| Reunion (cont'd) |
| The driver skillfully maneuvered the small shuttle along the body of the ship until it came to one of its many boarding ports. After a brief word with Lieutenant Hardy at Communications, the airlock doors were opened and Captain Mansel hopped off the shuttle and onto the ship he would inhabit for the next seven years...hopefully. There, a small boarding party consisting of only Commander Vaughn and few others snapped to attention as Mansel came into view. He dismissed them quickly with a brief wave of his hand; he hated people going to attention for him. He understood it was a sign of respect, but at times he didn�t want to be bothered with it. Then again, at times, there were a lot of things he didn�t want to be bothered with. Commander Vaughn fell in step beside him, automatically adopting the neutral facial expression he wore when he served with Mansel back on the Explorer. �What�s the word, sir?� he asked as they headed from the nearest lift. �When do we leave?� �Now,� said Mansel as they walked into the lift. �Something�s going down.� �Already?� Vaughn asked, incredulous. �We don�t even know the full capabilities of the ship yet.� �Yes, I know,� said Mansel, �but we don�t have a choice. This was Admiral Little�s doing. She wants us to hop on it right away.� �What�s the problem?� �Space station�s been jacked.� �Gutsy move, whoever did it.� �But I�m not surprised at all.� Vaughn gave him a look that him that he didn�t follow. �What do you mean by that?� he asked. �You�re not in the least surprised that they�ve managed to get close enough to take control of a space station?� �I�ll explain later,� said Mansel. �How about the crew? Are we all set to go yet?� Vaughn nodded, proud of his team of workers that got the main bridge up and running with such efficiency. Mansel gave a nod of his own. �Good,� he said. �Then let�s get this show on the road.� Just then, the lift doors opened to reveal the new bridge that Mansel, Vaughn, and the rest of his main officers would be working on for years to come. Mansel gave a nod of his own. �Good,� he said. �Then let�s get this show on the road.� Just then, the lift doors opened to reveal the new bridge that Mansel, Vaughn, and the rest of his main officers would be working on for years to come. The bridge of the new Sovereign-class ships didn�t differ too much from the ones on the old Excelsior-class vessles. The Captain�s chair stood alone in the middle of the bridge, with the Executive Officer�s position across the bridge to the right. Still, Navigations was at the front, Communications and the Science stations to the rear, and the Tactical position stood off behind the center seat to the left. The viewscreen hadn�t changed much, it was wider now, allowing for more space to be seen. Mansel hoped that his chair was slightly more comfortable than his last one. �Captain on the bridge,� Lieutenant Talaj called out as Mansel stepped out of the lift and headed for the Communications console. He was done dismissing it even before she was done with the sentence. Still, with all the seriousness surrounding their first mission, he couldn�t help but display a wide grin across his face as he stepped onto the bridge that he�d dreamt about for the last three years. His grin vanished somewhat when he looked over at the navigator. Mansel walked over to him. �What�s your name, son?� The new Navigator stood to address the captain. �Ingle, sir. Lieutenant Matthew Ingle.� Ingle was an upstart, Mansel could tell. His blonde hair was still cut Academy style, as it had not grown out enough for him to shape it to his pleasing. His uniform was perfectly pressed and creased and boots shined to where Mansel could see his reflection. Giving him a quick glance over, Mansel nodded and allowed him to get back to his work. He turned, addressing the rest of the crew. �Does anyone know where Lieutenant Commander Bryan Lamb is?� �He�s been reassigned, sir,� Vaughn explained, answering for the group. �To the Wraither-C.� Mansel nodded absentmindedly and turned to the Communications area. �Lieutenant Hardy, have we gotten the word from Space Control yet?� he asked his top Communications officer. The African American woman nodded her head. �Yes sir, we have the go ahead,� she answered, swiveling around in her chair to face him. �We�ve got a fifteen minute window.� �Lieutenant Talaj,� Mansel asked, turning away from Hardy, has every deck checked in yet?� His Science officer answered in the affirmative. �Alright,� said the Captain, sitting down in his own chair. The center seat now had its own full display board, unlike the smaller version that was attached to the end of the right armrest on the Excelsior-class. Taking a moment to glance over all the controls, he called for the Engineering deck. �Engineering.� |
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