelles breathe a little bit. Slow and steady away from the dock. Once we get far enough out, it’ll be warp nine on my mark towards Alpha Centauri. We have a little delivery quest with some supplies before we get into the meat and potatoes.”
|
Posted By: Shirik Lektar
Date Posted: July/17/2026 at 6:16pm
|
Shirik looked up in surprise. Warp 9? Already? She glanced at Raikon, she hoped the new engines were up to it. They were about to find out.
|
Posted By: Greggory Griffith
Date Posted: July/17/2026 at 6:44pm
Greggory sat upright, a small smile on his face as he listened to the captain's speech. As she finished, however, he crooked an eyebrow at her orders.
"Helm, take us out, 1/4 impulse. Once we're clear of Mars' gravity well, full impulse to the Oort Cloud."
Buying a few minutes to execute the next stage of her orders, he leaned over slightly as he spoke softly to Varissa. "Captain, I don't recall anything in the mission report that said this was an emergency situation. I understand you're used to going as fast as a fighter will carry you, but is Warp 9 warranted?"
-------------
Lt. Cmdr Greggory Griffith - XO
Lt. JG "Scruffy" LeBlanc - Engineer
|
Posted By: Dagh bim Braffin
Date Posted: July/17/2026 at 8:48pm
Braffin had the same sour expression dragging at his tusks since he sat down at the helm. During the Captain's speech he gave a curt glance back over his shoulder, parting his jaw like he might say something, but turned back to his station grumbling inaudibly.
Initially he made no acknowledgement of Griffith's order. As if suffering from time dilation, he suddenly perked up several seconds late. "Aye, sir," he grunted, fingers racing from button to button as if to make up for lost time. A flurry of beeps later and he added: "One quarter impulse." Already the Red Planet was dwindling, the shipyards becoming a remote blemish across his face.
|
Posted By: raikon achaea
Date Posted: July/18/2026 at 5:00am
|
Raikon caught shirik's glance after listening to the captains speech. He gave her a "it's alright nod". Turning towards his console he started sending messages down to his team in engineering. "Prepare yourself going warp 9, keep an eye out on the field integrity" a few seconds later a beep from his console let him know the team received and acknowledged the message.
|
Posted By: Varissa sh'Orthamu
Date Posted: July/18/2026 at 1:20pm
|
A wry grin grew on her lips as her right antenna bobbed towards Greggory.
“Just making sure you're paying attention, numero uno. Don't want any of you to be sleepwalking through important moments. Quite right, Lieutenant Commander… let's adjust that warp to a more modest three-point-seven so that we don't get our wrists smacked by brass straight out of the gate.”
|
Posted By: Shirik Lektar
Date Posted: July/19/2026 at 10:25am
|
Shirik kept all her opinions to herself. The captain made an unusual order to test her crew. That's something she's never experienced before. She focused on monitoring ship's systems as the impulse engines came online and the Vanguard began to move smoothly out of drydock.
|
Posted By: Dagh bim Braffin
Date Posted: July/20/2026 at 4:52pm
As Dagh accelerated to full impulse, Mars faded into just one star of many on the viewscreen, only notable for its red hue and relative brightness. After a few minutes he turned in his chair to the Captain, still wearing the same scowl.
"We're clear of the planet's gravity well, sir. Standing by for warp speed."
|
Posted By: Greggory Griffith
Date Posted: July/20/2026 at 5:33pm
Greggory nodded to the Captain's remarks. He checked his own side panel to monitor the ship's systems as they crossed the outer planets. "Everyone, remember that this is a shakedown cruise. Let's make sure everything is working before we stress-test her. All departments, status report before we clear the system."
-------------
Lt. Cmdr Greggory Griffith - XO
Lt. JG "Scruffy" LeBlanc - Engineer
|
Posted By: Shirik Lektar
Date Posted: July/20/2026 at 5:41pm
|
Shirik studied her console and spoke softly into the commlink to her department before reporting, "Operations reports all ready. Computer core standing by for warp."
|
Posted By: Varissa sh'Orthamu
Date Posted: July/20/2026 at 6:46pm
|
A deep breath in…
… and out.
“Time to see how she purrs." Varissa called out, leaning forward with a fingergun towards open space on that brand new viewscreen. "Helm: engage the core.”
|
Posted By: Dagh bim Braffin
Date Posted: July/20/2026 at 10:50pm
"Aye, sir." Braffin grunted.
He turned back to the helm and with another flurry of beeps keyed in their heading. Mars, already just a red smudge on the view screen, fell even further from the Vanguard until finally submerging into the sea of passing starlight.
"Warp one... warp two... warp three... warp three point seven." Grimacing at the console, he hesitantly looked back over his shoulder. "Our ETA at Alpha Centauri is... fifteen days at current velocity, Captain." He added to himself in a barely audible grumble, "Human space. So much for exploring..."
|
Posted By: Cerys_Rowan
Date Posted: July/21/2026 at 5:37pm
“Delivery quest,” Cerys thought with an amused smile.
It was an unexpectedly way to describe their first mission. And she was curious.
She looked up from her science station toward the captain.
“Captain… if I may, what exactly are we delivering? I’d love to know whether Science should be preparing for anything beyond enjoying the ride.”
|
Posted By: Zaje Korn
Date Posted: July/22/2026 at 12:08pm
|
Zaje is surprised to hear the Captain's description of the mission. He and the security team haven't had any information passed to them regarding any cargo.
It's also the first time Zaje has noticed the Captain and Ops Chief are carrying blades on the bridge. He makes a mental note to discuss this with the Captain later.
Hearing Lt Rowan's query, Zaje chips in
"It would be also useful from a security point of view to understand the cargo we re carrying. Do we need to make any special arrangements?"
-------------
Korn Zaje
|
Posted By: raikon achaea
Date Posted: July/23/2026 at 3:33am
|
Raikon was half listening to the chatter on the bridge, the warp 9 bit was a bit weird. He was looking at all the data that was coming in from engineering and the current performance of the ship. It was all looking good.
|
Posted By: Greggory Griffith
Date Posted: July/23/2026 at 11:18am
"Engineering, Tactical, Science. I'm still waiting on those status reports," Greggory said, holding back all but a hint of frustration. He was trying not to make an ass of himself on this first collective shift of the command crew, but he didn't appreciate being ignored. "Helm, you were specifically ordered to wait until we had left the Sol system before going beyond Warp 1, no matter how eager you are to get out of 'human space,'" he emphasized, indicating he had overheard the tellarite's grumbling.
With his side panel, he sent off a quick acknowledgement of Ops, with an extra "Thank you" to Shirik for being the only one to not ignore his commands.
-------------
Lt. Cmdr Greggory Griffith - XO
Lt. JG "Scruffy" LeBlanc - Engineer
|
Posted By: Zaje Korn
Date Posted: July/23/2026 at 12:03pm
|
Distracted by the mysterious cargo, Zaje snapped out of it when hearing the Commander's tone. After a few presses of his console, he sent the tactical report to Lt Comm Griffith. Status report showing all green.
"Apologies Commander. Tactical reports all green. Deflector shields at the ready, phaser banks calibrated and photon torpedo launchers prepped"
-------------
Korn Zaje
|
Posted By: Cerys_Rowan
Date Posted: July/23/2026 at 5:48pm
Cerys felt her cheeks warm. She had let herself get distracted by the excitement of the launch.
First impressions matter, Rowan.
“My apologies, Commander. Science is fully mission capable. Long-range sensors, internal sensor arrays, stellar cartography, and laboratory support systems are all operating within normal parameters. We’re ready for departure.”
As she returned to her console, her gaze drifted briefly across the bridge.
She’d caught herself earlier thinking that these officers might one day become family. Perhaps they would. But families weren’t built during stirring speeches or maiden voyages. They were built in long nights, impossible problems, shared victories, and the quiet moments in between. And all that is still yet to come.
|
Posted By: raikon achaea
Date Posted: July/24/2026 at 2:40am
|
Raikon looked up from his console and gave a side glance towards the commander. A little bit surprised as he gave status report not long ago, but an order is a order.
Raikon: "All systems nominal, main power holding steady, the matter-antimatter reaction is balanced and operating at peak efficiency. Warp field is holding and cruising at 3.7, Sir".
|
Posted By: Varissa sh'Orthamu
Date Posted: July/24/2026 at 1:58pm
|
Dismissing the typical Tellarite rudeness - the only way in her experience to deal with Tellarites - she turned to the science station with a smile.
“Typical supplies, nothing we should be too worried about.” She hummed to Cerys, then looking to Zaje with a quirked brow. “Not sure how this slipped by you and your team, Chief, but from now on I don't want a single piece of cargo entering this ship without being inspected. We're still working the bugs out of our system here so I'll accept this oversight at present, but have a team inspect the supplies and make sure everything is above board. Our new motto for security is ‘better safer than sorrier’, am I clear?”
She let out a sigh before addressing helm once more.
“Helm, once we've stress tested at three-dot-seven please coordinate with engineering to get us up to a smooth cruising pace of warp six. I think we would all appreciate getting finished with working out the kinks so that we can actually get to the science and exploration that this vessel was built for.”
Rissa then turned to her XO and nodded. More firm than she would be, but they would need to work out those bugs not only in the system but with the crew, as well.
|
Posted By: Shirik Lektar
Date Posted: July/24/2026 at 2:52pm
|
"I have the full manifest of the supplies, for any who may need to see it," Shirik offers. "I did a cursory inspection when they were brought aboard, but I'm sure not as thorough as our Security Chief would have."
She tapped a silent "You're welcome." to Griffith's panel but stayed otherwise focused on her console.
|
Posted By: Zaje Korn
Date Posted: July/25/2026 at 4:00am
|
"Thank you Captain. I can assure you it won't happen again"
Zaje looks towards Commander Lektar and nods. It felt like she was helping Zaje's blushes. He quickly sends a message to one of the security teams to check the manifest and complete a security check.
-------------
Korn Zaje
|
Posted By: Shirik Lektar
Date Posted: July/25/2026 at 8:53am
|
Shirik caught Korn's look, and his blush, but her expression didn't change. She tapped on her console and sent the manifest to the security console for his review.
|
Posted By: Greggory Griffith
Date Posted: July/25/2026 at 10:38am
Greggory acknowledged the Captain's nod with a slight smile. "Agreed. I'll coordinate with Engineering to set up a proper stress-test after we finish our delivery." He looked over his shoulder at Raikon as he spoke, his gaze a little warmer as he made eye contact.
-------------
Lt. Cmdr Greggory Griffith - XO
Lt. JG "Scruffy" LeBlanc - Engineer
|
Posted By: Varissa sh'Orthamu
Date Posted: July/25/2026 at 1:04pm
|
Good… very good. Rissa felt a swell of pride in her chest for being able to delegate all of those responsibilities. With a flick of her fingers and wrist, she was pulling up star charts for their journey on the view screen, estimating arrival times and a course that would avoid any stellar bodies or debris.
“Steady on.” She quietly said aloud, turning to her number one. “Griffith… my apologies that we weren't able to rendezvous on Utopia Planetia. I would've liked to have a bit more time to coordinate before we took off, but… I suppose it is what it is. Let's plan a meeting where we can outline my game plan for the crew and go over the brass tacks. Would you prefer talking after our shift tonight or before our shift tomorrow? I'm happy to remain flexible while we're taking care of mundane tasks and I prefer a slightly lax relationship with my first and second officers unless we're in go-mode.”
|
Posted By: raikon achaea
Date Posted: July/27/2026 at 9:17am
|
Raikon gave a slight nod to the commander. The team will get it done no worries. This was the Vanguard's shakedown cruise. Stress testing and encountering teething problems were bound to happen. Looking back at his console no apparent issues were there.
Raikon: "She's looking good at warp 3.6. Ready when you are helm."
|
Posted By: Dagh bim Braffin
Date Posted: July/27/2026 at 10:59pm
Braffin huffed at the First Officer's backseat piloting but managed to hold his tongue for once, albeit with a restless tapping of his foot.
At the Lieutenant Commander's report he snapped his head back, answering brusquely, "Heard."
...after a beat he turned more sheepishly and, clearing his throat, added, "Err, sir."
Foot at ease, he took the reins of the helm and glided one finger across the console, a satisfying chirp from the computer confirming the input. The stars dragging across the viewscreen began to fly past, as if each was a ship like Vanguard. Ironically, they were moving faster as they fell around the galactic core, unlike Vanguard trapped in its own warped bubble of space.
"We've reached warp six," Braffin said, glancing uncertainly between the Captain and Chief Engineer. Eventually, he settled on the Chief. "How's the core looking?"
|
Posted By: raikon achaea
Date Posted: July/28/2026 at 3:26am
|
Raikon smiled as the crewman corrected himself. Tellarites can be abrasive sometimes but he does appreciate the directness they don't like faffing around. The Vanguard sped up to warp 6 and Raikon's display and graphs on his console were starting to go up a few notches.
Braffin: "How's the core looking?"
He waited a few seconds before answering looking intently at this work station display. "She's purring like a kitten. All systems are still nominal and working within parameters. Warp six confirmed".
|
Posted By: Varissa sh'Orthamu
Date Posted: July/29/2026 at 4:17pm
|
"Love it. LOVE that communication! Familiarize yourselves with your shipmates, as far the superior officer is comfortable. I want this ship to be tightly knit... we're far too small to get lost in a numbers game. I'm gonna be working with the senior staff to be shuffling shifts every month or so so that nobody is a stranger and we can all work together at all times, especially at red alert. We're going to be a well oiled force when the going gets tough, and you all aren't here on accident. I hand-picked this crew because I see something special in each of you... and I'm going to drag that success out of everyone. Helm, Engineering, please keep comms open with each other while on shift so that we're Johnny-on-the-spot. Comms, let HQ know that we're - what was that you said, ECO? 'Purring like a kitten'? I like that... she does have a handsome little rumble to her, doesn't she?"
|
Posted By: Greggory Griffith
Date Posted: July/29/2026 at 6:14pm
|
Greggory offered the captain a soft smile. "We've got plenty of time to get to know each other's command priorities. This is still a bit new to me, so I had my hands full coordinating with all the department heads. After shift tonight would be great, so I can include anything that comes up in my morning announcements."
Greggory had to focus on his console and take a deep breath to avoid reacting to the captain's enthusiasm as she spoke to the deck. He agreed with the sentiment, especially the idea of making sure any arrangement of crew were prepared for emergencies, but there was a bit too much energy for his taste. "I'm sure Ops will be on top of coordinating between Control's inputs and Engineering's performance." He gestured to the main viewer, showing the captain's course. "Might I suggest reaching out to fleet coordination to find us an open bit of space after we leave Centauri to do some tactical drills." Normally, he'd have just used the holodeck for drills, but with the ship's systems needing stress testing, might as well take care of both at once.
-------------
Lt. Cmdr Greggory Griffith - XO
Lt. JG "Scruffy" LeBlanc - Engineer
|
Posted By: Shirik Lektar
Date Posted: July/29/2026 at 7:25pm
|
Shirik's eyes were on her console, watching everything. "All systems nominal, power usage normal," she reported. "ETA to Alpha Centauri at current speed 2 days, 19hours."
|
|