[MISSION START] Captain Mei'konda Delano - Mission of Mercy (Part 2)

[Mei'konda Delano]

(( Deck 4 Operations Center, USS Astraeus, 1552 hours ))

(( About two hours after T’Prana’s arrival ))

Signing off on a PADD that a young crewman had handed him on the second floor of Kiax’s ops center, Mei handed it back, then stepped out to the small elevator that extended outward from the catwalk that looked down over the hard-working officers and crew in the ‘pit’ beneath. As the elevator slid slowly down toward the first deck, Mei’konda gazed at the large holographic display in the center of the floor which normally displayed a schematic of the Astraeus but which currently showed a detailed 3D map of the capital city of Lanaxa. 

As the guard rails of the elevator slid out of the way, Mei’konda stepped off the platform and out toward the small group of gathering officers standing nearby. He returned pleasantries as they were offered. As the chronometer hit 1600, Mei finally began to speak.

Mei’konda: Good afternoon, everyone. As I saaid before, we’re currently en route to Lanaxa, where we’ll be on a follow-up mission to the Chin’toka’s… visit. You all know that we becaame aware of serious health and economic dispaarity problems on Lanaxa when we saaved it from the rogue neutron star. Fortunaately, we have an opportunity to aid the population there through medical assistance. But that won’t be all we are there for.

Mei felt and heard his voice harden slightly as he spoke. 

Mei’konda: As some of you saw fiirst hand, there is a vaast economic gap between the ruliing class of Lanaxa and the bulk of its citizens. 

Mei’konda tapped a few buttons on the control panel of the holographic display, and the image of Lanaxa zoomed in on the huge mountain range they’d visited only a few weeks ago, though it seemed like so much longer. The castle-like parapets of the Astrosciences Institute could be seen at its peaks, while the sprawling slum of the lower classes could be seen in the foothills at the mountain’s base.

Mei’s blue eyes flicked to the text in the hologram, displaying the statistics about the Lanaxan population that Cheveyo-Arma, Snow, Kiax, and others had compiled in the last few hours.

Mei’konda: As you can see, the vaast majority of the population on Lanaxa liives without regular access to all necessities, such as food and shelter. Commander Cheveyo-Arma, please elaaborate on the details.

Cheveyo-Arma: Response

After aiming a nod of gratitude to Lansa, Mei’konda turned his attention toward Snow, next. Folding his hands behind his back, the Caitian continued.

Mei’konda: Doctor Snow, what is your analysis of the current medical situation on Lanaxa?

Snow: Response

Serala / Raga / Cheveyo-Arma / Peters: Responses

Levinson / Kiax / Ral / Dermont: Responses

McKnight / 101 & 000 / T’Prana: Responses

Snow: Responses / Exposition (If any!)

Mei’konda listened attentively as Snow responded to his question, and the other officers asked her their own follow-ups, then shifted his attention toward Serala.

Mei’konda: I’ve already contaacted the government. Do any of you remember Dr. Mabian Uzoncourt, the Caraadian we worked with at the Astrosciences Institute? Appaarently, her paart in analyzing the data from the neutron star saw her elected to the Government Council shortly after our depaarture. They see her as a hero now, and she intends to spiin it as a return of the crew who saaved Lanaxa itself.

Serala: Response

It wasn’t, Mei supposed, all that much of a ‘spin’. Stroking the short beard on the end of his chin, he continued.

Mei’konda: I am not sure yet. Her presence in the government maay yet aid or complicate our mission. Only tiime will tell. Commander, once we arriive at Lanaxa, the senior staff will split up. As you did not haave the opportunity to meet the Lanaxan government during our last visit, I will lead the diplomatic portion of the mission myself, with Commanders Serala, Cheveyo-Arma, and Peters by my side as we attempt to conviince the Lanaxan government that their resources would be better spent spread more evenly among the populaace, raather than horded amongst the ruling class.

Serala / Cheveyo-Arma / Peters: Responses

Mei’s blue eyes flicked back toward Levinson. He’d decided to offer his newly promoted Chief Science Officer an additional challenge, to go along with the new hollow pip on her collar.

Mei’konda: Commander Levinson, I want you in command of the away team who will be researchiing the origin of the illness. Commander Kiax, Ensigns One-zero-one and Zero-zero-zero and T’Prana will assist you, while Lieutenant McKnight provides securiity.

Levinson / Kiax / 101 & 000 / McKnight: Responses

Mei shifted his feline muzzle over toward the part-Betazoid, part Vulcan young woman who he knew had just arrived on board, and he looked her up and down with mild curiosity while his long, white-furred tail twitched behind him.

He hoped she didn’t feel too thrown into the deep end, but she was an Academy graduate, wearing Ensign’s pips, under the supervision of an extremely proficient department head. If she was nervous at being confronted by the Captain so soon after coming aboard, he was confident that she’d get through it.

Mei’konda: Ensign T’Prana. I understaand that you have recent Academy accreditations which could be applicable to our analysis of what could be causiing the poorer bulk of Lanaxa’s population to grow ill. You will be workiing directly with Lieutenant Commander Levinson. You may trust her to make expert use of your skills. Follow her directiions, and you will do just fiine.

T’Prana: Response

Mei’konda: Finally, Commander Kiax, has Operations finished quartering the additional ninety two civilian medical staff we’ve brought on board?

Kiax: Response

Mei aimed a nod toward the Trill, then turned back to Snow.

Mei’konda: Excellent. I am sure they’ll be a great help. Doctor, before our arrival at Lanaxa, I want you to contaact their government through subspace and find a medical liason that you can work with. I can maake sure you have additional officers to help coordinate the activity between your medical department and their hospitals.

Snow: Response

Mei’konda: Good. Because I want you convincing them that you should be in overall chaarge of the medical efforts down there. Not their medical administrators.

Snow: Response

Mei felt sure that if his Captain had told him to try to take command of a situation from a non-Federation world’s local government, he’d have balked at it, and under most circumstances, he’d do so by even giving the order. This situation, however, was different. Tail lashing once, he continued.

Mei’konda: Yes, of course, I will baack you up if it is of help. But you are better positioned to speak of our technological advantages. That may prove more conviincing to them than any sort of implicaation of bias they might hold against their lower classes, which is my true concern. I know that you, and your medicaal staff, will be able to ensure that their Doctors and Nurses give better care to the poor.

Snow: Response

Mei’konda: Yes. eiither way, you will lead our medical response on the ground. In addition to your medical staff, taake Commander Raga for security, and Lieutenants Ral and Dermont in case there are any equipment concerns.

With a nod of approval at the dark-haired woman, Mei shifted his attention toward one of the other two he’d just mentioned, a recently scruffy, middle-aged engineer.

Mei’konda: While I hope we’ll have all of the medical supplies on board that we need, I waanted to investigate a backup plan. Lieutenants Dermont and Ral?

Dermont: Response

Mei tapped a few more buttons on the holographic display’s control panel, and the image of Lanaxa was replaced by one of the Astraeus. The image zoomed in on a massive piece of equipment that had been installed in the stardrive section, between decks thirty four and thirty six.

While it was not a prototype, the problem was that it wasn’t made to fit in a starship. Like many things about the Astraeus, its installation had been approved for testing purposes more than any other. A feasibility study, and one that he’d heard might have borne results on the new Odyssey class starships.

It hadn’t been there when the Astraeus had been launched, and while the computer listed it as fully operational, Mei hadn’t had occasion to order its usage since he’d taken command, though it was scheduled to be used to aid in the construction of the Shemsh colony and its orbital facilities, as soon as the Astraeus had downtime in orbit. Now, however, may be the perfect time for an unconventional test.

It was a replicator, of which there were many different varieties. There were the small ones, set into the walls of every crew cabin aboard the ship. The larger ones, aboard starship replimats, where one could peruse and order pieces of furniture or other large items. All Federation starships, even small ones like the Intrepid class, even came equipped with small industrial replicator facilities which enabled the production of large-scale replacement parts for shuttles and the ship itself.

But all of that was different from an actual industrial replicator, which was what was located in the Astraeus’ stardrive section. The sort of replicator that could create refined materials at a truly rapid rate. That capability came at a price, however.

It was the sort of machinery normally installed in large orbital space stations, powered off of the much less compact fusion reactors which they relied on as opposed to the much smaller, but much higher output matter / antimatter warp core which was the Astraeus’ primary power source. A lot of changes had needed to be made during its installation. 

That meant that while the one on the Astraeus functioned just fine, it was extremely power and resource hungry. When in use, their available energy would be limited, and it would require a huge amount of bulk resources to operate.

Mei’konda: Mr. Dermont, I hear your skills as a Starfleet engineer sometimes lie… outside the procedural. Our industrial replicator is meaant to create heavy machinery and dense alloys very quiickly, thiings for which a very high degree of accuracy are unimportant. With Mr. Ral’s assistance, do you thiink you could modify this facility to produce bulk medical supplies instead? Somethiing which, like the transporters, I imagine would requiire quantum level accuracy?

Dermont / Ral: Response

Mei nodded thoughtfully in response. It was something worth mulling over.

Mei’konda: Well then. Any questions? 

Serala / Cheveyo-Arma / Peters: Responses

Raga / Snow / Dermont / Ral: Response

Levinson / Kiax / 101 & 000 / McKnight / T’Prana: Responses

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Captain Mei’konda Delano

Commanding Officer

USS Astraeus, NCC-70652

M239002M10