Lieutenant jg Connor Dewitt - Picks can be broken
Tim
((Conference Room, Deck 1, USS Arrow))
Connor could barely keep his eyes open. He had overslept his alarm clock and was just in time for the briefing. As he entered the conference room, he was glad to smell the scent of coffee. He poured himself a cup and took one of the last seats at the moment that Shayne started the briefing.
Shayne: Thank you for coming. Our information is limited, so fortunately this will be brief.
oO As usual... Oo. Connor took a sip of the coffee. The Arrow seemed to become the number one response unit in the area for hardly comprehensible situations.
Shayne: What we do know is that the Chalnoth, in apparently the first organized action ever witnessed by Starfleet, have reached out to the Federation for assistance. They weren’t particularly forthcoming, and Starfleet didn’t want to press the matter too greatly. As a result, we are going in cautiously. Once we’re an hour away from coordinates sent to us by the Chalnoth, we’ll disengage the Proteus Drive, disengage from the ring, and move in at conventional warp speeds. Lieutenants Dewitt and Tallera, you’ll handle that, and locate us a good place to keep the ring until we can come back for it.
Connor wanted to answer, but Ayemet was the first to assess the situation.
Jacin: The Chalnoth are known for their aggressive nature. Their society is based on the preposition that only the strong survive. For them to ask for help is atypical of them. For them to ask for assistance is :beat: not normally in their nature. Either something has changed, or there is a situation that is serious enough for them to believe they cannot handle it alone, that does not bode well.
Dewitt: That ups the expected level of threat from a standard request for help with a supply run or similar.
Shayne/Any: Response.
Jacin: There is a third possibility; it’s a trap.
Connor was just perking his eyebrows. He felt his nemesis - the fear - arising in his guts. He looked at Ayemet. Of course she was right, and it probably was a good idea to bring all possibilities to the table. But being confronted with a situation he had not seen coming, and he could not properly influence and control fanned his deepest fears.
Shayne/Any: Response.
Ayemet bit her lip and Connor was not sure if she was satisfied with the Captain's answer before Tallera came back to Shayne's orders.
Tallera: We'll find a good corner, but we'll want to lock it down against possible theft or intrusion. I understand it's built for this, but it'll be the first time to put it all to the test.
It took Connor a second to push his fears aside and put on a straight face.
Dewitt: Yes... Yes, we will confer with Commander Wilde over installed precautions and locks we will have to add on top.
Jacin: Locks can be picked.
He looked at Ayemet again.
Dewitt: Picks can be broken.
She caught him on the edge, and he immediately regretted his snappy answer.
Any: Response.
Jacin: What? Ask any Ferengi. Besides isn’t it our duty to point out all mission possibilities?
Dewitt: I'm sorry, you're right. Given Proteus' history, we will take every precaution we can that nobody can mess with or steal Proteus. I will set up a meeting with Commanders Serinus and MacKenna to cover possible angles of attack.
He shot the Commanders a look and nodded slightly, before closing his eyes and rubbing his nose bone with two fingers. Today's briefing had taken a pretty bad turn for him. The last days had been without doubt and fear. Suddenly being put in the position where it came down to his performance, he felt it again. He got his orders and tried to follow the rest of the briefing without embracing the fear - occasionally allowing his mind to return to his happy place at the lake.
Shayne: Commander, how likely is this request to be related to the Sheliak in some form?
MacKenna: There's not much chatter about it yet, so I'm not sure it's been thoroughly looked at. I'd proceed assuming there's a connection given the proximity and activity in the area.
Shayne: In that case you’ll be with the initial meet-and-greet party. How much experience have you with the Chalnoth?
MacKenna: Unfortunately, not much. They haven't connected with us in quite some time, and even here, the request was very short.
Shayne: If outside communication is rare, then asking for help is practically unheard of for a Chalnoth. Nevertheless, if this is a medical situation, I want Sickbay standing by for large-scale triage. Keep cargo bays and the mess halls on standby.
R’Ariel/O’Malley/Ar’Gorvalei: Response
Shayne: You know what they say about wounded animals, Commander. Keep your teams at high alert for the duration of this interaction. Chloe, I want us ready to get out of here at a moment’s notice, and depending on what they need from us when we arrive, we might need your shuttle flying abilities.
Serinus: Yes, sir.
Waters: Response
Shayne: Science department… do… science. Things. You know the drill.
Jacin :quietly: Beep beep beep.
Connor had to suppress a laugh as he saw Quentin's face.
Collins: Response
Jacin: Just doing ’science things’.
Collins: Response
Rodan started to talk for some parting comments before Shayne concluded the meeting to pull Connor's mind from the shore of that lake.
Rodan: Response
Shayne: Alright. We arrive in a few hours. Mr. Rodan, take us to yellow alert and standby for diplomacy.
TAG/TBC
Lt.jg. Connor Dewitt
USS Arrow
A239901CD3