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CH06: S [D03|1530] Recovery and Repair

CPO vanVinter | Deck 16 | Fighter Bay USS Theurgy

   Victor had managed to requisition a new uniform and get assigned quarters reasonably quickly, even if it was just a room for him to crash in, but he'd been asleep for a while now, and he wasn't ready to sleep. After a quick shower and a change into coveralls, Victor makes his way to the Fighter Bay, not knowing what he'd find once he got there. The man passes through the doorway with a heavy sigh after a final quick, nervous adjustment of his coveralls.

   The lanky man looking almost like a Bajoran-shaped banana in the brand new coveralls, he always hated how they looked, at least while they were freshly clean, it was time to get his hands dirty.  Stepping through the door into the organized chaos that was an active Fighter bay, his bright blue eyes immediately begin scanning over the other crewpersons there, looking for whoever was in charge, or rather, who needed help the most. As much as he wanted to get his hands dirty, something was unsettling to him; despite the chaos, he should be able to find Sten. That man was almost always actively working, and there was no way he holed up in his office, not when there was actual work to be doing.

   Taking a moment to work through that confusion, he heads to the nearest fighter that appeared to have its guts opened up, and people elbow deep in it. Victor was a mechanic first,  and he'd get right down to it.  So with a confident stride, the towering SNCO makes his way across the deck, probably attracting a few sets of eyes. After all, Victor had once been a fixture here, and he'd been absent from the deck for a year, and here he was back from the dead. Spotting some glances his way, he shakes his head and calls out to the rest of the deck in a loud voice, sure to echo off the bulkheads. "Yeah, it's me, vanVinter, back from the dead. Stop ya damn lollygagging and let me know what needs help the most. Let's get the pack ready for the next sortie! Come on, people!"


______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
OOC Note: Victor is back on duty for the first time since the flight from Earth. Original FBO personnel and TACONN are free to recognize Victor from that time and before.  Anyone is free to approach

Re: Ch07: [D03| 1530 hrs]: Recovery and Repair

Reply #1 –
[ Ensign Liam Herrold | Fighter Assault Bay | Deck 16 | Vector 02 | USS Theurgy ]
Attn: @Tae  
With the Fighter Assault Bay in full activity, all available deck crew tending to the Valkyries that had been in the field as well as clearing away the aftermath of the fighting, Ensign Liam Herrold was giving out instructions and eyeing reports further down the rows of warp fighters when someone announced his arrival, making Liam raise a curious brow in that direction. Seeing a scarred person he didn't recognise, and how mixed the reactions were to the person's arrival, it stirred Liam's curiosity. Especially given the manner in which this unknown person told his people on the deck to stop lollygagging.

"All right," he said and sorted out the priorities on the PADD in front of him before handing it back to Adara Hussein, "before you re-calibrate the long range subspace antennae, run a diagnostic on the short range one first. They share components and the latter could be just as busted as the former."

"Yes, sir," said the woman, giving him an unreadable stare that might or mightn't have something to do with the incident the other night, but Liam made no comment. Adara, however, had noticed the newcomer as well. "I'll be damned. VanVinter. He's been away for six months. Stasis, right after we fled Earth."

"I see," said Liam, looking back at the figure, and understanding that a lot of things ought to be new to the man. Not just in terms of his own position in the fighter bay, but the presence of the Valravn fighters and other faces from the Resolve that he wouldn't know. Fifty percent of the deck personnel were from the Resolve, just like Liam, and it was a contributing reason to why he'd been named Asst. Chief of the Deck back then, and why he now held the title Sten Covington used to hold when this newcomer was on active duty last. "I'll go talk to him."

Approaching the scarred figure, Liam noticed how he had a bionic arm, which was little more than a passing curiosity on the Theurgy, given the amount of battle the crew had seen since November last year. He checked the rank markings before clearing his throat. "Chief VanVinter. I'm Ensign Liam Herrold, Chief of the Deck," he said, and even if it's been some time since his promotion, he still wasn't used to being a Line Officer. He'd been an NCO his entire career, with the cuts and scars to show for hard labour, and survived the three year voyage of the Resolve. All of a sudden, the chain of command having to be preserved properly in the eyes of the brass, they wanted to stick a pip on him. His mind, however, still lingered on the work needing to be done, so he wouldn't be able to give the Chief a complete update, but he'd try to give him enough to get his bearings.

Hopefully, he'll take the news about Covington well...

"A word?" he asked with a small smile, and nodded towards the side of the bay, so that they could speak a bit more in private.

Re: Ch07: [D03| 1530 hrs]: Recovery and Repair

Reply #2 –
CPO vanVinter | Deck 16 | Fighter Bay USS Theurgy Attn: @Auctor Lucan

Victor had noticed some of the eyes on him, and he didn't want to deal with that particular can of worms just yet, not that he couldn't deal with it. But that was why by the time Liam gets over to him, he was bent over an RCS assembly that needed maintenance. And Victor was already wrist-deep in it when he hears the voice—prepared to talk while he was working, much like he'd always done in ages past. The maintainer was about to do that, even had a snarky reply on his tongue until he hears the words Ensign, and Chief of the deck comes out of this guys mouth, and Victor straightens up, wiping the worst of the grime off of his hands he goes in for a firm if greasy handshake. "Good to meet you, Ensign." Victor takes a moment sizing the shorter man up for a moment, noting his younger features and the fact that he'd never seen this man before, or at least had never worked closely with him. Doing his best to read the man's body language, he speaks up in a tentatively hopeful voice. "I'm hoping that your next few words will be 'Sten got promoted to Engineering' because if that son of a bitch got sucked out into Jupiter orbit like I was..."

Victor pauses a moment and sucks on his lower lip before running it under his front teeth, nearly drawing blood with the motion's tension. "Sorry that was out of line Ensign, it's just I woke up about two hours ago, and there are Gorn and Klingons in Sickbay, and I go into battle wearing nothing but a fucking hospital gown. I just want to focus on work and try to center myself. So, do you mind giving me a hand with this RCS assembly? Whoever flew this bird last did a number on it, and this is a two-person job. So if you don't mind working and talking, unless this is a talk I should be sitting down for..." Victor trails off again, the different scenarios running through his mind, so many new faces in the bay, a new Ensign, no Sten, and until he got his position sorted, he was up in the air. There was a look of tension to the lanky Bajoran. Clearly, the man wanted to work and do what he could without a more formal posting or assignment.

Giving Liam another quick once over, he shrugs and gives a polite shrug. and moves to rest lightly against one of the larger pieces of equipment sitting around. "Anyway, since we don't know each other, and you already gave your introduction... Chief Victor vanVinter, when the Thea was still in the yard, I was head of S&S on the Valkyrie project as well as being one of our enlisted pilots. I've got about three thousand hours on the Mark ones, combined simulator and real, and Twenty seven thousand on the old Peregrines, same conditions. All of my hours on the Mark threes are unofficial since, at the time, there were no rated pilots for them." He shrugs a little at that and thinks for a moment before saying anything more. "I was on the Thunderchild before the Thea, and that ship saw a lot of attrition of its own. Suppose I'm busted back down to being one of your flight deck people and out of an office that's fine with me.  I haven't worked with prophets, maybe more than a third of these people that are running around?" There was still that tension to his form and posture that said he was still trying to brace for the bad news, whatever that might wind up being. All of a sudden his eyes go wide as he realized that he just spent the last minute or so in a combined rant and ramble at his new boss, an errant unvoiced thought going through his head,  'Way to give a good first impression Victor, shit.'

Re: Ch07: [D03| 1530 hrs]: Recovery and Repair

Reply #3 –
[ Ensign Liam Herrold | Fighter Assault Bay | Deck 16 | Vector 02 | USS Theurgy ]
Attn: @Tae 
Oh, grief, a cocky one... thought Liam and sighed, scratching the back of his neck. He listened in silence, but remained where he stood, pointedly not about to help the man with repairs, and who mightn't even be medically cleared for duty just yet given the battle-conditions of which he'd just been thawed. Since Liam had asked for a word, and given the news he had for the Chief, he put his hands on his hips and waited until he'd finished speaking. The rest of the present deck crew, half of which didn't know VanVinter and whom had reported to Liam long before they even returned to Federation space, were quiet as mice.

"A word in private, Chief. This way," he said, repeating himself, and walking away to wait for the man to join him. If he didn't he'd wasted his last chance for a cordial reception and he'd simply be dismissed instead. Once the scarred man came over, Liam took a deep breath and sorted things out.

"A lot has happened while you were on ice, but be that as it may, you can't simply return here without presenting a clean bill of health and much less without being given an assignment." He spoke in a quiet, patient voice. Weary after the battle, but not about to deal with a former Head that had illusions about being better just because he was originally a Theurgy crewmember. Sufficed to say, a lot had happened, and the latest numbers he'd been given said the Theurgy people were almost no longer in majority any more, given the transfers of crew from the Harbinger, Resolve, Black Opal, Endeavour, Cayuga and Dauntless. That, not even considering the number of new recruits that had come aboard during the layover at Aldea.

"Neither of the Heads are the same as when you were last here, and if you were one of them, you are right to assume you're not in that position any longer. I don't know who you are, needing to verify your identity, so I'm sorry, you have no place on my deck until I know which shift to place you in. You must realise that the universe has not been on hold, waiting for you, so I suggest you try this again, and report for duty, instead of telling my deck crew to stop lollygagging, okay?"

Waiting patiently for the man to fall back in line and realise his place, Liam then moved on. "As you may already have guessed, Covington didn't make it. He fell victim to the Borg in the Azure Nebula, over a month ago. My condolences. Given those news, I am sure you understand why I think you may have come back prematurely, because I know what kind of a figure he was for the old deck crew on this ship. If you need time to process this, perhaps that is best done in your quarters instead? I will let you work though, of course, if you think that is easier for you, but I need to know you can do it."

Re: Ch07: [D03| 1530 hrs]: Recovery and Repair

Reply #4 –
CPO vanVinter | Fighter Assault Bay | Deck 16 | Vector 02| USS Theurgy Attn: @Auctor Lucan

Victor had indeed stepped in it, and he grits his teeth then, following alongside Liam, chewing on the inside of his cheek the whole way, cursing at himself in his head. "Yes, Sir, you make yourself clear, and I do apologize for coming in like that, I just...." A look crosses his face then, and he grimaces, clearly not pleased with himself. The news of Sten dying wasn't unexpected.  But it still hit hard; losing that man was undoubtedly a blow to the ship and the department. Taking a moment to center himself, he needed to get his head sorted out but off active duty while the ship was in a combat situation that didn't sit right with him. 

He took a seat on a crate listening to all of what the Ensign was saying, some of it made sense, but a lot of the implications of what the ship had been through, well, a break with Starfleet wouldn't get them routine patrols and milk runs, but it certainly seemed like the Theurgy had been through the wringer.

Looking back to Liam, he does his best to put a smile on his face. Even if he failed at the smile, he made eye contact and had a more professional tone to his voice. "Apologies again, Ensign, and I may not have gotten cleared formally for duty; sickbay was in the middle of picking up the pieces from their attack when I left. So I very well may have slipped through a crack there. But respectfully, Sir, if we have hostile forces boarding the ship, you could use one more skilled mechanic here. I'm no good to anyone in a combat situation if I'm bunked down in my quarters. I can at least help us turn these birds. So please, Ensign, stick me wherever you need me right now. I can learn about all of what's happened, who we've lost, everything. But I do better when I'm working, even if I'm just one more body turning a wrench. I'm happy to go with you to your office to verify who I am and look at my record."

He frowns and looks to his new cybernetic hand, opening and closing the fingers, making a fist, rotating it around. It was still new to him. For a time, he stares at the deck plating, at the countless scuffs and scratches in it, remembering when these plates were new. His eyes remain on the floor when he speaks again, his tone holding a good bit of sorrow in it. "I agree with you, Ensign, that I probably need a week of medical leave and therapy to get my head right. That is something that will need to be addressed, and I'm asking this honestly." His gaze finally rising from the floor, and he looks into the other man's eyes. "Are we in a position right now where you can spare me for that long? I have no idea what kind of staffing you're working with now, but I remember back at the yards, the estimate was a team of four for every two birds, and I have no idea how many for those new hourglass-looking things." He gestures towards where he'd seen the Valravn fighters, looking at the Ensign, an almost pleading look in his eye. The lanky man was feeling adrift, lost, and confused, all of that showing plainly on his face now that he'd let the bluster and deflection drop away.

Re: Ch07: [D03| 1530 hrs]: Recovery and Repair

Reply #5 –
[ Ensign Liam Herrold | Fighter Assault Bay | Deck 16 | Vector 02 | USS Theurgy ]
Attn: @Tae 
Standing there next to the older man, whom in age would seem the veteran between the two, Liam had a quiet sense of vertigo from the odd juxtaposition. It was caused by the realisation of what the past three years had done to him.

When the spatial anomaly had thrown the Resolve far beyond Romulan space, he had been younger by merely three years of age, but so much more in terms of experience. The hardships of the voyage home had carved something into him, and taken away the excesses. So when he looked in the mirror at night, he would meet the eyes of a soul capable of overcoming horror and loss, meeting challenges with a dead calm and a quiet conscientiousness, yet who somehow still clung to humility. Those eyes, however, were set in a face younger than he felt, belying the calluses of his hands as well as the exertions that had chiselled his frame.

So when he looked upon this scarred Chief, now bereft of a close friend and superior offer, and whom also found himself back in a home that had changed while he was gone... Liam didn't just feel sympathy for his loss and confusion. He felt that he himself ought to look like vanVinter instead of wearing the face he wore, because after the years on the Resolve, and what had befallen him since he came aboard the Theurgy, he ought to wear a face like that.

"Apology accepted," he said quietly, scratching the back of his neck while he gave the Chief the benefit of the doubt. "From what I hear, we have yet to win the day, so we could need another strong back and a ready set of hands. Thea, can you confirm who this is?"

[Aye, Ensign. You are talking to Chief Petty Officer Victor vanVinter, former Head of Spaceframe & Structure in Fighter Bay Operations. Valkyrie Project test pilot, with the unofficial callsign 'Troubleshooter'.]

"Thank you," said Liam with a lopsided smile, and gave the man another once over. "While I'd prefer an official medical clearance, I have lost count how many times I've had to pull my weight beyond my means."

Liam turned his head to look on the deck crews, continuing to provide some context for the man, since that was something he likely craved. "Most of these new faces are from the Resolve, myself included. I believe you must have heard how we vanished from all long range sensors in 2378, before this ship was even commissioned. We found ourselves far beyond Romulan space. Once we ended up on the Theurgy at Starbase 84, we lost our ship and Captain. Right when we had reached Federation space at long last. It was just as ironic as it was cruel, our longed-for homecoming turning into continued hellish service on the Theurgy instead. Next, Covington made me Asst. Chief of the Deck since I was the most senior of the Resolve's survivors here, and after Sten died, the Chief of Operations insisted on promoting me into a Line Officer. I accepted because it made sense, I guess, but I continue to lead by example than from behind a desk, just like Sten. I suppose you'll find the greatest difference between him and I is that I don't tend to scream my throat raw, but still get the deck crew to do what they should."

He looked back at the Chief and chuckled, shaking his head a little. "I don't know which crew has had to adjust the most to this mission as this point, because the Resolve was cut off entirely for three years in dire straits, while it's only been six months for the Theurgy crew. Only those six months have been another kind of hell, continually chased by our own fleet and forced to defend herself at every turn. In the end, I think we all could use medical leave and therapy at this rate. So, you might as well stay for the day."

His light blue eyes drifted towards the prototype warp fighters, and he started walking in that direction. "Those are prototype AC-477 Mk I Valravn fighters, successors of the Knight-class interceptors. Those are not the most extravagant things here, though. Come. I want to show you something."

Liam walked to Maintenance Bay 2, listening to whatever vanVinter might say on the way there, until the sleek, black fuselage of the thing-that-should-not-be fell into view. The single remaining AC-507 Mk I Reaver, which had its permanent residence in that maintenance bay. Liam folded his arms across his chest and let Victor have a closer look on the warp fighter from the future, left behind by the USS Calamity.

Re: CH06: S [D03|1530] Recovery and Repair

Reply #6 –
CPO vanVinter | Fighter Assault Bay | Deck 16 | Vector 02| USS Theurgy Attn: @Auctor Lucan

 Victor gave a glance to the wall where he thought he heard Thea's voice coming from, and he gives a small wave as if in greeting to the unseen voice. "Good to be back Thea, I hope you've been well. Thanks for confirming my identity, I'll buy you a drink later." His tone of voice polite and honest in the greeting and acknowledgment, seeming to treat Thea as if she were flesh and blood, as it was, deep in the ship's structure, he supposed that she was indeed the genuine article.

Victor nods to Liam then, giving the man a relieved expression. "The Mark Threes are demanding birds, that's for damn sure Ensign, I can believe that they keep you up at night, especially the ones with gremlins." His tone of voice sincere and lighter towards the end there was a bit of humor in his tone. Hearing that Liam and others of the crew were from the Resolve, now that was a story all by itself.  "Yep, I'd heard of that ship, and I'll have to get some of those stories from you over a meal sometime. I'm glad you all pulled a Voyager then instead of a Defiant." He pauses awkwardly then and quickly explains. "The Constitution-class, the one that went missing, not the Defiant-class. And I will make it a point to speak to someone in Medical about resuming treatment." The phrasing there was honest, if perhaps interesting, he had been in service a while, and his scars told stories, terrible ones. Stories that were best left off of this particular deck at the very least, ones that he hoped that Liam would ask about just yet. "I think I can get used to your style of leadership. You're right about Sten's shouting, and I'll stow mine no worries. That's the last time I yell at anyone unless it's an actual emergency."

He gets up, following after Liam, his curiosity piqued if the Valravn's weren't the most exciting thing; he wasn't sure what could be. As it was, looking at the sweeping lines of the craft married with the sharp angles, he knew at a glance they were out of a wholly different design school. "Those Valravn's, what's the mission profile of those? With those legs they've got, I'm guessing long-range patrol and strike missions?" He seemed curious but goes silent when he's lead into a maintenance bay, and he chews on his lip thoughtfully, seemingly entranced by the unusual hull geometry before him. With its overall Delta shape that made sense, but so much open space around what had to be the engine cluster and in the middle of the spaceframe, too, His eyes narrow as he drops down to the deck to get a better look at the underside of the strange craft, with so many bits sticking out it looked like an Antennae array almost, but no.

"Ok, Ensign, now this thing... She's got some interesting design choices. At first glance, I'd assume that this central beam would be structural, and it might be, but it looks like some sort of intermix chamber or deflector array..." He gets up from the deck and walks around the fighter silent for a few seconds. "No, most of the purely structural elements are in these leading edges off of the nose and integrated with joining that big engine cluster together, aren't they? This thing can probably fly like a hummingbird at the cost of burning out every inertial dampener you give her, right?"

Taking a more extended moment, he sucks on a lip, creating an odd buzzing sound, almost like someone letting air out of a balloon. "Not Romulan or Klingon. She's not elegant enough for the former and not fragile enough to be the latter.  If this were Romulan my old friend Lillee would shit a hedgehog." He smirks a little at the thought if his old friend, wondering where she's gotten too these days, and wasn't she on board back when they left? He wasn't sure. He continues after the barest of pauses to reflect on a friend he might never see again. "And the overall design is both too aggressive and wide for our current design philosophy, Valravn's included."

Narrowing his eyes at what had to be the cockpit, he spends some time squinting at it. "Pilot's gotta either be on their belly or reclined all the way back for that geometry to make sense." All the while, he'd been talking to himself about the ship, working out his observations of the fighter for himself. "No, I'm wrong, aren't I? she's descended from the Peregrines, not the Valkrie's, isn't she?" He smiles slightly and then gives Liam an appreciative nod. "She's a beauty, is this something special that the Resolve picked up before or during your jaunt?" The senior NCO clearly curious about the ship, and more than eager to get his hands on it, so far he'd refrained from touching, but it was a very near thing for the man.

Re: Ch07: [D03| 1530 hrs]: Recovery and Repair

Reply #7 –
[ Ensign Liam Herrold | Fighter Assault Bay | Deck 16 | Vector 02 | USS Theurgy ]
Attn: @Tae 
On the way towards Maintenance Bay 2, vanVinter asked about the mission profile of the Valravn, and over the course of time since the battle at Starbase 84 where Liam came aboard the Theurgy, he had built a pretty good understanding of it. Both from experience with the craft itself, and also by the anecdotal accounts of the old White Wolves - the squadron that had held the same role as the Lone Wolves but for the Valravn Project on Luna Base.

"The way I heard it, in seeing the versatility of Rennan Cooper's Valkyrie Program, Director James Knight, who made the Knight-class interceptor, realised that the interceptor concept would not stand the test of time." As he walked, Liam had gestured towards the Valravn fighters. "Instead, he opted for another solution, and that was to take the strengths of his interceptors and bestow them upon a space superiority fighter. He wanted to make a fighter that had the speed and fast intercept functionality as well as the manoeuvrability and weapon options to function in prolonged combat. A combination between a space superiority fighter and a fast response interceptor. So for your question, fast response, territorial defence, but also prolonged engagements. They strike fast, hard and then regroup for another pass if so necessary, and like traditional space superiority fighters - like the Valkyries - their high manoeuvrability can also hold their own in a dogfight."

Scratching the back of his neck, Liam took a deep breath, considering how to best boil down the essentials of the - in his opinion - extraordinary feat of the design. "The way I heard it, the trick was to find the right kind of fuselage solution, and after going through several testing platforms, Knight was able to fit the kind of warp nacelles required for the velocities he wanted the new craft to have, and give it a wide wing-span. The wings were not only important for stable atmospheric flight, but to grant additional hard-point slots. Moreover, he added the armament rig for the micro torpedo launchers, which are the extended arms in front of the nacelles that you see there. The launchers are fed with torpedoes through the arms, which holds plenty of capacity as well as a fast loading mechanism. See the emitters on the wings?"

Pausing, he let the CPO rest his mismatched eyes on them for a moment. "They are the only fighters that have dedicated Type VIII phaser emitters. The warp drive plasma conduit run through the primary phaser coupling to double the power, generating enough output for that emitter-calibre. The Valravn fighters may not have protractible tetryon cannons like the Valkyries, but they are faster and their phasers cut really deep."

The Reaver, their destination, elicited an analysis from vanVinter, wherein he guessed at the functionality and origin of its design. Liam remained silent through this analysis, arms crossed, and waited on revealing what was known about it. Which, in comparison to the Valravn, was very little. Of course, they had deduced a fair bit through the weeks and months it had been on the Theurgy, but some of the components remained a mystery. It was only recently that a revelation was made about its design origin, and that had greater implications for the mission as a whole. Or rather, what would - and still could - happen n the near future.

"It's from the next century, made by Starfleet, but at a point in time when the Infested Starfleet Command joined forces with a species named the Savi, the leaders of which are Infested as well. The latter are theorised to have extended 'a helping hand' during a Borg invasion we instead managed to stop. The very same invasion attempt during which Covington met his end one month ago." Walking forward, Liam continued. "This is an AC-507 Mk I Valravn, indeed with the Peregrine likely being the base template, and we are still deducing what its specs are, even if we've had it aboard for some time now. It was only recently we figured out that it didn't have impulse drive, but the equivalent sub-light propulsion that the Savi fighters use - namely a gravitic displacement engine."

Coming to stand next to vanVinter, Liam made a final addendum. "TVD mandatory, as you might guess. Heavily armoured cockpit, with alloys we can't replicate, more roomy than one might think since the cockpit extends far down towards the ventral side of the craft. Four small warp nacelles fused together with its alien engine. A lot of hardpoint slots, both on top and below it. All engines and teeth, with a tough nut of a cockpit to crack. Originally piloted by a hologram when the Theurgy first encountered them, these used to essentially be drones. The holo-emitter and its computer was destroyed when we acquired it though, and Evelyn Rawley - Ghost - figured out how to fly it and brought it aboard at Theta Eridani IV."

Re: CH06: S [D03|1530] Recovery and Repair

Reply #8 –
CPO vanVinter | Fighter Assault Bay | Deck 16 | Vector 02| USS Theurgy Attn: @Auctor Lucan

A strange, curious glance gets sent to Liam when he tells about what the Valravn can do. And being the student of the history of aircraft he was, a grimace gets set on his face then. With that billing that it had, he sighs heavily and leans against a toolbox. "Not going to lie, Ensign, the Valravn sounds like either the old F-4 Phantom or F-105 Thunderchief from uhm... Australia, I think? They were designed as multi-mission do anything aircraft that just didn't live up to the hype. The Phantom eventually proved itself in niche mission roles, and I'm hoping that the Valravn lives up to the billing that you just gave me. Then there's the fact they have Type VIII phaser arrays worry me about their power management systems, those have got to be a nightmare to keep in the right tolerances." There was a thoughtful look on his face as he appeared to be thinking about how he'd overcome those issues when they cropped up or if. Overall, Victor hoped that the Valravn lived up to its billing, considering the position that the Theurgy had been put in.

The Reaver, though, that certainly stole his attention, and he was focused on that. "The Gravitic displacement drive that could... I'm no engineer, but I'd imagine that would lead to better performance in and around gravity wells. Out in deep space, it might have problems, that is unless it creates its gravitic field rather than manipulating the existing fields around stellar bodies of large enough mass." Victor chews on his lip thoughtfully for a moment regarding the cockpit of the strange ship. "Honestly, use of a TVD should be mandatory on any small person craft regardless. Anything that uses a transparent surface has inherent weaknesses; a lucky shot by a beam of any sort will at least temporarily blind a pilot. Whoever designed this thing probably consulted with some actual pilots in her design. She seems to be the best-of-breed design sort of ship—everything you want in an attack platform and nothing else."

He nods slowly at the mention of Ghost being the one to bring the ship back. "Good to hear she hasn't bought the farm yet. I liked Rawley, though I will admit she always worried me the most. I always waited for her to come back to the ship with a piece broken off or something. That said, she was one of the most useful pilots we had during construction. She found more problems than any other pilot we had." He smirks a little at some memories of the Scot, a hint of admiration finding its way into his voice. "Remind me to tell her hello soon." He smiles at that, giving a polite chuckle to Liam. "Anyway, what is it you want me doing right now, Ensign? Because I have to say, I would love to tear into this thing." There was an excited tone to his voice then that he was trying and failing to keep in check, the hints of that quickly bubbling to the surface.

Re: Ch07: [D03| 1530 hrs]: Recovery and Repair

Reply #9 –
[ Ensign Liam Herrold | Fighter Assault Bay | Deck 16 | Vector 02 | USS Theurgy ]
Attn: @Tae 
"I will," said Liam in regard to the reminder to say hi to Ghost, "once she returns form her away mission. She's flying escort to the Allegiant, along with Maverick Isley and two other new Wolves you likely never met before you were put on ice - Foxfire and Chance. They both came aboard in the Azure Nebula. Long story."

Rather than lingering on the specs and abilities of the Reaver or the Valravn fighters, Liam led the way out of the Maintenance Bay and to the main bay instead. "The Reaver isn't a priority right now. Moreover, it needs to be treated with great care since it constitutes evidence towards the Infested involvement in our current affairs. We got it back after the Savi stole it, and since then, we've barely managed to repair the damages it took since, frankly, we have not completely figured it out yet. Our focus at this point in time is, however, is to have the warp fighters ready for anything, since the Chancellor Martok's power over the Klingon Empire is being challenged, and Martok has learned the truth about the Infested as well. Without the Klingons aiding our mission, we'll be back to being a singular ship against all odds, and the crew can't bloody well take that for much longer at this point."

Returning to the lined-up warp fighters, Liam pointed towards the Valkyries belonging to Thomas Ravon, Tessa May Lance, Daniel Havenborn and K'Ren. "Those four are the ones in need of care after this battle you woke up to. Goldeneye's bird is in most need of repairs, so join that repair team. Glad to have you, and if we make it through this ordeal today, there will be a lot of reports for you to read through, so that you are up to speed. Good luck, Chief."

OOC: Mid-way through your post, could you move the hands of time to 1700 hrs., at which point I can write Rawley returning from the away mission? At that point, the Erudite has returned with the Allegiant, and Rawley will be towing Foxfire's damaged Valkyrie through the bay doors with her Valkyrie's tractor emitter. Chance will have to land her Valkyrie as well, but I am unaware if Stegro has the opportunity to post in this thread. The fourth Valkyrie was lost in action over Andoria, which Rawley will reveal in my next post.

Re: CH06: S [D03|1530] Recovery and Repair

Reply #10 –
CPO vanVinter | Fighter Assault Bay | Deck 16 | Vector 02| USS Theurgy Attn: @Auctor Lucan

Victor gave Liam a polite nod as he detailed what sort of mission the pilots were on right now. He grits his teeth slightly. Escort missions either had nothing happen, or they went to hell in a handbasket, nothing in between. But hearing the names, he made a note of those. "Ghost, Maverick, Foxfire, and Chance, got it. I'll make myself busy until they show back up. Here's hoping that they all come back without any codes. I like it when all we have to do is take off munitions and the standard maintenance." Somehow Victor knew that it wouldn't be quite that easy, especially if the Klingons were involved.  Victor listened attentively, giving the recent history of the Reaver, following him back out into the central bay. "Lots of long stories I see that I need to get caught up on then because honestly, the only thing I really understand from what you just said is that 'Martok is being challenged,' good thing he knows about the infested though, that'll make things easier for us, or should." He bites his lip then, dearly hoping that Martok's head would stay on his shoulders for the foreseeable future.

Looking towards the row of fighters lined up in the bay, he nods emphatically. "Goldeneye, huh? She's still alive then? It's good to know that not all of the old wolves are dead and buried. Unless someone else took over that callsign, anyway, I'll go get on it then; thanks for giving something to do, Boss."  Victor gives a wave over his shoulder and walks over to the crew working on Goldeneye's Valkyrie, giving a polite smile to the crew. "Alright then, let me know where you need me. Just consider me another set of hands and call me Victor when we're working together." And with that, Victor takes off the uniform jacket, folding it and setting it aside on a toolbox. A smile graces his twisted face since it was time to work.


Time Passes ~ 90 minutes; the time is now 1700 Hours.


Victor was starting to have fun with this. He'd helped change out part of the Impulse assembly and a few more minor components of the RCS system of Tessa's Valkyrie. By this point, his hands and face had been thoroughly smeared in lubricants and other materials. Victor was a man that certainly didn't mind getting messy when needed. And this was one of those times. Changing out a damaged RCS thruster and the hull plating around it had been a particular bear of a task, leading to more than a bit of swearing and a few sets of bloody knuckles. They'd had to bring in some plasma cutters to remove the damaged hull plating in that area. They'd have to replace that entire section of the hull by his reckoning. But nothing could be done when the releases had been fused to the bulkhead. But it hadn't all been work, and there'd been banter about what the others liked to do in their off-hours.  Victor had received more than a few strange looks when he mentioned that he enjoyed cooking, the time spent preparing ingredients, portioning everything out, and then making 'art' with everything.

During a water break, he takes a swig of the refreshing beverage, water, and starts in on defending his cooking with a cheerful tone. "Look, it's like working on these valkyries, lots of parts, and they all come together to make something beautiful. Before my next duty shift, I'll make some Hasperat, extra spicy, and bring it in. I'll have you know that my Hasperat was what saved us from the Borg at Earth. It's why all I lost was this." He winks and taps the side of his head with a spanner to indicate the cybernetic eye. Victor got more than a few incredulous looks at that particular good natured boast. This lead to one of the more junior crew members looking about to say something when the claxon and alert went off.

"Clear the deck, Fighters returning, repeat, clear the deck fighters returning." Victor nods to the other crew members and works on quickly securing the components and exterior of the valkyrie, while another crewman works on securing any flammable or reactive materials that they had out.  It wasn't ideal, but at least the deck would be clear of personnel and hazardous materials if one of the fighters came back way too hot to land safely. This was the problem with such a cramped Fighter bay, clearing the deck for launch and recovery, at least in potentially hazardous situations. "This isn't good, here's hoping that all four are coming home." His voice soft and more like a prayer than anything else, It was time to wait and see the shape the Wolves came back in, and how many.


_____________________________

OOC note: Ping Stegro after your post auctor. He'll jump in.

Re: CH06: S [D03|1530] Recovery and Repair

Reply #11 –
[ Lt. JG Evelyn Rawley, callsign "Ghost" | Fighter Assault Bay | Deck 16 | Vector 02 | USS Theurgy ] Attn: @Tae @Stegro88
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Having watched the mission down to the Breen capital as a bystander, and seeing how the Allegiant's captain chose to stay behind alone for sake of the mission - declining to be rescued from captivity so that she might deter the Breen from joining the war - Rawley had become introspective. After they got back on the Erudite, knowing that she wouldn't be able to make that choice herself, it had made her question herself and wherein her resolve could be found now that so many of the Lone Wolves were gone.

Gone from the squad. Not just dead, she thought, thinking about the owner of the Valkyrie she towed into the Fighter Assault Bay, but those unable to fly again.

Returning to the den as she was, Ghost has passed through the debris field of what were to be called the Battle of the Houses, and knew that Thea had seen strife without her. Given the fate of Isley and Nix, a sense of worry came to her, knowing that the death toll might be higher than just Maverick. Or Icarus, as he'd come to be called after Starbase 84. So, when she towed Foxfire's wreckage of a Valkyrie into the bay, her own being only slightly better off, she wasted no time popping the canopy as soon as she'd been tractor-taxied into her slot. She tore off her helmet and shouted to the deck hands below.

"Did we loose anyone?" she demanded to know, barely waiting for the flight stair to be pulled up to her cockpit before she descended from the deck. "I know about the bloody Spearhead Lounge bomb already. Anyone after that?"

"Miles Renard," said the Chief of the Deck, a frown on his face and his light blue eyes somber as he took in the damages of the two Valkyries, spotting Chance being on her way in as well. "Who else?"

Feeling numb, hearing that Iron-Fox hadn't made it, Rawley heard herself speak in answer but her thoughts were on the former Wolf-Leader. "Isley. Played the hero, danced with a Romulan warbird... Foxfire is hurt, won't likely fly again..."

Fuck it, Renard. It feels like you just made it back after Starbase 84... she thought, walking off towards the locker rooms without lifting her eyes, not seeing the faces around her.

Re: CH06: S [D03|1530] Recovery and Repair

Reply #12 –
[ Lt. JG Donna ‘Chance’ Petterson | Wolf -11 | AKA Maxine ‘Max’ Gentry | Fighter Assault Bay | Deck 16 | Vector 02 | USS Theurgy ] Attn:  @Auctor Lucan @Tae
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In the 4 years that Donna had been flying warp fighters, Max had watched her suit up and prep for flight countless times. Had observed as she handled the controls of her Valkyrie’s with generally calm assurance and poise. Now that it was her turn to do the same things, so further her playing the part of her creator, Max quickly realised there was a difference between knowing how to do something and being able to do it.

It had taken her three tries for her to get her exosuit on properly and sealed, the knowledge of what could happen in the event of an accident and her reliance on that suit weighing heavy in her mind. It was uncomfortable and she felt like she was being pressed in on all sides. Maybe there was some feature or technique she had forgotten about in adjusting it but now it was too late as she watch through the canopy ahead of her as the Theurgy approached. Or rather, she approached it.

Thankfully, they had had all the time in the world for her to get the warp fighter started in the Erudite’s hanger and was ready to go once the order’s from Rawley came through. She admired the pilot’s practical style but knew that she was dangerous to her if she thought that Donna wasn’t Donna anymore. She had no reason to suspect, her creator never having shared with her her history, but it was a precaution that Max was going to take to ensure her own survival.

“Better to make new, unsuspecting friends then risk my freedom,” Max considered as the Theurgy accepted her entry after dealing with the two Valkyrie’s ahead of her. The Klingon wreckage disappeared from view as the Fighter Bay surrounded her and she was towed into her assigned landing permission. “Now to turn this damn thing off again.”

Thankfully, shutting down the fighter was an easier process than turning it on and Max soon had the canopy raised and was descending the side of the craft into what she considered a pit of vipers.

“Time to convince them that I am exactly who I say I am.”

Re: CH06: S [D03|1530] Recovery and Repair

Reply #13 –
CPO vanVinter | Fighter Assault Bay | Deck 16 | Vector 02| USS Theurgy Attn: @Auctor Lucan @Stegro88

Victor made his way out to begin recovery operations of the fighters, the experienced SNCO knowing the duties and procedures of fighter maintenance well. Being the rank he was and having the qualifications he did, Victor would take the primary responsibilities to assess the condition of the fighters. One was a write-off at a glance, but it looked like a repair and fire prevention crew attacked the heavily damaged craft as soon as the wrecked fighter touched down. At least the other two seemed to be in good shape.

Relatively good condition, it looked like they'd certainly been in a fight, and some hull panels needed to be replaced, they all needed refueling, and because they might be going into combat rearming as well. Completing his assessment of the two intact fighters, he takes another quick glance at Nix's fighter and walks over to Liam with his PADD. "Alright, Chief, after visual inspection it looks like we can turn and burn Rawley and Petterson's if we need to, give it half an hour for refuel and rearm, two hours if we replace the minor damage they have, but we might not have that much time. Nix's is another matter entirely. I'll need to go over that bird with a fine-tooth comb, but at a glance, Sir, it looks like we've got a Cann bird on our hands, and it might not even be good for that."

Victor hated passing that sort of judgment on any craft, that it was suitable only for stripping parts off of any ship because it would be more effort to repair it than it would be to build a new one. There was a pained expression on his face then. Passing that sort of judgment did affect him, casting as much of a subdued cast to him as the news of having one MIA/KIA and a WIA in the same flight of four. He looks over to Rawley then, giving her a polite nod. "Good to see you made it back, Lieutenant. it's good to see some familiar faces." His tone of voice was subdued and respectful, and Victor didn't want to touch on the two that were out of action right now. He'd been around pilots for far too long not to know how they could feel losing people. Victor glances over to the other pilot that returned, another face that he didn't know. His eyes narrow slightly as he looks at Petterson, doing his best to commit her face to memory so that he wouldn't forget who she was if she was lost one day. "Good to see you made it back as well."

Victor takes a moment looking at Rawley's and Petterson's fighters again before addressing both of them at once. "Any issues to report lieutenants? I did a quick visual inspection, but we all know that doesn't always reveal everything. Were there any issues with flight controls or shield systems on your way back? And Lieutenant Petterson, did your bird even see any action, I don't see any signs of that, so do you have anything wrong with it?" Instead of being quite so subdued, Victor had gotten back into work mode, with a confident tone of voice.

Re: Ch07: [D03| 1530 hrs]: Recovery and Repair

Reply #14 –
[ Ensign Liam Herrold | Fighter Assault Bay | Deck 16 | Vector 02 | USS Theurgy ] Attn: @Tae @Stegro88 
Rawley never answered Chief vanVinter, vanishing in the direction of the locker rooms without even seeing him or acknowledging his voice, leaving Chance to answer him while Liam frowned and looked at the Valkyries in the bay. Chance's looked like she'd she barely seen any action since she left, the armament the same as back then, but given that the Allegiant had carried some extra munition, it could be he was wrong about that. He shared Victor's assessment about the other two birds, however, with Foxfire's looking like it could be used for parts... but these were prototype fighters, so any chance to spare a Valk from that fate was worth the time and effort in Liam's book. They had only so may extra Mk III:s from the Black Opal, which had to be one of the first mass production batches they'd come across since the Theurgy fled Earth.

"I'll take a closer look at Nix's fighter before making the call on that one," he said to Victor before stepping in that direction, "but start up repairs on Rawley's immediately. Make it a priority as well, since this mission isn't over and Ghost may have to fly again soon."

Having said as much, Liam headed over towards what was left of Foxfire's Valkyrie, producing a tricorder out of one of his pockets so that he might begin the damage assessment. Victor's visual assessment wasn't too far off, but luckily, it seemed that the hull had taken the worst of the abuse, the internal systems and the propulsion components being largely intact.

In fact, three quarters of the time they'd spend on fixing her would just be dedicated to replicating exterior parts and replacing the damaged ones, whereas the internal ones needed the fine-tooth comb scans to see if they needed some replacement too. Looking at the Valkyrie, it appeared that they were just as tough as Rennan Cooper had claimed them to be before the Resolve was lost beyond Romulan space. A Mk I or II would have been scrapped without a second assessment, and Liam had lost count on how many hours he had dedicated to upgrading Lieutenant Havenborn's Mk II so that it had a fighting chance of keeping up with the Mk III:s of his fellow wolves. Liam thought the stubborn pilot would have given up on saving his dear old Gryphon by then, but in a way, he also understood how Daniel was trying to hold on to something from the Resolve, since so much had been lost at Starbase 84.

Meanwhile, standing there with the tricorder and with Adara Hussein joining him - hovering close but not saying anything - Liam also realised that with the away team returning, so would Eun Sae Ji... and he had no idea what their reunion would be like any more. Thinking of her made something contract in his chest, and he clenched his jaw, not about to be sentimental about it. She had betrayed him, not the other way around, so he had nothing to answer for. He could understand how Adara was nervous as well, and perhaps that was why she remained close and made her entries on a PADD - the unspoken dampening the moment.

Re: CH06: S [D03|1530] Recovery and Repair

Reply #15 –
[ Lt. JG Donna ‘Chance’ Petterson | Wolf -11 | AKA Maxine ‘Max’ Gentry | Fighter Assault Bay | Deck 16 | Vector 02 | USS Theurgy ] Attn: @uytrereee @Auctor Lucan 
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The man with half a face was unfamiliar to Max. It wasn’t someone that either she or Donna had seen during their time aboard the ship and Donna had made it a habit to try and get to know as many others as possible, even if it was just a name and a posting. Most just thought the new pilot was trying to be friendly, but Max knew better. Donna had been familiarising herself with her environment while feeling out those around her as potential sources of information. During their stay at Aldea, the former intelligence operative had had several sit-down meals with various crewmembers, lending a willing ear to hear the tale of what had befallen them, and vicariously the Theurgy herself, since Captain Ives had decided to flee from Earth.

“Besides a recon flight, my fighter has remained unused,” Max told the deckhand as she eyed him over. “We have not met, and it seems you already know who I am so may I enquire as to your name?” Once the scarred man had responded, Max nodded once as if confirming something to herself. “A pleasure. But now if you’ll excuse me, I need to find a shower I can spread my arms in.”

With that, Max walked away, her eyes darting left and right to take in everything around her as if gauging everyone’s mood, when she was really looking for anything she needed to be concerned about.
 

Re: CH06: S [D03|1530] Recovery and Repair

Reply #16 –
CPO vanVinter | Fighter Assault Bay | Deck 16 | Vector 02| USS Theurgy Attn: @Auctor Lucan  @Stegro88

Victor listened patiently to Donna when she gave the relatively quick debrief of what her fighter would need to mission capable. the senior NCO attentive and present with this, he made notes on a PADD, and a smile crept slowly to his scarred visage. "Thank you, Lieutenant, and we'll give it a pre-flight, so she's ready to go when you need her." His voice polite and cheerful, honestly thankful that she hadn't brought the fighter back in any condition other than good.

When she asks for his name, though, an eyebrow might rise, or would if he'd even had one left on the left side of his face. But he should have expected needing to give his name, a wry bit of humor crossing his mind. Just because he had distinctive facial scarring didn't mean everyone would know him, certainly not the 'new' crew. "CPO Victor vanVinter Ma'am, good to meet you, and please, by all means, take care of yourself before the next shower." He understood her desire to go get a shower and certainly wouldn't begrudge her the point of hygiene. Certainly not when it was easier to work while the pilots weren't hanging around the flight deck. That Valkyrie would be a minor job that could be completed in only a few minutes. Hell, he'd even trust a pilot to do the job.

Thank the god of mechanics for automation and scanners. Victor walks over to Donna's Valkyrie and gives it a quick once-over visually, and accesses a maintenance panel to run a full diagnostic. That would take hardly any time at all, and Victor barely had time to finish typing in the commands before it comes back clear. It brought joy to his mechanic's heart that automation at least when everything worked properly could be such a time saver. his lips quirk up in a happy, if partially grotesque smile when everything comes back green all across the board. "Thank the Prophets for easy status checks where nothing is wrong." Victor gives a cheerful beckoning wave to some of the more junior deck crew that were around. "Alright, put her to bed. This Valkyrie is ready to ride again to Valhalla.  and may this Valkyrie ride once more to usher in more of the enemy's Valiant dead."

Orders given with Chance's Valkyrie, Victor heads over to where Liam was working on the triage for Foxfire's. His gait slowed, and careful as he walks over, doing his best to inspect the wrecked fighter visually. His blue eyes scan over the craft; taking note of the damage present, he shakes his head. There was the slimmest of chances that the ship might be salvageable. It looked like a long shot, a very long shot that anything would be salvageable.

With the slightest moment of hesitation, Victor approaches Liam and speaks up with an efficient and helpful tone.  His posture was professional and ready, he was itching to get to work, wnating to make sure that they wouldn't had to completely scrap at least this one fighter. "Chance's Valkyrie is green and ready to go. It's getting put to bed as we speak. I'd like to help you with the triage on this one if you can use me, Sir. I'm hoping that we can at least salvage the frame. If that's compromised in any way, it would be easier to build her back up from that point. I can focus on the frame and structure to start, and it should at least lighten your load a little."

- FIN
 
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