Going Back

Posted on Mon Aug 16th, 2010 @ 9:14am by Commander Earlond & Commander Fala Awen & Commander Michael Evans M.D.

Mission: Episode 1.2 - "A House Divided"
Location: XO's Office, Main Shuttlebay, Carnauba
Timeline: MD18, 0130 hours

ON:
[[XO's Office, Day 18, 0130]]

Earlond finished his discreet summons of the four officers he had selected and sat back. It was early, but he had deliberately chosen that time to avoid notice by most of the crew. The task he was going to ask these officers to undertake was necessary, he thought, but it was something that could get them all in trouble if they were caught.

The doors hissed open, and Lieutenant Lexon (NPC) walked in. Earlond was not surprised to find the pilot fully awake and ready to go - as far as he knew, Lexon didn't require the full amount of sleep normally needed for a human. Without a word, Lexon took a seat and waited for the others to arrive.

Nol (NPC) led the way into the Executive Officer's Office, with R'Vark close behind. The Bajoran had been somewhat surprised that the XO had summoned him...well, them...to his office. He had to admit to being curious as to what it was about. "Ensign Revan and Crewman R'Vark, reporting as ordered, sir."

"At ease, gentlemen," Earlond said. "Have a seat. We're still waiting on one more, and I don't want to have to go through this more than once."

Dr. Evans straggled through the door, rubbing one eye and stifling a yawn, his communications badge a little crooked. He paused for half a beat at the sight of others in the office, but picked up immediately and sat down without comment as if the gathering were completely normal and expected. He nodded a wee-hours "good morning" to Earlond.

"Now that our last member has decided to arrive," Earlond said drily, "we can begin. As at least one of you has most likely guessed, I am sending you on a covert mission. I am not satisfied with the less-than-complete answers we found at the Romulan colony. Therefore, I am sending the four of you back to see what else you can find out without being under the watchful eyes of a shipful of Romulans."

Of the various scenarios that had run through Nol's head, this was not one of them. "How exactly will we be getting there, sir?"

"You will be taking the Carnauba," Earlond replied. "Mr. Lexon has already prepped it for you, and clearance has been acquired." Earlond felt a touch of envy as he said this - he had been itching to try out the Flyer class, but Iluvar had not given him time to do so.

R'Vark was pleased that he had been chosen for the mission, especially considering his fairly low rank. True, he would prefer to be in combat and going back to the colony, while likely dangerous, was not likely to provide combat situations. At least not if they were discovered. "Commander, what exactly is our goal for this expedition? Despite the colonists apparent apathy, I imagine it would be difficult to hide our visit."

"To start with, you'll need to get there undetected," Earlond pointed out. "There are plenty of Romulan patrols you can run into if you're not careful. Once you arrive, Lieutenant Lexon will keep the ship hidden from the Romulans while the rest of you use Observation Suits to discreetly re-examine the colony."

Evans sat quietly, listening to the brief conversation. He'd noticed something a little unsettling in Earlond's comments, but at the mention of Observation Suits decided to not let it wait any longer. "Sir, it sounds like you're the one instigating this little foray. Meaning no offense, does Iluvar know about this?" He'd asked quite bluntly, he knew, but felt that it would elicit an equally-direct answer. And he needed to be quite clear about what he was walking into.

"I believe this mission is necessary to ensure the well-being of those who would otherwise be forgotten," Earlond replied. "However, if you are caught, the repercussions will be great. Therefore, the command chain for this mission starts and ends here. If something goes wrong, we will take the fall." In actuality, Earlond himself would accept responsibility, but he had phrased it that way to ensure that they would do their best to protect their fellow teammates.

"I see," Evans said. It was against his nature to do anything this blatantly out-of-the-command-structure. He considered for a moment, stirring through his conflicting ethics and feelings. On one hand he didn't want to do anything that might jeopardize the trust of his captain, especially Iluvar. He'd also gotten somewhat used to the relative safety of being a physician, and this mission would certainly take him out of that comfort zone. On the other hand he felt ethically bound to help those who were suffering where he could do so; Earlond was offering an opportunity to do just that. Besides which he was incredibly curious about that prion he'd found, and he found the puzzle maddening because it had been taken away from him while he was in the middle of solving it.

Michael looked at the other officers seated on this side of Earlond's desk. Whatever his choice, it must be decisive, with conviction, and with sound reasoning. He was the Second Officer and would probably be leading this mission to boot, being the ranking officer of the bunch. If he said "no" it would make Earlond appear to be on the border of mutinous; if he said "yes" he'd better have a damned good reason to be acting without the knowledge of his captain.

'I've taken an oath of duty to my patients,' Dr. Evans thought to himself. And here was an opportunity to fulfill that oath. "So what's the plan for extraction?" he asked. "And what about communications while we're there?" He'd made his decision: he was going.

"The ideal situation is for you to find a secluded spot for beam-in and beam-out," Earlond replied. "As the Mission Commander, you'll have to make that decision when you arrive. If it becomes necessary, Mr. Lexon will land the Carnauba for an emergency extraction. This would be a last-resort option, as it would obviously blow your cover, but I have no doubt about Mr. Lexon's ability to handle that operation under fire. As far as communications goes, you will be under communications blackout for the duration of the mission."

Evans nodded somewhat grimly.

Nol looked over at Earlond, "How will our absences be explained, sir? I'm fairly sure Lieutenant Commander Fala will notice two of us being gone... And surely the Admiral will notice his Chief Medical Officer and Second Officer missing." If they could be back within a few hours, it would be one thing, but the Bajoran didn't see how that would be possible - between travel time, getting to the colony once on the planet, and trying to help...it wouldn't be an overly quick trip.

"I will arrange suitable explanations if your absences are noticed," Earlond said.

"What about resources?" Michael asked. "Are we four all that are going? I've met Mr. Lexon here," he nodded to the pilot, "but haven't had a chance to meet the Ensign and Crewman," he nodded at the bajoran and klingon, "and am not familiar with your capabilities," he finished, addressing the two directly. "I assume that at least one of you will be briefed on current Romulan intelligence."

"You are all that are going, yes," Earlond said. "But you have been supplied with all that you need to complete the mission."

"My specialty is Security, Doctor," Nol replied. "I'm rated on a variety of weapons as well as hand to hand combat."

R'Vark looked at Michael, "I am trained in security procedures, but my concentration is Tactical. Commander Fala already has us briefed on the current Romulan Intelligence per Commander McNeil's information. We're aware of the situation."

Evans nodded to himself. He knew that Earlond always chose his teams carefully, and he had come to trust the man and his decisions. He still scared Michael sometimes, but he could see that Earlond had a well-placed sense of what was right and good (even if that didn't always mean what was diplomatic or legal).

Michael nodded again, this time to the team. "Right. So, what time do we leave?" he asked Earlond, stifling a yawn.

"Immediately," Earlond answered. "As I said, Mr. Lexon has prepped the Carnauba, and it is ready to go. Good luck, gentlemen. You're going to need it. Dismissed."

OFF: JP brought to you by:

Commander Earlond
Executive Officer
USS Pandora

and

Lieutenant Commander Michael Evans
Chief Medical Officer & 2XO
USS Pandora

and

Lieutenant Drake Lexon (PNPC)
Shuttle/Runabout Pilot
USS Pandora
Played by: Cmdr Earlond

and

Ensign Revan Nol (NPC)
Security Officer
USS Pandora
Played by: Lt Cmdr Fala

and

Crewman R'Vark
Tactical Officer
USS Pandora
Played by: Lt Cmdr Fala