Travel Banter

Posted on Fri Jan 13th, 2012 @ 3:33pm by Commander Jaeih Andorzai & Captain Alan MonRoe [PNPC] & Lieutenant Commander Richard Blessed [PNPC]

Mission: Deep Space 19
Location: Main Bridge - USS Antarctic
Timeline: MD01 1520hrs

[ON]

Since he had left the Shiloh, Commander Jaeih Andorzai had spent most of his time behind a desk trying to keep Vice Admiral Reinhart out of trouble. He ran his hand down his forearm, making sure that the sleeve of his uniform was still flat. He had sat on the bridge of the USS Antarctic for as much time as he possibly could over the last couple of days as the bridge of a Starship now felt like a wonderful novelty.

The spacious bridge of the Galaxy Class allowed him to sit in the guest chair on the left of the Captain without ever feeling as though he was overly involved in proceedings. He didn't want Lieutenant Commander Blessed to think that he was trying to usurp him but the idea of sitting in the lounge during the Antarctic's voyage to meet the Endeavour was unappealing. It was one of the benefits of his rank and his previous position that he could get away with it. Regardless, he hoped that he wasn't in the Captain's way.

"I hope you've enjoyed your time on the Antarctic, Commander," MonRoe said, breaking the busy silence that occupied the bridge. "The Endeavour's bridge wasn't designed to be as light and airy as ours; lots of dark tones and ominous lighting," the elder captain smiled. In truth, he found the bridge of his former XO's ship to come across as looking very state-of-the-art... nevertheless, he'd never let Benjamin or his new first officer know that.

Andorzai looked around the expansive bridge. The Captain wasn't wrong. The bridge of the Antarctic was designed back at a time when Starfleet was all about exploration and the comfort of her crew. Her replacement, the Sovereign project, was built as a happy medium between the two and was more classically nautical than the very "space age" bridge of the Galaxy Class.

He took a moment to regard the Antarctic's tactical officer, standing like an Olympic gold medallist at the crest of the majestic, turned-oak enclosure of the command area. In front of their chairs sat the Operations Officer and the helmsman, partially reclining in massive, comfortable chairs. To the left and right of the Command chairs lay two equally comfortable and spacious enclosures containing a series of programmable consoles. All in all, the bridge of a Galaxy class dealt with one of Andorzai's bug-bears in Starfleet bridge designs- everyone was able to face the front. To him, that was important.

"The Antarctic truly has a stunning bridge, Captain." He replied, "You know the old Corps of Engineers saying though, don't you? 'If it ain't broke, improve it.'" He regarded the captain with a wry smile, realising that there may well have been a little bit of friendly rivalry that he would be expected to keep up.

"I can believe that, Commander," MonRoe smiled. "I don't think I've seen a single ship in the fleet with anything identical between them beyond the head."

"I was aboard a ship where the Captain had the officers' head fashioned out of teak." Andorzai said with a light chuckle. "It was pretty ostentatious."

"It wasn't your last CO, that German, Reinhart, was it?" the American asked. He sat back in his chair and looked up to the bridge's ceiling lights. "'The Admiral Who Kept Hold of His Ship,'" he intoned. "I'll bet a man who has the clout to do that could do pretty much anything."

"He was," Jaeih could feel his voice flatten out at the discussion of the Admiral. He had been released from being his attach a couple of months ago but it was the Admiral that had put his faith in him and allowed him to ascend to the position he now found himself in, "he did have a knack for getting his own way. He had an interesting view of the galaxy, let's put it that way."

"I had an old friend who was like that," MonRoe stated, reverting into his own phase of reminiscence. "A cop. He seemed to have this notion that he was never wrong, and that his team should know what it is he wanted them to do or to tell him without him needing to say anything to them. Oddly enough, nine times out of ten, he was right." He smiled. "He was practically a legend of his office by the time he retired."

"Is that the one that we met on New Falcross, sir?" Commander Blessed had just exited the turbolift at the rear of the room and was descending the gradual slope to the command well at the centre of the bridge. "He was a little... odd, by my reckoning."

"That's just because he made you nervous, Richard," the captain teased, smiling. "He always did like to make the most of new blood when it came in scared of his reputation."

"I used to counsel a few Romulans that were like that." Andorzai replied nonchalantly. "They were a bit more bloodthirsty than anything though."

"I wouldn't say that description couldn't apply to my friend," MonRoe responded with a joke.

The bleeping of the terminal on his armrest was an unusual change to Andorzai's routine. Ever since he had come aboard the Antarctic no-one had needed anything of him and the chirrup of the comm actually came as a surprise.

"Commander Andorzai," came the voice of Engineer Franchetti through the comm system, "we could do with you popping down to engineering to run over the specifications of the support vessels we'll be supplying Deep Space Nineteen with. Do you have half an hour to spare?"

"I wouldn't miss it for the world, Lieutenant. Andorzai out." Andorzai responded sarcastically over the comm. He looked across the command area at Captain MonRoe & his Executive. "Gentlemen, if you'll excuse me. I'm going to receive a lecture in the dark arts of engineering."

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Commander Jaeih Andorzai
Incoming First Officer
USS Endeavour

Captain Alan MonRoe (NPC)
Commanding Officer

Lt. Commander Richard Blessed (NPC)
First Officer
USS Antarctic