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USS Charleston - Operational Logs

Featuring
USS CHARLESTON, NCC-42285-A, Captain Kehris Th'vhaothehrr (Adster94)

Mission Summary
The USS Charleston, under the temporary command of the XO Commander Rachel Stevens, is leaving the confines of the Stardock at Utopia Planitia for Starbase 257, near the Cardassian border to pick up the ships new CO. Recently promoted from Commander, Captain Kehris served aboard the Columbia as it's XO for 5 years, and was dropped off by his old ship 5 days ago.

Fresh off the assembly line with only basic trials having been completed - the first order of business upon picking up the new Captain will be to run through a series of tests to make sure all of her systems are up to scratch. Normally, these tests would have been completed within the confines of the shipyards solar system, Starfleet requires this new Obena-class starship to report to the Cardassian border without delay, and continue onto Taskforce Phoenix's HQ once said trials have been completed.

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In Transit
Acting Captain's Log, Stardate 58820.97, Travelling through Xantoras Sector at Warp:



We have now been on our journey for a few weeks, travelling from Sol to the Cardassian border at Warp 5 can be long and therefore boring trip... However, now we are getting closer I find myself more nervous than before, I have enjoyed my time as Captain of the Charleston but welcoming aboard the new Captain and getting ready to serve them as XO has me on edge.

I have all my life wanted to command a starship, but going from 3rd officer to acting Captain in such a short amount of time, has been daunting, but being able to have the freedom to do things my way with a new crew on this voyage has been marvellous, I only hope that the new Captain appreciates the efforts I have gone to prepare the ship for his arrival.

Both of us being new to our roles, will however be...difficult... I was hoping to receive an assignment where I would serve under an experienced Captain, but instead pairing 2 newly promoted command officers together could have mixed results. I wanted to serve with someone experienced so I could learn from them, I did push myself really hard to get this far so early, and now I can't help but feel this may delay my efforts to become Captain of my own ship. I guess we will have learn these lessons together...

We are still supposed to be a few weeks out from Starbase 257 at this present speed, but Starfleet Command have given us authorisation to break the recommended warp speed limit to get there ahead of schedule. Whilst the Chief Engineer is excited to push our engines to their limits, I am concerned as to why we made it this far at Warp 5 and now are given permission to accelerate to Warp 9.5, what has changed? Why do we need to get to the border so quickly? I guess we will find out, I have given the order and we should be in orbit of the Starbase within a few days...

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Arrival
Captain's log, Stardate 58832.57, Starbase 257:



The moment I have waited for my whole life has finally arrived...command of my own starship. Throughout the years I have always dreamed of this moment, and what ship I might get - my dreams never conceived of a Obena-class, but she is a fine ship with a fine crew. The ship arrived this morning, perfectly timed for whilst I was in the officers lounge the starboard side of the station - exactly where she was supposed to drop out of warp, and that is where she did.

The beauty of a Sovereign class but elegance of a Excelsior, the perfect mix if I do say so myself, all I can say it was love at first sight. I couldn't take my eyes off her as she headed towards the docking births of the starbase - the tannoy announcement of Charleston's arrival was it took to break my trance. I felt stupid, like a first year cadet but Captain Peterson did say I should expect something like this when I saw "my" ship for the first time - boy he was right.

She's brand new, untested and with a newly formed crew, it will be a challenge but I am more than happy to take on the responsibility and make this ship my own. I have read that my XO is also new to the position, I have heard glowing remarks about her career and I have never seen so many recommendations from flag officers for her promotion to this post - I must say it was a little daunting, having someone like her as my number one could be a mixed blessing...

Sadly though, we aren't going to have time to get to know one another before jumping straight in. Originally our orders were to patrol the Cardassian border, after giving the ship a proper shakedown but I received an urgent communication from Rear Admiral Dalton, ordering the Charleston to rendezvous with her new taskforce, Phoenix, at Deep Space Nine as soon as possible. The shakedown cruise is going to have be skipped on this one...

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Shakedown
Captain's log, Stardate 58838.02, Warping to DS9:



We are well on our way now, with only 24 hours until we arrive at Deep Space Nine, the crew seem to be warming up quite nicely to one another, me on the other hand... I do regret not being in the Sol system when assigned this position, whilst it was great for the crew to have a couple of weeks of travel to get to know one another, it feels like I have come in and taken over Commander Stevens' show. She has run the ship smoothly and gotten everyone into a great position to start off in this task force don't get me wrong, but I can't help but feel that she would rather me not be around - she has to remember though, I am the Captain.

Hell, I need to give it more time, I have only been in the centre seat for a day and all I have been able to do was give the order to leave Starbase 257 and head to Deep Space Nine, not particularly inspiring. But my oh my, what a ship. State of the art doesn't quite cut it, I have never served aboard a starship as new as this, and boy do I love that new car smell, or at least I believe that is how the saying goes!

My senior staff seem to be getting along just fine, it is a little unusual to see a Cardassian in a blue Starfleet uniform, but Lt. Zalram really seems eager to please, potentially a little too eager, but I can't hold that against her considering it wasn't that long ago that this area of space was in turmoil because of her government's actions - I think the crew will need to give her some slack. I do fear however that some of the crew will react to her negatively, the majority of this ships compliment served in the front lines of the Dominion War, I am hopeful this is a situation I don't need to worry about.

Commander Yuga was someone I was very keen to have aboard my staff, baring in mind I selected all of these officers for this ship based off the many thousands, or at least that is how it felt, of dossiers but Yuga was the one that stood out the most. A Saurian engineer, not top of his class, but I have learnt that doesn't mean much, his love for anything techie should inspire us to have fun once in a while! I know he can't wait for us to stop over properly at DS9 so he can tinker with the engines - this is all the shakedown cruise this ship is going to see, so he needs to make the most of it!

The enthusiasm that seems to be running rampant throughout the ship is a stark contrast to that of the Columbia, having been on routine patrol for far too many years the majority of that crew were just happy for something to go wrong technically! I just hope that I can serve this crew in the best way possible, and that Steven's doesn't hamper those efforts...

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Course Correction
Captain's log, Stardate 58841.05, Arriving at DS9:



We arrived at the edge the Bajoran system, it was a beautiful sight watching Deep Space Nine grow in the view screen. Commander Stevens called me to the bridge after we exited warp, whilst it is standard procedure I appreciated the fact that she came into my ready room to inform me and escorted me onto the bridge.

Sadly though, before the station could fill the view screen a transmission came through from Ops, forwarding on a message from Starfleet. An emergency situation has risen in the Farronus System, not far from our current position in the Regulon sector, a black hole is threatening 3 new Federation planets - low in population but they have no warp capable ships in the system to support evacuation of 3 colonies within the system.

Neither of the colonies have more than several thousand people on each, way too many for the Charleston to cope but we are expecting another 2 starships from the rest of the Taskforce to meet us in the system. Currently it is undetermined which ships will join us, I have asked Stevens to come up with solutions if we have to do it by ourselves - no matter what we must succeed. She has some preliminary ideas - I am expecting a report by the time we arrive in the Regulon sector.

No lay over at DS9, not for the time being at least, maximum warp immediately to the Farronus system - this will be a great test for our new ship and crew, I have full confidence in their abilities. I just hope we won't have to do it alone... no matter what, we will succeed.

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Pushing Boundaries
Captain's log, Stardate 58851.88, En-route to the Farronus System:



Time is ticking away, we are still en-route to the Farronus System, we are less than 24 hours away from being able to start evacuation protocols. Thankfully, I have received word from Starfleet that the USS Athena will be joining us for the rescue effort, still not the 3 starships needed for the task but 2 is better than 1...

Frustratingly, we would have been there by now but due to the fact the Charleston has spent pretty much all of it's time since launching at Utopia Planitia at warp. The Chief assures me that he can keep her going but did require us to take an 18 hour pause whilst the entire engineering staff recalibrated the warp coils and scrubbed plasma injectors. All in all, they did fantastic hard work and we have now just gone back to warp, not at our fastest speed but enough to get us there within a day. But 18 hours... that just was too long...

I can only hope that the Athena isn't too far behind us, as we are going to be stretched to try and get all these colonists away in time. But Commander Stevens has an idea the nearest star system, the Tarns System, which at best speed we can reach in 4 hours has 1 habitable L-class planet - not the most luxurious but will do the trick. She is proposing that we shuttle our max load of colonists from the Farronus system to that planet and keep making those jumps until everyone is safe.

It sounds like a good idea, and should be even easier with another starship helping - I just hope we have enough time to pull it off...

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Preparations
Captain's log, Stardate 58888.58, En-route to the Farronus III at high impulse:



We have finally arrived, thank god, to the Farronus system, it has taken us far too long but we couldn't have predicted the effects that this black hole appears to be having on subspace, it doesn't make sense, there hasn't been an instance in the past where - at least this far away from a black hole - we had to slow our warp speed to less than 5 to prevent our core from blowing up...

Commander Yuga assures me that our warp engines are fully operational, under significant strain but functional, the strain mixed with the already heavy damage to subspace presumably from the high warp traffic in this sector during the Dominion War, has meant we needed to slow down to prevent a massive subspace tear and the destruction of the ship. The odds seem to very much be against the Farronus System colonists... being in a system with a black hole threatening to tear in apart, in an area of subspace nearly impossible to enter at high warp, either incredibly bad luck or it was planned...

The entire crew, unsurprisingly, are on edge, they haven't had a chance to properly get to know their ship, crew mates and least of all - their Captain. I am going to have to ask more of these people than most of them have ever been asked - how am I supposed to inspire that determination when they barely know me? For the next 5 days we are going to have to work round the clock and fill every nook and cranny of this ship with colonists (and the supplies necessary to help them) otherwise we are going to fail.

The Athena and August thankfully, are larger ships than the Charleston, not by much, but it will make the difference when trying to save everyone in this system - I just fear that we don't have enough time and that we may have to leave some people behind...