Lieutenant Jacin - Science Things

[Emma Banin]

((Conference Room, Deck 1, USS Arrow))

They sat at the conference table. The atmosphere was different. It felt different. In someways yes it was the same, the sense of anticipation of nervous excitement as each officer waited to not only discover what their mission was, but what their part in it was, in others things felt very different  there was a tension that hung in the air like a trap waiting to be sprung. The slightest movement could cause it to suddenly snap shut violently.She shook the thought from her mind, but what was with the food served? 

o0 Fascinating 0o

 Shayne: Thank you for coming. Our information is limited, so fortunately this will be brief.

Ayemet smiled sardonically, since when was that new? It seemed to be de rigueur for all of their missions these days. 

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.

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.

Shayne/Any: Response.

Jacin: There is a third possibility; it’s a trap.

Shayne/Any: Response.

Granted that was true , but they were just leaving the ring to be picked up later?  Ayemet bit her lower lip fighting the urge to shake her head. Why did she have the feeling that this was going to go horribly wrong. She trusted the Captain’s judgement. He was more experienced than her in almost every field, and hadn’t got to his current rank through making bad decisions, and yet  

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.

Dewitt: Response

Jacin: Locks can be picked.

Any: Response.

Jacin: What? Ask any Ferengi. Besides isn’t it our  duty to point out all mission possibilities?

Any: Response.

She folded her her hands in front of her and concentrated on listening to the briefing. She’s said her piece, and given how the last mission went she felt she was, what was the human expression? ‘On thin ice’. She did not doubt Connor’s skills nor devotion to duty and whilst she did not know Lieutenant Taller, she had both liked and trusted all the Vulcans she had met in her life and there was no reason to assume that the same would not be true with Tallera. Still the idea of leaving such a piece of technology to the vagaries that space offered at best a calculated risk.

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.

Ayemet raised an eyebrow. It seemed that this mission was not going to require heavy involvement from the science department,  although given the galaxy’s past record it had a nasty surprise (which would neatly turn into a dilemma)waiting for them. Still she found the Captain’s ‘order’ to be; odd if not somewhat dismissive. 

Jacin :quietly: Beep beep beep.

Collins: Response

Jacin : Just doing ’science things’.

Collins: Response

Ayemet nodded and stood to leave, desperately hoping that this was not all a huge mistake.

TAG/TBC

Lieutenant Jg Jacin Ayemet

Science Officer 

USS Arrow

A239810JA2