It Takes A Village

Posted on Mon Jun 17th, 2024 @ 3:16pm by Captain Malcom Llwyedd & Commander Cynfor Rees & Lieutenant Commander Rhiana t'Aegis & Lieutenant Commander Kataxes & Lieutenant Commander Jörgen Leed & Lieutenant Tor Ezzo & Lieutenant Owen Woodhouse & Lieutenant Jackson Smith & Lieutenant JG Randolf Forst & Ensign Lun

5,063 words; about a 25 minute read

Mission: Mission 1: A Long Hard Road Ahead
Location: USS Firebird, Deck 2 - Diplomatic Conference Suite
Timeline: 25 August, 2396 - 0800 Hours

[ON]

Malcom sat down in the chair at the head of the diplomatic conference table. He immediately noticed that the chair was much more comfortable than the one in his ready room. He made a mental note to ask Kipp to replace his chair. He had a stack of PADDs, one for each of the people he'd invited to the meeting. He'd arrived early so that he could organize his thoughts. Getting a solid five hours of sleep had been important in returning him to some semblance of functioning. The encounter with the Coalition carrier had been tense but his crew had performed admirably, even if they had been taking on responsibilities they weren't used to. He knew that trend was going to continue as he spread the Firebird crew around as needed. He leaned back in the chair, took a sip of his coffee, and began to read a status report from the ship's engineering section.

The doors to the conference room softly hissed as they smoothly slid open, letting the metallic, sharp legs of Kataxes slowly step in. They were tall enough for their clunky metal suit to graze the top of the doorframe as they entered, their six sharpened spider-like legs clanking against the synthetic metal floor before it transitioned to a matte blue carpet. Behind their suit's curved face of transparent aluminum, their crystalline upper body and head seemed to be one and the same, with sharp shoulders that disappeared into the suit's long metal arms with too many joints, almost appearing robotic despite holding the red crystal of their real arms inside. One three-fingered hand held a solid black stool, which they carried into the conference room silently.

"You appear to be the captain of the USS Firebird. We have not yet been introduced, I am Lieutenant Commander Kataxes, a participant in the Federation's cultural exchange program." Kataxes spoke through a synthetic translator on their suit, which sounded like the smooth calm of a young woman, similar to many ship computers. The universal translator did not fully comprehend Tholian language, and so a specific translator was needed, which also resulted in the quiet, muffled hisses and clicks of their organic speech within the suit. Moving a chair politely out of the way, Kataxes placed the stool down in its place, then turned to Malcom. Their suit, a dark metal surrounding their strange crystalline tower of a body, seemed almost like a human's EVA suit, clunky and atmosphere-conditioned. Across its front just below the transparent aluminum viewport, the suit's dark metal was colored blue, a thick stripe of color with a Starfleet combadge and rank. "I am the USS Firebird's new Chief Medical Officer, I had hoped to arrive to this meeting early. It is a pleasure, Captain."

Malcom had looked up as the new doctor had come into the room and smiled as they finished speaking.

"It is good to meet you, doctor. Although I wish it were under less serious circumstances," he said as he took in the sight of the unique stool. "I must apologize for not anticipating your need for an adaptive chair. I will make sure that doesn't happen again. I've received an impressive report of your actions on DS18 during the initial attack. Your work was impressive, and precise and contributed to the saving of many lives. I will be placing a letter of recognition in your personnel file."

"Thank you," Kataxes softly replied, remaining standing and clasping their hands together, fingers slotting neatly into place. "I appreciate the gesture, Captain Llwyedd. I look forward to serving aboard this ship. I have not yet had the time to walk its halls."

"When we get finished with this meeting, I would be glad to give you a tour of the ship. She's not big so we can do it pretty quickly," Malcom said. "And I can show you the way to your new quarters. I think you'll be quite pleased with them. When we found out you'd be coming aboard, we started working to transform one of our cargo bays into quarters that are more suitable. We've even been able to safely get your quarters up to 480 degrees Kelvin, so you can remove your suit from time to time. What do you think?"

"Thank you, Captain. I was not aware this was feasible for the ship - I am grateful for the effort. So long as there is a safety mechanism to prevent humanoid crew from entering while the room is heated, and that all of the Starfleet equipment is safe during that time, I see no problem with it. It will give me a reason to spend some time in my quarters." Kataxes's crystalline body glowed from time to time, a dim orange that colored the suit's internals momentarily. It seemed to happen at random slowly as they spoke. "I will note this kindness in my logs, and I assure you that getting back into my suit will not delay me from any scheduled meetings. I would detest using this gift of yours to excuse a lack of punctuality."

They turned slightly in their suit, glowing yellow eyes on the door. "Speaking of punctuality, should I come to expect... frequent delays from anyone in the crew?" Even their calm feminine translator seemed capable of portraying the twinge of distaste yet put-upon politeness in their voice.

"Don't worry doctor, my crew is capable and punctual when we have staff meetings," Malcom said and at that moment the door opened again, revealing his 2XO. "Doctor Kataxes, may I present my 2XO Commander t'Aegis."

The Romulan senior officer entered the plush conference room - diplomats always got the best things - and crossed the short distance to her chair with a carefully neutral expression on her face. She had actually taken a moment before entering the door's sensor field to make certain that she was entirely composed and that the disgust she was feeling at the mere idea of having such a being aboard her ship did not show on her face. Years of training herself to mask her emotions certainly helped in moments like these.

"Doctor," she greeted with a nod that any expert in Romulan etiquette would have recognized as 'forcedly barely polite'. Normal people would likely just see an average nod. "It will be... interesting to have you aboard."

"Commander t'Aegis. I do not intend to be more or less interesting than any other Chief Medical Officer. That I have arrived at an interesting time is a coincidence," Kataxes replied calmly, unable to nod in response. "I understand you are the second officer. I look forward to hearing your report on the situation."

They remained standing by their chair. "Perhaps you will be able to help me acquire the crew for the post-emergency health evaluations over the next few days."

"You may not be aware, Doctor, but the Chief Medical Officer position has the highest turnover rate of all positions aboard," Rhiana remarked matter-of-factly as she placed her PADD onto the table and pulled her chair back. "I will provide you with an updated duty roster so you can issue your summons to the crew."

Kataxes's glowing eyes stared at Rhiana with imperceptible emotion or expression. "I appreciate your honesty. I did not go through so much effort through the Federation-Assembly ceasefire to have a short stay on the Firebird." Kataxes click-clacked forwards and picked up the provided PADD for them, then moved back to their stool, remaining standing and turning to face the door. "If there is to be a lasting peace between our people, this must go well. I will accept nothing less."

The doorway to the room opened and Ensign Lun sliced her way through the entrance to the side as quietly as possible right at the beginning of Rhiana stating a summons of the crew to Kataxe's office. Lun realized what that meant and side-stepped toward the door a little closer without saying anything. She did her best to give a polite nod to everyone. With any luck, she thought, she'd be a, as the humans say, 'fly on the wall.'

The intensity of the past few days had Cynfor on edge. However, the good night's rest the past night was welcome. He walked into the Conference Room with a little bounce in his step. The sight of the Tholian had caught him off guard even though he had read the crew file. "Morning Captain, everyone." He said as he took his seat to the right of the Captain.

Jackson slipped in through the door right behind Cynfor. He scanned the room, noting everyone present. His gaze lingered on Kataxes for a moment; it was going to be interesting having them aboard the ship. With that thought, his eyes moved to Rhiana, and he couldn't help but let a smile slip through as he saw her discomfort. Maybe the Tholian would be enough to divert Rhiana's ire from him. Jackson stifled a small chuckle as his gaze completed its circuit of the room, landing on the side where a young Vulcan stood he, assumed this must be Lun, the ensign that Yumi had contacted him about. From what he read, she was going to be very interesting to work with.

He stepped to the side towards her as Cynfor continued forward. His shoulder lightly brushed against hers, and he spoke in a low tone, "There are plenty of seats, Ensign." He motioned towards the table, "No need to stand in the back." He smiled slightly, a hint of a mischievous glint in his eye, as he probably suspected she wanted to go unnoticed. Jackson then stepped towards his seat at the table and nodded to everyone as he sat.

Lun's eyes shifted slowly to Jackson, wide-eyed and slightly open-jawed. The slender young woman brought her gaze down to his Starfleet issued boots and trailed slowly up his legs, his waistline, chest... Her eyes trailed more slowly across his shoulders, and stopped at his neck a moment, by the time her eyes looked back at his after all too obviously having given him a detailed scan in the most shameless way possible, she squinted slightly while she rubbed her hands up her sides and across her chest.

Lun grabbed at the fabric of her uniform and looked as of she wanted to pull it off in one go. Being called out by Jackson made her just want to disappear into the nearest shadow. It was a room full of people... She took her eyes away from Jackson and looked at the room while her hands still clutched the fabric of her Starfleet Uniform. It would have been too late to disappear into a corner now that someone noticed her in the room. Lun nodded slowly --- reluctantly and turned to the other officer.

"Of course, sir," Lun whispered as she cautiously stalked an empty chair to ease into.

Lieutenant Tor Ezzo burst through the doors looking a mess. Just 10 minutes before he was fast asleep in his bunk. His alarm hadn't woken him and his sprint down the corridors of the small ship would have been funny to anyone who would have seen him. Fortunately, Ezzo didn't think anyone noticed him. Fixing his uniform as he caught his breath he took his seat at the long table. "Good morning team," Ezzo had really wished he had the time to grab some raktajino or maybe wash his face before making his way to the meeting. He looked around the room at those already present. Good I'm not the last to arrive, thought Ezzo.

The captain sat at the end of the table and for a second Ezzo thought the man saw right through him, knew every detail of his frantic morning run down the corridors of the ship. "Flight control is here Sir."

"Welcome, Lieutenant. I'm glad to see that your recent term of service as XO hasn't driven you out of the fleet entirely," Malcom said with a grin, taking in the slightly disheveled look of his Chief Flight Control Officer.

The door opened again and Lieutenant Baxter entered, nodded at everyone, and took a seat next to Commander Kataxes. "Nice to see you again, sir," she said in a low voice so as to not disturb the meeting.

Randolf was still processing the collected data from the recent shuttle mission, and tapping at his PADD as he entered the diplomatic conference room. He nodded in the direction of the Captain and took the seat next to Lieutenant Baxter. He tapped again at the PADD and went over the temporal data again. This was one of his weak points and he wanted to make sure that he was prepared to talk about it if it came up.

Lieutenant Owen Woodhouse arrived next, raktajino in hand. He went straight for an open seat, barely registering anyone else until he glanced across the table at the Tholian, which should not have been a surprise given he had a hand in getting Kataxes' quarters ready, but still, he startled visibly. "Oh, I-- hi. Hello. Doctor."

Malcom waited until Lieutenant Woodhouse sat and then stood.

"Thank you all for being so punctual," Malcom said. "I know that the last twenty-four hours have been intense, especially after the previous six months. But you and your departments have all performed your duties in an exemplary fashion. I wanted to gather you all together to share any updates you think will be helpful. I've read all the reports myself." Malcom paused. "There's no doubt that we are in a tight spot. The Firebird was able to achieve a cease-fire with the Coalition but I am not sure how long that will hold or what our next steps are with them. Our goal right now is to stabilize DS18, reopen the wormhole, if possible, and get home. "

He gestured towards their new Tholian crewmember. "I would like to officially welcome our new Chief Medical Officer, Commander Kataxes. They have already shown their expertise on the station and I suspect that they will have plenty to do in the coming days. Commander Kataxes, would you please give us your assessment of the medical situation on DS18 and any other thoughts you might have?" Malcom said and then sat down.

In response to the introduction, the Tholian finally spoke up again, their many-jointed arm moving in front of themselves in a kind of human greeting gesture to the 'chest.' They then finally moved to sit, scuttling to settle their central column on the stool, still towering against the table. Inside their suit, their crystalline tower turned to look around, glowing yellow eyes seeming to invisibly drag their gaze from each person to the next. When they spoke, it was with the calm voice of a woman, reminiscent of the ship's computer.

"The casualties are still being counted by the station's Emergency Medical Hologram. The primary sickbay was rendered inadvisable for proper care, and all patients were moved to a smaller secondary sickbay. Eighty-five percent of the injured did not need any form of surgery. Though the invaders use an exotic form of directed energy for their weaponry, I was able to somewhat verify from the injured that it does not exhibit overly unusual dangers, and is likely weaker in small bursts than a Starfleet phaser at full power. They also appear capable of some manner of natural toxin in the form of a discolored fluid present in the singular case of direct claw lacerations I have seen. I did not have the chance to properly test the substance, but it appears to have a slow onset. In my medical opinion at this time, it is likely a microbial toxin and only of significant threat if left untreated for several hours. This causes dizziness, delirium, and infection that can lead to necrosis. I have nothing to test, unfortunately, and this is only a hypothesis."

They paused, not for breath, but to allow a moment for potential interjections. To possibly facilitate this, they added a small comment. "There are at least two species that attacked the station. I cannot speak to the potentials between the two, and would like to know more of that situation."

Having encountered these beings in Ops on the station Cynfor was interested in them. "Would it be possible to draw some of this toxin out of one of the creatures killed on the station? It may be possible to synthesize an antidote of sorts. Two species? What are the differences between the two?"

Malcom nodded. "It's a good idea, XO. Doctor let's add that to our agenda and thank you for your summary," Malcom said and then continued.

"Commander Rees since you've already spoken up, I believe you have the report on the different types of aliens we have encountered thus far?" Malcom said with a grin.

"Yes sir I do. It seems that what we have is a group of different races working together. In a way I would think it is something like the Federation. As the Doctor had said there are two that were encountered directly on the station. The race that we encountered in Ops I believe is known as the Kyverians. They are adept at camouflage which is why we could not see them right away. The other that I believe is was present is known as the Ygin a race of beings who are adept at manipulating technology. It is my belief that these different species work together but apart. There are also other races or species involved. They work with others of the same species, and as a whole, they work to better all of them. We may have a bigger problem here than we expected." Cynfor gave the report as best as he could. The data was still coming in and it was a lot to sort out.

"Thank you, XO," Malcom said as Rees finished speaking. "I think that the Kyverians are the head of the Coalition or at least they were acting as the decision makers when we negotiated the cease-fire." Malcom turned to look at his 2XO.

"Commander t'Aegis, can you give me an overall situation report in regards to our offensive and defensive capabilities here and on the station?"

"Yes, sir," Rhiana replied. While she had her PADD before her, she did not look at it while she stated her report. "While the Firebird's offensive and defensive systems are at full capacity, the station's offensive and defensive capabilities have never been fully functional. Due to the damage to the power systems, offensive capabilities are currently at 20%, and defensive at 17%. Once power has been fully restored, I expect capabilities to return to 90% respectively. Certain subsystems for shields and phasers have been severely damaged and will require replacement. We are also lacking photon torpedoes. Delivery was scheduled for next week." She took a breath before continuing.

"Commander Leed has managed to negotiate the release of the Coalition's hostages and the aggressors have surrendered and are currently being held in that same space. But there are still pockets of resistance aboard the station. They refuse to surrender, but I trust that Chief Warrant Officer B'Rala and her team will find and apprehend them all."

Malcom smiled. "Thorough as always, Commander. I'd like to see some hard information on DS18's possible defensive measures. The sooner we get that station's systems up, the better I will feel. Speaking of which, Lieutenant Woodhouse, the power supply situation on DS18 is a major limitation right now. Do you think, given our current status, you will be able to get the primary power online at full capacity?"

"The short answer is yes," Woodhouse started, leaning forward a bit and looking up towards the commander at the head of the table. "Fuel storage is full and intact, the reaction chambers are intact. It's mostly a matter of repairing the power distribution channels. The damage is making that job more difficult as we're having to bypass multiple sections." He took a deep breath before he continued, "Also of note, we discovered some kind of foreign interface into one of the power nodes. It's been removed, but now we need to figure out what it's purpose was, how it got there, and if there are any more."

"Thank you, Lieutenant," Malcom said to his Chief of Operations. "Let me know if there is anything you need. He pivoted to look at his Assistant Chief of Science. "Lieutenant Forst, you were the lead officer on the wormhole away mission, such as it was. What can you tell us about the wormhole vanishing?"

Randolf picked up the PADD and cleared his throat. He had written his comments, but also had practiced them so that it didn't sound like he was just reading a report.

"Sir, the wormhole is still there. The issue is that the opening, at least on this side, has been temporally shifted out of phase with the rest of the space in the area. It appears to be constantly a few seconds ahead of us in time. This is the result of a condensed tachyon burst focused through the various probes that were placed around the opening of the wormhole."

He took a breath and skipped a few pages of the technical details,

"The conclusion that we have reached is that it seems that we will be able to reverse the process by placing similar devices around the mouth of the wormhole and detonating them with a similar tachyon burst, just remodulated."

He sat and waited for any follow-up questions, just barely keeping a quirk of a smile, he had actually given the report without rambling.

"I was not expecting that," Malcom said. "We have to figure out how this group of alien races were able to build and deploy these devices. I hope, Lieutenant that you have success because I, for one, do not want to be stuck here. I am not looking to repeat Admiral Janeway's experiences."

Malcom turned his attention to his Chief Intelligence Officer. "Lieutenant Smith, I'm not expecting much but do you or Ensign Lun have any idea how this disaster was possible in the first place? Do you have access to the SCIF on DS18?" Malcom asked.

Jackson was sitting pretty casually in his chair, he looked towards his Captain, "Our intelligence gathering will be getting started right after this meeting. A coalition of this size should not have gone unnoticed. Ensign Lun, do you have anything to add?" Jackson looked towards her quizzically.

Lun felt the weight of all eyes shifting towards her, their gazes laser-focused on her distinctive uniform. She was accustomed to solitude, lurking in the shadows and avoiding attention. But now, surrounded by a room full of people with a shared struggle, she found herself in the spotlight. Jackon seemed like a fair and level-headed man, and Lun knew that if she revealed what information she did possess, he would put it to good use. Leaning slightly over the table, she took a deep breath and closed her eyes, focusing on the scents in the air. The smell of sweat mingled with fear and determination emanated from the majority of people sitting around the table.

"If there is indeed a SCIF onboard the station," Lun began her voice low but carrying an air of authority, "I may be able to help locate its whereabouts. However, during my brief time stationed on board, I was not informed or given access to such information for reasons unknown." As she spoke, she made a subtle gesture towards the badge on her uniform as she pulled it off her chest and looked at it quickly before placing it back on her slender chest, indicating that Starfleet procedure was responsible for withholding this elusive knowledge.

"Ensign Lun and I will find the SCIF, gather all information, and report back," Jackson stated to the Captain. This should be a good easy mission to see what his new Ensign could do. From what he read from Yumi, she was going to be interesting to work with.

Malcom listened to the report with a concerned face. "I know you will do your best to find that SCIF, Jackson. The information it might have could prove vital to understanding what happened here and how to end this conflict. You have my full support and are cleared to go anywhere you need on DS18. Also, since she's here now, I am attaching Ensign Lun to you for the duration of our stay in the Gamma Quadrant," he said.

Malcom stood up so that he could see everyone better. "I appreciate your professionalism, everyone. You are the reason we are going to be successful during this trying time. I have one piece of business that you can all be witnesses for."

He stood up straighter and smoothed his uniform.

"Computer, begin Captain's Log,"

=^=Recording=^=

"Captain's Log, Stardate 73648.33. Due to the extreme circumstances that we find ourselves in, and being the highest ranked officer in the Quadrant, I, Captain Malcom Llwyedd, do hereby assume command of Starbase Eighteen in addition to my ongoing command of the USS Firebird until such time that I am properly relieved by a superior officer. All officers and enlisted personnel are immediately placed under my command. At my earliest convenience I will organize the surviving members of DS18 into new departments as appropriate. Computer, End Log," Malcom said and glanced around the table.

He sat down and looked over at Commander Leed. "I wanted to save the most important aspect for last. Commander Leed, I would like to hear your thoughts on the diplomatic situation and what your expectations for success are?"

For the moment Rees was filled with mostly pride for his Captain but there was a small amount of regret as well. He knew that the Firebird would not be his to command, and while he knew that this was because his talents were needed in getting the station operational. He could nothelp feel that there was another reason for not giving him command of the Firebird.

Jörgen held the captain's gaze for a few seconds. Was his own face etched with the same pattern of lines like a cuneiform history of the anxiety, sorrow, and determination since their arrival? He nodded, mostly to himself.

"A cease-fire combined with the release of prisoners is a huge step forward and our position strengthens each minute; however, our situation is far from secure. The resistance is from the same two species, the Ygin and Kyverian. We do not know how our forces measure up to the alien coalition. We do not know if their strength waxes faster than ours. We do not know what holds them together. I fear the diplomatic situation is one of extremes, with some Coalition members wanting peace and others strife. The rest, those in the middle, may be waiting to see who makes the first big move.

If negotiations bog down and the resistance makes new gains, some races might break the cease-fire to join the attack. A diplomatic breakthrough and a strong push against the resistance could sway them the other way." Jörgen leaned forward. "Despite some language barriers, I believe the coalition wants to negotiate in good faith. Most of them. Even the ones who wait with one hand near their weapon systems. We have intruded. They fear and dislike our presence but they are intrigued, also.

They picked an empty portion of space to meet. Based on scans from astrometrics, that sector is secluded from the system's large sources of radiation and noise. Their communications would suffer minimal disruption. I think they want to have peace. I believe this is true. If not, the Firebird and everyone aboard may be utterly lost." Jörgen spoke calmly, having been in such a situation before. One shouldn't choose this path if they feared the constant, cold sweep of Death that rode with every explorer.

The weight of Leed's words rested heavily upon Malcom. He had made numerous difficult decisions over the years, many of them with this very crew. He'd never regretted a single one. Command wasn't easy and it wasn't for everyone.

"Thank you, Commander. Your words give me both pause and comfort. I have full faith in you and your team. Peace is the only acceptable outcome to this situation," Malcom said and then looked around the table once more.

"You all know the situation. You know what's at stake for us and the Gamma Quadrant. We have no guarantee that we will receive any reinforcements from Starfleet anytime soon. It isn't fair but it all rests on our shoulders. Stand to your stations. Prepare for the tasks before you. Lead your people the way that I know you all can. Then we let the cards fall where they will. Just know that you all have my full confidence. Dismissed."

[OFF]

Commander Malcom Llwyedd
Commanding Officer
USS Firebird NCC-88298

Lieutenant Commander Cynfor Rees
Executive Officer
USS Firebird NCC-88298

Lieutenant Commander Rhiana t'Aegis
Second Officer / Chief Security/Tactical Officer
USS Firebird NCC-88298

Lieutenant Commander Jörgen Leed
Chief Diplomatic Officer
USS Firebird NCC-88298

Lieutenant Xommander Kataxes
Chief Medical Officer
USS Firebird NCC-88298

Lieutenant Jackson Smith
Chief Intelligence Officer
USS Firebird NCC-88298

Lieutenant Phoebe Baxter
Chief Science Officer
USS Firebird NCC-88298

Lieutenant Owen Woodhouse
Chief Operations Officer
USS Firebird NCC-88298

Lieutenant Owen Woodhouse
Chief Operations Officer
USS Firebird NCC-88298

Lieutenant JG Randolf Forst
Assistant Chief Science Officer
USS Firebird NCC-88298

Ensign Lun
Intelligence Officer
USS Firebird NCC-88298

 

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