Chapter 2 - Colonial Briefing (USS Tanjura)
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Njessa stood looking at the holographic display above the table showing the region of space they were heading into. The Federation border was a shimmering blue curtain, the region claimed by the Lohalian Coalition in orange, And the colony of Boone, a bright green encircled by the orange of the Coalition.
She waited for the senior officers to arrive to begin the briefing.
Gable arrived early, raktijino in hand. She glanced at the map, but it was something she had seen several times on the news feeds, so she didn’t look for long. With a nod to the Captain, she took a seat.
Mira manages to show up with just seconds to spare. She too has a raktijino, and she apparently isn’t a morning person.
Trosin was next to show up with his normal neutral expression, he had a PADD in his hands instead of a raktajino, he didn’t looked like happy for a reason.
Tomaasz entered with a mug of The in one hand, a PADD in the other, and the slightly disheveled look of one who has not slept adequately. He took his seat, then a hearty pull of The, letting the bracing drink banish the vestiges of fatigue.
Surveying her crew, Njessa nodded. “By now you have no doubt heard, as it has been all over the news, that the Boone Colony has been placed under siege by the Lohalian Coalition. The Coalition has placed a blockade in place around the planet and, reports say, have landed troops on the surface to confine the colonists.”
“The Lohalian Coalition claims the planet. Ardor, that the Boone Colony is on as a former holding of the Lohalian Hierarchies which they consider themselves a successor state to,” Njessa continued with a sweep of her arm toward the area. “But the planet showed no signs of previous habitation according to the explorers who previously visited and the colonists did not locate any signs in their settlement area.”
“We are being sent, with promised diplomatic support, to resolve this issue. To find a peaceful solution that satisfies both parties . . . if possible.” She looked over her officers. “What questions do you have and what do you need to carry out your part of the mission?”
“I get that the best case scenario is a negotiated settlement with everyone happy, but call me a skeptic, these Lohalians don’t strike me as the sort to play nice,” Nancy said. “Last time I was part of a colonist extraction during a hostile occupation one of my nurses nearly got his arm torn off, so what’s our worst case scenario plan?”
“I was given sealed orders from the Colonial Affairs Bureau,” said Njessa. “Which I am suppose to keep secret but I do not believe in keeping my crew in the dark. However, it is to be kept among us so as not the annoy the CAB. My instructions are that if the colonists do not agree to a settlement with the Lohalians, we are to forcibly evacuate them.”
“Great, evac under fire…” Nancy muttered. “I’ll get medbay prepped for combat injuries.”
“What are our parts of the mission?” Mira asked.
“Negotiate a peace,” said Njessa. “I am . . . unconvinced that the Bureau has the ability to demand anything of Starfleet in this situation. It is not our place, as Starfleet, to enforce policy that is not directly from Starfleet or the Federation council. This is a level of politics I am uncomfortable with. As is often the case, we will improvise.”
“I mean us individually,” Mira clarified. “Unless you’re wanting the pilots to sit down at the negotiation table.”
“Hopefully not combat flying but I think the Lohalians may be interested in testing our resolve, so perhaps some combat drills are in order en route,” said Njessa.
“We may also want to think about examining the colony world further,” Keon pointed out. “So long as it does not violate our diplomatic agreement, of course. But if there’s a chance the Lohalians are spinning tales to keep us at bay? Then there might be more than colonists involved. Is there a way we could, potentially, interact with the people on the surface without harming agreements?”
“There we will have to test the ice once we arrive,” said Njessa. “But outfit an away team for archaeological and geological investigation, Lieutenant. And whatever else you think we may need to look for.”
“Doctor En’ves, have you heard of any Lohalian ruins or artifacts coming from the planet?” she asked their specialist in such things.
The Caitian archaeologist had been quietly studying the holographic display, until Njessa’s question brought him out of his thoughts and returned him to the meeting. He shook his head.
“Officially? No,” he replied. “Nothing from Ardor has ever been mentioned in Federation literature in connection with a Lohalian site of interest. That said, the surface does show a modest amount of recent cratering and some chemical and ecological indicators that probably would’ve put it on someone’s list by now, if it was a little more safe for research. Last time I was in the area, the local warlords were making it a chancey system to survey. Or colonize,” he added pointedly.
“But that in itself is unusual,” he continued, ears unconsciously pricking as he leaned forward to make his point. “Warlords and unstable governments are a common enough problem in field work, and usually all you need is a bribe. The typical backwater lieutenant will let you excavate his grandmother’s grave for a few high-quality deuterium injectors. But these ‘Coalition’ types are a little less businesslike than most. They almost seem to mean what they say.”
“Lovely, zealots,” sighed Njessa. “Hopefully we can find a way to soothe their sense of honor and find a way to make peace between the two sides.”
“Hopefully,” he repeated without expectation.
She looked to En’ves and Keon. “See if you can find anything new with higher resolution scans. We have the best technology in the Federation, we should put it to use.”
“With your permission,” suggested En’ves, “I’d also like to send a few probes to the other planets in the system. The class-3s we’ve brought can do most of the geophysical work we need from close orbit.”
“Excellent thought,” said Njessa. “Work out the details with Operations and Lieutenant Keon. Make sure the probe do not have anything that the Lohalian will mistake for weapons. We do not want to provoke the Lohalians unnecessarily.”
V’rea made notes.
“Understood,” acknowledged the archaeologist.
“Do we have reliable population numbers for the colonists?” Tomaasz asked. “If we may need to do a crash evacuation, we should nail down the logistics as early as possible.” He tapped a note into his PADD.
“According to the information provided. Three thousand, two hundred and sixty-two sentients and an untold number of animals,” said Njessa. “Obviously, a crash evacuation is a bad result but we should prepare for the worst. We do have the capacity, just for the people, if they insist on bringing some of the animals, it will get tight quickly.”
“We can scan the planet upon arrival,” Mira added. “Determine how many ships the colonists have on hand. We may not need to bring every colonist on board the Tanjura, although we should prep for the possibility.”
“There are a couple of labs that have not seen use yet,” Keon added. “If we have animals involved, we can convert those labs to holding areas for any bigger livestock as well.”
“Good thought, make plans though I hope we do not have to use them,” said Njessa.
“I know someone with large animal experience,” Nancy remarked. “I’ll make a comm and ask about any special arrangements we should make for larger livestock.”
“Do that, Doctor, we may need that information,” said Njessa. “But I do hope not.”
Tomaasz looked back up from his PADD. “Worst case, if they have any ships that are sealed but not warp-worthy, we can tractor them against the Tanjura’s hull. The warp field and structural integrity field can be expanded to include them. It would affect our speed and maneuverability, but the extra space might be worth it.”
“Depends how fast of an exit we need to make,” Mira added. “Definitely safer for them to be inside, cramped as it might be. If we’re really considering transporting livestock, perhaps put them in the smaller ships, in case we lose one. Keep all the people on the Tanjura.”
“I will forward you both what information we have on the colonists’ small craft,” said Njessa. “Again, look into the possibilities, best to be prepared even if such extreme measures are not needed.”
“Anything else?” she looked over her staff.
A chorus of head shakes told her that everyone had absorbed their respective responsibilities.
The staff rose and departed to their duties. En’ves was the last out, casting a final glance at the holographic projection before leaving the table. Finally, all the effort he’d invested in this mission might be starting to pay off.