Posted by Lieutenant Mike Stone (Chief Engineer) in Shuttle Bay - Nakuto and Stone prepare to take flight (others welcome to join)

Posted by Ensign Luna (Security Officer) in Shuttle Bay - Nakuto and Stone prepare to take flight (others welcome to join)

Posted by Ensign Kristiana O’Larria (Engineer) in Shuttle Bay - Nakuto and Stone prepare to take flight (others welcome to join)
Posted by… suppressed (3) by the Post Ghost! 👻
Snip
Posted by… suppressed (4) by the Post Ghost! 👻

Tal happened to be heading by, when she grew a bit curious, following someone, indirectly, towards the bay. She wondered of the gathering of these people, bright eyes painted with inquiry. “Is there a party that I wasn’t invited to?” Tal questioned, jokingly, as if both adding a comedic turn and announcing her arrival, so she wouldn’t seem so.. stalkerish.

Beveres

Kristi had stepped back as others approached. “Kristi, O’Larria, Ma’am…” she managed to mutter as the others began talking. She didn’t know the woman, personally, but Mike had told her about some of those missing he had known well. This woman was one he had well respected. Her disappearance had affected him more than he admitted. And she admitted, it was one of the driving forces behind her obsession to fix the ship and help them figure out the root of the oddities.

As the others spoke, she merely stuck to Stone’s shadow.

“Not a bad idea, but no.” Mike replies. Not everyone knew Kara was back yet, and Mike realised that a welcome back party doesn’t sound so bad. The question was of course if Kara would even like something like that and extra attention. If he was trapped for a yet, he sure would prefer to simply forget about it as soon as possible, and not be reminded of it.

“We’re just planning to take one of the shuttles out for a little spin.”

Lt. Mike Stone, CE

OOC: Would Nakuto like a party? Does a bear do the proverbial in the woods? Haha!

IC: Nakuto made no attempt to mask her delight at the appearance of the counselor.
“I would be delighted for you to join us, Tal. Lieutenant Stone and I have a need to catalogue the condition of the vessel on its exterior. And also…”
She paused, her gaze moving slowly from one individual to the next.
“…it will do us all good to escape the confines of the ship for a time.”

Moving towards the shuttle, NE Poe concluding his flight readiness checks and handing the half-Klingon a PADD bearing the results, Nakuto cast a glance back over her shoulder with a wry smile and added, “although I am surprised to see some of you step into a shuttle with me at the helm so willingly…considering our last outing.”

Kristi tapped Mike’s shoulder and pointed up to the observation room on one of the catwalks. “I’ll be up there, Stone. I have your back.” She smiled and moved silently away without another word.

The cockpit held a reassuring familiarity for her. It was her sister, Mirai, who held the noble position of pilot for the Nakuto family. But Kara herself was not without skill at the controls. Although this crew could be forgiven for believing the opposite in light of her previous crash landing.
Settling herself into the seat, the former captain took a few moments to allow her hands an unrestricted dance across the controls. It felt good to have immediate purpose once again. It felt good to be…useful.

“Ladies and gentlemen, please take your seats,” she called out, activating the impulse drive and allowing the steady hum of controlled power to reverberate through her body. “We leave in five minutes.”

Kara Nakuto

“Just try not to crash it… ” Mike commented as he took the co-pilot seat. He liked flying the shuttles and he half expected him to fly it, but Kara simply took charge and he didn’t want to deprive her of the fun. Instead he just observed her, at the ready if he had to step in.

Lt. Mike Stone, CE

Luna hesitated she had left Crenity with Loki and the last time she had left the child with him it ended is sickbay with a broken wing. She did reluctantly climb onboard the shuttle with the others choosing to sit next to the consuler.
Ensign Luna

As the power came up on the shuttle, Kristi tapped the comm, =^=Shuttle, this is O’Larria. Comm check for control room one.=^= She wanted to be sure she always had a lock and voice on the shuttle as they went out for their ‘spin’. She didn’t like the idea of more disappearances or trouble on her watch.

Ensign Kristi O’Larria
Engineer

As the Engineering Chief settled himself into the co-pilot seat, Kara took a moment to study the retreating figure of Ensign O’Larria, before turning and offering a raised eyebrow to Stone. She was a pretty thing, O’Larria, beneath the customary layers of engine grease. And Gre’thor knew that Mike Stone had suffered at least as intensely as the next man or woman on the ship, perhaps even more so since he had been here longest of all. There was no attempt made by Nakuto to mask her grin at the suggestion of the stoic engineer letting loose and enjoying himself for once.

But duty called them all and already the Ensign was requesting a comms check. With graceful movements seemingly at odds with her warrior-like frame, Kara reached over and activated the shuttle’s own comms channel.

=^=This is Naglfar. Reading you loud and clear. Impulse engines online and at eighty-five percent. I’m preparing to close the passenger door. Stand by.=^=

Then with a roar over her shoulder Nakuto called out “You all strapped in back there?”
If they didn’t know any better, the crew could have been forgiven for suspecting that their former captain was thoroughly enjoying all of this.

Kara Nakuto

OOC: Since nobody has replied I’m going to move ahead to the actual flight. But if anyone wants to add a post above then please feel free.

IC: It could not be considered the smoothest or most proficient takeoff. As Kara’s hands moved with familiarity over the controls, the small shuttle shuddered, then began to rise unsteadily into the air.

“Check that left stabiliser would you, Lt Stone?” she asked of the man at her side as she attempted to centre the wayward vessel in preparation for its exit through the large, shuttle-bay door.

Inching forward with staccato-like rhythm, the half-Klingon cast a glance over her shoulder and announced, “Strap yourselves in. This might be a bumpy ride.”

Mere seconds later and they were airborne, the vast, isotropic blackness of space stretching out to infinity all around them. Banking to the left, the battered hulk of the USS Viking came into her peripheral vision, its windows dark like hundreds of unseeing eyes.

“Well, she has seen better days, of that I am sure,” the starship’s former captain mused to whoever might be listening. “The kracken you encountered caused a good deal of minor damage it seems. But nothing so far to indicate a breach.”

Kara Nakuto

“Fair.. that was a fairly nasty creature, for lack of better terms; I mean no offense to any scientist who may have found it to be.. what is the word?” Tal feigned contemplation for a few moments, “Ah: fascinating.” There was no illmanner in her voice, just the genial teasing that seemed quite common of the spiffy, young counselor.

Making certain she was strapped, both out of caution and the added remark from Kara, Tal crossed one of her legs over the base of the other’s knee, quietly clasping her thin fingers around the calf of the former. It was a casual stance, intended to offer both stability to comfort, for whatever this ride may turn out to be.

She agreed, wholeheartedly, that these people were in need of a break from the ship they had each found a, perhaps momentary, home upon. It was draining, working long hours within the wearing halls of the Viking, both physically and mentally. These people were in need of a break, something to remind them what peace was like, well.. their own warped version of peace, sitting in a shuttle that was about to take a Jurassic Park spin in matters of bumpiness. But, nonetheless, far more peaceful than anything on the Viking. Not to say the ship was heinous, merely to note that everyone needed a break, even from the things they’ve come to ‘love.’

Beveres
CNS

=^= Read you loud and clear. Clear for departure. Godspeed. =^= The ancient familiar blessing rolled off her tongue as she made double then triple sure she had a positive lock on every person inside. The moment it wavered, she certainly let them know.

What she ‘didn’t’ say out loud, though mumbled under baited breath, was, You better come back, Stone…

__

When the little skif cleared the ship, she let them know. Then but her lip and waited, practically counting every heart beat. She knew she was being ridiculous. The ship’s ‘hauntings’, so far, seemed to be hardware and conduit issues. Perfectly explainable… And fixable. So there was no valid reason for her to be worried about the shuttle.

But she was.

Kristi
Engineer

Luna put her hand on her stomach and the other on her head. She felt motion sick for a moment. “ that’s uncufurtible” Luna mused as the fealing passed. She looked around the ship wondering if her winged toddler would show up out of nowhere. The child did show up just not on on the shuddle.

Crenity entered the control room and hovered behind the engineer.” Why is mommy on the space ship” the two year old asked.
Ensign Luna

OOC: I the creepy toddler might be entertaining lol.
Christina

Mike was tapping on the console. “There, the stabiliser has been compensated and recalibrated. It shouldn’t be too bumpy of a ride.” He was suprised Kara noticed the fault so quickly. The old captain liked to fly, he knew that much, but she hasn’t done so for more then a year.

Mike continued to monitor the ships readouts, but every now and then still glanced outside. “If there’s one thing, the Viking definately doesn’t lack any battle scars. It’s been through a lot. Probably more then any other ship in Federation.”

Lt. Mike Stone, CE

((Geee… thanks…<sighs and bites my lip>))

The toddler’s voice was so unexpected, Kristi actually turned with a startled jump and screamed. Her hands gripped the console as she tried to back pedal through the metal control stand, her hand hitting the comm button to the shuttle so it’s occupants heard the last half of the startled cry. “What… who… what are you doing here? Who are you?”

She looked frantically around for someone the little winged child might belong to. After catching her breath, eyes still wide and heart still racing, she managed to calm down enough to realize this (hopefully) wasn’t an apparition so many on the ship claimed to see. Fear was all the child would see on her face. She managed to register the child’s question. “She is umm… she’s just taking it to make sure everything is ok outside.

Kristi
Engineer