Star Trek: Theurgy

Re: Day 02 [1000 hrs.] Senior Staff Announcement

Reply #25 – August 22, 2017, 12:46:57 PM

[Lieutenant Commander Leon "Striker" Marquez| Conference Lounge | USS Theurgy ]

"During our little pleasure cruise, Resolve ran into several different biohazards, and at some point used them as a crude method of intruder repulsion. It was unethical, but it was an us-or-them situation." Marquez's gravelly voice reported, the corner of his mouth frowned. "We... learned a lot from the encounter and were given some inoculation against what's been floating around." He admitted, recalling the raiders who had attacked Resolve and beamed in contagious pathogens to make it easy for the raiders' boarding parties. The Resolve crew replaced the active ingredient with a humanoid-friendly atmosphere which, in turn was toxic to the aliens, who summarily retreated. The experience was not one Striker cared to repeat, but at the same time, he was thinking how best to deal with the threat of the Devoted, without giving any quarter to them or their cause.

"I'm not advocating the use of those methods to deal with these..." He almost-dismissively made a quotation marks gesture as he coined the term, "'Morali-ists', but if there is any possible way to use the virus itself as a battlefield asset, It would keep them occupied fighting germs instead of our crew; particularly if we wear EVA or hazmat suits." It was true that EVA suits had played a vital role in the firefights on Resolve against the alien raiders and their biological warfare tactics. "We can always give the Devoted a fair trial when the dust settles... assuming *we're* not the dust, on account of their little mutiny."

Striker turned to Tovarek. "The files on some of the viruses and pathogens during our little pleasure cruise were considered high priority and caught a ride off the ship. Ensign Mariner downloaded as many files as he could from the Resolve's computer, including our Doctor's research; Commander Martin will know what to find on those datarods and give your team something to work with." Marquez stated confidently.

Re: Day 02 [1000 hrs.] Senior Staff Announcement

Reply #26 – September 01, 2017, 12:03:50 AM

[ Lt Cmdr. Wenn Cinn | Conference Lounge | Deck 01 | USS Theurgy ] Attn: All

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As the conversations continued, Cinn was determined in his choice to look everywhere but at the young Chief of Operations. Although the points she spoke were good, he couldn’t bring himself to acknowledge her. In the end, he hoped his he could be a bigger man, for now however, pettiness ruled.

“The difficulty here with the devoted is the correct balance. It is not only our duty to protect our people, but also their values. As has been said, any illegal activity will be met with appropriate force, but I cannot and will not subject Starfleet officers to detention solely for their beliefs.” Cinn spoke with the voice of experience, he didn’t feel the need to once again raise the occupation of Bajor, any first-year cadet would be aware of the history of such an event. The oppression of his people and their beliefs still held a weight on his shoulders, as well as the scar on his neck.

“That said…” Cinn began, being his own devil’s advocate “…’the only way to preserve a tolerant society is to be intolerant to intolerance’.” He quoted directly from a philosophy lecture he had attended during his time at Starfleet Academy. Cinn wondered if anyone else would recognize it. He hadn’t taken many philosophy classes, but the ones that did stayed with him.

Watching Ives for a moment, Cinn sought answers from those oaken eyes. “In this, captain, I defer to you.”

Re: Chapter 21: Senior Staff Announcement | Day 02 [1000 Hrs.]

Reply #27 – September 05, 2017, 02:35:34 AM

[ Captain Jien Ives | Conference Lounge | Deck 01 | USS Theurgy ] Attn: All
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Hearing them both explain and suggest matters regarding the Devoted and what might be done, Jien found that overall, it was not a problem so easily addressed. Valid responses all in all, yet none of them certain in result. While somewhat expected, Jien still felt rather disheartened about the prospects for the rest of the day. Already, they had people committed to Sickbay that were victims to the desperate measures of the Devoted. Atrocious acts made in their belief that Morali would lead them to safety. They feared for their lives, their friends and family back home, and as he listened, Jien could not completely shake off the notion that it was his fault that the desperation of the Devoted had grown in such a rampant way.

Five months of isolation, with strict Starfleet protocol and without mission progress. With few answers as to what the enemy truly were, and with countless dead and a mutiny behind them, followed by the failure to transmit both their messages home and the Simulcast - a message meant to redeem them all - Jien did understand why the Devoted had become the threat they were. Could he have done anything different to appease them?

No, in the end, they blamed him for what he'd ordered Morali to undergo in order to continue protecting the crew and preserving the integrity of the mission. He was merely reaping what he'd sown, and there was naught he could do but to face the consequences and deal with the threat he had helped create. Furthermore, since they had faced an outbreak before, it irked Jien to no end that they were - once more - victims to a new virus, without immediate means to address the problem.

So, in the end, when Wenn Cinn deferred to him, Jien's glaze flicked towards the Bajoran, and he stood up from his chair. Doing so, he changed... to her female form, having remained in the same form for quite a long time. Yet even if she did, she did not feel rejuvenated at all. Her mood was too foul to find relief in the change of bodily form.

"Lieutenant Commander Martin," she said, putting her hands on the back of her chair, "take all the help you need to search for an antidote to the virus in your data storage. I know it was a half-baked idea, Mister Marques, but the reports from Doctor Nicander suggest we have no means to either control or use the virus in benefit of dealing with the Devoted - the contagion being too rampant to control - and even if we did, using it as a weapon is a line I will not cross. This, because of the reason that some of those committed to quarantine show serious symptoms, and should we fail to treat them, I am certain their reaction make matters even worse."

Having said as much as she wanted in regard to the virus, she moved on to the Devoted. "Furthermore, Martin, I want you and Lieutenant Tovarek both to speak with Morali. Explore what options are available with him, and send me your report as soon as possible. If the Devoted can be convinced to - like O'Connell suggest - be reminded that any acknowledgement of Morali during our mission might worsen the situation, a few of them might be deterred. A few more, if we all stay true to Starfleet protocol and never let any transgressions go unanswered. The chain of command binds this crew together, and we cannot abide a threat that might tear us all apart. As one crew, we will accept nothing else."

Having said this, Ives looked at them all in turn, before ending the meeting. Neither of them had any time to linger in idle conversation. All departments needed to undergo training, new crew to learn the ropes aboard Thea, and they all needed to be vigilant... lest the Devoted might attempt something of a larger scale. "Dismissed."

- FIN