Briefing

Posted on Thu Jan 12th, 2012 @ 12:02pm by Captain Alexander Gunning & Lieutenant Commander Jonathon Bastin PhD & Major Darian Riva & Lieutenant Lynsi Mason & Captain Liarra Von & Lieutenant Commander Nilani Prax

Mission: The Invasion of Thane
Location: Command Ready Room - USS Antietam
Timeline: MD01 - Launch + 1hr

[ON]

Gunning looked at the faces on the wall viewer of the Antietam's ready room. His two old friends sat poised to hear what he had to say while Lieutenant Commander Bastin, Major Riva and Lieutenant Mason sat across the desk, themselves looking at the faces of the two Trill women, each seemingly uncomfortable at not being in the room.

He focused his attention on the PADD which sat in front of him. "Right. The way I see it, we can fly blind or we can make some attempt to get an idea of the number of vessels we'll be up against. Hopefully our presence alone should act as a deterrent but if it doesn't, I want to know whether we even stand a chance. Much as I don't want to turn tail and run, I seriously doubt that Admiral Sanchez sent us here to our deaths."

"I suggest that we send the Metis ahead to conduct long range scans of the area before waiting for us to actually ingress into the system. Thoughts?"

"That would make sense," Nilani responded, from her seat on the Metis bridge. "Our sensors have both more range and more sophistication than you have on board the Antietam and the Jackal. We can slip in past the edge of the likely range most sensors in-system, take some scans, and slip back out again."

"That's assuming they haven't set up any advanced listening posts in the area. Not to overestimate their preparedness but if they even gave a moment's thought to what they are doing, we should at least be a little more weary of just jumping in the system. It might be easier and a bit less dangerous to sneak a small shuttle or even a fighter to do the scouting," Lt. Cmdr. Bastin interjected.

"I see where you're coming from, Commander." Gunning replied. "The sensors on the Metis would allow us to make a decent fist of a scan from just outside the system. That would allow us to get an impression without too much of a risk to life. If there's a task group sitting around Thane then the minute a fighter or shuttle drops out of warp, they'll blow it into next week like it's target practice."

"I know we're not exactly a battle ship over here, but this ship was designed for scientific missions. If we have better sensors than the Antietam, then we most definitely have better range than a shuttle or a fighter. We can take our scans from much father out, whilst at the same time being much closer to help if it's needed." Prax responded.

"True," Liarra continued from her seat on the Jackal. "I still think that the Metis should have an escort. The Antietam has fighter support, but Nilani would be left alone. Perhaps we should go with her. The Jackal should be able to handle patrol vessels."

With the conversation dominated by concerns for the safety of the crews involved, an idea hit the Diplomat, "Why not save everyone the trouble and send a ship in that they won't detect? I could possibly call in a couple favors and get us a Klingon ship to make a fly through of the area. If they are expecting us, they aren't going to go through the trouble of setting up tachyon detection grids to ward off cloaked vessels. Would save us sending in our ships and risking our crews, but we'd still get the intel we need in short enough order and still maintain a bit of the element of surprise. Worth bringing up if nothing else..."

Darian was listening carefully. Since her transfer had come at a rather unexpected time she found herself trying to get a feel for the new crew and assignment. With a critical mission ahead she didn't want to miss any details. "That could buy us some time of course I still think finding a way to provide some protection for the Metis is a good idea."

Von speaks up from her bridge. "Unfortunately, they would have to be personal favors. The Klingons and the Federation are not exactly on the best terms thanks to the cold war with the Gorn and the issues with the Romulans. Not to mention that the bulk of the Klingon forces near here are stationed around the Gorn border. We are far closer to Thane than any Klingon ship I am aware of. If we stop to wait until another ship arrives, the Ritorians will have more time to prepare for us. I still feel that the best course of action is to hit them with what we have now. Our fleet already has a head start, and there aren't any Klingon ships fast enough to meet us. In fact, I only know of one ship in the sector that is fast enough to reach Thane within a reasonable time frame, and I doubt that we can rely on her."

Gunning worked his hands around one another as the officers passed out ideas. "All good options but Commander Von is right. There are no Klingon vessels in the area- there are barely even any Starfleet ones that would make it to Thane before we're forced to engage the enemy."

"Here's what we'll do." Gunning stated decisively. "The Ritorians think that we are oblivious to their presence and the Thane system has very little in the way of defences. You never know, we might be able to scare them off with a show of strength. We'll assemble at Thane Eleven, the outer-most planet in the system and form up before moving on to Thane Two."

He looked at the eyes looking at him in the room and around the room. "The element of surprise is on our side and if we can scare them off or even get them to talk then all the better. Understood?"

Prax's image nodded on the viewscreen. "Understood," responded. "We'll see you there. Metis out."

"Understood, Captain. We'll meet you there. Jackal out." Liarra nods and her viewscreen switches off.

[OFF]

Captain Alexander Gunning
Commanding Officer - USS Antietam

Commander Liarra Von
Commanding Officer - USS Jackal

Lieutenant Commander Nilani Prax
Commanding Officer - USS Metis

Lieutenant Commander Jonathon Bastin PhD
Executive Officer - USS Antietam

Major Darian Riva
Squadron Leader - VMA-193 "Exocets"