Posted by Captain Alex Becket (Commanding Officer) in Away Mission discussion between CO and XO.

Posted by Lieutenant Commander Shinichi Yoshida (Executive Officer/Number One) in Away Mission discussion between CO and XO.

Posted by Captain Alex Becket (Commanding Officer) in Away Mission discussion between CO and XO.
Posted by… suppressed (2) by the Post Ghost! 👻
Captain Alex Becket stepped into his ready room, the doors sliding shut behind him with a soft hiss. The calm lighting contrasted sharply with the intensity of the bridge, offering a brief moment of quiet before the responsibilities of command reclaimed his focus. He set a padd on the desk, its screen filled with mission data he needed to dissect before calling in his Executive Officer, Shinichi Yoshida.

The captain moved toward the viewport, letting his gaze drift across the distant planet below. Its muted colors and swirling cloud formations gave no indication of the unstable readings his sensors had detected. He folded his hands behind his back, steadying his breath as he evaluated the risks already forming in his mind.

Becket turned away from the stars and activated his desk console. The latest telemetry from the science department scrolled across the display—energy distortions shifting unpredictably, radiation signatures rising and falling without pattern, faint structural outlines beneath the surface. Each line of data pressed the urgency of the situation further into his thoughts.

He reviewed the preliminary assessment again, searching for anything he might have overlooked. The anomalies were inconsistent yet persistent—not dangerous enough to justify postponing the mission, but far too erratic to delegate to a junior team. The decision weighed heavily on him, as all decisions did when the safety of his crew hung in the balance.

Becket tapped to open the mission parameters, considering the possible team composition. Experienced personnel only, small enough to avoid provoking whatever might be lurking within the ruins, but capable enough to respond to the unexpected. He knew Shinichi Yoshida would share this instinct, but he wanted his own assessment squared away before requesting the XO’s input.

Leaning back in his chair, he allowed a moment to think through the tactical implications. Transporter interference meant they would need an alternative extraction method, or at least reinforced safeguards. A contingency plan—no, several contingency plans—were already forming in his mind, each branching from the uncertain variables ahead.

His thoughts shifted from logistics to leadership. Becket understood the subtle art of choosing when to lead from the front and when to delegate. This mission, however, demanded presence. The volatility of the environment, the incomplete data, and the historical value of the ruins all suggested the need for senior oversight. He knew the risks, but he also knew the responsibility.

He straightened the padds on his desk, aligning them carefully. Small motions like that helped him organize his thinking, turning the chaos of intel into something actionable. The away mission would require precision, discipline, and seamless coordination—traits he trusted Yoshida to reflect back at him once the discussion began.

Becket checked the time, gauging how long he had before calling the XO. The window to prepare was narrow, but adequate. His mind moved through the upcoming conversation he would have with Yoshida, outlining the points he needed to address: the unstable readings, the limited team size, the extraction concerns, and the diplomatic considerations of exploring ancient ruins.

Drawing a slow breath, Captain Becket closed the data feed and centered himself. The mission details were clearer now, shaped into something he could present confidently once Yoshida arrived. For the moment, alone in his ready room, he allowed himself this quiet pause—the final moment of stillness before stepping fully into the decisions that awaited.

Captain Alex Becket
Commanding Officer
U.S.S. Ark Angel

After his department head meetings, Yoshida retired to his quarters. He’d had just enough time to hastily toss his bags onto the bed before he had to rush to the mission briefing. Now that all his tasks had been completed for the day, he was taking time to get himself settled. Going to the bed, he began unpacking his belongings. First, the essentials, his clothes, uniforms, etc. Once that was done, he began to personalize the room. There was a large window that looked out into the vastness of space and it happened to have a sill that provided the perfect space to display his little treasures. The first thing he set out was his Katana sword.

The sword was made in 1833, ten years before the American Commodore Perry forced open trade with Japan and began the decline of the Tokugawa Shogunate and the Meiji Restoration. He remembered it’s history, the journey that the katana had undergone to find it’s way now so many lightyears from where it was made. It had been with the Yoshida Family through generations of political turmoil and upset. It remained with them after the Meiji Government had banned the carrying of swords, through the second World War, and was separated from them during the American confiscation and disarmament of Japan. For several generations afterward, the sword was traded among the American collectors, an ancient war trophy bought and sold to the highest bidder. And yet, surprisingly, it survived it all. The Eugenics Wars, The Third World War, the Post-Atomic Horror. As the Earth began to pull itself together, the sword was rediscovered and matched to historical documents kept by the Yoshida family and finally returned to it’s rightful owners. The sword had been with the Yoshidas ever since.

Yoshida remembered when his father had given him the sword. He was about to leave for the academy. His father had been obstinately against his joining, but Shinichi was adamant. He had believed he’d go through his entire career without his father’s blessing, the lightyears of travel forming an ocean of distance between the two. It was almost enough to make Shinichi change his mind about going. But he knew this was what he was meant for and could not be swayed. When he was leaving, Shinichi’s family all came out to see him off, except for his father. This seemed to confirm his fears that his father would never accept his chosen path, but, just as he was about to leave, his father came out of the house carrying a long wrapped object. He opened the sword bag to reveal the family sword and presented it to Shinichi. “This sword has survived the worst that humanity has thrown at it,” He said, “Keep it with you, and maybe you’ll survive with it.” There were tears in his fathers eyes and Shinichi remembered them burning in his own as he took the sword in his hands. The two embraced before Shinichi left for the transport that would take him to San Francisco.

Yoshida was pulled from his musings by a notification on the wall computer. He went to it and saw that he was being called to the Captain’s ready room. Likely to discuss the upcoming mission. Yoshida took a deep breath to center himself and then headed out. Stepping out of the turbo lift, Yoshida noticed several of the bridge crew straighten as he walked across to the Captain’s ready room. Their still not sure about me, he thought, They seem to be a good crew. We’ll see shortly how they act under pressure. He pressed the door chime and waited for permission to enter.

Lt. Commander Yoshida
Executive Officer

Alex looked up as soon as he heard the chime go off. He then looked back down but then back up and leaned back into his chair. “Enter.” Said captain Becket with a smile.

Captain Alex Becket
Commanding Officer
U.S.S. Ark Angel

As the doors swooshed open, Shinichi stepped in. “Sir,” he said standing to attention, the doors closing behind him. His gaze was focused not on Captain Becket, but on a spot above his head. Shinichi waited for the captain to address him, but assumed this would be about planning for their arrival at Starbase 342.

Lt. Commander Yoshida
Executive Officer

“Come on in, Number one. I feel like we should of course get to know each other outside of the uniform but I also need to know you inside the uniform.” Captain Becket said. “With that being said, I would like to hear your opinion on our approach on the starbase.” He added. “I feel like if we transported a couple of away teams into the maintenance closets on board, with two Jefferies tubes in case someone is on board. Or should we beam aboard on the outside of the closets and onto the main deck. Or take shuttle crafts in?” He asked.

Captain Alex Becket
Commanding Officer
U.S.S. Ark Angel

Yoshida considered a moment before saying, “I believe we should take shuttle craft, after we have secured the area. I wouldn’t want us to send out our teams only for a Romulan cruiser to decloak and start picking off the unprotected shuttles. Once we are as sure as we can be that the area is secured, I’d suggest sending four shuttle craft with a team of four in each, consisting of two security officers, a medical officer, and a member from engineering. This way we’ll have 8 security personnel protecting 8 emergency responders. Before that, I can take an advanced team of consisting of Lts. Ezeami, Spenn, Grey, and O’Nell via transporter. I’ll take Ensigns Battario and T’Varan as well as support. I’ll want our best people in first to assess damage and begin triaging the station for when the main force gets in.”

((OOC: I feel this wioll be good, Stoy wise, as this way we can have plot work for both the away team and bridge team and make sure everyone has something to do.))

Lt. Commander Yoshida
Executive Officer