[ACT 2] Capt. Roshanara Rahman: Artemis

[richyulin]

((Bridge, USS Veritas))

Rahman: On screen.

::The map of local space switched over to the dark hull of the monstrous Odyssey class cargo vessel. The ship was adrift, no running lights or other signs of life evident.::

::As Roshanara sat in her command chair, next to her stood the Artemis’s CO Captain Felicia Nickson.::

Nickson: I can’t believe it… she’s practically still in one piece.

Rahman: Tactical, give me a quick scan of her.

::She waited for Ensign G’var who manned the station at this hour.::

G’var: Response

::She turned her head over towards Commander Delano at his station.::

Rahman: Any signs of Tholian activity?

Delano: Response

::She breathed a little more easily. So they had some time for now.::

Rahman: All right, Captain. We’re here now. I think it’s about time you tell us what’s so important in that ship of yours.

::Captain Nickson walked forward towards the viewscreen a few steps before sighing and turning around, crossing her arms as she addressed Roshanara and the rest of the bridge crew.::

Nickson: This isn’t just about what the Tholians could do with an Odyssey class starship—even a hollowed out one like Artemis. Aboard that ship is the most advanced subspace surveillance array that Starfleet Intelligence and the Corps of Engineers has ever developed.

::Roshanara sat back in her chair, taking in the news. It was all beginning to make sense now. The secrecy, the bizarre flight path. All this to install essentially a giant subspace telescope right at the Tholians’ backdoor.::

Rahman: I’m guessing Starfleet Command wasn’t planning to use it to study the local astronomical phenomena.

::The other captain gave a sick chuckle.::

Nickson: Hmmph, come now, captain. You’re like me. We went to the academy during the Dominion War. We know what the policies of the 2360s and early 2370s did to Starfleet and the security of the Federation—the lives it cost.

Rahman: Actually, captain, I don’t really know that much about you. You see, I tried checking on your file myself—just to do a little personal research. And frankly, much of it is redacted. In fact, the *only* thing I know is that you are supposedly a Starfleet captain.

::Nickson smiled, nodding.::

Nickson: Oh, that part is very true, captain. But yes, let’s just say I work for a different department and leave it at that.

Rahman: Who authorized this plan?

::Now, though, Nickson dropped her smile, and stepped forward.::

Nickson: Your job is not to ask questions, captain. *Your* job is to secure the cargo aboard or ensure that ship is completely destroyed with no trace that it was ever here. Is that clear?

::A chill ran through the air on the bridge as everyone turned to look at the face off between the two women. Roshanara stood up from her chair calmly.::

Rahman: Actually, captain, my job is to clean up the mess you left because you weren’t able to finish yours. And I don’t really give a damn what department you work for. If you ever speak to me that way again on my bridge, you can find your way home in one of the escape pods. I have no orders to take you back. Is *that* clear?

::The other captain merely returned a scowl.::

Nickson: I’ll monitor your progress from my quarters… if there’s nothing else, *captain.*

Rahman: Dismissed.

::After Nickson made the long march back to the turbolift, Roshanara took a deep breath once the doors had closed.::

Rahman: Well, that was thoroughly unpleasant.

Delano: Response

Any: Response

::She shook her head and turned around back to Delano.::

Rahman: Well, we don’t have time to lose. Commander, I want you to take an away team to the Artemis. Assess the status of the vessel and the cargo.

(OOC: In a tie in with our joint mission with the Montreal, Delano’s team will discover at the very least that an entire cargo compartment containing one of the subspace surveillance arrays is missing. Montreal’s side of the mission now will be to find and recover that cargo. Our mission will remain at Artemis to deal with the ship and any Tholians that turn up.)

Delano: Response

Rahman: Take whom you need.

(OOC: Available officers for the away team are del Vedova, Blake, G’var, Moonsong, and DeVeau. Anyone not on the away team will remain on the ship with Rahman and Ekal for now.)

Delano: Response

::She nodded for him to proceed and as he headed off, she tapped her combadge.::

Rahman: =/\= Rahman to Engineering, Commander Kelrod, and Ensign King. =/\=

Teller/Ukinix: Response

Rahman: =/\= Ensign Teller, Ensign Ukinix, if we aren’t able to get the Artemis running again, we need a back up plan to scuttle her. Her self-destruct system failed to initiate previously. I want you two working with Ensign King and Commander Kelrod on a demolition plan. =/\=

Teller/Ukinix: Response

Kelrod/King: Response

TAG! TBC…

Captain Roshanara Rahman

Commanding Officer, USS Veritas

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