Senior Staff Briefing

Posted on Fri Sep 29th, 2017 @ 6:56am by Captain Michelle Bartlett & Lieutenant Commander J'Loni Mo'Bri & Commander Rostra Tang & Lieutenant JG Tink & Ensign Andrew Gervais & Commodore Jason Myers

Mission: https://wellington.pegasusfleet.site/index.php/sim/missions/id/3
Location: Observation Lounge
Timeline: June 15, 2399 @ 2:30 PM

ON

Ross had called the Senior Officers together for a briefing from the Commodore and his specialist to discuss the mission and the negotiations themselves. The diplomatic and security end was simple. The medical aspect could prove difficult depending on which Dalacari doctor they were speaking to that day. Some still held the Federation to blame for this incident, and not wrongly so. Ross, Myers, and Bowman were still in the ready room. Michelle got in first, followed by Lieutenant Martin, the Chief Ops officer.

J'Loni was used to being hauled into staff meetings and this was no exception. Taking her coffee and her PADD she walked into the briefing room, nodding to the officers she had already met and to those she had not met. 'This is going to be interesting to say the least. Sitting where she assumed that her boss would sit, she sat and waited patiently.

Lawson walked into the briefing room, his mug of Raktajino in hand. He had developed a taste for the drink while serving on a starbase near the Klingon border years ago. Nodding to the others already assembled, he took a seat near the center of the conference table. Of the ones already there, he only recognized the Chief Engineer, having served several years ago with her on a previous ship.

Charles hurried in and took a seat near the far end of the table. He wasn't sure why he had been summoned to a senior staff meeting since he was not a member of the senior staff. But the fact was that he had received a message from Commander T'Pral summoning him to the meeting, so invoking the time-honored tradition of 'Ours is not to reason why...', he was reporting as ordered.

Gervais headed from some work in the shuttlebay straight to the observation lounge. He didn't see some of the others he knew yet, and he took his seat.

Michelle entered next, assuming a seat, and was later followed by Movek, T'Pral, and Lieutenant Del. Suvir followed behind. Martin and Blake came in shortly after. Martin looked around... "Crowded room."

"I guess the Captain wanted some of the deputies brought in as well." Michelle said.

Dr. Rennan entered next, and with that and a few late arrivals it appeared almost everyone was here.

Next was Commander Bowman, and behind her was the Captain, and the Commodore.

Following the Commodore and company was a pair of twins. Identical in every way, but quite the divergence from the standard human frame. Digitigrade leg structure, obvious animalistic qualities, and whenever one of them spoke there was just enough of a hint of pointy teeth to indicate that while most races in the cosmos evolved from omnivores, not everyone came from such a friendly beginning. There was something else about them, something odd. They walked almost in perfect harmony, took a breath each in sync, and aside from the fact that one had a PaDD with her and the other didn't, they were identical. The pair took a pair of seats off to the side, not wanting to interrupt anyone's view.

Just as things were about to get started, Tink slipped in to represent the counseling department as she'd been asked to do. Rather than taking a seat in the crowded room, she chose to lean back against the wall beside the door, hoping to slip out sight unseen at the very first opportunity.

"I appreciate you all coming." Ross said. "Including the assistants I ordered to attend just so they understand what we're up against and why they're going to be asked to step up for a few days while these negotiations are taking place. But I guess we have some housekeeping first. Commander Meru, what is the status of the transporters?"

"So far, still down. I don't know what on earth fried them, but it did a hell of a job, sir." Meru replied. "I've got Lieutenant Cordale and one of the new engineers assisting Ops. If you want me to tell you that they'll work in time for us to beam to the outpost, with all due respect, sir.. You'd be asking me to lie. It's going to take hours we don't have."

"So a shuttlecraft would be the best option?" Bowman asked.

"I'm afraid so." Meru said.

"I hope nobody decides they need nap time in your department, Commander." Bowman replied. "I also want to know why so many defective parts were procured in the first place."

"We had no idea, ma'am." Martin said. "Nothing seemed odd about them when we tested those power relays before authorizing their installation."

"No idea." Bowman said. "Get one fast and get an actual report to me, Lieutenant. Maybe you can find a Petty Officer somewhere to recommend how to do your job."

J'Loni looked at Bowman...remembered when she came down to engineering...thought before she spoke. "With all due respect Commander Bowman, I believe that the isolinear chips that were installed...by starbase engineers...and NOT by us were in fact purposely tampered with. It is our theory that who ever swapped the good chips with the damaged ones had intended for the overload to occur once we were on our way. Isolinear chips have a protective coating which guards against any type of contamination by someone touching them. If that covering is in fact defective, it would eventually fail causing...in this case...an overload causing a system wide burn out. I think...in this case...it would be wise to investigate the engineers at the starbase would be a more prudent and not the engineering department!", she said in defense of the department. Yes she was angry that it did happen but to insinuate that the Commander was incompetent was going to far. No the fault ay with the starbase and not here.

Ross looked with concern... "Tampered?" he asked. "Why the heck... It doesn't matter at this point, we'll look it into it. Continue working on the repairs. Your efforts are appreciated Commanders." he said to the two engineers. "Please make sure your department hears that straight from me."

"Aye, sir." Alennis said, looking at Commander Bowman.

"I will contact the Chief of Security at Starbase 231 to assist in an investigation. It is troubling that Federation assets and equipment were tampered with." Movek said.

"Please do." Ross said. "With that... I'll give it to Commodore Myers."

Jason looked at the room. "Most of you probably already know the specifics of this incident and this mission. Following driving a Dalacari drone ship from their territory where it inadvertently and accidentally wandered, the Klingons breached Federation Space to pursue and destroy the drone ship once it was outside their borders. They then entered the wormhole, cloaked, and launched a surprise attack on this vessel." he said, pointing to a Dalacari starship. "The casualties were enormous and the vessel barely had the chance to defend itself. It was a science ship. I'd like to introduce Commander Tang to brief you on the specifications so you understand just how truly disproportionate this incident was."

"Thank you, Commodore." and with that, the ladies rose. One started to tap away on her PaDD while the other took the floor. "As stated, my name is Rostra Tang. For those of you who aren't familiar with my people, I'm a Dalacari. We're a binary life form, so what you..." and she stopped. Just up and done.

Though, her sister figure took over the conversation without missing a beat, "... perceive as twins is actually one complete Dalacari form. I'll try not to go too fast, but I can't really stop the focal shift, so for that, I apologize."

"If you'd be so kind to direct your attention to any of the screens, I'm putting up the image of the class of Dalacari craft involved in the assault." and the screen shifted to show a sleek craft, with a body frame that looked almost designed by a race car designer. Sleek, aerodynamic, and maneuverable. "The average Dalacari craft..."

"... is slightly larger than a comparable craft of the same class, to account for additional systems and extra people space. After all, she's crewed by Dalacari." and there was a giggle. An inside joke, perhaps.

"For day to day tasks, internal security, and external scouting and military affairs, Dalacari almost exclusively use drones." the screen then shifted to a form of craft. It was shaped like a vertical ring, with flanges and fins on the edges and something of a tail on the end. "This is..."

"... the most recent design for the standard explorer and military drone unit. Capable of limited warp travel for a limited time, and lightly armed and armored." she explained, bringing everyone up to general speed.

"Standard Dalacari tactics for warfare involve a swarm of drone fighters, followed usually by a secondary and then a tertiary wave. Our central drone control engine..."

"... typically assesses the situation and repurposes the drones accordingly. In situations where we are outgunned or overpowered, it will recommend surrender." she pointed out.

"Dalacari prize our own lives higher than anything else. Not to say we put our lives as more important than others, but more that we value life. Conflict is a last resort..."

"... to us. When the attack came, it came swift. The assaulted craft's drone sensors detected nothing until the ship decloaked. After the first volley, the onboard Engine..."

"... suggested surrender. Without an escort nearby, the hail was made to negotiate a cease fire. According to the record logs the Dalacari Republic retrieved..."

"... those hails went unanswered." a pause, "Five times." she paused again, "We have casualties, and some Dalacari were left Single. Nevermind the loss of resources."

"The Klingon General Staff deny that anything occurred once their vessels left Klingon space. A scan of the area will confirm that there are four ships nearby. The lead ship's commander was taken into custody by Dalacari authorities, and the Klingon government is demanding release." Ross said. "Commander Bartlett will preside over mediation between the two sides, which has been requested at the urging of the Federation. This is not something taken easily by the Dalacari government."

Del pondered for a moment.. "The way this attack was described doesn't sound like standard Klingon procedure. A denial of their action? Sounds like a Romulan or a Cardassian trick if we want to talk Alpha Quadrant strategies. The Klingons would own that. And they would say they had it coming."

"Our understanding is that the Klingon commander says his orders came directly from Qo'onos." Michelle said. "Someone somewhere is denying something. The Klingon Captain has refused to cooperate with either Federation or Dalacari authorities. Our obligations under Federation Law are technically to extradite him. However, the Klingon government says to their knowledge, they acted within their procedures. Commander, my understanding is that the Dalacari still aren't backing down on that?"

"No. The damage is one thing but the loss of life is another." Rostra explained.

"There's still one thing that hasn't been explained." Bowman said. "And that's what the hell the Dalacari were doing in our space in the first place?"

The pair turned towards Bowman, "The same thing your Voyager was doing in our space: Exploring."

"It's going to be difficult to arrange a compromise or any kind of agreement in this circumstance. However, after analyzing all Federation treaties and laws with regards to prisoners... This is an internal Dalacari matter and the Federation has no right to interfere."

Bowman looked over at Michelle. "Are you serious? The Klingon Empire is an ally of the Federation. Their laws are paramount within their own jurisdiction. Why the hell is the commander of the Dalacari drone ship not in Klingon custody?"

"Commander Tang, allow me to introduce this ship's First Officer, Commander Bowman. Who apparently didn't do her homework despite expecting everyone else to have found the answers to her questions 4 years ago." he said. This style of condescension towards someone unprepared was ordinarily beneath him and it's something he would never entertain doing. But he was at his breaking point. "Commander, had you read the briefing notes, you would have found that the Dalacari vessel's captain was killed in the attack. The volley that hit the bridge injured the entire bridge crew. Most of them are now single."

Bowman nodded. "I see." she sat down as Ross gave her a look to signify 'Enough'.

"Additionally, Commander Bowman, once the Dalacari vessel was engaged in Federation space, the laws of the Federation are paramount and Starfleet assumes authority for enforcement of its territory." Michelle stated.

"Which it clearly neglected to do." Bowman said.

"Exactly what is the...let me rephrase that...exactly WHO would benefit from destroying the talks? As the captain did point out, Romulans, Cardassians, add an unhappy Klingon house, hell it could even be within the federation itself...who would benefit from it? It would seem that given our current situation, it would be reasonable to assume that our transporters were taken out to force us to shuttle the negotiations team to the surface where sttacking it thus taking any hope of peacefully settling this confrontation", J'Loni said. She had been quite till now listening to what was said.

"Frankly, it sounds like the Dalacari vessel was engaging in an unintentionally hostile act against the Klingon Empire. If this has already been settled between Dalacar and Earth, why are we mediating?" Bowman asked.

"Because the Dalacari weren't getting anywhere dealing directly with the Klingons." Michelle said. "In regards to Commander Mo'Bri's comment, so far the High Council has been quite silent on this. I'm attempting to get more clarification from their diplomatic office as to what happened. But to consider your theory, undoubtedly there'd... actually be many parties that would love for something like this to happen." Michelle said, jotting down furiously. "Captain, I'd like some leeway for my team to research those possibilities. The Commander might be onto something."

Ross pondered a moment. "You'll need to be fast. We've already got a lot of egg on our face in the eyes of the Dalacari government. I'm sure Ms. Tang would be happy to confirm that."

"It's tense." she cited. "We don't like tense."

"Frankly, they breached the borders of one ally and of an unknown power. These really aren't the kind of people the Federation should be considering as allies. They're not the kind we want and I'm sorry but we don't need weak and defenseless we need allies with teeth." Bowman said

"Commander Bowman." Movek said. "In addition to your failure to read your briefing, it would appear you have failed to read your history. Had the Vulcan vessel that made first contact with Earth in 2063 landed, by your logic... It would have been appropriate to arrest the Vulcan crew and declare hostilities. The Federation would never have been born. Earth would have remained isolated from a blundered attempt at first contact, perhaps only to join the Federation as a lesser entity than what it is today. The Dalacari similarly were explorers, and while I have an affinity for the law, your inflexibility in interpreting legal and diplomatic obligations is illogical."

"Well, Commander, when you are elected to serve on the Federation Council, then you can decide on who can and cannot be our allies. But in the meantime, stick to matters that are within the scope of your authority." Ross said, breaking his silence.

"We are not weak and defenseless." Rostra stated, with a little umph behind her voice. "We are well aware of our limits and take steps to ensure our own safety. The same as any..."

"... mortal race in the stars. We bleed, we cry, and we avenge. Right now, a few dozen of our people are Single. That's half-dead, with no chance of recovery." she paused, perhaps to reel in a temper.

"In a few hours, a representative from the oldest ally the Dalacari have will arrive. I assure you, he has a whole mouth full of teeth."

Martin and Holt broke into laughter which then carried to Del... Even Michelle let out a very loud chuckle. She hadn't changed a bit. A smile escaped Ross's face before he restored order. "All right... Let's get back to business."

"If I may, sir... I don't think it's wise that we throw an ally we fought a war with to preserve the Alpha Quadrant under the bottom side of the ship." Bowman said to Captain Ross. "I can't believe that we're sitting here preparing to sing Kumbaya and making up imaginary conspiracy theories about threats from within as we prepare to tell the Klingons that the treaties and obligations we have to them mean nothing."

"Did Commander Tang, Commander Bartlett, and Commander Movek slip into a different language you don't speak when they told you the situation, Commander? It became our problem the minute they ended up in No Man's Land on our side of the wormhole. They breached our space, and we must now act as a neutral party--"

"With a Dalacari in a Starfleet Uniform, sir?!" Bowman said, infuriated.

"Oh for god sakes, Commander, that is enough!" Jason said as he slammed his fist on the desk. "Commander Mo'Bri, you're Klingon... Do you believe that this in any way is a slap in the face to the honour of the Klingon Empire? Or if nothing else, do you trust that we're going to try and act to resolve this in good faith?" He hated to put a junior officer on the spot but... This engineer seemed to have a wisdom about her he could appreciate.

“Commodore, while I am only here as the Assistant Chief Engineering Officer and I see that you have asked me a logical question, it is only fair that I say...No it is not a slap in the face for the Klingon people nor is it a slap in the face for the Klingon Government. If you remember that not too long ago, the House of Duras did in fact attempt a coupe on Qo'noS and failed. They failed to receive a much needed shipment of supplies from the Romulans. It was the Federation that helped stop that shipment by throwing up their tachyon grid thus enabling the Romulan fleet being detected. I believe we have lost sight here as to what is happening. You have to think of it as a power play or struggle in this respect. Who would gain to benefit from the failed negotiations of this diplomatic fiasco? I can tell you of a few species who would want to strip power from the Federation but it would not help because in all of the member aligned worlds you will have those who do not agree with the current government. Since the wars, the Klingon people have strived to rebuild their lives and traditions. It is not without stumbling blocks that we have come to where we are today but we do strive to keep our agreements with the Federation and it's Allies. To that end, Commodore, I do not believe that it is a slap in the face for the Klingon people, only one to those who would strive to undermine the peace that has been fought for so hard and won with the blood of all those here”, she said. She was on her feet and hadn’t realized it but she was standing proud at this moment to be a true Klingon even though she was only half blooded. Maybe she realized for the first time in her life that she had actually grasped her Klingon heritage. Fixing her baldric, “And Commodore I do believe that you and the Federation will deal with this matter to the satisfaction of all parties involved”, she said finally. Sitting down once again she just shook her head and quietly contemplated what the outcome of that little speech would bring.

After that, Rostra was silent for a moment just to process what was said. "Thank you." She started softly, directed toward Mo'Bri. After a moment to let the gravity of those words settle, both of the forms that comprised Rostra Tang turned towards Bowman, "And... I apologize. When the capacity and needs of my people are tossed..."

"...aside because we don't solve all of our issues with the same zeal as others it..."

"...makes me feel like our help and presence are unwelcome."

"You didn't deserve the tone of my last reply." Rostra poured a bit of her training into that apology. Dealing with single instance lifeforms was harrowing sometimes.

"I'm sure your people are in many ways a good and upfront people." Bowman said. "But we've got problems in our Federation and I don't think being a 'good guy' necessarily always works out." she said, trying to avoid Mo'Bri's clear and vocal rejection of her concerns. "It's not always about holding hands and being nice."

Rostra's twin forms each gave a nod. "Just don't become a 'bad guy' while solving them. Once all you have are phasers, all your problems start looking like targets."

"Agreed." Michelle said, saying little else as she was confident that Bowman's excessively aggressive rhetoric had been soundly put in its place.

Lawson cleared his throat before speaking. When he did speak, it was in a direct tone, however. "Like the rest of you feel, I don't like the thought of going into any situation 'with guns blazing' as the old saying goes. But if force should become necessary, rest assured that my fighters and their pilots WILL be ready." He debated for a moment whether or not to alert the command staff to a problem he had just been made aware of - that of a conflict between one of his squadron leaders and one of her flight leaders - but just as quickly deciding that now was not the time. Besides, that would probably be something best dealt with by him in-house, as it were.

Ross attempted to steer the conversation back to the task at hand, though he did turn to the Klingon engineer. "Your thoughts were laid out quite well. Thank you for them." he said. "The Dalacari have arranged for our senior staff to meet with them prior to the mediation. The Klingons are still too angry to attend. I'll leave a few skeleton crew here... Commander Meru and Commander Lawson, I'll leave you aboard to assist Commander Bowman in running the ship. If there's nothing further, I will see most of you in the shuttle bay within the next 2 hours. Dismissed." he said before pausing.

Jason watched as most of the senior staff cleared out. "Captain Ross.. A word with you for a moment?"

Ross stood up and waited for the room to be empty. "Yes, sir?"

"Before we got underway, you indicated you were thinking of replacing Commander Bowman as First Officer." Jason said. "I felt maybe you were being a little too harsh, but I've seen enough from that display" he said before pulling something up on a PADD. "I've authorized her transfer order. Should she continue to display the behaviour that's been a little too ongoing, I'll expect you to relieve her of duty."

"Of course, sir." Ross said. "I will talk with her tomorrow and inform her."

"Thank you, Captain. I think Commander Bartlett, Commander Tang, and I will depart a bit ahead of schedule. Go sort of flesh out the dignitaries and get an assessment of the situation. I'll see you on the station."

"Thank you, Commodore." Ross said.

END