Drizzle by Firelight - Part One

Posted on Thu Mar 19th, 2020 @ 2:17am by Colonel Lee Antilles & Commander William Sherman & Commander Pyre Sh'shritress & Lieutenant Commander Courtney Hammond-Brown & Lieutenant Commander Risiass Ch'kirhath & Lieutenant T'Mala & Lieutenant Fuzold Vissa & Lieutenant Grinn Xawa & Commander Cefa Alka & Lieutenant JG Lilar Sal & Master Chief Petty Officer Bernadette Williams & Fleet Captain Coral 'Icecrown' Yamaguchi-Antilles & Lieutenant Commander Eegyu Rhelag & Major Ulysses Hazel

Mission: Mission 101: The Restless Shades of the Past
Location: Various Locations - USS Pegasus, Near the Utgarde System
Timeline: 0915Hrs - April 19th, 2387

Captain Coral Antilles smiled as she sat back down in her command chair before the middle-aged human female let out a soft huff. "I sometimes think this shit should be illegal. I mean dragging me down to sickbay at the start of my shift for a routine physical that should have been done two weeks ago before we left the dock. It's almost insulting." Coral Antilles complained with a soft huff.

Commander William Sherman chuckled softly at her. "Well, it could be worse Captain. I mean it could be that your husband wants his way with you or that someone else needs their hand holding or someone ran you over in the hallway."

"Leave it to you to see the ray of the sunshine in every situation Commander. Y'know I was warned about that." Coral Antilles sighed a second time in as many minutes.

"It's my job, y'know, to see the good in all situations because I refuse to have a bad day," Sherman answered evenly, a smile playing at his lips.

Coral Antilles turned her head while she regarded her first officer, wondering if he was teasing her or simply pulling her leg. She regarded him in silence as she sighed.

"Let her have it, Commander. You ain't gonna win," commented Lt Commander Risiass Ch'kirhath, one of the two Andorians among her senior staff. Coral had recently separated security and Tactical and gave him his pick of the two departments, he had appointed his former department exec as the new Chief of Security and thus Lieutenant T'Mala had been promoted, she was reportedly very happy with her new assignment.

Coral Antilles did not mind if her crew were happy so long as things got done and they worked well together but then Coral Antilles herself was not a stickler for the rules as so many of her fellow skippers were so she tended to not wear the uniform jacket on duty as she preferred the optional tank top or the bomber jacket as at times she felt uncomfortable, she sometimes overheated while in uniform and needed to take off the jacket, she had the tank top underneath which left her arms free, she often left her jacket draped over her command chair.

The USS Pegasus was out on patrol in the Taurus Reach, today's flight plan would take the ship close to the planned construction site for the new starbase that would oversee this region. The crew of the USS Pegasus was busy shaking the ship down since Coral Antilles had been promoted to the center seat since Captain John McTaggert had dropped his retirement papers and had retired from active duty. Now with an almost totally new crew, the ship was off on this assignment and they had been on patrol for two weeks.

Today, however, was shaping up to be a rather normal day with Coral Antilles overheating, as usual, she hated this uniform and wished that the new uniform Starfleet had been talking about would hurry up and come out, among its many features was an option that meant she could customize it to suit her needs so she gently unzipped her uniform jacket before she slipped it off, she plucked the combadge off of the jacket before she slapped it back onto her chest where it belonged.

"Something wrong?" Sherman inquired of his Captain, he turned his head as he regarded her. He was concerned as he knew his skipper had issues with the uniform and he highly suspected that this was what was playing out before him but he didn't know, so he asked.

"Its the Inkaran wool. It's very dense and I never liked it." Coral explained as she sighed softly. "It doesn't help that the ship's environmental settings are a little too warm for me." It was well-known that Coral Antilles herself tended to prefer environmental conditions a little cooler than the average human, her husband Lee, on the other hand, preferred warmer climates than the average which often led to issues between them. Lee often preempted the issues by wearing a second t-shirt under his shirt as he knew full well that his wife preferred a cooler environment in their home.

Just then the turbolift doors at the aft port side of the bridge opened and out emerged the second of the two Andorians on Coral Antilles senior staff. Lt Commander Pyre Sh'shritress, an Andorian Shen smiled easily and often, she also wore her silvery hair long and tied back in a string of ponytail knots which ended up with a thick rope trailing down her back. She went over to her normal post before she tapped the display once, it seemed to come to life under her touch. "Captain." she greeted Coral Antilles with a nod.

"Commander, Hows life in the engine room?" Coral Antilles inquired of her Chief Engineer.

"Oh not bad, mostly looking to be a rather dull day with the slaves, being busy with shoveling coal for the ship's furnaces." she smiled. "I had to get out of Engineering as their complaining was getting tiresome," the Andorian Shen added.

"Deck apes giving you a hard time?" Captain Antilles inquired, a smile playing on her lips.

"Something like that sir." the Shen responded.

Lt Commander Courtney Hammond, wearing medical teal, regarded the Chief Engineer with a long-suffering look. "It would be better if you treated your slaves better." she commented. "It might help you."

"What?. Never!" Sh'shritress protested. "I don't know what that means.."

Coral Antilles, smiled as she thought this was all highly amusing. However, she didn't say anything.

Hammond sighed. "That's why your people want to mutiny and do evil things to you."

"Well, that escalated quickly." Lieutenant Ulysses Hazel commented quietly from his post on the port side of the bridge. "Seriously Doc, what is it with you and these violent impulses anyway.?"

"Yeah, Doc, why do you assume my guys want to violate me?" the Andorian Shen inquired with a sigh. Sh'shritress gave Hammond a rather evil glare as she did so.

Coral Antilles raised an eyebrow as she turned her head to regard the conversation presently taking place, she chuckled softly.

Hammond regarded the Andorian. "Because you are mean and abusive and you enslave people." the human pointed out like it was obvious.

"I am advancing the cause of the Great Andorian Empire where we will rule the galaxy and enslave all those who attempt to resist our might."
She said in a way that it sounded as if she truly believed in what she was saying.

Lieutenant Ulysses Hazel regarded the Chief Engineer. "Are you actually listening to yourself?"

"Of course I do. Lieutenant. What kind of a Shen do you take me for?" Sh'shritress inquired.

"Someone who is insane or delusional," Hazel answered sigh a soft chuckle.

Sh'shritress sighed. "I'm insulted. I demand satisfaction, a duel to the death, human pinkskin." she challenged him

"Dueling is illegal on Federation ships and bases." Captain Coral Antilles pointed out. "However we can find you two a nice planet to settle this on, should you desire it."

"I do so desire it. I want your head and your blood.." Sh'shritress regarded Hazel with an evil glare.

"Done," Hazel answered. "I will take this Andorian out back and deal with her once and for all." the large human male growled at everyone present.

"We shall see pinkskin." Sh'shritress taunted him. "But for now. I must retire back to my slave pit and enjoy the attention of my slaves. Toodles all." and with that, the Andorian departed the bridge.

Hazel shook his head. "I don't know what's worse. The fact that she makes a great actor or that she's out of work and is working with us rather than on some movie set somewhere."

Coral Antilles sighed. "You two are so convincing at times, I honestly wonder if you two are actually serious." she sighed.

"Anything to raise your heartbeat skipper," Hazel answered with a soft chuckle. "She's chaos and I'm mayhem, we're a double act," he added.

Sherman shook his head. "I sometimes think you two are just out of control at times," he commented as he sighed. "It sets a bad example for others."

It was well-known that Sherman was a stickler for the regs and rules which he felt compensated for Coral's lack of respect for the rules. The two worked well together even if they were a little out there at times.

Hazel sighed. "Seriously Commander. It's called blowing off steam since we've been out on patrol for two weeks now and nothing has happened."

Lieutenant Cefa Alka tapped her display once. "We're picking up a distress call Captain."

"On speakers," Coral Antilles answered, the mood was shattered and now everyone was all business. The faint crackle of damage could be heard as a male-sounding voice came over the speaker. "This is the Freighter Group Diputs. Three ships in our four-ship group are being attacked by the Venturi Pirate band."

Captain Antilles nodded while she processed that little detail. As she recalled, they were bringing a consignment of gear and supplies for the Starbase construction crew that was about to start on the new base. "Helm, can you locate them?"

"I already have them sir." came the half-expected response from Lieutenant JG Lilar Sal who was the ship's Chief Conn officer.

"Lay in an intercept course, engage at maximum warp," Sherman responded as Coral Antilles paused and then added. "All hands to Battlestations. Engage."

The Pegasus quickly swung around to her new heading before leaping off into warp.