A New Hope

Posted on Wed Sep 1st, 2021 @ 3:59am by Captain Wilkan Targaryen & Galatea & Commander Nathan Hawkins & Commander Ash Randall & Patton O'Sullivan & Lieutenant Commander Lily Snow PhD, MD & Lieutenant Commander Patricia Montgomery M.D. & Zoey Parker & Lieutenant Commander Cyrus Marner & Captain Nathan Bishop & Lieutenant Commander T'Lisha "Hawkeye" Bishara

2,295 words; about a 11 minute read

Mission: 749148
Location: Observation Lounge, Starfleet One
Timeline: 2430-09-08, 09:00

Starship Log, Stardate 107685.8:

At the request of President Gruzy of New Xindus and Starfleet Headquarters, Starfleet One remains in orbit of New Vulcan assisting with the restoration efforts there. Admiral Coulson overwhelmed New Vulcan's defenses prior to leaving, putting the entire system and safety of the region at risk. We are assisting with continued coordination of repairs, but I am having to do something I detest: play politics.

---

Willian Targaryen set aside the PADD that he was holding and started to rub the bridge of his nose. It had been a week since their sojourn to Ni'Var and a week since the Vulcans publicly applied to renew their membership in the Federation. The President and his staff were busily dealing with the fallout of that decision, while Starfleet was stuck trying to resolve Coulson's. His wife had remained behind on Earth this time and he was once again in command of his ship and on a mission that was important to him. He had been the one who selected Gregory Coulson to lead New Vulcan, he had been the one that developed the mission to Ni'Var, all of this had been his fault in one way or another.

On the viewscreen the fleet hovered over New Vulcan. He could easily make out two old California Class ships and two older Parliament Class vessels alongside. Half of the orbital station was completed, but it was more or less a shell. What scared him was what was out there watching that they couldn't see? New Vulcan was right on the border between Federation and Klingon Space, and the relationship with the Klingons wasn't exactly cozy either. It was almost as if the galaxy were conspiring against all of them.

"Admiral," Galatea called out from her workstation.

He looked over his shoulder, "What is it, Commander?"

"Your morning briefing just started," the hologram informed as she typed on her console screen.

Willian yawned in response as he pondered his own screen. He'd lost track of time again. "Thanks, Commander. You have the Bridge." He got up from his chair and walked toward the rear exit, knowing it would allow him the quickest route to his Senior Staff.

Much to his chagrin almost all of them had beat him there.

T'Lisha had just gotten there in time to see the Admiral's back as he entered. Giving him enough time to get through the doors, she slid in behind him and took her seat quickly.

Bishop had been seated in his customary spot to the right of the Admiral's position. As he waited for the Admiral to enter. He didn't try to figure out what this briefing might be about. With all that had happened it was anyone's guess. Best to see what the Admiral wanted to talk about.

Snow was finished putting the scones, homemade butter, honey, coffee and tea onto the side bar. She didn't mind to do things like this, as it gave everyone something to eat and it is given that people think more clearly when they have the extra energy.

Commander Randall, standing at the observation port looking out at the, half built, station returned to her customary seat at the conference table and looked around, a somewhat placid expression on her face. The Tuansee had taken to long sessions of meditation to ease her agitation and, 'disconnect' from the things that had been troubling her and to great effect. The thought had crossed her mind that she might be overdoing the meditations but being a little bit too mellow was preferable to wanting to rip an annoyance to pieces.

Similarly though remaining in his seat Hawkins found his gaze drawn to the view outside as they waiting in quiet tones for Targaryen to arrive.

Patton walked in and silently nodded to the others. Though He wouldn't admit it out loud, he was still struggling with what had happened. It would weigh on him for a long time, he knew they were following orders but at times it left a sour taste in ones mouth. It was time to shelve that for now, until he was alone and could try to come to terms with it on his own, though so far, it hadn't gone away.

Zoey was not use to attending the big meetings. This was new for her. Typically her department head would be attending the meeting. However the department head was on a leave of absence. Strategic Operations was a field, that was typically not on starships. But given the unique fact that the president was aboard this ship, they had a small detachment assigned to Starfleet One.

Marner had just arrived slipping into the meeting almost right behind the Captain. He slid into his chair, feeling unsettled still, but not wanting to say much.

Patricia tugged on her uniform jacket as she moved into the room, scanning the faces of the gathered; nodding slightly to any who caught her eye. Starfleet hadnt decided to be easy on her with this new posting but better to be thrown to the deepend than moddy coddled and treated with kitten gloves.

Willian looked around at the group as he pulled his chair out from at the head of the table, "Sorry that I'm late, everyone. I lost track of the time." He sat in his chair and caught a glimpse of New Vulcan hovering just outside the window, amazed at how much it looked like the real planet Vulcan. He picked up the large PADD on the tabletop, "It's been a while since we all last gathered and I thought that we could use a few minutes together to discuss what's been going on."

"First, as you all know, we are here at New Vulcan and have been for a little over a week. Admiral Coulson did a number on their primary systems, specifically their defensive grids, and they're still not back at full strength. Making things a lot more interesting is our proximity to the Klingon Border. While Krennek may not be Chancellor anymore," he had to inwardly smile at the sight of the deceased Klingon laying dead, "But Mogh still hasn't strengthened his hold on the government enough to warrant our return to the status quo."

He looked at the interface, "Any questions so far?"

"Are you expecting the Klingon's to cause a ruckus?" Hawkins asked curious at the Admiral's inside knowledge

Patton listened to him speak. So far, there were no surprises in this briefing. He would speak up once he had a question or comment to make.

The Chief Engineer of SF1 leaned forward a bit in her chair. "I would hazard a guess that recent events here on New Vulcan have been of great interest to the Klingon Defense Forces." She mused, quietly. "No doubt they are in the area and watching intently." Ash added.

"I don't rule out any possibility these days," the Admiral answered with a sigh. "I wouldn't be surprised if they were out there, nor would I be surprised if the Romulans aren't far away either. With the recent announcements regarding Ni'Var and their petition for dual citizenship I am certain that there is more than a little interest in what is going on down there."

The Operations Chief nodded mutely this was an opportunity many forces would like to seize upon if given half a chance even if they, like the Klingon forces weren't at their peak strength it would be worth the risk.

"With the efforts to repair the planet's defenses we have a lot to focus on," he continued. "I am going to make a visit to the planet to try to coordinate with the Governor's Office. Hawkins and Parker you will accompany me to the surface when I meet with her. Ash, I want you to coordinate with the Corps of Engineers and Commander Snow to work on getting their sensor arrays back to full capacity. Bishara and O'Sullivan, I would like you to coordinate with the Office of Colonial Defense regarding their defensive posture for the time being. While that is going on Captain Bishop and Doctor Marner will show our new Counselor around the ship," he glanced at Counselor Montgomery. Any thoughts?"

"Have we had any contact with the Governors office?" Zoey asked, feeling a little unprepared for this meeting. She was curious, what Patton was walking into. She wished she could go with them.

Willian nodded, "We have, albeit rather limited. Admiral Coulson and the Governor did not have the best of relationships. With the mysterious circumstances that led to the emergence of a previously undiscovered planet rich in dilithium deposits the Federation... reconfigured their arrangements for New Vulcan. In a sense the Starfleet personnel were given a more extensive mandate than originally planned."

"Any word on Coulson?" Marner chimed in. He was still wondering about the man.

Snow only place some of the scorns onto plates and started to place then nest to each of the Command Staff. She hadn't said anything yet, but she was listening.

"Thank you, Commander." Ash told Lily, appreciative of the scone and the efforts that her, fellow, Star Fleet Officer went to provide delectables for their staff meetings. "Admiral Coulson didn't formulate his plan to disable the sensor and defensive arrays of New Vulcan over the course of an afternoon. What he implemented was already in place and part of the very backbone of those systems. He had a plan for crippling those systems, a poison pill if you like and, because I have difficulty believing he would leave New Vulcan completely helpless, he left us the 'fix', the antidote if you like, for us to find. Maybe in a message he left...probably in plain sight." The chief Engineer mused, quietly, in a calm tone. "It has been a week...I'm sure someone else must have thought the same thing?" She asked, looking now to Admiral Targaryen.

Snow nodded at the Chief Engineer. She proceeded to get the homemade butters and creams out, and then started to make the drinks to each persons personal tastes. She stopped and looked at the Doctor for a brief moment. Her turquoise eyes scanned him before she walked over to him. Then lowly asked him. "Coffee or tea?"

"I'll take some tea please." lifting his eyes to look into hers. "and thank you."

"I would be willing to go through the planetary security systems." Patton offered. "To see if there is something encrypted in them, that message you are speaking of." He looked around. "I think we all want to find the truth behind all this." Doing something would make him feel better.

"You will all get your chance to do so," the Admiral replied as he returned to Doctor Marner's question. "To answer your question, Doctor, the Federation has agreed that Admiral Coulson will face the Romulan Free State's Judiciary for his crimes against them. Complicating matters, Admiral Coulson is also a fugitive in the eyes of the Federation itself. That planet down there is defenseless if not for these ships and that's a significant risk in more ways than one."

His mind returned, briefly, to the original New Vulcan Colony and the carnage that had happened there. When reunification happened, the Vulcanis Lunar Colony chose to remain a loyal member of the United Federation of Planets while the rest of the Confederacy of Vulcan merged into the Romulan Empire. When President Enaren was going to reveal the reality of reunification a bioweapon was released into the atmosphere that turned most of the population into the undead. It wasn't something he liked rethinking. The survivors of the disaster had colonized New Vulcan with the Federation's support, but they have always feared something like this would happen that would leave them defenseless.

"I wish I could say that Greg would get a fair trial, but the chances of that are slim," he revealed honestly as he caught a glimpse of one of the Sommerville Class USS Sulaco out of the window. "So, we have the responsibility of cleaning up the mess. I am confident though that we will get New Vulcan back to where they need to be, and we will take whatever time we need to do so." He was not ready to reveal to them that he was ready to transfer to New Vulcan to make things right.

Marner's face fell, realizing that the current situation was, that Coulson was caught between a rock and a hard place and that Coulson was going to be flattened.

Hawkins too felt himself deflate at the news about Coulson, his hunger instantly dried forcing him to politely decline Snow's offering.

"Before we leave SF1, I want to make sure that our own engines and navigation systems are 100% just in case something should crop up unexpectedly. That is before O'Sullivan and I head down to the colony," T'Lisha said looking at Commander Patton.

Willian nodded, "Sounds like a reasonable request. Ash, please assist the Commander."

Patricia had just observed and listened; her knowledge of what had happened came secondhand from the Federation and report but what interested her at the moment was the people around her and the situation they had just walked away from.

"And I'll go make certain we're all stocked on medical supplies." Marner replied, then he got a scone from Snow and gave a nod towards her. "Thank you." he rose from his seat and started towards the door to go to sick bay.

"Anything I can do to help?" Zoey asked, feeling like a third wheel. Which was not her intention. She looked over to Marner and then over to the Admiral. She hoped someone would give her some orders.

"We'll figure that out after out visit to the planet.:

 

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