Reactivation

Posted on 12 Oct 2015 @ 2:53am by Commander Terry Walsh & Captain Harvey Geisler

1,718 words; about a 9 minute read

Mission: Rude Awakening
Location: USS Black Hawk
Timeline: MD6 || 1000 hours

Terry had gotten the request from Captain Geisler to report to the transporter room. It was an odd request, at least to him. He had been summoned to a lot of different rooms during his service, but never to the transporter room. This was a first for the Lieutenant.

He entered the room to find only the transporter chief. Nodding, he asked, “Has the Captain arrived yet?”

“No,” replied the Bajoran, “he hasn’t.”

“Then I guess I’ll wait here,” said Terry. He leaned up against the wall and wondered what could be on the Captain’s mind.

A petite Rigelian crewman, Captain Geisler's new yeoman, entered the room carrying a large PADD. "Lieutenant. Chief," she greeted.

Before anyone had the chance to respond, the console chirped. "Energizing," came the announcement from the Transporter Chief.

A blue column of light danced in the front of the pad, assembling the atoms transmitted from the starbase. It took only a few seconds for the beam to reassemble the body of Captain Harvey Geisler. As the beam faded away, Harvey caught sight of both Lieutenant Walsh and his yeoman whom he still hadn't learned her name. PADD in hand, he stepped off the platform and spoke to the yeoman, "Recall all personnel. Assemble the senior staff in the Briefing Room in thirty minutes."

Without waiting for her acknowledgement, he looked over at Walsh and ordered, "With me, Lieutenant." Harvey then departed the transporter room.

Terry quickly caught up to the Captain. The only thing he could think of at this precise minute was what Bridge duty would be like 0300 hours. Shaking that thought away, he came up on his superior’s left. Based upon the abruptness of the Captain’s conversation when beamed in, Terry wasn’t sure what to say, if anything. But the sociable helmsman felt the need to make some sort of conversation. “That was quite the reception, sir.”

Harvey grunted, taking a quick look at the PADD he was carrying before speaking. "Nothing like being paraded around for morale." He stopped at a turbolift junction and waited for the lift to arrive. "You've had an interesting career, Lieutenant." It was true that Harvey didn't know the man well. His knowledge was limited to his personnel file and Kos' report from Nestene IX.

“Heh, yeah, ‘interesting’ is one way to put it, sir,” said Terry. “Going from the Starfleet Marine Corp to just plain old Starfleet and then from starfighters to starships, with a lapse of service in between, isn’t for the weak of heart.” He chuckled a bit before continuing. “I must admit, though, these Starfleet uniforms are just as difficult to get tailored as the SFMC ones are.”

The turbolift arrived and parted its doors. Harvey stepped inside, and rather than announcing his destination, he tapped a control stud near the door to instruct the elevator where to go. As soon as the doors closed, Harvey said, "It seems you've impressed Commander Kos."

Lightheartedness didn’t seem to be on the menu today. So Terry opted for more casual work talk as the doors to the lift closed. “The mission on Nestene IX was...” He paused a moment. “Well, we all did what needed to be done, sir. I was just doing my job. And piloting, whether a fighter, support craft, or starship, is what I like. And they say you should do what you like.”

Harvey nodded. "She's recommended you for the position of Chief Flight Control Officer. What do you think about that?"

“Huh,” replied Terry, “I guess I need to say ‘thank you’ to Commander Kos for her recommendation. And, if her recommendation has been approved, sir, I’ll accept.”

Harvey stood in silence in the turbolift for a moment, considering Terry's willingness. "Actually," Harvey said, turning to look at the taller man, "I have something else in mind for you, Lieutenant. Tell me, are you familiar with the Black Hawk's history?"

“Oh, uh, alright. Whatever you need, Captain.” Terry was obviously caught off guard, but still ready for whatever the Captain may have needed. I hope I haven’t done something, he wondered. “Well, sir, I’m familiar with the Akira class in general, but I’m afraid I’m not all that familiar with this particular ship.”

"She's a carrier," Harvey declared, looking back at the turbolift doors. "At least she was. Highly decorated and involved in the Dominion War. There have only been two occasions in her service when she hasn't carried fighters. Once after the war, and then recently during the last three months."

The turbolift came to a stop and parted its doors, depositing both men in a non-descript corridor. It was, however, bustling with activity, more than what this particular corridor had seen in a long time. "Fortunately," Harvey said, cutting through the traffic and entering the flight deck, "that period has come to a close." In front of them, Harvey could see two Valkyrie starfighters glide into into the expansive bay.

The 325th was home.

Terry’s eyes widened. “These are the most versatile, multi-role starfighters that have come out of Starfleet in a long time,” he said aloud. Terry may not have known the history of the ship, but he knew his starfighters. “Gotta admit, Captain, they’re one of my favorites. And I flew a couple of different kinds as a Marine pilot. Of course, some of those were Marine starfighters. But these, the finesse, the superiority, the....” Terry trailed off, not sure if he was talking to the Captain anymore or himself or the two Valkyrie starfighters that had just powered down their systems.

He turned back to the Captain and smiled real big. “I’m like a kid in the candy store, Captain. I don’t know whether to ask permission to take a look at one or which squadron they are or, what.”

Harvey replied with a smile. He'd hoped to see a positive reaction from the pilot. "I wish I could say that there will be plenty of time for all of that," he said, turning to face the Lieutenant. "Unfortunately, that's not the case. We're going back into action as soon as the squadron is aboard."

“Whoa, that’s soon,” replied Terry. “I guess there’s no better way to break them in, though. Dad always used to say that he tossed me into the deep end of the pool so I could learn how to swim. I always doubted it. Anyway, if we’re going back into action as soon as they’re aboard, I need to get helm warmed up. Er, or not...you said you had something else in mind for me?” And here it comes, he thought, time for the gamma shift Assistant Flight Control Officer to go to bed and get some shuteye. Gonna be a long, boring night. But she is worth every hour of gamma shift.

"This whole... treason thing," Harvey began. "I'll admit. It's making me think twice. Twenty fighters is a lot of teeth. I need to make sure they're in the right hands. You up for the challenge?"

Treason. That was the first time Terry had heard that word, but he let it slide. He felt like the conversation with Captain Geisler was evolving and he didn’t want to hinder it. He expected he would learn more about it later, anyway. Besides, there was something else more important to Terry at the moment. “I’m always up for a challenge, Captain. And this one is no different.” He paused. “Just to make sure what we’re talking about, though, heading up the 325th Fighter Squadron?”

Harvey nodded with a smile. "Only if you want it. You certainly carry the qualifications."

"Yes," said Terry, "I'll take it. Thank you for your confidence, sir. When will I be able to officially take command of the squadron?"

"Immediately," Harvey said, nodding towards the open hangar doors where two more fighters were being delivered. "There is one thing that needs to be adjusted, however." Harvey withdrew a small box from his tricorder pocket and tossed it at Walsh. "The squadron is expecting a Commander Walsh to assume command."

“Commander...,” he said questioningly as he opened the small box. Inside was a gold-rimmed, black rank pip. Then it really sunk in. “Commander Walsh! Lieutenant Commander Walsh! Forget the kid in the candy store. I’m the kid who gets to mangage the candy store.” He removed the rank from the box and attached it to his collar. “Well it fits perfectly. Thank you, Captain.”

Then another thought struck him. “Captain, having just assumed command of the squadron, I won’t have a full readiness report for the senior staff briefing in a few minutes. Assuming that the starfighter squadron commander is a member of the senior staff, that is. But I’ll have something to brief.” A slight pause, and then a small smile crept across his face. “I guess mine will be a brief brief.”

"Readiness reports will not be required today," Harvey said. Gesturing around him, he added, "It's pretty clear where the squadron stands."

“Oh, yeah, I guess they’re already mission ready,” said Terry. “So...I suppose I’ll wait until after they’re aboard and we launch to pay an official visit as the new squadron commander.”

"Suit yourself, Commander." Harvey took another look at the bustling flight deck. A smirk appeared on his face, grateful to again have the fighter squadron aboard, though he wished the circumstances for their presence were different. "See you in 25 minutes, Mr. Walsh." The Captain then turned back towards the turbo lift. He too had a few things to do before the meeting.

“See you then, Captain,” replied Terry, as his CO entered the lift. He was going to wait to pay an official visit to a gathered flight staff, but he also promised to have something ready for the briefing. So he headed on into the flight deck to do a quick walkthrough and then up to Deck 13 where he assumed his new office would be. After all, it seemed to make sense that the squadron commander’s office would be near Flight Deck Operations.

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