Posted by Captain Molly Holloway (Commanding Officer) in Main Sim - Conference Room - Mission Briefing (Tag CO, XO, ALL DH’s)

Posted by Lieutenant Commander Renveer (Executive Officer) in Main Sim - Conference Room - Mission Briefing (Tag CO, XO, ALL DH’s)

Posted by Gamemaster Alias Smith N. Jones, Esq. (GMT) in Main Sim - Conference Room - Mission Briefing (Tag CO, XO, ALL DH’s)
Posted by… suppressed (6) by the Post Ghost! 👻

The transporter activated and two figures appeared on the pad. One was a tall, slender human male. He carried a black bag and had a backpack over one shoulder. His companion was a slightly older human, and the exact opposite build. Shorter and broad at the shoulder, chest and waist; he sported a handlebar mustache that was kept in perfect form with old-fashioned wax. He wore the uniform of Star Fleet and Admiral’s pips rested on his collar. The Admiral looked at the Transporter Chief and said “Admiral Hallsley and Dr. Drillek. We are expected.” and stepped off the pad. The Chief came to attention and said “Yes, sir! Your escort is just outside. The Conference Room is ready for you, Admiral.” and he tapped the control panel and a long whistle of varying tones rang out through the whole ship, it’s meaning understood by every member of the crew: Flag Officer on board.

Hallsley nodded once and said “Appreciated. We will head there now.” and walked out the door with Dr, Drillek following. A few short minutes later, they arrived at the Conference Room.

GMT

The Admiral and his associate looked at each other and then walked in… and there was no one there. Hallsley furrowed his brow in confusion and looked at Drillek. “Maybe we’re in the wrong conference room?” and Drillek shrugged. “Well, we’ve seen a flurry of activity. Getting a ship this size up and going would be a feat in and of itself, wouldn’t it?” and Hallsley nodded in agreement. “Indeed. And Im sure wires may have crossed in moving the ship from fleet operations to Special Projects.” and he sighed and said “Well… take a seat. Let’s see what we can prepare for the briefing before hand…” and the two men sat down at the far end of the table opposite where a Captain normally would sit.

GMT

Priscilla had head the whistle of the Flag Officer and it piqued her curiosity. It was intriguing that the Department Heads had been called to a meeting and then the whistle went off. Stopping by her quarters to quickly freshen up and make sure her wayward hair hadn’t decided to take off on its own, she then made her way to the conference room. Arriving about ten minutes after the group had, the Science Chief stepped in expecting to see several of the staff there already. Seeing only strangers brought her up short with an obvious surprised look on her face. Quickly recovering with a respectful incline of her head, she smiled. “Oh, forgive me, Admiral. I didn’t realize I would be the first one here.” Moving to set her PaDD down near her seat about halfway down the left side of the table, she moved to the replicator. “I’m Lieutenant Priscilla Simms, Chief Science Officer. Can I get you gentlemen something to drink?” She noticed the water pitcher and glasses in the middle of the table, but was betting they would appreciate something more.

Lt Priscilla Simms
CSO

The Admiral smiled and said “No thank you, Lieutenant.” The man seated to the right of the Admiral looked at her through narrowed eyes and said “Simms… ” as if thinking about the name. “You were on the Magellan, were you not, Lieutenant?”

GMT

“As you wish,” she nodded and turned to get herself a glass of juice before turning at the odd sounding query of her name.

Moving back to her seat, Priscilla inclined her head and smiled. “Yes, Sir. For a few years before coming here. Have you served there?” She sat in her seat and leaned slightly on her elbows. She glanced to see I’d the doctor was checking his information about her. She wasn’t sure if it was a good thing or bad thing that the man knew her service records.

Priscilla
CSO

The man, dressed in civilian clothes, shook his head. “Oh, no… Im not in Star Fleet. But your name was amongst the list of potential candidates for the station.” he said, and then caught himself. “Julian Echo station, that is.”

GMT

“Oh? I hope that is a good thing.” Priscilla smiled and made light of the comment hoping it wasn’t one of those ‘she needs to be at the furthest end of space’ kind of lists.

Drillek smiled slightly and said “Oh it is. Don’t worry.” and he chuckled.

Forgrave glanced at his chrono as he moved hurriedly through the corridors. Gah; of course I lose track of time the day we have a damn briefing… Muttering dark invectives to himself, he hoped that he wasn’t doomed to be the last to arrive. Though he detested the political game within StarFleet, he was well aware that laxity on his part could greatly affect the perception of the Dresden and her crew - and the whistling bosun’s pipes had been for a Flag Officer.

Double-checking his PaDD, he confirmed that he was at the correct conference room before smoothing out his uniform and calming his breathing. No time like like the present… And with that thought, he opened the door and entered, quickly scanning the room to see who all was there. Issac was initially pleased to see just three figures; though his thoughts changed on seeing that two of the figures were unknown to him - one bore the pips of an admiral Hallsley; if I remember correctly…, but the other appeared to be a civilian.

“Sirs; Ma’am.” Issac nodded courteously to the Dresden’s guests and the familiar face of Priscilla as he approached the table; extending his hand in greeting. “Lieutenant Forgrave, Security Chief. Welcome to the Dresden; it’s a pleasure to have y’all aboard.”

Issac Forgrave, CoS

The conversation was cut short as the Security Chief walked in. “Forgrave, good to see you, again.” Her smile for him was genuine and she went back to sipping her juice wondering just what this was all about. Mission briefings didn’t usually involve this type of brass.

Priscilla
CSO

The Admiral nodded at the Security Chief. “Lieutenant, good to meet you.” hebsaid in his deep rumble of a voice. “This is Dr. Drillek.” and he indicated the man next him. Drillek nodded once, but kept quiet.

Shortly after Forgrave walked in, the doors to the conference room slid open once again, this time allowing Holloway to enter. Her Command Red uniform was perfectly pressed, and her ballerina bun sat immaculately done atop of her head with millimetric precision. She moved at a normal pace, not seeming to rush even though the Dresden’s guests were already present. When her eyes scanned the occupants of the room there was no surprise, nor apologetic look on her face. It was almost as if she had planned to arrive after them all along.

“Admiral Hallsley, welcome on board.” Molly said as she sat down at her seat on one of the ends of the table. “My apologies to make you wait. It’s been busy around here.” She gave the man a polite smile. “I see you have already had the chance to meet some of the staff.” Her smile turned warmer as she turned to both Simms and Forgrave. “Dr. Drillek, I presume? I don’t think we’ve had the pleasure of meeting…”

Holloway, CO
Ellie arrived several minutes later, a rag in her lap that she used to wipe some engine grease off her hands as she came to a stop next to the table “Apologies for my tardiness.” She said to the Admiral and the Captain when she arrived.

Leuitenant Commander Renveer slipped in behind the captain before the door slid shut, and inclined his head in greeting both to the guests and the present department heads. He stood behind Captain Holloway and slightly to her right until she sat, at which point he joined the table seated at the chair closest to her right side. The unimposing man waited for an opening to introduce himself patiently, his dark eyes observing the guests with passive curiosity.

(Lt. Cmdr. Renveer, XO)

“No apologies on your part necessary, Captain. Actually, probably me who should be apologizing to you for snatching you and your ship from Fleet Operation Command on such short notice. I’ll try not to make a habit of that going forward.” he said with a smile and slight laugh.

Molly gave the Admiral a small smile, but to the trained eye it would be visible that she wasn’t too happy about the fact.

“I dont stand on a lot of ceremony or rank, Holloway. And it is your ship. So… Do you want us to start the briefing now, or wait for the rest of your Command team, Captain? No skin off my nose either way.” and he glanced back and forth between the CO and XO.

GMT

CE

Looking around the room to the officers present, Holloway didn’t like to start without everyone present, however, she had the feeling Hallsley had waited enough. She glanced at Renveer, uncertainty written on her face, before turning back to the Admiral with one last glance at her wrist chronometer. “Well, why don’t we start. I’m sure we will be able to catch up whoever arrives in the next few minutes.”

Holloway, CO

“As you wish.” the Admiral replied and then looked at his companion. The slndet man stood up and said “I am Dr. Sean Drillek. I am the Chief Engineer for Star Fleet Special Projects Division. I and Admiral Hallsley have spent the past five standard years designing, building and deploying… well… this.” and brought up a holographic display in the center of the conference table.

The figuure showed a space station, but one that was certainly on the unique side. A base structure supported a clear dome that covered the entire facility. As the Engineer spun the diagram slowly around, it was obvious that some parts of the interior had walls but no ceilings; allowing the station’s occupants to see out into space from almost anywhere. The facility itself had three levels, and in some places transparent flooring allowed a view through the dome even from the lowest level.

“This is Observation Station Julian Echo. It is a state of the art facility designed to monitor the inevitable demise of a nearby brown dwarf star. Everything was designed with the utmost attention to detail. Painstaking design and redesign was done by all of the Federation’s top scientists and engineers, all of whom have spent years creating the perfect and most advanced observatory in history. It is, for lack of a better term… perfect.” Drillek looked at the assembled staff.

“But now it isn’t. The station’s normal report didn’t come in and there has been no response to communications. That was two weeks ago, and we have no idea what has happened.”

Drillek sat down and Admiral Hallsley stood up and put his hands behind his back. “The station itself was ahead of schedule on it’s reporting. Therefore, Star Fleet Command has, to this point, declined to send anyone to the station. The station is more than capable of supporting itself for months without any kind of assistance, and the radiographic activity form the star itself has interfered with subspace communications in the past… but not for this long. Dr. Drillek and I are convinced something is amiss… the nature of what we have no idea or indication of.” and he tapped the interface and the image of the station changed to the standard star map of the galaxy.

“The system JE Observatory is in is not bordered by any claimed space. It holds zero strategic value, and the planets in the system so little of value that we have no reason to suspect any kind of hostile activity.” and he glanced at the Desden’s officers and a gave them a half- smile. “I know… you’ve been told that before. Me too. But this time, I cannot honestly figure why anyone would have an interest in the system. Its in the middle of no where with nothing of value. Hell, its even so far from the shipping lanes that pirates would lose money trying to hideout there.” and the image vanished and the Admiral sat down. “But as we all know… the unknown can be a dangerous place. Hence we are sending the Dresden to ascertain what the issue is, what is wrong with the station, and deal with it. Full station schematics will be provided, as well as crew roster and current experiment parameters. What else do you need, and what questions do you have?” and he looked around at the crew.

GMT

OOC: Fixing typos

Forgrave had been taking notes on his PaDD as the men spoke. Glancing at it to be sure of his question, he asked “You said they’re overdue by two weeks, yes? When was the last report you received, Sir? And what was their typical reporting schedule?”

Drillek spoke up. “They are overdue by two weeks on their anticipated schedule. Actual reporting is due only monthly unless something needs attention. So I suppose… technically… thry still ha e two weeks to send a communication.

“As well, would you be able to provide us with complete records of their past reports? Perhaps there’s something in there that may give us some clues as ta what happened; or help us once we’re there.”

Lt j.g. Issac Forgrave, CoS

Hallsley nodded and said “Absolutely. You all will have access to all reports from the station, from all departments.”

GMT

Renveer sat up straighter to indicate his intention to enter the conversation. “Hello Doctor, Admiral. I’m Lieutenant Commander Renveer, executive officer. You said that there’s nothing of value in the system… but it sounds as if Julian Echo is itself of great importance. Is the station’s existence classified, or do you believe that hostile forces may have caught wind of it and attempted to raid the facility?” He paused before adding, “The Dresden is a combat-capable ship. Do you have reason to believe this mission will be more dangerous than any other distress call, for example?”

(Lt. Cmdr. Renveer, XO)

Drillek spoke up and said “No, the station isn’t classified by any means. In fact, it was the leading story for months prior to its launch. A good many people throughout the Federation are following it. We actually have plans to live stream vids from the station once we were certain all the kinks had been worked out. And nothing anticipated mind you. Just the normal new station issues that crop up occasionally. Oh, and there has been no distress call. I just wanted to clarify that.”

Molly had remained silent while her Chief of Security and her Executive Officer posed their questions. Something in Hallsley’s words had been mulling around Holloway’s mind.

“Admiral… if I may ask…” Molly started when there was a break in the conversation. “You mentioned that, to this point, Starfleet Command has declined to send anyone to the station, because even though they have been silent for the past two weeks, they were ahead on their reporting, correct? You also mentioned that it is not the first time that something has interfered with the station’s communications, albeit not for this long, and that specifically you and Dr. Drillek are convinced something is off.” Holloway paused for a second, joining the tips of her fingers and setting her chin against them. “I think you know where I am going with this, but before we start making plans, I think it is important for us to know exactly what is going on here.” She paused once again before continuing. “You’re telling me that, after two weeks of not sending anyone to check on a station that technically still has two weeks to send a report, according to your colleague, Starfleet decided to give the two people that believe something is wrong, permission to take a warship, not really suited for scientific purposes, on a mission where you don’t expect a hostile encounter? I’m sorry but…” The hint of a cynical smile showed on her lips. “Why not taking a scientific vessel? Why not wait two more weeks? I feel like I’m missing something here, Admiral, and even though Admiral Tulo’t directly informed me of your arrival, suggesting this is an approved mission, until I understand exactly what is going on, we are not going anywhere.”

Holloway, CO

Hallsley looked at Halloway, and a brief flicker of something… disappointment, perhaps… passed over him and was gone.

“Captain. We have told you everything we know. This is an approved mission because I threw a big enough fit for Command to make it so. And while this may be just a warship to you… I expect you, the ship, and the crew to be versatile enough to handle whatever situation you may find.” and his eyes locked onto hers.

“You feel like your missing something, Captain? Well join the club because so do I. I’m missing responses to subspace communications from the most advanced celestial obsevatory in the history of the Federation. And you are going to go have a look and figure out why.” The Admiral looked around the table at the crew, his face showing a sternness that hadnt been there before.”Now, I don’t know what kind of directives you all have received in the past. But I dont play games. And I sure as all get-out don’t keep my teams in the dark. This isn’t Star Fleet Intelligence or some super-secret weapon design garbage blah -blah-blah. Special Projects isn’t some grand code for secret classified goings on.. We handle a vast array of projects that require special attention and personnel. Most of the challenges we face are logistical in nature: getting the right people and equipment where they are needed.” and he sighed heavily.
“Now… I and Dr. Drillek have given you everything we know… which, granted, isn’t much. But its what we have. Dr. Drillek will be accompanying you to the station. He designed and built it, so he’s the most qualified to deal with anything that may have happened.” Hallsley’s eyes once again rested on Halloway. “Any further questions, Captain?”

GMT

This is an approved mission because I threw a big enough fit for Command to make it so. The words played over and over again in Molly’s mind.

“Actually yes, Sir.” The last word clearly emphasized. She knew her place in the ranks and she knew that orders were orders, but the fact that he had addressed her by title so many times made her feel like he was reminding her of that fact. Maybe he wasn’t, but Holloway felt the need to make it clear she was aware of it.

“I don’t doubt you have told us all the known facts. And I am very aware this is an approved mission. However, I hope you understand I can’t just allow you to take us on a mission without understanding the motivations behind it, which is what I think is missing here.” She paused for a moment, her gaze never leaving the Admiral’s.

“And no, this is not just a warship, Admiral. This is my ship.” There was a fire in Holloway’s eyes that wasn’t there before, especially after the mention to Intelligence, but she managed to tone it down for the most part. She didn’t really want to be removed from yet another ship, this time for disrespecting Starfleet Admiralty. “The crew is versatile and the ship can do the job. You take us, and you’ll have your answers.” She paused. “Normally I wouldn’t question the orders I’m given. But in this case, Starfleet Command doesn’t seem to be concerned with this station, and, according to you, Command only agreed to this mission because you pressured them to. Correct me if I’m wrong, but to me, this tells me you may have a personal connection to this mission that we are not aware of. And I’m sure you know how emotional attachments can endanger situations. If I had a personal connection to a mission, they would probably assign it to someone else. So, if you are not comfortable disclosing it in this meeting, I have no problem speaking to you in private about it. I don’t even have to know what it is, but I need to know what to expect. I am not taking my crew into a possibly dangerous scenario without knowing all the details, and I hope you understand that.” While she was visibly annoyed, Holloway’s tone was always level and never disrespectful. “I can’t guarantee the safety of the people under my command if there are unexpected angles I didn’t cover, and that, as you may know, is my primary concern.”

Holloway, CO

Renveer’s spine straightened as the captain spoke, picking up the dangerous undertones of her words. He folded his hands on the table, hoping the body language cue would signal cooperation to all involved. He kept his gaze focused on the guests however, not wanting to look at Holloway in such a way to indicate that this was anything other than reasonable conduct.

At the mention of the observatory, Priscilla had darn near dropped her jaw on the floor. It wasn’t just any science station, it was THE science station. She had been keeping up on it since it’s inception years ago. The quintessential science endeavor that had almost made her want to put in a transfer the moment she had heard it was finished. Now, here she was, not just going to the station to check on it, but going with the very man who had designed it! She was a bit more than star struck and was mentally kicking herself for not realizing it was ‘that’ Drillek who had said hello to her upon entering. Now the comment of her being on the list for the station made sense, and actually sent another swell of pride thru her already thumping chest.

While everyone had been asking the questions she had thought up during the briefing, she had been furiously taking notes. Despite the rest of them and their trepidation, she was ready to jump to warp 10 at this moment and head there. But she also knew, from not being fresh from the Academy, that this was still a huge lump of unknowns they were about to plow into. As the conversation paused, she spoke up. “What Class is the Brown Dwarf and are we equipped to boost the radio signals if the interference from the star, itself, is the cause of the lack of communication? I understand the radio waves from some brown dwarfs can be quite disruptive at even normal ‘safe’ distances. If that’s the case, will we have the equipment or replication specs on board to address such a thing? Or any other replacement parts that can’t be replicated, if say antennae or arrays have been severely damaged from anything in the area including meteor storms?” She knew it was probably a moot point, but she hated to go all the way out there and find out they didn’t have the one plug they would need.

Priscilla
CSO

Drillek looked at her and nodded in absent-minded approval of the questions. “Excellent questions, Lieutenant. The station is equipped with a new series of industrial replicators and are programmed with all the critical and standard parts patterns that they would require. And the station was supplied just three weeks ago, so the Admiral and I couldn’t think of anything engineering related that could cause them to go off-line.” and he looked down at the table and tapped some commands into the interface and a new display came up.

It showed the star in question: a Class V brown dwarf with three planets roughly the size of Sol system’s Mercury orbiting it. Drillek spoke. “The staion is set outside of the normal radiographic interference of the star, but flares of activity have twice now interferred with communications. But the Admiral and I don’t think that is the issue here. The last report from the station indicated a decline in radiographic activity… not a spike. Hence our insistence that someone go have a look.”

GMT

Ellie spoke up from her spot towards the back of the room “In the last report, Engineering didn’t report any problems with comms or other issues?” She asked making sure that she had understood what the Doctor and Admiral had said “It’s possible that the gravitational pull of the Brown Dwarf somehow accelerated and caused some sort of damage to the station itself. The higher the technical advancements, the more possible there are for malfunctions.” She said simply, being an engineer, it could be something as simple as a fried relay or as complicated as the entire comms system being destroyed or damaged.

She looked at the Admiral and Doctor “Not saying that your station isn’t ‘perfect’ but everything mechanical can break.” She said “I will need to look over the engineering reports and see if I see anything out of the ordinary.” She said not meaning to put down their excellent work, but machines were machines and they could be fickle.”

CE

Drillek looked at her and said “They should already be in your files. And no, there was no report of anything unusual. And the station is eqipped with secondary and tertiary backups for critical systems like life support and communications and maneuvering thrusters. I’m happy to review the reports and specifications at your convenience.”

GMT

Priscilla wondered if Ellie had any idea how lucky she was to be on a mission of this caliber with this man. Nodding with a smile, she noted the questions and responses. “Great, I’ll look forward to that as well. Maybe we can come up with some ideas before we get there.” She leaned back slightly in her chair and put her hands in her lap. She had just realized her leg was shaking up and down in both excitement and concern. This was going to be an adventure, to be sure!

Priscilla
CSO

Hallsley’s eyes never left Holloway’s. As the conversation continued around them, he just watched her. His face was a blank slate, no 3motion or expression. At a break in the conversation, he said “You and I will have a word when the briefing is over.” and paused before adding with a slight intake of breath and a small smile as he then looked around the table.

“Any further questions from anyone before we adjurn? You have a bit of a jaunt ahead of you, and I know Dr. Drillek is keen to get moving.”

GMT

Now Renveer did look at Captain Holloway, silently asking permission to stay for the meeting with the Admiral. His eyebrows raised ever-so-slightly to indicate that he was intrigued by her approach to speaking up for the ship and crew, though there was no disapproval in his gaze.

(Lt. Cmdr. Renveer, Executive Officer)

Molly’s gaze never met Renveer’s, but she could see him out of the corner of her eye. Even though she knew he had been doing nothing but his job, the lengths to which the former Counselor had gone to help her overcome the many scars the past had left on her, had made her want to prove to him that she could be better than she was. And yet, here she was, arguing with a superior officer over the orders he had given them. Holloway couldn’t help the slight fear that if she was to face her new Executive officer, she might see some sort of disappointment in his eyes. So she didn’t.

Priscilla shook her head as the gaze passed over her. Till she and the Engineering Chief and Dr. Drillek could talk, she was set here. “No, Sir,” then to the Captain and smiled, “good here.”

Priscilla
CSO

Still taking notes, Issac looked up briefly. “Hmmm. I suspect I’ll have a list of questions before too long; but nothing that needs answers right this moment. I suspect Dr. Drillek will be able to address them in due time.” He had in fact come up with a number of questions already; mainly along the lines of station layout, previous communications, crew complement, and so forth. But he could read the rising tension between his Captain and the Admiral; and knew his questions and planning could wait. Frankly, he did share Holloway’s concerns; albeit with a slightly different perspective. His job was to keep the crew safe as they went about their duties - and gallivanting off into the unknown did nothing to make that easier. He did agree with the mission in concept - a sudden halt to communication was concerning; regardless of if it was ‘due’ or not. Such things were ignored at risk to all parties. With luck, it would turn out to be nothing; and a waste of time for everyone involved. But if luck wasn’t on their side.... Well, the clock was ticking.

Lt j.g. Issac Forgrave, CoS

After all the questions had been asked and everyone around the table was satisfied with the answers they had received, Holloway’s focus shifted back to Admiral Hallsley. “If there are no other questions, we can meet in my Ready Room. If you don’t mind, I would like Commander Renveer to be present there as well.” Molly said motioning to the Trill officer by her side.

Holloway, CO

Hallsley said “I’m due back to Station One shortly, Captain. Why don’t we let everyone prepare for departure and we can just chat a bit right here.” He looked at Drillek and said “Report when you are at one week, then three days, and then 12 hours from the station. And you are a guest on the Dresden. If anything is amiss, you assist… you don’t direct. Got it , Doctor?”

Molly wondered what kind of behaviour Drillek usually displayed for Hallsley to speak to the man like that, especially in front of the Dresden’s senior staff. In any case, it was not really her business, so she didn’t voice her thoughts. She nodded at the Admiral as to accept his suggestion to stay behind and speak in the Conference Room.

The Engineer nodded and said “Understood, Admiral.” and he looked down the table to Holloway. “Captain, could I impose on one of your officers to show me to my quarters?” and he stood up and picked his black duffel off the deck.

GMT

“I can,” Priscilla piped up before the Captain could respond. She realized her outburst and blushed. “I mean, well I have a bit before I’m actually needed for anything, so I don’t mind.” She was biting her lip as she realized her enthusiasm had gotten the best of her. She suddenly felt like some young girl with her holo star crush standing before her. She had to get a grip on herself or she would be no good to anyone.

As she thought that, she figured escorting him to his room would actually be the best way for her to get over being star struck. Nothing like having reality set in and dispel the godlike things someone had pinned on another person. A small laugh in the back of her head made her realize that she was start struck, but had no illusions of the humanity of the man she was so fond of.

Priscilla
CSO
(embarrassed as all get out!)

OOC: Hahaha! This is great! :D – Joana

Holloway looked at Simms before turning back to Drillek. The hint of an amused smile played on her lips. “It seems that Lieutenant Simms is free to show you around, Doctor. So I’ll let you get to it.” Looking around the table at the officers present, she finished the meeting. “If there’s no further questions then, we’ll get to it. Make sure you make Dr. Drillek feel at home. Dismissed.”

Molly looked at Renveer, indicating with her gaze that he should stay in the room. When she turned back to Hallsley, her expression turned slightly harder. The amusement shown just moments before, seemingly completely gone. She waited patiently for everyone else to leave the room.

Holloway, CO

As soon as the room was emptied, save for himself, the captain, and the admiral, Renveer spoke quickly to interject before Molly started. “Can I get you something to drink, Admiral?” he said as he rose from his seat and moved to the replicator. “I know you said you didn’t have long, but I’d be remiss if I didn’t at least offer you some caf or tea to help you refuel after making the trip to meet with us in person.” Renveer’s intentions were both genuine and strategic, hoping to soften whatever blow Molly was about to deliver.

(Lt. Cmdr. Renveer, Executive Officer)

Hallsley waved off the offer. “No thank you, Commander. But I appreciate the offer.” He then looked at Holloway, his face hardening slightly.

“I’m gonna assume that you are fine with me speaking to you in front of your XO. And if you aren’t, too late Captain.” and he paused for just a second before continuing. “Now. I know you may not like me. I know your plans for the Dresden may not have been running a site check instead of manning the line against whatever enemies we have. But thats tough, Captain. And if you ever… ever… tell me you are not going to do something you have been ordered to do unless it fits whatever notions you have regarding it in front of your Ccommand staff and Junior officers, your first command will be your last. You can get pissed with me all you want, Holloway. But you don’t do it in front of the crew. Got it, Captain?” Hallsley’s voice was calm, even, and matter of fact. He wasn’t mad, per se, but he was disappointed in her reaction to the orders she had been given… especially since she conveyed that reaction in front of the staff.

Taking a deep breath, the Admiral said “I have given you everything we know… which is nothing. And I will tell you that Dr. Drillek is the one pushing for the check. In addition to this being a high-profile project with a lot of eyeballs on it… his son is a researcher on the station. And while I dont share Dr. Drillek’s thoughts that we need eyes on the station right now, if we don’t hear from them in a week we’d be sending someone out anyway. So the worse case scenario for you is you get halfway there and we tell you to turn around. Sending you now saves a week of time and puts the good Doctor a bit more at ease. And before you ask… yes. Dr. Drillek is that important that he can do things like this. But he used to being in charge. So as I said to him… your ship. He assists. And don’t be afraid off using him. He’s one the top three Engineers in the Federation. That might come in handy.”

GMT

Admiral Hallsley rejecting the offer left Renveer standing awkwardly by the replicator. As the admiral’s words turned harsh, Renveer mentally winced. He turned toward the wall and uttered a couple words, then spun to walk back to the table with a coffee just how Molly liked it (three spoons of sugar and all) and a hot apple cider for himself. He set down the mug wordlessly in front of Molly, then moved around and behind her to retake his original seat. The executive officer sipped his beverage passively, eyes trained on the admiral. Although his face didn’t show it, Renveer was rather displeased with how the admiral seemed to insinuate that the rest of the department heads had no right to know their captain’s real feelings about him. For now, he allowed space for Molly to reply, hoping that his offer of a soothing and familiar drink might serve as a signal to tread carefully.

(Lt. Cmdr. Renveer, XO)

Holloway’s expression had been stern but as the Admiral spoke, the more annoyed she felt. She wondered if his accusation might have been a simple misunderstanding, but that didn’t stop the hardness of her tone to seep out through her words. Focused on Hallsley she didn’t even noticed the coffee being placed in front of her, but her hands mindlessly wrapped around it as if the warm temperature of the mug could somehow ground her emotions.

“With all due respect, Sir. I told you Commander Renveer would be present in this meeting just a few minutes ago, so it seems to me that your warning was very uncalled for.” It was clear the meeting was not off to a good start. “Now, let me get this straight before we begin, I don’t have any reason to like or dislike you, Admiral. In fact, I have no qualms with you. I also don’t care what the mission Starfleet sends us off to. If it’s something easy and peaceful it’s better for everyone involved, so I would appreciate it if you did not assume that I have some grand plans to ‘man the line against our enemies’, Sir.” Her eyes flashed with anger, but her tone never rose. “If you were supposed to just waltz into my ship and boss me and my crew around, my job would not be required. I could be just placed somewhere else because you’d have full command of the ship. Our navigator would take you wherever you wanted. However, my job is to keep my ship and my crew safe, and if you want someone to blindly and brainlessly follow orders then you have the wrong person for the job.”

She paused for a minute, trying to control the wave of emotions threatening to spill out. “I never refused to do something I was ordered to do. But in the best interests of the safety of my crew, I can’t just bow my head and say yes when you are telling me you are sending us to a station that seems to be okay, a station that Command themselves are not worried about. My only concern with sending the Dresden – a warship – to a science station is the fact that it tells me this mission was rushed to be put together otherwise you would have taken a different ship. It feels like you are in so much of a hurry to get there that you took the first ship you found! I am sure that you will agree that if someone ordered you off to somewhere where nothing was going on, you would wonder what they were not telling you. And that’s my only concern. I think this mission is personal to someone and that that fact has been hidden until now. All I said was that until someone told me the full scope of what was happening, we were not going anywhere. It’s not a refusal. It’s a condition. And a condition I stand by.”

Molly felt herself shaking. “In fact, you just confirmed my suspicions. That my concerns were justified. This mission is personal. Dr. Drillek’s son works at the station, you just said it yourself. It seems that Ttere was a vital piece of information being concealed from us. And again, in order to ensure the safety of my crew I need to know what to expect. I am not wrong in thinking that dealing with someone that has no personal interest on a mission is very different than working with someone that might be emotionally compromised. There is a reason why I would be removed from duty if that was the case, and yet, Dr. Drillek was not.”

Molly paused again, trying her best to keep her tone level and respectful, even if it was becoming quite hard to do so. “Just understand. I don’t care who he is, and how high profile this mission is. I will not tolerate you coming on board my ship and accusing me of insubordination when I did no such thing. Yes, maybe I shouldn’t have voiced my concerns in front of my senior staff, but I though that was why we had a meeting about it. To voice our concerns and find answers to deal with them. Not to mention, my crew has the right to know my worries just like I have the right to know theirs. Or were you expecting to just order us around like Borg drones?” Holloway took a deep breath. “I also don’t appreciate you accusing me of speaking in front of junior officers when none were present. To which I should add, this is not my first command. But you would know that, wouldn’t you, Sir, if this mission hadn’t been slapped together like I was worried it was.”

That was it. She felt dizzy as her blood pressure crashed and her thoughts were all over the place. Why couldn’t she just keep her mouth shut and nod like Starfleet clearly wanted her to? How long had she been in charge of the Dresden? Less than a month. Would this be yet another removal of command in her file. Maybe she could just move back to San Francisco and pretend nothing had happened. Could she? Molly felt bad for Renveer, how bad would her behavior endanger his career as an officer?

Taking a sip of the mug in front of her, the hot coffee seemed to tone down her inner turmoil. “Look, Admiral…” For the first time, her tone was apologetic and quiet. She sighed. “I’m sorry I spoke in front of the Command Staff. That’s all I can offer you, if it is that big of a deal to you. But I hope you understand where my concerns come from. If you don’t, rest assured I know my place in the chain of command. Just let me know if I need to pack my bags.”

Holloway, CO

Hallsley glared at her for a long time in silence, hud fingers drumming on the table top loud enough the sound carried through the room. After almost a full minute, he cuuckled and said “You got spine, I’ll give you that. And thats good. Because you’ll need that working for Special Projects.” and he leaned back and interlaced his fingers on his stomach.

“To clarify, Molly… I dont care about how much you question orders. I think a good Commander should. But there is a time and a place for such discussions. You need to learn when, where, and how to do that. And for starters… you dont drop conditions on orders in front of your staff. Not now. Not ever. Now then… any briefing I give you is and always will be one of two. One for them, one for you…” and he then looked at Renveer as if noticing him for the first time, “… and you. Thats when you lay down your conditions. But that first briefing isn’t for you so much as it for them. I want to hear their questions, their ideas. Then we talk. After that, you can tell your team whatever you think they need to know, whatever concerns you had that I did or didnt address. Unless, of course, they can’t know for some reason. But I hate operating like that. If we find ourselves in that position, know that I will hate it as much as you. Copy? Good.” The Admiral stood up and looked at both of them.

“When you arrive at the station, contact me with a preliminary assessment. And if it’s something you can’t handle alone, for the love of all thats holy fall back and we will assess and get you some help. Understood? I dont have the desire to have to send someone out looking for you, too.” His final sentence was jovial, but there was a hint of seriousness.

GMT