Orders Dispatched

Posted on 14 Jan 2026 @ 4:09pm by Captain Bane Plase

860 words; about a 4 minute read

Mission: Shakedown
Location: Epsilon Vega
Timeline: After Lines of Authority, but somehow before Weapons Test

ON

Captain Bane stood from the center seat and stared at the Deep Space Observatory that was on the viewscreen. It was a spindled, angular structure hanging against the void like a thought that refused to finish itself. And it was clearly old, but a necessary piece of Starfleet equipment.

Bane let the image sit for a moment longer than strictly required. Vega Epsilon was the kind of star system Starfleet forgot until it didn't dare to. Which made today's mission a gift, in its own way. Routine maintenance for the observatory, and a full battery of systems tests for a ship that needed to prove, perhaps more to itself more than anyone else, that the overhaul and the cost and time of it had been worth it to the crew, and to Starfleet.

The Captain turned slowly, taking in his new Bridge. All of them were here. Every senior officer, every department head, and one very deliberate addition. Commander Krea Rh'Vareth stood near the tactical arch, hands clasped behind her back, posture immaculate, expression unreadable. Her eyes flicked to him as he looked her way, something sharp and appraising in the glance, an interest she made no attempt to disguise. When her gaze slid past him to the Executive Officer sitting in his seat, however, it cooled immediately, flattening into something closer to indifference. Or disdain. Bast, to his credit, did not react. Bane filed that away, remembering the complaint Bast had lodged to him not just a few minutes ago. Maybe there was something there he had not seen before. He would have to investigate further that particular problem later, when there was more time.

"Alright," he said, voice even, authorative without being raised. "We're on station. He nodded once to Ensign D'Astous at Flight Control. "Ensign, bring us into a holding pattern relative to the observatory. I want minimal thruster corrections, let's not mask any residual issues from the overhaul."

Bane turned slightly, angling his attention toward his Executive Officer. "Commander Bast, you'll coordinate and lead maintenance teams once we are in transporter range. The observatory is small, and the systems are aging. I want this handled efficiently, professionally, and by the book."

"Commander Stovek," Bane continued, shifting smoothly to Operations, "You'll oversee the systems test schedule. Power distribution, sensor calibrations, subspace comms, weapons, the works. I want hard data, no assumptions. If something doesn't behave the way it should, I want to know why, not just that it didn't."

"Chief of the Boat, you'll manage logistics for both the maintenance crews and our own internal test teams. I don't want people tripping over each other in the corridors or waiting on parts that should have been staged hours earlier."

Bane's attention moved to Security. "Lieutenant Seitha, this is a routine mission, but routine breeds complacency. You'll coordinate security aboard the Cygnus and liaise with the observatory's rotation. And see to a full battery of weapons tests, the whole gambit. Nothing is left to chance or assumptions."

The Captain turned towards the Engineering station. "Lieutenant Ahmad, you and Commander Stovek will be joined at the hip for this one. I want diagnostics run as though we're preparing for war, both on this ship and on the observatory. Stress both systems. If you aren't breaking things, you aren't stressing them enough. Find the weaknesses before we find ourselves with our pants down."

"Lieutenant Lagnas," he said, addressing Science. "You'll assist Ops with sensor testing and run a full comparative analysis against pre-overhaul baselines and data in our computers from previous sensor data. The observatory's long-range arrays may also benefit from your expertise. Coordinate as needed."

Bane's gaze softened slightly as it moved to Sickbay's representative. "Doctor Winters, this shouldn't be strenuous, but maintenance work has a way of surprising people and getting people to fatigue. I want Sickbay prepared for anything from minor injuries to fatigue-related issues. keep an eye on the crew stress levels as well."

"And Counselor Morak," Bane continued, "this mission places a lot of departments in close coordination after a long refit. In tensions surface," he said, unintentionally looking from Rh'Vareth to Bast and back to Morak, "handle them early. I want this ship running as a crew again, not a collection of individuals and specialists."

Only then did Bane turn his full attention to Commander Rh'Vareth. "Commander, you are here as the mission advisor and specialist. You know the systems on this ship better than any of us right now, their quirks, their challenges and their personalities. I expect your insight, particularly where Starfleet procedures intersect with reality.

Plase then looked back to the Bridge as a whole, voice carrying the quiet weight of command. "This mission isn't glamorous. No emergencies. No heroics. Just competence, cooperation, and attention to detail. That's how ships and crews stay alive. That's how people do." He looked around again. "Alright, let's kick a chicken."

With that, the orders had been given. Bane returned to his chair and watched as Bast began issuing orders as Second in Command of the ship.


OFF

Ok, we all have our orders! Lets see those posts!


Bane Plase, Captain
USS Cygnus, Commanding

 

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