The Ghost Fleet Part 4
New Beginnings
11 Months Ago, Ghost Fleet Yards I
Remember tonight.. for it is the beginning of always.
Unattributed
Commander Davidson glanced over his padd as he turned his head to the windows that showed from the Ghost Fleet Yard the docked vessels of the Ghost Fleet. There stood the finished product of the SRD Clarel, the first Clarel Class Destroyer, and next to her the much larger SWS Selevenar, the first Selevenar Class Battleship. He remembered the fifth time they had taken the Clarel Class destroyer to effectuate the modifications on the location of the hyper-transwarp space drive and the impulse generators. He remembered clearly when the ship had been taken beyound the destructive warp limits and had survived it. He remembered having order the ejection of the escape pods, and the transmission of the limited distress signal to the Ghost Fleet shipyards. Commander Davidson smiled, remembering when the Selevenar's crew arrived using an antiquated Segan Mary-Rosbourg Class destroyer to rescue them.
Commander Davidson looked at the padd a second time, as he placed it close to his chest. He walked over to the window to have a closer look at his destroyer. The S.R.D. Clarel was his fifth command in what had been a glorious career. He remembered when he was offered the job of testing the S.R.D. Clarel following his command assignment on the Ulysees where he had succesfully held off a sneak attack from seperatists from some outpost in the Selec quadrant. He had afterwards succesfully negotiated a settlement with seperatists that, an agreement which to this day was continuing to hold the peace. Commander Davidson's accomplishments had earned him a brow raise back on Segania Prime that eventually got him the post to lead the experimenting crew of the S.R.D. Clarel. Commander Davidson watched as a work bee completed soe work on the bio-metallical hull of the S.R.D Clarel, as the last modifying touch by Dr. Yamadivosok, that of adding additional stabilizing wings at the aft section of the Clarel Class destroyer was almost completed.
Commander Davidson turned around, and smiled as Captain Anderson made his way through the crowd. Almost ninety percent of the officers on the ship yards were boasting the new ACG uniforms that were designed solely for use by the Ghost Fleet. Captain Anderson too was now wearing his yellow and gray uniform with the rank pin of a Captain. Commander Davidson approached him, kissing him before he made any exchange of words. Behind him, he could hear the massive engines of the Clarel Class Destroyer activate, making a small melodic, but screechy noise that sounded crystallic. The impulse engines had been activated by his executive Commander Davidson rationalized, as his lips parted from that of Captain Anderson.
"Hello Patrick, how are you doing?" Davidson asked his lover, as he noticed that on Patrick's hand was a padd.
"Doing quite well, Andy," Anderson replied, watching the Clarel Class starship's crew start to board, "I wanted to see you before you left on your next assignment."
"Yes, we're leaving in forty-five minutes aren't we," Davidson sighed, "I know, Patrick, I'm going to put in for a transfer to your ship!"
Anderson laughed, "Now now, Andy, you're a leader of great caliber, I wouldn't want you wasting your skills."
"I suppose you're right," he walked closer to Anderson and gave him a small and friendly hug, "I will miss you every day and night we are not together."
Anderson kissed Andy Davidson's forehead as he embraced his lover firmly, "And I will you as well, hun."
"Have you just recieved your first orders?" Davidson looked into Anderson's eyes, not wanting to touch on further emotions.
"Yes, in fact. Just got them a few minutes ago," Anderson pulled the padd from his back pocket and proceeded to read his mission, "To Captain Patrick Anderson, Commanding Officer, S.W.S. Selevenar, you and your crew are to proceed directly to the Gilbraltar star system where you will lead your crew through a series of advanced battle simulations to test the battle readiness of your starship. The Selevenar is to depart from Ghost Fleet Shipyard I at 16:00 hours tommorow. Mission Authentication Alpha Bravo Zulu 3343."
"Gilbratar, heh?" Davidson smiled, pulling away from Anderson's warm embrace, "It's only a few days away from where we will be assigned, Patrick. They want us to navigate through an asteroid field to test the maneuverability of the vessel, and then they want us to take some shoreleave."
"That's awesome, hun!" Anderson shouted, allowing his emotions of excitement out, "That means you'll be able to join us the moment your shoreleave is completed, correct?!?"
"Exactly Patrick!" Davidson's smile grew wider, "Listen, I gotta go, my ship's getting ready to leave, and I don't want her to leave without me."
"Okay, hun," Anderson kissed his lover one last time, "Take care!"
"I will," Davidson turned around and walked the last steps of the umbilical and entered the airlock that led to his ship, he turned around, offering Anderson the Vulcan handsign as the airlock closed.
Captain Patrick Anderson, the Commanding Officer of the S.W.S. Selevenar, waved cooly at the airlock. He turned around and walked down the umbilical after two minutes, so as to not be inside the umbilical when the S.R.D. Clarel would seperate from it. As he stepped off the umbilical, into the next viewing station which was just next to it, the umbilical's red lights activated as the computer gave the warning of an impending umbilical seperation. Anderson watched from inside the beautiful Clarel Class destroyer as it prepared for departure. The vessel's pointed nose was directly in front of him, blocked to him by only a few layers of plexiglass. It was from here that Anderson would content himself with the departure of his lover. After a few minutes, the Clarel Class destroyer's umbilical link was severed, with the umbilical being pushed back from the destroyer. Almost immediately afterwards, the Clarel's engines crystallic sound filled the room as the Clarel backed away from its parking spot.
Inside the Clarel class starship, Commander Andy Davidson was busy standing up on the bridge, relishing the fact that this was the Clarel's first mission. There was no flamboyant casting off for the ship, nor any mission of particular important, just a small simple test of her maneuverability. Captain Patrick Anderson's first assignment was similar to his, a testing of the Selevenar's combat capabilities in the Gilbraltar System, a quiet system that was in the outer fringes of the Segan Monarchy's sovereign space. These were humble beginnings for these two starships who would within twelve months become part of a five thousand ship fleet. Andy Davidson looked over his padd, re-reading the mission operations guidelines. His Executive Officer smiled to him as she ordered to the Navigations Officer to lay in a course for the Paralys asteroid belt.
"Commander," Davidson looked at Lt. Cmdr. Valerie Dupont, "Ship-wide, please."
Aye, Captain," Dupont tapped the intercom open, as a chirp rang through the bridge," All Divisions, CONN. Captain has a word for us."
"All Divisions, this is the Captain," Davidon looked over to Dupont, "Our orders are to proceed to the Paralys asteroid belt where we will effectuate several maneuvers test on the Clarel. I am certain we will be able to give Command a lot of data to analyze. Once we are completed with those maneuvers, we will proceed to the Janis Star system where we have been instructed by Command to enjoy a one week shore-leave. This is a very simple assignment which I am sure we will accomplish with diligence and good work. We're the first ship in a fleet that will defend our Segan Monarchy with diligence, honor, and loyalty. I am proud to have you on my crew, and I hope that together we can begin a new chapter in Segan history."
