Paving The Way

Posted on Mon Jul 16th, 2012 @ 7:47am by Lieutenant Commander Nilani Prax & Captain Alexander Gunning & Lieutenant Reggie Eito & Lieutenant Commander Melissa Daniels M.D. & Lieutenant Commander Sean O'Connell & Lieutenant JG Erica De'Havean

Mission: Worlds Away
Location: Senior Officer's Conference Room [Deck 14]
Timeline: MD01 - 0730hrs.

[ON]

[Commanding Officer's Office - Deck 12]

Captain Alex Gunning sat looking out at the surface of Archa IV. It was stunning and in a little over three hours, he would be on the surface, breathing the air and experiencing the beautiful sunlight. He inhaled deeply and felt the slight tang of the Starbase's internal air.

His communication panel chirruped and the voice of his assistant came through. "You have the Archa Five Science Briefing in ten minutes, Captain."

"Thank you," Gunning replied before channelling his com-line to the team who would be heading to Archa V. "This is the Captain. I need to see you all in the Senior Officer's Conference Room in ten minutes."

Reggie was waiting for parts, he didn't mind waiting but it did take up valuable time. His plans on this deck had gone well and several upgrades to the com system had been made. He was showing a few techs how he needed to complete the task when he received a call to the conference room. "Hmm. Something going on I suppose." He turned to his young team. "OK folks. when the parts arrive get them dropped in and run the checks on the system. I'll be back." He turned and headed for the lift.

Ensign De'Havean finished securing USS Jackal from her testflight when she was summoned to the Stationed Command briefing room. She gathered her padds and took off.

Sean looked through the daily reports before sending them through to command, a boring task, but if he got the paper work done he could spend his time on other pursuits. He looked up as he received the summons and then sent in his reports and headed for the conference room.

"I'm sorry Doctor, but I don't see the necessity of..." Melissa interrupted the Vulcan that happened to be the chief of Medical Supply on Earth. "You don't see the necessity of preparing for a war?

"You do have the resources of a Starbase at your disposal. Do you not Doctor?" Said T'Lek. The message then sounded on Melissa's combadge, and she transferred the conversation she was having to a Large PADD and began to walk to the Conference room.

Nilani had been expecting the call, and had her PADDs on the project her department would be heading up on her desk in front of her. Collecting them into a pile, she stood and made her way to the conference room.

[Senior Officer's Conference Room - Deck 14]

Eito entered and took a seat. The giant chair seemed to swallow the small man and his feet actually dangled a few inches from the deck...

Soon Erica entered the Briefing room, looking around with interest, moving to a seat and settled in. She set several padds before her and began to look through the data gathered from the test flight. It had gone abit better than expected.

Sean entered the conference room looked around. "Lieutenant Eito ?, Ensign DeHavean? You need something?" He said guessing their names as he walked to the replicator. "Coffee, black, no sugar." He said then removed his coffee from the replicator.

Melissa entered in mid-conversation. "It's only a matter of time Doctor. We need those supplies. If Starfleet decides to send in more of its strength to fight the Sojourners, we're going to have a lot of casualties on our hands. I need to be equipped to supply at least three field hospitals." She said as she was arguing with a vulcan.

"I do not have the authority to do that. You will have to speak with the Chief of Starfleet Medical." Said the Vulcan.

"Fine, I will." Melissa turned off the PADD and slapped it on the table.

Erica got ready to answer, when the Doctor entered with her conversation, raised an eyebrow, much similiar to a vulcan, but with more felinish curiousity.

Melissa replied. "I've just been reminded how much I both love and hate this job." She said with a smile.

"Good thing I'm a pilot, otherwise I would be in a penal colony or back home on Cait." Erica spoke softly with respect towards the doctor.

"Well, I hope this little project of ours doesn't distract you from it too much then, Doc," Prax joked as she entered, arms laden with PADDs, and made her way towards the seat to the right of the head of the table. "If butting heads with stubborn men who like to slice holes into people is what you're in to, maybe you should have been a Klingon."

"You know Nilani, you're going to wear out that host quicker if you keep on doing that." Said Melissa with a grin.

Erica relaxed at the humorous banter that went on between the senior officers, turning back to her padds of information from the test flight of the USS Jackal.

"Okay, everyone." Gunning said confidently as he swept into the room. "I know this isn't going to please any of you but we're about three weeks away from being descended on by members of the Federation Science Council's Terraforming Group."

Melissa responded. "Commodore, I meet a few of them at a Conference on Risa. One of them asked me out, then he saw someone with bigger breasts. He got a face-full of punch."

"I know, I know. Unfortunately we don't have a lot of choice in the matter." Gunning began to distribute PADDs around the large conference table at which he was yet to take a seat. "We've been ordered to undertake the preliminary surveys of the planet that they've earmarked for terraforming ourselves. Guess what? You're it."

"Commodore, I'm busy right now trying to secure enough medical supplies in case we have to fight a war with the Sojourners." Said Melissa. "If they want to court-martial me then they can do so. I'm a doctor, not a minion."

Erica looked at the padd she was given, being pulled from the USS Jackal at the whims of outsiders. She looked through the offered database on the Science team and looked like none of them could fly. And now the Hippy Commander of the Starbase 332 was kowtowing to these people. No wonder he wanted to do battle. To show he had some backbone, and that turned out to be a fiasco. "mearrrowwwww...." softly escaping in displeasure as she scrolled farther through the information. She definitely wasn't gonna allow them aboard a fighting ship of the USS Jackal, even though the scensors were above parr of any science ship. "...when it rain dogs..it does in spades..." murmered.

"Melissa," Nilani said, apparently not having heard Erica's murmurings. "I know that terraformers are typically egotistical show-offs, but this project has a huge long-term potential for the Archans and for Starfleet." She shrugged as she leant back in her chair. "No matter how many stubborn bureaucrats you butt heads with, it will still take time for those supplies to arrive, and if we delay the medical evaluations on the project, it will push the entire timescale off. Besides; you have an entire hospital of trained doctors and nurses here on the station, and you can open up a comm-line from anywhere in the system."

Melissa sighed, "Alright Nilani. I'll deal with these egomaniacs." She replied with her usual smile. "Maybe I'll kill them with niceness."

"Just make sure if you do you suck all of the secrets out of their heads first," the scientist responded with a likewise smirk.

Sean just sat back enjoying his coffee. " One question? How does Station Security fit in all this? Unless you want me to arrest those terraformers on a few trumped up charges I do not see anything of vital importance concerning my department in this matter. Or are we going to take that Excelsior class for a spin?"

"You're in on Starfleet Security business, Commander." Gunning told him as he passed a PADD. "You'll be providing security to the away team should they need it. You know, uninhabited planets are often the most dangerous." He added with a smirk.

Erica speaking up abit louder, drawing attention to herself, "What shuttles are lined up for usage for these Scientist ride around in?" Bringing up the station's compliment of shuttles onto the viewscreen for all to see. "I'll need to reserve at least one for medical evac with long range warp capabilities and transporter unit. It seams we'll be out of range of the station's more powerful ones."

Melissa spoke, "One of our Raven Class Garrison Ships should do. It can be easily modified into a medivac."

Erica nodded to the Senior Medical Officer with a soft pleasant felinish smug look as she made notes to transfer to the station's Chief Flight Officer and the section of shuttles that held the Raven Class Garrison ships. Somewhat taking charge as the there wasn't any Senior Chief of Flight Officers present in the meeting.

"Quite so," Gunning chimed his agreement with the Chief Medical Officer, "the Raven class USS Telford has been laid on for your use."

Erica tapped in commands and the icon for the Telford turned Medical Blue and a note appeared next to it as ::Reserved; Medic Evac / Hosp - Conversion Immed; Commanding Officer: Lt Cdr Prax; Command Approved:: , looking up at the rest of the staff, "Any other ships or shuttles need to be reserved? Do it now or there will be hell to pay." Looking at each of the Senior Officers to include the hippy Starbase CO.

"Easy, Ensign." The Captain cracked back, taking into account the junior officer's obvious contempt for him. "You'll have the Telford for the moment and there are already a couple of auxiliary vessels on standby should you require anything. You're only about thirty minutes away from the station by impulse so we can have support to you quickly if you need it."

The Captain stood and moved around the table, ensuring that there were no further questions. "Okay everyone, let's step to it."

[OFF]

Captain Alex Gunning
Commanding Officer

Lieutenant Commander Nilani Prax
Chief Science Officer

Lieutenant Commander Melissa Daniels MD.
Chief Medical Officer

Lieutenant Commander Sean O'Connell
Chief of Station Security

Lieutenant Reggie Eito
Chief Engineering Officer

Ensign Erica De'Havean [NPC: Akiashiro]
Flight Control Officer