We Need Our Ship, Mr. Winters

Posted on Mon Feb 10th, 2025 @ 9:48pm by Captain Remy Johansen & Lieutenant Commander Nash Winters

1,658 words; about a 8 minute read

Mission: Character Backstories
Location: Corinth IV Fleetyards
Timeline: 2375 (Backstory Nash and Remy)

Nash got the word that he was about to receive visitors. He was the Assistant Chief Superintendent of the Federation depot here on Corinth IV and finalizing the inspection reports in his office. “So who’s going to brighten our day, George?” George Fleming was the Chief Superintendent, who worked hand in hand with Nash.

“All I was allowed to know is there’s a crew of seven, Nash-man. No ID’s. Not even a flight plan. Orders came from Starfleet, though. Can’t say no. You know that hunk of rotten duranium in bay 5? That’s the one.”

“Really? That’s an out of service Orion freighter. I just overhauled the plasma manifolds and fusion initiators. I did everything but wash the carpets. When are they expected?” Nash asked.

George checked his computer. “Looks like in the next 2-3 hours. Better get the welcome wagon ready, my friend. That’s your job.”

“Thanks a lot. Better go change. Have to look presentable. First folks to come through here in a few weeks.” Nash said as he left to get to his quarters.

---

Ensign Remira Johansen watched Lt. Commander Ra'an with interest. She was the Orion Starfleet Tactical officer that would be primarily in charge of the mission. A few others were similarly ranked, but because of the optics once they would be in place in Syndicate territory, Ra'an had been the obvious choice. Though Remy was there as a science officer, both for her skills for training, in public she was basically an errand girl, a personal assistant to Ra'an.

The team was still in uniform for now, with rank and insignia, but none of that would be going with them with they left the shipyard.

Commander Trickett spoke up as they entered the Depot. "I know you all have your jobs to do, but I am going to reiterate again, assume that you may have to take over for any other team member at any given point in time. One of the engineers is going to show us around this ship we're taking. What they have to say, is important for all of us. With a small crew like this anyone could end up acting engineer at any point. Understood."

The group responded with a chorus of 'understoods,' and 'yes, sirs'. Satisfied, he and Ra'an led the way into the Depot.

His official title was Assistant Chief Superintendent, but Nash Winters held the rank of Lieutenant. He was the closest to engineering chief on the depot without being assigned to a starship. He put on a clean uniform and headed to the airlock to welcome the visitors.

A couple of taps on the wall control panel and the hatch opened to reveal the group of officers. “Welcome to Corinth IV, ladies and gentlemen. I’m Lieutenant Winters, you can call me Nash. I understand you’re here for a ship. Not the prettiest in the sector, but she’ll get you where you need to go.”

"Shiny and new wouldn't be the look we're going for anyway, Lieutenant. From what I know, what you got will serve the purpose just fine," Trickett responded.

“Definitely not pretty on the outside, but wait til you see what we did on the inside,” Nash said slyly.

“It’s two levels down, bay 5. If you’ll follow me,” Nash said.

Ra'an and Trickett both stood aside gesturing for the rest of the team to follow Lieutenant Winters while they brought up the rear.

"Is it going to be much different than operating a Federation ship?" Piped up a red-headed young ensign. Remy had been cross-training in all departments since being pulled from the Academy her last year to serve in the War, but she was a science officer and had spent most of her time mastering sensors, probes, and other functions that were more typically assigned to one in her position. Possibly filling in for navigation or engineering on an alien vessel was the most nerve wracking part of this assignment for her.

“The physical layout is a little different, umm…what was your name?” Nash asked. The young woman seemed very matter-of-fact about whatever mission she was beginning. He could tell she knew her stuff. Additionally, Nash found her very attractive, despite being married for just a short time.

"Johansen," the ensign replied.

Nash half smiled and offered a welcoming handshake. “A pleasure to meet you, Miss Johansen. Nash Winters. Wait until you feast your eyes on this baby.”

“The interfaces are the original-I just cleaned them up a little. Thrusters, warp drive, injectors, all up to spec. I actually refitted the deuterium storage tanks, at the least the Orion version of them. It took myself and a team of 10, eight weeks. Weapons, propulsion, navigation, have all been refit and upgraded.”

Nash turned to find Commander Trickett. “And Commander, one thing you’ll be very interested in. I’m not sure where you’re headed, though I know it’s not a pleasure cruise, I re-initiated the targeting scanners. Even when on manual, they’re much more accurate and user-friendly.”

"If we're scanned by an unfriendly are these upgrades going to trace back to Federation technology?" Trickett asked.

“How did I know you would ask that? I figured that…. a Federation crew aboard an Orion slug like this, there’s more to this than meets the eye. I took the liberty to install a few safeguards. Don’t worry, Commander. The masking technology is buried deep within the core matrix. No one will ever be the wiser. You’re welcome, by the way.” Nash said.

"So we're reliant on masking technology, or we might as well have an NCC registry painted on this thing is what I'm hearing?" Trickett verified. "We didn't ask for upgrades, we asked for a tune-up. Ra'an?"

“It’s not just masking tech. It’s more than that. The ship’s warp and propulsion signatures can be altered at the drop of a hat. The power relays are designed to give false readings. If you wanted Orion technology, you should have gone to an Orion facility. But you didn’t and you don’t. You came here. We provide our services to Starfleet and civilian clients alike,” Nash states his case in an almost defiant manner. He was a skilled problem solver and engineer and was not used to being questioned this way.

The Orion Lt. Commander wore a more neutral expression She could tell the Lieutenant had taken initiative to try to be helpful. "Lieutenant Winters, why don't you show us how everything works. Make sure we're all up to speed. Some of younger officers haven't operated an alien vessel outside of simulations, so I hope you have time for questions," Ra'an stated. "After that, I want to learn more about the masking technology and exactly what we'll look like when passing checkpoints. We do expect frequent scans and even boarding parties."

“Be happy to. Ms. Ra’an, was it?” Nash handed her a PADD. “Here. All the specs and modifications we performed are all listed there. There’s a translation matrix you can access, too, for the rest of your team. Took me 3 days to decipher the bridge controls. The Orion written language is a mess. No offense,” Nash said as he looked over the green woman.

“I just remembered the pattern buffers were giving me trouble. Wouldn’t want anyone to get atomized on my account. Get a feel for the setup up here. I shouldn’t be long and we can go over any questions or concerns you might have. I’m just a comm line away. Commander, Johansen.” Winters then disappeared through the hatch door.

The crew looked around awkwardly after Nash's abrubt exit. "I thought he was going to actually show us around," one the lieutenants grumbled as he went to the security station and powered on the controls.

Johansen kept her mouth shut as she guessed where operations was and went to turn on the controls there. She also found the abrubt exit odd. Especially considering there were two officers on the Bridge of this ship who clearly outranked him. Direct chain of command or not, her training taught her that you didn't leave until you were dismissed.

Ra'an and Trickett were discussing something in muted voices in the back of the Bridge while they watched the rest of the team familiarize themselves with the controls. "How long do we give him to get back up here?" Ra'an asked.

"I can't say that care at this point. We'd probably be better off just figuring this out ourselves. We should probably insist on using our own crew from now on," Trickett responded.

"I'm sure it's fine. We'll swing it through the shipyards, and run a few tests."

Winters suddenly reappeared on the freighter’s bridge and realized he had to explain himself for leaving them in a lurch.

“Hey, ladies and gentlemen, I apologize for just walking out on you. Please don’t feel that I abandoned you. I’ve been just so focused on getting this ship operational, I failed to consider the fact that you would need assistance with the basic equip. So—-now that I’m here, what can I do for you? Ask me anything, no matter how ridiculous it may sound. I promised you a rundown, so that’s what I will deliver.”

Ra'an stepped forward and let out an awkward breath. "I know that I may look like I've seen the inside of one of these things before, but I was born and raised a Federation citizen. Outside of simulations, we haven't flown one of these before, and I don't think our simulations account for your upgrades, Lieutenant."

Nash felt validated with this group and had a pretty good feeling about moving forward. “Very good, then. Let’s get to work. Let’s start with navigation and ops….”

~tbc~

 

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