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trans_92009-09-18 09:53 pm
clear-horizons.livejournal.com) wrote in trans_92009-09-18 09:53 pm
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Reacquainting [OPEN, COMMAND CREW INVITED]
Picard was in the Sensoriums. It wasn't an unusual spot to find him by any means, but unlike much of the time when he relaxed in a smoky jazz club, or walked along the streets of Old Chicago or New York, the captain was not dressed as Dixon Hill. He wasn't smoking or drinking, either. Instead, he simply stood on the bridge of the Enterprise, listening to old reports, Captain's and Senior Officers' logs, and even going so far as to recreate some of the memorable moments on the ship. Now wanting to try and use the hologram as some kind of emotional crutch, he even had the simulation make an artificial version of himself, playing through the events exactly as they'd occurred.
Taking a sip from his tea, the captain gazed out of the viewscreen to the expanse of space before him. It made for a very pretty picture, no doubt about it, but it was not why he was here. No, Picard had the unfortunate self-assigned duty of reacquainting himself with every case of temporal discrepancy and every judicial dispute and every interdimensional boondoggle the Enterprise and her crew had ever been involved in.
He did laugh, however, when he read the regulations and operating procedures for the Department of Temporal Investigations. He almost pitied them, having to deal with so many temporal disputes involving James Kirk.
Taking a sip from his tea, the captain gazed out of the viewscreen to the expanse of space before him. It made for a very pretty picture, no doubt about it, but it was not why he was here. No, Picard had the unfortunate self-assigned duty of reacquainting himself with every case of temporal discrepancy and every judicial dispute and every interdimensional boondoggle the Enterprise and her crew had ever been involved in.
He did laugh, however, when he read the regulations and operating procedures for the Department of Temporal Investigations. He almost pitied them, having to deal with so many temporal disputes involving James Kirk.
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"That," he said, "is the United Star Ship Enterprise, registry number NCC-1701-E. It's a Sovereign Class starship, built for galactic exploration and combat if needed. We're in the saucer section right now, on the main bridge here." The bridge of the Enterprise glowed red for a moment in response to his gesture, and he continued explaining.
"The main body houses Engineering mainly, with personnel quarters, holodecks and the shuttle bay occupying the main saucer and its 'neck'. This is the main deflector dish. It deflects small particles and debris that the ship might otherwise impact with at warp speeds." He was mainly explaining for Lafiel's benefit, aware that Kirk already knew the basics of starship design. Still, perhaps Picard would touch on something new, something Kirk didn't know.
"Those large horizontal pillars are warp nacelles. Warp nacelles house the warp coils for a starship, which allow us to create the subspace displacement field we need to travel at Warp speeds. Warp itself is a form of FTL travel, and the primary one in our (myself and Captain Kirk's) reality.
"The Sovereign Class can travel at a maximum speed of warp nine point nine nine, which translates to seven thousand, nine hundred and twelve times the speed of light." Finally, he turned from the vessel back to Lafiel and Kirk, smiling lightly as he showed them what made the Enterprise.
"There's more I can teach you about this vessel, if you're interested, Miss Lafiel."
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"That is a fifth longer than my Basroil and we are not equipped with the ability to travel faster than light from anywhere we want...in fact, noone in my home universe is, we must all use a sord gate. Tell me, what number of crew is needed? How is it armed? And are these manual controls..." She gestured with a slender, pale hand at the banks of controls. "...The only control system?" She didn't say this with disdain but perhaps a bit of confusion. She knew intellectually that United Mankind ships were controlled this way but to her using exclusively manual controls seemed a bit like trying to program an interface with a typewriter. It especially struck her as odd that her society seemed to be the only one here represented that had invented anything like the froce system.
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"The Sovereign class can run completely manually when needed, but in general the computer helps with much of the navigation. We never developed anything like neural connections if that's what you mean, however. With so many different species serving aboard Starfleet vessels, it would be impossible to design a neural uplink system compatible with all central nervous system builds.
"Typical crew complement is eight hundred and fifty five, though in cases of emergencies and evacuations we can hold a maximum of sixty-five hundred people. As far as weaponry goes, the Sovereign class is armed with sixteen phaser arrays, one forward quantum torpedo launcher, three forward photon torpedo launchers, and six aft photon torpedo launchers. Each torpedo launcher carries its own complement of fifty torpedoes. Quantum torpedoes are armed with plasma warheads, while photon torpedoes are matter/antimatter weapons."
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"Well, we need at least three shifts, so everyone can actually have to rest and sleep. Not to mention the engineering and damage control crews, the command deck, shuttle-bay, and security. And then, of course, you have to remember she's not just a warship. It's a ship of exploration. Of science. We typically carry scientific staff as well."
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"A significant defeat of the Federation changed that idea, however, and it was dropped. Now all Starfleet vessels are manned entirely by Starfleet personnel. The Enterprise-E has a larger crew than normal because of our extended shuttlebay." Picard gestured to the open shuttlebay at the back of the hologram's primary hull, almost connected to the secondary hull.
"It extends up three decks and not only houses numerous shuttles and shuttlepods, but can also store several runabouts, each with their own registry independent of the Enterprise."
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He pauses, "To be more accurate, we're a group of allied nations, working together towards a common cause. Some of our members may have nobility - but Starfleet and the Federation government aren't run based on the titles you were born with."
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"It's enough being captain of the Enterprise; I can't imagine being royalty on top of it."
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Sufficiently calm, she managed to speak again. "We run on a system I believe you would refer to as noblesse oblige: It is the responsibility of the royalty to protect the ground worlds under their domain while not interfering in their societies. Royalty must serve in the military and the officer of the royal family who makes it to the rank of Grand Admiral is automatically the next crown prince/ss." The sound was layered, as Stacy's translation was converting an Abh word which was gender neutral. "So if not a domain, what reward do you receive for all your service?"
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He paused, resting a hand on the arm of the command chair, "Reward? I get the privilege of commanding one of the finest ships in Starfleet. The ability, the chance to see strange new worlds, to explore. To see the universe!" The smile on his face is broad, "The Federation does give us room, board, and some form of recompense, of course. But really... it's privilege and honor to serve in Starfleet. It's not easy to make it through the Academy, let alone get in. Even just enlisting as a crew member takes time."
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