[snip + edit in another broken thread]

“Ah! There might be some room over there?” Glen said indicating the galley/cupboard where Faith was serving coffee. “It was really Dr. Cross who suggested it. She thought that since most everyone else on the ship were crammed into this tiny room, it would be fun to invite you along too! …no not really!” Glen laughed, but no one else seemed quite as amused.

“It’s about our next mission,” Glen continued. “While we’ve been waiting for the official briefing we’ve been speculating a little. We are tasked with discovering what, if anything, has happened to an independent colony outside the Federation border. They are a group who have refused any contact with the Federation in the past, so we can be sure of a frosty reception if they have simply turned off all their communication devices. They may refuse our help in any case, but we are bringing medicines and agricultural equipment in case they need them. We do have some people with experience in how they think - Faith lived among such a group, and Cara, the ship’s xenoanthropologist has studied such groups, but the insight of a Counsellor might be useful. I think my time to ask questions during the briefing might be very short, so I want to be sure to ask the right questions, and your input into that would be helpful too. I could always depend on your insight as a COS and an XO to be useful.”

Joe scratched his chin and looked thoughtful for a moment. ” Well Captain all truth be told I would look for an ulterior motive in the fleet. I mean you have a group of people who want nothing to do with the federation and leave the federation wanting nothing to do with us. Wanting only to be left alone. ” Joe shrugged and said simply. ” I know it may come hard to many in the Federation but there are some who don’t fancy us. I would say they have that right leave them be. If you’re looking for something psychologically wrong somewhere I would think that it might be in the upper echelon of our command. If on the other hand someone somewhere has some knowledge of a disaster of some sort with these people, we should go to our border and hail them. I wouldn’t think it would be too prudent to just go barging in where we’re not wanted. And we don’t know what sort of new friends they may have made.”

‘’I totally agree if that’s the case but we have to make sure it is and they are not being forcible, constrained and imposed to live in whatever way, degree or manner that might be. I guess its right that the Federation wants to make sure these people left on their own accord in which case we should just wave goodbye and leave’’ .

“I’m not really looking for conspiracy theories Joe,” Glen replied. “The Outreach program of Admiral Baker works with lots of Earth colonies that got cut off during Earth’s World War Three and most do wish to reconnect. However, I agree that these people might have a very good reason to dislike the Federation and just want to be left alone, and we should respect that. The group that my sister and Faith were with were one of those. I didn’t like their society; it was a cult, and some people were brainwashed, but we cannot be both the Judge, Jury and the Police on how others want to live their lives. Also, that wasn’t really the point I was making earlier. Put it this way, what if we wash our hands of them completely, and then some new unknown superpower as large as the Romulan Star Empire or Klingon Empire decides it liked the system they have settled in. Maybe it’s a military dictatorship which conquers them, enslaves them, subjugates them. How’s your conscience if that happens? And then there is the security aspects of that for the Federation as a whole. They could be used as hostages or human shields…”

The time for the 0100 briefing came and passed by. At this point, Ade, the Ship’s Dentist stuck his head through the door. “Aha! Is this where you are?” he exclaimed.

“Yes, I’m here for most of my time aboard ship,” replied Glen, then added, “I’m practically a hermit! And I’m sure that we can also use a Dentist’s perspective too! I’d offer you a seat, but I don’t have one! I used to have a table somewhere too. We could have all sat around it!”

“Hey! Don’t blame me! I just went along to Joe’s bar and thought it was odd that there was no one there. My first thought was that the ship had been abandoned rather than a meeting!” replied Ade

Returning to the business at hand, Glen asked, “Can everyone see the viewscreen clearly? It shouldn’t be long now before subspace radio reception clears.”

‘’I’d rather use my ears then my eyes ‘’ Cross chirped in ‘’Captain can you lower the temp in here? Preferable below zero ‘’.

Another person appeared at the door. “I’m the engineer. I’m here to turn off the heat!” said George Sherridan.

“Well you can start right in on the Dentist!” replied the Captain.

Before the room began to fill Lance acknowledged the question of his recent promotion with a “Yes Ma’am” he wasn’t sure what else to say, he certainly didn’t want to have to answer to many questions he certainly didn’t have answers to.

The CMO turned around ‘’Hi Lt Malone ‘’Em don’ think I’m being rude but forget the Ma’am just call me Cross or doctor ‘’ she gave him that angelic smile of hers…not that there was anything angelic about her .Looks could be deceiving but Lance was new and he did not quite know her…yet.

He took up a perch at the back of them rather crowded room. He listened and watched. He knew a bit about the early colony works but it was only a glancing amount, he figured he’d be learning more over the next few days. He took it the very battered A6 not pad and badly chewed pencil that lived in his pocket, it was full of his untidy scrawls. He called it his brain it was where he wrote down the random thoughts that went through his mind for later.

The female doctor saw his battered A6 and chewed pencil and thought I reckoned I would like this guy.

Another crewman followed George into the room. “I’m the engineer’s assistant,” he said.

“You know I had a premonition you were going to show up,” said Glen. “The engineer’s over there in the corner. You can chop your way right through… Is it my imagination, or is it getting crowded in here?”

McDuff shuffled in as the room filled further still. This was becoming uncomfortable. He hoped this would be brief so that he could get somewhere a little less claustrophobic - preferably back to bed.

Max was surprised with the number of folks that showed up after he asked for senior staff. He was not expecting to be overloaded. He was hoping the Admiral would be contacting the Merrimack soon to explain the situation further and provide orders on how to proceed. He just waited around to hear from the Admiral.

There had been some spillage of coffee around the machine. Faith said, “Can I come and mop up there?”

“You’ll have to start on the ceiling,” replied Captain Glen, “It’s the only place not occupied!”

The subspace interference was finally beginning to clear now and it looked like they would be able to take the conference call very soon.

• Glen, CO