2311.Q4 - San Francisco
- Location
- Australia
Federation Broadcast Service
...and in other sports news, the insterstellar weekend of football continued, with minnows Luna defeating New Seoul two-one at home, and Vega... sorry, hang on. There's ... there's news coming in, just a moment...
-
Federation News Network
...sources within Starfleet are confirming the loss of an Explorer Corps vessel, but as of yet it is not clear which, and the circumstances.
-
Gazette of Vulcan
...while it is only logical that ships designed to go in harm's way will eventually run into harm, it has been in excess of a decade since an explorer-class ship has been irretrievably lost. This event is creating consternation among many Federation members. At two point three million ton mass, the Excelsior-class ship is the largest vessel in Starfleet inventory...
-
Tellar Prime Broadcast Service
...confirmed as the USS Miracht, NCC-2006, named for the lost USS Miracht that was the first major starship casualty of the Biophage crisis. A spokesperson for Starfleet has confirmed that the Miracht's crew has mostly survived the crash landing, with only seven fatalities during the engagement.
-
Federation Broadcast Service
...President sh'Arrath continued on saying, "We go to space, we spread our light into the cosmos like the stars around us. We dare the galaxy to give us its best shot. Sometimes it knocks us down. But we get up again. All advancement, and especially everything among the stars above, comes with risk. We take on that risk, because it is right, because it is noble. Because a better day for all of the species of the Federation could lie behind the next star, the next quasar, the next nebula. Starfleet will always strive into the dark of space, carrying forth the light of exploration and discovery, whatever the cost."
-
===================
You turn off the screen with a hand gesture. Something deeper than a sigh begins to escape you. Like your soul grinding against your gullet, a groan carrying lives and shattered hull plates spills forth. You collapse forward against the desk, second guessing yourself. Did you go on a year too long? Is this just ill-fortune? Would a new face have fixed this? It takes several seconds to recompose yourself and straighten up again.
"Apologies, Rear Admiral, that you had to see that," you say softly. "That was unprofessional of me."
"Nonsense, Admiral, why, compared to the noise I made when I heard the news on the way in, I ought to check you for pointy ears," says the man in the room with you.
You look up and see the Surgeon-General of Starfleet sitting there, Leonard McCoy. You don't need someone as lofty as Bones attending to you personally, but at some point in the 2250s someone changed the regs to say the Surgeon-General had a personal responsibility to the Commander of Starfleet. The conversation was lively at least.
"Well, you may as well give me the bad news," you say.
"Well, what makes you say it's bad news?"
A moment passes as your lips curl sardonically. "You brought me a gin and tonic to deliver the news. That can't be a good sign."
"I can come back later, if it suits, give you an hour to-"
You reach across the desk and snatch the datapad out of McCoy's hands. Half-turning in your chair to put it out of reach of his attempt to snatch it back, you read quickly. "Stage four, primary peritoneal... what? Oh, come on, do I look like I can take a week off of work?"
"A week?" asks Leonard. "This isn't the dark ages, Admiral, and it isn't the 2260s anymore. Come by the HQ medical base and give me an hour and you'll be right as rain. We could go there now if you'd like to get it out of the way?"
You set the pad on the desk again with a clatter and take up your gin and tonic, draining the last of it in one smooth swallow. "No point waiting. Lead the way, Mr McCoy."
The two of you escape the confines of the office. As you pass, you tell the Yeoman to clear the schedule due to medical exigencies. At least you have a great reason now for putting off the flood of calls from Councillors that you can see lighting up her console even now. The medical bay is a good trek through the base. You could take the turbolift to be more efficient, but getting exercise is difficult enough as it is. Even though you aren't really feeling up for it at the moment.
You pause, though, when you hear a loud cry and the sound of breaking glass. You rush over to a lounge nearby where you think the sound came from, passing the door to Explorer Corps Mission Control as you do so. Inside you see an Andorian woman, leaning over the table, nearly clawing gouges in it. She's breathing in deep ragged motions, staring down into the wood grain. A chair is embedded into the window outside.
For a moment, you prepare to bark like you haven't in years, until you recognise the officer. "Commodore," you say in your best grandmotherly tone. "Did the poor chair really deserve that?"
Nash ka'Sharren startles bolt upright and turns about, a stricken expression on her face. "Admiral!" she blurts. "I'm so sorry, Admiral, that was unpr-"
"It's alright," you interrupt. "I can extend some grace. It's only glass."
"I know, Admiral," says Nash quietly.
"Penny for your thoughts, ka'Sharen?"
Nash looks across at you, then out at the lounge window with its spiderweb fractures. "I never should have taken that promotion."
"You dodged it for as long as you were physically able, I'll give you that," you say. "But old Seruk was always going to get you in the end. Man may as well be Father Time."
"So I've noticed," says Nash. "It's harder, you know. To not do. Harder to wait and watch. Than it is to do. I stand in that room and I babysit the officers in the control room, and I offer advise to the Captains in the field, and I know they don't listen to me. I didn't listen to Mission Command when I was in the field. The only thing they listen to is next assignments. So when I send them to a place with trouble, I'm getting them into trouble, but I can't get them back out of trouble."
"I know," you say. "Believe me, I know. It was easier on a bridge. Sure, it's hard knowing your own life is on the line, but it's exhilarating too."
"You command division officers are all mad like that," notes Bones.
Nash spares the man a wry grin. "I want to make a difference. I want to seize the moment, to be the one on the scene. To do."
McCoy taps at his chin a moment, then replies, "I tell you, Commodore, you remind me of an old friend of mine. A lot like him."
"Have you seen her record? Shes like him in a more ways than one," you say in a droll aside.
"Admirals!" blurts Nash. You think you see the faintest colouring in her powder blue cheeks.
"ka'Sharren, I really wish that I could tell you that it's not so hard after a while," you say. "But it's always hard, so very damned hard, to know you're sitting back as younger officers and crew take the risks. To set the dice in motion and then have to leave others to live or die by how the bones land. This is the burden of command. But never feel you aren't making a difference. In a mission control room, behind a desk, or on a flag bridge, everyone here makes a difference."
"Yes, Admiral," says Nash quietly.
"Now, why don't you walk with us? I think the Surgeon-General here has a prescription for a good stress relief. Gin and Tonic, wasn't it?" you say.
Bones chuckles and nods his head. "Alright, Admiral. Might be like a drink with an old friend at that."
=========================
From: Rear Admiral Seruk, Director, Starfleet Personnel Command
To: Admiral Vitalia Yukiko Kahurangi, Commanding, Starfleet
Subject: Chief of Staff
Admiral,
As requested, after the reclassification of the Starfleet Chief of Staff billet to a Vice Admiral billet, I have collected a series of candidates for appointment to the role.
[ ][VICE] Rear Admiral Shey ch'Tharvasse
Andorian Male, 65 (Time in Rank 15 Years)
Current Posting: Chief of Staff, Starfleet Command
Has been your reliable Chief of Staff for the past six years, and is now looking to move on up. Gain +4 to Diplomacy Rolls
[ ][VICE] Rear Admiral Patricia Chen
Human Female, 54 (Time in Rank, 10 years)
Current Posting: Director, Utopia Planitia Fleet Yards
Patricia's Chen has served with distinction for many years, and is regarded by many as your protege. Gain +.25 to all Explorer Corps recruitment.
[ ][VICE] Rear Admiral Sanik
Vulcan Male, 84 (Time in Rank, 9 years)
Current Posting: Director, Starfleet Research Command
A Vuclan with considerable experience running and aiding the R&D process of Starfleet. Gain +2 to Sensors, Comms, Warp Tech research.
Dutifully,
Rear Admiral Seruk
Director, Starfleet Personnel
===================================
Votes for other officer billets:
[ ][AMARKIA] Commodore Thraan th'Marlaas
Andorian Thaan, 53
Current Posting: Chief of Staff, Shipyard Operations
Though he didn't get the promotion to the CBZ posting, Thraan still managed to move up the ladder with his wide-ranging experience and talent.
Peacetime Bonus: Wide ranging patrols (+2 to highest response roll, -2 to all others)
Fleet Bonus: Improved chance to declining battle.
[ ][AMARKIA] Commodore Victoria Eaton
Human Female, 56
Current Posting: Director, Starfleet Data Modelling, Ship Design Bureau
An experienced Explorer Corps commander, with an expertise with sensors.
Peacetime Bonus: +1 to all response rolls
Fleet Bonus: Large bonus to setting or avoiding ambushes.
[ ][AMARKIA] Captain Cergun ag Hugac
Tellarite Male, 48
Current Posting: Superintendent, Ana Font Shipyard, Berth 1
More accustomed to fitting out ships than running them, he knows where every last plasma manifold and self-sealing stembolt goes.
Peacetime Bonus: +2 to Hull Checks from failed events
Fleet Bonus: +1 to amount of HP damage that can be repaired underway
======
[ ][RIGEL] Captain Yamada Ichigo
Human Male, 46
Current Posting: Captain, USS Excelsior
A now seasoned Captain, who has experience commanding in war and peace, still popular on Earth.
Peacetime Bonus: Gain +1 to Distress Call Missions
Fleet Bonus: Gain +5pp when in a battle
[ ][RIGEL] Captain Maryam Ajam
Human Female, 44
Current Posting: Sabbatical
While Maryam's story is known only to a few, she is nonetheless a heroic figure. She is coming back from sabbatical, and is being considering for a promotion somewhere well away from Cardassians and Orions.
Peacetime Bonus: Gain re-roll on crew loss checks
Fleet Bonus: Gain +3 to declining battle.
[ ][RIGEL] Commodore T'Lam
Vulcan Female, 60
Current Posting: Chief of Staff, Starfleet Intelligence
With a head full of secrets, T'Lam is often able to put the right word in the right ear.
Peacetime Bonus: Gain +1 to Diplomacy Mission Rolls
Fleet Bonus: Increased chance of forcing or declining battle.
...and in other sports news, the insterstellar weekend of football continued, with minnows Luna defeating New Seoul two-one at home, and Vega... sorry, hang on. There's ... there's news coming in, just a moment...
-
Federation News Network
...sources within Starfleet are confirming the loss of an Explorer Corps vessel, but as of yet it is not clear which, and the circumstances.
-
Gazette of Vulcan
...while it is only logical that ships designed to go in harm's way will eventually run into harm, it has been in excess of a decade since an explorer-class ship has been irretrievably lost. This event is creating consternation among many Federation members. At two point three million ton mass, the Excelsior-class ship is the largest vessel in Starfleet inventory...
-
Tellar Prime Broadcast Service
...confirmed as the USS Miracht, NCC-2006, named for the lost USS Miracht that was the first major starship casualty of the Biophage crisis. A spokesperson for Starfleet has confirmed that the Miracht's crew has mostly survived the crash landing, with only seven fatalities during the engagement.
-
Federation Broadcast Service
...President sh'Arrath continued on saying, "We go to space, we spread our light into the cosmos like the stars around us. We dare the galaxy to give us its best shot. Sometimes it knocks us down. But we get up again. All advancement, and especially everything among the stars above, comes with risk. We take on that risk, because it is right, because it is noble. Because a better day for all of the species of the Federation could lie behind the next star, the next quasar, the next nebula. Starfleet will always strive into the dark of space, carrying forth the light of exploration and discovery, whatever the cost."
-
===================
You turn off the screen with a hand gesture. Something deeper than a sigh begins to escape you. Like your soul grinding against your gullet, a groan carrying lives and shattered hull plates spills forth. You collapse forward against the desk, second guessing yourself. Did you go on a year too long? Is this just ill-fortune? Would a new face have fixed this? It takes several seconds to recompose yourself and straighten up again.
"Apologies, Rear Admiral, that you had to see that," you say softly. "That was unprofessional of me."
"Nonsense, Admiral, why, compared to the noise I made when I heard the news on the way in, I ought to check you for pointy ears," says the man in the room with you.
You look up and see the Surgeon-General of Starfleet sitting there, Leonard McCoy. You don't need someone as lofty as Bones attending to you personally, but at some point in the 2250s someone changed the regs to say the Surgeon-General had a personal responsibility to the Commander of Starfleet. The conversation was lively at least.
"Well, you may as well give me the bad news," you say.
"Well, what makes you say it's bad news?"
A moment passes as your lips curl sardonically. "You brought me a gin and tonic to deliver the news. That can't be a good sign."
"I can come back later, if it suits, give you an hour to-"
You reach across the desk and snatch the datapad out of McCoy's hands. Half-turning in your chair to put it out of reach of his attempt to snatch it back, you read quickly. "Stage four, primary peritoneal... what? Oh, come on, do I look like I can take a week off of work?"
"A week?" asks Leonard. "This isn't the dark ages, Admiral, and it isn't the 2260s anymore. Come by the HQ medical base and give me an hour and you'll be right as rain. We could go there now if you'd like to get it out of the way?"
You set the pad on the desk again with a clatter and take up your gin and tonic, draining the last of it in one smooth swallow. "No point waiting. Lead the way, Mr McCoy."
The two of you escape the confines of the office. As you pass, you tell the Yeoman to clear the schedule due to medical exigencies. At least you have a great reason now for putting off the flood of calls from Councillors that you can see lighting up her console even now. The medical bay is a good trek through the base. You could take the turbolift to be more efficient, but getting exercise is difficult enough as it is. Even though you aren't really feeling up for it at the moment.
You pause, though, when you hear a loud cry and the sound of breaking glass. You rush over to a lounge nearby where you think the sound came from, passing the door to Explorer Corps Mission Control as you do so. Inside you see an Andorian woman, leaning over the table, nearly clawing gouges in it. She's breathing in deep ragged motions, staring down into the wood grain. A chair is embedded into the window outside.
For a moment, you prepare to bark like you haven't in years, until you recognise the officer. "Commodore," you say in your best grandmotherly tone. "Did the poor chair really deserve that?"
Nash ka'Sharren startles bolt upright and turns about, a stricken expression on her face. "Admiral!" she blurts. "I'm so sorry, Admiral, that was unpr-"
"It's alright," you interrupt. "I can extend some grace. It's only glass."
"I know, Admiral," says Nash quietly.
"Penny for your thoughts, ka'Sharen?"
Nash looks across at you, then out at the lounge window with its spiderweb fractures. "I never should have taken that promotion."
"You dodged it for as long as you were physically able, I'll give you that," you say. "But old Seruk was always going to get you in the end. Man may as well be Father Time."
"So I've noticed," says Nash. "It's harder, you know. To not do. Harder to wait and watch. Than it is to do. I stand in that room and I babysit the officers in the control room, and I offer advise to the Captains in the field, and I know they don't listen to me. I didn't listen to Mission Command when I was in the field. The only thing they listen to is next assignments. So when I send them to a place with trouble, I'm getting them into trouble, but I can't get them back out of trouble."
"I know," you say. "Believe me, I know. It was easier on a bridge. Sure, it's hard knowing your own life is on the line, but it's exhilarating too."
"You command division officers are all mad like that," notes Bones.
Nash spares the man a wry grin. "I want to make a difference. I want to seize the moment, to be the one on the scene. To do."
McCoy taps at his chin a moment, then replies, "I tell you, Commodore, you remind me of an old friend of mine. A lot like him."
"Have you seen her record? Shes like him in a more ways than one," you say in a droll aside.
"Admirals!" blurts Nash. You think you see the faintest colouring in her powder blue cheeks.
"ka'Sharren, I really wish that I could tell you that it's not so hard after a while," you say. "But it's always hard, so very damned hard, to know you're sitting back as younger officers and crew take the risks. To set the dice in motion and then have to leave others to live or die by how the bones land. This is the burden of command. But never feel you aren't making a difference. In a mission control room, behind a desk, or on a flag bridge, everyone here makes a difference."
"Yes, Admiral," says Nash quietly.
"Now, why don't you walk with us? I think the Surgeon-General here has a prescription for a good stress relief. Gin and Tonic, wasn't it?" you say.
Bones chuckles and nods his head. "Alright, Admiral. Might be like a drink with an old friend at that."
=========================
From: Rear Admiral Seruk, Director, Starfleet Personnel Command
To: Admiral Vitalia Yukiko Kahurangi, Commanding, Starfleet
Subject: Chief of Staff
Admiral,
As requested, after the reclassification of the Starfleet Chief of Staff billet to a Vice Admiral billet, I have collected a series of candidates for appointment to the role.
[ ][VICE] Rear Admiral Shey ch'Tharvasse
Andorian Male, 65 (Time in Rank 15 Years)
Current Posting: Chief of Staff, Starfleet Command
Has been your reliable Chief of Staff for the past six years, and is now looking to move on up. Gain +4 to Diplomacy Rolls
[ ][VICE] Rear Admiral Patricia Chen
Human Female, 54 (Time in Rank, 10 years)
Current Posting: Director, Utopia Planitia Fleet Yards
Patricia's Chen has served with distinction for many years, and is regarded by many as your protege. Gain +.25 to all Explorer Corps recruitment.
[ ][VICE] Rear Admiral Sanik
Vulcan Male, 84 (Time in Rank, 9 years)
Current Posting: Director, Starfleet Research Command
A Vuclan with considerable experience running and aiding the R&D process of Starfleet. Gain +2 to Sensors, Comms, Warp Tech research.
Dutifully,
Rear Admiral Seruk
Director, Starfleet Personnel
===================================
Votes for other officer billets:
[ ][AMARKIA] Commodore Thraan th'Marlaas
Andorian Thaan, 53
Current Posting: Chief of Staff, Shipyard Operations
Though he didn't get the promotion to the CBZ posting, Thraan still managed to move up the ladder with his wide-ranging experience and talent.
Peacetime Bonus: Wide ranging patrols (+2 to highest response roll, -2 to all others)
Fleet Bonus: Improved chance to declining battle.
[ ][AMARKIA] Commodore Victoria Eaton
Human Female, 56
Current Posting: Director, Starfleet Data Modelling, Ship Design Bureau
An experienced Explorer Corps commander, with an expertise with sensors.
Peacetime Bonus: +1 to all response rolls
Fleet Bonus: Large bonus to setting or avoiding ambushes.
[ ][AMARKIA] Captain Cergun ag Hugac
Tellarite Male, 48
Current Posting: Superintendent, Ana Font Shipyard, Berth 1
More accustomed to fitting out ships than running them, he knows where every last plasma manifold and self-sealing stembolt goes.
Peacetime Bonus: +2 to Hull Checks from failed events
Fleet Bonus: +1 to amount of HP damage that can be repaired underway
======
[ ][RIGEL] Captain Yamada Ichigo
Human Male, 46
Current Posting: Captain, USS Excelsior
A now seasoned Captain, who has experience commanding in war and peace, still popular on Earth.
Peacetime Bonus: Gain +1 to Distress Call Missions
Fleet Bonus: Gain +5pp when in a battle
[ ][RIGEL] Captain Maryam Ajam
Human Female, 44
Current Posting: Sabbatical
While Maryam's story is known only to a few, she is nonetheless a heroic figure. She is coming back from sabbatical, and is being considering for a promotion somewhere well away from Cardassians and Orions.
Peacetime Bonus: Gain re-roll on crew loss checks
Fleet Bonus: Gain +3 to declining battle.
[ ][RIGEL] Commodore T'Lam
Vulcan Female, 60
Current Posting: Chief of Staff, Starfleet Intelligence
With a head full of secrets, T'Lam is often able to put the right word in the right ear.
Peacetime Bonus: Gain +1 to Diplomacy Mission Rolls
Fleet Bonus: Increased chance of forcing or declining battle.
