Tranquillity

Posted on Tue Jul 30th, 2013 @ 11:30am by Captain Daniel Butterworth

Mission: Nothing Stays the Same
Location: Bridge USS Pacifica
Timeline: 22nd of December 2382, 12:30

ON:

~~~~Bridge USS Pacifica~~~~

Commodore Daniel Butterworth Commanding Officer of the USS Pacifica after a morning full of paperwork and unpleasantness had finally managed to escape the confines of his Ready Room. He was out on the bridge of the Sovereign Class Starship where he was talking to the ship’s Chief Intelligence Officer Lieutenant Akaris Venn who was sitting slightly in front and to his left in the chair that was normally reserved for the Pacifica’s Executive Officer. Lieutenant Venn was currently filling in as the Pacifica’s Acting First Officer and had been doing so for the last couple of weeks following the departure of Commander L’Verrem who had taken over command of the USS Destnity a Nebula Class that was heading up Diplomatic Talks with the recently discovered Minarians.

Butterworth was in a good mood and felt that he was now in a better place than he had been at the start of the day. A lot of that had to do with the fact that he had finally came to a decision on the open Executive Officer position and had submitted his first and what he had hoped would be his only choice to the higher-ups at Starfleet Command for final approval. He had milled over the decision for a couple of days as he debated between two candidates before finally making his decision. The candidate he had chosen was Lieutenant Commander Jacob Harrington who was currently serving on Starbase 99 where he was serving as the current Chief Strategic Operations Officer and Second Executive Officer. He had been highly recommended for the position and was considered by many in Starfleet Command to be a specialist on the Gorn. Butterworth had been hesitant to select him because of his knowledge on the Gorn as he didn’t know if he would be able to get him with everything that was currently going on between the Federation and the Gorn.

The conversation that he was having with Venn was interrupted by Ensign Amy Sinclair who spoke up from the security & tactical station behind the Executive Officer’s chair. Butterworth spun around slightly in his chair and looked up at the broad shouldered Security Officer who was leaning over her workstation.

Butterworth: Yes Ensign?

Sinclair: There is an incoming transmission for you from the USS Tranquillity. ;;looks up;; It’s Captain Hamilton.

Butterworth nodded his head as the Ensign spoke. He knew the Tranquillity’s Captain pretty well as they had served together on the USS Galaxy during the Dominion War. Butterworth at the time had been the Galaxy’s Chief Operations Officer and Hamilton it’s Chief Security and Tactical Officer. They developed a good friendship following a competitive battle to become the Galaxy’s Second XO, a battle which Butterworth had won. Hamilton went on the join the Tranquillity following the costly war and had worked his way up to become the ship’s Commanding Officer.

Butterworth: Patch it through to my Ready Room Ensign.

Sinclair: ;;nods and types on her console;; Yes sir.

Butterworth: ;;looks to Venn;; You’ve got the bridge Lieutenant.

Venn: ;;nods;; Aye sir.

Butterworth stood up from his chair and made his way across the bridge to the room that he had only just escaped from. He entered his Ready Room, walked across to his desk and sat down. He activated the monitor on his desk and smiled as Captain Chris Hamilton appeared on the small screen.

Butterworth: Well, well look who it is.

Hamilton: ;;nods and smiles;; Commodore it’s been a while.

Butterworth nodded in agreement, it had been a couple of years since they last spoken and Butterworth was surprised to see how much Hamilton had changed in that time. His dark hair was thinning and receding in places and he had grown a beard that now covered most of his chin.

Butterworth: That’s enough with the rank Chris. I won’t salute if you won’t.

Hamilton: That’s because you don’t have to salute.

He could see that Hamilton hadn’t lost any of his quick wit over the years.

Butterworth: How is the Tranquillity holding up?

Hamilton: We’re still in one piece. We were in Cestus when the Gorn invaded.

Butterworth: I heard.

Butterworth had read all of the reports on the Gorn’s attack on the Cestus System. A dosen starships including the Tranquillity had responded to the attack and fought a running battle with the approaching Gorn forces to by time for the planet to be evacuated. It was an amazing and heroic effort and the Tranquillity had been at the forefront of all of it.

Butterworth: How is your crew holding up?

Hamilton: About as well as can be expected, we’ve been all over the sector in the last couple of weeks.

Butterworth: You must be looking forward to pulling into Starbase 99 for a couple of days.

Hamilton: That’s what I’m calling about actually. We won’t be able to ferry your officer to the peace talks as we’ll be going in the opposite direction.

Butterworth: ;;leans back in his chair;; Where are you off to?

Hamilton: Yes, we’ve been ordered to the Ti’ane System by Admiral Grayson.

He was surprised to hear that as the Pacifica had just come from the Ti’ane System. The Pacifica had been waving the flag in the region for a couple of weeks before pulling into Starbase 456 to prepare for the Isis Arm Mission. The area had been pretty quite despite it’s close location to the Merlin Nebula.

Butterworth: The Ti’ane System? We’ve just come from there.

Hamilton: Come across any Gorn while you were out there?

Butterworth: ;;shakes his head;; It was fairly quiet. Why?

Hamilton: Over the last twenty-four hours the Colony has reported spotting a Gorn vessel on their long range sensors.

Butterworth: ;;shakes his head;; I find that hard to believe. All the Gorn activity that we’ve seen to date has been isolated to the Nebula and the Cestus System itself.

Hamilton: You’re not the only one to think that. It’s probably a sensor ghost or something but the Admiral wants us to check it out all the same.

Butterworth: I Understand. I’ll find alternative transport for Lieutenant Commander Horne. When are you getting underway?

Hamilton: Within the hour. Hopefully it won’t be nothing more than a quick trip around the block.

Butterworth: Well I’ll let you get back to it. Watch your back out there.

Hamilton: ;;smiles;; I always do Hamilton out.

Butterworth leaned back in his chair as the image of Captain Hamilton disappeared from the monitor. The situation in the Ti’ane System was something to monitor, he found it hard to believe that the Gorn would be operating that far out from Cestus but they couldn’t discount the possibility that it was true. If the reports out of Ti’ane proved to be correct it would mark a disturbing change in tactics by the reptilian empire. It was something to think about but in the meantime Butterworth had to come up with alternative travel arrangements for Lieutenant Commander Horne who was suppose to be leaving for Starbase 99 in little over thirty minutes.

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