USS Atlantia
Brian
Member
A member of the Akira-class design lineage, the USS Atlantia (NCC-82250) under the command of Captain Treylana Hess is the namesake of her class and a heavy cruiser geared primarily toward humanitarian missions. She features extended cargo bays and medical support systems and employs a bespoke torpedo system that takes advantage of Starfleet’s smart ordnance delivery systems to target multiple vessels from extremely long-range to provide cover fire for other Starfleet ships. Currently assigned to the Fourth Fleet's Task Force 17 Expeditionary Group, the Atlantia finds herself on a mission to explore the Delta Quadrant.
Comments
[USS Discovery (NCC-82006)]
[Starbase 38, Barzan System, Alpha Quadrant]
[Stardate: 76415.19]
It had been three long months since the destruction of the Hiawatha. Treylana thought she had prepared herself mentally for the eventual loss of a crewmate, but the sad reality was that no one could adequately prepare for something like that. She had hoped that her leave on Trill would help ease the pain and give her time to reflect on what had happened and what the future held for her. Unfortunately she could have been given an eternity and it still would not have been enough time.
What was important was the present. She had received a communique from Starfleet Command informing her that she had been assigned to Task Force Seventeen in the Fourth Fleet and was to report to a Commodore Marshall-Bennet for further orders. It wasn’t until she had materialized on the transporter pad of the USS Discovery that reality had set in.
Two of the ship’s crew stood before her; the transporter operator and a junior officer, presumably Treylana’s escort.
“Commander Hess reporting” she said to the two crewmembers before her.
“Welcome Sir. The Commodore is expecting you, if you would follow me.”
Treylana nodded and followed the officer out of the transporter room as instructed. She had read about the Century-class vessel design in her final year at the Academy, a smaller design similar to the Sovereign, but had not yet seen one in person.
The two of them entered a nearby turbolift and the junior officer instructed the computer to take them to the bridge. Except for the hum of the EPS conduits and the movement of the turbolift cabin through the shafts, the ride was a silent one. Perhaps it was because the two had no common ground for conversation, or maybe it was intimidation or respect being around a senior officer. Before long, the doors opened and Treylana was gestured to lead the way onto the bridge.
Sat in the observation lounge, Commodore Bennet was using the large space that came from the huge square-shaped table, to review all of the assignments that Starfleet wanted his expeditionary force to engage with in their first few months while in the Delta Quadrant. When the door chime went off, he instantly looked up from the pile of PADDs and holographic displays.
“Yes, come in!” He called out with.
Walking in was an average size woman with long dark hair. Her Trill spots were apparent in between the wisps of hair that were not keeping inline with the style she was trying to promote. Recognising her straight away, Bennet smiled at his guest. “Commander Hess, welcome aboard.”
“Thank you Sir. It’s a pleasure to be here.”
“Please take a seat.” Bennet gestured towards the chair that was near to him on the corner of the table. “Can I get you a drink at all?”
Taking a seat in the spot indicated, Treylana made herself comfortable, crossing her left leg over her right “A raktajino would be lovely...black. It’s been a long trip.”
Bennet replicated the beverage as requested and placed it before his guest. Once they were both settled, Bennet spoke up. “I’m sorry to hear about the loss of the Hiawatha. She was a fine ship. I see you’ve served on her for most of your career.”
“Yes Sir. Let’s just say I made a few rookie mistakes that forced me to make a decision that turned out to be the best I could have ever made.” she replied embarrassingly, knowing full well that a man in Bennet’s position would have already known that having seen her service record.
“Well, I hope you don’t mind me calling you in.” Bennet remarked as he crossed his right leg over his left so his ankle laid on top of his left knee. “I had a message from Captain Vehl that has aided me in making a decision that I think seems like a natural fit.”
“Oh?” she replied leaning back into her seat, taking a sip of her coffee before interlocking her hands and resting them in her lap, uncertain where the Commodore was going with his comments “And what would that be?”
“I’m promoting you to the rank of captain with all the rights and privileges that come with it and giving you command of the U-S-S Atlantia.” Bennet answered. “I want you to be a part of our operations in the Delta Quadrant and Captain Vehl believes you’re a suitable candidate.”
Treylana sat there for a moment, unsure of how to react to what she was hearing. She had only been a Commander for the past three months, most of which was spent on leave. She had fully expected that when her leave on Trill was up she would have been assigned to another ship to possibly even serve under the command of a new captain. Did her captain truly think she was ready for a command of her own? And the Delta Quadrant of all places.
She hadn’t heard of any ships venturing into the Delta Quadrant, since the return of the Intrepid-class Voyager in 2378.
“Thank you Sir. I don’t know what to say except that I’m honoured.”
Passing the PADD with her new assignment orders over, Bennet smiled in response. “Starfleet wants us to get out there and explore again, so we need to do it sooner rather than later. I want our missions in the Delta Quadrant to go as smoothly as possible.” He paused. “The Atlantia is currently docked here at the station. A majority of her crew have reported, it just needs her captain to arrive.”
Treylana picked up the PADD, eager to see what the Commodore had in store for her. Giving it a glance, she then gave Bennet a quizzical look. “Very interesting. A bit risky, but nothing we can’t handle I’m sure.”
“Good, then I would like to see you later this evening for the gathering we’ve got planned on the eve of our launch.” Bennet commented. “We’re bringing as many of the crews from each ship over to Discovery to give this expedition the send off it rightly deserves. Nineteen hundred hours in our crew lounge, do not be late and it’s an informal occasion so no dress uniform is needed!”
“I wouldn’t miss it for the universe.” Treylana responded then rose from her seat and adjusted her tunic “If you don’t mind, I’ll go check in and familiarize myself with the crew and I’ll see you tonight at nineteen-hundred.”
Bennet smiled and nodded and allowed his newly appointed captain to be on her way.
***
Although it would have been more convenient to transport over to her new ship, Treylana opted to take the more scenic route of boarding via the docking hatch. This would allow her to slip past almost unnoticed with all of the personnel coming and going.
Her first stop however was to the station’s quartermaster to procure an extra pip for her uniform. Opening the clamshell case that it was housed in, she picked up the golden coloured stud and affixed it to her collar next to the other three finalizing her promotion to Captain. The feeling was completely surreal, but if her former captain felt she was ready to take on this new challenge, she was not about to let her down.
Leaving the quartermaster’s office, she passed several other shops and eating establishments, all of them seemingly packed with patrons trying to acquire their goods and services. She even passed a young couple with a little girl that smiled at her as she walked by. Eventually she made it to the docking hatch and proceeded with a small group of other crew members through the umbilical that connected the Atlantia to the station’s outer hull. None of whom even noticed who she was unless they took the time to formally acknowledge her presence.
A young Chief Petty Officer monitoring the transfer of personnel noticed the woman passing his station “Captain! I didn’t expect to see you board in this fashion. I’ll inform the Bridge of your arrival.”
“You’ll do nothing of the sort Chief.” she clapped back “While I admire your adherence to protocol, I wish to surprise the bridge crew.”
“Yes Sir.” she responded as the Trill continued on her way.
Wasting no time, Treylana made her way to the bridge. She would have liked to have taken a detailed tour of the ship, but that would have to wait for a more appropriate time. “Captain on the bridge!” came a call from one of the officers as she stepped off the turbolift.
Each officer on the bridge immediately turned to acknowledge Treylana’s presence. “As you were.” she commanded.
The two men standing at the tactical and engineering stations were both shocked and pleased to see a familiar face on the bridge. “Captain?” questioned the man at the tactical station sporting the chestnut brown curly locks and neatly trimmed facial hair.
“Will...Paul, it’s good to see you both. And yes it’s Captain. The Commodore saw it fit to give me a command of my own. Though Th’lora had some doing in that decision. How have you two been since the Hiawatha?”
“Can’t complain I suppose.” replied her Chief Engineer
“Well, we’ll have plenty of time to catch up. In the meantime, inform the first officer, wherever he may be, that I’d like to see him at his earliest convenience and instruct the senior staff to report to the Discovery at nineteen-hundred hours for a celebration in honour of our upcoming mission. Attendance is mandatory. I will be in my ready room if you need me.”
“Yes Sir.” reliped the two men.
***
The doors of the ready room hissed open. The sound was unbearable, matched only by the pounding that was going on inside Treylana’s head so early in the morning. She should have listened to her conscience when it told her to quit after the third Romulan Ale, but it was a celebration and what reasons did they have to not rejoice? The crew was about to set out on their maiden voyage with their new commanding officer but they were doing so in a virtually uncharted region of the galaxy.
She’d not yet had her coffee, but toted a freshly replicated mug in her right hand as she stepped onto the bridge and rapidly moved to her seat in the center of the room to avoid any accidents.
“Rough night?” asked the man seated to her right.
Her first officer was a slightly older gentleman, at least in a physical sense with crimson hair except for a small hint of grey near his left-sided part. Treylana clearly has him beat if she factored in the lives of her previous hosts. His muscular build indicated that he was no stranger to the gym.
“I’ve had worse.” Treylana replied, not wanting to let a hangover get the best of her “What’s the status of the fleet?”
“The Odyssey is standing by awaiting the opening of the wormhole. The Tesla and the Elysion are just pulling away from the station now. We’re not recording any movement from the remainder of the fleet as of yet.”
“Well then. Let’s not keep everyone waiting. Hail the station and request clearance to depart. Helm as soon as we’re cleared, retract umbilicals and release docking clamps.”
“Ops has already cleared us Captain, following the Elysion.” replied McDougal.
“Umbilicals retracted and docking clamps released. We are clear from the station.”
“Ahead one quarter and take us to a position astern of the Odyssey.”
This would be the first time that Treylana would witness the opening of the Barzan wormhole up close. She had seen briefs on it and heard stories from other Starfleet officers that had travelled through it, but she had assumed that all wormholes were like the one at Deep Space 9, not necessarily constructed by aliens or home to godlike entities, but two stable points between points in the galaxy. The Barzan wormhole was special, being fixed only in the Alpha quadrant and requiring a verteron array to stabilize the other side.
The Atlantia pulled up to approximately two-thousand meters behind the Odyssey. “Time to the opening of the wormhole?” Treylana asked.
“Fifty-six minutes Captain.”
Fifty-six long minutes before she and her crew began their brand new adventure. Sitting toward the edge of her seat it was all but a waiting game now.
[USS Atlantia (NCC-82250)]
[Gradin Belt, Delta Quadrant]
[Stardate: 76417.7]
“Raktajino, black.” Treylana instructed the replicator as she concluded her log entry. The steaming hot beverage materialized before her. She picked it up and took a sip letting out a comforting sigh. To the untrained eye it merely looked like the Trill was enjoying a hot cup of coffee. To her it was her first command decision in the Delta Quadrant. Trivial to most people, but the thought of being in command of her own ship was both new and exciting. It also slightly intimidated her. A feeling that would subside in due time.
Taking her freshly brewed beverage, she moved to a position at the head of the conference table situated in the center of the room and seated herself. She took one more sip of her coffee before exchanging her mug for one of many PADDs sitting on the table. The very same PADD the Commodore had given her just the day before containing their orders. She also picked up a second containing the logs of Captain Kathryn Janeway, a woman long since made Admiral after getting her crew of the Voyager home.
As she peered over the information in the PADDs, the fore-facing door to the conference room hissed open and the members of her senior staff, led by her first officer, began making their way in. Treylana glanced up as each officer took their respective seats around the table; her first officer, tactical and medical officers to her right and operations, engineering, conn and science officers to her left respectively.
Treylana set the PADDs down and began the meeting as soon as everyone was settled “As I’m sure you’re all aware by now, we’re en route to a sector of space here in the Gradin Belt. What you may not be aware of is why. Starfleet by way of Commodore Bennet has requested the task force to explore this region of space. They wish to map out more of this area since Voyager’s last visit twenty years ago. Specifically, Atlantia has been tasked with investigating the region labelled as ‘Subspace Munitions Range Four-Three-Four’. Voyager’s only encounter with the region saw them getting attacked by long-range subspace warheads. Their only means of detecting the warheads was a gravimetric disturbance right before the warheads emerged from subspace.”
Treylana paused for a minute to take another sip of her rapidly cooling coffee and assess the room “I won’t lie, the mission has a degree of risk. If we can track the origin of these warheads, then we can maybe establish first contact with the species that launched them. Tamura, I want you and Harrison to work on ways to modulate the shields to protect against any detonations. Tucker, you and Petrov will see if you can chart the munitions range and plot a course around it. McDougal, I’d like for you to maintain yellow alert as we approach our destination. Keep shields up at all times and weapons in a powered down state unless needed.”
Treylana eyed up Brant last. His job would be the most difficult should the mission take a turn for the worse. “Brant…”
She was immediately cut off by the doctor “I know. I’ll have medical teams on standby and assume standard radiation protocols in the event of an explosion.”
“Precisely Doctor. Anyone have any questions?” she concluded, awaiting any responses from her staff. “Very well then...dismissed.”
Each member began to get up from their seat at the conference table and proceed to leave the same way they entered the room. Treylana stopped her first officer before he could follow suit. “Commander Nichols. What do you do for fun?”
“I beg your pardon Sir?” he replied as he turned around to face his captain with a puzzled look on his face.
“Fun. What do you do for recreation when not on duty?”
“Well...there’s many things, but I like to ride horses.”
Treylana had never ridden a horse, though she had been tempted many times before only never followed through with it. “Horse riding. That sounds lovely. I’d like for you to meet me at holodeck one at thirteen-hundred hours and you can call up one of the ship’s programs suitable for the event.”
“As you wish, Captain.” Nichols acknowledged and then continued out the room.
***
Treylana researched various different styles in the computer and made an educated guess that a Western style similar to that of the cowboys in early Earth history was the type of riding Nichols referred to. She donned some attire she deemed appropriate for the style; some denim jeans, cowboy boots, a Stetson cowboy hat and a sleeveless tank top shirt. Once she was ready she made her way to holodeck one.
She touched the display panel just outside the door to the right and it immediately illuminated at the sensation of her fingertips. The panel indicated that there was a program already running eluding that Commander Nichols had arrived prematurely to set things up. Pleased with what she saw, she waited for the doors to open and then headed inside.
Inside was a nice wide open pasture. To the right a small ranch house with a moderately sized gated area large enough to contain several large animals. Behind that was a barn and a stable. To the left in the distance was some woodland. Treylana stood there in awe for several minutes admiring the simplicity of life in a locale such as she was viewing.
Deciding that it was time to move on, she proceeded toward the ranch house and then behind to the stable. She found Nichols in one of the paddocks positioning a saddle on the back of one of the many horses that were housed inside.
“Magnificent!” Treylana exclaimed.
Nichols looked up, not immediately expecting to see his captain, yet prepared for her arrival nonetheless. “They are fantastic creatures'' he replied.
“How long have you been riding horses Commander?”
“Please, call me Phil,” he replied “and I’ve been riding ever since I was old enough to sit upright on a horse. My family comes from a long generation of horse ranchers. As much as I love horses, my calling was to the stars, so my brother ended up inheriting the ranch back home. Now I only ride for pleasure.”
Nichols finished tightening the saddle and then grabbed the horse by the reins and opened the paddock door guiding the mare out of the stable. He headed out the back door, Treylana following closely behind and came to a stop next to another horse that was fastened by its reins to the gate nearby. “Have you ridden before?” he asked?
“Never. I’ve always wanted to though. I kept telling myself that my career was keeping me from doing it, but I think there was a small sense of fear.” Treylana replied.
“There’s nothing to worry about. Just follow my instructions and you’ll be fine. First come stand next to the horse right beside the saddle.”
Treylana moved closer as instructed.
“Next, put your left foot into that loop to the horse’s side. That’s the stirrup. With your foot in there you're going to grab hold of the pommel of the saddle with your left hand, that’s the part sticking up at the front, and you’ll grab the back of the saddle with your right. You’ll then lift yourself up by jumping and pushing down on the stirrup. As you gain altitude, lift your right leg over the horse and seat yourself in the saddle.”
It all seemed so complicated but she did as she was told while Nichols steadied the horse for her, handing her the reins once she was in position. Nichols mounted the other horse and then moved alongside her. “Now,” Nichols began “When you want to move forward on the horse, gently nudge her using your feet. When you want the horse to go right, pull gently on the right rein, left to go left. When you want to stop, pull on both and command her to “whoa’.”
Treylana took a few test strides, and feeling that she had a decent enough understanding of how to maneuver the horse, the two of them set off on their afternoon of riding and conversation.
[Unknown Planet]
[Gradin Belt, Delta Quadrant]
[Stardate 76424.88]
Trellik, the foremost engineer in his field, stood next to the large metal drafting table of his penthouse suite apartment preparing for the day’s work. Although he was not thrilled about the applications of his theories, it rewarded him handsomely allowing him to indulge in a rather lavish lifestyle. Ready to take on the challenges that awaited him at his office that morning, he placed a series of blueprints into his briefcase before taking a seat to put on his shoes.
He fastened the laces of his last shoe and proceeded into the dining area, at which point a young girl of no more than five years age came running toward him and grabbed hold of his leg “Daddy, daddy! Must you go?” she cried.
He hated to see his daughter like that, but he had some very important business to attend to that day. Meetings that would change the very future of his people. He bent down to get closer to her level and gave her a big hug. “Yes sweetie. Daddy has to go to work but I will see you tomorrow though.”
“Promise?”
“I promise. Now go and get ready for school.” he said as he released her and sent her on her way, gently patted her behind
Trellik stood up and looked up at his wife who was now entering the dining area carrying a small container for him. He was a stubborn man. If it was not for his wife preparing a meal for him every day that he worked, he would go hungry. The man was a work-a-holic and often didn’t stop what he was doing to look after the things that mattered, like himself.
Taking the dish he said to his wife “Melora dear, I will be late coming home tonight. I need to finish my proposal for the First Minister and the General. Please don’t wait for me.”
“Again?” She pleaded, “This is the third night this week.”
“I know, but the General has insisted to the First Minister that I would have these designs completed for tomorrow. I can’t let him down.”
“She misses you.”
“I know. Why don’t we go up to the lake this weekend? Just the three of us. No distractions.”
“That would be lovely.”
Trellik kissed his wife and then headed out the door. It would take him about an hour to get to work.
***
Upon arriving at work, the General was waiting for him outside his office. General Chen was a large man, both in height and in weight. It was obvious that a sedentary life behind a desk was not kind to the man. “Trellik!” he said, waving.
“Good morning General. A pleasure as always.” he replied. That wasn’t necessarily true, but he merely wanted to be polite.
“Are we ready for the meeting with the First Minister?”
“Yes we are. I just want to run one more launch test of this new design to make sure the targeting array is configured properly. Would you care to join me?”
The general nodded and the two proceeded into Trellik’s office. Inside there was a drafting table similar to the one he had at home, a large workstation with several displays and a large transparent board displaying a diagram of one of the weapon designs he had been working on. Trellik walked over and sat down at the workstation and loaded up the status display for prototype zero-eight-six. He keyed in a few additional sequences and looked up at the General who had moved in behind next to him. “As you can see General, all systems appear to be operating according to specifications. Setting coordinates for Subspace Munitions Range Four-Three-Four and ready to launch on your order.”
Satisfied that everything checked out, the general acknowledged that he could fire the weapon when ready.
Trellik finalized the launch sequence and confirmed the command to fire. “The weapon should reach the range in about 6 hours. I’ll make the presentation of the design to the First Minister shortly and then you can present the follow up data later this afternoon.”
“Excellent.” said the general, gaving Trellik a congratulatory handshake before heading out of his office.
Trellik continued to stare at the monitors watching the readouts as the weapon left the orbital station and went into subspace.
***
Treylana stepped off the turbolift ready to begin the day shift knowing that today was the day they would reach their destination and the real mission would begin. She circled round to the command chairs as the remainder of Alpha shift had also arrived on the bridge, to relieve the Younger Bolian who had been covering the night watch. “Anything to report?”
“Sickbay reports two crewmen reported cases of nausea but are otherwise okay and Engineering is running a diagnostic on the sensor array. They should be complete in the next fifteen minutes. Estimated time of arrival at our destination is thirty minutes.”
“Very well. You are relieved.”
Treylana sat herself down in the command chair and pulled up her status display to look over the reports for the previous day. Particularly she wanted to review her first officer’s report as it would summarize all other reports. She had noticed a disciplinary action on one of her ensigns. Third late arrival to shift in one week and failure to submit a duty report. She looked at the comments and was instantly reminded of her younger days as an Ensign which made her smile.
Commander Nichols arrived and sat down next to her catching the smile out of the corner of his eye “Something funny Captain?”
“Your report on ensign Truman. It reminded me of my days on the Triphane. I think her commanding officer might have been a little hard on her, but we’ll see. I’d like you to keep an eye on her. If her name comes up again in the reports, have her come see me and I will have a talk with her.”
“Aye Captain. If you insist.” he replied.