Lt Commander Serala: Mission Briefing
Jim Davis
(( Serala’s Quarters, Deck 3, USS Atlantis ))
Serala had vacated the Security Office to allow Hyden to use it, but that meant that she was now without one of her own. Consequently, she now sat at the table in her quarters going over the results of the recent drills. She had just finished reading over the portion of the Intel report that Knight chose to dispense to her.
oO One would think the ship’s Chief Tactical Officer would need access to the whole Intel report, but no. I get what I get and hope I get the whole picture. Or, at least enough to be sure I can do my job efficiently. Oo
She was about to get to the analysis of the Marine assault when the Captain’s voice came through on the intercom.
Thoran: =/\= Commander Thoran to all senior staff. Report to the Observation Lounge in ten minutes. =/\=
Serala sighed and set the PADD down. Stevok was down in Science again, so she headed for the conference room. Stevok, though not an officer, and not even Starfleet, would still likely be there in his capacity as Science Advisor. Unless the Captain barred him, of course. Speaking of which, she should probably have a quiet word with him about the importance of referring to himself as Captain Thoran. His rank was that of Commander, but as the Commanding Officer, he was entitled to be called Captain. And he should be. Referring to himself otherwise inferred to the rest of the crew that he wasn’t quite comfortable in his new role yet. And that could be a bad thing under the wrong circumstances. A Captain needed to exert an air of authority at all times.
(( Timeskip about 10 minutes ))
Serala had been one of the first to arrive and had quietly spoken to the Captain. He acknowledged her comments without giving a response of his own. She approved of that. CO’s shouldn’t have to explain themselves either. Once everyone had arrived, the Captain began to address them.
Thoran: As you are no doubt aware, Deep Space Twenty-Six has now emerged from subspace. Unfortunately, it is in close proximity to Paldor II and is causing huge geological instabilities across the planet. It is in a decaying orbit, and if it ends up entering the atmosphere the results will be catastrophic, likely detonating and causing the world to be uninhabitable.
Serala was indeed aware. Her husband, who was indeed present, had been the first to detect its emergence.
Thoran: It looks like the station suffered serious damage during the transit. Current estimates put the population of the station around eight thousand three hundred.
Knight: It’s worth noting that that number probably doesn’t count personnel visiting the station, so the number is likely higher by a smaller margin.
oO That’s assuming everyone survived after all this time. Oo
Kiliak: When I was beamed off the station at the last moment, we had reports of phaser-fire on multiple decks. I'm sorry to say, that population number could also be lower than estimates. We can't be sure how that conflict shook out months ago, whether the Valcarians successfully seized control in the aftermath of what looked like a coup attempt or if Starfleet managed to retain their hold. We don't even know the biological effects of months spent suspended in subspace, perhaps it's possible that their sense of time was distorted. Has the station responded to hails?
Kiax: We’ve not long been in close enough proximity to the station to open clear communications. The emergence from subspace cause a lot of gravimetric distortion, not to mention the area is flooded with Tetryon radiation. In short, we haven’t tried yet.
Dermont: We don't 'ave long ta do somethin' 'bout it. Few hours, maybe? That's a pretty steep decline as far as orbits go...
Thoran: Commander Raga, you will go with Lieutenants Dermont, Hyden, Journs and Knight to the surface. Provide assistance to the population and begin preparations to receive evacuees from the station.
Raga: Response
Hyden: Sir, I hate to say it, but it’s possible the population may not want to evacuate their homes and that could pose a serious issue to not only us, but to them as well.
Journs: Response
Knight: Understood, Sir.
Thoran: Commander Serala I’d like for you to take a team to the station. Find out just how bad things are there and see about getting the personnel off the station. Lieutenant Kiax, you’ll join her along with Captains McKnight and Logan. I’d advise taking a marine contingent along.
oO Wouldn’t have it any other way. I have a child to think of now, and there is bound to be a lot of frightened people over there. Not to mention the Valcarians. Oo
Serala: I will consult with Captain McKnight about a contingent. I expect it is going to be pure chaos over there. I really hope it doesn’t devolve into a shooting match. We’ll need to assess the situation when we arrive and begin coordinating evacuation efforts. I will leave McKnight to provide security and to deal with the Valcarian threat.
Kiax: ::Sceptically:: Sounds like a plan…
Serala raised a questioning eyebrow at that. All she needed to do was determine the situation on the station and try to get key systems operational.
McKnight: All hands on deck, sir.
Logan: Response
Thoran: Commander Williams and I will remain aboard the Atlantis and figure out how we can prevent the station from crashing into the surface. Lieutenants Kiliak and Maeli, your assistance in that would be invaluable.
Williams: Response
Kiliak: Aye, sir. I will be able to start by working from the Engineering bridge post, first order to see whether a tractor beam is at all viable. I should advise the boarding team that most of the station, especially the lower levels, is heavily shielded as a bulwark against unwanted teleportation from outside. Transporter activity may therefore see significant difficulties, not to mention possible further complications from transit damage. Your call whether there's time for shuttlecraft, Captain, but I think that may be prudent in this case.
Maeli: Yes sir.
Thoran: Preparations will begin immediately, and I hope to have both teams in position within the hour. Although time is of the essence, I would recommend shuttles are used. Questions?
Knight: I haven’t received any confirmation on this yet Sir, but a Caraadain battle cruiser within warp distance has broken off its current engagement. I was able to discern that a distress signal was sent from the planet, we may have company should the battle cruiser respond.
Maeli: Let’s just hope they don’t just start shooting at us the moment they get here.
Serala: I, for one will take all the help I can get.
oO Mental note: Ask Lieutenant Knight why there was no mention of this battle cruiser in the report I received. Oo
Any: Response
Thoran: Good. I think that concludes everything. Let’s get to work.
As they were leaving, Dermont stopped her. Since he usually made a point to ignore her, she once again raised that questioning eyebrow.
Serala: Dermy? What can I do for you?
Dermont: I hate ta say it, but yer probably gonna want ta drag Lieutenant Commander Perkins with ya. He's an ass, but he's an engineer who serves on that station. He'd probably be useful...
She watched as the grumpy engineer who was Toryn’s other best friend walked away without waiting for her reply.
oO He may have a point, but I don’t trust that man. I don’t care what he did to help Kiliak, his actions since the ambush are still very suspicious to me. The only reason I haven’t arrested him yet is that I don’t have any real evidence to do so with. Oo
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