A Brief Reprieve - Pt.1: The Command Staff Briefing

Posted on Saturday January 9th, 2021 @ 12:06pm by Captain Franklin Johnson & Commander Kanaka Shakura & Lieutenant Colonel Phoebe Graydon

2,059 words; about a 10 minute read

Mission: S1-A1-Ep. 1: Spectrophobia
Location: USS Poseidon; Captain's Ready Room, Deck 1, Bridge
Timeline: Post-Docking at Starbase 47

ON:

Kana had awoken early that morning to carry out a quick review of the ships status. After the Poseidon had managed to creek and ache its way into Starbase 47 thanks to the emergency repairs provided by the U.S.S. Pitchfork, everyone had been able to let out a sigh of relief that nothing else had managed to go wrong along the way, though it would take quite a lot to top what this young crew had already experienced. While the full extent of the damage had still yet to be determined - both the ships Engineering Department and their counterparts from Starbase 47 were working around the clock - it was without doubt going to take some time.

Fortunately, even by the most liberal preliminary estimates that the Command Staff had seen in the first report, there was still hope the Poseidon would be able to reach her intended target of Starbase 129 before their missions window of opportunity had closed, albeit with only a day or two to spare as opposed to a more merciful week as had originally been intended. Such as it was, Command welcomed it; it would be added salt to the crews already sore wounds if their maiden voyage was a total failure. Kana had sensed a growing sentiment amongst the crew that they had to see the mission through, to honour the memory of their fallen comrades.

Yet there were many challenges and unanswered questions ahead. What had happened to the U.S.S. Cain and U.S.S. Abel that had caused them to attack? How many crew members would the Poseidon be able to replace before having to press on with her mission, and how would those who survived cope with this new reality? The Chief Counsellor knew perhaps better than anyone that everyone onboard was at risk of some sort of trauma or mental harm as a result of what had happened, from the Captain himself down to the most green of the Cadets. The Counselling Department was facing increased demand following the Battle of the Bright Nebula, and Kana expected that high demand to continue for a while yet.

Now that the dust had begun to settle, the three most senior members of the Command Staff had agreed it was imperative that they meet to discuss the fallout and their next steps to ensure the success of the current mission and that of the ship and the crew as a whole. It was going to be a tough meeting, but it had to be done, lest the ship begin to drift aimlessly as it would have done without the merciful help of the mysterious Pitchfork.

Kana stepped out onto the Bridge, taking one look at the view ahead of her out to space as she could see the berth of Starbase 47, the otherwise very bland apparatus of the base proving to be a sight for sore eyes. She then pressed on to the Captain's Ready Room, where once she reached the door, she stood patiently for the Captain to beckon her in.

The newly minted Captain allowed entry to his newly minted Commander, Franklin rising from behind his desk to greet Kanaka. He gave a soft smile, extending a hand to shake. It felt like weeks since they last met, but in reality only days. Recent events had made time feel so fickle and easily drawn. That and life itself, the brutal reminders of war now deeply ingrained in new minds as well as his own.

"I appreciate you coming, Kana," Franklin greeted. "Make yourself at home, Number One. I don't have much formal business going on. I just finished with the last personal letter of condolence to the crew lost. It's been an emotionally draining experience."

"Without doubt, Captain." Kana took his hand softly and gave it a gentle yet still firm shake. The cadence in her voice brimmed with warmth as she acknowledged his new rank, conveying faith in his ability to fit the role. "If you would like me to review and co-sign the letters, let me know. I'm sure you've done well."

Sitting down in front of the Captain's desk, she crossed her legs. "I apologise we've still yet to have our first proper counselling session. I've had to prioritise the rest of the crew in light of recent events. However, now that we've docked I believe we'll be able to make time. I'll be sure to arrange it soon."

Franklin visibly twitched at her remark about a counseling session. He masked it quickly with a smile and mock-surprised eyebrow raise, ending with an understanding nod.

"Of course, right," Franklin said almost defensively but caught himself in time. "I'd welcome us to sit down for something like that, though hopefully it won't dive too deeply into things. The crew that priority after all."

Kana listened, and simply responded, "There's no crew without you, Franklin. You are a priority too."

Another twitch, this one somewhat more visible. He nodded after a moment. "Perhaps," he admitted defensively.

Phoebe walked into the office, sipping at a small takeaway cup of Coffee. She nodded to the Captain and Commander, before taking the spare seat. "How are you both?" She asked, with a small smile.

Kana had noticed the visible twitching of the Captain, but had said nothing since Phoebe had arrived. She smiled at the Major as she sat beside her. "I'm well Major, considering. How about yourself? I trust you and Chloe are doing alright after what happened? I imagine she must've been quite shaken."

Phoebe nodded. "Quite shaken, unfortunately. She had a bit of a turn, ended up in sickbay. She's currently on bed rest for the next few days due to it, but she is recovering well." She frowned slightly.

Franklin had merely acknowledged Phoebe with a smile and a nod, still uncomfortable with the thought of counselling in his mind. While both his senior-most officers made small talk, he shook his doubts away as best he could and focused on the matter at hand. Clearing his throat to get their attention, he clasped his hands together and rested them on the desk, wasting no time in getting into things.

"I've asked you both here because I'm sure it's obvious to all of us that what happened was no pure incident. I trust that you've both reviewed the preliminary report from Starfleet Intelligence on what happened to the U.S.S. Cain and U.S.S. Abel?" The Captain held up a data pad from his desk that he had been reviewing prior to the meeting, "While it is still yet to be confirmed, the assumption right now is that the ships were seized by pirates. The fate of the original crews is still unknown, and their reasons for attacking us are still a mystery at this point."

Kana nodded. "Yes, I read the report. It is deeply concerning. I assume that the mysterious transmissions we were intercepting prior to the engagement likely had something to do with them?"

Franklin shook his head. "From conversations I've had with Starfleet, the code is not a traditionally known pirate cipher. Now either they've come up with something entirely new, or there's something else going on. This is something they'll hopefully be able to provide full clarity on once the investigation has been complete."

A series of concerned looks were shared amongst the Command Staff, before Franklin broke the silence. "For now, we need to put a gameplan together for how we intend to proceed on our current mission, knowing what we know. It might be some time before Starfleet can give us any definitive answers, and we can't delay our current mission any further than we already have."

He let out a deep sigh as he relaxed his shoulders and hung his head briefly, clearly frustrated by all the events that had transpired over the past few days. The Chief Counsellor could sense it, and taking only a brief moment to think over some suggestions, came up with one of her own. "Transmissions aside, I worry whether there is a flaw in our computer that is allowing them - and other malign forces - a 'back door' into our system. Perhaps even..." She paused for a moment while she considered whether to proceed. "...perhaps they've already got someone on-board."

The implication sent shivers down Franklin's spine. Rubbing has hands together, he thought on it for a moment. "I can't rule out that possibility, Commander. But why? Why an academy training vessel, and an old Miranda-class at that? Surely that level of intrigue would be reserved for something much grander?"

"All good points, Captain, and I don't fault your reasoning." Kana conceded. "I can only suppose that they maybe thought of us as an easy target. Furthermore, with how unstable the Alpha Quadrant has become lately, perhaps they are just trying to scrape together whatever they can?"

"I would echo the Commanders opinions. An Academy Training vessel is an easy target, with the amount of Cadets, and green crew members we have onboard. Furthermore, even if the ship is a Miranda Class, it has had a number of upgrades and improvements to many of it's systems, and can still prove to be a tough nut to crack in a battle. Pirates always have been more interested in numbers than strength as well." She said, nodding thoughtfully.

Franklin nodded towards Phoebe after she had spoken, then at Kanaka acknowledging her input. He took a moment to consider a few things in his mind before he replied a few moment later.

"I think what we may need to consider moving forward is how best to address this," Franklin offered thoughtfully. "Phoebe, you're with the Marines, is there any courses our cadets can legally take to prepare them? And Kanaka, what do you think we can do to better educate our cadets on these dangers? Do you think we need to do anything at all?"

"Nothing formally recognized, as far as i'm aware, however I'd be happy to work with Security to create a crash course for anyone wanting to take it. Self Defense, Do's and Don'ts of a Phaser, Evasion and Escape techniques etc." She replied, making some quick notes on a PADD.

Franklin nodded towards Phoebe, "Perfect, make it happen," he affirmed. He then turned his head to Kanaka, awaiting her reply.

On the question of how to better educate the Cadets about these potential dangers, Kana thought intently for a moment. "Well, I'm aware that Lieutenant Commander T'Pri has been putting together some courses for the Cadets on Intelligence and Security; making those mandatory study may be a good start. For that matter, we may also want to create a formalised structure for education aboard the ship - a Cultural Department, if you will - which I think Lieutenant Kane might be best suited to head, with his extensive education."

"That said, Captain, I think we should also consider the possibility that the ship itself is still vulnerable." Kana cautioned. "I suggest that we carefully pursue options to review the security and integrity of the ship and her systems. The pattern of the messages and the attack itself, after all, suggests they were aware of our coming. If you agree, I would like to meet with T'Pri and ask her to investigate the ships logs further for any anomalies or errors."

Pausing for a moment, she went further. "May I suggest you work with Engineering to review the ships structural integrity?"

Franklin gave a nod, making a note on his own PADD briefly before looking to both of them.

"Anything else?" he asked.

Kana shook her head. "Nothing from me, Captain. Should you be satisfied with these conclusions thus far, I will get to work."

Franklin nodded, then looked to Phoebe.

"Same message as the Commander here. If there is nothing else I will see to getting those classes and trainings setup." She replied.

"Very good! I think you're both dismissed." The Captain rose, smiling at the two as he prepared to get to work.

END:

Captain Franklin Johnson
Commanding Officer
USS Poseidon

&

Commander Kanaka "Kana" Shakura
Executive Officer and Chief Counsellor
USS Poseidon

&

Major Phoebe Graydon
Second Officer
USS Poseidon

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