Pangaea (Part 2)
Posted on Fri Sep 18, 2015 @ 12:41am by Commander Caden Aldrex & Commander Caleb Ryan & Lieutenant JG Alistair Wood & Captain Maritza Soran & Lieutenant Benj Amoran & Lieutenant JG Rhe'la Daughter of the Forty-ninth House
2,267 words; about a 11 minute read
Mission:
Pangaea (Wrap up)
Location: Deck 14/Conference Room
Timeline: MD 4/0800
Tags: mission briefing, pangaea
Aldrex continued, "With that unfortunate business aside, let's move on to the new planet next door." He stood up and walked over to the wall monitor. "The Starfleet Astrometrics Division has dubbed it 'Pangaea.' Its nature and method of appearance are already generating much interest across the quadrant. Several governments, research institutes, and business interests are making plans to send exploration teams as we speak. The Romulans have announced their intent to reopen their embassy here on the station."
And where Romulans go, trouble is sure to follow. Rhe'la thought. She hadn't had a lot of dealings with the Vulcans’ more emotional cousins, but none of her encounters with them had gone well. "Sir, I know there's no sign of advanced technology down there, but I'd like to be included in the initial survey teams. Once I'm down there I may be able to find a way to punch through the atmospheric interference."
That earned a smile from Aldrex. "I appreciate your enthusiasm, Rhe'la. I'll hand out assignments shortly. And yes, you will be going." He returned his attention to the map and continued. "As I was saying, we're about to have a slight uptick in visitors. Starfleet Command wants us to be the first down there and, if possible, to establish a permanent camp." He didn't share the misgivings he felt when Starfleet had given him that particular order although he couldn't disagree with it.
Two blinking red dots appeared on the model globe. One was at the edge of the great northern continent. The other was thousands of kilometers away in the center of another continent.
Aldrex explained, "We'll start with two away teams. One here and the other here. The one up here is the ruins of a city. No evidence of sentient life anymore. The place is empty. We'll make an initial survey of the place and establish a base using pre-fabricated shelters."
Pointing to the other red dot he said, "The other site is a large, underground cavern. That team will probe no deeper than two kilometers inside on foot. One of the probes found evidence of infrastructure down there."
Alastair looked at the map with great interest. An unknown world right in their back yard. It was truly an exquisite coincidence, to be sure. However, with all there was to do on the station, he held little hope to be one of the fortunate few who would be sent down planet-side to explore this strange new world. That had always been one of the things he had regretted about his time in Starfleet and one of the very reasons he worked so hard to get this position on the frontier. A chance to experience something no one else has, to see things long forgotten.
Exciting was hardly the word he would use to explain the emotions he was keeping hidden within himself. Exhilarating would probably be close though. There was so much going on all at once. The chief had already begun making a mental list of everything he was going to have on his proverbial plate by the time this meeting was completed. There was preparing resources not only for the away teams, but for the influx of visitors that were presumed to be arriving in the near future. Then there was the matter of setting up a permanent camp on the planet. Just how big of a camp would it be? What kind of facilities would be needed? Did they even have the resources on the station to accomplish the task?
And reopening diplomatic embassies? That would require all kinds of coordination, not only with Starfleet personnel on the station, but the personnel of any and all foreign dignitaries, some of which could have some rather peculiar needs depending on their races. Alastair cursed the fact that he hadn't arrived even a few days earlier so that he could get a better idea of what he had and what he needed. As it was, the chief felt like he had barely stepped off the boat and was already in over his head. Of course, that wouldn't deter him from what he needed to do. He had promised himself that he would prove that he could cut it in Starfleet. That he would be the man he always dreamed of being. Sure, things looked a little daunting now, but he was bound to get a feel for it all. He hoped...
"Excuse me," Alastair chimed in rather meekly with a raised hand like that of a schoolboy, "but do we have a particular timetable for when these expeditions are to get under way?"
"Just as soon as the away teams can pack their gear and go," Aldrex replied. "I'm sure you crave details, so here they are." He transferred the assignment information to the wall monitor. The model of Pangaea minimized and was replaced by the following:
Away Team One: City Ruins
Goal: Make an initial survey of an abandoned city. Set up pre-fabricated shelters to establish Federation presence.
Support/Transport Vessel: USS Deloraine
Lt. Cmdr. Caleb Ryan (in command)
Ltjg. Leonora Dell
Ens. Rhe'La
Ens. Kaliko Mahelona
Lt. Mikaela Locke
Away Team Two: Underground Caverns
Goal: Investigate evidence of underground infrastructure.
Support/Transport Vessel: USS Ararat
Lt. Cmdr. Maritza Soran (in command)
Ltjg. Alistair Wood
Ens. Kivan Ta'Gas
Ens. Jessica Mayhew
Dr. Benj Amoran
Survey Mission
Goal: Conduct scans of the newly-emerged sun and other planets in the system.
Survey Vessel: USS Satyendra Nath Bose
Cmdr. Tahhk (in command)
Lt. Kyle Carter/Fighter Wing (escort)
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Aldrex allowed everyone a minute to read it, and then asked, "Are there any questions so far?"
Though he was not strictly speaking on active duty, Tahhk appreciated his value as a resource and did not object to the assignment. Besides, the Vulcan mused, he could hardly be occupied in his observational capacity when his subject, t'Vaurek, had been relieved of duty and was confined to quarters.
Soran had been up for - what was it now? Fifty hours? Fifty-two? Long enough that she was starting to lose count despite the obscene quantities of stimulants she had secretly taken to keep going. "Are these surveys time limited, or to carry on till they're done, because they could take days?"
Aldrex had thought about this. The goals presented on screen were the orders of Starfleet Command, but after reading the debriefing of Ltjg. Mitchell, the flyer who had been downed on the surface, he wasn't willing to lose more people. Not on a show-the-flag mission. "There's no time limit, Commander. Put the ship down on the surface. Eat in the galley. Sleep in the bunks. Take as long as you need. But stay alert. If you get even a hint of trouble then get your team off that planet. I'll leave it to your judgement to decide when that is."
"I've already been reviewing sensor data and plotting courses in anticipation of the assignment," Kyle said, holding up his PADD. "My pilots have been itching to head out as well."
"I will liaise with you on co-ordination of the reconnaissance, Lieutenant," Tahhk said with a nod to the CAG. "Live information streams as you make your passes will be intriguing."
Caleb as already sorting out his own orders in his head. There was a lot to do on the station, so he would have to delegate that out if he was going down to the planet. “Guess Ah’ll pack mah bags, then.”
Alistair continued running through all the options and responsibilities he would have to deal with before leaving on the away mission. He had really hoped to lighten the burden of the current Operations crew before taking off, but for now it appeared that they would have to fend for themselves just a little longer. For that the new chief felt a bit of regret. Still, the prospect of investigating this new planet was giving him the kind of excited nerves he hadn't felt since that time he asked Sandy Brooks out on a date. With any luck this mission will go better than that evening did. If it didn't... well he didn't want to think of what kind of disaster awaited if that happened.
"Shove off whenever you're ready," Aldrex said to Caleb and Maritza. "A maintenance crew is already repairing the Ararat, and the pre-fab shelter is being loaded into the Deloraine's cargo hold as we speak." All that remained for them were their individual team briefings, equipment check-out, and other pre-flight rituals. He was envious. He wished he could go with them, but his place was here, which brought him to the next part of the briefing.
"In other news, I had a conversation with someone from the Romulan High Command last night. It was as warm and cordial as you can imagine," he deadpanned. "In short, they're planning to reopen their consulate here. Effective as soon as their ambassador arrives. Now, given that the Romulans are also eager to get away teams down on the surface, and are probably travelling here at high warp, I estimate they could be here as early as tonight. They didn't bother to give me their own ETA."
He nodded to Sorien Tallon and Noelle Bennett. "Mister Tallon, you and Counselor Bennett will meet with the Romulan representative, whose name is D'Aerrol. I recommend enlisting the aid of Sir Mortimer, our resident diplomatic advisor. Please extend all diplomatic courtesy to them. Be polite. Smile. I'm sure you know what to do. Under normal circumstances I'd be there with you, but frankly I found D'Aerrol to be an insufferable jerk and therefore refuse to run to him when he beckons. If he asks for me, tell him I'm busy. You won't be lying. If he asks for Captain t'Vaurek, tell him..." He drew a deep breath and exhaled sharply. "Don't tell him anything. I'll brief him when I'm ready. Understood?"
Noelle had been quietly musing on the potential implications of having Romulan representatives aboard the station for the captain in light of the current task before her and the rest of the medical team. It was already going to be difficult enough evaluating the captain in light of recent events, knowing her opinion could determine whether she was set free or faced more severe consequences. She hadn't even considered the possibility she would need to handle diplomatic responsibilities. Nevertheless, she was professional enough not to make her personal concerns known. "Aye, sir," she offered simply.
Amoran was frowning. He was wondering silently how he was supposed to be on an away team and still command a Sickbay. He guessed it was something that Amia would have done many times but he wasn't sure about the logistics with her still out of action. He shrugged. It was a big station and a big sickbay. He had a lot of staff. He would have to delegate well.
Sorien nodded at the new information. Well it wasn't exactly new to him given this was a big part of the reason why he was sent here in the first place, but that was neither here nor there. Surely he could have went into a long monologue dazzling with a display of tongue that would have left the others enthralled or baffled. Most likely a combination of both, but for the time being he figured it would be best to just keep things brief and silent. Besides, most of the people in this room had little to do with what his own responsibilities. To bog them down with details about diplomacy when many of them wouldn't even be on the station was little more than cruel and at the very least a waste of their time.
All in all it seemed as thought the Commander was giving him and the diplomatic team plenty of lead when it came to dealing with the Romulans. Sorien couldn't have been more pleased. While the chain of command was an important part of keeping things orderly, not having a higher ranked officer questioning every little detail would allow for quite a bit of freedom.
For now, Tallon would concentrate his efforts on familiarizing himself with Bennett and this Sir Mortimer. The more he knew about his allies the easier it would be to work with them. As for the Romulan representative, well that would be business as usual. Surely Starfleet Intelligence would have plenty of information about the man for him to study and it sounded as if Aldrex had a little personal experience with the man that could be invaluable as well.
No matter what, Sorien had very little time and a lot to do. It was too bad really. He had hoped to check out this Box of Delights that he had heard so much about before getting down to the nitty gritty.
Cade Aldrex returned to the table but did not sit down. He placed his hands on the headrest of the captain's chair and surveyed the faces before him. They were weary, worn out, but ready to go. "That will be all. Good luck to you."
And with that the meeting was over.
[OFF]
Lt. Cmdr. Caden Aldrex
Executive Officer
Cmdr. Tahhk
Starfleet Observer
NPC by Louise
Lt. Cmdr. Caleb Ryan
Chief of Security/Tactical
Lt. Commander Maritza Soran
Second Officer/Chief of Strategic Operations
Lt. Benj Amoran
Assistant Chief Medical Officer
Ens. Rhe'la, Daughter of the Forty-Ninth House
Chief Engineering Officer
Ltjg. Alistair Wood
Chief of Operations
Ltjg. Sorien Tallon
Chief Diplomatic Officer
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