Rear Admiral Quinn Reynolds - Risk vs Reward

[Quinn Reynolds]

((Conference Room, USS Gorkon))

::In the late morning after her midnight meeting with Harry, Quinn had summoned some of her officers back into the conference room. Once they were seated and ready, she stood and touched a panel, and the image of a misshapen, pitted asteroid appeared on the large screen in the conference room, as well as the individual PADDs of those in attendance. It bore more than a passing resemblance to a massive peanut shell painted in lead.::

Reynolds: This is Nassau. It's a rogue asteroid in the region of space known as Ma no Umi — something of a no man's land between Federation and Klingon space. It's an area filled with plasma fields and gravitational anomalies, making it very difficult to traverse, and it throws Nassau around on an unpredictable path. The exterior of the asteroid is laced with ores that protect it from the plasma storms and sensors. All of this combined is no doubt why the Orion Syndicate have made a base inside it.

::And made it a nightmare for anyone; Federation or Klingon, to do anything about them. Ma no Umi's size and internal conditions shifted depending the the underlying subspace conditions, which were all but impossible to scan unless you were inside it… but once inside its plasma fields, ships were left severely myopic, sensors confounded and dampened. It made predicting the intensity and location of any plasma storms and gravitational eddies  as much an art form as it was a science.::

Reynolds: Normally we have little-to-no idea where Nassau is. Thanks to an embedded undercover agent, we've been provided with that information, and so a window of opportunity that I intend to take advantage of. A small window, which means we have to get a lot done in a short space of time with limited resources. It's not how I like to do intelligence work, but needs must. 

::Quinn paused, already having rehearsed the briefing in her head several times. She always did, knowing her information inside and out before it was presented to anyone else.::

Reynolds: There will be three teams, infiltrating and exfiltrating the base via shuttles we've acquired for this mission. Transporters do work internally, but factor into any plans the fact the Syndicate have protected certain areas of the base against unauthorised transports. You can take support crew with you, and I would advise that you have a pilot stay with the shuttle at all times. 

::With a light touch of her fingers on the controls, the image blinked away, replaced by a neon grunge of buildings and signs. A portion of the screen was reserved for the mugshot of a handsome Orion woman, familiar to several of the crew.::

Reynolds: Lieutenants Adea, Stoyer and Neathler, Ensign Tereen, you're heading into Nassau's leisure district to capture Leelou. For those of you unfamiliar with the name, she's a Syndicate boss who escaped Federation custody, and has been hiding out on Nassau since.

Adea/Neathler/Stoyer/Tereen: Response

Reynolds: Our intelligence suggests that she's living and operating out of a nightclub called Vortex. I've sent what information we have about the district and the club to your PADDs. Surprise is going to be your advantage here; she has no clue we're coming, but whatever you do, don't underestimate her. She's already escaped custody once, and this is her turf.

Adea/Neathler/Stoyer/Tereen: Response

::Another light touch of bony fingers, and the image flicked and changed. Dismal, slick service tunnels and extensive scaffolding appeared on the screen, the area looking like an accident just waiting for an opportunity to happen.::

Reynolds: Commanders Vondaryan and Sevo, Ensign Tis — you're going to be infiltrating the underbelly of the base, the service zone. There's vital intelligence stored on the base's computer core, and you're going to extract it.

Vondaryan/Sevo/Tis: Response

Reynolds: Beyond the obvious security obstacles, the Syndicate aren't exactly known for their focus on health and safety, so expect some environmental hazards. I've pushed the schematics of the zone, such as they are, to your PADDs, as well as some specifics of the data we want to acquire.

Vondaryan/Sevo/Tis: Response

::A touch on the flat panel, and now they were looking at what appeared to be large shipping containers, stacked haphazard to create tortured paths among them. A moment's more study, and it became apparent that they were living quarters, hopefully more homely on the inside than their rusted, battered exteriors.::

Reynolds: Commander Marshall, Lieutenants Smith and Fortune, your task is to extract our undercover agent. He's in what passes for a residential district, though as you can see, it's not exactly friendly to navigation.

Marshall/Smith/Fortune: Response

Reynolds: He knows *someone* is coming for him. You'll find what information we have about contacting him on your PADDs, but we're extracting him because his cover is at risk of being compromised. You might find that he's not willing to trust you straight away.

Marshall/Smith/Fortune: Response

::Another touch on the screen controls, and the pictures were replaced with navigational charts. Rough navigational charts, with entire sections missing data and warning symbols plastered across vast swathes of the area. In one corner, an image of a ship was posted, Orion in design with the sweeping lines and bulbous sections common to their design aesthetic.::

Reynolds: Lieutenant MacFarlane and Kian, you're staying on the Gorkon with me. We're heading in further, to a region called the Kamarov Corridor. It's the only region of Ma no Umi ships the size of the Gorkon can safely traverse. There's a Syndicate captain who's looking to retire. We need to find him, and convince him that the Federation can offer him a peaceful old age in return for the information he has.

MacFarlane/Kian: Response

Reynolds: His isn't a small ship, and I doubt most of his crew will be inclined to allow him to sell out his brethren. We're going to need to find a way to communicate with him that won't tip them off, and possibly a way to get him — or them — off his ship as well.

MacFarlane/Kian: Response

Reynolds: The Gorkon will break orbit at twenty-hundred hours. Once we reach the edge of Ma No Umi, you'll deploy in your shuttles and head for Nassau, while we'll continue on into the Kamarov Corridor. The Triumphant and the Resolute will be waiting for you at a rendezvous point, should you finish your mission before we do. ::She paused.:: They're small enough that you can call them in for support if you need help getting out, but consider it a last resort. Once they're spotted, then game is up, and we're lacking intelligence on just well defended Nassau is.

::She paused, clasping her hands loosely together in front of her stomach. It was a lot to process, a lot of risks to take, but the rewards were very much worth it.::

Reynolds: Alright then. Any questions?

Any: Response

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Rear Admiral Quinn Reynolds
Commanding Officer

USS Gorkon

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