Upper Five (Ship's Forward Lounge)

[Akirapryde]

Stardate: 53834.05
USS Thunderchild, NCC-63549
Deck 5, The Lounge
Upper Five
Commander Bonham and Lt Jr Noonia

It has only been a few days since the USS Thunderchild has left Dry Dock and already the crew and ship have been pushed to their breaking points. First under Commander Bonham then under Captain Campbell. Like all ships of Starfleet, rumors have already started to fly as to what was really going on. Everything from another Borg invasion to a Coup within the Federation were being whispered among the crew. As word of the attack on the Repulse and her sister ships spread, the rumors continued to grow in complexity and in wildness. Regardless of what is going on, the crew were unified and determined to see this through to the end.

One of the only refuges for the crew is Upper Five, the ship's lounge. Located on Deck 5 Upper Five offered the crew a place to escape the duties and stress of the ship. From its large six windows that were facing forward flight operations can be observed from the launch deck below. Here the crew can unwind and relax as a number of games, food and drinks are offered. During refit, Commander Bonham knew that the over all design of the ship would require that space would become a premium aboard. With crew quarters moved and compacted to make room for the new expanded hanger deck, it was clear that places like Five Forward and her sister location near main engineering, Fifteen Aft, would be vital to crew moral. Normally Akira Class ships only had one lounge. Commander Bonham during refit asked for a second lounge be built at the aft section of the ship. This was directly due to the fact that many crew quarters were going to be cut in size.

Lower enlisted were required to 'hot cot' their beds with another crew member. This allowed for four crew members to share one space. Petty officers would share quarters with three other petty officers. Junior officers would share their quarters with another junior officer. Senior officers and Department Heads would be the only crew members with their own quarters. Because of the restricted space aboard, no family members were allowed aboard the ship during deployment. Because of the limited space, the ship's stores only allowed the ship to be under deployment for up to one year. This limited the type of missions that the ship could take part in. However the fact that she was a carrier also opened up the field to entirely new kind of roles never before thought of for a ship of this size.

Another change to the ship's over all design was the location of crew quarters. Normally quarters would be centrally located in one area on the ship. This area would be protected should an emergency occur and this section could be used as a life boat. After studies proved that in nearly every situation, these 'life boats' did not increase the survivability of the crew. It was decided during refit that the crew's ability to react to an emergency could increase the chances to avoid it all together. The location of crew quarters were set up to be close to area where the personnel worked. This could cut down on the response time to alerts and would help provide for the much needed increase in crew numbers. This meant that corridors would be more narrow and less wasted space as crew quarters would be spread out throughout the ship. An added safety feature was air lock style bulk heads would safely divide the ship in to air tight sections during crisis. This was added in addition to force fields and once in place required no additional power.

VIP Quarters were also cut down by half as the over all mission of the USS Thunderchild was not centered on diplomatic roles. The VIP Quarters were still on par with even the Galaxy Class starships, but they were fewer in numbers. It was Commander Bonham who had a mind for using space to its fullest. He came up with a way to help with Crew Moral. In answer to what he saw as a possible issue with moral, Commander Bonham created the Lottery. Any lower enlisted who showed sound responsibility to their duties and had no reports in their records for a month is automatically entered. The ten winners of the weekly drawn Lottery would get a rare chance to have their quarters moved to the five VIP Quarters for one week. While they had to share their VIP with another winner, it was a far cry from having to share their room with three others.

The Lottery was already a big hit among the lower enlisted, and thus bringing a sense of pride to the ship as no other Starfleet ship had such a Lottery. Granted, that the Lottery would only be in effect as long as there were no VIP's aboard and the winners must leave the VIP Quarters in the same way that they were given. The first ten winners of the Lottery came from across the ship and were already enjoying the luxuries of their prize.

Even with the Lottery, the quarter situation aboard the ship was clearly a moral issue that will not go away. However it has been seen by nearly the entire crew as a small price to pay to serve aboard the Federation's first official carrier. This prestige was enough to satisfy the crew in dealing with the quarters issues. The fact that unlike other Starfleet ships, the Thunderchild had two full service lounges and another 'unofficial' lounge on deck eleven (where the flight crews and flight deck personnel tend to hang out) helps the crew coup with the tight living conditions.

The scene in the Upper Five is busy as usual as Commander Bonham walks in. A large number of crew were already enjoying dinner as those on Alpha Shift were getting off and unwinding. Beta Shift was already taking over. The Thunderchild ran three shifts around the clock. Alpha Shift started at 0800 and ran till 1600. Beta Shift picked up at 1600 hours and ran till 0000 (midnight). Delta Shift would pick up at 0000 and run till 0800 in the morning. Because of the requirements of the ship and the limited quarters, there were no days off while under deployment. A crewmen, enlisted or officer, was expected to pull their watch and be ready for any alert that might occur outside of that. Thanks to the current situation, the tension aboard the ship was already high.

The day had already been long for Commander Bonham as he watched a flight of fighters depart for their search grid. He shook his head, 'these needless flights are only going to wear down the pilots' he thought to himself. He tapped the PAD in his hand against his other palm as he scanned the room. He spotted the person he was looking for with two other junior officers. It was clear that they were enjoying their meal and having laughs over some tail from their Academy days. Commander Bonham stood there for a moment remembering how he and his own friends used to laugh and tell their own stories. He recalled the time before that battle. Before he had to leave one of his closest friend's behind. Without realizing it, a frown crossed his lips as the sour memory took hold. The voices of the past echoed back in to his memory. His best friend pleading not to be left behind. It was a choice between saving a few pilots or risking hundreds of other lives.

Before the thought could fully come in to being, Commander Bonham willed the memories from his mind. He had new duties now and he would not allow mistakes of the past to cloud his actions now. He walked up to the table and took note of Ensign Townsend, Ensign Habachi, and Lt. Noonia enjoying conversation over dinner. He stopped just short of the table and waited for them to pause their conversation. "I am sorry to interrupt your dinner Gentlemen," Commander Bonham said calmly and in a soft voice. "I need to have a word with you Lieutenant," he said speaking to lieutenant Noonia. Then he added, "Do you mind if I join you" he asked motioning for the empty chair.

Ensign Habachi grabbed his tray, "Take my chair, Commander" the statement was made with clear intent in his voice. "I lost my appetite" the Ensign said as he got up and took his tray. Without even paying any further mind to the Ship's XO the young Ensign turned and walked away.