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CH02: S [D02|0830] The Prospect of New Horizons

[ Lt. Cmdr. Rutherford | Diplomatic Council | Deck 02 | Vector 01 | USS Theurgy ] Attn: @Nesota Kynnovan
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Walking back to the diplomatic council, from her short visit to the intelligence department on Deck 05, Samantha hugged a large PADD tight to her chest, passing other officers with a warm smile, that belied the earliness of the day and the fact that she had been awake since 4 o’clock, when she had snuck out of Commander Fisher’s quarters after … let’s just say: An eventful night, that she had no intention to justify, or qualify, right now. The blonde had jumped right back into action and had devised a plan that she’d gone over together with the other department’s communications specialist, Provisional Warrant Officer Ravenholm, about establishing a secure uplink from the diplomatic council, to the Federation and Starfleet archives. So they could access all the necessary information that Theurgy could not hold in its own memory banks, due to space limitations. It would go a long way in securing her department’s ability to function on a well-informed and researched basis, without having to trouble intelligence for every little shred of readily available information. And it would go an equally long way of distracting her.

Approaching the turbolift on Deck 05, the diplomat sidestepped dutifully, as other members of the crew exited the cart, which had just arrived, before entering it herself. “Deck 02.” The blond ordered, as the doors swooshed shut. She was alone for the ride and took the short moment to catch a deep breath. Falling back onto procedures and department matters, was a pillow of comfort and familiarity that could still pave over the deepest of doubts and questions. And as the doors slid open once more, she was finally only a few steps away from the familiarity of her own safe haven, in the form of the former flag bridge. It was still early, as she arrived, so she didn’t expect many of her staff to be present yet, since their shift only started at 0900 hours. But as she entered, Samantha could already find a few aids and Ensign L’Nari, working diligently at their respective workstations. “Good morning.” she chimed calmly, making her way through the room, not letting anything of her private tribulations, or the happenings of the evening before, when a bomb went off in the spearhead lounge, reflect upon the work environment she honed so intently. Arriving at her desk, centered among the others, the blonde gently placed her PADD down, before sliding into the comfortable chair behind it.

Propping the portable computer up on its integrated stand, a keyboard appearing in neon reflections on the glass desk before her, the commander pulled up her latest reports. Not quite diverting her attention, she tapped the call button on the small replicator pad, that she had engineering install in one corner of her desk, to alert the computer: “A large cup of Raktajino.” she ordered, with the beverage immediately materializing. And without even as much as looking up from her work, she fished for the handle and sipped the third mug of caffein of the day. After all, she had been up a considerable amount of time. But before she could open an intelligence report, that Andrew had forwarded her, Samantha noticed someone approaching. Looking up with raised brows at the slight surprise, the blonde gave L’Nari a pleasant, yet expectant smile. Waiting for the reasoning to transpire, as to why she was in so early, and most importantly, at her boss' desk. 

Re: CH02: S [D02|0830] The Prospect of New Horizons

Reply #1 –
[Ensign L'Nari | Diplomatic Council | Deck 02 | Vector 01 | USS Theurgy] Attn: @stardust
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As she was sitting at her workstation, quietly pulling up information relevant to what she happened to overhear earlier that morning, Ensign L’Nari didn’t really felt at ease. The words of Commander Rutherford, about the diplomatic detachment being judged as a whole, were still very fresh in her mind and the black-furred Caitian had little doubt that Faye told the Commander about her little mistake just the day before; the little incident where she almost missed the launch of the USS Theurgy because she was in the middle of a fur care treatment. It had been bad enough that Faye had to come get her because she wasn’t wearing her communicator, or anything else for that matter, but after the explosion in the spearhead lounge last night L’Nari was rightfully worried that the Chief Diplomatic Officer might not be in the right mood to deal with her mistakes.

In an attempt to placate Commander Rutherford in advance and to show that, despite what happened the other day, she did take her duties as Diplomatic Attaché seriously, L’Nari decided to show up at the Diplomatic Council an hour early to put in some extra work. As a result, the black-furred Caitian had found herself walking the hallways of the USS Theurgy at one of the most quiet moments of the morning; an hour before the shift change, when the Alpha shift was tired and looking forward to getting relieved, and the Beta shift was still in the process of waking up. That was probably why, when she happened to come across three Klingons in the hallway whom were part of Chancellor Martok’s entourage, they suddenly cut off their conversation and initially looked at her with the kind of suspicion and mistrust that ended up drawing L’Nari’s curiosity. It was likely that they didn’t perceive her, a young Caitian walking the hallway with a large cup of warm milk, as a threat though because they chose to quickly finish their conversation in a hushed tone.

Under normal circumstances, they would have likely cut off their conversation as soon as L’Nari would have reached for her universal translator. It was just bad luck on their part that L’Nari, that harmless young Caitian whom walked the hallway with a large cup of warm milk, happened to speak Klingon and didn’t need a universal translator to overhear the last part of their conversation as she passed them on her way to the Diplomatic Council.

And that was the other reason why Ensign L’Nari didn’t really felt at ease. After accessing what information she could at her security clearance and cross-referencing keywords to verify what she’d overheard, the black-furred Caitian realized she stumbled upon something important. Apparently, General Chu’vok intercepted a transmission from a Klingon known as Gorka, in which he told his younger sister Eriska that it was time for Daa’maq to rot in Sto-vo-kor. If she’d overheard the conversation between those three Klingons correctly however, or rather the tone of their conversation, it was possible that there was some confusion as to the validity of the intercepted transmission.

While part of her really didn’t want to get involved, particularly because she only caught the last part of a hushed conversation and failed to overhear the full story, L’Nari was unsure. According to everything she’d learned however, both at the Starfleet Academy and in her three short years as a Diplomatic Attaché, the best course of action would be to pass those kind of things on to the Chain of Command to let them decide whether or not it was worth getting involved. As such, when Commander Rutherford entered the Diplomatic Council with a calm ”Good morning.”, L’Nari took a deep breath to collect her nerves before getting up and approaching the Chief Diplomatic Officer’s desk.

She could see how Commander Rutherford ordered a cup of Raktajino, and it actually put L’Nari’s mind at ease a little bit to see how the Commander took a sip. Another thing the black-furred Caitian had learned over the years was that Humans weren’t particularly good at handling potential bad news in the morning, at least not before they had their first cup of raktajino. “Good morning ma’am.” As she spoke with her slightly Caitian-accented voice, including the rolling “R”, L’Nari presented her commanding officer with a friendly smile. “I’m sorry to bother you this early in the morning, but I happened to overhear something on my way to the Diplomatic Council earlier this morning. You might want to read it.” L’Nari lowered the tone of her voice a little bit and, as she spoke, she handed her PADD to Commander Rutherford so the woman could read the information and cross-references she pulled to verify the story. “It’s about something General Chu’vok intercepted...”

Re: CH02: S [D02|0830] The Prospect of New Horizons

Reply #2 –
[ Lt. Cmdr. Rutherford | Diplomatic Council | Deck 02 | Vector 01 | USS Theurgy ] Attn: @Nesota Kynnovan
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When Samantha had addressed the Diplomatic Council, a little bit more than a week ago, she had still been stricken with the novelty of the situation and the jitters in her joints and muscles, it reciprocated. It had only been almost twenty-four hours then, since she’d been appointed Chief Diplomatic Officer, upon her arrival on the USS Theurgy. Something that had been a huge surprise, in a series of huge surprises, ever since Admiral Anderson had contacted her, back on Starbase 133. Sure, she had had subordinates before, even just as an assistant chief, but never had the weight of an entire department been bestowed upon her, let alone on a mission as critical as the one they were currently on. A journey she had only recently joined, but by now felt wholly engulfed in and committed to. It was seemingly a rite of passage, that infected everyone with a determination and communality, that she had not encountered before, in any of her postings. Yet something as intimate and versant as her marriage had been – probably the closest feeling in comparison to the connection she felt to the cause and the crew of this ship.

And while she had debated the approach of her initial introductions, a couple of times since, the commander was still very adamant on keeping a sense of order and detachment from her subordinates, to ensure that she could be the objective voice of reason in any given situation, concerning internal matters of the department. Which was what she figured to be expected from her. But, added to that, she had implemented the warmth and confidence of someone, they could come to, if they had trouble with their assignments or workspace. After all, as she had said in the intro, they functioned as a team and were only as good as the weakest link, as the old earth mantra went. So, in summary, she had moulded well into her new responsibilities, over the short amount of time, being thrown into the cold water, which was kind of how she also intended to inspire the rest of the council, to find their inner glory. By sending them off on their own little errands, finding their own resources and grooming that confidence in their own abilities, to tackle the matters she laid out as a framework. Since she had also said, she was not going to micromanage them. But little did the blonde know, that someone rather unlikely had actually taken those words quite to heart.

“Ensign.” she replied well-mannered, swallowing the sip of coffee first, albeit in a slightly rushed notion. It seemed like L’Nari being early was not the only surprise of the still fresh day. Noting the hushed town, as the Caitian continued, Samantha was both intrigued by the information relayed as well as the sentiment with which it was. Prompting her to take a skeptical look around the circular room, trying to gauge any potential on-listeners that shouldn’t be privy to this conversation. Coming to the conclusion that the Diplomatic council was still one of the most secure areas of the ship, what information and privacy was concerned. Second likely only to the main bridge and it’s battle dependencies. Watching the PADD being lowered to her desk, the diplomat temporarily put her own into standby and then placed L’Nari’s on top of her virtual keyboard. Reading through the information provided, the officer’s interest was instantly piqued, as was evident on the slight upward twitch of her right eyebrow, a very Vulcan notion. Taking a moment to appraise the Ensigns own cross-references and background checks, the fact that she was impressed with the work only fell victim to the heavy realisation of the gravity, this news entailed.

“That’s certainly a mood killer.” With that earth saying, the blonde looked across the room for a moment, in deep thoughts over the strategic implications and dangers. But quickly realizing that she was zoning out of the situation. “Excellent work doing the background scan on this. I don’t think there are any means available to us to readily check the accuracy of these claims. But given the fact that the information was not fed to you, but rather presented accidentally, speaks to its potential veracity. But I will still send a copy to Intelligence, to see whether they can add some reassurances.” the diplomat pondered, handing the PADD back to the Ensign after copying the data to her own, swiftly. Leaning back in her chair, the hinges reacting with an every so light noise, Samantha took a deep breath, letting the key facts sink in once more. “Damn … what do you think our best approach would be?” Diverting her full attention back to L’Nari, the seasoned diplomat had of course already made up her mind about the best course of action. But if it so should align with what the Ensign thought, why not should she give her the benefit of getting there by herself?!

Re: CH02: S [D02|0830] The Prospect of New Horizons

Reply #3 –
[Ensign L'Nari | Diplomatic Council | Deck 02 | Vector 01 | USS Theurgy] Attn: @stardust
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While she knew that she had stumbled onto something important as she was doing her research, listening to Commander Rutherford confirmed L’Nari’s suspicions that this might be something larger than she initially anticipated. She hadn’t felt at ease over this before, but a potential reprimand for almost missing the USS Theurgy’s launch seemed almost trivial now, or at least the black-furred Caitian hoped it would, as she watched how the Chief Diplomatic Officer copied the data and mentioned sending it to the Intelligence Department. It seemed like more people were about to get involved in this now that the Commander decided to pursue the information and, while there had been some doubt in L’Nari’s mind as to whether she wanted to get involved or not, the other woman’s compliments for work well done effectively put those doubts to rest.

”Our best approach?” L’Nari repeated part of the Commander’s words in surprise that her opinion was even considered. At the embassy of the United Federation of Planets in Paris, her opinion hadn’t really been relevant to ongoing affairs and it was only seldom asked for as she was considered to be just another low-level Diplomatic Attaché. To hear that she was now plainly asked for her thoughts on something actually important caught the black-furred Caitian off-guard, but a smile soon began to adorn her face as L’Nari quickly regained her composure.

After all, just because she wasn’t used to her opinion actually being considered didn’t mean that L’Nari take any initiative. As she had cross-referenced keywords and names to verify what she overheard earlier that morning, the black-furred Ensign allowed her mind to roam and come up with ideas just in case Commander Rutherford would decide to pursue the information. ”Well... I think that the Klingons are conflicted about the validity of the intercepted transmission.” While she spoke, L’Nari’s Caitian-accented voice began to show a hint of excitement about finally being allowed to share her thoughts. ”If we were to act on it while they sit idly and that transmission turns out to be real, we stand to gain.” The young Caitian made sure to keep a hushed tone of voice and briefly looked around the still half-empty Diplomatic Council before continuing. ”I mean, I cross-referenced Daa’maq in our database and I found that Daa’maq, son of Faa’rag, is the leader of House Daa’maq. Their warriors are known to be amongst the most ferocious in the Klingon Empire, surely it would mean something if we save Daa’maq’s life. In the best case scenario the information is valid and we earn a friend. If the information turns out to be false, we nevertheless show that our Intelligence Department is on par with theirs and earn some respect.”

Re: CH02: S [D02|0830] The Prospect of New Horizons

Reply #4 –
[ Lt. Cmdr. Rutherford | Diplomatic Council | Deck 02 | Vector 01 | USS Theurgy ] Attn: @Nesota Kynnovan
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The confusion, with which the Caitian ensign at first digested the prompt to divulge their own take on the matters, Samantha let a warm smile cross her usually controlled and clean features. A Vulcan trait she persistently weaved into her professional dealings. But then there was also the infectious excitement that transcended that part of her genealogy. Excitement for the interpersonal science of diplomacy and the payoff it could wield, when all the neatly planned out dominos fell into place. Something she was exceedingly delighted to see manifest in the young attaché. A graceful nod, reassuring the other woman’s plight, the diplomat coaxed forth the revelations slowly forming within her subordinate. Which was probably as rewarding for her as it was for the Caitian.

Gratifying the truthful statement about the Klingons with a nod and a chuckle, that underlined her appreciation for the understatement, the blonde let the Ensign continue her thought process without interruption. Focusing her blue eyes on her, as a rather intriguing argument was presented, the element of providence. Orbs slightly narrowed, already pushing that possibility onward in her trained mind, the commander was still able to multi-task enough to take in the facts, subsequently presented, in stride as well. “I wouldn’t even go as far as to consider Daa’maq a friend of Martok’s … or whatever the Klingon equivalent would be. Though, with certainty, if this assassination plot was foiled, not only the chancellor would gain a valuable ally.”

Propping her chin up on manicured fingers, curled in against her palm, the diplomat took a moment longer to process the information provided. It was evident that they could neither let this opportunity pass by nor the window of advantage they had over Martok’s posse coming to a conclusion of their own. “With a runabout you might be able to get into communication range with Daa’maq’s ship in time! Warn him, and coax his allegiance to Martok out of him under the oath of honor. As he will be in your debt, if you play your cards right.” Nodding to herself, as the plan started to come together, Samantha had no quarrels leaving it in the capable hands of L’Nari, who had found the evidence, after all, so she at least deserved a front row seat to the show. “I will brief Lieutenant Foval, to accompany you. He’ll serve as the mission CO while you should have operational oversight.”

Re: CH02: S [D02|0830] The Prospect of New Horizons

Reply #5 –
[Ensign L'Nari | Diplomatic Council | Deck 02 | Vector 01 | USS Theurgy] Attn: @stardust
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An excited smile began to appear on L’Nari’s face as she listened to Commander Rutherford but, upon hearing that she was assigned to this mission along with Lieutenant Foval, the black furred Caitian’s enthusiasm wavered a little bit in the wake of her surprise. When she presented the Chief Diplomatic Officer with her opinion on this matter, the young Ensign was under the impression that her idea would get passed along to Starfleet Intelligence so they could base a possible operation on it; not even in her wildest fantasies could she have imagined that she would get sent into the field like that.

It wasn’t like she didn’t appreciate the immense vote of confidence in her abilities, but L’Nari was used to being part of the support staff as opposed to the operational staff that would go out in the field. Regardless, the young Caitian quickly overcame her surprise and regained her composure with an excited nod. ”Yes ma’am, understood.” The excitement in her hushed, Caitian-accented voice only further accentuated the grin on her face as she spoke. ”I’ll go back to my quarters to prepare a duffle bag for this mission.” With those words, L’Nari began to move off; only to hold her pace in the middle of a step and turn around again. ”Ma’am, could you please authorize the use of the runabout to the Shuttlebay Manager? I’ll prepare the runabout while you brief Lieutenant Foval, so we’ll be ready to leave by the time he gets one foot aboard.”

Re: CH02: S [D02|0830] The Prospect of New Horizons

Reply #6 –
[ Lt. Cmdr. Rutherford | Diplomatic Council | Deck 02 | Vector 01 | USS Theurgy ] Attn: @Nesota Kynnovan
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There was a time in every woman’s lifer, where she had to take control of her own fate. That was probably the biggest take-away Samantha had internalized, from growing up under a Starfleet admiral. A sentiment only compounded, by recent developments in relation to the Breen rearmament and her general displeasure with how intelligence ran their own show. Not Andrew specifically, granted, she had sorted that misconception out, but with how the community treated information like their birthright.

So, when one of her own, young and bright, had stumbled across a big revelation such as this one, if only by mere chance, she had no intention to make this an intelligence operation. They would get their foot in by relaying additional information once the shuttle was on route, so they’d not be sitting back idly, but this was, as of now, a diplomatic mission. With all the bells and whistles. She understood L’Nari’s visible surprise. Maybe that was not how other CDO’s ran their departments. Maybe that was not how she’d been brought up as an officer. But it was the reality they were in now, with everyone on their tails, intent on taking the one beacon of truth down that could unravel the whole thing.

Nodding with an encouraging, yet detached smile, Samantha appreciated the ensign’s enthusiasm. It would undoubtedly serve her will in the journey to come. “Make it so.” She replied, vocal cords almost vibrating with the faint rustling of a smirk. Diverting her attention back to the PADD she was using as a portable computer, turning the holographic keyboard back on, the blonde readily noticed the Caitian stopping dead in her tracks. Looking up with momentary surprise, brows raised lightly, the pleasurable smile soon returned at the delayed request.

“It will be fueled up and ready once you arrive.” she dismissed, now a full fledge chuckle, lining her words, as she waved the dark-haired woman off gently. Returning back to her own work, pulling up a department request for said runabout, the diplomat was thus greeted with a new intel package in her departmental exchange bin. A small notation by his truly, mere minutes ago, as he had obviously woken eventually too … and was already back at work. She shook her head with a delighted, almost bashful smile. But as she read the contents of the package, Andrew relaying this plot like an olive-branch, after the happenings of the day prior, the commander felt pretty bad about herself, for not having extended a similar sentiment just minutes earlier.

But, the notion of remorse was a fleeting one, always had been, as cogs and wheels turned into motion setting afoot the plan to find and rescue, this supposed grandson. “Rutherford to Ensign Danvers … please prepare for an away mission departure at 1500 hours. More information once you get here.” she chimed into the com, not caring if she’d just jostled the Betazoid woman out of bed. It seemed like ensign L’Nari wasn’t the only one getting her feet wet today. But with Foval gone too and Brogan naught but a distant dream, who would keep the department running? “Um, crewman Swanson, can I have a word?” she beckoned suggestively, waving at the administrative aid across the room … the only other person who had showed up this early. Their fault.


FIN
 
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