Star Trek: New Frontier

Chapter 5

Stardate 59446.3

Old Calendar Date June 16, 2382

"Engineering? Your status please?" Terri queried at the touch of a pad on her armrest chair.

"Well...the extra day we got did wonders for the impulse drive relays. You can tell Leslie Salinger up here at Tactical that we won't become grounded trying to leave Starbase Epsilon under our own power."

"I didn't say that—exactly." The other woman at the second Navigation/Tactical console muttered unconvincingly for those close enough to hear her.

"How soon can we get under way, Lieutenant Scott?"

"Impulse power at your discretion, ma'am." Came the rapid-fire response. "Let's see what the Brass Lass has at her disposal—shall we?"

At Science Station Two, Cathy Bates was found scratching her head slightly in momentary confusion.

"Brass...Lass?"

"—based on the hue of the Juneau—where it was painted a different color scheme." Terri was saying—before instructing Shari to move them out at one-quarter impulse.

The other woman sighed heavily—touching the new helm console.

"Here we go, boys and girls: Thrusters to station-keeping for two seconds—now engaging impulse power." Everyone on the Main Bridge held their collective breath as the ship responded dutifully to the orders given; the impulse drives firing up for the first time in a little over three years.

The ship shuddered a little in response—before Janice was on the horn relaying to the Bridge: "...a little feedback from the still untested structural integrity field generators on both Decks Five and Six—one aft. The other to port. Just some...minor adjustments on my end...stand by Ops."

There was a measure of silence after that—the vibrations under the deck plating getting progressively worse as time went on.

"—got it, Bridge. Fluctuations are now stabilizing to within point zero-seven-three-five of norms. Shari? You can increase speed to half-impulse once we clear the gantry section coming up on your starboard quarter. Ten meter clearance, Ops."

"Copy that." Terri said with general amusement—not believing she's letting one of her junior officers do the driving for once in cooperation with some members of her Bridge crew.

But the Juneau was no ordinary ship and so some things—clearly had to be overlooked for the sake of the mission itself.

Because heaven knew what they were going to encounter once they got to the Delta Quadrant.

Both Shari and Leslie coordinated their movements with Engineering as the ship continued to exit from its own collective storage dock.

"Port side clearance eleven meters and holding. Starboard? Same."

"Straight and narrow..." Lieutenant Commander Andy Barnes murmured from Communications Station Two—watching the forward viewscreen with idle interest—before returning his focus on the front-facing monitor screens in front of him.

"We are...clear, Captain. Spacedock Control is wishing us luck."

"Tell Greg that he owes me one. Preferably my old job back—if I decide so."

Ashley grinned despite herself. "Not a captain for four days and you're chaffing already at the bit—like some wild mare?"

Terri tugged at her neck collar. "This uniform doesn't suit me. I liked my old one better."

"Well, I can always take over from here, ma'am. I've always wanted to command one of these beauties. Beats my picket-line destroyer days hands down. Especially during the latter days of the Dominion War."

"...and listen to Greg bawl my head off? No thanks. I've stood in his shadow long enough. I guess it's...time to be kicked out of the nest and fly on my own terms." The other woman said—fidgeting a little bit more in her seat—before sighing.

"Wished they made this thing to my size. It's way too big for my tastes."

"I thought it suited you, Captain. A throne for a queen."

Terri eyed her First Officer with lingering annoyance on her face.

"Just because I happen to have descended from British royalty on my father's side—doesn't mean I am deserving of any special treatment from my crew."

"Prince William Augustus III would beg to differ." Ashley poked and prodded relentlessly—before Leslie Salinger brought up the finer point of the space doors opening for the first time in six days.

"Continue on course: Quarter impulse." The woman relayed. "Once we have a clear line of sight, Shari, lock in the coordinates to Voyager-Alpha's last known location and go to slipstream velocity."

"Aye, Captain. I have the numbers on the board. Nav-Com is functioning five by five. For once."

Leslie rolled her eyes. "Please don't jinx us." She droned—accepting the incoming flight data from the Nav-Com Officer in return.

"Forty seconds till we're clear, Captain." Archie said from his post at Science One. "All systems read green. Drive systems are...nominal with some minor fluctuations in the quantum stasis core." He touched a comm pad near him.

"Lieutenant Scott? Please configure the crystal lattice structure on your port side to nine degrees relative and lock it down. Starboard crystal lattice structure four degrees relative and lock it down. Confirm?"

"Stand by, Bridge."

Ten seconds went by before Archie started to see things level off within engineering norms.

"Good. Good. Structures are aligned for slipstream velocities, Captain. You may give the word." He relayed back.

Terri nodded. "Engage."