The Caitian MCO Part #2

Posted on 15 Jun 2026 @ 5:54pm by 1st Lieutenant S'earr & Lieutenant Commander Samantha Smithson SB51

1,848 words; about a 9 minute read

Mission: General Sim Postings
Location: Starbase 51/Various
Timeline: Four days Prior to Departure of the new MCO to the Tomcat

[ON]

The pair had entered the turbolift, and when the doors closed, "Holodeck Prime" Smithson said, then, as an afterthought," Holodeck Prime is the largest holodeck we have; all other holodecks are your standard size for a Starbase," she said.

A short time later, the lift came to a halt on the level that the largest holodeck was on, and the doors opened. The hallway was clear. Samantha exited the lift, knowing the Lieutenant was following, and they stopped at the holodeck, and she tapped on the wall interface.

- Holodeck Prime -

"Program initiated, enter when ready," the computer voice said pleasantly.

She entered, and they were in a simulation of the embarkation tube. As the doors behind them closed, the illusion was complete. Sam looked back "We have enough time for me to show you some key areas; you will have plenty of time to look when you get to the ship," she said.

Through the window, a side view of the upgraded and refitted Tomcat could be seen. It was a different configuration from that of a standard Akira class; it looked compact. Its outside retained the same hull colour as all ships

The pair walked down the gantry and then into the ship. As they paused, they were greeted with walls as white as they were in the old Constitution classes. Sam looked left and right, harrumphed, and headed left.

"This ship looks vastly different from your Akira Class standards to accommodate the extra troops. She has lost a holodeck, so she now has only two, and she has also lost two thousand in emergency Evac space. The ship was stripped to its space frame, which had years of stress fractures, and these were hammered out as the ship's design was slightly altered and the space frame strengthened using the latest compounds. The outer hull was then put back in place when the nacelles were reassembled. The same process was used during the retrofit and upgrade. Thanks to the latest power and stress tolerances, the Tomcat's weapon rating is higher than your standard model, but the only things that may be updated in future are everything except the weapons and shields," she said with a trace of humour.

As they headed to Marine country, "As you notice, this ship's interior is classic white, just like the old 23rd Century class ships" She stopped in an intersection and pointed at the thin black rim "See this black rim?" She asked.

S'earr observed what was being pointed out to him. He noticed things seemed different from the typical federation designs and layouts. "I do, ma'am."

"That is the Transverse bulkhead. In the event of a physical emergency, should the safety barriers fail, there is one at every section. Also, this ship is now like the Prometheus class in that it has holo-emitters throughout the ship, so the EMH can be anywhere if needed. Also, all Officer quarters have the same holo-emitters installed. As for children, they are allowed; we have two families with newborns due to the bonding time and the lack of space, and this being a combat ship, all babies are allowed to remain on the ship for six months. They have to be sent off ship to SB51, it will be hard for some as some species develop a strong bond, but that will be something to sort out should it happen," she paused.

As they continued to walk, they entered Marine Country "This level is called Marine Country by the Rifles. Your office and that of your XO are on this level, as is your Chief Warrant Officer's. The parade deck is one level below. You have one of the two remaining holodecks available to you for training; the rifles' armoury is also on this deck. Now let's show you the flight deck, then we will go to Engineering and the bridge, both of which have slight variations from a standard Akira. Also, this ship now has 75 combat drop pods on the lowest level of the saucer section; the saucer section's shape had been slightly altered to accommodate them. Also, the deck listings have yet to be updated. Any questions?" She said.

"A copy of the ship's internal schematics, structure layout, deck blueprints, if possible, ma'am," S'earr asked. He was not concerned with the ship's technological designs like engines, phasers, shield emitters, fittings or technologies. What he wanted to do was learn the lay of the land, educate himself on what was located where, access points, ducts, vents and crawl spaces. If it came to defending the castle, he wanted to know all its vantages.

"The Deck plans will be accessible when you get to the Tomcat, under the high-level category to which your ID will grant you access. I did say there was more to the ID Card than how it looks, suppose you could say, that it is more than meets the eye," she said with a smile "the same for the weapon specs and such, I would advise you study them and get a basic knowledge of how the various bridge consoles work, it has been known that the ships Commander expects her crew to have a basic working knowledge of other stations, in case their original operators are put out of commission. However, this orientation will not cover weapons, shields or bridge consoles, just the basics as we are on a time frame here and the Tomcat will not be in the Galen system for long," she said.

They entered the lift again "I will mention one thing, Lieutenant, the lifts on the Tomcat are somewhat smaller, so you may have to take the next one after a team is assembled, as there will likely be females in the group, and there could be a chance of contact between skin and fur," she said as the doors closed.

"Flight deck," she said, and the lift began to move to the required location. She went silent so the Lieutenant could respond or ask questions.

"Nothing I have not encountered before, ma'am." It wasn't going to be the first time that S'earr found himself in a confined space, but he'd learned to adjust to difficult situations.

As they exited the lift, they walked onto the flight deck "This is the flight deck. The Rifles have two troop shuttles stored below; they can only hold a small contingent, about 12 Rifles to each one. The ship has seventy-five drop pods. I have to be honest: you might have a job fitting into one; it is not your height so much as your width. You are not small. At the back is the Chief of the Boats' office; the rest of this deck has storage and fabrication rooms. Now let's return to the lift and head up to Engineering, do not worry, I will not give you specs, just the basics rundown, etc., any questions so far, Lieutenant?" Smithson asked.

"None, ma'am," S'earr answered, though he'd be sure to educate himself in more depth at a later date on the finer details and specifics.

As the pair entered the lift and the doors closed, "Engineering," she said, "so Lieutenant, how is your psyche coping? I may not know much about Caitians, but I do know you are a predator species and thus prefer open skies. I know you will adapt, but I would be remiss if I did not ask," Sam said.

"I have holodeck programs that help, of the Homeworld and my home, ma'am." It was in these programs that he would train and perform his workout routines. "They.....help."

"Excellent, I am told that the Rifles on the Tomcat use the wilds of Galen IV for ground exercises, as missions rarely use that many; the majority do combat exercises. Perhaps you could do that when you take command of the Rifles," Sam said.

- Engineering -

They exited out into the Engineering part. They may have been on the Starbases holodeck, but it had a detailed deck plan of the Tomcat, as she led him through engineering "Most of the internal setup has not changed from when the ship first came into service, the saucer shape is different due to the rearrangement of quarters, and there are now seventy-five drop pods," she paused.

As they entered the main engineering, they were greeted by a three-level warp core, the largest warp core to be placed on an Akira class. This is one of the reasons for the retrofit and upgrade of the ship; her space frames' micro-issues had been repaired and strengthened. The larger core is to accommodate the extra power for the Phaser arrays, while the Tomcat carries the stock amount of phaser strips, they are Mark Eleven's; no amount of future engineering will allow a larger array. The only updates the Tomcat can receive in the future are systems, impulse engines and thrusters; the weapons are at the limit," she paused.

"I am told the Tomcat can activate a holographic emergency warp core to power vital systems and shields for a short time, but it is as of yet untested, and it is highly experimental, I said I would keep the tour short and so let's return to the security office andd the final thing then I will let you go to do your own thing for a time" she said and her Padd bleeped.

Pulling it out, she taps the surface "Well, it seems a pilot has come forward to pilot you and others assigned to the Tomcat out to the ship. The pilot will contact you when the shuttle is ready," Sam said as they left Engineering. "Computer arch," she said, and there outside engineering, the holodeck arch appeared, and they exited out into the holodeck level as they headed to the nearest lift "Any questions?" she asked.

"None, ma'am. I will pack my effects and await departure instructions." S'earr responded.

"Excellent," Sam said as the pair entered the lift. When the doors closed, she looked up at the Caitian. "I am getting off at Security. I would advise you to secure a Starbase-side billet. You may need it when you are not on active duty, as Akira-class officers' quarters are not big enough for a standard-size humanoid. When I get off at Security level, apart from securing Starbase quarters, your time is your own until you are contacted by the officer assigned to transport you," she said.

"I will do that ma'am, thank you." S'earr replied, intending to do exactly that.

She nodded, and when the lift stopped, she stepped off the lift. She looked back and smiled, "Good luck on your assignment, Lieutenant" She said.

S'earr bowed as his ways required it.

A final smile as the lift doors closed and Sam headed back to Security to finalise the files.

[OFF]

 

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