Weclome to Flight Ops (Hanger & Flight Deck)

[Akirapryde]

Stardate: 53834.29
USS Thunderchild, NCC-63549
Deck 13, Hanger Deck
The Dragon's Lair
Lieutenant Paxton and Lieutenant (Junior Grade) Noonia

The hanger deck of the USS Thunderchild is in some ways the same as those on any other Akira Class. However this hanger deck was expanded to occupy nearly the entire deck. Unlike her sister ships, the Thunderchild gave up much of her armaments to bluster a diverse strike capability. Instead of the normally mounted fifteen torpedo launchers across the ship, the Thunderchild carriers only five (three forward and two aft) in its weapon pod. The saved weight went towards its impressive hanger and flight deck. It has become a matter of debate within Starfleet if the Thunderchild would be able to deliver the same level of strike capability as her sister ships. The answer would be found in the Thunderchild's flight and hanger decks.

These areas are critical for the kind of flight operations that the Thunderchild has been designed to deploy. Other Akira class ships have a split design flight deck where the Thunderchild has a fly through flight deck. Because of the change in the flight deck, the deck right below the flight deck was converted in to a fully functioning hanger deck. These changes have allowed the Thunderchild to deploy up to sixty fighters (Five wings of each of the two current models that the Federation employs). Currently there are only twenty four fighters aboard the ship. But within the following weeks, the remaining fighters will be deployed to the ship as their flight crews are trained up. While the ship is under staffed with fighters, this has given the illusion that the hanger deck is much more spacious than it really is. As one walks on to the hanger deck they are greeted by a large pennant hanging high over the center of the hanger deck.

In the center of the pennant coiled around a symbol of the Federation was a large dragon. Along the sides of the Pennant were the words, "The Dragons of the Federation". On either side of the large pennant were proudly displayed battle ribbons from the Dominion War. Such battle ribbons were from Velos, Operation Return, and Chin'toka. Along with these well known battles were dozens of other battle ribbons where the names are not as familiar. These battles were far less well known, but no less important to the over all war effort. Along those lesser known battle ribbons hung proudly a ribbon with the name of CMO-26. The region of space where the USS Thunderchild was jumped by overwhelming odds. It was there that ten pilots were left behind as a crippled Thunderchild made her retreat before superior forces. There had been rumors of this ship's heroic battles, but no one could truly feel the pride of this ship till they walked along the hanger deck.

Long before the Federation decided to explore fighter operations, the Thunderchild and her flight crews were proving their worth up and down the front. With little in terms of support and using tactics that had been long thought dead, the Thunderchild was a thorn in the side of the Dominion for over two years. Using older modified craft to act as space fighters, these brave men and women took the fight to a level that the rest of the Alliance couldn't. Boarding their fighters, many knew that this could be their last flight. Yet they still boarded those fighters and took the battle deep behind enemy lines. Which calling those craft fighters at all had been a long time honored joke on the flight deck of the Thunderchild.

The joke came from the fact that these fighters were nothing more than heavily modified support couriers. It was the brave men and women of the flight crews that turned the crafts in to the fighters that they would become. Many of the modifications took place right here in this very hanger deck under the watchful eyes of the Flight Deck Officer. Here, within the Thunderchild's hanger field modifications turned civilian couriers in to formidable fighters that were feared across the Dominion battle field. Stepping on to the hanger deck of the Thunderchild was like walking among legions. If at any time there was any doubt of the loyalty and courage from these men and women, one only needs to look up at those battle ribbons.

Unlike the rest of the ship were much of the original crew of the Thunderchild transferring off during her planned refit in to a fully functioning carrier, the members of the flight deck choose to remain aboard. Most of these junior officers, petty officers and crewmen had fought along this hanger and the flight deck above during this ship's darkest hours. Here they stood against the worst that the Dominion could throw at them, and here they would continue to stand today. They saw themselves different and more elite than the rest of the crew of the USS Thunderchild. Aboard most starships, the crew could be broken up in to three basic colors with their uniforms. Along the hanger deck, the personnel moved about in a multitude of colored vests. One thing about their uniforms that would stand out is that everyone were wearing what appeared to be specially made EV Suites with Starfleet marking on them. There was a breathable atmosphere yet still every member of the deck crew still wore their EV Suites.

Standing at the entry way of the hanger deck, one couldn't help but be impressed by the chaos of what was going on. A flight of six Attack Fighters had just returned from their patrols and were having their weapon systems made safe as other crew members were tending to their own tasks. Hand signals were flying about as crewmen wearing colors like Red, White, Green, Yellow, and Brown were buzzing around doing their own task. It appeared that the whole chaos was under control of a pair of officers in the center of the hanger deck. These officers were green armored EV Suites with purple vests over top of them. It was clear that these two officers commanded the hanger deck and the flight deck above. One was a human male and the other was a female wolfen. They stood in the center of the hanger deck directing everything that goes on. Both wore some kind of headset with a microphone which hung from the headset and covered their mouths. They were giving hand signals as Fighters were 'beamed' down from the flight deck above.

[Akirapryde]

Stardate: 53834.29
USS Thunderchild, NCC-63549
Deck 13, Hanger Deck
The Dragon's Lair
Lieutenant Paxton and Lieutenant (Junior Grade) Noonia

The human in purple waved towards the entrance as they took notice of Lt(jg) Noonia as he took notice of him when he entered the hanger deck. It was clear that the human in purple wanted him to stand near the hatch entrance. The Human male stood about six foot and had a ruggedness that one would expect working in a place like this. His brown hair was neat and his face was cleanly shaved, but he was not overly attractive. In fact he had this kind of goofy look to him. As he motioned to the female wolfen, he placed a large metal PADD under his arm as they started to walked towards Lt (jg) Noonia. Like the female standing walking beside him, he too wore a green armored EV suite. The phaser on his hip was hard to miss nor was the Marine patch on his shoulder.

The Wolfen female also wore a phaser on her hip but no Marine patch on her shoulder. While the actually name of her race in their native language was M'bwa M'witu. Most humanoid races often referred to them as Wolfens as taken from the English language meaning "of" or "pertaining to wolves". However based on their physical appearance only, they appear more closely kin to foxes rather than wolves. She had a short snout that had a very slight raise from her lower jaw giving her a mild over bite. Her lower parts of her chin and neck were covered by a white fur while her upper head and back of her neck were covered by a brownish fur. Her thick bushy tail flipped about from the back side of her EV Suit as she moved. Surprisingly she had thick long reddish colored fur along the top of her head and down her neck. She had this 'hair' pulled tightly in to a pony tail that ran down inside her EV Suite while the top flopped of her hair flopped about. She only stood about five and a half feet and clearly smaller than her human male counter part.

The common knowledge of the M'bwa M'witu (AKA: Wolfens) was that their fleet of ships carrying hundreds of thousands of their species washed up in the Boreal system in 2367. It was discovered that their home worlds had been attacked and destroyed by the Tholiens during a sector wide invasion. While the M'bwa Mwitu had created stable Republic with a sizable military they were incapable of stopping the Tholien threat. All that had remained of their once proud Republic that spanned only two solar systems was not reduced to this refugee fleet. When they arrived in the Boreal system, their fleet of refugee ships had been in space for over a year. Many of their ships were not designed for such long space travel. While all of their ships were warp capable, their most advanced were only using twenty third century technologies. Others were no where as advanced. When compared to Starfleet the M'bwa M'witu were considered primitive, but to the Boreal they were more than a match.

The leaders of Boreal III were concerned about the M'bwa M'witu and their handful of warships that had come along with their refugee fleet. The Boreal demanded that the fleet hold its position at the edges of the system with the promise of welcoming arms and supplies. However in secret the Boreal readied their own military in hopes of driving the refugees off. Even though they were in desperate need, the M'bwa M'witu honored the request as they didn't seek hostile engagements with the Boreal. Instead of aid, the Boreal met the fleet of refugee ships with a number of warships. A brief battle was joined that ended with the Boreal being tossed back by the determined defending M'bwa M'witu warships. During a critical point in the battle, the M'bwa M'witu were able to capture a number of Boreal ships after daring boarding operations.

Of those ships that were captured was an aging refitted Constitution class starship which the Boreal had bought from the Federation many years ago. With their home guard fleet scattered, the Boreal prepared for a second engagement much closer to home. No longer honoring the request to remain out of the system, the M'bwa M'witu fleet closed on Boreal III. An armed stand off began as the situation became desperate on both sides.

Within days of the first M'bwa M'witu ship's arrival, the Boreal were out numbered nearly three to one. With their most powerful ship was in the hands of the M'bwa M'witu, the Boreal called on the Federation for help. The Boreal demanded that the M'bwa M'witu leave their system. The M'bwa M'witu claimed that they needed supplies and time to rest before moving on. Both claimed that the combat was the other's faulted and each claimed that they were only defending themselves. After months of intense negations, the M'bwa M'witu were allowed to resupply in return for the release of most of the Boreal ships and their crews. The peace that was brought through the Federation was bitterly accepted by the Boreal and by many hardliners of the M'bwa M'witu, who saw the cowardly attack as an open invitation to lay claim to the system as their own.

After they resupplied and with the help of the Federation the refugee fleet was able to travel to the Federation. Their months travel finally came to an end on a Federation world near New Xendus. Here on this new world the M'bwa M'witu were able to rebuild their culture. However other families choose to continue deeper in to Federation space. Once more, the M'bwa M'witu thrived and elected to join the Federation in 2371. They called their new home, Nyingine Nyumbani which translates in to Other Home. During much of the time they rebuilt, their new home was protected by their small fleet of warships headed up by their new flagship, the Kuongeza Matumaini or Raising Hope (the refitted Constitution Class they took from the Boreal). Even with their new home, this never diminished the dreams of many M'bwa M'witu of returning and reclaim their original home worlds from the Tholians.

With the situation as it was, the vast majority of the M'bwa M'witu saw the Federation as their only hope for the future of their people. Still, hardliners continued to push agendas regarding building a more modern fleet that could oppose the Tholians and reclaim their homeworlds. The M'bwa Mwitu in general could be classified as hard working, law biding citizens of the Federation. Their concepts of no gray issues give them a pure black and white outlook of the universe as well as of the Federation. Despite even the most stubborn of the hardliners, the M'bwa M'witu view loyalty and service as life long commitments. They can be easily angered over slights and have a all or nothing out look on combat. They are not held to any measure of a code of honor when it comes to war. They will fight without end or limits till the war is over. This made them vital allies during the Dominion War.

During the Dominion War hundreds of M'bwa M'witu answered the Federation's call to arms and fought along side Starfleet. Though most only held honorary ranks and returned to their home fleet after the war. Some M'bwa M'witu did actually officially join Starfleet, most only transferred to Starfleet's ranks during the war. The Kuongeza Matumaini and her fellow M'bwa M'witu warships fought along side Starfleet's ships and all but three were destroyed during the war. The Kuongeza Matumaini met her fate during the second battle of the Chin'toka system. The M'bwa M'witu see death in the service of the Republic as a means to cleans one self of any crimes or sin that one had committed. Because of this, all M'bwa M'witu have no fear of death in combat.

As the pair worked their way under the wing of a passing Attack Fighter they continued their way over towards Noonia. Neither of the pair were wearing their helmets, but their helmets were hanging by straps that went over their shoulder. They closed on Lt Noonia and he was able to see that both wore lieutenant ranks. The pair walked up to Lieutenant Noonia as the male spoke, "Welcome to the Hanger Deck, Lieutenant" he said holding out his hand. "I am Lieutenant Arron Duncanson. This is Lieutenant Rebbecca Paxton." He added as the pair shook hands. Lieutenant Duncanson handed Lieutenant Noonia a life support belt, "you will need this during our tour. However before your next shift here you will need to speak with the Quarter Master and have a pair EV Suites issues to you." He motioned to Lieutenant Paxton so that she might speak now.

"So Lieutenant, you are the one that has impressed the CAG so much" she said in surprisingly fluent English. Her voice had this kind of growl to it that could be heard over the sounds of the hanger deck. She moved closer to Lieutenant Noonia as to ensure that she was easily heard. "I am dying to see if you live up to your reputation Mister Noonia" she said looking up in to his eyes. She twitched her nose from side to side as if she was sniffing him. The whiskers at the end of her snout twitched with her nose. "I want you to understand something Lieutenant. These are my decks! I do not compromise my rules!" she said poking him in the chest. Her canines flashed at the end of her snout as she continued to speak. "So for you to even be here with the understanding that I have to cut you loose before your shift is over should tell you something. You have a lot to live up to Lieutenant" she said as she looked him up and down once more, "I expect you to live up to this" she added then motioned to Duncanson. "Duncanson, lets show Mr. Hollywood our home" she said as she turned and started to walk away.

Duncanson nodded and motioned for Noonia to walk along side. "Make sure you turn your belt on" he said motioning for the belt and added, "Look Lieutenant Paxton is beyond intense, but you would never find a more loyal senior officer." Then lowered his voice greatly to a whisper as he leaned in close to Noonia, "Oh and no dog jokes. She takes real offense to them."

[Kunanaki]

Stardate: 53831.89
USS Thunderchild, NCC-63549
Deck 13, Hanger Deck
The Dragon's Lair
Lieutenant Arron Duncanson, Lieutenant Rebbecca Paxton, Lieutenant (JR) Mordecai Noonia

In the beginning, standing there in his star-fleet uniform, Lt. Jr. Noonia immediately felt out of place. This cavernous and busy deck seemed to be the representation of potential and untapped power. Space that hinted towards rows and rows of ships that had yet to be picked up. From one end to the other, the Flight Deck was all about Efficiency.

Eyes traced along the Finery hanging upwards, a sense of pride hitting his chest. For whatever purpose that brought him to the Flight deck, it resonated in him something he hadn't felt before. Engineering was an automatic thing. A tinkerer by nature, it felt natural and pleasant but hardly thrilled him much anymore. It lacked a sense of purpose and direction. That seemed about to change.

A human male in purple gave a large handed wave to gather the attention, waving in a way to tell Noonia to remain there. Thus standing with hands at side, Lt. Jr. Noonia had plenty of time to watch the people approaching. There was a human, and what appeared to be a creature akin to a beast of Legend.

Klingon woman had been attractive for precisely the fact that she was strong and smart, but it was more of a Professional interest and admiration. The federation had a bewildering mix of species that made dating rather interesting. Just upon his prior ship he had attempted to date a female Andorian that had worked in Security. Rejection had been swift, but Noonia was not one to dwell in failure. The Wolfen female was quite lovely, but Lt. Jr. Noonia was professional enough that it never crossed his features.

Handshakes and Introductions were made, but a comment from the woman was highly surprising. Impressed Commander Bonham? Snapping on the Life-Support belt and quickly activating it even before being told to. How curious, Mr. Hollywood. That lead him to believe that what impressed the Commander was not only the program, but he had told it to those he trusted.

The minutiae of the motion wasn't lost, though it was only a polite interest. The scent would find a washed body, with a bit of warm-up before, having eaten a fish and peanut-butter sandwich for repast and finishing it with a bit of coffee. There was no nervous sweat, just a curiosity of the environment as well as the people.

The prodding and words was not lost, but it was more the body language. Here he was the Intruder, a stranger that had been endorsed by the Commander to receive training in an Exclusive club of highly decorated people. That did make him feel like a ball of energy at that point.

At the gesturing for him to walk beside, Lt. Jr. Noonia took the opportunity to speak. "I am curious Sir. What did the Commander inform to grant me such a warm reception?" Not a stupid man, Noonia figured that the woman who had stalked away before hand had great earshot with those agile canine ears.

The whisper of course didn't go lost as he smiled amicably. "I wouldn't dream of it. The worst I've got is a pun-ishing habit of bad humour." figured the timing was well off, and considering the amicable nature of Lt. Duncanson it wouldn't fall flat.

[Akirapryde]

Stardate: 53831.89
USS Thunderchild, NCC-63549
Deck 13, Hanger Deck
The Dragon's Lair
Lieutenant Arron Duncanson, Lieutenant Rebbecca Paxton, Lieutenant (JR) Mordecai Noonia

Lieutenant Duncanson laughed, "You have a lot to learn here" he said patting Noonia on the back, "Paxton can't be persuaded by words. This is her baby. And in a kind of way, we are all her family" he said motioning to the rest of the crew along the hanger deck. "No, the CAG and she go way back. He saved her life during Operation Return" he explained then continued, "so he called her debt in exchange for allowing you this chance. What he told her during that meeting, I could only guess. All I know is that her debt to him is canceled" He paused a moment and turned to look at Lieutenant Noonia in the eyes, "So if I were you, I would really think of what you did or said that impressed him so much that your future in this division is worth a life debt." He seemed to smiled at Noonia's play on words but before he could speak Lieutenant Paxton spoke.

Lieutenant Paxton came to a stop just ahead of them as she turned to face both humans, "Or better yet, Hollywood. I would ensure that your performance here reflects the costs that has made this possible." She waved a hand to silence both men, "But Lieutenant Duncanson is right, you have a lot to learn, Hollywood." She pointed to a pair of crewman wearing white vests who were carefully going over an Attack Fighter that had just beamed down from the flight deck. It appeared that the craft was damage in someway. "See those crewmen with the white vests."

"They are deck safety officers" she explained. "The last time an Admiral from Starfleet Command visited my hangers deck at Utopia, one of my safeties ordered him to stop what he was doing. There were some hurt feelings and much yelling. But I stood behind my safeties without question. They are the final authority on this deck and everyone, even me, will follow their instructions." There was a sense of pride in her voice as she spoke. "If you ever ignore one of them, even once. I will bounce you off this deck faster than you could realize. And you will not be back."

It was Lieutenant Duncanson's turn to speak up. "It is something that we pride our selves on here in Flight Operations. Engineering had five recorded incidents last month that were all safety violations. One such incident led to a power coupling shorting out and an engineer was injured. In the past two months, Flight Operations has had zero violations. We owe Lieutenant Paxton for making this place the safest place to work on the ship. It is something that Lieutenant Paxton takes very seriously."

She nodded and followed up these words, "listen Hollywood, look around you. A mistake here at the very best could only damage a fighter. And at the very worse could cause critical damage to the ship. Hundreds of lives depend on our ability to do our job and do it safely. Four months ago, before I was allowed to take over Deck Operations, we had the worst safety record on the ship. That Deck Officer is gone. Now we have the best record on the ship. On this deck" she said moving up closer to Lieutenant Noonia so he could hear her better, "You are one of my own, Hollywood. Just like each of them" she added waving her hand around. "At the end of your shift, you WILL be able to return to your world of glitter and fame. Unharmed. I will promise you that."

Taking a step back she motioned to a group of crew members wearing red vests heading over to that damaged fighter. "See those guys in red" she asked pointing at them, "they are fuel and ordnance personnel."

Lieutenant Duncanson took over almost on cue, "ordnance and fuel personnel ensure that each craft leaving is fully prepared for their mission. They also ensure that fuel transfers are handled with the up most care. Arming, disarming weapons on craft departing and arriving falls to them as well. No craft is aloud to move to the hanger deck with any weapons that are still active. These crew members ensure that these weapons are safe before the transfer." Taking note of the two green vested crew members joining the group he added, "Green vests are our Support and Maintenance personnel. It is their job to ensure that any and all craft are mission capable at any given time."

In a moment of a timely pause Lieutenant Paxton took over. "Down times for my craft is simply not allowed. Need a part, we'll replicate it. Need help, we'll assign it to you. No matter the effort needed, the repairs will be completed as safely as possible. We have one simple philosophy down here. We support the pilots completely so they can do their job. If one fighter can't take off during a crisis than we have lost part of our combat efficiency. This is why we can't afford down times."

She motioned to a group of crew members in yellow vests as she continued, "yellow vest are your craft handlers." It appeared that they were getting ready to use an anti-grave sled to move the wounded fighter.

Lieutenant Duncanson followed up, "these personnel take charge of the craft whenever any craft moves. They will escort the craft from point A to its final destination. No matter where that destination happens to be. Rather its either to the maintenance bay on the starboard side of the deck or up to the flight deck, no craft moves without a handler. They also ensure that craft are moved in the fastest but safest possible way. Only when the craft is either secured at its destination or if he is relieved of his charge, meaning his craft, by a Deck Captain will the handler leave his craft."

Lieutenant Paxton pointed to a Andorian in a brown vest, "Nothing moves on either the hanger deck or the flight deck without the permission of the Deck Captain. There will always be one on duty for each deck. During times of crisis there will be four on duty on each deck. The Deck Captains maintain constant communications with Flight Operations two decks above. Vital information is relayed between Flight Operations and the deck crews via the Deck Captains. Each Deck Captain answer to me personally. So you can guess that they will not bend or break my rules."

She paused as they watched the wounded fighter being moved towards the Maintenance Bay. "Then we come to the purple vests. We are the Deck Commanders or Deck Com. It our responsibility to run both decks and answer for any mistakes that happen. There are three of us and each of us answers directly to the CAG." she paused a moment then added, "Lieutenant Duncanson is currently on duty as Deck Com. Even though he works for me, unless I have good reason to relieve him, his word is final till the end of this duty."

Lieutenant Duncanson nodded, "Now, what is important for you to understand Lieutenant is that each person here is expected to not only know the job of his fellow deck hand but to be able to perform that duty with the same level of experience. Cross training here is the norm. Unlike in Engineering where you guys have a million and one specialists who each have pretty much one job. Each of us, including you, will be able to do all duties that come with working in the Hanger Deck or on the Flight Deck." he smiled with a warm and friendly smile, "don't worry. A large number of files have already been transferred to your person data terminal in your quarters. There will be a lot of studying for you in the near future. And yes, you will be tested. We all are. No one is allowed to stagnate here in Flight Operations."

Lieutenant Paxton stepped in, "We don't expect you to learn this over night Hollywood. But you will have to learn it if you plan on proving that the cost for you was worth it. Down here we speak our own language" she said motioned to the group moving the fighter as she continued, "and even have our on sign language." The group were communicating in both hand jesters as well as over voice. The move seemed largely complex but they were able to move the wounded fighter across the busy space without coming close to anyone or anything else.

She turned back to Lieutenant Noonia, "Okay before we move on, any questions?"

[Kunanaki]

Stardate: 53831.89
USS Thunderchild, NCC-63549
Deck 13, Hanger Deck
The Dragon's Lair
Lieutenant Arron Duncanson, Lieutenant Rebbecca Paxton, Lieutenant (JR) Mordecai Noonia

Felt the friendly pat of the back. Noonia was starting to see a pattern here. Lieutenant Paxton was the inflexible fist, while Lieutenant Duncanson was the open palm. In truth, Mordecai was relieved. It of course didn't speak wholly of their behaviors. It was more an observation of how they eased people into the severity of the flight deck in combination with information delivered promptly.

Lieutenant (JR) Noonia thought of it rather hard actually. The only thing he could figure out is that he had appraised the Commander as he is, not some projected demon. The Commander had quite a rough time aboard the ship with the stigmatization of his crew that would never understand. Now knowing the close relationship of the Flight Crew and the Commander he could appreciate the bitter pill more fully.

Perhaps it was the Pragmatic reply that he had given him? Thoughts were put aside as Lieutenant Paxton stopped and turned to address the two. Gaze would turn towards the White Vests, listening to the critical role of safety observed even under duress. Lieutenant (JR) Noonia nodded his understanding.

Hearing the poor stature of the Engineering Department lead credence to the rumours that the Lead Engineer was on thin ice with the Captain. Some even state that there was a spilling of Caffeine upon the Visiting Admiral! Lieutenant (Jr) Noonia didn't put much credence into rumours. Else he'd have written off the Commander based on hearsay.

Hollywood kept echoing, but Lt. Jr. Noonia didn't rise to the bait. It wasn't disrespect, it was a way for the Lieutenant Paxton to vent frustration and emotions. A Life Debt for a place in the Pack was something that he didn't yet understand. Well, one can never judge one's worth or merit without an external force.

So far that was White(Safety), Green(Mechanic), Red(Fuel), Yellow(Movers), Brown(Deck Captain), and Purple(Deck Com) covered. However there was one important thing that wasn't covered, so when the opportunity arose Lt. Jr. Noonia did indeed have a question. "What colour is for Pilots on Mission or otherwise?"

The question was short, sweet and to the point. They had talked a lot about training, but Commander Bonham had also mentioned taking the Craft out. Which meant that if all the pieces were running together, there was one critical missing there. His gaze didn't catch any immediate sign of one he didn't understand before asking the question.

Actually, Noonia had a fairly good suspicion that they had left that out to see if he was paying attention, or taking it all in. It wasn't insulting, just a trick of Trusting the information, but verifying attention. Of course until he had his hands dirty with all the roles, he'd grow more familiar. Hence the cross training.

It also lead to a Dark question that lingered in his heart. Lt. Jr. Noonia had a feeling he wasn't here to be a Craftsman for the smaller ships. However it was a baseless suspicion until proven otherwise.

[Akirapryde]

Stardate: 53831.89
USS Thunderchild, NCC-63549
Deck 13, Hanger Deck
The Dragon's Lair
Lieutenant Arron Duncanson, Lieutenant Rebbecca Paxton, Lieutenant (JR) Mordecai Noonia

"What color is for Pilots on Mission or otherwise, " Lieutenant Noonia's questioned.

Lieutenant Paxton nodded as she pointed to a pair of pilots departing from their Attack Fighter once it was secured in its location on the hanger deck. They were wearing some kind of armored flight suit. "Pilots have no colored vest, Hollywood" she pointed out. "Their flight suits set them apart from deck hands" she explained then paused. "That being said, look closely" she said drawing his attention to the color lines along the floor. "Each mark indicates your free access zone" She started to explain.

Lieutenant Duncanson picked up the answer from there, "Along the 'Pits' where the fighters are secured when not in motion or on mission, is a free access area. Pilots can come and go to their craft as they wish," he explained and knelt down as he motioned Noonia to follow suit. Lieutenant Paxton also joined them on her knee as well. They were standing in a 'Free Access Zone' as Lieutenant Duncanson motioned and showed the lay out of all the different colored lines across the deck.

"This rainbow ribbon indicates that only those with color vests can cross this line" explained Paxton. "This is how we keep visitors safe from moving equipment. Each Deck Captain and Deck Com ensures that at no time moving equipment comes within five meters of this line" she explained and pointed to a ling that was clearly marked by another rainbow line. However this new line excluded the color green. "See that line there marks the barrier for all Green Vests. For a Green Vest to cross it, he must have permission from the Deck Captain or a Deck Com. It is my order that even though a Deck Com can give that permission, that they must seek approval from the Deck Captain prior to issuing it. This insures that the Deck Captains can maintain awareness of what is going on along their Deck."

Lieutenant Duncanson nodded as he picked up the explanation, "see Lieutenant, here we can move freely without permissions. However should we cross that line, we would have to seek approval from the Deck Captain first." he said pointing to the Crewman Third Class standing at the far end of the deck. The Crewmen was very observant of what was going on and was issuing commands to crewmen as they moved along the deck. It was clear that he was 'speaking' over a mic next to his mouth while giving hand signals to a pair of green vested crewmen and a pair of pilots returning from the maintenance bay. "Each time the Deck Captain issues permission or as a craft is in motion, he is communicating with the Flight Operations team. From there, they monitor all activity here and on the flight deck."

Paxton interjected with "we don't rely on sensors or computers down here. Its eyes on, all the time, Hollywood."

Lines along the deck were clear to see and now their meanings had been explained in detail. The large open deck was sectioned off in to areas of free access based on responsibilities. To cross the lines required that the next higher authority knew what was going on and was able to track the activity. This was fundamental to the orderly operation of the deck. While the deck was only partial used, already the system was showing how it ensured safe and expedited operations. Over seeing the entire operation were a small group of crewmen wearing white vests who's rank were that of only crewmen. However they commanded this deck and the safe operations that were going on. Ownership of safety was clearly something that was stressed within this Division. One of the crewmen in white vests waved a Vulcan pilot who happened to be a lieutenant to stop. With respect to the authority of the white vest, the pilot stopped his crossing of the deck and waited till the white vest cleared him to continue. Noonia could easily see that rank held no special privileges here when it came to safety.

Lieutenant Paxton slowly stood and looked at Lieutenant Noonia and with a nod, "Okay lets continued. We have six in-line cargo transporters. Three starboard and three port" she explained motioned to the large cargo transporter pads long the sides of the Hanger deck that were midship. "Craft are beamed up to the flight deck from here and beamed down. These transporters are not like the rest on the ship. These are in-line, meaning that they can only operate within this network. So there is no sight to sight or using them to beam off or even on the ship. It is only one of two ways to reach the flight deck from this hanger without leaving it."

Lieutenant Duncanson picked up from there, "There are six MagLev lifts along the center of the hanger deck that can be brought down and raise fighters up to the flight deck should we suffer power failure to those transporters. However these lifts are not air locks. It is the order of the CAG that the Flight Deck be kept at a state of Zero Atmosphere during flight operations. Just as it would be during combat operations. While there is armor and a shield grids between this deck and the flight deck, the risk of decompression is too great. This is the reason why you have to wear that belt and we are all in EV suits."

Lieutenant Paxton nodded, "It takes all of thirty seconds for this deck to completely depressurize. Long before that happens Hollywood, emergency bulkheads will seal this deck off from the rest of the ship. As long as this deck is depressurized, Only the First Officer or the Captain can open one of those bulkheads. Survival of those within this deck depends on being ready for that event. During tests, it was discovered that during a crisis which included catastrophic structural failure, half of the deck's personnel would be at risk of death. Chances are that they would be unable to reach safety before the atmosphere was vented in to space or the bulkheads sealed this deck. This is why everyone on this deck wears either a life support belt or EV suit. Regardless of rank" she said hinting to the issue during the past visit from that Admiral.

Lieutenant Duncanson took over, "Your records didn't show anything more than basic Zero Atmosphere Training. If you don't have much experience, don't worry. You will get it here. As we said, everyone learns everyone else's job. You never know where you will be working from day to day. Last month, I was helping out repairing one of the Valkyries. Unlike other departments, we are jack of all trades here."

"But we are also expected to be masters of those trades as well" Lieutenant Paxton interjected. She paused a moment before continuing, "this is a completely new Division among Starfleet Operations. We don't even had specialized schools at Starfleet Academy for our roles here." she pointed to one of the Red Shirts, "That is Crewman Blake, a communication's specialist. Working here is as much voluntary as it is a privilege. Crewman Blake just tested out of his training for Deck Captain. Next week he will be assigned to the Flight Operations where he will over see the Flight Deck Operations. Once he tests out of that position, he will be able to be assigned to the Flight Deck as a Deck Captain." There was a sense of pride as she watched the young crewmen in the red vest escort a anti-grav sled filled with mirco-torpedoes across the hanger deck. She turned back to Lieutenant Noonia and looked him in the eye, "I can't afford to loss one of my crew members to anything, if it can be avoided."

Lieutenant Duncanson nodded, "This is why Lieutenant Noonia, we train so hard down here. We work long ten hour shifts. The shifts over laps one hour on each side for maximum coverage. We all work seven days on while on mission. However once the Flight Deck is secured from operations, Lieutenant Paxton doesn't want to see anyone on her decks. But until then, she runs this deck as if we are at a state of emergency at all times. Its hard on us. It forces us to step up and better ourselves." he half turned to her and as he smiled, "but it also forged us in to a tighter family." She didn't reply as she started to turn to continue the tour.

[Kunanaki]

Stardate: 53831.89
USS Thunderchild, NCC-63549
Deck 13, Hanger Deck
The Dragon's Lair
Lieutenant Arron Duncanson, Lieutenant Rebbecca Paxton, Lieutenant (JR) Mordecai Noonia

Internally categorized every single word into it's appropriate box for later retrieval. Honestly though, it was boiled down to important information. Moredecai got it, it was a new section. Everybody was cross trained so they could take the pressure off of each other in an emergency. Nobody was Vital so that if death happened, they could be replaced. It was a pragmatic and a little saddening. There were no questions from him at this time, because there was nothing being asked. All he could do was pay attention and wait.

[Akirapryde]

Stardate: 53831.89
USS Thunderchild, NCC-63549
Deck 13, Hanger Deck
The Dragon's Lair
Lieutenant Arron Duncanson, Lieutenant Rebbecca Paxton, Lieutenant (JR) Mordecai Noonia

As the tour continued, Paxton continued to explain the operations of the hanger deck and how much is expected from each person. During simulations, the hanger deck is expected to turn around fighters at an incredible rate. It didn't take Noonia long to realize that once the division was fully equipped with its entire compliment of fighters, that the deck crews would be understaffed. It didn't add to his impression of the situation but it did offer some reason behind the rhythm. Paxton ran the flight hanger deck like she ran her own life, with little to zero room for error. At any given time, a position could be filled to make up for someone sick or otherwise missing from duty. The standards were set very high and the expectations in this division were equally high. This gave the division a greater sense of eliteness among the rest of the crew. Noonia didn't fully understand why this was till he had a chance to speak with members of the deck crew personally.

As Lieutenant Noonia was shown around, he had a chance to meet some of the hanger crew alone. Each were able to explain to Noonia what their roles were on the deck and the work load. The stress was there during flight operations but so was the pride. The tour was paused when Paxton and Duncanson were called over to inspect that damaged fighter. During this short break, Noonia had a chance to speak with a group of maintenance & cargo personnel. To his surprise, of the seven crew members and two junior officers, only two had any official training in working on warp engines. And those were limited official training. All of them had volunteered to work in the hanger deck just over a year ago. Most of their knowledge had come from cross training. Still, this didn't stop them from using their combined resources to overhaul a Attack Fighter's warp engine. Despite their lack of official training, Noonia could find no fault in their skills or in their work performance. In fact, their over all combined work was rather impressive given their situation.

Noonia also learned a valuable piece of information. It was because of this willingness to pick up where others refused, that was at the core of the discord between Engineering and the Hanger Deck personnel. Nearly all here saw the Engineering Division as filled with wasted talent and lacked any solid leadership. Officially, the Hanger Deck was supposed to send their smaller engines to Engineering for service. However due to delays on getting those engines back, this proved to be unworkable by the Hanger Deck personnel. The situation was further inflamed when the Commander of the Utopia Yards sided with the Engineering Division on a number of issues regarding support and priority of assignments. Before Paxton took over, Hanger Deck personnel were just expected to wait.

It was Paxton and Lieutenant Duncanson that changed all this. She demanded that what ever Engineering could do for them, they had to learn to do for themselves. This was what Noonia could point to the beginning of a rift between the two divisions. Paxton pushed her people to over come crew shortages and, in the eyes of many Hanger Deck personnel, intentional sabotage of the hanger deck's mission. Before Paxton took over, she used to complain about the lack of leadership on the Hanger Deck. Pushing the two Senior Officers regularly to stand up for the Hanger Deck. Both officers had been assigned only shortly before the Refit began and were Cargo Specialist. Under their leadership, the Hanger Deck was treated more like an extension of the cargo hold rather than the fully functioning hanger deck that this space was designed to be. From what Noonia could see, It was Paxton and then later Duncanson that had managed to turn the Hanger Deck around in to what he saw today.

Everyone expected more changes to come down the line, but word from the crew of the Hanger Deck indicated that those changes would arrive once the rest of the fighters were assigned to the ship. One thing that did surprise Noonia was that despite the desperate need for trained engineers, not one of his fellow engineers had even stepped in to the hanger deck let alone volunteered to work here. Those who had some kind of engineering background came from Utopia Station and had been part of the refit crew or had been assigned to the hanger deck prior to the major refit. This alone created a sense of deep pride and even deeper respect between the personnel that worked here. A comradery and harmony that simply didn't exist in the Engineering Division.

There was also something else that Noonia was able to detect from the crew members here. No one in this division felt anything other than the deepest respect for Commander Bonham and all were relieved when he was assigned as their CAG. That was all but Paxton. According to what Noonia could take from the simple conversations, Paxton actually hated Bonham but few understood why. Even though she hated him, even she held the utmost respect for the man. One statement from a petty officer gave Noonia a moment to reflect, "There is not one of us here, not even Lieutenant Paxton, that wouldn't gladly follow that man right in to the flames of hell. He IS one of us, pure and simple."

[Kunanaki]

Stardate: 53831.89
USS Thunderchild, NCC-63549
Deck 13, Hanger Deck
The Dragon's Lair
Lieutenant Arron Duncanson, Lieutenant Rebbecca Paxton, Lieutenant (JR) Mordecai Noonia

Actually had a different picture at first. Being stationed in the Engineering Division at first, He had seen the lack of support first hand. However it wasn't due to trained personal not wanting to. It was far more insidious then that. It was a lack of understanding and education. Commander Bonham had just taken a risky gamble from what Noonia was thinking, but Noonia had an idea already.

They of course could service thier own things, but without bodies this section would collapse. Instead of half of the Engineering division sitting on their hands even in an emergency, the section could be spread. In fact, Engineering could create a whole new section that just supported the Flight Deck. Lt. Jr. Noonia would know these things, having A. been a part of a large ship crew before and B. building a comraderie with his fellow engineers. Lt. Jr. Noonia always enjoyed teaching and learning, it's part of the reason he stayed out of the Limelight. Not because he couldn't, but because it felt right to see others succeed and learn and grow.

Part of him was in the moment, listening to the Trials and Tribulations. The other part of him realized that this was a chance for him to do some good that was beyond a normal ken. "I am not the ranking officer of Engineering, and I realize that I'm hardly stepping foot in your Domain before stating this. However, I intend after my shift to go speak with the Head Engineer, and if I need to the Captain. We've got more than enough Manpower to handle Ship Operations and Repairs even under extreme duress. With some proper training, we could get the support needed to cover refit and repairs here so it's not just an isolated endeavor. Worst case, I can always poll for Volunteers from the Engineering Base itself."

Lt. Jr. Noonia lifted his hand and encompassed the Flight Deck. "This is the purpose of this Ship. We're not a ship of peace and exploration, but one of defense for the Federation. The modifications to this ship have been so that this Flight Deck can launch a very old Type of Warfare into a very new environment." the fist clenched and lowered. "This deck may be the thin line of difference whether or not we go home. In engineering I've always wondered about the purpose of the USS Thunderchild and its focus." A burning sense of purpose struck him here. Perhaps it was fruitless, but if Mordecai didn't try, then what was the point of him being here? His eyes narrowed slightly. "So, I am prepared to learn. I will not take this oppourtunity lightly Lieutenant Paxton. Nor will I slack Lieutenant Duncanson. So please, teach me."

[Akirapryde]

Stardate: 53831.89
USS Thunderchild, NCC-63549
Deck 13, Hanger Deck
The Dragon's Lair
Lieutenant Arron Duncanson, Lieutenant Rebbecca Paxton, Lieutenant (JR) Mordecai Noonia

Paxton and Duncanson returned to where they had left Noonia after they had inspected the damaged fighter. the three met back up and enjoyed a brief reunion as Noonia took the opportunity to explain so far what he saw and what he believed. He also took note of the need for the two divisions, Engineering and Flight Operations, to work together. Paxton only laughed at the prospects of that, but it was Duncanson who spoke up, "Oh we have requested Engineering support on a number of projects. However the Chief Engineer,"

Noonia couldn't help but noticed Paxton mumbling something under her breath as she turned away from the conversation. He could almost make out the word abomination from what Paxton had mumbled.

Lieutenant Duncanson didn't miss a beat as if he was covering up for the clear disdain that Paxton felt for Lieutenant Medart. "would always reply with 'it will be scheduled'. We are still waiting on some of those 'scheduled issues' to be resolved."

Noonia could feel the deep emotions fueled by his suggestion. It was almost as if he had asked a starving man to simply ask for food, after that man had been begging for food all day. This rift ran deep and Noonia could sense that he had his work cut out for himself. However he was determined to make this plan work. He continued to express his willingness to learn.

Lieutenant Paxton turn to face Noonia nodded her head as she pulled off a length of cord from her EV suite, "Hollywood, we are all here to learn new paths." she said walking closer to him while handing the end of the cord to Noonia so that he could attach it to his own belt. Lieutenant Duncanson pulled off the same amount of cord and affixed it to Noonia's belt as well. "Before I was part of your Starfleet, I was in the Republican Guard" she explained as she doubled checked the cord and made sure that he was secured to her suite. It was clear that they were going somewhere without gravity.

"Would you believe that before that I was a artist" Paxton continued with a sense of sadness in her voice. She added, "I was young and foolish back then. I guess it is something that all races share in common. The ignorance of youth" there was something more to the story but their journey was appearing to take them over to a large cargo transporter pad with a type eleven shuttle craft resting on the pad.

It was the first time that Noonia had seen Paxton fall silent due to having nothing to say. Lieutenant Duncanson spoke up to cover the silence as they continued to walk over to the pad. "I was a Marine Infantry officer before I requested to be transfered here, Lieutenant" he explained as he moved by the shuttle craft. He smiled as he ran his hand on the shuttle, "this might interest you Lieutenant." he added, "This shuttle craft is rather special. There are only five like them in all of Starfleet. It was designed for our kind of operations" he said as he turned to look in to Noonia's eyes. "To extend our own sensor ranges and act as a secondary flight control during combat missions" he explained as the three of them moved next to the shuttle craft. "This one is about to support our continued search of the system. They have more sensors and tracking equipment than some small starships. A crew of five and the speed to hang with our fastest fighters. They are worth their weight, Lieutenant." He nodded to the shuttle as if it was a living being. "Because of their special missions, they are called Cat's Eye," he concluded.

After regaining herself, Paxton spoke up once more, "We are taking you to the flight deck Lieutenant." Noonia almost missed the fact that she didn't call him Hollywood. "There is no gravity there, nor atmosphere. Because you are not wearing an EV Suite, we have to keep these cords on you for your own safety. Also, we won't be able to hear you unless you key up your comlink." Both of his guides put their helmets on. Paxton also slid a sleeve over her tail and attached it to the back of her EV Suite. There were sounds of seals being made as both of his guides double checked each other and his own life support belt. From this point on, their voices were transmitted over communication channels. "Shall we show you the real business end of this ship?" Paxton's voice came over the comlink. There it was again in Paxton's voice. That kind of pride that no amount of humble demeanor could hide. Paxton gave the signal that they were ready.

Lieutenant Noonia noticed that there were two Craft Handlers along side of the shuttle and a safety officer. Like the two lieutenants with him, these three personnel were also wearing armored EV Suites and were armed with phaser pistols. However in this moment, each were going over the craft with tricorders and using their eyes. Anything that could go wrong with the craft was inspected, not once but at least twice. Despite the distraction that his little tour might have caused to the three crew members their focus was on the shuttle. The three personnel in charge of moving the shuttle craft up to the hanger deck focused only on getting the shuttle off the ship safely. Noonia had seen other shuttle bays in operation but none seemed to have their operations conducted like this one did. With a nod to the safety and a transport tech, the group along with the shuttle were transported to the Flight Deck.

The flight deck was all that it was made up to be. And only one word could best describe the deck, massive. The entire deck was well over four hundred meters long and just over three decks tall. A lone runabout was coming in for landing at the far end of the deck. It was moving at nearly full impulse which was not normal for Noonia. It almost seemed as if the craft was going to crash in to the ship till a set of tractor beams caught the runabout. As the tractor beams locked on to the runabout, they brought the craft to a slow as it was moved to over one of the transporter pads along the port side of the deck. A number of deck personnel moved towards the craft as they secured the runabout for transport. all wore the same colors as those below but these personnel were wearing armored EV suites. At each end of the flight deck, Noonia could see the force fields that protected the deck from the vacuum of space. It raised a question about why having them engaged if the deck was depressurized and didn't have gravity.

Noonia watched as the shuttle craft that he had beamed up with as it was moved in to departure position. It was strange for Noonia cause he knew that the craft could simply hover towards the large opening and depart under its own power. It in that moment that Paxton's voice came over his comlink, "There are a series of tractor and repulser beams along each end of this deck with a third set of tractor beams along the center. These make up our launch and recovery systems. They are splint in to three separate systems with the fore and aft systems mirrored with each other. Power is supplied to each system independently via the EPS networks. During none warp operations, we launch forward and capture aft. During warp operations, we reverse the operations" Paxton explained. This caused Noonia to almost gasps as the idea of launching during warp speed was highly dangerous. Let alone landing on a ship traveling at warp speed.

Noonia watched as the Deck Captain gave directions from the center of the deck near the departure end of the deck. Because there was no atmosphere here, Noonia could hear nothing beyond his own little force field secured bubble. Noonia watched as the shuttle craft was moved in to position under its own power. The Deck Captain took over issuing orders from the craft handlers. The pilot acknowledged this transfer by flashing the lights of the shuttle off and back on. With the deck crews backing away, the shuttle was ran through a series of tests before the Deck Captain was sure that the craft was ready for departure. Noonia watched as this silent operation played out. It was as if he was watching a silent play preformed by a elite troop of performers.

The entire operation played out before Noonia's eyes with a level of perfection that could not be denied. The repulsers took hold of the shuttle craft and started to build up tension to sling the craft out of the ship. "A slow moving target departing the ship would make for a easy target to enemy fighters or near by ships. Because of this, we rocket departing craft out at over full impulse speed. This is done so that they are not easy targets during combat situations," she explained. "We operate as if we are in combat at all times" Paxton added.

It was then that Duncanson's voice broke in, "we train and carry out our duties in such a way that regardless of rather we are in combat or not, we perform at the same level. This keeps our proficiency at the same high levels regardless of the situation."

Noonia was looking forward to watching the departure as everything was building to that point. It was if the entire world around him was hanging on this one moment. The Deck Captain was issuing the final orders to deck hands and pilots. He stood in a circle just off center of the shuttle as the craft slowly hovered. The repulser energy could be seen as it was building up the wave to hurl the shuttle out and away from the flight deck. Ever the engineer, Noonia could see how this operation was to work. The interlinked repulser emitters created a pull push energy base around the craft. His mind could see who each system in this operation was critical and how they worked with each other. It was if time had stood still as the Deck Captain pivoted on his heels as he dropped to a knee. He pointed down the departure end of the deck as he was clearly giving the launch command to those watching. It was the moment that Noonia was waiting for.

However not even seconds after the craft started to move, one of the safeties near a pedestal along the port side of the deck raised his arms in a cross like fashion. But it was too late, the repulsers had already started to vault the craft forward. In that moment one of the repulsers near the departure end of the flight deck, along the starboard side and halve way up the wall failed. There was a massive soundless series of sparks as the shuttle rocked violently. Without that set of repulsers, the shuttle was forced at a high rate of speed towards the starboard wall of the flight deck. Noonia stood in disbelief over what he was watching. The shuttle struggled against the other repulsers but to no avail. The craft slammed in to the starboard wall with a fantastic shower of sparks and flames.

The white glowing emitters of the forward shield that protected the deck from space flickered and failed as the shuttle tumbled out in to space. Its engines burning bright as it vanished from sight. Still large pieces of the shuttle were sent showering back in to the flight deck. The situation vanished from Noonia's view as Lieutenants Duncanson and Paxton both forced him down to the deck and covered his unarmed body with their own. Noonia only saw the deck as he felt the weight of the two on top of him. He heard nothing and he couldn't help but feel fear over what was happening. In that second, he felt the impact of something large slamming in to the mass of armored EV Suites above him. He couldn't tell if the ship had jolted or if it was just him. All he knew was that this was not the place to be without a functioning EV suite. Suddenly he felt so naked and all but helpless.

Lieutenant Duncanson finally helped Noonia up from the deck. Noonia's comlink had been damaged or was otherwise inoperative. Noonia could tell that Paxton was injured as a large section of her suite was dented inward. He knew that it was impossible that she didn't sustain some kind of damage from the dent. It took Noonia all of a few seconds to link the red and white paint on her green EV Suite to the large shuttle nacelle floating free a bit further down the deck. Noonia didn't noticed that the two Lieutenants were talking through hand signals as he took in the scene before him. What drew his focus on was the level of damage to the flight deck. Pieces of the shuttle were shotting across the flight deck like deadly shrapnel. There were at least five wounded deck hands and unknown number of wounded on the shuttle.

What snapped Noonia's attention back was when Paxton unhooked herself from them and used her thrusters to move towards the wounded. Regardless of what ever damaged she might have suffered under the impact with the shuttles nacelle, her focus was on her people. In that second, Noonia felt himself being transported. He had thought that he was being beamed somewhere safe. It was almost a disappointing thought that he might be removed from the scene. However, when the Flight Operations Center appeared before his eyes, he remembered what Paxton had said. Lieutenant Duncanson was still in charge of the deck and in this case the crisis. She trusted him to handle the crisis while she took a more hands on position within the crisis.