Act II Scene I: Aftermath of the Battle of Axanar

Stardate 1/9407. The Federation has enjoyed a century of relative peace within its borders. The long and devastating war against the Romulan Star Empire is all but forgotten and the Federation’s border with them remains tense, but stable. The Klingons remain silent as well, perhaps still engrossed in a conflict with the unknown enemy on the far side of their empire. The Federation’s peace-time focus is now on research and exploration, although Tellarites and Andorians argue for a stronger navy of gunships and frigates. The compromise is the new Constitution Class Cruiser. Equipped with the most advanced weaponry and home to state-of-the-art scientific research and medical facilities, these debutants of the fleet can operate for years beyond the logistical support of star bases. It is the dream of every starry-eyed Star Fleet recruit to serve on these ships.
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Re: Act II Scene I: Aftermath of the Battle of Axanar

Post by Orvost » Sun Dec 25, 2022 1:02 am

The Vulcan fills Alik in on the state of repairs: The dish has been stabilized for warp capability, but it is a modular component and is no longer secured to the superstructure of the ship. To reattach the dish will require shipyard facilities. Communications and sensors have been reestablished, but sensors are a bit wonky, especially internal sensors. Security seems really keen on engineering getting internal sensors back up and working correctly, especially the cadet security officer. The hull damage at the blast location in central security has been patched so the compartment is stable and marginally habitable again.

Alik will spend the next few days chasing down sensor problems.

Cadet Drennan has hospital rounds to make aboard ship. Of the several limb replacement patients, Cadet Craig is the most minor case as far as body mass replaced. Cadet Craig also seems to have the most integration complications, but he isn’t the only one. In fact, every one of Drennan’s bionics patients has some complications. Again, there are many factors that could have contributed to these complications, but deep down Drennan feels responsible.

Aside from the follow-up care, making the rounds is an opportunity for Drennan to win the confidence of the crew.

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Re: Act II Scene I: Aftermath of the Battle of Axanar

Post by RorytheRomulan » Sat Jan 07, 2023 2:00 pm

Zea reasons to herself that she had it too easy on the Asclepius compared to her new posting. She responds to her failures by pushing harder. Focusing on her failures and hunting for little victories, however, hurts her first impressions with her new shipmates.

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Re: Act II Scene I: Aftermath of the Battle of Axanar

Post by ManWithDoor » Tue Jan 10, 2023 7:46 am

Alik spends his time with the rest of the engineering team trying to make repairs and recalibrate the sensor suite. With such a huge blowout, there's no hope of actually getting back to peak efficiency without docking for repairs, but they can at least get better than 'are we about to fly into a star?' But since he has the most recent experience with the upgraded dish, he was the logical person to put in charge anyways.

He finds it endlessly frustrating. He's a perfectionist with his own work, and even though mentally he knows there will be consistent errors and issues, emotionally it wears on him that he can't solve every problem. His slight limp starts to annoy him, and in frustration he kicks an access panel with it one day. At that point he had to stop his work for the day and walk away, rather than make things worse.
Rule Number 12: "A soft answer turneth away wrath. Once wrath is looking the other way, shoot it in the head."

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Exchanging pleasantries with Garth of Izar

Post by Orvost » Thu Jan 12, 2023 5:31 am

Alik makes little headway in finding the cause of the many sensor problems. Instead he spends his time fixing each problem as it arises. In spite of the constant aggravation, he is quickly gaining the confidence of the other engineers.

The same can’t be said for Zea. While Chief Medical Officer Vogelsang is delighted to call her a colleague, the rest of the crew hasn’t taken a shine to her. Her bionics patients are frustrated by their lack of progress and may, in part, blame her. The rest of the crew find her too young and too new to the job to entrust with their health.

******

Eleven days pass before the Pas-de-Calais comes out of warp at the edge of the Axanar system and the scene of a post-combat battleground. Half a dozen capital ships float dead in space and an expanding debris field suggests at least half a dozen more ships completely destroyed. Upon arrival, Commodore Singh announces his presence to the other ships and immediately becomes the senior Starfleet officer on-site. Not only is he in charge of salvage and repair, but he must also be briefed on the military situation.

As this was a recent “hot zone” and hasn’t officially been cleared, the Pas-de-Calais is placed on yellow alert. As Alik and Zea rush to assume their yellow alert stand-by positions, they each receive a call from Cadet Serao, who is the bridge communications officer when the ship comes out of warp. She tells them to immediately report to the bridge.

As Alik and Zea make their way to the bridge, they cross paths with each other and proceed together. As the doors to the bridge swish open at their approach, they almost run into two people exiting the bridge at the same time. One of the people is the commodore, the other is a man with a crude field dressing wrapped around his head. The man stands a little taller than the commodore and, based on the stripes on his sleave and the cut of his uniform, you recognize him as a captain of a Starfleet Military Operations ship. Oddly, the wrapping around his head compliments his clothing, as if the lopsided bandage is the dress beret of his military uniform.

The commodore makes introductions:
”Captain, may I introduce two of the cadets from the cadet cruise we are hosting. Cadets, this is Captain Garth of the USS Xenophon, fleet commander of the Axanar task force.”

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Exchanging pleasantries with Garth of Izar

Post by RorytheRomulan » Sat Jan 14, 2023 2:45 pm

'Too young.' Of course I am. I'm a damned cadet, don't they know that? This complaint in particular, when she becomes aware of it, starts to get to the trainee.

--

"Zea Drennan, Medical, sir." Drennan salutes and does her best to appear focused. She's curious why Craig is here, but beyond that, she expects to be informed of a scheduled transfer. She makes eye contact with whoever speaks between Singh and Garth, and waits to be shamed and dismissed.

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Exchanging pleasantries with Garth of Izar

Post by ManWithDoor » Thu Jan 26, 2023 6:57 am

The fellow cadet takes his cue from Drennan, following the same pattern. "Alex Craig, Engineering, sir." He knows little to nothing of the full story of what the hell just happened in Axanar, but manages to keep his curiosity down and not immediately start asking questions. For now he just follows orders, and keeps his ears open. He's bound to learn something soon enough.
Rule Number 12: "A soft answer turneth away wrath. Once wrath is looking the other way, shoot it in the head."

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Exchanging pleasantries with Garth of Izar

Post by Orvost » Sat Jan 28, 2023 5:10 am

Captain Garth greets each cadet with a hearty handshake and a pat on the shoulder. He flashes a charming smile as he speaks:
“Bringing cadets into a warzone? A capital idea! This generation of Starfleet officers need battle experience, and the sooner the better! Start’em young. I spent my cadet cruise clearing the Vegan minefield in the Quartos system. Clearing antique mines was dangerous, but not conflict--the primal struggle where your survival depends on the defeat of your adversary. I say, you two stand to gain more from your cadet cruise than I took from mine!”

Garth then turns his attention back to the Commodore:
“And please don’t waste any honorary titles on me. I only led the strike force because the Xenophon had a two hour lead over the Bonhomme Richard and reached the Axanar system first!”

Cadet Drennan’s ears perk up at the mention of the Bonhomme Richard. It’s the ship she should be serving on. Speaking of ears: Drennan notices a blood stain on the captain’s head bandage is ever-so-slowly spreading. The stain is over his left ear hole. Oozing blood from the ear canal suggests severe head trauma. If true, the captain should be in surgery right now and not on his feet, much less still on duty.

This is a quandary for Zea as she is not the captain’s attending physician and in no position to be throwing diagnoses around. She isn’t even the chief medical officer aboard this ship. The man is also moving with the dynamic urgency of someone who wouldn’t be open to a suggestion of medical convalescence, and her expert medical opinions haven’t been well received lately. But his situation is possibly much more urgent than he realizes.

Commodore Singh responds to Captain Garth:
If you would wait for me in my council room, captain, I have a few directives to issue then I will presently join you. You may consider you victory here clean, but I assure you—you left an unholy mess for me to clean up!”

Both men laugh as they part. Captain Garth turning toward the Commodore’s suit of rooms. The Commodore ushering the two cadets to the bridge.

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Exchanging pleasantries with Garth of Izar

Post by RorytheRomulan » Mon Jan 30, 2023 12:49 am

Taking notice of Garth's condition engages Drennan's neurons. It visibly distracts her until the man takes his leave, and it'll be at the back of her mind until she can give the news to someone who will act on it, so she looks aside to Singh and says, "Commodore, sir, may I speak freely?"

If he grants it, she tells Singh what she saw, and her "educated guess".

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Exchanging pleasantries with Garth of Izar

Post by ManWithDoor » Tue Feb 07, 2023 1:02 am

The engineer hasn't caught on to Drennan, so has no idea what he's going to bring up. So, he stays silent to find out more.
Rule Number 12: "A soft answer turneth away wrath. Once wrath is looking the other way, shoot it in the head."

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Exchanging pleasantries with Garth of Izar

Post by Orvost » Sat Feb 11, 2023 8:12 am

Commodore Singh stops in his tracks and lets Cadet Drennan speak. Though he has hundreds of things to coordinate in a short amount of time, he makes the time to hear from his most junior officers: it is one of the obligations he took on when he decided to host a cadet cruise.

He listens intently as Zea tells of her observation and concerns. He begins nodding impatiently toward the end of her explanation, as if he has already caught the gist of what she is saying.

”I will send for Dr. Vogelsang. Have him give the captain the once-over during the few minutes he is waiting for me. I’ll tell him what to look for. I can’t point to any regulation, so I’ll just have him say it is on my orders. If the captain objects, we won’t press the matter. That’s the best I can do.”

The commodore and the two cadets turn toward the bridge again as the double doors swish open. The yellow alert lights are more conspicuous on the bridge than anywhere else on the ship. Why the lights have to be so noticeable on the bridge is a mystery since the bridge crew is the least likely to forget the alert status of the ship.

As the commodore passes through the threshold, the bosun’s whistle sounds and Commander Chekov announces: ”Commodore on deck!”

Before everyone can stand at attention, the Commodore has already issued an ‘at ease’ order. After all, he was just here moments earlier and he is currently much more concerned with urgency than with protocol.

Alik sees Cadet Serao among the bridge crew. As their eyes meet, she smirks at him and flashes her eyes, then she sits down, crosses her legs, and swivels her chair back toward the communications panel.

The commodore is inundated with a dozen clip boards and data screens shoved into his face and he begins to issue orders. One of his first orders is for the communications officer to page doctor Vogelsang to the commodore’s council chambers and give Captain Garth an exam focused on the head, looking for brain trauma. From the detail of his order, Zea knows he picked up on her concerns.

After a few moments of dealing with priorities and waiving other matter off, the Commodore is finally able to explain why Alik and Zea were summoned to the bridge. He orders the overhead view screen activated.

On the screen you see two capital ships floating dead in space. The larger one is easily identified as a Siva class destroyer. The smaller one is not as easily identified. It looks similar to a Nelson class scout, but there are enough differences to let you know it is a completely different class of ship—one you are unfamiliar with. The larger ship still has some lights, suggesting it has some active emergency and auxiliary systems. The smaller ship is completely dark.

After a few moments of gawking at the view screen, the Commodore speaks up:
”The destroyer is the USS Abulafia. Ignore it. It isn’t the ship we want to concern ourselves with.”

AS if on cue, the two ships drift too close together and the navigation shields of the USS Abulafia are activated, sending both ships slowly rebounding away from each other in a blue arc of energy. The Abulafia slowly drifts offscreen, leaving only the smaller ship.

”The scout is the USS King in Prussia. It’s a rather obscure class of ship. There are only two King in Prussia class ships in Star Fleet: the King in Prussia and its sister ship, the USS Margrave of Brandenburg. This ship is crewed by members of Starfleet Intelligence—or rather; was crewed by member of Starfleet Intelligence. They had their reasons for participating in events here, but something seems to have gone wrong. They took heavy damage early in the engagement and were the target of a Klingon boarding action. Before the battle was even over, a ship warped into system and evacuated the survivors of the King in Prussia and conducted a quick and dirty cleaning operation: erasing files, disabling the computer, etc. Basically covering their tracks. Now we are here to salvage this battlefield including the King in Prussia. I need a team to beam aboard, reestablish power and all systems, and reverse the cleaning job. Basically gather intelligence on what they were carrying, what they were doing, and why.

“It may seem strange that we are running a counter-intelligence operation against our own intelligence service, but consider this perspective: Starfleet Intelligence is accountable to Starfleet Command and to the elected assembly of the Federation Counsel. These admirals and politicians want independent verification of what they are being told by Starfleet Intelligence. We are here to collect, and to offer, that independent verification.

“Any questions?”
Last edited by Orvost on Mon Feb 13, 2023 7:06 am, edited 1 time in total.

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