Posted by Lieutenant Xam Ra’Ti (Tactical Officer) in PreSim - The Mustache Really Ties The Look Together

Posted by Ensign Rand Farquharson (Yeoman First Class) in PreSim - The Mustache Really Ties The Look Together

Posted by Lieutenant Xam Ra’Ti (Tactical Officer) in PreSim - The Mustache Really Ties The Look Together
Posted by… suppressed (24) by the Post Ghost! 👻
“Dammit! You can’t do that!” the Human in the gold uniform of Command shouted. “Uh… of course I can.” replied the young Efrosian male who was dressed . “No! You can’t take three attacks in a single turn! Your character-” and the Efrosian interrupted with “Has Dual-weapon weilding as a core skill for being a Gunfighter, plus the Showdown specialist subclass grants one extra attack on every other turn. You’re just mad because Im mopping the floor with your BBEG.” The Human glared and said “No. I’m mad because everything we play Outlaws and The Posse, you pokerface a character that isn’t supposed to exist in the game!”

Xam Ra’Ti, the Efrosian with the long white mustache, sat at the table with his feet up on it and grinned and said “If they aren’t supposed to exist, then why are there rules for them?” The Human said “You know what, Xam? Go fu-” and there was a ringing if the doorbell. “This isn’t over!” the Human said. They walked to the door and came to a quick attention. “Sir!” A figure stepped in wearing a gold 7niform and Commander rank insignia.

Xam stood up and the figure said “Lieutenant Ra’Ti? Orders.” and he handed him a set of orders. Xam reviewed it and said “Um, yes sir. Thank you. When do I leave, Commander?” The man smiled. “I’m here to watch you pack, Lieutenant.”

A week later, a shuttle touched down on the deck of the shuttle bay of the USS Sentinel. The hatch opened and Lieutenant Xam Ra’Ti, Tactical Officer, stepped out and smiled at his new home.

Ra’Ti, Tactical

“Lt Xam Ra’Ti,” a female officer in command gold (judging by the lack of piping on her sleeves, an ensign), tall polished black boots, and auburn red hair, clipped across the bay floor. She was crisp, polished, poised, the epitome of an officer. She held out her hand, “Yeoman Rand. Welcome to the Sentinel. I’m to give you the tour if you wish before your meeting with the XO. Petty Officer McChevney will take your things to your quarters if you like.”

Yeoman Rand

Xam smiled a charming smile and said “Yeoman Rand. A pleasure. And yeah, I think that’d be a good call. Thanks.” Where as Rand was polished and professional, Xam exuded something… else. His attitude and posture was relaxed and almost carefree. His uniform was clean and presentable, but it was obvious that ‘looking the part’ was not his highest priority. His eyes darted all over, however; and seemed to take in details in a way that was almost… calculating.

Ra’Ti, Tactical Officer

Rand returned his smile and waived toward the bay door which was a standard single door with a small staging area for personnel to wait while the bay was depressurized. “Right this way.” As they stepped into the corridor Rand stepped to the side so she could walk beside the new officer. She hated trying to yell ahead or backwards. It was very impersonal. “Sentinel is 12 decks and usually has a current crew compliment of 120. In addition to the shuttle bay deck 12 holds main engineering and science labs. Deck 11 and 10 are more of the same. Engineering and Science are currently working on creating an arboretum on feck 10 that will be available as a recreation area when finished.” As she spoke they circled the deck to the aft section. “Would you like to see any of those?” Rand knew that not everyone wanted to see every detail, but she was happy to do so. Rand enjoyed giving these tours.

Yeoman Rand

“You lead, I’ll flow. Show me what ya got, Ensign.” he said and gestured forward. “Smaller ship than I’m used to, but I like the dynamic so far. Oh, question. Do I have my own quarters? Or am I rooming with someone? Don’t care either way, just wanna make sure when I walk in I’m not interrupting anyone’s sleep.”

Ra’Ti, Tactical

“All junior officers have single rooms.” Rand lifted the PaDD that she had hanging from a strap on her shoulder. “You are assigned to Deck 7 Forward Starboard, 715. You’ll be a quarter of the deck from the forward phaser control room and right across from turbolift 2. It will take you out on deck 2 right across from torpedo control.” Rand entered the turbolift and called for deck 10. “The labs and engineering are open to both decks 12 and 11. You can access them from either deck.” They exited on deck 10. “This deck is mostly storage areas. Planetary sciences takes up a third of the deck. Transporter room 2 is port aft and the secondary lift maintenance is accessed from this deck.” As they walked they could hear several people working and banging. There were crates and materials lined against the side of the corridor out of the way. An officer in engineer red stepped out muttering and seeing her stopped, “Rand! Just the person I needed to see. We need Cmdr Alden to come down here to inspect and approve the work.”

“He’s probably in the biology lab right now. Go ask him.”

The officer gave her a smile, “Come on…please? Can’t you ask him?” Rand lifted her PaDD and scrolled through it, tapped, scrolled, tapped again, “Tomorrow 0545. I suggest you have everyone here who needs to be. Don’t be late, you know he hates that. Especially now.” The officer grinned, “Thanks Rand!” and he disappeared into a storage room. Rand moved down the corridor to another lift. “Deck 9.”

Yeoman Rand

Xam leaned in and stage whispered “And why does Cmdr Alden hate people being late especially now?”

Ra’Ti, Tactical

“Cmdr Alden is very…by the book. While on duty, he expects everyone to do their best. Especially now because we have no captain. Cpt Rogers was transferred very suddenly. The new captain doesn’t arrive for another week. Cmdr Alden is handling most of the command duties, plus what can not be reassigned for the science department. If someone requests to see him, he will be there. He expects them to be as well.”

They got off on deck 9, “Have you had a chance to eat today Lt? The Galley is just ahead to the left.”

Yeoman Rand

No captain? Hmmm… Xam though before saying “No, actually I haven’t had anything since dinner last night. Sounds great. Can you join me? I’d like to ask some questions about the ship and the crew if you have the time. If not, no sweat. I’ll manage.” and he smiled.

Ra’Ti, Tactical

“I am at your disposal, Lt. Besides your tour isn’t quite over yet.” They entered the galley. It was small as far as the seating went, about 15 people if pushed. There was a large viewing window along the outer wall, and the far left wall held matter resequencers for food synthesization. The rest of the area was dedicated to the kitchen. “One of the nicest things about Sentinel as far as amenities goes, is we have a full kitchen with an excellent chef. Gorshin is very talented. If you have any specific requests or dietary needs be sure to tell him. The Galley preps 4 meals a day to accomodate all shifts, but fresh food is always available.” Rand moved over to the counter and selected some type of stew and a glass of water before choosing a table. She was greeted by the few officer currently in the galley, but her responses though friendly were brief, almost shy.

Xam perused and then selected the stew as well as a sandwich and smiled when he saw Hssst, an Efrosian soda. He took a bottle and followed Rand, sitting down opposite the Yeoman.

“What questions can I answer for you?”

Yeoman Rand

“Well… let’s start with mission parameters.” Xam said as he took a bite and chewed. “What do we do mostly? I see a lotta space dedicated to science, but the mission charter of ‘explore and discover’ seems a bit… lacking… in the arena of specifics. What do we do if we discover something or someone who doesn’t like being discovered? Seems like a lot of effort to fly a science lab out this far.”

Ra’Ti, Tactical

Rand hadn’t really thought about it, but she supposed the ship did seem a bit like a large science lab. “We are always exploring of course. Charting new areas, that’s why the astrometrics lab is so big. We hold a lot of cargo space because we do a lot of resupply runs and colonial check-ups. We’ve done a handful of planetary surveys for future outpost sites. Mostly we’ve been on boarder and system patrols, with those others thrown in to break up the routine. Once we met up with the new captain, we’re headed to Vok III to do a check up on the colonial government. They’ve reported orion pirates in the area.” She took a bite of the stew while she tapped away at her PaDD before turning it around for him to see. “As far as anyone hostile, the goal is to find a nonaggressive solution, but that doesn’t alway happen. I can recite the ship’s defensive and offensive specs, but yeoman aren’t exactly trained for such things. Better to just let you see.”

Defensive Shields and Hull Polarization Systems

Type 5 shield system; made up of 5 shield generators located at key points around the ship. Maximum dissipation rate of 1.46x10^5 kW, and a maximum graviton load of 806 megawatts. Hull polarization system that strengthens the ship’s hull by nearly 100% above normal. In an emergency of shield failure, it has a maximum energy dissipation rate of 5.475x10^4 kW.

Phaser Systems

Type-5 phaser bank system. Maximum energy output of 0.3 MW out to a range of 18,750km. Two twin-emitter banks to port and starboard along the forward lines of the ship positioned dorsal and ventral. Additional pairs of twin emitters to port and starboard, dorsal and ventral along the aft end of the ship next to the ship’s nacelle pylons. Each bank has two emitters per bank.

Forward phaser fire can angle 120 degrees to port and starboard respectively providing a full 180 degree firing arc along the forward dorsal and ventral beam of the ship. The aft phasers cover an additional 180 degrees of the aft quarter except for a narrow line between the ship’s nacelles and pylons.

Torpedo Systems

Two Type 2 standard fire torpedo launchers. 1 forward and 1 aft facing on deck 2. Each launcher is capable of firing a single torpedo or probe every 4 seconds. The ship carries 55 Mark-II torpedoes, and 20 assorted class 1-9 scientific probes.

Yeoman Rand

Xam nodded and said “Appreciated, but I memorized all that when I got my orders. So next question is… how have you all been handling the tactical aspects so far? Whose been in charge? I mean, I read the crew roster. No dedicated tactical officer. No tactical station on the bridge. Two separate weapons control rooms. It seems a little… well… it seems like going around your a$$ to get to your elbow as my Uncle used to say.”

Ra’Ti - Tactical

Rand could see what he was getting at. All the other departments, other than medical, had stations on the bridge and auxiliary control. It did seem a round about way to handle things that required quick reaction. “The captain has a comm button linked directly to all three weapons control rooms. Navigation or science can link coordinates, but sensor and positioning systems are linked directly to all three rooms. Then whoever is in command gives the order to fire. There is a button on the helm control to notify the torpedo room to prep the systems, but they can’t target or fire.” Rand ran through the duty roster in her head, “Those stations have been manned by security or engineering officers who have taken tactical courses. En Lizt is science, but he has some training as well and has filled in. Perhaps the new captain has seen the same gap as you have, and requested you specifically?” Rand didn’t know anything about star ship design, but she had noticed weird little inconsistencies, but this was her first posting, so mostly she just went with it.

Yeoman Rand

Xam shrugged. “I dunno. I didn’t even know there wasn’t a Skipper until you told me. Any idea who they are bringing in? And how long till they get here?” he asked and then started to eat. The food was actually really good, so that was a plus.

“A Cmdr, well I suppose Captain now, Rende Asam. She is coming from the Dublin where she was first officer. Personnel profile says she has a background in security and cultural sciences. She is supposed to arrive in a week.” Rand returned to her stew.

After a couple of bites, he wiped his mouth and said “So how long have you been on board, Yeoman? What do you think of the ship and the crew?”

Ra’Ti, Tactical

Rand set her spoon down, took a drink of her water, and wiped her mouth with her napkin. “I have been on board 2 years. Ever since the Sentinel was recomissioned out of K5. Sentinel is my first posting, so compared to the Academy ships, she is very advanced. We have a good core crew that’s been here since then. We’ve lost a handful of officers to promotions and such.” Rand was not a social butterfly by any measure. She was much more comfortable keeping things work related. Not that she didn’t try to be sociable, she was just so awkward. “Everyone is very competent and helpful. They work hard. Most everyone is friendly.”

Yeoman Rand

Xam made a mental note to look up the new Captain when he had some down time. Xam looked at Rand and said “Two years? Nice. You plan on staying longer? Surely you are due for a transfer soon. Or are you gonna request to extend?”

Ra’Ti, Tactical

Rand hadn’t considered that. Was she due for a transfer? She didn’t want to transfer, she loved the Sentinel. “Actually my official position is Captain’s Yeoman. So any transfer would be subject to the Captain’s discretion. Usually, a captain’s yeoman would transfer with the captain or be replaced if they made the request. If I had the choice, I would choose to stay.” It was familiar and comfortable and there wouldn’t be a whole new set of people to get used to and try to figure out. That was part of service she guessed, but she hadn’t considered that.

Yeoman Rand

Xam looked at her for a minute… and then he cocked his head to the side and said “Really? Ya think? You actually believe that your position is tied directly to the Skipper’s? ‘Cauuuuuse… you are a Captain’s Yeoman… without a Captain.”

Ra’Ti, Tactical

“I did say ‘usually’. For the lucky ones anyway.” She offered up the clarification. Rand was fully aware of the inconsistency. “The previous captain…didn’t transfer, so there was no captain to transfer with.” Rand didn’t like spreading gossip. Sentinel was a good ship despite the previous leadership. “If the new captain arrives with her own yeoman I guess I will leave on her transport and be assigned somewhere else. If not she will get to decide if I stay or she wants me replaced. For now I get to stay to help the XO in the interim.” Oh now she had all kinds of things to worry about.

Yeoman Rand

Xam took a bite and chewed slowly, looking at her without blinking. Finally, he said “So let me get this straight. You, who like your job and your ship and your crew, would just…” and he made a sound like air escaping a balloon (or maybe an individual) while simultaneously gesturing like a ship taking off, “… just because? I mean, c’mon. You’re a Yeoman. You all know the rules and regs better than anybody. You wouldn’t use that to your advantage?”

Ra’Ti, Tactical

Now that was surprising. It was rare for an officer to take the time to notice the extent of knowledge a Yeoman had and the usefulness of such. Rand set her water down and smiled with a slight laugh. “Of course I would and most likely succeed.” That wasn’t bravado or bragging, Rand was just good at her job. If it could be done, she would find a way. “I wouldn’t just go, but in the end I have to follow the orders I am given of my efforts weren’t successful.”

Yeoman Rand

“Do you, though?” Xam asked with a grin over his glass. He took a drink and said “I mean… if you know the system, then the system is yours to… ‘work’… to your best benefit. At least, thats kinda how I see it. We have all these massive and wholly bureaucratic systems designed to give the brass what they want… its only fair we cogs in those systems take care of those of us not breathing the rarefied air of the likes of those high-ranking lunatics that could probably care less what happens to us.”

Ra’Ti, Tactical

“There is truth to that, but there are always other cogs looking to get what they want. So sometimes it depends on who the more influential cog is in the situation. So do I? Well that depends on who the other cogs are.” Rand shrugged and went back to the stew. She had manipulated those cogs and wielded regulations like a scalpel for others. Why not herself if she could stay? Of course she might be getting ahead of herself. She hadn’t even met the new captain yet. There was no way to anticipate what the woman would do. She gave him a curious look, “You didn’t start as a star fleet officer did you?”

Yeoman Rand

Xam’s eyes sparkled with mischievous secrecy. “Now what would make you say something like that, Yeoman? And while we’re at it… what do I call you other than ‘Yeoman’ or ‘Ensign’? We are, after all, more than our rank and job.”

Ra’Ti, Tactical (With A History)

Rand grinned, “Because most officers don’t talk about the brass that way. Too full of self importance and day dreams of glory. Enlisted crew does, and officers that either started as enlisted or have more extensive life experiences do. Like En ch’Sirhc.” She shrugged, “You can call me Rand.” 2 years ago Rand would have been quite insistent that he call her Ensign or Yeoman, with or without her name. But over time she’d learned to be comfortable with that small lack of informality. Everyone called her Rand anyway. She supposed the correct response was to ask him his preference. “And what about yourself, Lt? What do you prefer to be called?”

Yeoman Rand

“Xam… call me Xam. And anyone with a brain talks about the brass that way… but I guess you are onto something there.” He looked down at his tray for a moment, weighing whether or not to be honest, and then he looked up with a grin and said “And you are right. I didn’t start off as a Star Fleet officer. I started off as a smuggler… and a pirate.” and he took a drink.

Ra’Ti, Tactical

“We all come from somewhere. All the best officers, enlisted or commissioned, bring something more, something different than what the regulation book states. That’s what makes the best crews.” Rand’s brows drew together slightly. There was a memory there, elusive and she couldn’t catch it. She rubbed her hand across the back of her neck and sighed. It would come back to her, eventually, maybe. She placed a smile back on her face. “Hopefully your time here will add to your story.” She wondered what Kovan would make of Xam. She speculated that they would either get along just fine or hate each other.

Yeoman Rand