Misdirection
Posted on Mon Jan 8th, 2024 @ 11:27pm by Lieutenant Commander Kevin Lance
Mission:
The Avenger
Location: USS Chuck Norris
Timeline: Current
on:
{Bridge}
“Delta-01 you are crossing over our sensor horizon,” Kevin informed the shuttle via the communicator on the Flight console, “Fair winds and a following sea.”
“Winds and sea in space?” Zimia asked as she approached the Flight console
Kevin resisted the urge to put his head down on the controls. He had overcome being intimidated by the woman. Now she just annoyed him. “It is an old Earth adieu between mariners,” he explain, “It has the same meaning as ‘Good luck and Godspeed’.”
“Godspeed?”
Kevin closed his eyes and counted to three. “Shorthand for ‘May God speed you safely to your destination’ or something like that.”
“Oh,” Zimia replied, “Speaking of destinations, where will you take Commander Rodale on your first date?”
The question so surprised Kevin that his angry retort died on his lips. It took him a moment, while Zimia smiled at him indulgently, to collect his thoughts. “If you are looking for something to do, I am certain that the probe refurbishment team needs assistance,” he finally said.
Zimia held up her hands and in a wounded tone said, “Sorry I asked!” before retreating to her console.
Kevin covered his face with a hand. I don’t need this, he thought.
Once he felt sufficiently calm, he turned his attention back to the Flight console. The Binpatt Ore was following the Norris along their search path. The Cardassian ship was still a couple hundred thousand kilometers behind them but if they continued to follow, they would find whatever Rodale and Kronnelti had set out in their shuttle to discover.
With both the Captain and Executive Officer unavailable, it was left to Kevin to make a decision.
Tapping the communicator on the console, he ordered the shuttles, “Attention all craft. Norris will be altering course to bearing 90 off our current beam. Change your navigation to maintain your position relative to us.”
=/\= “Norris, this is Sierra-01. Confirm course change?” =/\=
Kevin was certain that the shuttle crews were wondering what was going on. They had been making changes in the ship’s course as more debris was discovered and collected but this change was taking them off the line that they had been following the last two days. Instead of taking them closer to the calculated center of the search area, this would take them in a perpendicular direction away.
“Captain’s orders, Sierra-01. Unless you would like to take it up with him.”
There was a pause, then the communicator came to life. =/\= “Negative, Norris. Standing by to execute.”
Kevin hands played over the Flight console, programming the course change in the navigation computer. “All craft, prepare to execute on my command,” he ordered, “Three. Two. One. Execute”. He executed the maneuver and the ship banked to port.
It took a minute but the Binpatt Ore matched the maneuver and followed the Norris away from the direction Rodale and Kronnelti took.
“Will Commander Rodale be able to find us?” a concerned Zimia asked from her console.
“We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it,” Kevin replied absently as he watched the Binpatt Ore on the tactical plot.
“Our bridge? Or the Cardassians?”
Kevin squeezed his eyes shut against the headache that Zimia was giving him.
:off
Lieutenant Kevin Lance
Chief Flight Control Officer
USS Norris
