Posted by Lieutenant Commander Peter Sigmundsson (Chief Intelligence Officer) in [AE] - Ready Room - CO, XO, Senior Staff

Posted by Commander Heathcliff Rinker (Chief Medical Officer/ Psychiatrist) in [AE] - Ready Room - CO, XO, Senior Staff

Posted by Captain Kelly Bordeaux (Commanding Officer) in [AE] - Ready Room - CO, XO, Senior Staff
Posted by… suppressed (11) by the Post Ghost! 👻
As the ready room lay dormant, on the table in front of each seat a Yeoman from the ship had entered an hour before to prepare the room for the Captain’s brief to her senior staff. Before each sear a PaDD had been placed one for each member containing the following information:

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Starfleet Official-Sensitive
This classification indicates that the content may contain confidential details regarding ongoing missions, diplomatic negotiations, or classified technology. Access to such information is typically limited to authorized personnel with appropriate security clearance levels.

From: Starfleet Intelligence
Subject: Narvhalian Civilization Overview
Distribution List:
Admiral Carter;
Capt. Kelly Bordeaux;
Cmdr. Garinder’Jen th’Jir;
Cmdr. Heathcliff Rinker
Lt Cmdr. Ethan Nash;
Lt Cmdr. Tenzing Trainor;
Lt Cmdr. Gravel Mardusk;
Lt Cmdr. Peter Sigmundsson;
Lt Cmdr. Ian Bordeaux;
Distribute as neceassry

Attachments: Data Link

Medical Analysis:

The Narvhalarians exhibit a blend of terrestrial and marine characteristics, Their physical features, including webbed fingers and toes, gills for underwater breathing, and bioluminescent eyes, suggest a highly evolved physiology. It would be prudent for medical teams to study their unique respiratory system, particularly the transition from aquatic to terrestrial environments. Additionally, research into their bioluminescence could provide insights into potential medical applications, such as advanced diagnostic tools or treatments for low-light vision impairments.

Science and Social Sciences Analysis:

The Narvhalarians appear to display a deep connection to their aquatic homeworld data should be collected on how this influences every aspect of their society, from culture to architecture. Their affinity for both terrestrial and aquatic lifestyles suggests a societal structure that prioritizes environmental stewardship and harmonious coexistence with nature, this should be confirmed. Social scientists may observe how their cultural artefacts and rituals reflect this connection to the ocean, shedding light on their belief systems and values. Furthermore, understanding how Narvhalarians interact with other sentient species in their ecosystem could provide valuable insights into interspecies diplomacy and cooperation.

Security Analysis:

While specifics regarding Narvhalian weaponry are limited, it’s imperative to approach with caution due to their potential defensive capabilities. Given their advanced understanding of marine technology, it’s plausible they utilize underwater defence systems and sonic-based weaponry to protect their underwater cities. Security protocols should prioritize non-confrontational approaches, emphasizing diplomatic engagement and cultural exchange to mitigate potential misunderstandings or conflicts if contact is to be made.

Engineering Analysis:

As a pre-warp society on the verge of conducting its first warp test, Narvhalarians likely possess advanced marine technology but may lack expertise in spacefaring technologies. Engineering teams should assess their technological readiness for warp travel. Starfleet first came across the Narvhalarians when a deep space science vessel detected unique energy signatures emanating from the Narpharia nebula. Investigation revealed the Narvhalarians, although yet to attempt warp flight, intriguingly utilized Aethrilium—a rare element within the nebula—in their day-to-day life. Recognizing the potential significance of this unconventional use of Aethrilium and their nascent advancements in warp technology, Starfleet established an unmanned monitoring station on an unoccupied part of the planet outside of the Narvhalarian’s sensors. This discreet outpost now serves as an observatory to closely monitor the Narvhalarians and their societal integration of Aethrilium, offering Starfleet valuable insights into their unique technological and cultural developments.

Conclusion:

This data pack represents the most up-to-date information available. Current directives advise observation and recording only; engagement with the Narvhalians is not authorized unless they achieve warp flight and gain approval from Starfleet Command.

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The briefing room is quiet, covered in soft lighting whilst it waited dormant. Minimalist furnishings and muted colours create a calming atmosphere. The air is still, with only a faint hum of the ship’s environmental and life support systems working away in the background. As the occupants prepare to arrive, the room exudes a sense of anticipation, ready to facilitate focused discussion and collaboration.

Narwhal the nefarious
GMT
USS Atlantis

It appeared that Jen was the first to arrive. His general sense was that anyone who was woken in the night for a mission was either requiring a rescue or an invasion - or was simply one of ‘those’ who was up at night and because of that everyone else had to be up at night. He had seen the memo, read it twice and then stalwartly placed the reason as option three. Could they not have had a handy probe out there scanning and recording the event? Surely the ship didn’t have to have front row seats for this. Wasn’t Starfleet filled with people who lived for this sort of thing in studying these civilizations and being there when they ‘grew up’? Surely they didn’t just wake up, see a note from them that they had a space program and had missed it? Yes, Jen was not a morning person. Alert from years in the field when woken but not a morning person. And he didn’t like water unless it was frozen.

Ordering an Andorian tea that was deceptively caffeinated - a rakdajino in spirit if not in sludge form - and took a seat and read for the fourth time now the briefing notes. Jen had invaded places but not done anything like a ‘hey let’s chat and by the way we’re the boys in the neighborhood, wanna join the gang’ person. Would that be the way they’d see it or would they see the Federation as an invader? Did they even believe in ‘aliens’ of which the Atlantis would be a poster boy for? Quietly he digested the notes and his questions of which, he was sure, had no quick answer.
- Jen, XO

Aurra was the second person in the door. She’d only been asleep for an hour when the bridge notified her of the meeting. She had gotten up and dressed, brushed her teeth and now she was in the ready room with a strong cup of coffee in her hands. The doctor nodded at the first officer, a person she didn’t have much face time with. “Cmdr, we’ve got to stop meeting this way.” It was a joke that her sleepy mind didn’t reign in before she spoke. Once the words were out, Aurra closed her eyes with a sigh, waiting for his reprimand.

—Talisse, CMO

“Better sitting than on a gurney,” Jen replied. That wasn’t his reply. He had ‘borrowed’ it from a corporal medic who kept passing through their bunker thanks to logistics with medical supplies. He’d overheard it but never thought to actually figure he would need to use it or have opportunity. It was funny how fate did bring one around to these times. He gave a small shrug at the comment to suggest it was not out of line, at least to him. The question was whether he had actually ‘met’ the doctor in which case he was sure he would be called out for a physical at some point. He looked at her coffee and then at his tea. “If we had a Ferengi on board he’d be at the door selling coffee.”

They were not unused to unexpected calls at odd hours. Though this was a first for Cara as part of the Atlantis’ senior staff. A middle of the night staff meeting usually didn’t bode well. What a way to come back from such a wonderful vacation. She replicated an insulated mug of Tieguanyin oolong tea for herself and then a pitcher sized one of Gravel’s preferred coffee blend. She handed it to him as they walked out the door. “My good luck I have a personal escort. My sense of direction is even worse when I’m tired,” Cara laughed as they stepped onto the lift.

Mardusk just growled slightly and took the pitcher of rakdajino ‘sludge’ and downed a solid portion of it. “Your sense of direction and my patience.” he mumbled as he led them to the Ready Room.

“We’ll be sure to lay down a trail of, how does one say it, bread crumbs, next time for you to follow, Counselor,” Jen said, smiling behind his mug.

Cara grinned, “That is most kind, Commander. Hopefully there are no birds around to eat the crumbs.”

The conference room was quiet when the doors slid open. “Commander, Lieutenant,” she greeted them both in turn as she slid into a chair and began to read the PaDD that was awaiting her.

Lt. O’Farrell, counselor

Mardusk flopped into the largest chair in the room and glared around the table. “Mornin’.” he grumbled.

Peter arrived shortly after O’Farrel, he hadn’t been asleep as when Intelligence sent the data packet his system pinged him that a priority message had arrived. He’d spent the time before the meeting was called to familiarize himself with the intel given. He wasn’t sure but something about this was odd, perhaps it was only a time issue and the fact that the Atlantis was only a few days away from the system. He gave the first officer, the chief doctor, and the counselor a nod each “Commander, Lieutenants” His voice was a little hoarse so he cleared it before pouring himself a glass of water and taking a sip “Haven’t had a staff meeting at zero-dark-hundred in a while” He said sitting down, as a personal rule he didn’t drink anything except water after ten in the evening so he simply rubbed his face in ice water before leaving his quarters.

CIO

That did get Jen thinking … general quarters drills were rather slim in the fleet, at least those not in the thick of activity. Perhaps they should .. meaning he should .. conduct some shipwide GQ drills and simulations so that the crew were not so, shall he say, surprised at the call at this time. His antennae moved in a conspiratorial circle as he pondered that. Bring some army, or old navy, into the life of the crew. “Good morning,” Jen replied.

Rive wasn’t very far behind the others. She had a cup of coffee with a little extra in one hand and a Padd in the other. Unlike the Others she seemed relatively awake and alert. She looked at the room and found a chair at the far end. It seemed strange to her the whole timing and vague wording of the file. Hover she was goings to hold her tongue until someone said something similar.

Kelly entered the room carrying her own mug of coffee looking less than thrilled about the situation. Kelly tended to be a morning person but that did not mean she had to be all perky and chipper yelling out hello’s and good mornings. There was also a difference between morning and an ungodly hour as her Grandma termed it. Taking a seat, she glanced at the people already sitting around the table. “Because there is no good reason for a zero dark meeting. Nothing good happens after two am,” she commented. “If you are leaving someone’s place it is because they are not into you. If you are closing down the bar you are probably too drunk for your own good. If you are being attacked, you should have had a better gamma shift. If someone sends a mil-que-toast assignment at zero dark thirty they either hate you or there is something fishy about it. Pardon my pun,” she replied to the CIO.

“Or you work at the bar and are trying to push the last of the clientele out to fend for themselves.” Mardusk added.

“Or yer friends with the bar tender, and helpin’ the riff raff out so ya can open the good stuff,” Cara quipped with twinkle.

Jen was wondering if this was another set of references he would have to look up but thankfully it was fairly self explanatory. And accurate.

Peter gave the captain a bemused look “Ma’am, where I’m from you don’t go to the bars until oh two hundred” he said with a chuckle, it wasn’t completely true but also wasn’t that untrue either.

“Then you’ve not spent enough time with marines, Commander,” Jen said with a tip of his head to pay attention.

Taking a sip of her coffee, Kelly leaned back looking at the people around the table. “So anyone’s spidey sense tingling about this? Like why it feels off for such a lackluster easy assignment. As you all have read, our orders are first contact but not unless they reach warp? When will they reach warp? Who knows because there are no hard facts it could happen tomorrow?” Kelly stopped talkng and waited for her crew to reply. The room was filled with brilliant people It would yield interesting prospective and that is what she needed to know right now.”

Kelly Bordeaux CO

Spidey sense. Jen made a mental note to reference that phrase, or at least its origins as he did catch the gist of it.

River thought for a moment “I’m guessing the energy reading they found set tongues wagging amongst the science brass. Maybe they planned to extract the element but had to stop when they found the Narvhalarians.” she said pausing for a second “Nothing good ever comes from trying to take stuff without permission from someone’s back yard. Maybe their hoping the Narvhalarians are so close that as soon as they make their first jump, star fleet can swoop in with a diplomatic offer.” she said sipping her Coffee.

“Easier to access the element then. Also having us there means they have a very big trump card if things go south.” she said ending her musings. River never hid her scepticism of star fleet brass or their motivations but she also could see a scheme when she saw one. River hoped it was good old fashioned paranoia and it was just a simply mission. It just seemed strange to send such a powerhouse ship.

Lieut Styxx (Marine OIC)

The Intelligence chief nodded at the marine chief’s observation “There have always been elements in the admiralty that have tried such nonsense, it rarely works in their favor” Overall the service was filled with honest people who would not allow the exploitation of lesser advanced species “The data packet didn’t mention specific data on how close to warp they are, I don’t know of any duck-blind assignments to this system so I’m assuming our information is mostly from the Cole probe?”

CIO

“Or…” Mardusk said, “… they want us out of the way and quiet while someone sets us up for something. I mean really. Who sends a ship like this for a potential First-Contact? And where is the Diplomatic Corps. They are standard for any First-Contact. Naw… somebody wants us doing a whole lot of nothing for a bit, I think.”

Mardusk, CoS

“What am I chopped liver,” Ian said half laughing. They were right. Ian might be in the diplomatic corp but the insanely small department they had on the Atlantis was not anyone’s first choice in who to send into a First Contact. His department could do it but they mostly dealt with general diplomatic issues or reporting about the stability of the political climate of the planet they were in orbit around.

“Where do we even use this element? Sure it is rare and they are utilizing it in their systems but there is no knowledge that this will even work any better than what we have. Their aquatic environment has potential for adding to our technological arsenal in a sense but Pacifica is similar to here by my comparison.” Jen asked. He was far from a science field so had no trouble asking for more on that. Styxx did make a good point. Why the rush on getting there first? This wasn’t a race. He nodded in the CIO’s direction. Another good point. Even at warp 1 it would take a civilization years to get a plan out for further exploration from their first tests. This was hardly a gotta get there now dilemma but something hashed together. No duck-blinds as was said? No media monitoring to see how they even think toward other possible peoples out here? Just a set up to monitor their use of this element that he couldn’t pronounce easily. He frowned.

To Peter he asked, “Commander, tactically speaking has this system any importance to the surrounding region that we’d want to get there before anyone else?”
Jen, XO

Peter shook his head “Not as far as I’m aware, we are of course operating near both Klingon and Romulan space so they should always be considered but neither Empire has shown interest in this area historically. But of course, strategic resources can change the situation. That’s of course if this is a political directive from the Council. I’m not familiar with this Aehterillium material so I don’t know how important it is or for whom” He said with a grimace, he didn’t like not knowing things.

Mardusk, CoS (Fixing split)

“Sending the Atlantis seems a bit overkill. We have a diplomatic team on board, but we’re a big ship and geared ta fight if necessary. The focus on this element seems ta possibly be tellin’. The only data we have is from probes, but usually we send in observers in observation blinds, and then undercover ta learn more about a people ta try and avoid conflict.” Cara was thinking the brief over as she spoke. “It also says ta see how they interact with other sentient species on their planet. The Federation has had some, shall we say, embarrassin’ moments when only dealin’ with a single group rather than a full representation. We have strict rules about that. This seems odd.”

Lt. O’Farrell, counselor

“I did make a joke about our attaire being wet suits or bikinis and Admiral Carter told me to gear up,” Kelly laughed. “So how many are on Team Speedo and how many are on Team Rip Curl Flashbomb.”

Jen’s face was a blank mask but his antennae were whisking about in a ‘what is she talking about?!’ way. More for him to look up. The seas that Jen was familiar with were frozen. Perhaps he could visit some frozen poles and take a walk around like the rest of the crew would be doing on their beaches.

Peter grimaced again “I’d much rather we replicate one of those ancient diving suits they used in the 18th century” He said only half joking, he disliked wearing less-than-optimal clothing during a mission.

Once the comments died down, Kelly became more serious. “I agree with most of the hypotheses floating around the table. I think there is something they are keeping from us and I would not put it past Command to have neglected to tell us something so they can CYA. That being said I think the data packet left us with enough stuff to read and get up to speed. I suggest we all go back and brush up on the sections that apply to our fields. We altered course a few hours ago so we should be there in the next eight hours. Rest up while you can and make sure your boots are shiny. It’s go time for First Contact and that means shiny boots and shiny smiles for posterity. Unless anyone has anything else to add you all are dismissed.

Kelly did not immediately stand up in case someone had something to add.

Bordeaux CO and Bordeaux CDO

Jen addressed Peter and Tenzing. “When we get closer see what you can do with linking to their intranet and media feeds. Ian, you analyze those with them. Gravel, run an algorithm on what is found and see whether there would be any kickback to the sudden appearance of space farers. And scan for any orbital network and platforms. What do they have for space docks? What might they have in tech that can detect us lurking nearby? Ethan if their ship is out there for the test run a scan of it. What is it likely to do? Counselor, Doctor - if they have an intranet they will have programs and things on their education programs and content, and more importantly their medical makeup, not to mention geography, cities and politics. We have an open slate if we can access their systems. Let’s see what we can come up with before we go knocking on their door.”

Rinker ever the late comer walked through the sliding doors Padd in hand. “So where are we going? A planet of Norwegian Dolphins?” He threw up his hands as if to say why do you need me.

Rinker

CIO

Jen