Fleet Captain Kalianna Nicholotti - Running On Rumors and Basic Intel

[Marissa Jeffrey]

(OOC - With this, we begin our mission, 'Come What May'.)

((Conference Room, USS Resolution))

Kali had walked across the bridge with intent, looking only in the direction of her path. Information about the coming mission was already spreading like wildfire, with certain people on the station already asking her questions that she didn't have answers for. If they knew, then others would as well, and it would be vital to get in front of the spread of rumors.

Rumors. From the beginnings of written history, it seemed that they alone could be responsible for a rise to power, or a tragic fall from grace. In the words that spread as wildfire through the social vine, were the power to build up, and the power to tear asunder. Entire civilizations were created and maintained on rumors of strength and power, or terror. Those same civilizations fell easily under the weight of the words, and for eons, good men fell victim to the sword that was the pen.

In pervasive whispers, men became consumed. Eaten from the inside out, souls were devoured by the acts that sought to hush the voices of the crowd. But the voices only changed. The blackness vanquished the good, and into the abyss that remained, fell the hope of humanity. It was a recurring theme, at least throughout the history of Earth; the rise and fall of entire world powers on the whims of the rumors that were always hanging on to the coattails of mere mortal men.

As the raven-haired Captain moved through the parting doors as if they were the proverbial Red Sea itself, the intent she moved with intensified. Turning on her boot at the head of the table, she commanded the attention of the room, this time for an entirely different reason than on the holodeck. And yet, the vibrant pools behind which souls churned all found her in the same manner, waiting to uncover fate.

Nicholotti: I apologize for the delay. There are already a number of questions going around related to some rumors attached to what has become our mission.

Kali cleared her throat slightly and keyed in a command on the slick black table's console. A holographic projection appeared of a seemingly indiscriminate star and six planets that surrounded it. Giving everyone a moment to consider what had just appeared, she finally sat and found her eyes following the same path the others had.

Nicholotti: This is the Meranuge system. While little is known about it, intelligence seems to regard it as unremarkable. Situated deep in the Borderlands just outside the Klingon Neutral Zone's closest approach to Qo'nos. 

A few more taps on the console zoomed in on the fourth planet of the system. Vibrant blues and greens appeared, making the planet seem not all that unlike a marble, surrounded by a myriad of rings in shades that ranged from bright orange to a dark grey nearly invisible against the backdrop of space. 

Nicholotti: The fourth planet in the system is home to the Da'al, a mostly isolated, peaceful race that is just starting to reach out into space. They have a few colonies in their near vicinity on the Federation's side of space but seem to participate in few activities that would interest any outside of themselves. That is why it was so strange when they suddenly send out an emergency message intercepted by Starbase 118, requesting immediate assistance against a Klingon invasion force. Again, little information was given, but we know two things.

Kali cleared the holographic image from view and restored her ability to look at each of her officers in turn.

Nicholotti: Though not members of the Federation, they feel that they are facing something well beyond them, and the Klingons are involved. 

Letting the information sink in, she sat back slightly and took a breath. They didn't know much, which was going to make their job all that much more difficult, especially now that it was time to get to work.

Nicholotti: Alright. That's what we know. Let's be prepared for anything. Ensign Yalu, Lieutenant Knight, work on appropriate reactions to, well, anything. We're told there are multiple Klingon ships out there, but there's little proof of that right now. Run drills, procure holodecks if needed, just be ready for a fight if we have to defend ourselves.

Tactical and helm, when working in flawless conjunction, could save a ship from certain death. Given the Resolution's speed and maneuverability, it was likely that they had a leg up on things even if they ended up facing more than they could really handle.

Yalu/Knight: Responses?

That said, Kali moved on.

Nicholotti: Commander MacKenzie, take Lieutenants MacNemar and Zanti and let's understand what we might face and how to overcome it.

Science, engineering, and command; to understand the planet, the people, the space around it and how it might all interact with Klingons, weapons, and the Resolution was a lot. If there were officers that could get ahead of it and be on top of it though, these were them.

MacKenzie/MacNemar/Zanti: Responses?

Content with that team, Kali moved her attention on.

Nicholotti: Commander Adea, if you would work with operations on ensuring we are prepared for any eventuality. We know some about the planet, should we need to visit, and as always, we'll need to ensure support for any potential casualties.

She almost didn't want to say it, but being prepared was always going to be better than not. With medical and operations working together, she could be certain the right resources would be directed in the right places when it came to protecting the life-savers. 

Adea/zh'Vranni: Responses?

With a nod, she turned to the remaining officers.

Nicholotti: We will need to make sure we are protecting ourselves in more ways than ensuring we are capable of responding to injuries. How secure are we? How will we handle the Klingons and their psyche? What steps need to be taken to make sure we are safe if we did visit the surface? With so many variables, I want Ensign Del, Ensign Sirin, and Ensign T'Suran working together. 

Pairing security up with a counselor and a doctor might have seemed a bit odd, but the reality of the situation was that the Resolution was not a warship. On the contrary, the crew was going to have to be on top of their mental game, be able to handle real and present security threats even if they aren't security officers, and the idea of using tactics not confined to shooting weapons always had a potential. Hopefully T'Suran knew something about Klingon anatomy...

T'Suran/Del/Sirin: Response?

Finally, she looked at the intelligence officer.

Nicholotti: Commander Romjin, we're going to need to know everything we possibly can about this planet, this race, and what the Klingons might want there.

Romjin: Response?

Kali looked out into the small crowd.

Nicholotti: Any questions?

Any: Responses?

Once everyone had said what was needed, she nodded to them all.

Nicholotti: Prepare the ship for departure. We leave in 30 minutes.

TAG/TBC

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Fleet Captain Kalianna Nicholotti

Commanding Officer

USS Resolution

R238605KN0