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DAY 06: For Sake of the Galaxy [1500 hrs.]

DAY 06: For Sake of the Galaxy [1500 hrs.]

[ Captain Ives | Conference Lounge | Deck 01 | USS Theurgy ] Attn: All (CanadianVet posts next)

When the Senior Staff had gathered and seated themselves, Captain Ives remained standing at the head of the table - oaken eyes taking them all in.

To his right, first in the row on that side, sat Commander Trent. The rest were spread out without any kind of seating arrangement. Aside from the officers normally attending to the staff meetings were also those who were directly associated with the mission at hand. Both Selena Ravenholm and Thea were present because of their roles, and so were Deputy zh'Wann and Cameron Henshaw. One person was not present, however, because of what had happened during the Black Opal operation. Because of his treason in the most dire of hours, Lin Kae had been deemed unfit to hold the role he was supposed to have had during the mission.

"Welcome," said Jien, in his male form until that moment, where he changed... into her female self. "You all know the plan by now from your departmental briefings and the drills we have run the past week, but we will go through it one last time. We will not delve into the detailed mission parameters for your individual roles, since I judge you all know them better than I do at this point, but rather go through the phases we have divided this mission into. Thea, please show us the starbase."

"Aye, Captain," said the Ship A.I. and turned her brown eyes to the centre of the long table. She was wearing her red chameleon body suit, and had her hair in short braid behind her head. Within the moment , the detailed image of Starbase 84 was projected where she had directed her gaze, and the faces of those present were bathed in the light from the holographic image.

"Phase One: The Approach." said Ives, still standing, and she began to pace around the length of the table as she spoke. "Before the Black Opal operation, Lin Kae had almost finished Thea's new recognition profile, where we would be using her shield emitters to change the sensor signature of the ship. Since Lin Kae will no longer be participating in directly in the mission, Selena Ravenholm finished what he began, and will be working with Simon Tovarek to ensure that the sensor signature is projected as it should before we pass through... this."

With a nod to Thea, she projected a sphere around the starbase, but much father out than any shield would be. "Starbase 84 is fitted with a tachyon detection grid, and don't be fooled by this visual representation. The grid is transmitted between unmanned sentry posts in the outskirts of the sector, just within the base's sensor range, and it is worth noting that this is the same kind of grid that we have raised along the RNZ."

How bizzare, Jien suddenly thought, that she still thought of Starfleet as 'we' despite what she and her crew had been through. She did not pause, however, finishing the briefing about Phase 0ne.

"We will drop out of warp outside sensor range but as close as we dare without the base detecting us, and we will set a ballistic course that will take us within 35 000 kilometers of the base, at a speed consistent with a stray asteroid, and we will do so while in grey mode." She paused there, letting them consider the circumstances in which they would get as close as possible to Starbase 84 before the next phase. "Once we are within transporter range, Phase Two begins. Commander Trent, will you be so kind as to take it from here?"

OOC: Those present in the conference lounge are the following, in no specific order or seating arrangement:
  • Captain Ives
  • Commander Trent
  • Lieutenant Commander Wenn
  • Lieutenant zh'Wann
  • Lieutenant Commander Renard
  • Lieutenant S'Iti
  • Doctor Nicander
  • Counsellor O'Connor
  • MCPO O'Connell
  • Lieutenant Commander Stark
  • Lieutenant Tovarek
  • PWO Ravenholm
  • Ensign Henshaw
  • Thea

Re: DAY 06: For Sake of the Galaxy [1500 hrs.]

Reply #1 –
[ Commander Trent | Conference Lounge | Deck 01 | USS Theurgy ] Attn: All

This was it.  The final meeting to coordinate things before final preparations would take place prior to the jumping-off point for the single most important operation this crew had ever undertaken.  And if they succeeded, then the galaxy as a whole would know of the threat it faced at this time.  And it would attract damn near every starship in range of Starbase 84 directly on top of them.  Which meant this was possibly a one-way mission, but it did not mean they hadn't planned to do everything in their power to survive it. 

Trent had been the first in the room, entering along with the Captain and watching the other senior officers enter.  He knew that Lieutenant Lin would not be involved in this, and that would be a loss to their operational flexibility and efficiency.  He was a genuine wizard with computers, but his betrayal during the Black Opal operation made him too much of a liability to have him involved with the Starbase raid.  And they would have to do without. 

Once everyone who was expected to attend was seated, he waited for the Captain to introduce the operation despite the fact that everyone had been briefed and mercilessly drilled for the entire week.  But now, it was the time for the last dry-run before they would do things for real, the last chance to make last-second adjustments.  The approach had to be re-worked.  The re-writing of Starfleet's recognition database had not been as solid as Trent would have liked, so, given the sensor pallets captured at Black Opal and some creative use of the deflector dish, they would alter their 'shape' and 'composition' to actually send a sensor return that would be consistent with an actual asteroid instead of simply dealing with a software fix that was less than perfect. 

When given the floor, Trent rose from his seat and considered the audience.  And he knew the first part would not please Master Chief O'Connell one bit.  "Yes, we will be in grey mode, but every system, especially the warp cores, will be hot and primed for instant activation once the word is given.  It will put a lot of strain on some components and personnel, but it is that or we'll be dead in space when we start the beaming process." 

He looked from face to face.  He knew his would be brutal and fast, and timing would be everything.  "By now, you all know what's supposed to happen.  The boarding party will be on the pads and ready to beam over thirty minutes before we arrive.  We will have three strike teams for this.  Alpha team will be led by Commander Wenn, who will be in overall command of the boarding operation.  Warrant Officer Ravenholm, you will be accompanying him as the mission specialist and your target will be central communications where you will upload the message into the Emergency Fleet Override Broadcast and you will release it."

Then, he looked to Thea and the Chief Engineer.  "Thea, you and Chief O'Connell will take Support team and a security detail into their main fusion room.  Your job will be to get into the station's systems and take control of anything you need to.  Shields, weapons, turbolifts, transporters, anything you need so our teams can get their job done."

And finally, he looked to Deputy Zh'Wann.  "Deputy, you will lead Bravo Team into their operations center.  You will have a mission specialist of your own for this: Yeoman Henshaw.  Primarily, her task will be to talk down Captain Hawthorne and convince him to stand down.  If that fails, you and Support Team will take overall control of the station's systems, and make sure we can get our people back by dropping the shields, or keeping them dropped."

"Now that the beaming process has been covered, from space, Thea prepared us a clever little program we will broadcast to the Starbase using one my own dirty tricks and it will shut down their main docking complex and make sure the doors will only open if they get cut off or blasted off.  Now, it might take some time to get it to work, so we'll have to establish space superiority.  Commander Renard, the floor is yours."

Re: DAY 06: For Sake of the Galaxy [1500 hrs.]

Reply #2 –
[Lt. Cmdr. Miles Renard | Conference Lounge | Deck 01 | USS Theurgy ] Attn: All

The Vulpinian rose nodding to the ship's XO "Thank you Commander. Frankly given this particular scenario I can't really have as much of a plan as any of you would like to hear.  There are too many unknowns to deal with so making a specific mission plan for this particular assignment was quite difficult.  What I finally settled on was deciding that all fighters and pilots available to launch will do so with the objective being to neutralize any threats to the Theurgy aside from the base or larger classes of starships.  Given our lack of knowledge of what ships are currently docked with the station there is no way of knowing what opposition we will be up against but I have taken the liberty of ordering all Valkyries to be equipped with the new Twin mount cannons, all fighters will also have their remaining hard points armed with additional microtorp launchers giving us the maximum amount of anti-fighter capability and enough punch to potentially physically destroy individual weapons systems on most classes of starships provided we hit their guns right after a well placed tetrion shot."

He continued,  "The plan is for all pilots to be flying in 2 ship elements with a lead and a wingman.  Primary targets are enemy fighters, if we encounter anything ark 2 or older I will be ordering an emphasis be placed on attempting to to disable rather than destroy as I would prefer to keep the opposition's casualty count to a minimum.  We aren't dealing with fanatics who have fired at us first or AI drones this time.  Our targets are people merely defending the Federation from who they see as terrorists attempting to attack a peaceful Starbase.  if at all possible I would prefer to use our superior firepower and technological advantage to send the message that we could kill them at any moment if we wanted to but we are going to do anything we can to avoid it.  I am hoping that seeing how we fight may show our true colors to our potential enemies and as such and hopefully convince the captains of whatever ships are docked there that our tactics are far more humane and peaceable than they have been told.

"Once any opposition encountered is dealt with the lone wolves will establish a perimeter around the base and continuously patrol for any unexpected guests.  Frankly when looking at this mission from space superiority perspective the valks wont be able to do much about the station and Thea is far better equipped to deal with the bigger classes of starship so I feel the best use for our fighters are to use them solely for dealing with small starships or enemy fighters and then utilizing them as a form of long range recon.  Given the capabilities of the Allegiant's sensor software I imagine if it remained in a position in the Theurgy's shadow and we began feeding it our raw sensor data its capabilities for interpreting raw data feeds from our sensor feeds could effectively quadruple the effectiveness of the squadron's recon pattern.

Re: DAY 06: For Sake of the Galaxy [1500 hrs.]

Reply #3 –
[Dr. Hayden O'Connor| Conference Lounge | Deck 01 | USS Theurgy ] Attn: All

Doctor Hayden O'Connor had mixed feelings about attending senior staff briefings aboard the Theurgy in general, and about attending this briefing in particular. On the one hand, she appreciated the opportunity to be even more fully informed about the ship's mission. The crew's ultimate goal was obviously never forgotten, as each day they existed represented each one of them could easily die in the pursuit of the truth, a reality that could be managed but not ever forgotten. On a more personal front, she also appreciated the opportunity, however brief, to get out of her own head and to have a break from her duties. Although she appreciated everyone's efforts immensely and understood nothing she did could be done if they didn't execute their duties faithfully and consistently, it was too easy to become consumed with providing psychological support to the steady stream of people at her door. Duty demanded it in fact, as she could provide no comfort to anyone, certainly not to a crew in the Theurgy's position, if she could not trust it was safe to travel with the traumatized to the past, present or future, if she could not accept and experience the intensity of their emotions, if she could not meet them where they were and become wholly absorbed in what they needed at that moment. She and though she served had to somehow manage their constant anxiety and trust it was safe to act in the moment.


On the other hand, senior staff briefings aboard the Theurgy could also serve as not so pleasant reminders of what they were not and how she had failed. They were not the average Starfleet crew carrying out a mission of exploration or diplomacy. They could not count on the entire resources of the Federation to support their missions and to keep them safe. Every senior staff briefing was also an opportunity to see the pain of loss in people's eyes, and the impact of stress on the ship's senior leaders. Hayden wasn't so arrogant to think she was responsible for all of that, but the healer in her always felt she could do more. Captain Ives couldn't know it, but the mere mention of Lin Kae felt like he had touched an open wound within her heart. She didn't choose for him to express himself the way he did, but she couldn't help but feel guilty for not seeing his outburst coming and for not acting to address his pain before things could go the way they did.

As she often did when she caught herself adrift in emotions, she forced herself to think about things she was grateful for, and key among them was her budding friendship with Amelya Duv. She never expected the physician to befriend her in the midst of her own personal trauma, but O'Connor was glad she had. Somehow without realizing it, or perhaps she had, Amelya realized the only way to get Hayden to truly relax was to provide an opportunity in which O'Connor could feel useful while taking a break at the same time. Hayden also considered arranging a meeting with Doctor Maya for much the same reason. Hayden and Maya had been kept quite busy, of course, but the therapist had never stopped being concerned for Maya, memories of finding her bruised and battered still fresh in her memory.

Captain Ives' voice drew her from her reverie followed by Commanders Trent and Renard. Although Hayden didn't need to know the strategic ins and outs of the plan to carry out her own duties, she appreciated having all the facts at her disposal. They wouldn't know exactly what they were facing until they could carry out the plan, but at least she could have some sense of the potential for casualties. Upon hearing Renard's mention of the plan to fall short of killing people could be avoided. Certainly such a plan was consistent with all of their values, but she also appreciated the thought put into the psychology of such a motive. "I agree your plan has the potential to make them think twice and labeling us as terrorists," Hayden offered with a nod of approval. "Hopefully, people will take note of our behavior and think more deeply into our motives. There's no guarantee of that, of course, but at least we're giving them potentially something to think about that could very well come back to them later. I can see if it made a bit of thought into this plan beyond sheer tactics," the counselor added with a smile.

Re: DAY 06: For Sake of the Galaxy [1500 hrs.]

Reply #4 –
[ Wenn Cinn | Conference Lounge | Deck 01 | USS Theurgy] Attn: All present

Cinn had taken the seat to left the of Ives, directly opposite of Trent. He'd nodded in greeting to the Captain and the Commander before sitting down and waiting for the rest of the senior staff.

The meeting had progressed well, both Ives and Trent explaining the operation and orders well. As Trent talked, Cinn listened but he also found his mind wandering slightly. As he looked over the man with metal arm and leg, who had helped him escape from Archeron. Trent had proven himself as suitable to be first officer, something in which Cinn had never seen himself. Although he would never admit it, he did feel that Edena Rez was missing from the meeting. Trent was more capable than Rez, who had given up command and could be considered a security risk, but he did miss the sight of her fair skin.

He had been with the Trill numerous times over the last week. What had started out as a one-night thing during Lohlunat had blossomed into what could now be considered a new budding relationship. While He couldn't completely let himself go around Edena, as he knew that Jonas was in there somewhere lurking, waiting. 

Pushing the thought aside, Cinn focussed back onto the meeting at hand. Renard had taken them through the Tac Conn plan. The only way Cinn could really describe it was 'Wait and See'. It didn't really impress him, though he did know that the pilots were some of the most highly trained officers on the ship, if anyone would respond dynamically to any real threat, it would be them. O'Connor, being the counselor she was, focussed onto the positives of the mission. He didn't know much about the woman, but he liked her. He was also pleased he hadn't needed her services as of yet. The prospect of having to relive what had happened and what he had done during the occupation was not inviting.

"One can only hope Counselor. I, for one, would prefer to not be labelled a terrorist again." It was a veiled reference to Cinn's time in the resistance. The Cardassians had called all freedom fighters to be terrorists. It was one of their many methods in trying to avoid legitimising the plight of the Bajoran people. Back to the mission at hand, Cinn had a thought. "I'm concerned about injury to our boarding parties. I know our teams will be using our phasers on stun setting to minimise casualties but I can't say the same for our colleagues in starbase security." He looked across to the Chief Engineer "Is there some way we could make a suppression field?"

Re: DAY 06: For Sake of the Galaxy [1500 hrs.]

Reply #5 –
[ William Robert O'Connell | Conference Lounge | Deck 01 | USS Theurgy ]  Attn: All present

Billy Bob's first time at a meeting around the big table was pretty much the way he expected, with the bigwigs laying out the plan of attack and everybody else taking notes and listening.  Now came the time when the officers needed to rely on their senior enlisted men to make their daring plans possible.  And being not just a chief, but a master chief, it was O'Connell's job to get what the officers needed instead of making excuses. 

"Well, that's a mite tricky, Commander," William O'Connell drawled as he put his mind to the question.  "We got some passive EM field generators in the hold fur naturalists who might go a studyin' dangerous animals an such.  Fur those who ain't familiar with 'em, passive EM field generators were designed t' contain large numbers ah hostile creatures whose physiology is distinctly non-humanoid.  Yuh see the generator projects a field of high-frequency alpha and alternating theta waves which react with the target's cerebral cortex.  The result is usually extreme disorientation, passivity, and loss of muscular control as the normal brain signals are disrupted.  Put plainly, th' EM field generators trick the animal's brain inta thinkin' it's asleep.  Ah'm sure th' neurologists onboard would be able to change the frequency t' effect people.  Trouble is, th' darn things ain't all that portable; they're meant fur static defense of a camp or a ground installation, not somethin' yuh carry around with yuh on a boardin' party.  I've been workin' on a smaller version but o' course thet sacrifices range.  Thing is, if you're fixin' t' use it yer gonna need some protection from it or you'll knock out yer own team.  Ah got me three helmets based on th' ones th' Lone Wolves use every time they fly out into the black that just might do the trick.  Shouldn't be hard t' make some more."

What O'Connell didn't admit was that he built the helmets to protect himself from getting his mind read or worse yet, having signals broadcast into his head by some alien telepath trying to put the whammy on him.  He had been working on them off and on ever since the Ishtar incident whenever he could find the time.  Not that they would help you against something that affected the nervous system of the rest of the body but at least the brain would be protected from unwanted interference.

"On a more practical note Senior Chief Reagar an' I have been workin' on a portable force field that kin fit you lahk a second skin," he grinned.  "Basically, we put a power source and a passel o' subspace transceiver assemblies on some web gear and wove some emitter coil through th' straps and we got ourselves a nifty portable force field emitter that'll be able to emit an energy field with a phase shift of about .04 millicochranes fur about ten minutes or so.  Now I gotta be honest with y' all, it ain't perfect.  The stronger the energy, kinetic 'r otherwise directed at it, the faster it uses up its juice.  It'll protect you from punches and arrows and primitive matchlocks fur five t' ten minutes, but it'll resist phasers set on kill fer a lot less.  And a phaser set on disintegrate, well if'n yer lucky yer rig's fully charged 'cause iffin it ain't, ah don't give you two seconds.  Ah got six of 'em in various stages of assembly on mah workbench right now, but if your calculatin' yuh need more we're gonna haff ta take apart more combadges."  


OOC:  GM decides if O'Connell can get these ready in time and if there's enough to go around.

Re: DAY 06: For Sake of the Galaxy [1500 hrs.]

Reply #6 –
[ PWO Selena "Luna" Ravenholm | Conference Lounge | Deck 01 | USS Theurgy ]  Attn: All present

The cyborg Terran listened to the spiel about what could best be compared to portable force-fields and nodded.  "Well its a good thing I felt a bit bored and somewhat motivated after looking over Commander Stark's post rescue mission debriefing.  I noticed that at one point Lt. S'iti flooded the room with antinadonic particles allowing for phaser disruption.  So rather than thinking in the direction of what to do about phasers powered up to kill I just considered out little conundrum from the perspective of not wanting to get fired upon at all.  I plugged myself into the holodecks simulation computer for a while and used it to run the simulations on a potential weapon idea that struck me when reading the report.

Pausing a moment she took out small hologram projector and turned it on.  The image was what looked to be similar an older model Federation stun grenade.  "I call it a neutralizer.  The grenade's actual method of incapacitation is based on a design from late 20th century United states Police Special weapons and tactics teams.  The design was called a stinger grenade and employed a mix of the various methods of disorientation methods used by police of the time. After a short timer the grenade explodes with a loud bang causing a bright flash of light traditional to the flash bang grenades of that time.  Not too unlike the sonic strobes Federation civilian police have in their arsenals.  the stinger grenade added to this flash bang design by incorporating small balls of rubber designed to cause pain but no major lasting harm  IN their place i filled it with small barbs like those on my paralyzer weapon each outfitted with the ability to deliver sufficient voltage to cause paralyzing effects for approximately 5 seconds to those they stick to.  The feature I am most proud of is once the device detonates it releases a complex blend of various antinadonic particles  though the effect will dissipate after 2-10 seconds depending on the size of the room these particles will cause phasers not to fire in its presence."

"Based on the tactical simulations I ran.  I would say the weapon upon detonation will only buy a team using it 3-7 seconds on average of tactical advantage but if used as part of a door breech maneuver the device could potentially buy a team just the couple seconds of disorientation needed upon breaching a room to even the odds without sacrificing the lives of our opposition or allowing them to get those crucial killing shots in while the team is bottle necked in a doorway."  She paused a moment then added,  "unfortunately all testing was done via simply running the simulations based on what Thea's holodeck systems assume would happen based on the design so its completely theoretical in terms of the actual hardware.  That said the theory is verified as what would happen up to a degree of less than 1 percent error.  And, before you ask I have went ahead and pulled the necessary replicator files to create all of the components and using those components I would imagine it would only take an hour to have a working prototype for physical testing.  If it preforms as expected I estimate a small team of engineers using my plans and access to the raw materials could create a sufficient amount to arm all boarding teams with at least 5 of the devices."

Re: DAY 06: For Sake of the Galaxy [1500 hrs.]

Reply #7 –
[ William Robert O'Connell | Conference Lounge | Deck 01 | USS Theurgy ]  Attn: All present

Billy Bob was impressed with the antinadion grenade.  It was one of those keep it simple stupid solutions that one knew just had to work.  But he wasn't about to be outdone.  "Speaking of something to hand out to all boarding teams, Commander Trent and I would like to issue them all new combadges," he added as he set what appeared to be an ordinary Starfleet combadge on the table.   "Boarding a typical Starfleet vessel or outpost on the sly has certain complications.   Beggin' yer pardon ma'ams and sirs, I'd like t' take this moment t' demonstrate.  Computer!  What is the location of Master Chief William O'Connell?"

Thea's disembodied voice was heard by everybody in the room.  "Master Chief O'Connell is in the conference room on deck one."
 
"That kin be mighty inconvenient when you're infiltratin' a starbase while bein' an outlaw an' all," O'Connell purred.  "That's why these combadges have bogus identities in 'em an' a multi-frequency transponder based off the subspace transceivers Covington and his people pulled off the captured Reavers.  They kin be set to a subspace frequency that most ships don't even got the equipment to pick up, so there ain't much chance of anybody scanning for this specific frequency.  This will allow us to communicate with the Theurgy and each other without being overheard and let the Theurgy know where we are in case we need to transport out pronto. 

"As a matter of fact, I constructed a transponder or two that could be hidden in a prosthetic body part and be nigh on undetectable to everything from a tricorder to a stripsearch.  To my way o' thinkin' that could be mighty handy fer anybody who gits hisself captured or loses his communicator.  O' course, this little bit of insurance would only be feasible for war veterans who got a biomechanical part already."

O'Connell calculated that it wouldn't be hard to install one in Ravenholm that could act as a full-fledged communicator, but he wasn't about to single her out.  He had known enough survivors from the Dominion War and the earlier Cardassian Conflict to know that the subject could be a touchy one for someone who had lost a body part.  He hoped that the false identities Trent had created would install easily into Starbase 84's computers, or they ran the risk actually attracting attention.

Re: DAY 06: For Sake of the Galaxy [1500 hrs.]

Reply #8 –
[ Commander Trent | Conference Lounge | Deck 01 | USS Theurgy ] Attn: All

Having given his portion of the initial briefing, the Executive Officer listened to what was being put forward.  So far, the idea of deploying the Allegiant to make use of her own sensor suite made good sense, and having extra eyes out there to keep things moving was always good.  As such, Trent made mental note to find a crew for the Yacht.  So far, he had assigned Arisaka to Vector 2's Battle Bridge, and Donovra to Vector 3's in case there would be a computer failure when they would separate in the initial moments of the engagement, and he had started to train Lieutenant Commander Dewitt to make use of the electronic warfare suite he had just started to integrate into Theurgy's capabilities.  So that would mean the Allegiant would be crewed by a backup bridge crew, without a senior officer on board... Well, everyone needed to learn the hard way at some point...

As further ideas about the boarding were being brought forward, the Commander considered what was being said around him.  There were indeed interesting concepts being floated across, especially that concept of a phaser neutralizing grenade.  However, there were issues with what O'Connell was saying.  He had a good idea, and there was a definite merit to having access to a more secure mean of communication, but for infiltration purposes? 

"Chief Ravenholm, great idea.  However, we would also need a way to neutralize the opposition while phasers are disabled.  For this mission, the use of deadly force is strictly limited and getting into a hand-to-hand melee is hardly what I think would be an optimal use of our personnel.  Captain, perhaps we should get into our stock of alternate weapons for this; Commander Wenn, how many TR-120 rifles do we have on board at this time?"  Trent had made no secret that he was not overly fond of the Accipiter rifles they had recovered.  Oh, they were a powerful weapon all right, but they were a rather stark departure from Starfleet's standard ordnance, and contrary to much of its ideals.  And in this case, they could not afford to be spewing out extremely lethal hypervelocity darts, not when they had to be so very careful about their image.

But then, he had to address the Chief Engineer's concepts.  "Work well done, Chief.  First, about implanting communication devices in cybernetic limbs, it is an interesting idea, but it raises a number of questions, such as consent.  I will not speak for the Captain, but so far as I am concerned this kind of addition must be voluntary."  Oh, yes, the weaponizing of prosthetic limbs.  That had been mentioned so many times in the past, and when he was going through the basic intelligence officer training, there were plenty who suggested he go into the covert operations track, if only because of such opportunities his artificial limbs could provide. 

But there was also the matter of commbadges.  "As for commbadges, Mister O'Connell, we are talking about a lot of them right now.  And false identities?  They would be of limited use just about now, if only because the Starbase will know we're there.  Making sure our own commbadges won't interact with their systems is a quick fix from here, but to find us, it would take seconds for them to check onboard lifesigns against their own commbadges and they will have found us.  But you are definitely onto something, with regards to secure communications.  Do you think you could integrate that frequency agility capability within all of our commbadges, along with a software update to make them use those alternate frequencies when communicating with each other and the ship, still capable of the standard bands, and the capability to silence the conventional frequencies at need?"

Re: DAY 06: For Sake of the Galaxy [1500 hrs.]

Reply #9 –
[ Captain Ives | Conference Lounge | Deck 01 | USS Theurgy ] Attn: All

Having listened to the suggestions on added technologies to aid in the boarding operations, Jien leaned back in her chair and settled some of the matters that needed her decision.

"Mister O'Connell, I would say you have two priorities, and one of those are the force-field emitters that the boarding parties can wear. I have read your report on them, and they show great promise. I wish for all boarding members to wear them, but it might be too much to hope for. Make as many as you can in time for the mission." She then addressed the second priority. "As Commander Trent says, we need secure communications, and I would rather this would be a software update to our current combadges, an update that Thea can upload to them all once it is finished - Reaver-tech subspace transceivers or not. If there is any time left to create false identities, they might come into use as well, but that would only be if our boarding parties haven't been detected already. As for augmenting artificial limbs, that is not something I will order my crew to do unless they volunteer. It is an interesting concept, of course, but we are hard pressed for time as it is to make such augmentations. I recommend this is discussed on a case-to-case basis."

She then turned to Ravenholm, one of those that could get further augmentations than she already had, but this was not what Ives addressed. "Please continue to work on the grenade. If you can test and present a reliable result before the mission, then we should try to assemble as many as we can for the boarding parties. Time is short, but with the combination of that grenade and the few TR-120 rifles that we have in the armoury, then the boarding parties have the opportunity to hold their position for a longer period of time. Time, which will be the crucial factor on this mission."

Having said this, Jien stood and changed... to his male form. "Phase Three," he said in his deeper voice, and he turned his eye to Aisha S'Iti. "We beam up the boarding parties after the message has been sent, and we make an escape. Several routes have been plotted, and Lieutenant S'Iti will pick the one with the least amount of starship signatures on the long range sensors when that moment arrives."

Lastly, he turned to the others present in the room, who had kept their silence. "Any questions, please bring them up now."

OOC: Edited this post to reflect what the TR-120 could do, since I was unfamiliar with the rifle.

Re: DAY 06: For Sake of the Galaxy [1500 hrs.]

Reply #10 –
[ Commander Trent | Conference Lounge | Deck 01 | USS Theurgy ] Attn: All

With the discussion in full swing, the Captain finally gave his verdict after changing shapes again.  Truth be told, that was still something Trent was having some difficulty getting accustomed to, but he certainly had the mental agility to work with that particular trait from his commanding officer.  And truth be told, even if he didn't, he still had a job to do as the XO of this ship.

And this was something else he was about to do.  "Now, while we have everyone here, let me remind you about the rules of engagement.  On board the Starbase, deadly force is not authorized unless in extreme circumstances.  Commander Wenn, as the boarding party commander you are the only team leader with the authority to allow it.  Every other team leader, go through him or to the Bridge if you need to be able to go fully weapons-free." 

Keeping the body count strictly limited was an integral part of the operation.  And if Sankolov had given standing order that any member of Theurgy's crew should be killed on sight regardless of Starfleet regulations and Federation law, it would put them at a severe disadvantage.  But then again, no one ever said fighting a war single-handedly would be easy. 

"As for the engagement in space, the pods will be locked down; they are simply too powerful a weapon to deploy in this situation.  All other weapons are authorized.  Commander Renard, this applies mostly to you here.  Casualties will be unavoidable, especially should any auxiliary craft or fighters be deployed against us.  I expect your pilots to defend themselves as best they know how, but when targeting starships or the Starbase, aim to make them combat-ineffective.  Also, as a departure from conventional logic, we will refrain from completely crippling any vessel's warp capability.  Any warp-capable asset that tries to withdraw or make the run for it will be allowed to do so.  But I say again: no matter what, we defend ourselves with whatever force is necessary; if we can drive off any other ship or fighter instead of destroying them, we will do so but not at the cost of taking unmanageable risks."

"And speaking of withdrawal, once we need to get out, we are getting out fast.  Any fighter without warp capability will be left behind, so I want every pilot to be instructed to return to the ship any way they can if they become uncertain of their ability to reach the rendezvous.  Both the fighter bay and the shuttlebay will be ready to receive combat landings, and if all else fails, land on the hull and latch on. 

Re: DAY 06: For Sake of the Galaxy [1500 hrs.]

Reply #11 –
[ Simon Tovarek | Conference Lounge | Deck 01 | USS Theurgy ] Attn: All

Tovarek sat rather nonchalantly in his seat as the staff meeting started. His eyes drifting over the people present and his eyes stopping at O'Connell. It still felt a tad weird to see the man in that place yet he thought nothing more of it as the captain started to speak. Silently the CSO listened to the task at hand that had been given to him and Ravenholm. His eyes moving over to the Terran cyborg and with a nod to her he continued to listen to the discussion that formed on about comm badges, emitters and grenades.

Tovarek shifted in his seat when Trent began to talk about the rules of engagement in space and the rules of withdrawal. "If I can Commander..." Tovarek spoke up now as he looked over at Miles before looking back to the Executive officer. "After my little adventure on Opal, I have found some usable things that could help our little space endeavor. I imagine that no doubt our fighter pilots will be out manned with whatever contingency Star base 84 has. Yet I'm working on a little side project in collaboration with the CSO of Opal. I wouldn't call the project finished at all, yet it could be handy to use in the upcoming battle." he said before he clarified where he was heading to.

"We've managed to assemble almost a dozen drone like ships that can be used to perhaps fool the sensors of SB84 into thinking we have more fighters then they believe. Aside from the ones we are assembling, there were twenty of them almost finished down on the Opal, so if we take the time to finish the assembly, we will have about 30 drones by the morrow. The drones however aren't as big as our fighters, yet with the right tweaking and fiddling I believe we can make the drones emit a signal similarly to Valkyries. I could download their flight trajectories to what our pilots have done during their performance in previous battles or in the simulators. With correct movements and scrambled sensors, I believe we would be creating a sort of..." he paused as he looked for the right words "Fail safe if we need to retreat in a hurry. With drones buzzing around confusing them, it could buy our pilots some more time." he concluded.

[ Cameron Henshaw | Conference Lounge | Deck 01 | USS Theurgy ] Attn: All

Henshaw stood on the left side of Captain Ives, holding the PADD close to her chest as she looked at all the people present. She spilled no words yet kept a close eye on everyone. Her heart was pounding rapidly against the frame of the PADD as she knew her role would be more than important. She could only hope that she'd be able to talk her father out of this madness. She continued to stand up behind the captain as she now and again tapped the PADD to make some short notes in things that needed to be followed up. Yet for the remainder of the meeting she remained in silence.

Re: DAY 06: For Sake of the Galaxy [1500 hrs.]

Reply #12 –
[ Wenn Cinn | Conference Lounge | Deck 01 | USS Theurgy] Attn: All present, SummerDawn

O'Connell was up to his usual tricks, and Cinn couldn't help but bring a smirk to the tactics and anticipation the Master Chief had of Cinn's needs. When the captain spoke of the need for the emitters for all, Cinn knew there may not be time for O'Connell to complete them all.

"I'd recommend that mission specialists are the first priority for these 'second skins'. As much as I'd like to keep security safe, as always they're ready to put their lives on the line to complete the objective." He continued on, addressing the Commander's query about numbers of rifles at the away team disposal.

"The TR-120's aren't standard weapons, as such we are limited in terms of numbers. From memory we left spacedock with 10 in our compliment. I'll ask our mistress-at-arms to pull them from storage and prepare them for our assault teams."

The commander's question was, in fact, a little embarrassing, although you wouldn't be able to tell from looking at Cinn's face. His usually business-like stoic face was in full force. Since the mutiny, when many items were moved, destroyed or stolen he hadn't had the chance for the Security department to undertake a full inventory. Certainly not on low importance items in sealed storage. He just prayed to the Prophets that none were missing. Cinn tapped his combadge.

"Wenn to Ryuan. Can you pull the TR-120's from storage? We'll need them fully stripped and serviced ready for our assault teams."


Re: DAY 06: For Sake of the Galaxy [1500 hrs.]

Reply #13 –
[  Lt Cmdr Natalie Stark | Conference Lounge | Deck 01 | USS Theurgy] Atten: all

Natalie turned her head to look at the cyborg down the table from her when she heard her name, and found herself nodding, blue eyes lit with appreciation. Chief - now Lieutenant, she reminded herself -S'iti had done just that, flooding the small transporter room with antinadonic particles. The brunette COps could still picture the moment when their assailants realized their weapons no longer functioned, and the fight between the two crews grew even more desperate. Images flashed before her, and she closed her eyes briefly, leaning back into her seat once more to calm herself and refocus on the discussion at hand.

Perhaps her focus had drifted longer than she thought, for when she opened her eyes again, Simon Tovarek was talking, elaborating on a joint effort with Opal personnel to create drone ships. The idea had some merit, as far as Natalie was concerned. She shifted her gaze to him as he spoke, taking in the words, while in her minds eyes she saw the wounds he'd received while the duo had been held captive by T'Rena during the mutiny. Banishing those thoughts, her gaze shifted again, from Tovarek to Winn, who was relaying orders to his suborindates, and then on to Captain Ives.

Raising a finger to gain the captains attention, and once he nodded, Natalie spoke up, her voice quiet, but more confident than it had sounded in weeks.

"From a ship operations stand point, we're as ready as we're ever going to be. We've integrated crew from the Opal base into our team and should we need to go into vector assault mode during the raid, I have every confidence that we'll have plenty of personnel on hand, across all three of the vectors. Frankly, we're better staffed than we have been since we left Earth. Which, brings me to the next point."

She turned her gaze to Chief O'Connell, "My folks are basically just running response drills, and if I know them, it's driving them slightly nuts. Give them the chance to tinker with something, well, that will probably take their minds off whats about to happen. If you need some extra hands, I have some that I can spare for helping manufacture and tweak those shield emitters."

Re: DAY 06: For Sake of the Galaxy [1500 hrs.]

Reply #14 –
[Lt. Cmdr. Miles Renard, Lt. Aisha S'iti, and PWO Selena Ravenholm | Conference Lounge | Deck 01 | USS Theurgy] Attn: all
Miles looked over listening to the statements about the drones and nodded.  "If Thea would not mind I imagine Ravenholm could probably create a subroutine based on the aspects of Thea's "white-shirt" software in order to control the fighters.  Thea already aided me in creating a similar subroutine to automate friendly and enemy fighter and capital ship actions in combat sims in the holodeck.  Often this subroutine singularly automates the actions of multiple squadrons of fighters. I imagine a similar program could easily be tasked with remoting some of the drones.  Obviously, of course, there will need to be a certain "human" element as well,"  He said pausing using the word human to mean all humanoids. "I imagine Siti's department has plenty of pilots who could operate some of the drones manually, even they are not fully trained in the specifics of fighter based combat operations.  To be blunt, the more green looking flight styles may prove to be tempting targets for the more zealous elements of our opposition.

Siti immediately replied.  "I couldn't agree more.  If I recall one of the officers I would have inherited from my predecessor actually re-certed herself as a combat pilot and joined your squad recently.  I think she goes by Gunshy." 

Miles nodded addressing the mention of one of his newest pilots.

She continued.  "After the assignments for Primary and secondary Conn officers and for each bridge have been assigned as well as assignments made for auxiliary craft for the operation are determined I can send the remaining Pilot staff to you to prep them for remoting the drones."

"With the XO's and Captain's blessing I think we have a plan"  Miles replied respectfully nodding to the Cardassian in the red uniform.

Siti then turned and faced the security chief. "I just had an idea regarding a method of operating even with phasers out of the picture.  When I flooded the transporter room with antinadions the resulting fight was quite more brutal than I would have imagined.  As a result I have had to consider somewhat unorthodox ideas on how we could potentially prepare for a similar situation.  Guess the old Maquis side of me is still eager to think up ways to fight back in less traditional and far less resource taxing ways.  When the 120s were mentioned a solution hit me.  TR series weapons are complex pieces of hardware that are limited in availability and near impossible to get find more of.  That said, the ammo itself shouldn't be hard to replicate.  Ravenholm's pistol-whip seems to use a similar type of ammunition after all."

Hearing this got Selena to thinking a bit about what was just said.  Using a wireless link to Thea's main computer database she pulled up earth history and within seconds of searching the history of human non lethal ballistic projectile weaponry she had the perfect idea for a easy to make alternative for phasers.  "Not really the same system, but you just gave me a great idea.  We should just keep things simple and create a ballistic projectile weapon capable of firing said ammo at a non-lethal speed.  And I just found a design for something that is so simple and easy to create that Its hard to believe I never make something like it as an alternative to my Paralizer."  She paused as the idea was so simple it was laughable.  "Paintball guns."  she stated explaining.  "The weapons were used in a form of late 20th century terran wargame and are simple compressed-gas based projectile weapons designed to shoot easily breakable gelatin capsules filled with paint.  The most damage they cause are minor skin abrasions and bruises.  So, replace the gelatin with the conductive adhesive used in TR-120 ammo and place one of the ammo's shocker modules within the suspension of adhesive in the design of a "paintball" and we have an easily replicatable sidearm and ammo system that is simple to use, and capable of delivering comparable effects of a TR-120."

She them paused a moment addressing something that had been mentioned earlier. "Oh and regarding the weaponization or augmentation of prosthetics for more military or tactical purposes I take no offense to whatever ideas you have.  I tend view my arms and legs as tools more than part of my actual body.  Ive lost count of how many improvements or outright replacements I have made to them.  Just say the word and I'll look over the modification ideas and I'll tel you exactly how it can be most efficiently integrated into my prosthetics."

Re: DAY 06: For Sake of the Galaxy [1500 hrs.]

Reply #15 –
[ Ryuan Sel | Armoury | Deck 07 | USS Theurgy] Attn: Wenn Cinn

Ryuan Sel was already in the armoury triple checking the inventory of weapons when Lt Cmdr Cinn's request came through. "Will do Commander. Sel Out."

Finishing the assembly of the Mk 3 rifle already disassembled, Ryuan finished her checks, confirming the power cell was charged and the emitter crystal was clear of any micro-fractures. Satisfied she placed it back into it's rack in the armoury. One down, forty more to go. The TR120's, now that was one locker she'd not been in for a very long while. Seals on that locker should still be intact as she'd been the one to personally seal them when she took over as the Mistress-at-Arms.

(OOC: Do we have a link to these so I can do more description?)
(OOC: Sorry about the short reply. Work decided it would be fun to randomly hammer the cr@p out of me and last couple days it's been early bed , early work kinda days)

Re: DAY 06: For Sake of the Galaxy [1500 hrs.]

Reply #16 –
[ Captain Ives | Conference Lounge | Deck 01 | USS Theurgy ] Attn: All (meeting adjourned)

New ideas and improvement upon old ideas were put on the table, which was truly inspiring to witness. Unfortunately, it happened just the day before the mission, which could be an equally good and bad thing depending on time of preparation and testing. Jien would err on the side of caution when it came to untested technology or weaponry, but at the same time, he knew that his senior staff were experts in their own fields respectively, so he should also cut them some slack instead of forbidding them to stray from routines put to the test, evaluated and tested again. After all, the ideas put forth could not only offer a lowered body count and increased chance-of-success, but the drones might even be their means to escape the base after the message had been sent. Therefore, Jien was silent while the discussion continued, until there were no more who spoke, and he sorted out the priorities.

"This is hardly the time to take untested weaponry to the field, but if the new drones are assembled and ready, I want them tested to their fullest extent as soon as possible. Lieutenants S'Iti and Tovarek, take help from Thea and Operations both to make sure those can truly do what the specs says they can. I want a report by the end of the day, and make sure the report is sent to Tactical CONN as well, so that Renard knows what kind of aid can be provided in tomorrow's engagement with the fleet. The ideas you have on operating them sound good, but I don't want the drones to malfunction on us in the middle of the battle."

Then, he looked to Ravenholm, who had been invited to the meeting because of her role in the mission. While not senior staff, she proved as resourceful as Jien had imagined her to be when he put her in Trent's care. Not only at the Black Opal, but even now - suggesting a new non-lethal weapon to supplement the lack of available TR-120s. "Security are used to handling the Starfleet issue weaponry, and I would be hesitant to use something that I am unfamiliar with if I were to board a starbase with - potentially - the galaxy hanging in the balance. Already, the time is short, so the grenades take a priority. Also, depending on what findings the Mistress-at-Arms make, I would instead order more TR-120 rifles to be replicated and assembled. Since they are quite easy in construct, and we have had training in using them, they are a priority. I would rather see their ammunition upgraded with the anti-nadion particle emissions instead of... well... sticking antiquated weaponry in the hands of our officers."

Jien said this in good humour, as best as he might, as he did not want to embarrass Ravenholm for making a suggestion. He turned to the rest of the table's assembled officers, making that point exactly. "I always laud initiatives, development and potential improvements, yet unfortunately, with the risks that come with untested equipment, they are not entirely reliable for a mission such as this. Therefore, these things will be a priority, since they will be a used during the mission," he said, ticking them off with his fingers. "Testing of the finished drones, assigning CONN personnel to fly them, but also letting Thea maintain a link to them. I want their role implemented with Tactical CONN's tactics, both during the battle as well as the escape plan. Also, I repeat; I want as many as possible of the wearable force-field emitters readied and tested, and the key personnel on the boarding teams will be the first priority when they are handed out on the morrow."

He glanced towards O'Connell as he spoke, since he was chief responsible for many of the things listed. "Like I said, there are the combadges and the secure link to those too, perhaps even with false identities added to their signature if it can be done. I want as many TR-120 rifles assembled as we can, hopefully enough so that everyone on the boarding teams can have one. Coordinate with the MoA. Lastly, as I said, the grenades, since they may prove just the non-lethal tactical advantage we need when to accomplish our mission. If the ammunition for the TR-120 can be upgraded in the same way as the grenades, then its all well and good, as long as tests are made on the holodecks before we reach Starbase 84. Like with the drones, I want a report on the progress with the new equipment that the boarding teams will use."

With that final word, and with a glance towards Trent to see if he had anything further to add, Ives ended the brief meeting. There were no more questions raised, and there was much to be done. Jien thought that if Commander Trent or Ravenholm wanted their artificial limbs augmented somehow, they could speak with O'Connell privately about it. Since everyone had already known the plan, it was hardly surprising that the meeting came to an end quite quickly. Jien only hoped that there was enough time to make the last improvements. "Dismissed."

As the people began to file out of the room, Jien glanced towards Henshaw, having noticed how quiet she'd been during the meeting. "Ensign, please remain a moment," he said, and then waited for everyone to leave. Obviously her thoughts had to be on her role during the mission, and how she'd have to face her father. How she'd have to tell him about how Lisa Hawthorne had died on Theta Eridani IV, and still manage to convince him to lay down his weapons and lower the base's shields. When they were alone, Jien sat down by the table again and looked at her, not saying anything at first. He knew he was demanding a lot from her, and as much as he wished to apologise for it, there was nothing more to be said about the matter. While they might be able to succeed without her approaching Captain Ian Hawthorne, he would likely think both his daughters were dead unless she made an appearance. Her absence would do more harm, perhaps even costing lives as the base commander showed less mercy towards the Theurgy's crew - thinking that Ives killed them both as he might.

"How are you?" he asked simply when they were alone, his tone quiet.

OOC: Link to the TR-120 info: http://memory-beta.wikia.com/wiki/TR-120. Here is also an image of the TR-116, which is roughly what the TR-120 would look like (I'd imagine): http://vignette3.wikia.nocookie.net/startrekandromeda/images/2/2c/TR-116.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20090629035814
 

Re: DAY 06: For Sake of the Galaxy [1500 hrs.]

Reply #17 –
[ Cameron Henshaw | Conference Lounge | Deck 01 | USS Theurgy ] Attn: Jien Ives

Henshaw watched the collected senior staff and guests leave as Ives suddenly brought her back to her position as he requested her to remain for a moment. Her eyes crossed his and she nodded silently as she waited for everyone to be out of the room. It seemed like the captain had the same idea as he asked his rather concerned question. She tried to relax a little as she shrugged silently and looked down to the floor "Hard to tell really..." she said clearly before she walked over to the table and sat on it with one leg still supporting herself on the ground.

"I guess I'm okay, yet I'm a bit nervous about the upcoming mission. I've taken my time to prepare myself for confronting..." her voice broke off in the middle of the sentence as she tilted her head a little "I'm just not sure how he'll react..." she continued before she looked up into Ives his eyes "And that really scares me." she admitted "I'm supposed to tell him he lost his daughter, my sister." her face pulled together a little before she frowned "I'm just not sure if he'll lose it at that point or not... I just know I'll need to try and comfort him. To set him at ease so he won't do anything rash." she concluded. It was how Cameron foresaw the situation, how she had planned it. Of course, the truth could be much more uglier than she just portrayed. In fact she might even have to change her whole approach depending on the situation.

She looked at Ives' eyes before she sighed softly and tried to put up a smile for him "What about you? How are you holding together?" she asked softly, her hand coming to rest on his shoulder as a sign of support and sympathy "We haven't been able to talk about the aftermath of Opal. I think that Lin Kae's actions... They must've struck you pretty hard." she continued as it was a shocker for her to see how one of the officers that had been with them for the entire journey seemed to just flip sides.

Re: DAY 06: For Sake of the Galaxy [1500 hrs.]

Reply #18 –
It seemed to Jien that Cameron had been dwelling quite a bit on the coming confrontation with her father after their last meeting, but he did find it fortunate that she was able to talk about her own fears and what she felt like she had to do. It meant that she was at a stage where she took a constructive approach to it instead of pushing such thoughts away. Hearing her, Jien felt confident that she would be able to handle it, and he was about to say as much before she changed the topic - asking how he fared instead. Truly, her focus on his well-being regardless of her own plights were both endearing and a testament to her aptitude for the Yeoman position.

She brought up Lin Kae, which was a bit of a sore topic, but since there had been two days since the betrayal, Jien found that he could speak of it without too much difficulty. Cameron's hand on his shoulder where he sat was a reminder of her physical presence as much as her support - that she was truly listening. "Indeed. What happened seemed an echo of the mutiny, and I feared that he might have been more involved with Vasser and T'Rena than the security reports said. There had been no cause for concern, and I am guessing that even you didn't see it coming before it happened," he said, sighing as he raised a hand to pinch the bridge of his nose - weary after a week of constant planning, repairs and drills for the mission at hand. That the visit to the Black Opal had ended the way it did.... it hadn't exactly granted any emotional relief either, with the Romulans, the death of Skye Carver and Kae's betrayal. Mission accomplished, he supposed, supplies and armament gained, but there had been a cost to it.

"Lin Kae," Ives mused, continuing as he dropped his hand, "if there was anything I'd thought he'd be insubordinate about, then it would have pertained to holographic rights. He has always advocated Thea's freedom and right to choose, stood up for her since he unshackled her during the Niga Incident, been adamant about her ability to use her new emitter, and even went so far as to enable her to carry out an unsanctioned mission to try and restore the Calamity A.I:s sub-routines. Thea failed, but Kae had made sure her mobile emitter did not carry any tactical data, should she have been captured aboard the Calamity.  At the Black Opal, however..."

Jien shook his head, clenching his jaw as he thought about it. "Thea was down there on the Opal when Kae locked us out, stranding them down there. In a way, he violated Thea's freedom and right to chose, forcing her hand. It was such a... turn from what I had thought about him. I thought I had him figured, and then he goes against the very same thing he has been advocating since he was promoted to his Specialist role. He accused me of not carrng for the losses in our crew, bringing up the name of another Engineer by the name of Ester Hamburg, who was lost down on Theta Eridani IV. Later, when Commander Trent spoke with him, it was also revealed that he had suffered the loss of Soo Young Seung - one of our late Lone Wolves. When Skye Carver died at the Black Opal, it had been the final straw for him, since he had not sought help from Counselling once since our voyage began. To make matters worse, the Romulans happened to show up just then, making his ill-timed actions even worse."

Having said this, Jien took a deep breath, eyes returning to Cam. "I know that Trent might have recommended that you'd speak with Kae after he was released from the Brig, a message likely sent to you yesterday or this morning. You have enough on your plate already, so if you feel that you can't give him the time he needs today, before the mission, then you can always refer him to one of the morale officers in Counselling or Hayden O'Connor herself."

In a way, it had been a good thing to speak about it, sorting out what he'd learned in Trent's report from Kae's hearing. He was not likely going to trust Kae again, ever, but it helped to understand the underlying reasons for the betrayal, instead of the guess-work he'd resorted to before he read it.

Re: DAY 06: For Sake of the Galaxy [1500 hrs.]

Reply #19 –
[ Cameron Henshaw | Conference Lounge | Deck 01 | USS Theurgy ] Attn: Jien Ives

Cameron provided the listening ear for Ives at the moment as he spoke openly to her about how it felt when Lin Kae had turned on him on the bridge. Cameron felt the need to intervene right there as Jien suggested that Kae might have more involvement in the mutiny caused earlier by Vasser and T'Rena. Yet she bide her time to listen to the full thoughts of her captain before jumping the gun. Her eyes met his as her lips pressed together a little as Ives carried on.

Seeing Ives ventilate about the entire ordeal made Cameron feel good, all that pent up frustration, the thoughts, the gears that had been grinding in his head over and over again. She would imagine a man less strong would be pushed to the cliffs of despair if not breakdown. When Ives was done, she spoke up once more "Lin Kae's actions on the bridge were misplaced..." she paused for a second before she tilted her head "Ill timed to say the least... But Captain, from a psychological point of view, I can understand what pushed him there." she continued "The crew has been through a lot, if not more than any crew will ever experience. The loss of at least three loved ones can do some complex damage to a person's psyche." She tried to explain, understanding why Lin Kae had done what he had done, yet she didn't want to encourage his actions.

"As for the arrival of the Romulans, I don't think he could have foreseen that. Fact is however that he put everyone at risk at that time. Something that can't just be ignored. I've noticed the message Trent had sent me to speak to Kae. Yet I haven't found the time for it yet, especially now with the upcoming mission." she paused for a second as she thought about it "I'll try to see if I can talk to him before the mission starts. That is if you'd want me to... I think Hayden would prove quite fitting for the job as well. But perhaps I could build a bond with him, try to figure out exactly how stable he is for future work or missions."

"I mean, in the end. I think he's still our best man when it comes to working with Thea. He's been with her since the start, contributed in so many things for her. Finding someone else to fill in the position would be like searching for a needle in a haystack." she said, trying to prove to Ives that Kae still held some importance to the ship. Even if he did risk it all at that single moment, perhaps it was just a breakdown at that time.  But Cameron felt the need to make sure it was just that, she was supposed to keep her eyes out for anything strange about that crew and she missed Kae's reaction entirely. Somewhere, she felt some sense of guilt on her behalf for it. She looked back at the Ives as she took a deep breath of her own before she continued "Was there anything else that has been on your mind?" she asked softly.

Re: DAY 06: For Sake of the Galaxy [1500 hrs.]

Reply #20 –
Cam spoke truly when she mentioned Lin Kae's unique affinity and know-how about Thea's soft- and hardware. The Bajoran-blooded young man was a genius when it came to holographic programming and emitter tech, having built the unique mobile emitter that Thea now used. It was a bit of a paradox, the invention of that emitter, Kae having built it from the log of the transporter buffer from when the Cala hologram beamed from the upper shuttle bay into the main bridge - killing half the senior staff. Kae had already begun building an emitter for Thea before the Calamity found them the first time, but with the imprint from the transporter buffer, he had been able to finish it in a matter of days down on Theta Eridani IV. Jien supposed that what Kae had done was to copy himself, since he had used a future version of his own invention to finish the prototype. Still, that did not take away from his ingenuity. He was an asset to the crew, but only if he could be trusted with Thea's software again...

"I would not order you to speak with Kae on top of all else you need to do before tomorrow, but if you do feel that you have the time, I would greatly value your opinion about how much he is to be trusted henceforth. If you can't, I am sure Hayden or one of hers can." Jien said this with a weary smile, and perhaps that prompted Cameron's next question, where she asked him if there was ought else troubling him. He glanced towards her, attempting a faint smile... failing.

"I... visited Junior Lieutenant Isley in the Brig yesterday," he said, thus also revealing that he had not spoken with Lin Kae even if he had been in the holding cell next to Isley. "Saw him in the interrogation room, trying to glean... something. I suppose I looked for some sort of clue as to whether or not he is 'Aidoann'; the agent that revealed the Black Opal's coordinates to the Romulans. Since Medical found that he was not half-Vulcan, but half-Romulan, killing Ensign Carver made a little more sense, even if it all remains rather obscure. It makes just a little bit of sense, but not entirely. It is something missing to the puzzle, and I cannot figure out what it all means. The hail from the Romulan warbird was mostly static, but it did sound as if their source was sending them intel from a base... which makes me wonder if Isley has already alerted SB84 about our pending arrival. Alternatively, 'Aidoann' is a second operative, another traitor to Starfleet, or perhaps another Acreth. All that is certain is that Isley killed Carver, regardless the reason, and his true, Romulan nature had been carefully hidden in his genome. What does not sit well with me... is how Isley was truly convincing when he says he doesn't know how it happened, and that he never knew he was Romulan."

Looking towards the top of the table as he spoke, his oaken eyes followed the subtle markings in the surface. "I reason that he is most likely not a Romulan sleeper agent, based on what meagre findings we got, but nonetheless... it is one less Lone-Wolf out there when we reach SB84. He has been demoted and will never be flying again, since he chose to admit to negligence just in order to get out of the Brig. In the eyes of the crew, he was daydreaming, and it cost Carver her life. The real reason, be it medical of technical, is still unknown."

How many were they now? Eight Tactical CONN pilots remaining, after having started out with sixteen when they fled Federation space. How had they lost so many? Though the greatest issue Ives held with Nathaniel Isley being a traitor, agent or murderer was actually something he wasn't keen on telling Cameron. He had needed him after the Niga Incident, to prove to himself that he was the same as before he was infected. He had been intimate with Isley before the incident, in... her female form. And she had sought out Isley down on Theta Eridani IV again, to verify her own sanity. Think of it, she realised that she had changed from male to female form. She blinked, for she had not planned to change, having done so subconsciously when thinking about Isley. She usually made conscious decisions about switching between her two Chosen Forms, but not this time. She glanced towards Cameron, acting as if there was naught amiss.

"Of course, he was not let out on a whim. Isley was stunned and scanned to see whether or not he was like Acreth, but even if the beam worked on him as it should, we still don't know how he ended up killing Carver. He is a liability, and despite me thinking that he speaks the truth, I cannot trust an officer under those circumstances, much less can those left of the Lone Wolves," she said... but she thought of how she had spent almost an hour in the sonic shower after hearing what Isley truly was - cleansing herself as if he had raped her, thinking he had been lying all the way through their voyage so far. The only hint to her real thoughts were the lines around her eyes, and how still she sat and looked towards the table again. How could she ever, in her role as Commanding Officer, admit to anything of the kind? Even if it was Cameron standing beside her, hearing her unspoken words. That the Captain would have bedded a potential Romulan spy and a junior officer was unthinkable, surely fodder enough for another mutiny.

Re: DAY 06: For Sake of the Galaxy [1500 hrs.]

Reply #21 –
Despite her busy preparations for the missions Jien seemed to request that Cameron would be able to go and visit Lin Kae for a counseling session. She had read the reports herself and noticed how the lieutenant had requested for her presence to Carrigan Trent. It had made her frown a little when she had read it herself yet she knew that Ives might make a request out of it. She nodded in silence before she looked at Ives, her brown eyes gazing in his "I'll see if he's available later today or in the evening." she replied. She had always found Kae to be a genius herself as he had worked with Thea and contributed to the never endings improvements of her system. She felt like it was important to figure out if it was just a one time heat of the moment thing or if Kae truly thought that Ives wasn't fit for command. The results of her sessions would possibly hold the future of the lieutenant aboard the ship.

However Kae was only the tip of the iceberg it seemed as Ives continued with Isley. Isley... It had been an incident that she had witnessed from the front row. Starting with the death of Skye Carver accidental or on purpose. She had been at Isley before she brought him to Sickbay, after he had confessed to her that he had trouble sleeping, and suffered from amnesia about certain events. Cameron listened intently to Ives as the captain spoke about the new discovered Romulan aboard their ship. "During the background checks and follow ups after the mutiny... Isley didn't stand out in the crowd, perhaps that was the point as a double agent or deep cover operative. Yet I'd find it hard to believe that he'd be able to send out intel to Starbase 84." she concluded "It would be signing his own death penalty really. Besides, from what I've gathered from talking to him prior to our discovery, I'm under the assumption that he indeed doesn't know about his Romulan descendant. So maybe we should give him the benefit of the doubt? Although, can one truly trust a Romulan? It's a hard puzzle to crack Captain. Especially with the dwindling numbers of CONN officers. Tovarek's idea would help us camouflage the true losses, yet it'll only last that long. Plus the other department heads have proven to be more then resourceful to increase our odds." Cameron said to Ives with a clear and determined voice. " Yet we need to look ahead. There's a critical mission that will require all of us to be attentive and ready for it."

"Captain... The mission ahead might be more important then the problems we have at hand. As far as I can tell, it looks like most of our on board issues are stable and under control. We can focus on the how and why later. If there even is a later after SB 84." she paused as she let the words sink in "As your yeoman and as a counselor... I advise you to take some R&R captain. If only for an hour or two, you need to find peace and serenity before we rush ourselves into the mission. It might sound harsh, but we can't afford you to crack under the pre built up pressure when we start our mission." Carmeron concluded and he stepped closer to Ives, placing her hand on his shoulder and squeezing it firmly.

Re: DAY 06: For Sake of the Galaxy [1500 hrs.]

Reply #22 –
Jien was brought out of her thoughts when Cameron switched the topic, saying that the focus shouldn't be what had happened on the voyage up until that point, but the mission at hand. Her change in topic made Jien realise she was in her female form, which might have been because of the talk of Isley, so she changed back... to his male form. Cameron had her hand on his shoulder, squeezing it, and Jien still felt it there after his shift. Yet he could not stop staring into the fibres of the wooden tabletop. They went both ways. Past and future - connected. The texture of his fate, it seemed, premeditated. It would have been comforting, knowing fate dictated the outcome, and it was not all up to the success of the mission.

"I can't," he said leaning over the table and pinching the bridge of his nose. It was a headache, for certain. His morphogenic matrix needed sustenance like all other living beings, and he was the equivalent to dehydrated. He did not know when he ate last. "There is too much riding on the morrow, and there... The timeline. Ours. It is not set. W-We are drifting."

Jien swallowed, realising that he was not making much sense. He cleared his throat, frowned, and tried again. "Morali said... He said that the present timeline, in which we are challenging the usurpers in Starfleet Command, the future is not set - unknown. He is saying that changes are occurring now as we speak, and that there is a ripple effect, consequences cascading backwards through our timeline as well as ahead of us. Whatever this crew does, this ship, since it escaped the Niga virus, it affects everyone - past and present. Whatever we do, every minuscule little decision may have consequences in both past and future development. The way he described it, it sounded to me like... like we are riding a tidal wave, and as we do it, we are also creating it - fuelling our own momentum. We... We beget the tide, and we ride it, but we are also crashing against the shore. All at once... But we cannot see that shore."

They had to hit the shore at some point. All waves did, unless they subsided into oblivion before that. Jien ran his fingers across the texture of the table. The wooden lines there, running from one end of the long table to the other, they truly represented the comfort of a linear timeline, where he had thought the Starfleet of the centuries to come were fighting to preserve their collective fate. Captain Ducane and all the others, watching out for them in the timestream. No, they were on their own, and he had no idea where they were heading. He, who led them all to potential slaughter. He saw then, that every line in the tablerop might have been one individual on the Theurgy, parallel towards the end... but it was a lie. Jien scowled at the falsehood. Several of those lines ought to have ended along the way. So many dead.

"So very many..." He was speaking, he realised, as if Cameron wasn't there anymore. What Morali had told him had not seemed so upsetting at first, but after a couple of days where he had gathered his thoughts on the revelation, it felt as if he was on top of that tidal wave, heading into an unknown darkness. He swallowed again, and closed his eyes. He did not want to see the tapestry of the timeline lost to them. "They were not supposed to die, but no matter what I do, they are lost, and should that somehow change in the past... I have no way of knowing that they made it through. We are bereft of all positive outcomes, left to suffer the remaining failures... and at present, the failures are too many... the consequences too dire."

The lines in the table mocked him in their non-shifting nature. Looking at them, he didn't know what came over him. He curled his upper lip and soared to his feet, grabbed the edge of the table and flipped it over - making it crash against the floor. Still scowling, he looked out the view of streaming stars - the warp field cutting their way through the subspace of time and place. Chest heaving as he gazed upon them, the shooting stars seemed to swallow them, slowly about to seize them, but somehow, deep down, Jien knew it was just a fickle idea of paranoia. He knew. He knew. It was just his imagination. But it was an idea based on what he had seen on Morali's monitors. They were cut away, adrift, and there was no way of knowing what lay in store for them. Worst of all, was that every single word, every single choice, it could spell the doom for them. It might even alter their present day, all unbeknownst to them all.

Realising he had his fists clenched by his sides, he straightened his fingers, but he could not make his hands relax, and he could not stop looking at the way ahead - knowing that there were no guarantees to be had. No guidance. Just a cast of the die. "I cannot afford to relax. If I falter... we may all plummet to oblivion. I... I cannot bide my time. I cannot forsake the mission ahead. Something might change again.. for the worst. I should not step of the tide of change... I should not..."

He was shaking his head, jaw clenched, and he could not let himself feel the tears that quietly ran down his hard countenance.

Re: DAY 06: For Sake of the Galaxy [1500 hrs.]

Reply #23 –
Regardless of what Cameron did, it seemed like Ives was sunken in this spiral of thoughts. Regardless the yeoman listened to what he had to say. In fact, the words Ives spilled were far more invasive than what she had believed. The ripple effect caused by them due to the decisions and actions they had taken after Niga. Cameron never thought about it up till now as she wondered if anything had changed unbeknownst to her. She let go of Ives as she walked around him and she loosened up her hair, which came cascading down onto her shoulders. She continued to listen as Ives continued the losses they had caused and suffered were weighing on to him. A normal reaction as she couldn't fathom how it would have felt to be responsible of all these lives. Lives which they controlled yet also the lives that were lost due to their survival and actions. It was then that she chose to intervene as Ives started to comment on the failures that they had underwent.

"Jien." she said clearly now, hoping she'd push through him in his head. She was just about to rest both hands on his shoulders, to massage them ever so gently to calm him down. Yet her actions were too late as Ives soared up to his feet. The conference lounge table being launched off the floor before finally returning to it upside down. Cameron took a step back, her breath hitched as she was surprised by the sudden outburst. But she wouldn't let this go unchallenged. "Captain!" she shouted at him now.

It seemed he was lost in the moment, fists clenching before flexing fingers were the result. The tears slowly running down his skin. She stepped up now, seeing her chance as she came and stand before him. Her hands first gripping him by his arms, forcing them to stand down before he'd lash out and possibly hurt her in a frenzy. Once they were back against his body, she let her hands slide up against his cheeks, wiping the tears away while she aimed his head, his eyes towards her. Her own oaken eyes gazing in his "Captain." She repeated as she wanted to make sure that she got his attention. "You need to relax. You need to calm down at least a little before we start our mission." she tried to relay her message through to him yet she feared it would still be blocked out. There was only one last way that she knew might help. Perhaps not a professional approach yet it might pierce through the outer shell.

She tip toed herself to come nearly face to face with Jien, her face slowly coming closer before she kissed him on his lips. Slow at first and keeping his lips against hers as long as it needed before she could feel his jaw relax and hopefully feel him return the kiss to her. She did lose her balance just a little by doing so, causing her to len more in to him, her body now brushing against him while she kept her eyes shut and awaited the outcome.

Re: DAY 06: For Sake of the Galaxy [1500 hrs.]

Reply #24 –
Jien did not acknowledge Cameron's intervention at first, not until she beseeched him a second time and physically pulled his eyes away from the unknown future ahead of them. His gaze had been locked in the distance, trying to see that shore that never came, as if hypnotised by the streaming lights around the warp field. His breathing was rapid, as if he was hyperventilating, but he could not acknowledge the fact. He was at the top of the tidal wave, not knowing whom had drowned in his wake, or who would fall victim to his folly before he reached the shore. Perhaps it was better to stop, and let the tidal wave die out before more innocent lives fell victim to its force. Cease and desist, and fade awa-

Cameron's eyes, entering his field of vision. He had lost sight of the shore. She spoke, but they were mute words. He saw her lips moving, but heard naught but his own rapid breathing, the thunder of his simulated heart. He could not feel anything aside from the ache of his face as his scowl persisted. His hands hurt too, so much he had to close them into fists anew. He wanted to push her away. He had to see... He had to...

Then, she was kissing him, he realised... but he could not reciprocate. He could not loose focus. He felt her lean against him, felt her body fit to his seamlessly, and the set of his cowl lessened. His face had gone numb, hands too, and in this benumbed state, she was there. Lips sealed to his. Her hands on his mimicked uniform. She was truly kissing him, and as if reliving a distant memory, he tilted his head a bit and slanted his lips across hers. It was familiar. And anchor to the present. He was still breathing too fast, and his jaw ached from having clenched his teeth shut. Flexing his sore jaw muscles, he found himself deepening the kiss, and some more of his heart's fortifications were razed.

When he realised that Cameron was there, truly there, her mouth was sealed to his and in competition to his breathing. Seconds passed, and he did find her to be that anchored buoy he needed. He realised he had to seize her in order to get off the imagined wave he rode, and return to the moment. He could not act in reaction to a past unseen or a future unset. He was there, with her, and he had to hold on to her, lest he'd never reach that shore. He had to reach the shore, but he could not foresee the lay of the land. No one could anymore. The moment was all he had, and at the moment, Cameron held him there.

He raised his shaking hands and put them to her head, fingers feeling cold, and he kissed her harder. His heart beat just as quickly, and he tried to breathe through his nose as he kissed her, stealing a breath now and then in the midst of building passion between them. His numb hands trailed down to the sides of her neck, and then to her sides, soon ending up on her hips. Already, he felt his tumescence pressing against her abdomen, but he was not prepared to shift his form yet. Could not shed the layer of clothing he wore. He was too desperate to cling to her and the moment, and shed the fears of yesterday and tomorrow.
 
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