Travel By Map

Posted on Sun Jun 18th, 2017 @ 2:27pm by Lieutenant Commander Jordan Gunning & Lieutenant Commander Izize sh'Ekesariss

Mission: The Band (Episode 1)
Location: Gunning Investigations, Starbase 332 [Archa IV Orbit]
Timeline: Solar date: 5th June 2392

Jordan Gunning was getting sick of his life.

He stood at the door to Galactic South Investigative Services, the business he believed was his future and found him reprogramming the door plaque with the words 'Closed Until Further Notice'. His shuttle was in storage along with the impeccable but impossibly expensive suit that he had made his uniform during his short stint as a civilian and now here he stood, back in Starfleet garb - the same black uniform he had worn when he first came aboard Starbase 332 - with a rank on his chest and some impossibly obtuse mission to complete.

The brass had been fairly lax with the details but when Admiral Christopher Gordon gave you a directive and essentially press-ganged you back into service, there wasn't much one could say. Just when he thought he was out, they had pulled Jordan right back in.

The mission itself seemed fairly simple. Assemble a crew - only his Exec was being picked for him, probably someone who could keep an eye on him and report back - and track down the remnant of the Sojourners, picking up whatever bits and pieces were needed on the way. A Rapid Response Team, Gordon had called it. They'd played him like a hand of poker, taking his desire for the truth and using it against him to push him back to service and bring them in. It would be easier with the support of the Federation behind him, Gordon had said. He was probably right.

The ship itself was another fuzzy one. Once he had his command crew assembled, Jordan was to report to Cestus III's shipyard to pick it up but that's where the information ended. Typical.

Ize stood quietly about five metres behind him, waiting patiently for him to finish what he was doing. It seemed to be taking a lot longer than merely changing a door plaque. Evidently, he was going through some kind of emotional reaction to his task; not uncommon among the more sentimental humans she had met during her career. It looked like her new CO might be one of them.

She waited what seemed like an appropriate amount of time before quietly clearing her throat. “Commander Gunning?”

Gunning was wrenched from his reverie, staring at the plaque. The voice was unmistakably Andorian and he looked over his shoulder at her. Was 'her' the right term for an Andorian? He needed to look it up and hoped it didn't come up in conversation. Those blue antennae poking out through tightly shorn hair and a pristine uniform in exactly the same style as his. There was only one person it could have been. "Commander sh'Ekesariss?"

He even pronounced it right, Ize thought as she bowed her head slightly, her antennae bending forward in a way that accentuated the gesture. "Reporting as ordered, sir," she said. "I trust you don't mind the intrusion; Admiral Gordon said I might find you here and I was eager to get to work."

He pulled his back from the door, giving it a couple of sharp pats as he did so. "Not at all, I suppose it's about time that we got started." He made for the turbolift with his new first officer in tow. What did you ask first officers? He'd been one long enough but he'd had an easier introduction. "I take it the admiral's given you the lowdown on the mission?"

"He briefed me," she replied as the turbolift arrived and the doors opened. "But it was far too short on detail for my liking and the admiral didn't seem too interested in elaborating."

The turbolift doors closed behind them, seeming to sigh their distaste. "Yeah." Gunning said. "I know."

"He did mention that your first job is to assemble a crew," Ize continued. "Do you have a plan for recruitment?"

Gunning laughed. "I guess we're going to have to put a band together."

---

Jordan Gunning
Commanding Officer

&

Izize sh'Ekesariss
Executive Officer