What Do You Mean You're On Lockdown
Posted on Thu Oct 23rd, 2025 @ 1:04am by Commander Rhupert Tyree & Lieutenant Katya Davi & Lieutenant Amy Gordon
Edited on on Sat Oct 25th, 2025 @ 6:20am
1,035 words; about a 5 minute read
Mission:
On the Trail
Location: Dyson Repair Yards, Pangaea. (Deep Space 5)
Timeline: During On the Trail / Avan's Colony
As they dropped out of warp near the Dyson Repair Yards, Ruby opened a comm channel. "Dyson, this is the Gemini XII requesting a repair birth."
As the two computers reached out with their identify friend or foe protocols, station ops flashed. One of the tech's looked over and said, "Um. Gemini XII isn't registered. We're getting a kinda muddy handshake back for a Defiant class though. No registry yet.
Billie Jo checked her manifest and scanned over the orders. "Gemini, this is Dyson. You're clear for docking bay twelve. Are you gonna drop the ship off or stay for a spell? Visitors are always welcome."
Ruby looked at the others and grinned. "We'd like to visit the station while we're here."
"Oh, honey, by the sound of that response, we should have a li'l ol' chat. Stop by my office as soon as you're cleared. The station was just on a bit of a lockdown when some animals got loose, but it's taken care of now."
Jon moved the Valiant into the heading as instructed by the station, fingers moving over the ship's helm as he trimmed back their speed and double checked the flight profile. Valiant needed to be perfect. "We're in the approach vector," he said easily. "Jus like old home week."
"Excellent. I've given you a private bay for that little problem of yours as well as a team ready to see to all your ship's needs," Billie Jo replied cheerfully. "I even have a bottle of whisky, if you're the drinkin' kind."
Ensign Jon Pettimore Jr., eased the ship into the proscribed flight path, watching the sensor feed and decreasing the IFF warning radius to five thousand meters as they got deeper into the approach.
At the dockyard Ops station, a tech looked up and said, "Handshake confirmed on that inbound Defiant, Billie Jo. That Gemini is the USS Valiant, registry 75146, Commander Rhupert Tyree commanding, according to their manifest."
Looking up, the tech rolled his eyes. "The Gemini? Someone's being funny. They've got a priority tag and are due in Bay 4-12 by end of watch."
"That's right," Billie Jo said, her accent thicker than it had been. "And we don't call it the Valiant round here. We call it the Gemini XII. If you have a problem with that, I have a garbage scow needin' a good scrubbin'. Do I make myself clear?"
"Right, right," the tech waived. "Just sayin."
Ensign Pettimore guided the Valiant/Gemini smack dab in the middle of the flight path, keeping an eye out for other ships and wayward yard craft as he banked and worked the escort in. On the forward screen a timer and waypoint appeared super-imposed on the display. Jon watched his own display rather than the bridge screen and kicked in the landing lights as they entered a massive docking bay and the thrusters came on.
Harriet glanced at the forward monitor and said, "Mr. Pettimore, dockyard control is bringing a tractor beam on-line. Stand by to relinquish control."
"Standing by, aye," Jon said, acknowledging the order. He wasn't happy about turning the Val over to a computer and yard-birds he didn't know, but no one had asked his opinion.
In the Ops station, the techs watched Valiant descend and hit the limit. "Billie Jo," one of the tech's called out. "Gemini is just about at idle and signals ready."
"Good. Let's get her in and locked down. Do we need to send people in suits to clean her out, or did they take care of that before they got here?"
Luna had come to the bridge to watch the Valiant. Well make that the Gemini, to get updated. She was impressed with how well the pilot handled the craft. Now to find out what this place offered in R&R. And the station was huge. She'd never seen anything quite this size. Who will she meet and hmmnn what identity will she take on. She better figure that one out and fast.
Jon watched his display as the yards tractor beam flicked into life, then rather rudely grabbed the Valiant. "Gentle now, Operations," Jon said into the pickup. "She's a lady." Powering down the helm counsel, Jon sat back in his chair and said, "They've got us, COB."
Harriet checked the SOP on her PADD and said, "Roger helm. Hastings to Engineering. You can shift us to standby power."
Outside, the yard's tractor beam maneuvered the Valiant into a docking cradle, which wrapped like a blanket around the Defiant class as she was nestled into the dry dock that dwarfed her.
Over his comm, Jon said, "Gemini to the yard. Any of you all know how to show a sailor a good time?"
Billie Jo laughed. "We've been showing folk a good time since you were in knee breeches. Hop on over to DS5. They've got the Vertical Mile. 100 decks of shopping and recreation."
"A hundred decks," Jon mused. "That's a lot of room to run. Might just overwhelm a fella." Glancing around the bridge, he kept his eyes on the controls, not quite trusting the yard birds not to scratch the Valiant.
"Honey, you can access a list of everything through the computer and pick what ya want to see," the Southern voice drawled. "Pick one to start with. Or just get a massage. We got one of those places, too."
"Roger control," Harriet said, cutting in. "Valiant signing off."
As the bridges consoles powered down to station keeping status, Jon stretched and turned to look at Harriet.
"We're not quite done, but nearly," the COB said as she looked around the bridge. "I want the ship swept for personnel and then we'll muster in the dry dock for the final tying up duties. Once we're done with that, we can all get to shore leave."
With that carrot, Valiant's crew began moving.
END
A post by:
Ensign Jon Pettimore Jr.
Flight Control Officer
USS Valiant
Senior Chief Harriet Hastings
Chief of the Boat,
USS Valiant
PO1Luna Barto
Security/Tactical Officer
USS Valiant
Lieutenant JG Ruby Rojas
Assistant Chief Operations Officer
USS Valiant
Commander Billie Jo Rhodes
Head of Operations
Dyson Repair Yards
(written by K. Davi)
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