Suit Up

Posted on Sun Oct 6th, 2019 @ 8:46am by Commodore Jacob Kane & Lieutenant Dessame Sar

Mission: Shakedown
Location: Captains Ready Room , USS Athena
Timeline: MD 01
1125 words - 2.3 OF Standard Post Measure

ON:

Tobin stood back at the door way and watched as the two Lieutenants filed into the ready room. The room was smaller than most and he preferred to hang back rather than flood the room with a mass of uniforms. Giving his tunic a sharp tug at the waist he promptly followed them in.

He took a position behind them. Last time he saw Lieutenant Mortigar was sat at a shuttle console, he never realised quite how much he dwarfed him. Tobin stifled a smirk and the urge to lean on the mans head. One of his previous hosts had been a bit of a practical joker, but now was not the time or place.

"Good morning Captain, reporting as ordered." He stated professionally, standing to attention in a sharp and practiced manner.

Tobin was still unsure why they were there. He anticipated orders to finally take the ship out. He'd been around Starbase 50 for nearly a month organising personnel and maintenance reports. It was about time to get into space. But he quickly tempered that anticipation.

"Thank you for coming." Kane rose from his seat behind the desk and moved around to lean against the front of it. "I have a...request." He tapped the panel on his desk, flashing two images up on the wall-mounted viewer. "Ensigns Stonn and Drake. Recent academy graduates, on shore leave on the planet Aquilon. They're past their return to duty date, so currently listed as AWOL. While not worthy of sending an entire starship after, I do believe we have a runabout parked in our hangar deck and a few days to spare while the ship is in dock. So we're going to go look for them."

He paused to let that sink in, glancing over at Sar. "Lieutenant, I'm aware Aquilon is on the fringes of Orion pirate territory. That won't be an issue, will it?"

"Not unless they fire on us sir." she replied. Kane would no doubt have read her file but she answered the question as the chief of security, not herself. There was a part of her that hoped he would not press the question of her personal feelings towards them in front of others but she didn't know what kind of man he was. She sensed a little from him emotionally but without permission was forbidden from listening to his thoughts. However, she did sense he was not being entirely forthcoming about the reasons for looking for them, but that was of course his prerogative as Captain.

"Are we to expect Orion engagement, sir?" Dessame asked, her hands still clasped behind her back.

"As an Academy Tutor was rather fond of saying: 'A good commander never courts war - but is always ready for it'," Kane replied. "Pack light, but prepare for the worst."

"Yes sir. I always pack light." Dessame replied with a firm nod. She had a personal item, a Cresana. Much like a light wooden stick with Betazoid engravings on it that signify balance and peace. It truly was a beautiful piece of art, something she was very proud of.

He turned and looked over at the Evoran. "Mister Mortigar. I trust you can take the lead on locating our missing officers?"

The Lieutenant nodded. "I can, Sir," he responded. "Does Starfleet have any leads for us to pursue, beyond their disappearance at Aquilon?" Morty asked.

"We don't have much to go on. Aquilon is a remote world, Minshara-class but not yet colonized. There's a small resort somewhere in the northern hemisphere, apparently the safari is quite popular," Kane explained. "That's likely to be our first stop. Any other questions?" he glanced around the room.

Morty simply nodded. Once at the resort, they might be able to retrace the Ensigns' steps and maybe even take a look at their personal logs if they kept any. The Science Officer did find it somewhat odd that they were being asked to investigate this. What about the authorities at the resort? Based on the facts available to him, Morty speculated that there was something more to these missing officers than they were being told.

Tobin had remained relatively quiet through out the meeting, contemplating the mission. He sensed there was a little more to it than picking up a couple of AWOLs but he decided to keep that to himself for now.

The Captain had had set up the briefing as if he would be taking the Runabout. 'Not exactly protocol.' He thought but decided to let it go this once. How many pieces the Captain came back in would decide if Tobin objected to anymore away missions.

"Captain, with the recent Orion activity. I believe it would be advisable to keep the Athena on hot stand by. I would like permission to remain aboard." Tobin offered. "Heaven forbid you run into trouble, I can bring in the cavalry." He added confidently.

"I would also like to recommend you take Dr Melendez along. Just in case the Cadets require medical assistance." They were prudent moves, covering all bases and the Athena still needed a little attention.

"The suggestion is logical, however given half the nacelle assembly is in pieces I don't imagine the Athena will be racing to the rescue too quickly." Kane nodded. "I don't expect significant trouble, but be available if we find ourselves in a situation." He paused, glancing around the three of them again. "In that case, have the doctor meet us in the hangar bay when he is ready and we will be on our way."

"I should at least have Alpha section ready for departure in the next four hours. We may not be one hundred percent but if there's a fight we'll be there." Tobin reported as he flicked his fingers over his comm badge.

"Parr to Doctor Melendez report to the shuttle bay with a trauma kit." He ordered promptly, summoning the doctor so the Captain's sojourn could get under way. There was a slight pause. Tobin was about to try his comm badge again. But a young Hispanic voice piped in. "Acknowledged sir, I'll be there shortly." Came the brief response. Tobin flicked his comm badge again to close the channel.

"All right. Ten minutes." Kane motioned for them to disperse. He looked over at Parr finally. "This shouldn't take long, Commander, but I trust your judgement. If we're gone more than a few days, bring the fire," he said purposefully, then gathered the PADD from his desk and headed for the door.







Lt Commander Jacob Kane
Commanding Officer
USS Athena

Lt. Commander Tobin Parr
Executive Officer
USS Athena

Lieutenant Mortigar
Chief Science Officer
USS Athena

Lieutenant Dessame Sar
Chief Tactical and Security Officer
USS Athena