The Briefing: Restoring Order
Posted on Tue Mar 5th, 2019 @ 4:18am by Lieutenant Commander Vaebn tr'Hwersuil & Lieutenant Elen Diari & Lieutenant Amelia Zano Psy.D. & Lieutenant Commander Hermia O'Rourke & Ensign Auba Lyna
Edited on on Tue Mar 5th, 2019 @ 4:40am
2,562 words; about a 13 minute read
Mission:
Episode 6 - Old Habits Die Hard
Location: Observation Lounge
Timeline: MD004 0900 hrs
Quinn had called his team to a meeting. He had the observation room reserved for this time. He was the first to arrive, he was still preparing his presentation, when he heard the doors open to the room. He did not bother to turn around, he still had a few things to finish up. "Just have a seat, I am almost ready. And were still waiting on the others." Quinn said, as he continued to type a few things into his data pad, and checking the results on the monitor next to him.
"No problem sir." Amelia replied as she made way to the replicator and ordered some tea. She'd yet to actually talk, or meet, the new XO but she'd heard he was a good man, a family man. She sat down near the middle of the table, not wanting to take up space for those she deemed more important, and clasped her tea to warm her hands up.
Auba walked in and found an empty seat and sat. She nodded towards the commander as she sat.
Hermia entered the Observation room, unsure why she was here. Acknowledging those present with a series of nods before taking a seat.
El glanced up from her padd telling her of the latest problem in engineering as she slouched into the observation lounge, odd group for a briefing she thought.
The doors opened to the observation lounge and Vaebn walked in to find his seat. He was always preoccupied with a few projects, and as such carried three PADDs, his ever present mug of coffee and had a small silver stylus propped upon his right ear. He noticed El and nodded his acknowledgement to her as he sat down at the far end of the table and spread his materials out before him.
Willie had just gotten off shift when he was told of the briefing. So he left his uniform on and made his way into the Observation room where he could a spot in the corner.
Jerane walked in not quite sure what to expect. Having just arrived on the ship he was still trying to grasp everything that had happened in the last whirlwind of an hour. When he woke up this morning the man had never expected to find himself aboard a Federation starship. It didn't sit well with him but there was no other choice. He took a seat at the far end away from the head chair. Instead of speaking to anyone eh simply observed those now around him.
"Thank you all for coming." Quinn started off as he took a short breath, and continued on. "As most of you know, we are heading to Cardassia Prime. Our primary mission is Humanitarian Aid, officially on the books." He started off saying, taking another breath, trying to get himself to say something that went against his being. But he understood the stakes at hand.
He reached down for his coffee, and took a big sip before going on. "We are going to assist the Cardassians, in two waves, Doctor O'Rouke along with Lieutenant's Diari, Zano and tr'Hwersuil will assist the wounded in the hospital capital building. This beam in, will our second team consisting of myself, Petty Officer Jackson, and Ensign Auba a chance to infiltrate the compound to lower the shield matrix protecting the compound. This course of action will violate our standing orders, not to get involved in the internal affairs of other races, including a civil war." He said, stopping to take another sip, and to see how his team was going to react, this was their moment.
Hermia put aside the fact that they would be breaking interstellar law as she had done on her attachment to the Marines. Her job as, it had been back then, was to administer medical aid and that's what she would do.
Turning to face those assembled, she said. "First wave, I hope you remember your first aid training courses from back at the Academy, because, you're going to need them."
"Two things. One, why us ? Don't the Diplomatic Core with 3 Commando Brigades do this as their day job ? Second, I don't know why, I'm on med duty being an engineer, thought you need me for sabotage ?" El asked
Willie's attention had peaked up at work that he was going to get his hands dirty. He liked that idea. He tried to keep his smile from growing to big.
"Correct your service will be needed in this type of mission. But I need to you create several false alarms near sickbay, to keep the Cardassians distracted to what we are doing. Plus its helpful if most of the lovely ladies on the ship are together, I would have assigned Auba with you, but the Cardassian pride, would not accept a Bajoran on equal footing. We need to work together, I hate use you all in this type of fashion. But if the Detapa Council falls, the Cardassians will return to the old ways and with this new Dominion Alliance, we could be looking at the start of a second dominion war. And no one wants that." Quinn said, hating the speech he was given. He knew there would be times in his career he would be required to do immoral things for the safety of the Federation.
El stroked her bottom lip "Right. Med support and a few of the Greatest hits of the Hong Kong Cavaliers, I'll get on it, and overlook the sexist remark for now. "
"I'm not fond of our orders, but we all know what is at stake." Quinn said, allowing anyone who wanted to speak up, to do so. Because this would be their only chance to do so.
"Sir?" Auba raised her hand. "What happens if or when we come under attack? Are we allowed to defend ourselves, and are we allowed to use lethal force?"
"Attempt to incapacitate them first, lethal force should be last resort." Quinn said, waiting to see if anyone else had a question for him. He could tell in their eyes, that most of them were still trying to come to terms with this. Quinn was still trying to come to terms with this.
"I think I'll stick to the non lethal resort at all costs, I don't even like carrying a phaser." Amelia finally admitted out loud, almost an inner thought escaping when a guard is let down. "I will do what is asked of me, I will help those in need but cannot do any more than that." She added as the thought again passed through her mind of disobeying the principle order that Starfleet held in the highest regard.
"I'm sorry Commander," Vaebn said as he made a few notes with the stylus, "but how is an astrophysicist going to be of much use on this mission? I don't mean to question your judgement, but my skills, from before and during my Starfleet tenure, lie in a vastly different direction from what you are proposing." He tapped the stylus on the table for a moment, "What exactly might I be able to provide down there, to assist with our mission?"
"You can fire a phaser, can you not Mister Vaebn?" Quinn asked in a serious tone. He was short on time, and did not want to go into the finer points of a long debate with the Romulan Science Officer. Every member of the staff were needed, and despite what Vaebn said, he knew that he was a capable officer, and could handle a phaser.
Brecat finally spoke "Just be aware that my people will not hesitate to kill you, any of you. Make sure you get them before they get you, this group isn't going to give you any sort of leeway when they find out they've been duped." The conversations he'd overheard the day before were quite unnerving and were in line with the Commanders comments about the likelihood of them returning to the old ways. His people were prideful to a fault and they all knew it. Admitting it would never happen though.
Hermia, not for the first time, found the two parts of nature at odds. As a doctor, she'd taken an oath to 'do no harm', but the Marine training, both from her father and at boot camp, made her killer. "I'll do what I have to do." She assured everyone present.
"I'm glad to hear that Doctor. I hope for your sake you are able to." The Cardassian then turned to look at the XO. "Where am I to be during all of this?"
"You will be working with my team, acting as liaison, once we get that shield down, the Caradassian forces will storm the castle, I want you there with them. I want you to keep them focused on evading the command center. I will need your assistance keeping the Cardassian's on track and focused on the target." Quinn said, hating the fact that he was putting Glen Jerane in harms way on his first mission, with the USS Pioneer.
"Very well" he replied. "I'm presuming you'd like them to lock down and secure the surrounding area while the rescue efforts are underway but not actually participate in them then?" It would look bad to anyone outside of the situation if the Federation were to be the ones to rescue the council versus it being a Cardassian face to break them free.
"We can not get involved in the affairs of an internal conflict, we are only there to provide humanitarian aid." Quinn said, as he tried to lead on Brecat. "How were we to know, the cardassians used our beam in as an entry point, nothing can point back that we were directly involved, hence the cloak and dagger. You are the only member of the team, who can be seen in assisting them. We will support you." Quinn said, as he looked to Brecat, hoping he understood.
It was what the Cardassian had wanted to hear "Very good Commander, I'll ensure I'm providing proper direction. Once I put a plan together I'll present it to you for your approval then?" In all honesty he'd rather be submitting it to the Gul but he wasn't here at the moment and Brecat had spontaneously been assigned to this Federation ship.
Quinn started to hand out some data pads. "These pads, have your own individual assignments on this mission. Memorize them. Follow them."Any other questions?" Quinn asked, as he waited for the crew to ask.
The Cardassian took his PADD and begun to study it.
"Commander, besides Ensign Auba, our Security escort, will Wave 1 be armed?" Hermia asked.
"Yes, with hand held phasers only." Quinn said, he was not going to send them in without weapons. But he did not want to arouse the suspicions of the opposition. Just incase they were monitoring the government building when they beamed in.
"Understood, Commander." Hermia said. I'll just have tape my k-bar to my inside leg. She thought to herself.
Amelia shifted in her seat a little at the thought of carrying a weapon. She had not held one since her last weapons training the previous year, and even at that she'd never fired at a real target. "Here's hoping it doesnt come to us using them." she said to the room.
"I agree Lieutenant, but life has taught me to hope for peace, but plan for war." Hermia replied.
Listening to the talk of the Federation officers around him Jerane couldn't help but wonder if they had any idea as to what they may be in for. While planning was always good there seemed to be more hesitancy around use of force than he felt comfortable with. He'd ensure to be around the CDF as much as he could during the liberation they were getting ready for.
Vaebn pondered over the mission specs and and requirements. There didn't seem to be much that he was truly geared for, but he would assist, as ordered, to the best of his ability. As the last conversations occurred, he jotted a few more notes to himself, and hoped he would have enough time to grab a few tools from his lab before shipping out.
"Commander, what's the equipment weight limit ? Might be a good idea to have a shield generator to protect the triage area, can't carry that and a portable replicator for medical supplies." Elen asked, calming down, and thinking how to solve the situation.
"A shield generator might be a good idea." Quinn said, as he went on. "With the threat of attack, we will bring along a shield generator for defensive purposes. Now hopefully we will not need it, Lieutenant." Quinn said, hoping that his wife's mission would be easier to achieve.
"Is there any news on the types of injuries we'll come up against? How many people we're dealing with? Just to try and assess how much supplies to bring, equipment and personnel etc." Amelia asked.
"Cardassians are prideful people, they do not want to release that information over subspace, they told us to prepare for all potential scenarios." Quinn said, wishing he knew the extent of their injures as well, but his main mission was not the injured, that would be the good doctors. His team needed to bring down the shields. He took a deep breath. "We all have our standing orders. Good luck and god speed."
"Give me fifteen minutes to get my gear together. Wish I had more time to download the EMH into a projector for a bit of backup, oh well." El complained to nobody in particular.
''I'll give Lieutenant Diari a hand." Hermia volunteered. She wanted to make sure they had all the medication that might require.
Jerane already had a plan in mind and considering he didn't have much, it would only take him a few minutes to make his way to the transporter room.
"Well assemble in Transporter Room One, everyone's dismissed." Quinn said, as she sat in his chair for a moment in the observation lounge, watching his team walk out of the room, after they left, he started to get up and walk. He walked onto the bridge, and looked at Tyler. He felt Tyler give him a gentle tap on the shoulder, his way of saying good luck.
A Joint Post By
Commander Quinn Ó Flannagáin
Executive Officer, USS Pioneer
Lieutenant Junior Grade Elen Diari
Chief Engineering Officer, USS Pioneer
Lieutenant Vaebn tr'Hwersuil
Chief Science Officer, USS Pioneer
Petty Officer First Class William Jackson
HUMINT Agent, USS Pioneer
Ensign Lyna Auba
Security Officer, USS Pioneer
Glen Brecat Jerane
CDF Liasion, USS Pioneer
Lieutenant Hermia O'Rourke
Assistant Chief Medical Officer, USS Pioneer
Lieutenant Amelia Zano PsyD
Chief Counselor, USS Pioneer
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