MSNPC Varea Dawn - Please Remain Calm
Laria Herren
((FNS Studio - City of Idridi, Betazed))
Varea sat with Aabel Brot at the main broadcast console in the studio. While they were on call in case of technician difficulties, everyone’s focus was on the live broadcast feed from Earth. Fleet Admiral Shelby had flown the Enterprise-F out of spacedock one last time to great fanfare and a beautiful pyrotechnical display. Now was the time to unveil the new fleet formation mode that was years in the making. She barely paid attention to the console’s technical readouts in front of her, focused entirely on the broadcast on the big screen.
Shelby: =/\= Our next demonstration is the summation of decades of technological advancements. =/\=
As the fleet got into position, the image cut back to the Sol Studio temporary studio where Travis Anderson and Keeva Seles were ready to give commentary on the event for the audiences watching at home.
Anderson: =/\= And that, folks, is the power of Fleet Formation Mode. Here in a few minutes, we’ll be joined by Commander Sh'vyl from Starfleet Research and Development to discuss everything that went into this revolutionary new technology. =/\=
Keeva: =/\= That’s right! Coming up later we also have a panel with historian Chalev bim Bers at the University of Betazed, Curator Marcus Bennett of the Archer Museum, and Professor T'Loth, an expert on 23rd century Starfleet history to discuss the history of Frontier Day and how Starfleet has been pushing the limits of exploration for two hundred and fifty years. =/\=
That would be an exciting panel! She’d been putting together some of the supplemental materials for the broadcast. Miniature documentary shorts dedicated to the Enterprise NX-01 and Captain Jonathan Archer. She was looking forward to hearing more about the later events beyond that first flight from Professor T’Loth.
Anderson: =/\= But for now, let’s go live to the fleet formation demonstration in progress. =/\=
The shot changed from the station back to an exterior shot captured from one of Earth’s many satellites. So many Starfleet ships gathered in one place, ready to put on a synchronized outer space dance. It was a beautiful sight, seeing so many worlds and species come together in a show of unity and legacy high above the gleaming blue oceans of the planet Earth.
Keeva: =/\= We should expect to see some spectacular formation flying… any moment now. =/\=
And yet, nothing… the fleet sat there.
Anderson: =/\= Hold on, we’re receiving reports of scattered distress signals from the fleet, something about- =/\=
Travis trailed off. That wasn’t like him. She was worried about whatever he was hearing and could see worry etched on his face. An ear-piercing, otherworldly shriek filled the audio of the broadcast. She couldn’t tell where it was coming from, somewhere around them on the station.
Keeva: =/\= What is that?! =/\=
Anderson: =/\= There appears to be problems with Fleet Formation mode and an unusual signal that is emanating from areas unknown. Stand by. =/\=
They stood by, only for the signal to go dead. No error message or sign of what had went wrong. Anderson and Keeva were simply gone.
Deazul: Switch to backup frequency.
She was the closest to the main panel, switching over to the backup frequency. The computer chimed and immediately flipped to the backup frequency. Not that it did any good at bringing back the signal.
Dawn: No response.
Zain at the communications console spoke up with a report from their other affiliated stations and offices across the quadrant.
Zain: All other stations still reporting in. Whatever’s going on is localized to the Sol system.
Brot: Stations on Vulcan and Andoria are picking up a spike on their sensors but can’t confirm the nature or origin of the signal.
Odraa: No word yet from Starfleet Command or the Starfleet Security field office.
There were so many updates, none of them good. Varea listened and tried to absorb it all at once.
Deazaul: Put out an urgent request for comment to the Starfleet Bureau of Information!
Odraa: Working on it.
The communications manager stood up, listening intently on his headset to what was coming in.
Zain: We’re getting bits and pieces from Earth on the backup channels. Reports of a stalled demonstration. Distress signals from the fleet suggest…
She’d never seen him at a loss for words either. He had a look of disbelief, flatly not believing whatever it was he was hearing. Varea wanted to scream at him to spit it out and tell them what he was hearing. But he didn’t have to. Linnaye Ehesa was in contact with someone in the field and the clarifying question she asked made everyone’s blood run cold.
Ehesa: ::Over the comm:: You’re saying you picked up a signal reporting Starfleet officers were killing each other?
Dawn: oO That can’t be right. Oo
Brot: We’ve got an anonymous tip from someone out of Starfleet Intelligence. They say this could be a Dominion plot!
That seemed like a stretch. A lot had happened since the Dominion War, but nothing as destructive or horrific had come to replace the Dominion as the great boogeyman of the Federation. Any time there was an unexplained attack, someone immediately pointed fingers at the Dominion. And it never turned out to be true.
Raa: …sir, I’ve got something.
Deazaul: What is it?
Everyone in the room turned to look at the field report coordinator at his station.
Raa: One of our field reporters, Alicia Massey on the Majestic, was able to briefly make contact. She said that some members of the bridge crew were shooting the senior staff. She thought she saw Fleet Admiral Shelby killed on screen.
Her mouth hung open in shock. That seemed impossible. But Massey wasn’t one to exaggerate or jump the phaser with a report. Ebran shook off his shock relatively quickly.
Deazaul: Do we still have her signal?
Raa frowned and shook his head solemnly.
Raa: It’s there, but… no response.
There was no way Alicia was dead, just like that. Not to mention the fleet admiral and who knew how many other people. Gunned down by Starfleet officers. She couldn’t believe it. But everything they were picking up suggested it was the awful, awful truth.
Deazaul: Any word on Earth itself? The President, the Federation Council, Starfleet Command, the civilian population?
A Betazoid at the main console next to her turned around and tried to calm the news director down.
Brot: We’re working on it, Ebran. Communications with earth are barely holding together right now.
Varea looked at the console and noted that the transmission had been down for a few minutes now. The Betazed Station had been the one to take over in the case of technical difficulties. Which meant they had a duty to keep the people informed. She stood up and approached Ebran, being the one to bring up the question of what to say.
Dawn: Sir, we’re the designated backup station for the broadcast in case of technical difficulties. We need to do something. What the hell are we going to tell everyone watching?
Deazaul: Get up there and… tell them what we know.
She looked around, thinking that somebody else could take over. But everyone looked so shaken. She didn’t have to be an empath or telepath to know what everyone was feeling. They were all soaking in the collective fear and anxiety of everyone in the room, and the uncertainty of a planet that had been tuned in to watch the festivities only to be left wondering what had gone wrong.
Somehow, the thought that everyone else in the room was feeling even worse than her was of no comfort.
Dawn: Alright.
As she approached the desk, she adjusted her dress, not having expected to be on camera so soon. She sat down in the chair and took a few moments to center herself. Focus on the facts, report what they knew, don’t listen to the wild speculation. She stared forward and put on a careful mask of calm for the broadcast.
Dawn: Good afternoon. We apologize for our loss of signal, we have lost contact with our primary studio aboard Sol Station. It is unclear what has caused this disruption, but reports suggest that there is a problem with the Fleet Formation demonstration. Our sister stations on Andoria and Vulcan have confirmed the presence of a signal of unknown origin in the Sol System. We are attempting to regain communications with our affiliates on Earth. As of now, neither Starfleet nor the Federation have issued any official statement regarding the situation at Sol Station. We will continue monitoring the situation and provide updates as soon as we have credible information. For all of you at home, please remain calm and stay safe.
Varea Dawn
News Anchor
Federation News Service
===as simmed by===
Lieutenant Commander Laria Herren
Mission Specialist/Second Officer
USS Constitution-B
A239402AG0