Support Operations Briefing

Posted on 21 Mar 2014 @ 8:30pm by Lieutenant Commander Amynta Markos & Verity Thorne & Chief Petty Officer Lyras Ueda & Petty Officer 1st Class Siren Hex Saalm

1,463 words; about a 7 minute read

Mission: Episode 06 - Legend of Souls
Location: USS Galileo - Deck 7, Observation Lounge
Timeline: MD -07 - 1100 hrs

[ON]

Lt. Amynta Markos sat back in the chair, the PADDs on the table and a coffee in her hand. She had spent the last hour going over the briefing for the senior staff in her mind. And getting what she needed. Her department had diplomats, observers and even the Chaplain. Well, that was what it was. She glanced up and gave a nod as the first person from the department she was responsible for arrived.

The first to arrive seemed to be the silent, yet judgmental diplomatic officer. Having spent most of his morning in the depths of his morning rituals, he was as well-composed as ever. He nodded a greeting in return, choosing a seat nearby, and setting his PADD in front of him to await for the others.

"Back to work," Verity Thorne gave a smile to the others as he moved in, the Chaplain refreshed from his shoreleave and a visit back to his native London.

"No rest for the wicked, is that it, Chaplain?" Siren teased as she followed him in, moving to slip down into her seat with a wry smile.

"None at all, Hex, none what so ever," Verity gave a theatrical sigh, shaking his head as he took a seat.

Amynta arched an eyebrow, a small smile tugging at her painted lips. "Then we are very, very wicked..." she said lightly.

Once everyone was there, Amynta sat back to observe them. "Well. We are going to have a nice little meeting to discuss what the Galileo is doing right now. We are travelling to Deep Space 9 to pick up some people..." she let them all absorb it before frowning. "We're going to go to the Lyshan system after that. It's a...Federation-Cardassian mining colony there on Lyshan III. And they claim to have seen...ghosts. Now, it can be anything. That's not really our concern, that is for the eggheads to find out. But what concerns us is that this colony is a joint operation and we will be dealing with the Cardassians. Which can be...tricky. Both diplomatic speaking, and just in general. Questions?"

"Wait, wait, wait...." Verity leant forward with surprise, resting an arm on the table. "Ghosts? Spirits?"

Amynta met his eyes, chuckling. "Trust the Chaplain to focus on that..." she said, but it wasn't mocking. It was almost fondly. "I call it ghosts. The words used in the briefing was metaphysical manifestations. There's some strange underground rock formations too and inconsistent sensor readings. It is what the Galileo's scientists will investigate."

Verity arched an eyebrow, sitting back with interest as he thought on it. A little ghost mystery to match. "You never know."

Amynta looked at him before giving a weak shrug. "That is more your area of expertise, Chaplain," she said, with a small smile.

"... Metaphysical manifestations aside..." Lyras leaned forward, brow raised. "Cardassians? Do we know how ah... unsettled the mining staff is?" The diplomat knew very well that, since the end of the war, the Federation had been trying to regain alliances and make amends with those formerly of the Dominion forces. But, fifteen years was not long enough to alleviate any prejudices or fears from either side. It could have caused some unforeseen stress and tension.

Amynta watched Lyras, her eyes darkening slightly. "Apparently it is quite unsettling for them. Personally, I believe someone who can work with Cardassians must have nerves to steel. And that is really why I brought us all here. We have to be very careful. The scientists will do their things and be happy with it. We, however, must watch for treachery. And keep balancing the line between suspicion...and diplomacy."

"If it's a joint Federation venture, do you think we have at least some reliable sources on the ground?" Siren asked with a frown, glancing to the PADD and looking it over.

"I looked into that. None that have been listed by SI," Amynta said with a slight frown, considering it. "We might have to get our own contacts there on the day. But if you can, Hex, I think you should dig and see if we have ever had anyone down there, and if so, are they still there."

Siren nodded, making a note of it. "And if there's no safe sources, plan B, poke the local Federation people down there," she nodded, already knowing the drill. "What about the Cardassians down there? Are we trusting them, or treating them as unsafe?" she asked bluntly, meeting Amynta's eyes.

"I won't trust a Cardassian with the safety of this crew," Amynta's voice sounded harsh, ugly even, in its firmness. "Trust them with nothing."

Ah yes, the old Cardassian prejudice. Lyras gave it a thought before opening his mouth again. "So, diplomatically balancing a sense of peace while keeping them at arm's length." He mused the thought aloud. "Would there be a need to sort of... pacify the workers? Regardless of the help we receive from the Federation colonists, if we're harboring such suspicions, whether they be obvious suspicions or not, I don't foresee Cardassians being nearly as forthcoming to anyone they don't know..."

Siren glanced to Amynta. She knew how she felt about Cardassians, and why. "Well, from the sounds of it, they've called us to help them, right? Pretty much, anyway. Frankly, does it matter if they trust us? All I'm worried about is whether we can trust them," Siren pointed to her PADD. "With what they want from us, and how close what they're telling us is going on down there tallies up with what really is going on down there," she shrugged with a half smile. "Guess that's why I'm not a diplomat," she added with a chuckle.

"It is a joint operation, I don't quite see why that would be an issue... on the surface." Lyras fell silent for a long moment, as if he felt a little out of place speaking up. "A 'ghostly disturbance,' so to speak, could be easily nodded off as a mechanical error, or extreme stress levels. If they're as forthcoming in person as they are by report, then our work would be much easier, but if there is a degree of skepticism from any member of the crew as the science teams do their investigations, we may see their 'true colors,' Cardassian or otherwise."

He gave a reassuring smile to Siren, despite hesitations. "But that would be why there are so many different minds on the Galileo, to see things from all angles."

"And why you are in my department," Amynta added in, her eyes shining. "Because I can't walk around trying to be all nice when I don't trust someone. But you have to. So really..." she gestured towards Lyras. "You can enjoy your hours of social conversation with the Cardassians, while we try and pick apart to see if they have anything nasty planned against the Galileo crew. I am hoping that Security might pay attention and jump in if something bad happens. Chaplain....I think you would be best talking to the miners individually if you have time. Faith might be something that can be used. I don't ask you to spy, only to report anything that is suspicious. Ueda...keep sweet talking. Myself and Hex will try and look behind the scenes, but I suspect the Cardassians will be as forthcoming with us as we are with them in this. Old habits die hard." And she suspected that if the Cardassians saw where she came from, she would be considered a threat.

Verity nodded quickly, taking a breath. "I must confess to being curious. I'd be more than happy to talk to them and try and understand what they're experiencing."

Siren nodded to the Chaplain before looking to Amynta. "You and me prepare for a little field work then?" she asked with a small smile. "Shallow, of course, nothing...deep."

'Sweet talking' was what he seemed to do best. "Yes ma'am." While he doubted the Cardassians, or any of the miners for that matter, had a whole rebellion planned, he did have his own reservations on the matter. He would be grateful for any security detail while he was doing his job.

Amynta nodded to Siren, a small smile coming to her face. "Nothing too deep. We will all just have to dance the dance," she said and watched them all. "So unless there is anything else...you can all get back to whatever you were doing."


OFF:

Lieutenant Amynta Markos
Chief Intelligence Officer
USS Galileo

Petty Officer 1rst Class Lyras Ueda
Diplomatic Officer
USS Galileo
[PNPC - Kita]

PO2 Siren Hex
Intelligence
USS Galileo
[PNPC - Blake]

PO1 Verity Thorne
Chaplain
USS Galileo
[PNPC - Blake]

RSS Feed