User blog:Noah Masterson/Masterson Personal Log: Proficiency Exam

To: Lieutenant Noah Masterson, Operations Division, Outpost Phoenix From: Starfleet Corps of Engineering, Personnel Section

Lieutenant, Because you are not actively posted as an Engineering officer at your current post, you will be required to complete an Engineering Qualification Field Exam. This exam, which is chosen for you at random by the SCE Promotions and Evaluations Branch, is included on this PADD. You may upload it to any Starfleet holodeck and the program will commence. You will have a program-indicated period of familiarization before the actual exam will commence. Keep in mind that once the program begins, the holodeck will limit your access to period only technology, except in an emergency situation. We therefore recommend that you alert your Chain of Command and your duty OIC to this. Good Luck, D. Barstow Admiral, Commanding

Noah actually cringed as he read the notice for the third time. The letter of introduction, which was embedded on the same PADD that carried the evaluation program, was something that most Engineering officers went their whole careers without seeing. But because Noah was Chief of Operations for OPX and had spent only a cursory amount of time in Engineering, he had to prove to the SCE that his brain hadn't gone to mush. He had no idea what was in store but he knew that the braintrust at the Promotions and Evaluations Branch could cook up some hellish scenarios. He walked into the Lounge building and made his way to one of the holosuites. Outside the entrance, Noah keyed the comms panel. “Masterson to OPS.” “Lieutenant Guptha here, Chief,” the Duty officer responded. “Guptha, I’m heading in to my...evaluation. Let me out if Mister Thomas tries to kill us or if the Gorn return,” Noah joked. “Ok, Chief,” Guptha chuckled. Noah turned his attention to the PADD and followed the instructions to upload the scenario. After several tense moments, the ubiquitous female-voiced computer instructed him to enter the holosuite, making sure to leave the PADD behind.. When the doors opened, Noah was faced with a non-descript Starfleet corridor that gave away only the fact that his evaluation would occur onboard a ship. Noah stepped through the holodeck’s hatchway and resigned himself to whatever was in store for the foreseeable future. Once inside, the hatchway sealed itself and the computer spoke again. “Please state your name and authorization code for the record.” “Masterson, Noah Beta-4-8-0-Gamma,” Noah recited. After a moment, the computer chirped its acknowledgement of Noah’s code. This prompted a holographic representation of a male Vulcan officer to appear. The Vulcan was dressed in a nondescript utility jumpsuit, that also told Noah nothing about the scenario. “Lieutenant,” the hologram began, “you will be given one hour to familiarize yourself with this vessel and its technology level. This test will cover a number of subject areas including but not limited to subjects such as warp field geometry, warp induction theory and starship operations with an emphasis on Engineering practices. Additionally, you will be tested in Damage Control and DC Party management. Your familiarization and evaluation periods will be set during the same time in Starfleet history: the stardate is 7417.6 and you are assigned to the Destroyer class vessel, the USS Ares.” Noah blinked once and then twice. He was so dumbfounded that he made the hologram repeat his ship assignment. Sure enough, he was aboard the Ares. He’d dreamt of this moment since he was a child. He’d always had a thing for the smaller classes, destroyers in particular. He’d actually listed a handful of active destroyers as his “dream” postings on the Posting Preference Sheet he’d filled out prior to graduation. “In the wardroom to your right, you will find period-appropriate clothing and tools for an Engineer. Consider this wardroom as your own for the duration of the evaluation. Once you exit the wardroom, your simulation will begin,” the hologram instructed. Noah nodded his compliance and headed into the wardroom. Behind him, the hologram dematerialized and the corridor returned to normal.

The wardroom was an exact replica of those aboard the Ares, down to the nanopolymer adhesive strips used to secure the room’s furniture to the decking. Noah found a complete array of officer’s uniforms awaiting him, from a Dress Uniform to Duty Fatigues. Because he was an Engineer, the wardroom also contained a Hazardous Duty uniform and an Engineer’s toolkit. Noah quickly decided that for the familiarization period he would wear the long sleeve duty uniform. He would also wear this as he reported in and checked on the Engineering station on the bridge. He stripped out of his old Academy PT gear and began donned the duty uniform. Once in uniform, Noah stepped out into the hallway. He paused for a moment, unaware of which way to go. He looked back over his shoulder into the wardroom and saw a ship’s computer terminal. He quickly scrapped his idea of wandering about in order to familiarize himself with the Ares. It would be much more efficient and productive to use the terminal. Plus, he reasoned, he would stay off of everyone’s radar that way. Blindly poking about a brand new post seemed a sure-fire way to have an escort everywhere. Noah moved back inside the room and seated himself at the terminal. He thought for a moment. Nothing works on voice-recognition commands yet, he reminded himself. He found the input switch for the computer, tripped it and spoke to the device. “Computer: display general specifications and schematics for USS Ares.” After a moment, the familiar schematic “blueprint” was displayed. Noah had been the proud owner of a set of prints that included the Ares; the Iverson class Cruiser USS Tycho; the Oriskany class Through-Deck Cruiser USS Devonshire; and the Miranda class Heavy Frigate the USS Wallace. As a youngster, he and his adoptive father would spread the sheets out on the floor of the family room and pour over the details and minutia that were revealed. Much later on, once Noah was enrolled in Starfleet Academy, he learned that his adoptive father had called in a few favors and gotten his adoptive son actual Engineer’s schematics that were generally unavailable to the public. They were still some of Noah’s most treasured possessions and it felt as if he was visiting an old friend when he saw the Ares displayed before him on the monitor. Noah pulled himself out of the reverie and glanced at the chronograph on the monitor. He had some 45 minutes left in which to learn everything he could about the Ares and her technology. Noah exhaled audibly and rubbed his eyes. This was really going to test him. Thirty minutes later, Noah stepped once again into the corridor. He had wanted to review the schematics more but opted instead to walk the paths to both the Bridge and Main Engineering. As he strode toward the nearest turbolift, he adjusted his uniform in several spots. He was not used to the fit of this era’s garment and he was still perplexed as to the function of the large biometer at the front of his waist. He hoped that he’d have it properly adjusted by the time he needed to report in. Noah found the turbolift and headed to Engineering first. When the car opened on the Engineering bay, Noah was actually quite surprised. He had expected that the bay would be completely different than what he had trained on in the Academy. But it wasn’t that unfamiliar; all of the pertinent pieces were in the same places. There was a distinct difference in the “furnishings” though, Noah noted. In an Intrepid class Explorer, more attention had been devoted to making a ship feel less like a mechanical construct. The designers had actually thought about how little touches like “warm” hued carpeting can enhance crew morale and how a “live” galley can go beyond simple dietary sustainment. Those “touches” were noticeably lacking on the Ares. This was from a time when such luxuries were just being thought of. The corridor that Noah walked down en route to Engineering showed the vessel’s bare metal. In a sense, he was seeing the underpinnings of the Ares and if he was honest with himself, it was thrilling. This is a ship from a time when Starfleet’s military impulses were almost equal to its exploration charters. The ship was proof of that; neither ideology took precedence or priority over the other. She carried an equal amount of scientists as she did Tactical and Security officers, Noah recalled. His reverie brought him up to Engineering and he remembered that there was at least one other path from the Bridge to Engineering. This he would take and hopefully arrive at the Bridge in time to report in and commence the actual evaluation.

Some ten minutes and three treks to and from Engineering, Noah walked onto the bridge of the Ares for the first time. He was amazed by the stark simplicity of the design and the lack of features that he was used to. No touchscreens, no voice-automated controls; none of it was here for use. And yet, none of this seemed unfamiliar or foreign to Noah; just different. “Can I help you, Lieutenant,” a voice cut into his reverie. Noah turned to see a large, Andorian male wearing the rank of Ensign and a badge device that showed he was part of the Tactical Division. Probably Officer of the Day, Noah thought. He glanced at the officer seated in the “Center Seat” and noticed that the Vulcan male seated there had only the braid and a half of a Lieutenant. Probably just minding the store, he thought. “My name is Lieutenant Masterson. I am reporting aboard for duty,” Noah said, handing the Ensign a digital copy of his orders that was stored on a device much like a primitive version of the ubiquitous PADD Noah knew so well. The Ensign took Noah’s orders, gave the screen a quick review and then looked back to Noah. “Follow me, Lieutenant. The Captain and Executive Officer are waiting for you in the Captain’s Ready Room.” With that the Ensign pointed to the turbolift that Noah had just exited. The pair walked to and entered the car for the two deck ride to the Captain’s Ready Room. Once there, the Ensign exited and led Noah down a corridor, past the XO’s Quarters, past the Captain’s Quarters and stopping at the adjoining room labeled Captain’s Ready Room. The Ensign keyed the door chime and announced Noah. “Send him in,” came a strong female voice. The Ensign handed Noah back his orders and waited for Noah to enter the cabin. Noah stepped in and saw a human female with coal black hair worn in a conservative braid, seated at the head of the table. Beside her stood a lithe, tall Andorian female and seated to the first female’s left was a large Orion male. Since Noah could see that the Orion wore the braids of Lieutenant Commander and that his badge showed Command colors, he concluded this was the XO. The female Andorian, also wearing Lieutenant Commander’s braids, however was wearing the long sleeve duty uniform popular with CMOs at this time. That made the human with the braid the Captain. “Come in Mister Masterson. We’ve been expecting you,” the Captain said “Apologies if I’ve kept you waiting, Captain. I only just reported in on the Bridge…after familiarizing myself with the layout of the ship,” Noah reasoned. “Glad to hear it, Lieutenant. Allow me to introduce my staff: my Executive Officer, Lieutenant Commander Erakan and the Ares’ Chief Medical Officer, Shrani zh'Shendria,” the Captain said. Erakan stepped over and shook Noah’s hand and relieved him of his orders while Shrani simply nodded to him. The Captain walked to the end of the table where Noah stood and extended her hand. “My name is Lily Standing Rock. Welcome to the USS Ares,” she said shaking his hand. Noah was impressed. The reception made him wonder if Captain Standing Rock did this for all of her officers. But he didn’t have any time to ponder the question. “Captain,” Erakan interrupted, “we have a small issue with Mister Masterson’s orders.” “How so, XO,” the Captain asked. In response, Erakan tapped a series of commands on the conference room computer terminal. On a screen behind the group, Noah’s orders appeared. Noah glanced at them and saw that they were the same ones he’d reviewed in the Familiarization period. But, he asked himself, why the looks of consternation from the Captain and XO? “It appears that we are, once again, blessed by Starfleet’s bureaucratic efficiency. Punch up the set we received, Mister Erakan,” the Captain said, sarcasm more than evident in her voice. On the screen, Noah’s set of orders blinked off and were instantly replaced by another set, an almost identical set. Noah was scanning the second set, wondering if there was a technical glitch when he read three words that made everything else make sense: Chief of Engineering. He reread the line, twice to be sure. But there was no mistaking what the document said: Noah Masterson, Lieutenant, was to report to the USS Ares (NCC-534) for duty as Chief of Engineering. Noah was speechless. “Are you alright, Lieutenant,” a faint, musically lilting voice asked. Noah turned his head to spot the voice’s owner. It was CMO zh’Shendria and it was the first time she’d spoken. Noah stumbled over his words so much so that the CMO pulled out her tricorder and began scanning him for signs of illness. “You can put that away, Doc. I believe Mister…can I call you Noah,” the Captain began, interrupting herself. For his part, Noah simply nodded and swallowed. “As I was saying, Noah here is simply overwhelmed by the enormity of his new post. Am I close, Noah?” Noah cleared his throat and reigned in his emotions. After all he was still a Starfleet officer. “That’s about the sum of it, Captain,” Noah managed. “After all, I’ve only had one other assignment post Academy.” Lily nodded and gathered her thoughts for a heartbeat before speaking. “Be that as it may, Lieutenant, I spoke with your Academy cadre as well as the CEO from your last post. Both seemed to be of the opinion that you’d be up for this challenge,” she said, making a question a statement. “Absolutely, Ma’am,” Noah replied, almost reflexively. “Good. Have a look around the Bridge and the XO will take you to Engineering to introduce you to your crew,” Captain Standing Rock said, making clear to Noah he was dismissed. Noah woke with a start. Warning klaxons and shipwide announcements from the ship's computer blared in his stateroom. The holodeck computer had suggested that he return to this room for a rest period before the next phase of the evaluation began. A quick glance at the chronometer on the computer terminal told him that he'd been asleep about an hour and a half. In the span of time it took him to throw on his duty jumpsuit, a suspicion formed at the back of Noah's consciousness: the test was designed to allow him to sleep and then hit him with a situation like this. Uniform donned, Noah headed to the Bridge first. He'd get a situational update and if need be, head down to Main Engineering to lead Damage Party efforts. He sprinted toward the nearest turbolift car, shouting "Make a hole" as he encountered other crewmembers in his path. He boarded the waiting car alone and headed to the Bridge. As the doors opened upon the Bridge, Noah was greeted by a cacophony of stimuli: Bridge officers were calling out and confirming orders, departments were calling in readiness reports and, beneath all of this, was the ubiquitous hum and whirl of the various scanners and sensors at the Science, Tactical and Navigation stations. Noah moved swiftly to the Engineering station. The officer on duty was a female Saurian ensign that was beginning to show signs of panic. Noah glanced at the Tactical display, which was superimposed on the main viewer. It showed a Klingon D-7 class Battle Cruiser flanked on either side by a pair of D-12 Birds of Prey. He quickly reassured the Ensign and checked her display; all Engineering teams reported as manned and ready. Noah gently reminded the Ensign to relay this to the Comms officer, which she promptly did. Noah turned his attention back to the Tactical display and saw that the Ares was not alone. Off her port side and leading the Ares was the newly refitted USS Exeter, a Constitution class cruiser. To her port side, even with the Ares, was another Destroyer, the USS Ajax; Ares's sister ship. The other two Federation vessels must have joined Ares while Noah was sleeping. Judging by the formation, the captain of the Exeter was senior to the masters of both the Ajax and Ares. Noah turned back to the Engineering console. “What was your name, Ensign,” Noah asked. “Rzrag,” the Saurian responded, via the Universal Translator pinned to her uniform. “Ok, Rzrag, until the fighting starts, we’re going to give life support systems and shields the highest priorities for power useage. However, once the shooting starts, life support systems will lose some of their priority so that phasers and torpedoes will have priority,” Noah explained. As he explained, he used his finger as an impromptu pointer on the Engineering Systems Display in front of him. For her part, Rzrag simply nodded her understanding. “Captain, the Klingons are hailing the Exeter, the Ajax and us,” the Comms officer said. The Lieutenant’s voice cut through the din of the Bridge noise, silencing everyone as they waited on the Captain’s response. “Patch me in to the Exeter,” Captain Standing Rock ordered. The view of the Klingon ships dissolved and the neutrally expressive visage of a male Vulcan replaced them. He was wearing the high collared uniform tunic favored by Vulcans and Noah could see that his Starfleet badge was surrounded by a field of white. “Commodore Serus, my compliments. The Ares stands ready,” Captain Standing Rock reported. The Commodore nodded his acknowledgement before speaking. “I presume you are being hailed as well,” the Commodore remarked. “Aye, sir”, Standing Rock said simply. The Commodore nodded once again and then turned, partially in his command chair, and spoke to his Comms officer. “Patch in Commander Votua as well, please,” he said. Shortly, the distinctive green on green facial features of the Rigellian species could be seen, signifying that Commander Votua was on the Comms channel as well. Again the Commodore spoke to his Comms officer, just off-screen. “Open the channel to the Klingons,” he ordered. On the Ares’ main view screen, the Commodore’s image was reduced to fill only half of the screen while the other half was filled by the snarling countenance of a Klingon warrior. At first, Noah was taken a bit back. He was used to Klingons and their distinctive forehead ridges as several of his classmates from the Academy were Klingon. He was even familiar with the traditional uniform of the Klingon Defence Forces. What he wasn’t prepared for was a Klingon with hardly any forehead ridge. There was a definite “spine”, as Noah had always thought of it, running from the brow back on this warrior’s head. But on either side of the “spine” the skin and the underlying bone plates were relatively smooth. “I am Racg, Captain of the IKS yoHlaw' porgh. Your presence here in Klingon space is a violation of the Treaty of Organa. You will be fired on if you do not leave, immediately,” the Klingon barked. "I am Commodore Serus of the Federation Starship Exeter, commanding Patrol Group 87 Gamma. According to the ship's computer from each of the vessels in the patrol group, we are well within established Federation territories," the Vulcan calmly explained. Noah saw movement out of the corner of his eye at the Tactical station. Over one of the officer’s shoulders, he was able to make out the shape of another Klingon ship. This one, however, was some distance off, as though it was merely observing the incident. Back on screen, the Klingon captain sputtered and ranted about honor and how his demanded that the “Federation interlopers”, as he put it, should be dealt with. During a break in the tirade, the Commodore cut in. “Captain, let’s not be coy. I know, as well as you, that the vessel that just decloaked off your starboard aft quarter, a K’t’inga class battle cruiser I believe, is a vessel usually reserved for a warrior of some stature. A warlord, perhaps,” the Commodore said. The Klingon captain’s face, showed surprise,anger and humiliation. This only served to fuel the Commodore further. “I also know that your starcharts were updated in the last three weeks and that this portion of the Klingon/ Federation border has never been in dispute. Additionally, I know that your patrol has been in Federation space now for some 12 hours, thus necessitating my patrol’s presence. I can, therefore, surmise that you have lost the favor of said warlord and rather than simply execute you, he has given you orders to engage my patrol. This will either rid himself of your presence and give you a warrior’s death or your victory will serve to regain his trust in addition to giving him valuable intelligence information regarding the refited ships in this patrol,” the Commodore lectured. For his part the Klingon captain simply stared at the Commodore wordlessly. No one saw the Klingon captain signal his Tactical officer to fire but everyone saw the incoming photon torpedo. “Evasive manuevers,” Lilly Standing Rock barked to her Helm officer. At the same time, the Ajax and the Exeter broke formation. The Ajax and the Ares dove beneath the Klingons while the Exeter went head-to-head with the D7. The opening torpedo hammered into the Exeter’s shields but they held. The Ajax’s Tactical officer took the initiative in fighting the closest of the two D12s. Within three minutes, the trailing D12 was dead in the water and adrift. The Ares, chasing down the other D12, was holding her own. The Tactical officer, an Andorian male that Noah hadn’t met previously, was hurling everything but rocks at the other ship. A quick look at the Systems Display showed Noah what he feared: the aggressive strategy was putting an immense strain on the ship’s power reserve. Everytime the Lieutenant missed with a photon torpedo, he would follow up the miss with several shots from the phasers. In time, this could whittle down the D12’s shields but it might cause irreparable damage to the Ares’ Engineering systems. Midthought, the deck beneath Noah’s feet seemed to lurch about five feet to the right. “Direct hit to decks 5, 6 and 7, Captain,” the Tactical officer called out. For her part, Rzrag answered calmly. “All emergency force fields holding on affected decks and Damage Control parties have been dispatched.” “Captain, permission to join the DC Parties,” Noah blurted out. Lilly Standing Rock whipped her head about to see who’d made the request and Noah saw recognition flash across her eyes. “Get to it, Chief. Keep my girl afloat,” the Captain ordered over her shoulder as she turned back to the matter at hand.

Masterson lunged for the turbolift and rebounded off of the back wall. “Main Engineering,” he said, his voice full of impatience. En route, Noah opened a comms channel to Dantes and requested a SITREP. “Chief, I’ve got DC parties heading to the affected areas but I’m not OK with leaving Main Engineering unmanned, so to speak,” Dantes reported. “No, I don’t like it either. What’s the closest DC party to my current location,” Noah asked in response. “I sent Johnson, Xam Ni-Ghovloleii and Rozka to Deck 7. They’re forward of you by eight corridors,” Dantes said. “OK. You stay in Main Engineering; you know the Ares better than I do and can better direct the DC efforts from there. I’m going to link up with….who’s the ranking man on that Deck 7 party,” Noah asked, interrupting himself. “That would be Ni-Ghovloleii, sir,” Dantes answered. “Right. I’m going to link up with Ni-Ghovloleii’s DC party at…” he rapidly scanned the turbolift’s location display “Junction 15-Epsilon. I’ll stay with them until Deck 7 is secured or unless I’m needed elsewhere,” Noah ordered. Looking at the power distribution schematic next to the location display reminded him. “Dantes, I’m sure you’re aware of this but stay on top of the power reserves for the weapons as well as the digital relays. The Tac officer up there could wreck our systems in a hurry,” John said. He heard Dantes’ mirthless chuckle on the other end of the channel. “Yeah, he doesn’t like missing targets but he’s not very good at hitting them either.” Noah acknnowledged and shut down the channel. He had just finished rerouting the turbolift when the whole ship lurched again; this time, however, it felt as though the weapons had actually impacted lower on the ship, further down on the umbilical connection to the warp nacelle. Several more glancing blows jarred Noah’s feet through the decking but he tried to focus on the job at hand. When the turbolift opened on Deck 7, chaos reigned supreme. Flickering lights, arcing electrical wiring and screams of pain assaulted Noah. He took a deep breath and stepped out into the corridor. He scanned the walls around him and found what he was looking for: a small panel about a meter wide and a meter high, set into the wall and bearing the colors and livery of the Engineering Department. Noah knew that the emergency stash held a hazard suit and an assortment of tools that he might need. It also contained emergency medical supplies; DC parties often times had to stabilize any casualties in the area long before medical personnel could arrive. He opened the panel and pulled out the hazard suit. This he threw on over his duty uniform before he dipped back into the panel for the tool bag. He had just set the bag down and was going back for the medical kit when he heard approaching voices and foot falls. Noah looked over his shoulder and saw Xam Ni-Ghovloleii and his DC party coming up one of the adjoining corridors. “Sorry to surprise you, Chief,” Xam began explaining, “but we got finished ahead of time and thought we’d better see what we could do here.” Noah saw Johnson and one other crewmember, whose name eluded for the moment, lifting debris off of a prone figure. “Don’t apologise, Xam. That’s good judgment on your part; sounds like you had good training, too,” Noah said reassuringly. The two of them moved to assist the others in assessing and stabilizing the injured. Once the most serious injured had been stabilized, the Party moved on and got into their element: fixing the wounded ship. Deck Seven was primarily living quarters, thus the high number of injuries, but Noah knew that each of the ship’s deck was lined with power conduits and main power lines. “Xam: take three people and check the lines and conduits aft. I’ll do the same with the others Once we’re done…” he didn’t have a chance to finish. The ship lurched and rolled to the port side. Everyone struggled to keep their feet for a moment before the ship’s comms system blared to life. “All DC Parties to Main Engineering! All DC Parties to Main Engineering,” said a shaken, haggard sounding Dantes. Xam had motioned his team into a waiting turbolift and Noah hustled to join them. Noah fought the urge to slap his hand on the comm panel switch in the turbolift car. He knew that he’d get all the information soon enough.

Once the turbolift opened on Main Engineering, Noah guessed what had happened. He figured that one of the Klingon ships had worn down the Ares’ already taxed shields and then got a lucky shot in. That lucky shot had hit Engineering or close enough to it that the main power distribution nodes, otherwise known as the mains. were knocked offline. Noah found Dantes, a large gash on his forehead covering the man’s face with blood, slumped against the console, his hand near the transmit button. Noah caught the junior officer as he lost his purchase on the console and gently lowered him to the deck. Noah could see instantly that Dantes was slipping into shock; he needed to get Medical folks down here because he needed every Engineering crewmember working on the ship. Xam Ni-Ghovloleii knelt alongside Dantes and helped Noah stabilize the fallen man. “Xam,” Noah started, “we need to divide and conquer this situation. Can you take a team and start the manual reset of the mains?” Xam nodded before he spoke. “How many people can I have, Chief,” was his only question. “Leave me five able bodies; you can have anyone else you can find,” Noah ordered. Xam nodded his commitment, stood up and began calling out names. After he finished his litany of names, thirteen crewmembers followed Xam. Noah reached up to the panel and slapped the comms switch. “Bridge, Masterson here. Mains are down but I’ve already got teams doing a manual reset. I need as much Medical response down here as you can send.” Noah wasn’t concentrating on the response so much as making sure he got one. He was already handing out instructions to able bodies. A crewmember wearing a Medical smock arrived and Noah was able to move on. He grabbed two crewmembers and took them to the Main Intermix chamber. “You” he pointed to a human female “go to the top. Get on one of the consoles and make sure that we still have solid intermix figures. If we don’t, start running them.” The crewmember scurried over to an elevator, found it inoperative and began clambering up the ladder. Noah grabbed the other crewmember, a Rigellan male, by the arm and propelled him toward the nearest intact console. “Stay here. Make sure that the secondaries stay online. If we lose them, we won’t be breathing for long,” Noah said, hoping the weight of his words stuck with the Rigellan. For his part, the crewmember simply nodded and focused on the console. The next three hours were a blur for Noah. The mains proved temperamental and it took an enormous amount of coaxing from Xam and his crew to keep them online. Noah stayed at the Main Intermix Chamber, directing DC parties while keeping his eye on the Master Systems Display. In the middle of the third hour, a message from the Bridge came to him. He had assigned a young Andorian ensign to act as a yeoman and communications officer for him. She’d done well, giving the Bridge regular status updates as well as event updates. “Chief, you’re wanted on the Bridge,” she said simply, handing Noah a cup of something hot. Noah took the proffered cup and turned to Xam, who had been giving Noah his latest update. “Keep an eye on things, will ya” Noah asked the other man. Although they’d only been working together for a short time, a bond of mutual trust and professional competency had formed. Xam nodded and walked over to the console that Noah had just vacated. He heard Xam politely ask the ensign to inform the Bridge that Noah was en route.

When the turbolift opened on the Bridge, the first thing that caught Noah’s eye was the tactical display. It showed that one of the D-12 Birds of Prey was adrift, probably with minimal life support Noah’s experienced eye told him. The other D-12 was hovering near the aft quarter of what was left of the D-7. A third ship, the K’t’inga which had decloaked just before the battle had commenced, was closer now but keeping a respectful distance. Noah moved to check on Rzrag at the Engineering station; it was not necessary as the Saurian ensign was fine. Captain Standing Rock was hunched over the Tactical console, having a quiet conversation with the Tactical officer. She saw Noah enter the Bridge out of the corner of her eye and finished her conversation abruptly, as though she’d been waiting on Noah to arrive. “Engineering reports that we’re battered and bloody, but still very much still in the fight, Captain,” Noah reported when the Captain looked at him. He looked down at the blood-soaked, soot-smeared hazard suit he was wearing and cringed. He should have stripped it off when he was summoned. “My apologies about my appearance, Captain,” he added lamely. “No worries, Chief. If anyone should have a messy uniform, it’s the Chief Engineer of a fighting vessel,” the Captain replied with an easy smile. “Open a channel to the Commodore,” Lily Standing Rock ordered. Instantly, the previous split screen arrangement popped up on the tactical viewer. The bridge of the Commodore’s vessel show signs of damage; the Ajax’s captain was haggard and weary looking. “Still in the fight, Commodore,” Lily reported proudly. “Well done, Captain. I had heard stories of how your ancestors considered it a far greater victory to count coup upon an enemy than to defeat them outright. I never thought I’d live to see it carried out,” the Commodore said approvingly. Noah wondered about the comment; he’d ask the XO later. “Commodore, we’re being hailed by the commander of the K’t’inga, a Warlord Kadq,” the Commodore’s comms officer said from off-screen. “On screen,” the Commodore ordered. The face that appeared was a kind Noah was much more familiar with. It was what he thought of as a “normal” Klingon visage, not like the one he’d seen earlier. This face was bisected by a long scar that started at the warrior’s ran down the right side, through a marled eye and ended just above the middle of the upper lip beneath the nose. He spoke first. “I am Warlord Kadq of the Klingon Empire. I witnessed everything that occurred. I had been dispatched by the High Council to recall Captain Pacg. It seems that subversive factions within our government infiltrated his ship and uploaded erroneous maps and starcharts,” the Warlord explained. “I am Commodore Serus of the Starship Exeter. Please convey to the High Council that your man fired first and that we had warned him he had strayed into Federation territory. I had wanted to resolve this matter with no shots fired but the late Captain Pacg forced my hand,” the Vulcan said, expressionless. “Very well,” the Warlord began, “but I must ask: how are we to deal with the issue of retrieving the remains and the remaining Klingon property?” The Commodore thought for a moment then replied. “One of my ships will use a tractor beam to transfer the remains to you. It will push the remains across the boundary line, thus ensuring that the sovereign nature of both parties remain intact. But what of your other ship? My scans show life signs still aboard and failing systems,” the Commodore inquired. A single proton torpedo answered the Commodore’s question. It slammed into the remaining Bird of Prey’s reactor compartment and breached the ship’s warp core. In the blink of an eye, the vessel was so much debris. The Warlord simply grinned. “What other vessel,” he asked, a tone of menace in his voice. The portion of the viewer that contained his image went black, signalling that he had shut off communications. “Captain Standing Rock, please deliver that Klingon property across the boundary,” the Commodore ordered. Lily Standing Rock acknowledged and handed out orders on her bridge. The transfer went smoothly and the K’t’inga left the area rapidly. “It was more likely that Captain Pacg had fallen out of favor with the Warlord and was ordered to test our abilities and our refit ships while sacrificing himself and his retinue,” the Commodore commented. “So, they know what we’re capable of and how we’re likely to react,” Lily asked. “Precisely, Captain. The Earth armies of the 20th century had a name for this, I believe: reconnaissance by fire. Only, I don’t think they would sacrifice those doing the reconnaissance,” the Commodore explained. The Commodore issued orders to return to base for repairs. Noah didn’t even note the passage of time. He was too busy working to get the ship back to a state where the dockyard would only need to tackle the major repairs. Once the Ares docked, the Captain called Noah to her Ready Room again. “Sorry, Chief. You received a new set of orders,” she explained once Noah had arrived. He took the proffered orders and everything froze. The non-descript Vulcan male reappeared off to Noah’s right. “This concludes your evaluation period, Lieutenant. Once I finish speaking, you will be able to acquire your original clothing and return to duty,” the officer explained. It went on to detail how the test would graded and how long Noah should expect to wait for an answer. He didn’t listen much. He was too busy looking at the faces of the crew he never had. He was so lost in his own world that he missed hearing the hologram prompt him for any questions the first time. “Huh,” Noah said, looking at the Vulcan in confusion. “Do you have any questions, Lieutenant?” “Uh...two, actually,” Noah said. He understood the inquisitive look on the hologram’s face to mean “Go on” and he did. “May I keep this uniform for sentimental reasons,” he asked. The hologram considered this for a moment and then replied. “The disposition of that uniform has no bearing on the evaluation. If you would like to keep it, that is your decision,” the hologram said. Noah simply nodded at this. “The other question, Lieutenant,” the program asked. “Can you give me a holoprint of the Senior Staff as well as the Engineering Department with me in them as well,” he asked. Epilogue Noah stepped into his quarters. He sat a pair of slim packages on the table and then went to his closet and hung the new-old uniform up. He was about to unwrap the packages when he noticed he had a personal message awaiting his notice. He moved to the desk terminal and went through the process of opening the message. He scanned the header and got to the heart of the matter: he was being sent on leave on Starbase Cumberbatch before being transferred to Starbase Everest. He transferred the orders to his PADD and then began packing. The first thing he packed was the two plain packages followed by his new-old uniform.