Haze Grey

Posted on Sat Sep 11, 2021 @ 1:04am by Captain Larisna Koralova & Lieutenant Rei Yamashi & Lieutenant Sakkar & Lieutenant Penny Mc Taggard & Lieutenant Commander Kaedon Draesni & Lieutenant Jaro Antos

Mission: Mission 1R - Vigilance Be Our Shield
Location: Observation Lounge
Timeline: M1D1 1900 Hours

Larisna waited for everyone to file in and find their seats, standing at the head of the table as she did so. Frankly, she had too much energy built up to consider sitting still, but she'd deal with that later.

The first to pass through those doors was one of the newer arrivals. Tall, well built, and ears that never seemed to stop. Rei took the next step into the lounge to allow the doors to close behind her before she made her way in fully. Finding the captain and the intended meeting place was easy, and thus she took a seat. Seating posture was very important. The upper officers would sit closer to the Captain, while assistants and other invited senior staff would sit further away. Picking a chair about mid-way to the front, she sat with a nod to Larisna. Seems she was settling in well.

A few moments later, Draesni appeared in one doorway of the observation lounge. He paused to survey the room and was not surprised to find that he was only the third person to arrive. Offering a respectful nod to each of the two other occupants, first to the captain and then to Yamashi, the Rigelian stepped forward and selected an open chair. He sat down, placed a pad of paper and pencil in front of him, and waited.

Penny entered the room and after introducing herself took a seat. She had brought a padd with her so she could make notes. It would also come in handy if there was any information she was not sure of during the meeting.

Antos entered next, grateful not be late having slept through his alarm. It was only by sheer luck that he had told Aiko about this meeting and she had happened to remember to wake him up in time. It would seem his circadian rhythms were still not fully adjusted to being on the Hornet. That was not a surprise considering he had traversed a vast distance, from the Vulcan system, to get to Cestus III.

He nodded to the Captain and to Rei as he took his seat. His gaze on Rei lingered a few seconds more than was polite as she was of a species unfamiliar to him, which in and of itself was rare for Antos.

Penny smiled and gave a nod as more people arrived.

Sakkar followed next, PADD in hand. He set the device down on the table in front of him and took his seat. Then spent a moment adjusting his uniform jacket to effect the most professional bearing. His posture was ramrod straight. He offered a quiet nod to everyone gathered.

E'Lor walked in, raktijino in one hand tool belt in the other. Nodding as she passed the others , she quitely took her customary seat.

Doctor Hirsch had entered, along the way replicating a silver mug off caffeine at the mess hall. Checking his wrist watch, Cal reached the briefing room. Taking a seat, he was prepared to hear what more information would be released, if any, on the current situation with the Klingon's and the Gorn.

Once everyone was seated, she tapped a display to make the viewports a little more opaque and pulled up a holographic display of the disputed region they would be heading into. Various icons on either side of the borders appeared with the insignia of either the Klingon Empire or Gorn Hegemony, and a flight path was dotted out along the way. Top-down markers of the ships involved were also placed for the task force.

"I've spoken to each of you personally in the last two days regarding what our mission is. Some of us have had the chance to get to know one another, some of us are just recently joining the crew. I have the utmost confidence in all of you to carry out your duties and I will do my part as well to ensure that as much as we can, this mission goes off without too much hardship." Larisna explained.

"But I wanted to first give you all the big picture. We know what our mission is. We're coordinating, the other ships will handle the evacuation, but we will step in if needed. The general consensus among us appears to be that we understand that the Federation has been directly asked by the Chancellor of the Klingon Empire, Martok, to not intervene at this time. Martok wouldn't make this request of us if he did not have good reason, and none of us here have reason to doubt his motives. The Gorn Hegemony has spent the last 20 years under suspicion because they chose not to support either side in the Dominion War, so they're backed into a corner and will suspect our every move. As long as we do our jobs, this conflict will play out for the greater good, the Federation's neutrality will allow our leaders to broker peace and perhaps finally end the isolation we helped push onto them for past prejudices." Larisna explained, "We cannot afford to get involved. There are those in the Empire who would see Martok made a fool and a liar by Starfleet intervening. Given the Chancellor has been one of our strongest supporters in the last century and has kept the peace in the Empire, I think it only fair we acquit ourselves well and prove his faith in us right."

"We'll make our names known in history, but not in fire and blood. We'll make it later, when we make what is unknown known. A discovery, making contact with a new civilization, something. But for now, we're on a mission of mercy. We may be accused of being cowards and spineless today, but those are just words, thrown by those who want us to fail. A successful mission is making it back here with the evacuees and only having to brave some empty threats, harsh glares, and meaningless words." Larisna stopped, looking around the table, "I'm opening up the floor for discussions and questions for now, and then we'll talk planned assignments for your respective departments."

"Captain, if Chancellor Martok wants us to stay out of this there can only be one reason for that, its because he wants to attack the Gorn. By not getting involved are we not tacitly implying and sanctioning a Klingon attack against the Gorn"? Amanda asked.

"There's a teaching back home. When we guess at others' motives, we reveal only our own.." she paused, her eyes lusterless.... reflectionless in comparison to others. "Do we know for certain that he intends to attack? Martok is a Klingon. What I've read of them is that while they are warriors they have a code they follow. A code based off of traditional male aggression and jockeying, but a code none the less. He may not want us there because he may intend to attack, but he knows we'd be nearby anyway. He may not want us present because he may not want to show beta status. Having us there may weaken his posture, politically and socially."

"I agree," Draesni said, following on from where Yamashi had left off, "as the captain pointed out, we have no reason to doubt the chancellor's motives."

"I have read that Chancellor Martok is an honorable man." Amanda said.

"The Klingons are our last ally in the Quadrant. The media can dress it up however they like, but we have no other allies. We abandoned the Romulans, the Cardassians have renounced war, most every other power is at best keeping us at arm's length and at worst an outright threat. Martok has supported the Federation for 20 years, even at the expense of traditionalists who sit on the High Council." Larisna explained, "We need to trust his judgement that this is the best course of action. There will be a time for peace, but not today. This is a decision made by the President of the Federation and the Federation Council, so it was not one made lightly. If the Klingon Empire's motives were in doubt or if our leaders felt there was a better way, that avenue would be explored by now."

"We're not here to make policy, we're here to carry it out." Larisna stated bluntly, "If we find evidence to bring that back into question, it will be explored at that time."

REi gave a nod, her ears flopping slightly from the intensity of the motion. THIS... she could stand behind.

"What do we know about the Gorn side of the argument?" Amanda asked.

"The Gorn are pursuing claims of questionable validity going back several centuries. The best we can say on that is that it is a matter of directing energy, it's a dangerous path but a common response when faced with isolation in this situation. Again, policy happened, it's been set and the hope is that if we can let this play out. I hate to think of it in these terms, but this is a controlled burn of a forest fire." Larisna explained.

Antos sat forward as he digested the information and discussion so far. "Captain, what are the rules of engagement should we find any one of our ships attacked?"

Penny listened intently.

Sakkar spoke up. "To return fire in such an instance, even as a defensive measure, could be construed as taking a side in this conflict. Our status as a non-belligerent must be clear at all times. Maintaining open communication channels, announcing our intentions at all times, will be key." He turned to the Captain and added, "It is the best way to avoid such a possibility."

"Lieutenant Sakkar is correct. From the big picture, neither side wants to provoke us. The traditionalists that want to make a fool of Martok know that we have to make the first move. If they claimed Starfleet got involved because they attacked us, they'd likely end up discommendated for stupidity alone. The Gorn can't play the victim if they shoot at evacuation craft, and they have a significant population living on Cestus III. Enough that starting a war with the Federation could cause them to take up sides with us and start a civil war in the Hegemony." Larisna replied, "However, if conflict is unavoidable, we will do what is required to protect ourselves and the civilians we are evacuating and withdraw as quickly as possible."

Antos nodded understanding the delicate position that the Starfleet vessels in this operation were in. Still, he was worried. It only took a stray torpedo or phaser fire to derail carefully laid plans, which would quickly devolve into mutual blaming on the other side. The fact that civilian lives were on the line in a zone that could potentially erupt into battle, made this a very delicate and undoubtedly complex operation.

He was clear on the direction of the Captain and would advise his subordinates accordingly.

"Understood. Our presence is there to ensure that both sides see the value in remaining on our good side." the rabbitess pondered aloud.

Lieutenant Hirsch continued listening with interest. His face, collected, his eyes watching each officer add good points to the discussion. Cal had nothing to offer at the moment, only being interested in what would be left in the ashes.

"Captain." Cal set his mug back down. "Have Federation Diplomats visited the High Council? It feels as though the Federation has been appeased, unofficially assured. The Klingons and Gorn eventually are to seek peace. The Federation must have demanded at least peace in the aftermath if we are to stand aside watching quadrants destroy each other nearby."

"As I said, Doctor, we are not here to dictate nor redirect Federation policy." Larisna said, and then looked around the table, "This is not up for discussion. We have our orders, we have our restrictions, and we'll see this through."

Draesni gave an inward sigh, entirely inaudible and invisible to those around him. This has not been at all what he had expected from their mission briefing. Here they were, poised to embark on an ambitious rescue mission, and all some of them seemed concerned with were rumors and innuendo about one side or the other. It was especially baffling to him the ease with which people fell into old stereotypes and charicatures. That, in his experience, was often where the trouble started.

“As far as we know, neither side has done anything to indicate they aren’t going to hold to the agreement, diplomatically or logistically,” Draesni said, leaning forward in his chair, “Starfleet operations has confirmed all assets in the region are positioned and operating as reported. That said, a challenge I do think we should concern ourself with is making sure we hold up our end of the bargain. There aren’t a lot of resources to spare if we get in there and find out we need more lifting power…”

Rei gave a nod at the Captain's declaration. She understood what was being asked of her, though in this case she remained silent. It wasn't her place to speak on behalf of the department's readiness. That was her chief's position. Rei could only speak for her own understanding. And to that, she gave a nod.

Penny made some notes on her padd.

Hirsch already knew his orders from his last meet with the Captain. Thus, he had a heads up on the Medical aspect of the mission. So far, Hirsch had no reason to believe there would be any sustained casualties, at least where the Federation interests lay.

Cal could have the Sick Bay modified for most emergencies within an hour's notice. A razer-like confidence Hirsch enjoyed the discussion.

"Alright. I've said this as many times as I needed, I trust you all to do your part to make this as smooth as possible." Larisna explained, "Remain alert, remain vigilant, set the standard with your example as I intend to do for the crew, and we'll be fine. We simply need to make sure our actions don't fulfill a self-fulfilling prophesy. We let this fire burn itself out, and it will be a done deal."

E'Lor had been silent up till now. Knowing about the Chancellor's motives she knew it would only be a matter of time..... "Captain, Martok will not do anything until he is backed into a corner. If that happens should we not be ready to defend ourselves or will we warp out of the war zone?" she asked.

Larisna took a deep breath before she answered.

"Lieutenant, the discussion about the intentions of the Chancellor of the Klingon Empire and our strategy is over. I have made our position and situation clear." Larisna said, no small degree of steel coming into her tone now as her eyes went around the table, "If any of you feel that you cannot perform your duties or object to the politics behind this mission, I will accept your resignation by 0600 tomorrow morning. Otherwise, I expect you to carry out your duties as Starfleet officers and leave the strategy to our Strategic Operations department. Furthermore, if you feel that you are compromised by this mission and cannot place the interests of Starfleet or the United Federation of Planets as stated above your own or other powers, I will accept your resignation immediately."

"I will not entertain any further speculation on the motives of our closest ally, accusations that they are bloodthirsty animals, or that the Federation is allowing some kind of genocide. If you are that narrow minded, then fear has been your teacher for the past 20 years. I will not tolerate xenophobia or baseless accusations, nor am I interested in familial connections within Starfleet, the Federation, or the Klingon High Council. We are Starfleet, ignorance and fear are not our ways. Understanding, courage, boldness are our teachers. And if that is too much to ask for, then perhaps being made senior officers on a Starfleet vessel at this time was not the correct decision." Larisna was now in full Academy Instructor mode, "If you know more than Chancellor Martok or President Iden, then I'll be happy to sign off on your resignation so you can go enlighten them. If you want to become an expert in the Strategic Operations field, I'll sign off on your resignation so you can go back to the Academy and take the Strategic Ops courses I used to teach. Commander Tholin ch'Clevar is a demanding instructor, so you'll have your work cut out for you."

Amanda chucled a that , Commander Tholin ch'Clevar was the reason she went into operations and not strategic operations.

"Otherwise, I expect you all to either find your courage, remember your jobs, lose the xenophobia, get a good night's rest and be ready for the ship to launch at 0600." Larisna concluded. "Now, I will resume this briefing, but the next person in this room who starts into this speculation again or can't keep their act together or has decided they suddenly have a background in Political Science and Strategic Operations that outstrips our elected leaders and the Starfleet Admiralty...as well as myself and our own Strategic Ops department, I will accept that as you are requesting to be relieved of duty."

"In absence of a senior tactical officer, I am naming Commander Draesni as acting Tactical Officer until we can sort out that department and I'll name the more permanent officer." Larisna then said, "The following locations have been identified as the sites. We have archelogical dig sites, a couple trading posts and an agricultural combine to evacuate. Most of the leg work will be done by the Alameda, Tahoe and Zaikov. The hospital ship Divya Iyer will be on standby for any serious medical issues. We will act as escort and flagship, as well as backup should it be needed for an evacuation, the Windhoek will also act as escort. We're looking at a total evacuation of around 1,500 people plus artifacts, agricultural equipment, livestock, and miscellaneous materials. We will remain close to the Alameda as their escort but we must be ready to respond to others as needed. The Zaikov will act the most independently, since as an Akira, she can act as transport and escort. Alameda and Tahoe are both California class and not cut out for much, same for the Divya Iyer as an Olympic. Windhoek is going to be set up for escort, but can lend a hand in a pinch for the evacuation, but we're best suited for all of the above. as needed."

"At the end of the day, we'll likely just be acting as flagship and first responder. I've already sent back more detailed files for your review relevant to your department." Larisna sat down, "That is all. Dismissed."

Amanda carefully watched them go, some of them seemed kinda perplexed. not exactly disheartened but they knew the Hornet would be going into harms way.

E'Lor knew exactly what the captain meant, she was not about to resign, she was an officer and a member of the Hornet and knew where her loyalties were. She would have to get her people moving to prepare for this mission. Silently she left and headed for her quarters and some sleep.

Rei gave another nod in understanding. Her mission was clear, and her department head seemed just as clear as she was. With that, and the summary dismissal, the Daughter of Ts'usu rose and followed her department head out.

Antos rose as the Captain dismissed the briefing. He made the courtesy nods to the other officers before heading towards the exit on his way to the shuttle bay.

Calvin had awaited the Captain to stand first, as then the rest of the crew had followed suit. It was one of the more subtle norms within Starfleet and the respect of Command. Hirsch had gathered his PADD and mug of coffee.

Sakkar responded to the Captain's final pronouncement with a slightly raised brow and a curt nod. He departed with everyone else, PADD in one hand and the other hand crossed neatly behind his back, and returned to his post on the bridge.

With the meeting coming to an end. Penny stood and picked up her padd. As she walked out McTaggard checked she had saved the notes , that had made during the meeting. She should of course go to the bridge. But there was still a lot of data to sift through. Plus she had not completed her inspection of the science lab. So McTaggard returned to the science department.