[2373] Third Time's the Charm

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[2373] Third Time's the Charm

January 03, 2021, 11:05:08 AM

[ PO3 Mickayla MacGregor | Temporary Quarters | Starbase 74 | Tarsas 3 ]
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"Personal Log, Stardate 50929.16. It has now been two weeks since the Battle against the Borg above Earth. Honestly, it feels like so much longer. Probably for reasons I can’t speak of. Anyway, I was informed this morning that the Artemis will be returning to the Starbase in about an hour's time and I will be able to transfer aboard and report for duty. So here I am, packing my bags as I record this entry, wondering what assignment to this ship will be like. Hopefully no Borg,” Mickayla remarked as she packed the last of her belongings into her luggage. She only had to two bags, a smaller shoulder bag and a single large case on wheels. In them, the Klingon/Human hybrid carried only what she considered irreplaceable to her. Everything else, she could get from a replicator.

“I guess that’s everything,” Mickayla said aloud, unable to think of anything else to say. “Computer. End Log Entry,” she stated as she looked out her window to the interior docking of the starbase beyond. “And transfer my personal log to the USS Artemis when it docks,” she added as she looked across the open expanse at an Excelsior-class ship missing a nacelle and part of its saucer. It had gotten off easy compared to some of the starships she had seen in the aftermath of the battle.

Far easier.

<Confirmed>

Re: [2373] Third Time's the Charm

Reply #1 – January 22, 2021, 03:34:45 PM

[ PO3 Mickayla MacGregor | Temporary Quarters | Starbase 74 | Tarsas 3 ]
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She had been waiting in one of the Starbase’s many lounges with a view of the internal docking bay, trying to enjoy a drink that was entirely too sterile for her liking when she had noticed the outer doors opening. She had set her drink down and waited for the ship that was waiting beyond them to reveal itself. Sure enough, it was the Artemis.

The Akira-class starship still bore the scars from the Battle above Earth with the Borg cube, but thankfully, they were mostly superficial damage. Mickayla had read a damage report that listed the main points of interest but not being entirely familiar with her new ship’s layout, was able to completely process exactly what it was she had read. Still, the general gist she had understood was that unless the Federation went to war or the Borg attacked again, then the Artemis was capable of undertaking missions within the general vicinity and with a lower threat level.

As the Akira-class moved towards it’s assigned birth, Mickayla downed the remainder of her drink before standing and heading out of the lounge back to her temporary quarters. It was time to make herself known to her new ship and crew.

Re: [2373] Third Time's the Charm

Reply #2 – January 26, 2021, 04:07:46 AM

[ PO3 Mickayla MacGregor | Passageway | Starbase 74 | Tarsas 3 ]
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As she walked along the passageway, Mickayla wondered what her new ship might have in store for her. This would be the third vessel she had been assigned to in the 4 years since her graduation; something usually seen as a bad mark against a person. Thankfully, her transfer from the Lexington to the Enterprise-E had been a promotion, of sorts, while this transfer, though away from the Enterprise, was through no fault of her own and was a result of the need to restructure to cover to losses inflicted on Starfleet by the Borg cube.

Out of the side of the passageway, through the transparent aluminum that protected her, Mickayla could see the portside of the docked USS Artemis, her eyes tracking along the blackened scars that dotted the visible flank with one quite nasty looking gash up where the boom joined with the hull proper.

“I wonder how much damage that one did?” Mickayla thought, eyeing the area and trying to judge for herself. Unfortunately, while her forward progress down the passage brought her closer to the ship, it also brought her under the edge of the saucer section, blocking her view. Ahead, she could see the checkpoint for one of the docking booms affixed to the Artemis.

“Hello, Chief,” Mickayla addressed the Chief Petty Officer currently standing beside the hatch. “Petty Officer Third Class Mickayla MacGregor reporting for duty.”

Re: [2373] Third Time's the Charm

Reply #3 – January 31, 2021, 04:12:13 PM

[ PO3 Mickayla MacGregor | Passageway | Starbase 74 | Tarsas 3 ]
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“MacGregor, yes, I was told that you would be arriving soon after we finished docking,” the chief acknowledged, glancing up from the PADD he was reviewing to speak to her directly. “A transfer in from the Enterprise if I recall correctly. That brings the origins of our replacement crew up to 9 different ships now. And then there are those that are fresh from the Academy, or basic,” he remarked casually. “Looks like the whole fleet is going through a personnel shuffle thanks to the Borg and their attack on Earth.”

“Yes, sir,” Mickayla agreed, not knowing what else to say. It was why she had been transferred away from the Federation flagship and she knew that she was far from the only one. Almost a 10th of the Enterprise’s surviving crew were being transferred to other ships or installations while their former ship was being repaired and refitted after, what it had gone through. She reminded herself that she wasn’t even meant to think about what the crew knew about what had happened during the immediate aftermath of the destruction of the Borg Cube.

“You’ll need to report to the First Officer though,” the chief went on, drawing Mickayla out of her thoughts. “You should find them in their ready room off the bridge.”

Re: [2373] Third Time's the Charm

Reply #4 – February 05, 2021, 03:52:49 PM

[ PO3 Mickayla MacGregor | Bridge | USS Artemis | Starbase 74 | Tarsas 3 ]
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Her journey up through the decks of the Artemis was without issue and as she stepped onto the bridge, she got her first look at the nerve centre of her new posting. Being as they were docked, there was only a few watchkeepers present, but the Klingon could easily imagine what the room would look like as they responded to a distress call, observed a stellar anomaly or entered a battle. She took a moment, the watchkeepers eyeing her curiously before moving forward again towards the First Officer’s ready room.

“Enter,” came the call scarcely 2 seconds after Mickayla had buzzed and she stepped through the door and strode into the middle of the room, coming to a stop before the desk, standing tall.

“Petty Officer Third Class Mickayla MacGregor reporting for duty,” the Klingon announced calmly. The officer seated before her was a Terran female, perhaps late 30s or early 40s in age and with what she knew to be an Asian complexion. From her readings, she recognised the officer to be Lieutenant Commander Himari Yamada. Much like Mickayla herself, Yamada had been transferred to the ship following the battle and assigned as the replacement first officer. Her former ship, where she had served as the Chief Tactical Officer, the Sabre-class USS Lamarr, was heavily damaged fighting against the Borg cube.

Re: [2373] Third Time's the Charm

Reply #5 – February 07, 2021, 11:24:05 AM

[ PO3 Mickayla MacGregor | Bridge | USS Artemis | Starbase 74 | Tarsas 3 ]
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“We’ve been expecting you, Petty Officer,” Commander Yamada said by way of greeting, not looking up from the PADD she was reading. It irked Mickayla to be ignore in such a manner, having been raised to believe it was the height of rudeness not to look at whomever you were speaking too, foregoing a good reason, but she swallowed it down, knowing that many others did not share her views. And she doubted she would set a first impression if she tried to a superior officer up on during their first meeting. “How was your trip?”

“It was adequate, ma’am,” Mickayla remarked politely, not knowing if her answer was being judged or if it was simply that, an answer to a question. Her journey to Starbase 74, while neither quick, nor overly luxurious, was without hassle and had afforded something of a break for Mickayla to gather her thoughts regarding the recent events that she had experienced and the resulting upheaval that it had brought about.

“Adequate, yes,” Yamada repeated, as if rolling the word around and looking at it from all sides. She set her PADD down and looked up at Mickayla, interlacing her fingers in front of her as she eyed the Klingon-Human hybrid standing before her. “But you have never been one for ‘adequate’ have you, Petty Officer MacGregor?”

Re: [2373] Third Time's the Charm

Reply #6 – February 09, 2021, 03:11:12 AM

“Ma’am?” Mickayla queried, not sure what the officer before her meant by what she had said. “I’m not sure what you mean by that. I meant no offense to the transport.”

“Nor was I referring to it,” Yamada interjected, cutting off the petty officer. “What I am referring to though, is your service record. I’ll admit, it is impressive reading and paints the perfect picture of a dedicated member of Starfleet. But what I also see is someone that has issues, some of them that I believe are deeply buried. Would you like to comment on that?”

“I have tried to do my utmost to uphold the ideals of the Federation and Starfleet,” Mickayla said, practically reciting what she had been told numerous times throughout training. “If that is not what you are looking for in a member of your crew, then I do not know what else I can do.”

“You can relax,” Yamada deadpanned. “The captain and I have both read your file and came to the same conclusion. You are an ideal member of Starfleet, that is not in question. But in reading your reviews, they all carry the same basic tone. Mickayla MacGregor focuses too much on her role and not enough on herself. You served for over a year on the Lexington and yet your file says that you didn’t develop anything beyond acquaintances with your fellow crew. A review from the Enterprise said much the same. That doesn’t paint the image of a team player, Petty Officer.” Yamada revealed, her eyes fixed on the hybrid before her. “Care to tell me why that is?”

Re: [2373] Third Time's the Charm

Reply #7 – February 21, 2021, 10:59:30 AM

“I,” Mickayla began, stuttering slightly as she tried to think of what to say. She knew that she had kept her crewmates at a distance, had even done the same while she was in training. But this was the first time that someone had actually called her out on it. And it was not someone she could brush aside. “Commander, as you know, I grew up in Scotland. And despite the times, the highlands are still very centred around the idea of kin and clan. So, imagine if you can, what my life was like growing up, looking so obviously different from everyone else.”

“And before you say it, no, I was never treated differently, not outright anyway,” Mickayla said, continuing before Yamada could comment. “But kids will be kids and they learn from their parents. My mother was looked down on for not even knowing who my father was and I, because I simply looked different than the other kids... it was like I was surrounded by this atmosphere, something that just made the other kids to not want to come near me.”

“You spend enough time alone; you get comfortable with it and it becomes all you know. You don’t learn how to let others in beyond a certain point. Because you don’t know them, and you don’t know how to get to know them," Mickayla explained, her voice monotone. “That had been my life, ma’am. It may not have been perfect, and there are for damn sure parts I would change if I could. But I can’t, so I have to make do.”

Re: [2373] Third Time's the Charm

Reply #8 – March 03, 2021, 03:45:40 PM

“Very well Petty Officer,” Yamada acknowledged, feeling like she had come to a better understanding of the newest crewmember of her ship. It had taken some prodding, and no doubt the woman before her would resent her before she liked her because of it but in her position, sometimes you had to make the hard choices. It was often unpleasant, but the results were necessary. Just like in this case. “I apologise for the probing but I needed to know more than what your file could tell me.”

“It’s... apology accepted,” Mickayla responded after a moment, her annoyance clear in her tone but Yamada ignored it, having been the cause of it in the first place.

“I needed to know because this crew will be spending an extended period of time together and I wanted to make sure that there wouldn’t be any issues at the start,” Yamada explained as she thought about how best to explain their mission. “Due to the Dominion War, ships are being pulled from other areas to fight. Which leaves those left behind a greater area of responsibility. We are being sent to the border and where 3 ships might have patrolled and explored the region, we will be the sole vessel for a long way. So, there will be minimal chances to transfer if two people cannot get along. Is that understood?”

Re: [2373] Third Time's the Charm

Reply #9 – September 09, 2021, 10:33:20 AM

"Understood, ma’am,” Mickayla acknowledged calmly, her mind going over the possibilities inherent with being assigned border patrol. “Longer mission times with fewer stops at established ports and starbases. Varied mission profiles to keep things interesting. And while it isn’t combat duty against the Dominion, there will still likely be plenty for me to keep myself occupied with. War always brings out the scavengers looking to profit off another’s inattention.”

“Well then, I won’t keep you any longer,” Yamada said, as she glanced down at one of the datapads that occupied her desk. “I see that you have already been assigned quarters. Deck 03 on the outer portside boom. I’ve never been aboard a Sovereign-class before, but I hope that you won’t find an Akira’s berthing to be too much of a letdown.”

“I’m sure they will be more than adequate, Commander,” Mickayla intoned. “May I ask, are they single or dual occupancy?”

I believe that section houses dual occupancy quarters,” Yamada replied as she tapped at the PADD. “Yes, yours is dual occupancy. Your roommate is also a new transfer, but they haven’t reported aboard as yet. Not to worry though. I’m sure they will be here before we depart in 2 days. Will that be all?”

“Yes ma’am,” Mickayla responded. “Thank you.”

Re: [2373] Third Time's the Charm

Reply #10 – January 25, 2022, 02:23:02 PM

Getting to her new quarters would have been something of a convoluted trek for her given that Mickayla wasn’t intimately familiar with the ship’s deck layout had it not been for the Artemis’ turbolift. Efficiently laid out, the car was able to take her from the bridge to the portside boom where her quarters were located. The fact that it first had to descend to deck 05 first was not lost on the petty officer but it was better than having to try and travel the same distance herself. That would have required use of the ship’s Jefferies tubes and she didn’t want to imagine how those were arranged.

Entering her new quarters, she found them to be somewhat spacious compared to her prior berthing aboard the Enterprise, even if she was still meant to be sharing them with another person. Hopefully they would try to avoid any awkwardness and bunk her with someone of an equivalent rank. Still though, she had no idea when her roommate would be arriving so decided to pick a bunk and unpack as little as possible in case sleeping arrangements had to change.

Leaving her bags on the lower bunk, Mickayla set off again to report to the Artemis’ Chief of Security.