Time To Get Going

Posted on Mon Oct 2nd, 2017 @ 6:10pm by Commander Christopher Samuels MDiv, PhD & Commander K'Niras Sh'howul & Lieutenant JuniorGrade Fethraie D'Darra
Edited on on Tue Oct 3rd, 2017 @ 12:40am

Mission: S01E01 - At the Brink of Night
Location: Changing Room/Transporter Room One

-- Changing Room --

"I see Starfleet, in their infinite wisdom, have upgraded the environmental suits."

As a scientist, Christopher Samuels had spent his fair share of time in and out of environmental suits, but that didn't mean he had to like them. The new design seemed bulkier with far more bells and whistles than the previous incarnation. He wondered how many man hours actually went into deciding to add a fancy new button or deciding to change the color. He practically rolled his eyes at the thought.

“Something tells me,” Feth said as she worked herself into her suit,” that the designer did not have pointed ears.”

As Samuels pulled up the zip of the black formfitting under suit he looked at his uniform hanging on a hanger. Another change had been the uniforms. They had gotten a complete overhaul, gone was the velour top and black trousers, now Starfleet decided to go for a rich blue with the department color incorporated into the jacket side panels. His department color went from a pale blue/gray to a silver--which was also reflected in the pin that was attached to the left breast of the uniform jacket. Gone were the rank stripes and now little dots punctuated the pin. It looked slick and modern and it was tight... my goodness was it tight. Christopher--who was already a fit man--felt like he would need to lose some of his bulk just to fit into it properly. He was constantly pulling on the collar of the jacket and then pulled on the hem of the jacket and the sleeve hem. Constant tugging! Then there was the adjusting, he would have to constantly adjust himself because the damn pants would bunch up. Which of course was cause for discretion.

Again, he wondered who was sitting in a room coming up with these things? Whoever it was, they needed to be shot. The only thing he would say in favor of the new uniform was that the boots were comfortable. Far more comfortable than the predecessors. He had supposed the new uniforms also looked a bit more professional because they looked, well... uniform. He chuckled at his own absurd pun and shook his head.

As he began to pull on the components of the outer suit, he looked to K'Niras and watched as the Caitian struggled with the environmental suit as well. He wondered if the lieutenant ever worried about getting his fur stuck in the zipper--now that there were... So. Many. Zippers. He wondered how many variations there were of the uniform, especially with so many different alien species in Starfleet now. It was a question he would tuck away and ask at a later time.

The away team consisted of himself, Lieutenant Sh'howul, Ensign D'Darra and two security personnel whose names escaped him at the moment. "Alright," he began, "I don't know how these new eevee suits will hold up to a Class-J atmosphere, so we go down and we get back up to the Musashi in forty minutes. Not forty-one minutes or forty-five, but forty. Is that understood?"

“Understood,” Feth said as she moved to inspect the two security personnel she was bringing along.

"Yes, sir," K'Niras responded, still struggling with his eevee suit. He was even starting to wonder if the person who designed the Caitian eevee suit had ever seen a Caitian. His digitigrade legs made the suit really tight in a rather uncomfortable place and there was no room for his tail. He was currently struggling with the tail, feeling that finding a place to put it would solve his other issue. The helmet, at least, had enough room for his ears, so at least they got one thing right.

Christopher had noticed how much K'Niras was struggling. He stepped up to the Caitian and allowed a sympathetic smile to cross his lips. He was surprised that the suit didn't allow for the tail to be tucked somehow, and he gave the suit a cursory glance. "Would you like some help?" he asked, his tone kind. He figured there had to be a way to tuck the tail into the under suit without it being hurt.

"Please," K'Niras said with a grin, just showing his front teeth. "I don't know if I'm doing this right. They changed the suits since I last had one on. Maybe there's something I'm missing. It is kind of hard to see behind me." He chuckled and held still so Christopher could help.

Christopher has looked behind the Caitian, his focus on the tail. He looked to see if there was some sort of pouch that the tail could go into in the under suit, but there was nothing. He looked back at K'Niras with a sympathetic look. He didn't know about Caitian biology, but he was fairly certain a tail that was confined would be just as uncomfortable as another appendage. "Will it hurt if I hold your tail up against your back as you zip up? Unfortunately, there is no place for your tail."

K'Niras nodded. "Yes, sir. It's alright if you hold it up. I was thinking that might be my best option anyway. Thank you so much. I had no idea." He chuckled and held still while Christopher held his tail against his back and zipped up the eevee suit. It seemed to work out fine, it wasn't even that uncomfortable. "Thank you again."

Christopher clapped K'Niras on the shoulder, smiled, and nodded. "You're welcome, anytime, Lieutenant," he replied.

“Crewman Logano,” disappointment boomed in Feth’s voice, “this suit is on incorrectly. Doing paperwork and explaining to the Captain why you are dead is not a duty I intend on performing so soon into my first post as Chief of Security.”

“Sorry ma’am. I…”

“Chief Truex,” she called out, keeping those Vulcan eyes beaming into Logano’s soul.

“Ma’am,” the chief appeared at her side standing erect.

Feth turned to him and inspected his wearing of the eevee suit. “You are well practiced in donning these suits. Assist the crewman.”

“Aye ma’am.”

As Truex went to town on Crewman Logano, Feth made her way over to Commander Samuels and Lieutenant Sh’howul. Her eevee suit seemed a bit snug, even for her small frame but it did allow her to move freely for the most part. It also seemed to accentuate her features. She cared not as much for the Caitian as she did for the commander. Understanding human culture, the man appeared rather handsome in the eyes of the conventions and the scripts that most humans held to. As she was on something of a quest to better understand humans, Feth decided a prolonged and in depth conversation with the man was in order, but at a later time.

Turning to look at the Caitain, Feth raised an eyebrow. ’Felines are felines.’

“Sirs,” she said as she arrived. “I appear to have difficulty with my back zipper. Additionally, I request final inspection for proper wear.”

Christopher nodded. "Starfleet R and D is going to get a strongly worded letter after this," he said, he stepped up to Feth and helped her with the zipper. He made sure it was secure and he looked over the suit to make sure everything was on properly. "Everything looks good." He then stepped back to address the group. He was now fully in his own suit, he just needed his chest plate and helmet. He picked up the chest plate and slipped it on. "A quick rundown," he began, "apparently we are getting all fancy with the doodads now. The blue push button is the comm, the purple push button controls the HUD, and if we need to make a fast getaway the red and green push buttons control the thrust pack." His hand drifted to a small LED display. "This will help your teammates see your oxygen level and whether or not there is a suit breach. The suit is self-sealing... so they tell us, but let's try not to see if that is true, hmm." He picked up the helmet. "The visor has a HUD display now, which will give us up to date sensor data, and of course it records all visual."

“For security purposes,” Feth spoke up, “we should remain in constant communication with the Musashi and with each other. That is, of course, if radio silence is a necessity.”

Christopher nodded his agreement... however. "Typically, maintaining an open comm with the Musashi would be standard operating procedure, but with the Klingons lurking about we will be maintaining radio silence with the ship but a lock will remain on us."

Looking at the assembled officers, Christopher said, "Any questions? If not let's get moving, the transporter is standing by."


-- Transporter Room --

Christopher, along with the rest of the away team moved slowly into the transporter room. The bulk of their suits made them all look a little odd, and even slightly amusing. He looked to the petite transporter operator and smiled. "Chief Yeoh, do you have the coordinates?"

The chief nodded, her high ponytail swishing around like a horses tail. "They have been relayed. We have been having trouble with interference, but I will be able to compensate to keep a lock on all of you."

"Good job, Chief, I know we are in good hands," Christopher replied, he stepped toward the transport platform. "Phasers to stun." He took the weapon from its holster and double checked then setting and replaced it. "Seal helmets." He pushed the visor down and heard the visor seal with the rim of the opening. The inside lit up with a soft white light.

K'Niras followed and checked his equipment as well, locking his helmet down and nodding to Christopher before stepping up onto the platform and waiting for transport.

Feth knew the protocol and followed suit. She checked her weapon to ensure it was on stun and then her suit to ensure it was well sealed. She looked to Chief Truex and Crewman Logano, making sure they were checking themselves likewise.

After he got the affirmative from the other four, he looked to Chief Yeoh. "Energize," he called out over the helmet's comm. He watched as the young woman gave a quick nod, her thin fingers moved about the board and she pushed up the three nubs to activate the beam. Even after all these years, I still hate these things, he mused to himself, held his breath, and within moments he and his team materialized on the planet surface.