LCDR Nolen Hobart — Grand Central Station

[Nolen Hobart]

((OOC: Hi folks! Because this sim neatly captures what the Khitomer team will be doing on DS33, I thought it wise to include them. Also worth noting is that one of the pairings described below—Lt. Zenno and 1LT Torado—are both on this list, so as they go about preparing to blow up the station, it might make sense to run into them. :D))

((Cargo Bay A24, Main Module, Deep Space 33))

Lt. Commander Hobart let the chatter play out, as he'd seen Captain Shayne do, time and again. It was an important part of the process, he'd begun to understand value as he was growing further into his role. When the chatter seemed to be at a natural pivot point, he cleared his throat.

Hobart: Ronin has a team here, too. They're responsible for organizing and shoring up what's left of the station's defense. We've got a couple… less glorious tasks. Most of the people here have already departed, but there are a few hold-outs, plus the defenders. It's up to us to figure out how to get us and all of them out alive, if the need arises, with enough supplies to survive until we can regroup with Starfleet. That's task number one. ::beat:: Questions so far?

Lieutenant Zenno was the first to speak.

Zenno: Is the station meant to be defended as a priority? Would be within mission to destroy the station if we could do so while taking many of their ships with it?

Nolen’s eyebrows raised in a level of surprise he probably shouldn’t have felt. Zenno was always on the ball, thinking a few steps ahead. That’s what made him such a good officer and leader. He tapped his nose to indicate he’d hit upon something vital, and wondered if the Bolian had ever chanced upon the gesture before.

Matthews: Sir, Lieutenant Zenno said that defending the station would be a challenge without vessels. Was the Khitomer and the Ronin the only ships we had on hand? What about shuttles or Runabouts?   

El’Heem: What are our efforts to combat the unique Lattice Sencha armaments?

Hobart: ::looking straight at Zenno:: All good questions. ::pause, looking to Matthews and El’Heem:: There are a few shuttles left for the station, and Ronin has detached some of its heavy and light fighter wings to our aid. Major Singh is coordinating. As for Sencha… my understanding from the briefing is there isn’t any way to combat it. All you can do is hope the shields hold, and kill the enemy before they fail.

Jacin: Response

Hobart: I’ve heard the effects on telepaths and other sensitives is especially uncomfortable. There’s a cocktail of inoculations to mitigate them, but that’s about it.

Nolen was beginning to enjoy these conferences. Not that they weren’t enjoyable before, but for an over-sensitive empath an array of different trains of thought pulling in different directions, it could be distracting, or even overwhelming. But now, he was acting more as a facilitator, and could freely hop from one to the other. The new Science Officer was pulling up star charts.

Matthews: Do we have access to Deep Space 33’s emergency response plans? We could review and figure out how they intended to get people off the base and where they would muster to. I’m not familiar with the area yet, but, the nearest planet maybe?

Hobart: That’s a good place to start, but I think much of the plans for evacuation would count on at least one of the starships stationed here for defense serving as ferry. Might have to get a little out of the box in our thinking. 

Jacin / Zenno: Response

Matthews: I think I’d like to dig into what Deep Space 33 has setup regarding emergency protocols, and run down what we have transport wise, Commander Hobart. If anything doesn’t have weapons, we can use it for evacuations? Anything with weapons could go for defence?

Hobart: Go for it, Ensign. If anybody gets in your way, send them to me, and I’ll pull rank. And if they happen to be a superior, I’ll pull out a pipe wrench and see if I can’t persuade them. ::glance to Zenno:: I’m joking. Mostly.

Zenno: Response

Matthews: That would free up the others to check on the holdouts, other crew for evacuation and support. I can’t imagine who would stay back if the evacuation order was already given. Probably scientists that don’t want to give up on their research. Scientists, they never listen.

Hobart chuckled. Maybe it spoke to the scientific community’s influence on Starfleet as a whole (compared to the peer militaries and quasi-military forces of other civilizations) but he had a sense that the same could be true for most every kind of Starfleet officer.

El’Heem: I think it prudent to inoculate those of us here to the Sencha Wave radiation as well. I can begin replicating enough for the 6 of us.

Nolen nodded, and pointed a finger at Ensign El’Heem, and then at Lieutenant Jacin.

Hobart: Let’s make that a priority. Try to get a headcount from internal sensors on the assumption that everybody who’s going to leave before trouble starts has already done so. Again, any resources you need and you don’t have, you tell me.

Jacin / Zenno / El’Heem: Response

Hobart turned his attention back to Zenno. He hadn’t forgotten the man’s point, but it was a more sensitive subject, and it needed to be addressed once things got going on everything else. Otherwise, they might risk getting bogged down in discussions of worst-case scenarios. Hobart’s shoulders shifted to square with Lieutenant Zenno, and he gestured off toward the main compartment door, beckoning a green-shouldered officer standing watch, dutifully, to join them.

Hobart: You were right on the money, Lieutenant. If the Alliance comes calling, it makes no sense at all to leave them a starbase from which to expand their fortifications. It’ll make it that much harder for us to retake the territory if we have to give it up. ::beat:: So that can’t happen.

Zenno: Response

Hobart: I’m putting you in charge of scuttling the station, if the worst happens. Find the best, most efficient way to make this place absolutely useless to the Lattice Alliance. We don’t know for sure that they won’t try to destroy the station, but I don’t want to give them a choice. ::nodding to the arriving marine:: Take Lieutenant Torado with you. If you need anything, contact me or Commander MacKenna in Ops. We’ll talk to Stergis.

Zenno / Torado: Response

Hobart: Everybody, this is our base of operations. Whatever resources you need to gather for your tasks, you can store them here. I’ve isolated access to this team, so let’s help each other out as much as possible. I’ll be here with Ensign Matthews. Good luck.

Zenno / Jacin / El’Heem / Matthews / Torado: Response

Tags/TBC

———

Lt. Commander Nolen Hobart

Executive Officer

USS Khitomer (NCC-62400)

A240001NH3