Statecraft (Part 2 of 3)

Posted on 22 Mar 2015 @ 7:53pm by Rear Admiral Lirha Saalm & Commander Norvi Stace & Commander Allyndra illm Warraquim & Lieutenant Benice Gyce Ph.D. & Senior Chief Petty Officer Keval zh'Erinov & Ensign Jaana Voutilainen & Lieutenant Jared Nicholas & Commander Luke Wyatt & Lieutenant JG Grayson Jones & Ensign K'os Beaumont & Ensign Arandon Khnailmnae Ph.D. & Lieutenant Olsam Mott & Laeon Wylde & Lieutenant JG Drusilla McCarthy & Lieutenant Prudence Devin Ph.D. & Captain Jonathan Holliday & Command Master Chief Markum Quinn & Lieutenant Tuula Voutilainen M.D. & Jonah Chaparral M.D.

3,791 words; about a 19 minute read

Mission: Episode 08 - NIMBUS
Location: Sector 053 "Chi'Dan" - Task Force 21.5
Timeline: MD 01 - 0855 hrs

Previously, on Statecraft (Part 1)...

"Thanks for that," Harlowe said, shaking his head at the science station of the ship, his tall body leaning slightly over so his hands could rest on the console. "Now I am hungry."

"I am sure we can get some food in," Markos said lightly, arching an eyebrow with a small smile. "Have a bit of a party. Afterwords. We will treat the Klingons decent, on our own terms."

And Now, the Continuation...

[ON]

USS Galileo

Norvi sat next to Allyndra on the bridge as the streams of starlight pulled back to reveal a static blanket of pin-pricks about them. Stace then turned to her executive officer and scrunched up her nose to indicate she take the lead.

Allyndra nodded quietly as her Captain gave that response. She was glad for she had been busy in the lab and then her bridge duties and right now she would normally have been sleeping but the arrival meant she had to be here and look like she was awake and alert. Well perhaps once they got the initial meet over with she could as some of the enlisted called it 'get some rack time.'

Wintrow sat stiffly in his seat, his hands resting on his console now that he'd let the ship drop out of warp. "Speed and heading ma'am?" he asked quietly, while reducing speed to full impulse as he waited for a course correction.

Allyndra shifted her gaze to the navigator. Win had been quite silent in his duties and seemed ever more stiff since his encounter with the Orions. She had not said anything and only hoped that he had sought out Counseling. She made a mental note to talk to Prudence about him.

"Match the distance and heading of the Fleet, Cadet," Stace called out, activating the viewscreen herself for the entire bridge to see. Before them all the steely grey visage of the Starfleet vessels loomed in the foreground, all dropping out of warp and moving towards the determined coordinates almost like a single collective unit.

"Mr. zh'Erinov, signal to the Atlas that we have arrived in the system and then scan the area. Let's see what we have here." Stace looked expectantly over to her right at the front of the bridge her Ops crewman.

It took a few seconds for Keval to respond, he'd been focusing on the console in front of him, both antennae curled forward in concentration. "Yes ma'am," the Andorian said, "Signalling them now and I believe there are cloaked ships in the area."

"Lieutenant Benice," Stace then furrowed her brow. "Can you help be more specific?"

"Chronoton particles. Klingons use chronoton in their cloaks, unless Romulans are stealing that technology," Gyce confirmed. "It would appear that our Klingon guests have also arrived."

Stace then looked fondly over to her Science I station in front of the viewscreen. She had to admit, the command chair felt a little more comfortable but it felt odd not being sat in front, looking over the sensor data herself. She turned to face her central command console to bring up the readings herself as she was used to but then stopped herself short. You can't see the full jigsaw puzzle if you're staring at just one of the pieces. "Lieutenant Nicholas?"

"Solving puzzles is my specialty St, er Captain. We'll have everything put together when its time. Don' worry." Jared said.

"Have we gotten the array modified?" Allyndra asked. "It might be a way to give the idea a test especially since we already know they are there?"

"Let's not tip our hand just yet," Stace replied to her executive officer, regarding her with a sideways glance and a wry smile before returning her attention back to the viewscreen. "Remember this is, after all, a diplomatic mission. As well as a learning curve for us. I wouldn't want any sudden anomalous readings screaming out of their own control panels just yet. Diplomatic delicacy is warranted. But don't forget, this is a game. And I want to win it."

Jaana looked around her before returning her attention at the console. She was nervous. They'd all worked hard the last few days to get their plan working, but without being able to test it in real. She went through the data at her station. On one side she had the standard scans of their surroundings running and on the other side the specs of the array that she was memorising. It still felt odd to be on the bridge, although she was happy she was behind the Science II station and not a tactical station.

Luke, spending most of his time under a mountain of PaDD Work and other needy jobs found the opportunity to get some bridge time and a little action unmissable chance to do the thing's he enjoyed most as a Marine. Looking around the Command staff was much different to what he would usually see especially the Ships Captain but he had full confidence in Stace, and the rest of the crew of the current Galileos manifest.

"We have an incoming message from the Atlas," Keval said, putting it on the speakers on the Bridge without being ordered to do so.

Lirha's voice came through the speakers crisp and clean with a set of basic instructions for the task group. "All vessels, this is Saalm. We've spotted one Negh'Var-class dreadnought and there may be more Klingon starships nearby. Maintain standard formation and current position, and stay at green alert," she said.

"Might have given our colleagues a bit of a scare had we activated our 'secret weapon'," Stace then intimated, smiling to Allyndra. "Mr. Keval, relay our response."

^=^This is the Galileo,^=^ Keval replied,^=^ your message is understood and we are on green alert and are motioning things closely.^=^

"Adjusting speed and heading to stay with formation," Wintrow reported as he made minor adjustments to their course.

"She is a big," Allyndra nodded as the main Klingon ship appeared.

"Impressive," Stace agreed, keeping her eye trained on the colossal structure looming forth on the viewscreen. "I've never suffered from size-envy before but I sure feel a little inferior moving towards it. Makes you wonder what the Klingons are making up for the the trouser department. Has any of you ever served on a Klingon vessel before?"

"I had the pleasant experience during the war for a short time but only as a Marine, nothing spectacular" Luke nodded the Klingon ship was certainly impressive and a head on assault would most definitely be a crushing blow but wars were not simply waged by bigger guns and his mind was already pouring over years of tactics and experience on how the Galileo and her task force could win.

"I've never served on one," Gyce admitted with envy. "But I have gotten to be part of a SCIS team that worked jointly with the KDF's security. Case is going to court soon, so I can't really say much about that experience. The Bird of Prey is a nice ship, though."

"I've never been on a Klingon ship." Wintrow turned to look over his shoulder. "Do you think we'll get a chance to look inside one?"


Main Engineering

Grayson took this time to get the Engineering crew to work, "Alright team, standard maintenance schedules, cycle the warp plasma and I want diagnostics on the deflectors, we need them at their peak efficiency." This was it, his first real time in command of a department. Grayson had a million and one ideas and not enough time to carry them out.

K'os had anticipated the need for the diagnostics and had the preliminary report on it in Grayson's hand almost before he had done speaking. With a passive and calm expression, he pointed to one particular result. "Green all the way, Sir." His eyes darted to the small team of warp and impulse specialists to ensure they had started working on cycling the warp plasma.


Sickbay

Arandon watched Mott and the other medical staff busy themselves with whatever preparations were needed for war games. To be perfectly honest he wasn't even sure of the nature of the duties of a medical staff in an exercise where no one was actually injured, but he might learn in time. He had taken the lull in activity in the Arboretum as an opportunity to do some hydration of the plants. The Arboretum would be a bit wet for the next few hours but it would do the plants some good. He had left the Botany Lab to Mister Van Zyl, but nothing would require his expressed attention anyway, perhaps for the best considering their tense relationship. In the intervening period, he decided to put his training as a medic and unusual desire to perform monotonous tasks to use by helping Mott do some inventory in Sickbay.

"Have you ever participated in war games before Doctor?" Arandon asked, shifting his gaze over to the Bolian acting Chief Medical Officer, who was also his roommate. "Outside of Academy exercises I mean."

"Are you kidding?" Olsam asked, grinning. "I served on the Bolian Front during my field training. Then I was on an aid mission to Cardassia where we would come under occasional fire by malcontents and rebels and the like. And then on the Tranquility we were on post-conflict duties, which as you can imagine doesn't always mean the conflict is actually finished. I've had people shooting at me all my life. And besides, every day is like a war game when you're a doctor, ensign, where the enemy is disease and white blood cells are your cannon fodder. But... I guess, never against Klingons. That's got to be different, right?" Olsam fell silent as he thought about that and entered a few figures into a PADD. "What about you? Is this your first exercise?"

Arandon huffed and smirk. "I have the scars that say 'no'." He said, looking up at the Doctor. "My Cadet Squad did a lot of training exercises and I got injured every time, one way or another. Good luck I guess."

Arandon did not cycle back to Mott's wartime experiences, as fascinated as he sometimes was by stories from that time. He was a child when the war ended and spent it on a paradisial planet while others fought and died. During that time everyone who visited Risa was noticeably tenser, they partied harder and drank more, like it was their last shoreleave or vacation, or they were trying to forget the war in any case. Even for a child, that was easy to notice. Arandon didn't approve of war or combat as part of his moral philosophy and felt no guilt at his inability to fight against the Dominion.

Laeon watched them from the corner of Sickbay where he was finishing off an inventory check on one of the biobed stations. The youth remembered the Dominion war. He remembered being left behind, the talk of the others like him, the reports of the dead coming back, and he and the rest of them waiting for it to be a loved one, and how it was all a reminder of what had happened to his home. He frowned, clearing his throat as he closed the unit door. He wasn't sure he would ever understand the word 'war-game' that was being used around the ship....the two words didn't work together for him.

Drusilla held back from the main cluster of people as she did a second inventory check as had been requested by the Commander. Right now there wasn't much to be done except wait and at least keeping her hands busy meant she could keep her mind away from her own personal issues.

Prudence had kept an eye on Drusilla during the last days, to make sure that she was handling it okay. At least this was finally getting there. She looked down at her hands for a moment before smiling to Laeon, arching an eyebrow. The boy was a quick learner, she had to respect that.

---

USS Chronos

As the tiny Defiant-class dropped out of warp, the blurred starfield on the ship's viewscreen returned to it's usual static image, save for the four other ships ahead of her.

"Now reading one quarter impulse Captain." The young blonde cadet at the helm called out, Holliday checking the readout on the command console next to him to make sure she had definitely gotten that right. The last thing he wanted was to find his ship embedded in the shuttle bay of the Admiral's temporary flagship.

"How are we looking Mr Quinn?"

"So far everything is good, Skipper." replied Quinn. "All the systems are reporting nominal, and the Cadet didn't crash us in the rear of the Atlas."

John made a note to be thankful for small miracles. Looking at the console alongside him he could see the distinct set of sensor readings that confirmed the rest of the fleet had arrived and assumed formation. Tapping a console he opened a comm channel to their flagship.

=^=USS Atlas this is Captain Holliday aboard the Chronos - your orders Admiral Saalm?=^=

It didn't take but a few moments before Lirha responded with her distinctive light voice, though it was clear she was addressing not only Holliday but the rest of the task group. "All vessels, this is Saalm. We've spotted one Negh'Var-class dreadnought and there may be more Klingon starships nearby. Maintain standard formation and current position, and stay at green alert," came her reply.

As she heard the words of the Admiral, Sarah had to fold her hands behind her back as she itched to activate at least amber alert. They were being too trustworthy towards the Klingons...history had shown the federation where that had gotten them in the past but...orders were orders.

John kept his face emotionless, but he disagreed with the order, if this were truly a set of wargames, then surely first strike was down to whoever took the advantage?

"Very well you heard the lady...maintain green alert - shields offline and weapons powered down. Let's wait and see what the Klingons have to say."

Quinn looked over to John and wrinkled his forehead, wondering why they would have to wait. "Skipper, as soon as we get the go to enter combat, what do you think about cloaking and flanking from underneath?"

Sarah's ears picked up at the suggestion as her eyes moved to the readout on the cloaking mechanism. "It will result in a drain in our power reserves but it might be worth it for the advantage we would gain. I can deploy a polaron torpedo which will allow that once the energy resources are back to 100% We can let loose with the phasers and cause significant damage. It also allows us to keep our quantum torpedoes in reserve for when they are needed....Sirs."

John had almost let the fact that the Chronos was equipped with a cloaking device get away from him. The Romulan government still was quite happy to outfit limited numbers of Federation starships with cloaking devices in order to monitor Dominion activities in the Gamma Quadrant, and luckily, this ship happened to be exactly one of those vessels.

"It may offer us a tactical advantage. Very well, Mr Quinn if you would give the cloaking systems a once-over? I want them ready to go as soon as we need them."

"Aye-aye, Skipper. Only need a moment." Quinn spun around and faced the rear of the bridge as he moved with purpose towards the exit. He eyeballed one cadet, a Bolian in Sevices-Yellow. "Cadet-Whoeveryouare, you're with me. "The Bolian turned around surprised, "It is Senior Cadet Su...."

Quinn held a hand up as the door opened for them, "Cadet Maggot, you're my new project for this ride. I was out chasing comets before your daddy was out of diapers."

As the door closed, the Cadet was standing next to the old salty dog, speechless.


Sickbay

Seated in front of a terminal, Tuula had a frown on her face. In preparation for any diplomatic encounters, she was reading up on Klingon culture. Initially she was excited -- after all, Klingon octopus sushi was her favourite food -- but the more she read, the more her excitement turned to revulsion.

"Jonah, check this out," she called out across the room. "Have you ever heard about something called the Hegh'bat?"

"No,"Jonah said, "what is it? I mean it does sound Klingon, which means if it is food it is usually disgusting, but I am not familiar with the term, no."

"I wish it were food," replied Tuula, zooming in on the text on the screen in front of her. "The Hegh'bat, literally translated as 'time to die' is a Klingon ritual suicide, whereby those who are infirm or disabled as a result of disease or injury are able to die with honour rather than continue to live as a drain on Klingon society." She could barely conceal her disgust as she read from the screen. "Klingon tradition demands that when a Klingon is no longer able to stand and face his enemies, he should choose the Hegh'bat. It is considered a great dishonour for a Klingon to fail to choose the Hegh'bat when faced with permanent, crippling injuries or disabilities."

"Wow," Jonah said, "in a way I have to admire them, but mostly I think it is pretty sad, that a whole society has bought into such nonsense. There is no care, no compassion, no understanding. Think of the pressure that puts on those who are sick, they're not even given a chance. They either do the right thing and off themselves, or the live and have to deal with self-guilt and being shamed by their own families.'"

"There's nothing admirable in this." Tuula's tone was drenched in acid. "It's horrible. I can't imagine anyone treating people like this. Making people kill themselves when they get injured, as though they're nothing more than a broken tool that needs replacing. It's so barbaric and uncivilized." Holding her head in her hands, Tuula let out an exasperated sigh. "And you know the worst part? There's going to be some sort of diplomatic event with these... these... barbarians."

"Oh don't get me wrong,"Jonah retorted, "I fully agree with you. It is horrible. At one time their survival might have depended on it, but not any more. The practice is barbaric and archaic. All I am saying is that they are committed to it and are trying to do what they consider to be the honorable thing."

"But what kind of sick people consider this to be honourable?" asked Tuula. She was in a rage, and was starting to wish she hadn't decided to read up on Klingon culture. And she was now dreading the diplomatic events. "I mean, what would happen to me in this situation? I'd have to ask Jaana to stab me to death? How could anyone do that?"

Jonah placed a hand on her shoulder, "I think its really stupid, like I said. Look there are a lot of things that I don't buy into as far as the Federation and all their rules and regulations go. They can be too militaristic for their own good, even here on the Galileo, but they usually get right and wrong right. So I don't conifer it honorable. But back in the day, when survival depended on there not being any weak links I could see the a need for it. Eskimos back on Earth used to do the same thing. But today its, not honorable at all."

Tuula glanced up at the screen once more as she placed her hand on top of Jonah's. "I just hope we don't have to be treated to their presence for very long."

Jonah smiled as she touched his hand, "I know its hard, but try not to think about it. Oh and try to not piss them off either."

"I'll try," said Tuula. "But I'm not making any promises."

"Yes, I wouldn't expect you to, I know you too well for that."


Engineering Section

Quinn and the young Bolian found the main control console for the cloaking device. The cadet attempted to access the console, but Quinn's scowl stopped the engineering cadet in his tracks. "Protocol ad regulations state that this can only be operated by an Engineering Officer."
Quinn's face turned red and he began to turn his head as a light and me icing chuckle escaped. "Cadet Dontpissoffthecob, I was the Galileo's CEO, and on other vessels as well. You will learn your place, or I will place you somewhere you do want to be. Capeice?" he asked.

"You can't threaten me, I'm going to be an officer on..."

"I don't give three shits what you're going to be lad, but if you can't fun a cure for your diarrhea-mouth, I'll plug it for you." The Bolian once again was speechless, never being spoken to that way buy anyone.

After a few minutes, Quinn gave the Cadet some instructions, and as he digitally and physically checked the device, he showed the cadet the pics of the animals.

To Be Continued...

[OFF]

--

RADM Lirha Saalm
Commanding Officer
USS Atlas

General JataQ
Task Group Commander
Hghach Assault Group
Klingon Defense Force
[PNPC Saalm]

LCmdr Allyndra illm Warraquim
Acting XO
USS Galileo

Hod Valkris Daughter of Ondagh
Captain
KDF HarqSIj
[PNPC Allyndra]

Lieutenant JG Grayson Jones
Assistant Chief Engineer
USS Galileo

Lieutenant Asahi Kita
Chief Engineering Officer / Acting Executive Officer
USS Galileo / USS Atlas

Lieutenant (J.G.) Tuula Voutilainen, M.D.
Medical Officer
USS Chronos

Lieutenant Commander Norvi Stace
Commanding Officer / Chief Science Officer
USS Galileo

Cadet Sarah Gardiner
Security Officer
USS Chronos

Lieutenant JG Drusilla McCarthy
Assistant Chief Counsellor
USS Galileo

PO3 K'os Beaumont
Engineer's Mate
USS Galileo

Lieutenant Olsam Mott, M.D.
Acting Chief Medical Officer
USS Galileo

Lieutenant Commander Andreus Kohl
Executive Officer
USS Nautilus

Ensign Annikafiore Szerda
Chief Operations Officer
USS Nautilus
[PNPC Kohl]

CMDR Scarlet Blake
Commanding Officer
USS Nautilus

Ensign T'Vanna Murray
Operations Officer
USS Aventia

Lieutenant j.g. Naois Mercy
Chief Medical Officer
USS Nautilus
[PNPC T'Vanna]

Cadet SO Wintrow Paragon
Helmsman
USS Galileo
[PNPC T'Vanna]

 

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