Lt. j.g. Ar'Gorvalei - Raspberry Danish and Chalnoth for Breakfast
Jamie Comeau
(Conference Room, Deck 1, USS Arrow))
Ar’Gorvalei entered the conference room and made his way over to the breakfast table. He poured himself a glass of orange juice and picked up a raspberry danish, looking at it. At least this one wasn’t made in the shape of anyone’s genitalia.
oO That you know of. Infinite diversity in infinite combinations. Oo
Ar’Gorvalei shrugged slightly and found a seat next to Commander R’Ariel. He glanced at Ayemet, smiling briefly, before turning his attention to the captain.
Shayne: Thank you for coming. Our information is limited, so fortunately this will be brief.
Ar’Gorvalei pondered if this was an attempt at humor – a brief briefing?
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.
Ar’Gorvalei considered Ayemet’s words. First the Sheliak behaving in an out-of-character manner, now the Chalnoth. Both residing in the Alpha Isles. Surely this was no coincidence, but he couldn’t figure out what the connection was.
Dewitt: That ups the expected level of threat from a standard request for help with a supply run or similar.
Ar’Gorvalei: Perhaps they are dealing with a crisis they have never encountered before, and have no culturally appropriate way of resolving.
Jacin: There is a third possibility; it’s a trap.
Shayne/Any: Response.
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.
Ar’Gorvalei looked over at the ship’s newest crewmember, a Vulcan Marine first lieutenant. He hadn’t had the chance to speak with her yet, but resolved to do so at the first available opportunity.
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.
Dewitt: Picks can be broken.
Ar’Gorvalei glanced at Lt. Dewitt. Did he sense some sort of tension? He filed it away for later consideration.
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.
Ar’Gorvalei watched as Lt. Dewitt nodded to commanders Serinus and MacKenna, then rubbed the bridge of his nose and closed his eyes. Signs of stress, or lack of sleep? Ar’Gorvalei had come to value the engineer’s friendship, and made a mental note to check in with him when he could.
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.
Ar’Gorvalei smiled, glad that the captain and chief intelligence officer were also considering the possibility that this was connected to the Sheliak in some fashion without him having to bring up the possibility, since such considerations were outside his specialty.
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.
Commander R’Ariel nodded.
R'Ariel: We may need some assistance from engineering to help prep any cargo bay space.
The diminutive hybrid glanced over at him.
Ar’Gorvalei: We should also make sure to replicate additional basic medical supplies, and anything specific to Chalnoth physiology.
R’Ariel/O’Malley: 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.
Ar’Gorvalei turned to look at Ayemet.
Collins: Response
Jacin: Just doing ’science things’.
It took all of Ar’Gorvalei’s training at seminary to avoid bursting out laughing.
Collins: Response
Rodan: Response
Shayne: Alright. We arrive in a few hours. Mr. Rodan, take us to yellow alert and standby for diplomacy.
Ar’Gorvalei finished his raspberry danish and rose to his feet, following Commander R’Ariel out the conference room door.
Lt. j.g. Ar'Gorvalei
Medical Officer
USS Arrow
A239809A11