Shuttlecraft Engle (NCC-76991/03)

Not for the first time, Ashton found himself wondering why, exactly, was he sitting at the controls of a shuttlecraft. Sure, he had flown some in the Academy, and he even kept up his rating, but it was not his calling. There had been a reason he had chosen the security division. 

When he was little, his father would take him flying and give him the controls. That was until that time he had almost flown right into their house while trying to land. From that point on, Ashton only flew when he had to. 

Now, he wasn’t just flying; he was part of a group of three shuttles that were attempting to lock their tractor beams onto a chunk of Borg technology and bring it safely out of a debris field and get it aboard the Columbia. He secretly prayed that the other two pilots were better at this than he was.

Shuttlecraft Young (NCC-76991/01)

Boarding the Young, one of the many shuttles named for former Earth astronauts, Bollwyn had been surprised when he had been assigned to this mission. From what he could tell, almost everyone on the ship was being utilised across the entire system to deal with the remains of this Borg debris field. Entering the cockpit, Bollwyn took the helm controls of the type-fourteen shuttle and began the departure routine. 

Tapping on the intercom between him and the other two shuttles, he knew his mission brief. Commander Nelson had briefed several officers about a range of multiple away missions. His one was to tug one part of many larger sections of the Cube out of an asteroid field and bring it within transporter range of the Columbia.

“Shuttlecraft Young, ready for departure,” He announced over the intercom. “Ensigns Stark and Adler, are you ready to get underway?”

Shuttlecraft Engle (NCC-76991/03)

Ashton involuntarily jumped when Bollwyn came over the comms. He had been so focused on the controls of his shuttle that the sudden break in the silence caught him off guard. 

“Um…Shuttlecraft Engle is set and ready. Flight check complete.” he replied to the other pilot. “Ready to go when you guys are.”

Shuttlecraft Glover (NCC-76991/02)

Upon hearing Bollwyn’s voice come through the comms, Adler jumped slightly. He was so focused on finishing the flight checklist that he was shocked by the break in silence.

“Shuttlecraft Glover, all systems green. Ready to go,” he responded. 

Shuttlecraft Crippen (NCC-76991/06)

“This is shuttlecraft Crippen; I have been advised by command to assist you in this mission. My systems are green and ready to go,” Mkana’s voice came over the communication channel. 

He leaned back in his chair and saw the others getting ready for the vital mission that was ahead of them. He did have many hours in flight simulation at the holodeck while doing space work and was known to have experience with flight in space, so it played to his advantage. But now he has to show it, which does scare him slightly under working pressure. 

Shuttlecraft Engle (NCC-76991/03)

“Glad to have you with us, Crippen.” answered Ashton. “I think, as a command ensign, this is your mission to call, and everyone seems to be ready, so at your call, we’ll get underway.”

Shuttlecraft Crippen (NCC-76991/06)

That was a logical observation, and he didn’t think much about it until it was mentioned. He looked at the list of shuttles formed up: “Crippen, Engle, Glover, and Young.” Mkana took a deep breath and nodded as he pressed the communication button to resume the line.

“Acknowledge Engle; let’s move in formation outside and pick out a safe target to bring back for further investigation. Keep me up to date on which target and stay in formation.” With that said, Mkana moved the controls forward, and the shuttle slowly moved into space. 

Shuttlecraft Young (NCC-76991/01)

Tapping away at the console, Bollwyn pushed his thrusters to one quarter, and in formation, his shuttle with the others departed from the Columbia’s main shuttle bay. Once they left safely, Bollwyn spoke over the intercom. “I’m detecting a reasonable hull fragment, bearing one-six-two-mark-four-seven,” He pressed a button that would push a holographic scan of the Borg Cube they would be pulling back to each of their cockpits. “Its size and composition are large enough for our shuttles to place tractor beams on safely. However, the asteroid field in this area is dense. We must use our phasers and micro-torpedoes to vaporise some of the large rocks in our way. Thankfully, scans show they are mostly made out of ice.” He paused. “Is everyone to blow up some ice then?”

Shuttlecraft Glover (NCC-76991/02)

“Let’s make some water.” David said as he began setting coordinates for where he is going.