Posted by Captain Calvin Marius (Captain) in Nothing good happens after 2am

Posted by Lieutenant Commander Thomas McGregor (COS) in Nothing good happens after 2am

Posted by Lieutenant Edelu (CMO) in Nothing good happens after 2am
Posted by… suppressed (4) by the Post Ghost! 👻
The bridge of the Starship Genesis was bathed in the cold light of a pre-dawn shift. The hum of the ship’s systems was muted, almost tranquil, as most of the crew had settled into their quiet routines. The clock on the wall read 0430 hours. The ship drifted through deep space, far from any scheduled patrols or emergencies. But all of that was about to change.

The double doors to the bridge slid open with a soft hiss, and Captain Calvin Marius strode in. His boots echoed on the deck, sharp and sure, breaking the calm of the early morning. His eyes, always sharp, were now colder than usual—focused, calculating.

(voice cutting through the stillness) “Report, Ensign.” The 4th shift was typically populated by a mess of green ensigns who took the worst shift on board to get the valuable bridge time and thus ‘command’ experience. What was particularly shocking was the appearance of the Captain, absent of an emergency call.

Ensign Voss, who had been quietly reviewing the latest updates to the star charts, straightened at the captain’s arrival. His eyes flicked to the clock—0430. He knew better than to expect anything less than trouble.

“All systems green, sir. Sector Theta-Nine—no anomalies, no hostile signals. Routine sweep. It’s quiet.”

Captain Marius gave a slow nod, his gaze sweeping over the bridge. The crew was alert, but the slowness of the hour had kept them in that mid-shift haze. It was time to shatter that complacency.

“Execute Code Shadow Silver.”

The comms officer’s hands danced over the console, and a soft chime echoed out, signaling the beginning of the drill. The atmosphere shifted—tense, awake, and full of purpose. It was the sound of anticipation.

=^= Red Alert, all hands, Red Alert - This is a drill.=^= The ship-wide alarm blared into the quiet—loud, shrill, and unforgiving. The lights dimmed, switching to the emergency red alert.

Marius did not take his command chair. Silver was the code for a combat drill on the Genesis… Shadow was the Variant where the Captain was unavailable… at least initially.

Marius CO

Surprisingly, one of the first officers on the bridge was Thomas. Of course, that may have had more to do with his attire than anything: he was in PT gear, and had clearly been in the middle of a run when the alarm sounded.

“Is this a ‘get the juniors some experience’ drill, Captain, or should I step in?” he asked quietly, making his way to Marius’ side.

COS

Calvin glanced down at his chronometer and noted the time. “The only one not participating is me although, if you do poorly, that means I do poorly.”
Thomas’s question hung in the air as the bridge crew continued their tasks. Captain Marius, standing at the command console, glanced at Thomas with a slight smirk.

“Let’s hope it’s just a standard drill,” Marius replied, his tone light but with an undercurrent of seriousness. “and right now you are senior on deck.” Suddenly, the main viewscreen flickered, displaying a field of stars. A moment later, a blip appeared on the tactical display.

“Alright, then,” Thomas said. “I suppose I won’t be the first Starfleet officer to respond to a crisis out of uniform.” He moved towards the command dais.

“Sir,” the young woman at tactical officer reported, “we have an unidentified vessel approaching at high warp. No response to hails.”

“Right,” Thomas said. “Shields and weapons status?” Best to be prepared if, as it seemed, the inbound was unfriendly.

“Hmm,” Calvin squinted at the screen trying to identify the vessel visually. He didn’t know exactly what the computer would do although he knew a couple of the curveballs since he put them in.

Marius

The tactical officer looked up, “Shields and weapons energized but on standby.” Red Alert generally raised the shields but the junior officers seemed to not have taken the initiative without a direct order

The soft pneumatic hiss of the turbo doors was drowned out by a thump and slight mumbled curse as Vanessa stumbled onto the space. While she often took advantage of the less restrictive dress codes allowed for counselors, Vanessa’s outfit of old academy sweatpants and sweatshirt and sneakers with one shoe tied and the other flopping about indicated she had thrown on the first outfit she found. If anyone had a second guess that she had not just rolled out of her rack, her hair answered that sporting a rats nest as her mother called it. She pushed it out of her face and behind her ears as she took up position next to Calvin and Thomas.

“Probably because it is 2 am and they are asleep,” Vanessa stated in a low tone under her breath. Life on the Genesis was far different than her life at the VA in Boston. She had had several calls at 2 am but they usually were a knock at her door or a pesky comm call that would not hang up. This was more reminiscent of her time at the academy which oddly enough she was dressed in almost the same attire she wore years ago when they sprung a surprise drill on them. Unlike the academy, Vanessa did have a cup of coffee in her hands that she took a sip from trying to push the fog of sleep out of her mind. It wasn’t hot nor fresh but several hours old. Muscle memory had her grab it off the counter as she rushed out of her quarters. Hopefully later she would get a fresh cup but for now she was grateful she even had something to drink.

Vanessa Slade CNS

=/\=Dr. Edelu to bridge, Sickbay stands by ready to receive casualties.=/\=

-Lt. Cmdr. Edelu
Chief Medical Officer

=/\=Understood, Sickbay,=/\= Thomas responded. For Medical to be the first to report full readiness was slightly concerning, but they were also one of the smallest departments on the ship.

COS

The alert continued its shrill insistence through the quiet bridge. The tension was palpable—far more so than any routine drill. Calvin’s gaze flicked to Vanessa, whose sleep-deprived eyes gave away that she had just awoken. He bit back the snarky comment he had about her appearance.

There was Captain Marius, highly decorate ex-Marine, who commanded the ship with the exemplary presence and demeanor befitting all Starfleet Captains. There was also the man, the myth, and the legend Calvin Marius, who could silently drink you under the table and had a sense of humor that could make anyone laugh for hours with his witty jokes and keen eye for knowing how to tap into the personal side of his crew. Right now, the man that gave Vanessa the barely glance was Calvin. In the year she had served under him, Vanessa learned to spot the small tell he had when he found humor in a situation. It was not a smile or even a grin but more of a lip twitch that was barely noticeable because it was so fast and so small. That small muscle twitch contained a silent conversation she was beginning to learn to read.

Raising her cold coffee mug to her face, she hide smile forming on her face. Looking around the bridge it was not the image plastered on holovids about the impeccable crews that commanded the stars. It was 2 am. The grave shift was eager but young so they tended to not hold the crisp posture of confidence the main crew did in their seats. They also had a wide eyed excitement at the thought of something to do and to prove to the Captain they were the best of the best. Glancing to her side, Thomas was far more put together than she but that was the life of a security officers. Many things got a security officer out of bed and forced them to immediately wakefulness. She wondered about the CMO but he too was probably bright eyed and ready because sickbay was always hopping.

Being the counselor, she never was rousted out of bed like an aspiring Security officer of eager to help doctor. Once again, she realized how well she had picked her career. Tonight was a blimp on her beauty sleep and she was ready to wrap up this drill and head back to her warm, soft bed.

Then the tactical officer’s voice crackled again: “Sir—visual confirmation incoming. It’s not a Federation vessel. Its warp signature spiked moments ago; it’s coming within visual range.”

The viewscreen shimmered, and through it emerged a sleek, angular ship—silent, unreadable, drifting out of warp decay.

Marius

Before moving to her seat, Vanessa cast a glance at Calvin. “This is a drill right,” she said in a low tone before moving to her seat on the bridge.

“If its not a Federation ship do we know who we are dealing with,” Vanessa asked the bridge crew. This was a good way to break in the newbies on the graveyard shift. People learned best in the moment.

Vanessa Slade CNS