NCC-70837
Captain's Log, Stardate 100716.9
Work on the Opportunity is very much still ongoing, but I am very pleased to say we have been cleared for active duty. This old Galaxy went from the scrapheap to active service in just under a month, that’s one hell of a job, and I couldn’t have done it without the skill, talent, and creativity of both my crew and all the volunteers from various vessels in the fleet and the station itself lending their time, effort, and most importantly patience, in getting Opportunity running once again.
We threw a party in the main forward lounge a day after receiving the news that ended up dragging on until the early hours of the morning. I perhaps should have called it early, but I felt like the crew, and all those others who assisted had well and truly earnt it so I wasn’t in a hurry to spoil their fun. I’m just glad nothing else got broken, but, it seems to have gelled the crew even closer together than they were before.
We still have a few things left to do of course, some more pressing than others, but, given the state Opportunity was in when we found her compared to now I’m sure we’ll be able to overcome any other technical gremlins in our way, no matter how stubborn. One of the headscratchers we’re running into is simply what we’re going to do with all the empty space. Galaxies came equipped for a maximum crew of 6000 with all the amenities for large families. We have 850. We’ve come to calling the disused sections “the catacombs”. We’re still thinking of ways to utilise the spaces. They mostly consist of classrooms, old diplomatic quarters, science labs, recreational facilities, conference spaces, a theatre hall, you name it. Most are in a poor state of disrepair following damage sustained in previous conflicts. Particularly in sections that were flooded following a solid hit on what was once a full sized swimming pool. I bet that Jem Hadar gunner thought he was real funny after that.
I’ve left suggestions and voting for some of it up for the crew, although currently the leading option seems to be reusing some of our spare holoemitters from when we were patching up the holodecks to simply simulate the water instead of worrying about refilling it and having it all sloshing about. I honestly still can’t believe that was a thing that a Galaxy had. Also she had dolphin tank. Cetacean Ops. It was one hell of an era these ships were made in. I hope we see times like that again some day.
Captain’s log supplemental: I just wanted to list a few of the more entertaining proposals for what to do with pool space while I’m at it.
ahem
A bouncy castle the size of an actual castle, a miniature USS Opportunity with another even more miniature USS Opportunity inside of it, the ultimate pool table, self sealing stembolt storage silo, ‘like a million puppies’ that’s direct quote there, and a sacrificial altar to appease the vengeful spirit of Leah Brahms so that she, according to my chief engineer, ‘stops eating my damn injectors’.
Yeah we have fun here.