Taking the Helm

Posted on Thu Feb 16th, 2017 @ 5:17am by

Mission: Another Day in Paradise
Location: USS Hopper
Timeline: Moments after the away team beamed off the ship

=====Transporter Room=====

Lieutenant Commander Gunnbjorn, the current Captain of the USS Hopper, watched Doctor Nichols and the rest of the away team as they teleported off the ship. The senior most officer left alive after the Borg attack, Colonel Mitchell, organized a recon mission of the automated destination, via the Sanctuary Protocol. Apparently, a fail-safe protocol that went in to effect upon the destruction of Starbase 900.

All of this is so damn confusing. He thought to himself, Mysterious protocols, hidden bases, Borg, riots on this ship. He rubbed his eyes with his right hand, then moved it back through his long hair.

Gunnbjorn looked to the officer monitoring the transporters, "Be sure to to keep a vigilant eye on everyone down there. Be ready to beam them back at a moments notice." He turned to walk away, stopped, then added, "That goes for both teams."

He was sure that the officer gave a reply, but he didn't hear it. The mood he was in wasn't a good one and a bit out of character. Could be due to his recent head injury or just the situation that he has found himself in. Serious matters, require serious actions.


=====Bridge=====

Gunnbjorn walked onto the bridge and was greeted with a variety of greetings. Some stood and said things like "Captain on the Bridge." or "CO on Deck!" a few seemed to ignore him, and he is pretty sure someone gave him a wave. The acting First Officer approached him, "Captain," he said, "Lieutenant Hannah." He offered up his hand.

Gunnbjorn shook it, "Ah, perfect. Just the man I wanted to talk to. Chief Warrant Officer Bran told me you'd be able to catch me up." He released Hannah's hand.

"Not sure what else I could tell you that he hasn't already, but sure."

Ragnas began walking to the ready room, "Anything will work Lieutenant." He motioned for Hannah to follow him, then pointed to the large man at the tactical station, "You have the con."

Once in the ready room both men took a seat, Gunnbjorn behind the desk. "I guess this is currently my desk after all, isn't it?"

"Seems so, sir." Hannah said.

"Tell me Lieutenant, how did you join this merry band of misfits?" Ragnas asked.

"My ship was under attack, was beamed to the Hopper, then my ship was destroyed." replied Hannah, "Saw it with my own two eyes."

"You were the captain?" Ragnas asked.

Hannah suddenly looked an older man, then nodded. "I was."

"I am sorry, I lost my ship as well." The Captain stood up suddenly then, thinking of his crew. "But there will be time for sadness later. We have things to do now. Please, if you will, tell me everything you have learned about this ship and the people on board."

Hannah sat back in his chair and took a breath, and then began to tell Ragnas everything he thought relevant.


=====Bridge, 15 minutes later=====

Gunnbjorn took the Captain's Chair and Hannah took the seat next to him. Ragnas felt more familiar with the situation after speaking in detail with Lieutenant Hannah.

The Captain placed his hand over his com badge and pressed it gently. "This is acting Captain Ragnas Gunnbjorn to everyone on board the Hopper and the Zumwalt." he said, addressing everyone on board both ships. "I believe in complete transparency with my crew, and I love to talk, so please excuse my interruption." Pausing for a second, he gathered his thoughts, "We have sent two teams, one from each ship, to explore a hidden base designed for us to fall back to, in case of an emergency on Starbase 900. An emergency that we have all survived. I commend every one of you for your bravery, your good fortune, and to your desire to live. It took a bit of each for you all to make it to this point and I'm afraid it will take a lot more for each of us to continue to survive." He closed his eyes and slouched forward, resting his elbows on his knees. "So it pains me to hear of the conflicts the Hopper has suffered amongst those on board."

He looked around the bridge, at everyone who had stopped what they were doing to turn and look at him. "I now ask each of you to stay strong. We are all in this together and we must work as one to see this through. I know many of you are civilians and most of you have just met, but look around you. Every one you see is now a part of your crew, your team, your family." He stood up and looked around the bridge. "Even if this base turns out to be everything we could possibly ask for, we will still need to function as a community in order to make it through to the next day!" Ragnas looked up at the view screen, taking in the mysterious base and began to wonder about its origin, its capabilities. "And if this base turns out to be a hoax or unsuitable we will need to call on everyone to step up and help to see us home."

The Captain walked back to his seat and sat down and took a moment before he continued, "For now, hold tight, get to know the people around you. I will be sure to update you all the moment I receive any news from our away teams. Gunnbjorn out."