[CSD] Rear Admiral Joseph Washington: Resistance is Futile
richyulin
((Admiral’s Office, Cait Spacedock))
:: In his new office, Rear Admiral Joseph Washington sat at his desk, a solid piece of furniture, its design a blend of mahogany and steel. Flipping through a pile of PADDs that his attache had just left him. More reports from starships Endurance and Concordia of Task Force 105 had just come in, showing the Tholians had doubled their ship patrols along the border. After three years flying what was essentially a diplomatic and scientific cruise across the Menthar Corridor, one wouldn’t have been faulted for assuming that the Dominion War veteran would have relished at the chance to be back in the center of action for Starfleet’s tactical objectives. ::
:: But truthfully, Joseph had been set on giving it all up. The reports, the ships, the uniform--the service. He’d been ready to begin his next chapter as a civilian, finally retiring after three decades in the fleet. He’d even been looking forward to a quiet life, spent with his wife Martina Shevchenko and their two sons. ::
:: When the Invicta Expedition concluded earlier in the year, he’d been reluctant to take on another tour of duty aboard a starship and away from his family. Anton was already in his second year at university, and Alex would only have a couple more years left back in their home on Coridan before he two left the nest. ::
:: In the end, it had been Martina who convinced him otherwise, much to his surprise. Following Admiral sh'Hiel's unceremonious sacking after the USS Astraeus incident in the Shoals, Starfleet Command had been left scrambling to clean up the mess. The press and the public had rightfully been demanding those responsible be held to account for the disaster, and once several Federation Council members began pressing for a full investigation, the admirals back in San Francisco needed a solid candidate to “clean house.” ::
::Thus, four years after Joseph had suffered the humiliation of demotion while in command of the Pioneer for a decision he still stood by, Starfleet Command offered him sh'Hiel's previous post of Commander of Starfleet Operations for the Tholian region. With his extensive experience in combat and with the Tholians, it made sense, and with Martina’s final encouragement that this was what his career had been leading to, he accepted. "A chance to make a real difference," she'd said that night. The promotion to rear admiral didn’t hurt either. ::
:: And this time, he wouldn’t be alone. Martina and Alex had joined him to live on Cait, where she was able to work remotely and their younger son would finish his studies. It was a blessing he had them with him back on the surface of the planet given the ever increasingly worrying reports that came across his desk every morning. The situation with the Tholians was much more fragile than most of the public realized. While former Federation President Bacco and Secretary Ventu’s intentions may have been noble in seeing the construction of Astrofori One in the Menthar Corridor, the Tholians had viewed the establishment of a permanent Federation presence (occupied now with its Romulan, Breen, and Kubarey cofounders) as one of aggression. The increased traffic from the Federation and other parts of the galaxy that came to Astrofori One, encroaching along the Tholian border, hadn’t helped in easing tensions either. ::
:: But this morning, it wasn’t the Tholians that were on Joseph’s mind. He picked up the next PADD on his desk, and after skimming through, he called his attache, Captain Park. ::
Washington: =/\= Captain, get me a line to Veritas. =/\=
Park: =/\= ...yes, admiral. =/\=
:: There was a brief pause. ::
Park: =/\= ...uh, that may be a bit difficult, sir, given the tetryon- =/\=
Washington: =/\= I’m well aware, captain. I don’t care if you need to fly a can with a string attached out to her, just get me a channel open to that ship. =/\=
Rear Admiral Joseph Washington
Commander for Starfleet Operations - Tholian Region
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