Did You Say, Ship? Part 2

Posted on Fri 5th Mar, 2021 @ 10:13pm by Sipov Boros
Edited on on Tue 9th Mar, 2021 @ 1:27am

1,259 words; about a 6 minute read

Mission: Business Not At All As Usual
Location: A Vahklas Class Vulcan Ship
Timeline: MD 4: 1020 Hrs

Previously, as Boros inspected his possible new ship ...

"There's quite a bit of room in here, a guy could haul a lot of cargo with this." As Boros spoke, there was a bit of an echo and it caused him to grin. It meant there was likely more room than it seemed. Now if they could do something to start cycling air ....

The engineer nodded, "That he could, Sir, that he could. If you look here," he pulled aside a barrel-like container that hid a bulkhead, "you'll see a secure locker for sensitive smaller materials, too. The section on the left can even be temperature controlled, if you need that." He put the barrel back in it's clamps, "And now it's hidden from casual inspection by ... anyone who isn't supposed to know it's there."

Now, what other useful parts are there to this ship?

---

Taking note of 2 vertical ladders on either side toward the fore port and starboard areas, Sipov saw there were similar access points on either side in the aft area of the ship. They were sealed with a door, likely to safely go down the ladder between decks above and below the bay, in the event there wasn't any life support system active, which made sense. Saving power was always something to consider.

"The paperwork outlines all the specifics for you, but I always like to get a good physical feel for the space in my own ship. Are you ready to see the living areas on the next deck up?" the man asked.

"I'd be happy to see the crew deck and the bridge," Sipov replied. He was curious to see the sleeping and mess arrangements, as well as the pilot's chair. There wasn't much else on the bridge that he really cared to check out, in truth.

"Right you are, then, let's head up the ladder. You'll find the bridge has an older configuration," he said, as he led the Vulcan toward one of the ladders, "but there's nothing missing that a non-combatant ship would need. You do have defense systems, though I wouldn't want to take on a fleet of pirates in this ship. Powering up to warp and getting out of the neighborhood would be my solution. The ship isn't short on power with warp 5 cruising speed, and the maneuverability rating is over 13,000, so you can get around out there. If you get cornered you have 2 phase canons and a photon torpedo with ten rounds. You could store a few extras if you think you'll be carting stuff in territory that might require it."

As they made their way to the nearest open ladder, Boros grabbed the rungs and began to climb up, tapping on the console above his head on the ceiling to open the hatch above him. Climbing up into darkness once more, he pulled a flashlight from his jacket after stepping off onto the deck. He quickly found the access panel and tapped it to activate everything around him.

As the lights came on, he was met with another open area, making note of a few tables and a pair of replicators on the wall. It looked like it was their crew lounge and mess. While it wasn't much, certainly it had some room to expand and improve. To his right, he took note of signs on the wall for a med bay, stellar cartography, and transporter room. To the left he saw notes for the crew sleeping section and shared lavatory as well as the Captain's quarters.

He turned and offered a hand to help his new friend step off of the ladder and onto the deck.

"Thanks," the man huffed. "The knees bother me. Old Dominion War injury. We'll put a couple of comfortable seats in here for ya. Won't be new, but won't be trash, either," he said, looking around at what might be required.

As the two men made their way back toward the crew sleeping area, after passing through the lavatory which contained a series of waste collection unit stalls and four sonic showers and sinks, they came out on the other side into the sleeping area. It contained a series of sleeping pods lined against the walls, 4 on either side in stacked pairs. Towards the front of the area, up on what was the backside of the crew lavatory wall, was a large screen they could see from the pods. In the center area of the room was a pair of tables with four seats each.

"I don't know what size crew you're thinking of running, but you can see that you could go to eight, if you want. The pods provide some privacy and personal security for each person and, of course, a little more for the captain. So what do you think of this for your new ship?" the man asked, sensing a positive reaction from the Vulcan. That was odd, since Vulcans didn't usually give off emotions, but this one was a little different.

Taking a moment to look everything over, Sipov walked back over and took note of how clean everything was, all things considered. "So far, I like what I see. Maybe we could try to squeeze a little more speed out of her at some point, but considering her age, it looks like she's been taken care of pretty well. Could we take a look at the Captain's quarters before heading up to the bridge?"

There was part of him that also wondered if the ship would be functional even with a partial crew, considering he hadn't looked at engineering yet.

"Oh, yes, Sir, right this way. I think you'll like a couple of the special features that are installed there. You have your computer desk, of course, and your own replicator, but there's also a private head with a water or sonic shower, as you choose, and the bedroom is separate from the rest of the living quarters. It's a fine Captain's space that can also serve as a working center, if needed." The man knew the ship, there was no denying that.

As the two men entered the quarters a moment later, Sipov took a minute and did a walk-through to check on everything. It was certainly much nicer than anything he'd been accustomed to for quite some time.

"I could almost run the ship from here if need be, although with all this room it makes me wonder why I'd ever need to be on the bridge except to pilot. A king-sized bed is also quite a luxury, but I suppose if you're going to run around the quadrant you might as well be comfortable."

The bathroom wasn't anything terribly extravagant, big enough for the shower, sink, and waste extraction unit but he was more than fine with that, considering it had a separate living quarters and bedroom. Windows out to the stars adorned the back wall for both areas, so one could always see what was behind the ship if need be.

"It looks like you've put a lot of work into the ship so far, and I like what I see. Please lead the way to the bridge."

Beaming at the praise, his guide took him back down the corridor between crew bunks and to the ladders. "The one thing that's a little inconvenient, I won't deny it, is that there's no turbo lift. Young fella like you, though," he eyed his potential customer, "you shouldn't have any trouble scrambling up and down these ladders like a gossamer mouse."

 

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