Tales of the IKS Fire Blade!

As promised, here is everything I've done on this writing project up to now.  More will follow soon.  The 1st series is titled "New Arrival"..

"New Arrival Part #1"

Our story is set aboard the IKS Fire Blade a K'Vort class cruiser. The Commanding Officer is Captain Kuhr. He is not a great hero that you will find enshrined in the Hall of Warriors. It's not likey that he will be invited to join the Order of the Bat'leth anytime soon either. However, he is a good Officer with a repectable Battle Record and a somewhat rough, no-nonsense command style. Kuhr has many years of service to his credit and his crew is proud to call him their Captain.

The morning shift has just taken over on the Bridge & the Captain has appeared on deck. He immediately turns to his 1st. Officer, Commander Jaan, "XO, Report!"

XO- We dock at Outpost 37K within the hour to pick up a supplies and a handful of replacement crew.
CPT- How long?
XO- If all goes well, we will have everything done and be back underway in six hours, no more than- -
CPT- Four!
XO- Sir?
CPT- Four hours, XO. We will do all that needs to be done and be out of there in four hours. I don't like this station and we will not be here any longer than required. If it takes longer, those at fault will answer to me, starting with YOU!... Is there anything else?
XO- (Hands the Captain a Datapad) Yes there is.. We have some crew who will be leaving us today.
CPT- (Takes a seat in his command chair, reads over the pad and flips a switch in the arm of the chair. His voice comes over the ship's loudspeaker) Attention all... This is the Captain. I have been informed that the following crew will be leaving us today. (Captain goes on to read 10 names from various deaprtments aboard ship, going from the most senior in rank to the lowest.) You have all performed admirably and done your jobs well. For that I commend each of you. If you had not, I would have killed you by now. Make no mistake of that. Some of you are moving on to new assignments while others are leaving the Defense Force. Regardless of where you go from here, the entire Crew wishes you well and so do I.. Qapla! (switches off conn)

The ship docks without incident. Shortly afterwards, there is a brief arguement between the XO and the Station's Dock Master. There is rumor of some sort of scuffle but apparently nobody saw anything. A short time later, there is yet another exchange between the Station Commander and the Ship's Captain. Once again, there are rumors of violence but there were no witnesses.

When it was all said and done, the IKS Fire Blade concludes its business and is underway in exactly 3 hours and 51 minutes, a new record for both the Station and the ship. On a side note, it appears that both the Dock Master and the Station Commander met with unfortunate accidents within minutes of each other. Fortunately, neither of them had any life-threatening injuries and they will both be out of the Infirmary in a matter of days. It's such a strange coincidence that all of this took place while Captain Kuhr and his crew were visiting the Station.

A short time after getting underway, the Captain & XO proceed to the ship's Recreation Hall where new crewmembers were taken to wait. It's here that they will officially report for duty. Normally, this is done as they board but an exception had to be made this time. The reasons for that have already been mentioned.
XO- Before we go in sir, there's one thing I need to tell you about. It concerns one of the new Officers. He is a--
CPT- It can wait, XO. Tell me after we're done with this..(The two enter the room and everyone snaps to attention. He immediately begins to address the new arrivals.) I am Captain Kuhr, your Commanding Officer and this is Commander Jaan, the XO. I will be brief. My rules are simple. Do your job! Carry out the duties that you are assigned or I will get someone who can.. Bekks.. (Enlisted and / or Noncoms) Take notice of the woman stainding behind you. (An older but fierce looking Klingon female stomps her right foot as she snaps to attention.) She is Ta'jaH, ranking Noncom aboard this vessel. You will address her as Chief. An order from her is an order from me. Officers, you may hold higher rank than Ta'jaH but I suggest that you respect her experience and years of service. If you can't do that, have enough sense to stay out of her way. (Captain steps back)
XO- You all know what is expected of you now. Stand forward and present yourselves..
Each new crewmember steps forward, giving his name, rank & House they are from if applicable. All of them are waiting for the last one in line to do so, knowing that at least the Captain is in for a bit of a surprise... Then, it comes. "Lieutennant Charlie Richards, Starfleet Reserves... Reporting for Temporary Assignment, SIR!"

Sure enough, there is a Human in a Gold-trimmed Starfleet uniform standing at the end of the line. By appearances, he's slightly below average height and pale skinned (even by Human standards). As far as Humans go, he even appears to be a bit of a weakling. All of this immediately catches the Captain's full attention. For the first few moments, Kuhr is shocked beyond words. This has to be a joke! After taking a moment to collect himself, he slowly steps up to the Starfleet Officer and gets face to face with him..
CPT- Who are you and WHY are you HERE?
Lt.R- I'm LT Richards, sir...
CPT- I know that! Tell me WHY you are aboard MY ship...
XO- Sir, this was what I wanted to speak to you about... As you know, The Empire has an Officer Exchange with the Federation. Four days ago, I advised you that one might be assigned to us for a brief time.
CPT- You should have advised me again this morning, XO.. Why was I not informed when he came aboard?
XO- Given all that happened at the station with the Dock Master and his CO, I did not know about this until an hour ago, sir.
CPT- Point taken, XO.. (turns to Ta'jaH) Chief!... Take charge of your Bekks.. (back to Jaan) XO, send the new Officers to their Department Heads. I will see you and this Human in my Wardroom in half an hour...MOVE!
Everyone disperses, going about thier tasks..

	IKS Fire Blade "New Arrival Parts #2 & 2.5" « Reply #2 on 10-23-12 at 12:10pm »
The allotted time passes. The XO and LT Richards report to the Captain as ordered. The Captain is seated at his desk while the young LT is standing at attention in front of him. The XO is stading nearby. CPT- I have read most of your file Lieutennant and I want a few things explained so we understand each other. Am I correct in stating that you're not even a real Starfleet Officer? LtR.- Respectfully, you would be wrong, sir. I am a Reservist. I serve for two days each month, plus a 20 day training cycle each year to keep my skills sharpened. Ones like me can be called up for Active Duty at any time if the need arises. That happened during the Dominion War and I spent the better part of 3 years on Active Duty. CPT- Understood... Here is what I don't get. How did you end up HERE on a Klingon vessel. Did your Starfleet send you to us with no chice in the matter? LtR.- No, I volunteered for this. CPT- Why? LtR.- It was time for my training cycle and I wanted something challenging, not just another boring 20 days at some petty outpost or a ship that doesen't seem to do much of anything. This appealed to me.... A few years ago, I served with some Klingons. We were together as part of a Joint Security Detail for a Diplomatic Conference on Earth and-- CPT- Aaah yes, the Peace Conference... You were hoping to serve with them again. Is that correct? LtR.- Yes but I knew the chances at that were slim at best, sir. I still wanted this anyway. As I already stated, sir...I like a challenge. CPT- You Humans have an old saying that I've heard once and I like it... I think it's.... "Be careful what you wish for. You just might get it.." How long will you be with us, Lieutennant? LtR.- 20 days, sir... That's when I'm supposed to report back to Outpost 37K, unless this ship is delayed due to a mission. I would go back afterwards in that case, sir. CPT- Good, we are to recieve new orders at any time now. Our next mission will probably be a Freighter Escort. It's a slow and tedious task but essential in this part of the Empire. I'm assigning you to the Ops station on the Bridge for now. Your file says you are qualified for the position. I suppose our Ops station will be different than the one you are accustomed to but you will adapt. The XO here will brief you on your duty hours, the location of your quarters etc..One last thing... According to the rules of this Exchange, I can't kill you for incompetance. Other than that, you will get no special treatment here. I expect you to meet the standards set for any other Junior Officer in the Defense Force. If you cannot do that, we will have a problem. Do you understand me? LtR.- Yes sir, I will do my best. CPT - You are dismissed. Wait outside for the XO. (The LT turns and exits while the Captain looks to the XO) Stay for a moment... (They wait for the LT to leave.) I only glanced at the file that was sent with him. Have you read all of it? XO- Yes, I have. The Human trained at Starfleet Academy for 3 years and was Field Commissioned during the Dominion War. Most of his time was spent as a Junior Administrator at a Shipyard on Mars. Prior to joining Starfleet, he studied at a Vaaan-duhr-bilt Uuuniversity for 4 years. CPT- Vaaan-duhr-bilt.... XO- It's in a city called Naaash-ville.. The file states that he is from that city. He was Captain of the Chess Team at that school.. CPT- Human style Klin Zah....an interesting game but inferior to ours. This is not why I wanted you to stay, XO. I am concerned. Why would one like this be sent to us? He's no Warrior, at least not by Klingon standards. High Command should have assigned him to some Admin post, similar to what he is used to, not a Battlecruiser. XO- I was thinking the same thing, Captain. CPT- At first, I thought this was General Graag's idea of a joke. It seems like he takes pleasure in making things complicated at times. XO- I've noticed that, sir. If I may ask...what did you ever do to him? It must have been-- CPT- You may not ask or comment, XO! (long pause) Watch the Human carefully. If he can't do his job here, Starfleet looks bad and not us. If he gets killed or seriously hurt on MY ship, that will reflect poorly on me and I would answer to General Graag himself. If that should happen, you won't be here to replace me as Captain. This is all I will say on that matter. Let the Human rest for a few hours and put him to work on 3rd watch with you.. Dismissed! (OOC note: As you might have already guessed, General Graag is Captain Kuhr's superior and more will be heard from him at a later date.) *****************Part #2.5*************************** Personal log entry/ LT Charlie Richards: After my meeting with the Captain, the XO briefed me on protocals and my Bridge responsibilities. I got familiar with my station & asked a few questions. The Captian was right. It is different than what I'm used to but that shouldn't be a problem. A Tech Manual, written in Fed Standard would be a big help right now but that may be too much to ask. My first shift on the Bridge starts tonight. I went to the Mess Hall for Dinner. It wasn't bad at all, much better than the food on Outpost K37. There were a few Klingon dishes that I've been warned to stay clear of, something about being too harsh for my non-Klingon stomach but I haven't found anything that I can't eat yet. Just like the Outpost, there were 2 Noncoms serving everyone. I'm guessing they didn't know what to think of me. I pointed and asked for a bowl of something that looked like some kind of stew to me and one of cooks looked at me like I had lost my mind. He kept saying, "Nobody asks for this unless there's nothing else.." I can't see what all the fuss was about. I liked it. It was really good with the dark bread rolls at the end of the serving line. I also got to meet one of my new shipmates. The Mess Hall was pretty crowded & finding a seat was a little tough at first. I wound up sitting across from Crewman Uhr from Maintenance. He seemed surprised that an Officer, any Officer would even speak to him. Once again, I got a strange look when he saw what was on my tray. He pointed at the bowl and asked, "You like that?" He was about to tell me what was in it when Chief Ta'jaH showed up & tapped him on the shoulder. She took one cold, hard look at him and barked, "Back to work!" I couldn't make out what she said next. I speak Thlingon Hol & there's a Universal Translator built in to my communicator. I still wasn't able to understand but I don't think it was anything nice. As Uhr was leaving, she sounded off for everyone to hear, "7 minutes! That is all the time it should take to eat your meal if you still have duties to perform, no more than that! Take it as a warning!" Four other Noncoms quickly finished and made their way out of the Mess Hall. Since arriving in the Empire, I've noticed that not all Klingons wear Battle Armor... I mean not all of them in the Defense Force. It seems that a lot of Noncoms wear a utility uniform instead, one that's tailored to their specific job. For example, the cooks wear black trousers with soft-sole black boots and a brown tunic that's cut much like a Chef's jacket. Maintenance Techs wear a sleeveless one-piece jumpsuit that's either brown or grey. They have large cargo pockets sewn on both sides of the chest and similar ones on the legs. A tool belt, thick work gloves and leathery steel-toe boots complete that uniform. It's funny that I never thought of that 'til now but it makes sense. I noticed the same thing with Enlisteds in other departments but those two stick out in my memory. It's time to get some rest. My first shift on the Bridge starts in about 4 hours. I have a room-mate in my quarters but was told we would rarely see each other. I can't remember his name but he's a Junior Officer from Security. The XO had Chief Ta'jaH show me to my quarters earlier. She advised me to leave him alone and he would do the same. I don't understand that. There's no reason we can't get along, at least none that I see but I've rambled enough.. I set an alam to wake me at 2230 and the shift begins at 2300. 'Better get some sleep. -LT Richards Next, we have Crewman Uhr (Maintenance Tech.) writing a letter home: My Dear Mother, It was good hearing from you again and thanks for sending me my old work gloves. The ones issued by our idiot Quartermaster were too flimsy and don't last very long. I went through 5 pairs in 6 months and he's threatening to take the cost of the gloves out of my pay if I keep "wasting" them. I hope AbboH is feeling better soon and I want to see him next time I come home. Be sure to tell him I said that. They woke me up last night and called me to the Bridge. I had just gotten to sleep too. We have a new Officer aboard ship, one that you would never expect to see here. He's a Human Lieutennant from Starfleet. It's part of an exchange program with the Federation. I met him yesterday and spoke to him for just a moment. His eating habits are a little weird but he seemed alright. I don't know what the Empire sent in "exchange" for him but I hope we get it back soon. This Human must be stupid or something. Less than an hour on the Bridge and he did something that caused his entire work station to freeze up. Nothing worked! He has no idea what he did to cause that and neither did anyone on the Bridge but it suddenly becomes my job to fix it... I had to shut down the Ops Station, crawl underneath on my back and reboot everything, system by system. This took the better part of two hours while the Captain, XO and the Chief took turns glaring at the Human and staring intently at my work. It shook me up a bit and the Human did not look so well by the time I was finished. By then, it looked like the Captain was ready to stab someone. The XO had this frustrated look on his face and the Chief.... I've seen her angry but not like this. It looked as if she was ready to grab that Lieutennant and push him out an airlock. I was never so happy to be done with a job and ready to get out of there. As I was leaving, I saw the Captain point at me & whisper something to the Chief. She nodded in agreement. I hope they don't intend to blame this on me. I'm due for a promotion in 5 months. I'm sure to find out later but right now, I don't even want to know. One last thing Mother, tell my little brother that I said no.. He can't have my old room and everything had better be just as I left it when I come home! I won't warn him again.. Your Loyal Son, Uhr (special note// AbboH is a nickname. Loosely translated to Fed Standard, it means Grandpa or Grandfather but there's a little more to it than that. It's deeper and more personal.)

Part #3

LT Richards' Personal Log: Eight days aboard the IKS Fire Blade and this assignment is much harder than I expected. All things considered, I am still doing well. A few hours after my first fiasco on the Bridge, I got a knock on my cabin door. I wound up being face to face with TajaH, The Chief. She threw a datapad at me and barked out, "READ THIS & LEARN IT... NOW!... Sir!" It turns out that she presented me with a Tech Manual on K'Vort class Bridge systems, written in Fed Standard. It has been quite useful. She told me later that the pad would need to be destroyed before I leave this ship. It's funny, I've heard people aboard this ship say and I quote, "Cmdr. Jaan (the XO) may be the Captain's right hand but TajaH is his boot!" I'm starting to see why that statement is true. She keeps order here and keeps members of the Crew in line, Officers and Enlisted alike. She is respected by the Noncoms and feared by most of the Officers. A reliable source tells me she came aboard with the Captain when he took command and has been with him for a long time. Moving on to another subject, I see a problem in my near future. I was invited to play Klin Za in the Rec Hall with some of the crew and wound up facing my room-mate, Ensign Mahr from Security. It was close but I beat him in 2 straight games. He nearly had me both times. He took offense when some of his cohorts teased him about being "oiutwitted by a HU-MAN"!... As I said he didn't take it well and he seems like he's not the type to let an insult go unanswered. Since he blames me for it, I am expecting some kind of reprisal soon. (Day #9) Just as I expected, it has begun. When I woke this morning, my boots were fused to the deck. This could have been easily done with a disruptor on a low setting at close range but I'm still trying to figure out how he did it without waking me. It's a good thing I brought an extra pair along. There was more in store for me after my Bridge shift ended. I return to my quarters to find my sleeping mat torn to shreds. It was an extra piece of comfort that I brought to make the Klingon "bunk" a little more bearable. I see what Mahr is trying to do. He is trying to provoke me into a fight and then make short work of me with his bare hands. 'Not going to happen. Using violence a to protect myself or as part of my duty is one thing but I don't believe in fighting for sport or in anger. I suspect that this is only the beginning.. ****************************************************** Captains Log entry: It's taken long enough but The Fire Blade has another mission to carry out.... Freighter Escort, again.... We are proceeding to the Pheben system and will meet up with a convoy of 4 class H Freighters and another battle-cruiser. The freighters will be escorted from their orbit around Pheben Prime to the Homeworld. It is a tedious and somewhat boring task. We will be sharing the duty with The IKS Kethas, under command of Captain K'Maq. I am the Senior of the two Captains. K'Maq served aboard this ship a few years back... Tactical Officer at first and then as XO. I pushed for his promotion and I'm proud to say that he is doing well with a Command of his own. I do not like these escort missions for a number of reasons but the main reason is the Freighters themselves. Class H cargo vessels are out-dated old rust buckets. They are large, bulky, cumbersome, hard to maneuver and unbelievably SLOW... a best possible speed of Warp 4.5 under optimal conditions. They have marginal shielding and minimal defensive weapons of their own. The only reason I can see why these ships haven't been scrapped altogether is because of their capacity. They can haul 3 times the amount of cargo that their newer & faster counterparts are capable of. Someone must see that as an acceptable reason.... I do not! These escort missions are needed at the moment because the Freighters have been an easy target for certain scum that's been polluting our Empire... Orions, Ferengi and worse.. They call themselves "Trader Vessels" & "Salvage Ships" and are allowed to legally operate within our borders but let's be honest and call a thing what it is... When they attack our freighters, they are Pirates and nothing more. Of course, they deny any wrong-doing at all times but a few have been caught in the act. At least 5 times this year, I have suggested to General Graag that this problem could be solved if he would give me 2 other cruisers and 30 days to go hunting. His response was always the same, "Not yet, my friend.. I'm not saying no, just to be patient.." In all honesty, my "patience" is wearing thin in this matter.. On another subject, the Human Lieutenant has been aboard the Fire Blade for 10 days now and has shown a marked improvement, carrying out the duties he has been assigned. Reports from the XO say that he is adjusting well, except for som odd eating habits and a minor conflict with one Ensign Mahr from Security. My orders to the XO are to observe & report for now but not to intervene. I want to see how the Human handles this. Tales of the IKS Fire Blade (New Arrival Part #4) « Thread Started on 4-13-13 at 10:39pm » The Fire Blade is still two days away from their mission in the Pheben System but at the moment, there's something going on at the Mess Hall. The rumored conflict between Ens. Mahr from Security & the visiting Human has gotten a little more heated. This time, Mahr has taken the liberty of openly embarrassing LT Richards in public by first offering a drink he supposedly didn't care for and then pouring it on his head. Richards tries to quietly exit but Chief TajaH follows him into a nearby corridor. After making sure they are alone, she grabs the Human by his shirt and slams him into a wall. T- "This has gone on long enough, sir! You MUST stand up and DO something about it! The whole khestin' ship knows what's going on and they're waiting to see if you intend to ACT!" R- "I only fight in self defense. It's what I've been taught all of my life.. It's part of a code that I live by.." T- "I can respect that but this IS self defense if you take time to think about it! Sit back & do nothing and everyone here will see you as a weakling and a coward.. You think it's bad now? Let him get away with this and it can only get worse. The Captain & XO ordered me to look after you but I WILL NOT stand for you if you won't STAND for YOURSELF! Do you get it now.... SIR!?!" TajaH lets go, snaps to attention and turns on her heel to leave. She is stopped by a hand on her shoulder. R- "I get it now, Chief... Walk with me for a bit." The Human makes his way back to the Mess Hall with Chief TajaH following and approaches the table where Ensign Mahr is sitting. He stands there silent for a brief moment.. Mahr looks up with a degree of surprise but also seems to show some contempt.. "NuqneH, HU-man.. I'm eating now!" "Ensign Mahr.. It's customary for a Junior Officer to stand when being addressed by a superior. That rule applies in my Starfleet and HERE!" Mahr slowly gets to his feet & acknowledges the Chief's presence for the first time. "Is she going to fight for you now? Is that how this will work. I'm not stupid enough to tangle with the Chief..." "She's only here to make sure this stays between the two of us, nothing more.." It's right around this time that Chief TajaH turns and barks an order to everyone else in the Mess Hall.. "VemoH!... Everyone out!... NOW!" It's amazing how a simple word or two from TajaH can get anyone's attention aboard Fire Blade. With just 4 little words, Officers & Noncoms alike are scurrying for the main Mess Hall door.. As the last one exits, someone slaps a button next to the doorway & the big sliding steel door that's never closed... is closed. (Fade to black..) Tales of the IKS Fire Blade (New Arrival Part #4.5) From outside the Mess Hall, some noises are heard from those who decided to wait & see how this plays out. There are sounds of a table or two being overturned, metal trays crashing to the floor and a few noises that most had trouble identifying. Two or three minutes pass & the noises stop. There's a loud click and the Mess Hall door slides open. The first to exit is Mahr but he doesn't look so good. First, there's a nasty looking gash over his left eye that's bleeding quite freely. The second thing noticed is his right arm, hanging from the shoulder at an odd angle and it's clear that he can't move it. He stops & glares at onlookers for a moment and tries to say something but no words come out. Instead, his eyes roll up so one can only see the whites and he falls face first on the deck. Being the last to exit the Mess Hall when this started, TajaH is the first to enter. She finds the LT Richards at the far wall near the serving line. He's seated on the floor with his back resting on the wall and he's struggling to get up. He must have taken quite a pounding in the rib-cage to be moving that slowly. The Human's face is badly bruised and both eyes are nearly swelled shut. He's also bleeding from the mouth & it's obvious that some teeth are missing. He tries to smile at the Chief before speaking, "It's a little hard to say who won.." "It doesn't matter. You stood up to Mahr and put up a good fight. That wins you some respect here. One thing to ponder though... You're walking to the Infirmary on your own and he's not. That says more than you know. 'Better get there and let the medics look at you. You still have a shift on the Bridge in 40 minutes!" A short time later, both Officers are being tended to by the medics while a Doctor supervises. The first thing that's taken care of is Mahr's cut over the eyebrow. It's sewn up with sutures. Next, his dislocated shoulder is tended to. It took two medics to hold him still while a third grabs the arm and pops the shoulder back into place with a loud snap. The only sound made by Mahr himself was a grunt followed by a loud string of obscenities. LT Richards on the other hand is given a mild painkiller & two injections in the face that bring down the swelling around the eyes rather quickly. He's also told to return after his Bridge shift so the Doctor would see what can be done to replace his missing teeth. Treatment for both of them is finished around the same time and they are pronounced "fit for duty". They exit the Infirmary together. The Human turns left, headed for the Bridge while Mahr turns right, heading for his post at "Secured Quarters" (aka the brig). Richards hears Mahr call out to him. "Human! (LT R. turns to face Mahr) .. That armlock you used.." "Yeah, what about it?" "I want to learn it." Mahr snaps to attention, salutes with his uninjured arm & turns to leave. "Teach me how to do those palm strikes first and we have a deal!" "Good, I will see you after duty hours. Maybe we can play Klin-Zha after that!" It seems a bit odd a first but fitting that both of them turn & walk away laughing..