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+--- Thread: AQ/D01 - Bridge (/showthread.php?tid=662)
AQ/D01 - Bridge - Daniel Brooks - 04-13-2026
==SEE WIKI PAGE FOR BRIDGE LAYOUT==
RE: AQ/D01 - Bridge - Daniel Brooks - 06-23-2026
==TIMELINE ON DOCKING==
As the Aquila came into space dock it seemed like a long time since they were here last and was a welcoming sight.
At the helm was Lieutenant Junior Grade Timothy Southwell, he joined the Aquila when the crews were merged and had come across as a very competent officer. Even through he mainly kept himself to himself and served mostly on the late shift in the crew rotas which wasn't under heard of that these officers didn't really socialize as much as day officers.
Daniel went and took the center chair but he wasn't really doing much just watching as the crew expertly place the Aquila into her dock, the docking clamps went on and the ship powered down.
"How we doing this evening Lieutenant Southwell? he inquired in a friendly tone.
"Good thank you Captain, I didn't expect to see you this evening."
Daniel nodded, "You are very correct on that Mr Southwell. Sometimes it is good just to come and watch the procedure and make sure everything is done correctly which in this case it has."
In the back of the Captains mind Southwell did deserve a promotion but for some reason he had rejected it twice.
"Southwell, may I ask you a question, why won't you become a full Lieutenant?"
The officer turned in his chair, "To be honest Sir, I am happy where I am, I don't want the extra workload or what ever else may come with the promotion, I prefer to do what I do and do it well." he replied.
Brooks nodded in agreement, some officers had indeed stepped into roles and could see they were struggling and wish they hadn't.
"That is very commendable and man needs to know his limitations and what he does best." replied Brooks with a smile,
"But one day... you might just accept it." he sat forward in the center chair for a moment,
"Recently I been feeling reflective on my career and who's come and gone, how life goes on without them, sometimes it can be difficult and other times like today we will be getting a new Middy joining us which is fantastic and I'm looking forward to seeing how their career goes within the fleet. I know mine never went where I expected it to go."
Southwell nodded and replied, "Yes, experiences do change you and that is one thing that can't be helped."
Dan sat back in the chair and said, "Yes they certainly do."
==Tag anyone, inc Diaz to report in==
RE: AQ/D01 - Bridge - Beno Velaul - 06-24-2026
Quickly making it to the bridge there was only one place for her to be, at the Captain’s right. As she entered the turbo lift Beno made sure her uniform was on and correct. There had been a few things that happened since the end of the last mission, one that warranted a talk with the Captain. It’s a personal thing that she had no intention of hiding, especially from him.
As they were getting closer to the station, Beno gave a nod to Daniel before claiming her seat. For some reason it felt different today than before in more than one way. Beno quickly dismissed it as just state of mind. The mission took a lot out of her, it also gave her an insight to politics. Perhaps one day she could go toe to toe with the best of them, but for now she will take it as it came.
==Tag Docking timeline==
RE: AQ/D01 - Bridge - Alexander Talion - 06-24-2026
Alex stepped off the turbolift only a few seconds after Beno had. He grinned at the fact that the senior officers all appeared to have the same habit. When leaving or arriving at a station or a major rendezvous on a mission, you tried to be there, just in case. Most of the time it was nothing, but in those rare instances when something unexpected happened, you wanted your top people on hand to help deal with it. Alex felt it was just a good professional habit, and it made him feel good that the CO and FO also felt that way, even though none of them had said anything to the others.
He logged in to his station as they dropped out of warp and while they were under impulse power, coming in past the outer markers, he stole a glance at Beno, seated in her customary position next to the Captain. He couldn't quite put his finger on it, but there was something different about how she was sitting there today. He had barely started to think about it when he detected an open thought from her that explained it enough. A hint of a grin threatened to betray his own thoughts, so he looked away and pretended to be interested in his console while he composed himself once more.
Alex realized that life on the ship would never be the same for him again...and he was good with that.
== Tag Docking timeline ==
RE: AQ/D01 - Bridge - Cologero Coppola - 06-24-2026
==Docking timeline ==
Getting on the Bridge Cologero noticed he was the fourth person there, the space station was insight on the viewer. Cologero wax happy to see it, he left the place as a green Officer returning as Chief of his station. Advancement of any kind was good, it will be a while before he would get another.
Cologero went to the center of the room infront of CO and FO. "Acting Chief of Tactical reporting in." Cologero knew he didn't need to report like that again, he just thought it would be nice. He was a new Department head making it it his first day again, reporting in seemed to be appropriate.
After being acknowledged by the Commanding Officer Cologero took his place at weapons control. There were new options available to him now that were not before, the power cells of phasers were fully charged as all Torpedoes were accounted for. They had a few areas that required attention due to maintenance scheduling, it was best to keep ahead of these things. All systems were green making the lock down process easier, they were docking soon making it essential the weapons were locked down. When Ethan got there the helm was his, Cologero couldn't wait to see him report in.
==Tag==
RE: AQ/D01 - Bridge - Ethan Diaz - 07-04-2026
== Docking Timeline ==
Ethan had barely slept the night before. This was it. Primary Operating Duty Shift. The first of many watches. This wasn't a theoretical exercise, a sim session, or an apprentice cruise. Today, it was the real thing--and with primary watch standers on the bridge, no less. The Man himself would be looking over his shoulder at some point. He was, to borrow a phrase from the Embarkation Officer, "in for it".
Speaking of which, he wasn't the only junior officer up on the lists today. Nearly every midshipman that had come aboard alongside Ethan on the transfer run was either a few days into their new job or going on duty for the first time this evening. Whether they were a software technician, astrophysicist's assistant, or just a jarhead walking the lower decks with a hand phaser, they all had the jitters. Every junior officer had the same singular goal of proving themselves, and the same unthinkable fear of dropping the ball in front of their superiors. It gave them something to talk about, at least.
Heading into a shift with only two or three hours of sleep under your belt was never advisable, but Ethan had made sure to compensate with a large meal of steak and eggs drowned in gravy and about a gallon of orange juice. The officers' mess was full of new arrivals sitting together at their designated end of table (where the lieutenants could keep a close eye on them). It was a fairly common occurrence during the first few weeks, from what Ethan understood. Open crew lounges were far less formal and were far more suited to the kind of socializing that came after serving with the same people for a few years. In that way, he supposed being in Starfleet wasn't too different from his first days of high school. All you had to do was find your people.
No one mentioned it, of course, but Ethan could practically feel the raw nerves of his shipmates seated around him. However well-trained and capable officers may be, they were all still very, very anxious at this stage. "Watch your back, man. The ensigns can smell fear," a woman across from Ethan had warned. It reminded him of an old joke that was told to every new class at Starfleet Academy. The story went that on one occasion, an admiral was inspecting a ship's crew on duty, and when he came to the quarterdeck, he happened upon a recruit and a midshipman, both fresh out of training. Naturally, upon sighting the admiral, both came to the position of attention. The admiral looked to the recruit first and asked "Am I making you nervous, son?", to which the young man replied, "Yes, sir." The admiral addressed the midshipman next, and was displeased to find them trembling in apparent fear.
"Am I making you nervous, midshipman?" Asked the admiral.
"Very much so, admiral," answered the young officer.
"Now, that won't do at all. This young recruit here is standing perfectly still. So why are you, a commissioned officer, shaking like a leaf?"
Without missing a beat, the midshipman replied: "Sir, if I wasn't shaking, you wouldn't be able to tell us apart."
It always got a laugh, but there was some truth to it. Ethan just hoped it wouldn't be true in his case. After finishing his meal, he began his first, fateful journey up to Deck 1. The pair of turbolifts that led the main bridge could only be directly accessed by a handful of individuals on the ship. Bridge Crew Clearance was a sacred thing, and the bridge of a starship was hallowed ground. Starfleet was the furnace, and the bridge was the mold. Being a fully-certified watch stander wasn't an easy milestone to reach, and it earned you a little more respect than the average officer.
In other words, Ethan would have to be exceedingly careful. He was an officer, yes--but to the people up here, he was just a below-average graduate with a ring and a dream.
He stepped inside, listened to the door hiss shut, and shot upward toward the next thirty years of his life. Here goes nothing.
Twenty seconds later, the door hissed open, and Ethan emerged into a spacious, mostly empty room with dark flooring. He'd never set foot in here before, but after having studied a dozen different versions of this same layout, he recognized the place well enough. All was exactly where it usually was--including the helmsman's chair.
Right away, his eyes found the Captain and First Officer seated in the center of the room. Two thirds of the brass, in the flesh. He recognized Lieutenant Coppola at the main TC station as well. Looking over to his right, Ethan then saw what he presumed was the ship's science officer already at work. One or two more people would probably be joining them soon, but in the meantime. . .
Ethan made his way smartly over to the command station, stopping on the left side, assuming the position of attention, and turning sharply on his right heel to face Captain Brooks. "Good evening, sir. Midshipman Diaz, reporting as ordered."
== Open Tag. Sorry for the delay everyone. ==
RE: AQ/D01 - Bridge - Daniel Brooks - 07-07-2026
Brooks was busy checking his terminal on the command chair as he eyes came up to see a young Midshipman arriving to attention.
"Good evening, sir. Midshipman Diaz, reporting as ordered." said the officer at attention.
"Good evening Midshipman Diaz, I have been expecting you." he replied with a smile,
"I'm Captain Brooks... Daniel Brooks and this is my First Officer Commander Velaul. Welcome aboard the Aquila Mr Diaz."
Brooks then added, "You can relax now Diaz." indicating with his hand to relax out of being stood to attention.
"I'm sure Mr Coppola will have something for you to do while we finish our docking manovers ."
==Tag Diaz and everyone else==
RE: AQ/D01 - Bridge - Ethan Diaz - 07-07-2026
Ethan relaxed and gave the pair of them a nod. "Thank you, sir." Should he say something else? No, better not make things awkward. This was just another day at the office for the rest of the bridge crew. Just behave normally and focus on your work, Ethan told himself. He knew from his divisional briefing packet that the ship would be docking today, possibly to take on supplies or additional crew. That meant standard operations up here--nothing he hadn't been trained to handle. The pause would also give him time to go over the specifics of his control interface too.
"I'm sure Mr. Coppola will have something for you to do while we finish our docking maneuvers," the Captain added.
"Yes, sir. Thank you, sir," Ethan answered. His mouth was dry, and he'd left his stomach at the bottom of the turbolift, but once he turned to look out at the glittering void filling up the main viewscreen, he could feel some of his anxiety ebb away. He'd finally made it. That was a win. He just needed an hour or two to settle in, and then he'd be fine.
Ethan only needed a second to gather himself before stepping smartly over to his station and sitting down. Yes--he'd been through all this. Different systems, different scenarios, but the processes were the same. He scanned the helm control panel, taking note of his current system readouts.
Standard Approach Guidance locked, one-quarter impulse. Output control settings are pretty fluid, but those can always be adjusted. Easy tie-ins to Engineering and Maneuvering subsystems management. We're all good, he thought to himself.
The navigational mainframe was running a closed autopilot function; that was normal when docking a ship this size. Basically all you had to do was set the ship's computer to receive a bundled IFF/Exterior Scan signal from the station, and then its Space Traffic Control algorithm did the rest. Manual docking was also an option of course, but such maneuvers were typically performed at the Commanding Officer's discretion. For now, all Ethan had to do was sit back, relax, and wait for orders.
== Open Tag ==
RE: AQ/D01 - Bridge - Cologero Coppola - 07-11-2026
Happy to see Ethan report in was like how he did for the first time, he was nervous to go through it for the first time. Cologero was almost done locking his station he was watching the ship dock. It really put the last mission behind them with the next one coming, what that was going to be was a mystery.
Going up to the helm Cologero took a knee beside Ethan. "Welcome to the Bridge." Cologero started. "I have entered information into the system that can help, what we can do before structure failure and how to shore up sections to prevent it from happening." He had entered a lot into the system with more to come, all in an effort to prevent the ship from falling apart.
"We should go over a few things later, when it hits the fan we really need to flow together." It was something they needed to work on before it hits the fan, if they did their job right Tactical would be the shielding umbrella. "If you wasn't we can talk about these things in a few hours?" They can do the meeting in quarters later, right now was about enjoying the moment. "Anything you want to go over now?" He was new so there could be a lot.
==Tag==
RE: AQ/D01 - Bridge - Alexander Talion - 07-11-2026
Fortunately, there was little needed for Science to do as they docked. Talion's presence on the Bridge was purely formality and something he simply tried to do as part of his professional habits. He was composed once again and the moment was close to boring and routine until his gaze fell upon the FO again.
Alex's heart nearly skipped a beat and he actually had to make a deliberate effort to break his train of thought. He had worked closely with his first wife, but it had not been as distracting as this felt. He could now understand the precautions that were often taken to avoid such situations. He took a deep breath and used one of the mental disciplines he had been taught long ago. It helped him to clear his mind, though part of him didn't want to. A grin slid onto his face at the inner conflict. It was a good thing to have to wrestle with. Of all the things that could task a man to keep his mind on work, the affections of a beautiful woman had to be one of the better ones to pick. He would simply have to take strong precautions as then moved forward. It would not be acceptable for him to compromise either of their positions regarding their obligations and professional duties.
== Just staying in the loop ==
RE: AQ/D01 - Bridge - Kalli Thorn - 07-11-2026
It was a rare moment that Kalli came onto the Bridge these days. Her duties kept her busy with the rest of the ship, but like the rest, she often liked to be there for the docking. She preferred being in Engineering for launches, most of the time, just in case, but Docking allowed her to get in a last minute word with the CO, knowing he would be there and a captive audience.
She quietly walked over near the Captain and gave the CO and FO both a look and a nod, "Captain...Commander..." Then addressed the CO, "Sir, I've not seen anything come across my desk about anything requiring their dock crews to be on our ship, but it never hurts to ask. Is there anything I should be aware of that might have them sneaking in and trying to get in some updates or anything? I really hate those kind of surprises and our scheduled maintenance roster is looking very good right now."
== Tag Bridge Crew ==
RE: AQ/D01 - Bridge - Ethan Diaz - 07-18-2026
Try as he might, Ethan couldn't bring himself to just ride the autopilot all the way to the dock, so he leaned forward and went over his panel again, delving back into his memories of the Basic Flight and Navigation Course. Now that he was actually on the bridge of a real starship, most of the lessons were coming back to him pretty quickly. Being a new exploratory platform, the Ross-class brought a few changes to certain interface systems, but for the most part, the EMCs resembled those of most ships that had been built over the past 15 years or so. Ethan was so lost in all of it that he almost didn't notice Lieutenant Coppola rise from his seat to approach him.
"Welcome to the Bridge," he said, dropping down to one knee. "I have entered information into the system that can help, what we can do before structure failure and how to shore up sections to prevent it from happening."
"Thank you sir, I appreciate that," Ethan replied. The corner of his mouth curled upward in a nervous smile as he tried to find his next words. "I saw those direct input links for the emergency seals and damage control subroutines and whatnot. I'm guessing that was you. It's a good setup."
"We should go over a few things later, when it hits the fan we really need to flow together," Coppola continued.
"I'm with you there, sir."
"If you wasn't we can talk about these things in a few hours?"
Ethan considered it for a moment before nodding slowly. "I'm always open to instruction sir. Just let me know the time and place and I'll work it in to my schedule."
The offer made sense. Even though it was his first day on the job, it was important for a ship's Conning Team (the Officer of the Deck, the helmsman, and the navigator) to establish a solid rapport so they could anticipate and react to each other within seconds. The three of them would set the pace for the entire bridge crew, and when they all worked together and did everything by the book, they would operate like a well-oiled machine.
"Anything you want to go over now?" The Lieutenant added.
"Nothing comes to mind at the moment, sir. The system seems pretty intuitive. I should be ready to open up manual control once we're on the outbound run."
== Open Tag ==
RE: AQ/D01 - Bridge - Cologero Coppola - 07-21-2026
Nodding in agreement about the changes he made, Ethan picked up on them right away. There were patterns that were meant for a last stand situation. If these manuvers were used it wax a desperate situation, they were designed to change will die to might.
"Yes there is one manuver I would love to talk about." Cologero pulled up a small display of the manuver. "This one I call drop the acher where the back end swings out like a drift, depending on the situation we might engage the warp drive to get out of the situation." If this manuver was done correctly they can make a quick exit.
"When you had a chance to be better situated I would love to go over how we can work in sync, we will only have verbal communication at times. Shorthand talk might be preferred, fractions of seconds count." Cologero wanted to know him better too for a better understanding, they need something that was only theirs. Eventually they would get to the point both will be able to detect what the other is doing without talking, that would be a solid dynamic.
==Tag==
RE: AQ/D01 - Bridge - Daniel Brooks - 07-23-2026
==Docking timeline==
Commander Velaul took her seat next to him to his right but they only really exchanged a few words as the ship came into dock, on the travel back, Brooks had mainly been held up in his Ready Room or his quarters trying to sort out all the political complications from their last mission even through Command were contemplating sending a full on envoy over to see if they could assist in ways only Brooks dared to think.
In fact it all had been a lot of mental dealings and it taken it toll a bit. It would be nice to get on a little relax and then maybe head out into another mission a lot less complicated then the last one. He kind of admired Velaul in how she handled herself, it was then his mind went onto something else, about what ever was going on between her and Commander Talion, he knew there would be a moment when Beno would want to explain things to him but now wasn't the time.
Lieutenant Thorn arrived on the Bridge and took his mind off the stuff that he didn't really need to be thinking about right now,
Captain...Commander..." Then addressed the CO, "Sir, I've not seen anything come across my desk about anything requiring their dock crews to be on our ship, but it never hurts to ask. Is there anything I should be aware of that might have them sneaking in and trying to get in some updates or anything? I really hate those kind of surprises and our scheduled maintenance roster is looking very good right now."
Brooks nodded, "I haven't heard anything either in anything coming from Command, just do your usual checks with a skeleton crew as always, I know they said there was a couple of upgrades to be done but we can do them, nothing that exciting this time." he replied with a smile.
"You might be able to enjoy your time off this shore leave and make the most of it Lieutenant." he added
Turning to Beno he said, "I believe my usual medical is due, if you can see if anyone else is up for their annual review it would be good and try get the Doc to book them in just as we leave base rather then disturbing their break as I think everyone deserves one."
==Tag Thorn & Velaul==
RE: AQ/D01 - Bridge - Beno Velaul - 07-23-2026
One of the best views Beno had was the ship docking, it always felt like a bit of a release. She also agreed that it was time for her physical as well, there would need to parts of the test that needs to be omitted. Beno could feel something different with Velaul, it wasn't dangerous to her at all.
"Under the circumstances I believe it's time." The atmosphere of the planet could have come with unintended side effects, much like a bug bite. To her it could mean the difference between life, and being a memory for the next host. Soon Beno heard Cologero talk about a meeting with his Midshipman, it wasn't a bad idea.
"That sounds like a great idea Lieutenant I would like a meeting with you as well, just so we can sync up as well." Beno enjoyed a close relationship with his predecessor, it would take some time to develop that kind of relationship. Eventually she was going to have a one on one with all department heads, then one more with them all.
==Tag==
RE: AQ/D01 - Bridge - Cologero Coppola - 07-24-2026
Hearing the First Officer expressing an interest in a meeting Cologero had a small panic attack, until he realized her purpose was the same as his. "Just tell me the where and when, I will be there Commander. There are a few things I want to talk to you about as well, if we are going to work closer together." She knew the rest of it so he didn't have to get into it.
Cologero wanted to make sure they were going to make a great team, he had heard stories about her. The fact she was well balanced out, both professional and personal. Even in the rare times she needed to discipline it wax in order to build them up. Cologero never believed in tearing people down, neither did she.
==Tag==
RE: AQ/D01 - Bridge - Beno Velaul - 07-26-2026
Beno got a little laugh in from his response, it was also a reminder that she needed the big meeting first. There were a few things she needed to say, one of them more important than the other. “Captain.” Her voice was trying to get back to normal. “There are a couple sensitive items we should talk about soon, one I am aware that has already come to your attention.” Beno was sure that even the barber knew about it too.
“Daniel.” Beno has never used his first name like that before, it meant that something personal. “Anytime at your leisure.” Beno had no way of knowing if he had important business to attend to, the upside was the same as the downside. More time to think about what to say, these were three things she never seen herself talking about with anyone.
==Tag==
RE: AQ/D01 - Bridge - Alexander Talion - 07-27-2026
Alex felt the shift in Beno's approach with the CO, though it didn't take a telepath to notice that. The change in her voice, the use of the first name only and then there was her body language as well. She was still preparing to talk to him. Alex wasn't sure if he would be there for the conversation or not, but was prepared to pivot either direction with it. He had to let her handle this in her own way, respecting her enough to trust in her ability to handle it all appropriately. It was a new experience for him, having someone that he felt so much more of an equal with.
For the moment, Alex would continue to stand at his station and observe them coming in. The docking process was certainly nothing very exciting, but he valued routine at times like this. There were some things that he liked to be predictable and almost boring. It gave a feeling of security in the foundational practices they often tried so hard to teach the crew.
The turn of events had permanently altered how he viewed Beno. He had worried about Reyna and how they would get along, but it turned out he needn't have worried at all. Not only was Reyna not clashing with this new woman in his life, but they had bonded unlike anything he could have anticipated. Beno turned out to be quite a maternal sort at heart and had a way with Reyna that was quite disarming. It was no secret that his daughter was far smarter than she should be, but Beno simply sidestepped that and focused on the emotional and personal aspects, thus instantly leveling the field and showing a wisdom he envied. He supposed it had something to do with Velaul's previous experiences combined with her own, but it could not be denied that it worked very well.
Not wanting to give too much away, he resisted giving her a wink, but couldn't resist just a little more hint of a grin than his usual stoic self.
== Tag ==
RE: AQ/D01 - Bridge - Daniel Brooks - 07-27-2026
“Captain.” said the FO as her voice was trying to get back to normal. “There are a couple sensitive items we should talk about soon, one I am aware that has already come to your attention.”
Daniel looked at her and raised an eyebrow,
“Daniel.” Beno has never used his first name like that before, it meant that something personal. “Anytime at your leisure.”
Dan gave a small nod, "We can do once we are in dock, have a chat in the Ready Room?" he replied knowing that sometimes ship gossip could be wrong or get something out of context so it would be far better hearing it from the person involved.
Life went on regardless of the latest gossip and Daniel knew that these things could be difficult to come and talk to the Captain about as he had it himself in the past but he liked the way him and Beno's friendship had grown, along with how she had grown since the first time he met her when he was on another ship. Whatever she was going to confirmed to him it wouldn't really change his view point of her.
==Tag Velaul==
RE: AQ/D01 - Bridge - Ethan Diaz - 07-28-2026
"When you had a chance to be better situated, I would love to go over how we can work in sync, we will only have verbal communication at times. Shorthand talk might be preferred, fractions of seconds count."
"No problem, sir," Ethan assured his superior. "As I said, I'm always open to instruction."
He turned back to his console, watching the thrust levels on the impulse engines start to drop as the autopilot slowed the ship for final approach. A docking clearance ping came through, and the guidance lock kicked in. He kept one ear open as the brass spoke behind him. The entire bridge crew was present now. Once the Aquila was safely docked, the rest of the hands would likely be standing down for a more relaxed work schedule, unless the captain had something different in mind. He'd heard rumors about a new mission coming up soon, new orders from Fleet Expeditionary Command and whatnot, but that didn't necessarily mean anything. People were always jawing about the next mission. Of course, being on the bridge, one tended to have much more accurate information, being so close to the captain and all. It was one of the many advantages of working up here.
One thing at a time, Ethan reminded himself. Even if there was another job right around the corner, a ship like this couldn't go rushing off half-cocked.
== Tag ==
RE: AQ/D01 - Bridge - Cologero Coppola - 07-28-2026
Going back to his station Cologero had a part to do as well, the docking clamps were almost aligned before they were engaged. The rest of the procedure was straight forward, the ship was safe and secure. "Captain the docking procedure has been completed." There was a small shift in the ship suggesting the docking clamps were engaged.
"Everything is secure now we should be able to walk off the ship shortly." It was nice to lock down his station again, now they were free to move about. It seemed like there were going to be a few meetings going on. Cologero thought it was a really good idea to do, from the tone of the First Officer combined with the briefest of glances of the Chief Science Officer. Cologero could guess it involved him, if true he was happy for them both.
"Midshipman good job the final task is to lock your station." The final thing to wait for was an official dismissal,it was just good policy.
==Tag==
RE: AQ/D01 - Bridge - Ethan Diaz - 08-03-2026
The whole docking process took maybe five minutes. Ethan sat back and watched as the Aquila continued to glide serenely along her preset course. The station loomed larger and larger on the viewscreen, the sides of the docking slip aligned perfectly with the approaching vessel. Every tiny variation that was required to keep her level was handled by the computer. The docking clamps were opened, then there was the last-second burst from the maneuvering thrusters to slow them down for final approach. At about 100 meters or so, the impulse engines were shut off completely, and inertia did the rest. A heavy metallic creak that echoed throughout the superstructure signaled that the docking clamps had been engaged. Finally, a system alert appeared on the main helm interface: "ALL STOP - SECURE FROM DOCKING CYCLE".
At this point, it was safe for Ethan to leave his station. The only way the ship could come lose now was with a "shove-off" safety lock signal that could only be sent one-way from STC and had to be confirmed on the Captain's panel. Technically, the proper procedure was to wait until the Captain dismissed them, but on most ships that was just a formality. Ethan turned to look over his shoulder and saw that some of the senior officers were already on their way out. Then, with perfect timing, Lieutenant Coppola told him to lock his station. The midshipman nodded and did so with practiced ease. "Aye, sir."
While he waited for Captain Brooks to address them, Ethan wondered how he ought to spend his first couple hours of off-time. Some of the other new officers he'd been dining with in the wardroom had arranged to do some stuff on the holodeck, which was tempting, but perhaps it would be better to squeeze in some last-minute coursework. Cross-training with Maneuvering Section down in Engineering was always an option too, assuming he wasn't assigned to a Non-Duty Watch up here. Or maybe he'd just get some more sleep.
In any event, Ethan was relieved there'd been nothing for him to screw up. For his first shift, things had been perfectly uneventful.
== Tag ==
RE: AQ/D01 - Bridge - GM-Braggins - 08-19-2026
==At some point following the Aquila's previous mission==
While docked, a skeleton crew manned the Bridge, mostly junior officers or enlisted not quite on the fast track to command, but considered capable enough to be left to their own devices.
It was during one such shift that an emergency message was delivered, priority one. The signal came from a Supply Ship, the USS Lowry, and was as succinct as it was alarming.
[FROM: Commanding Officer, USS Lowry
TO: Any Federation Starship in range
Starbase 214 blockaded by Cardassian escort squadron. Cardassian invasion fleet crossing border. Fleet comprises three Escorts, three Battlecruisers, one Dreadnought. Lowry withdrawing. USS Yeager remains on-station. Current status, unknown. Immediate reinforcement requested.]
With trembling hands, the duty officer downloaded the message to a PADD, requested relief from the next senior officer available, and bolted to get the Captain.
RE: AQ/D01 - Bridge - Daniel Brooks - 08-19-2026
==Temp NPC Lieutenant Junior Grade Timothy Southwell Tactical==
Timothy had been with the Aquila since it's launch but had very little ambition to go any higher in the ranks. He had found his niches and he didn't really get along with people, he liked to keep himself to himself, within this he usually volunteered to be on the skeleton crew.
This was until a priority one message came over, he downloaded it to the PADD as he knew the Captain would be in his quarters.
Turning to Ensign Barry Keaton from Science who was on the Bridge helping with the Science sections upgrade he said,
"I'm going to the Captain, I leave you in charge of the Bridge." Timothy said as he rushed to the aft turbolift.
Barry didn't have chance to respond and felt kind of perplexed by it all.
>>>CO Quarters>>>
RE: AQ/D01 - Bridge - Daniel Brooks - 08-19-2026
<<<CO Quarters<<<
The turbolift ride was quiet between Brooks and Southwell, as the doors opened onto the Bridge, Brooks stepped out and headed straight down to the command centre.
Pressing a button on the command chair he said, "Aquila to all crew, urgent recall, recall to all stations within twenty minutes. Brooks out."
Closing the channel, Brooks then sat down in the centre chair, he hated the waiting but it had to be done to get everyone back on board. It also made him feel sightly nervous as this will be the first time the Aquila could be tested in a combat situation.
==Tag all==