A Bit Of Self-Reflection

Posted on Mon Mar 30th, 2020 @ 10:43pm by Lieutenant Alexis Aenera

Mission: Dead Moon
Location: Science Lab 3

Alexis slipped into her own personal lab to avoid everyone else. She'd known that she would have at least one of her people interested in asking her about what had been seen on the other ship, whose it was and the sort, but she wasn't up to answering those questions, not yet at least. Then there were those who'd have actual questions of the everyday variety, but her mind wasn't on that either.

She punched up an external view of the 'target' ship, the one that was now certainly known to be of Ts'usugi origin and sat back in her comfortable chair and looked at it. Her head shook as she replayed the briefing that she'd come straight here from, every word, but none of the looks. She hadn't been able to bring herself to look at anyone, because she wasn't sure what she had been going to say or suggest, but in the end, especially after what the Captain had said, she'd felt herself required to disagree.

Even now, she didn't like the fact that she'd done it. It felt like she was betraying her Captain, but Starfleet Intelligence was jealous about what it could find out about other species, ally or enemy and with salvage laws as clear as they could be, without any of the original Ts'usugi crew aboard, the ship was up for grabs. Legally, the Federation, as the people who found the ship abandoned and drifting, were entitled to take possession of it and do with it as they would. In fact, it would be rather silly to NOT take advantage of the chance.

Of course, the Captain and Lieutenant Gunnison had pointed out, there was a gentleman's agreement with the Ts'usugi regarding questions about and actually looking into their technology. But to Alexis, there wasn't a question about her honor and respecting the rabbit-like people, she did. This was a quandry that she didn't like. Her loyalty was to the Federation, it was HER government, she was sworn to IT'S service, not another race.

She nodded to herself and finally gave herself over to being comfortable with what she'd told the Captain. She exhaled and then also decided that despite that, she also would support Captain Laurens's decisions to the hilt. She'd done her duty and made her point that it was technically the wrong decision, but now, the decision made, it was time to fulfill it.

She swiped her hand across the display and waved it away, punching up the next thing she needed to look at and a detailed map of this part of the Charybdis Sector came up and her eyes look over it in minute detail, taking in the notes she'd put in and what effects each would have. Yes, there were a couple possibilities right there, and with a bit under a day to work with, for the first option, they'd need about twelve hours to get into position, for the second? A crafty smile came across her face.

Alexis prepared the displays for both of her ideas, then took a breath and looked at the camera and smiled slightly.

"Captain Laurens, I have been pondering the question of how to keep Starfleet Intelligence from taking possession of the Ts'usugi vessel until the native authorities can place their own people on it and I've come up with a couple options. The first is to somehow move their ship into an asteroid field that's a bit deeper into the Sector, but with the makeup of the field, it would hide the hull signature of the ship to a fare thee well. Instead of a nickel-iron, the asteroids in the field have a high titanium content and a naturally occurring resonance echo whenever sensors are used in or around it, creating massive false returns. If the ship is moored in there with the power systems damped down, especially if visually covered by one of the larger asteroids, it should remain undetected." Alexis inserted the field, labelled Charybdis Object Beta Seven as a visual aide into the message.

A second option would be a bit more.. Energetic. The hydrogen peroxide cloud that's being ionized by the plasma storms? If we can reinforce the shields on the Ts'usugi vessel and park it deep in the cloud, we can detonate the leading edge of the cloud with phasers or a preset torpedo right before the Intelligence ship arrives. The detonation of the tritium being produced should prevent all sensor reach to within the 'safe' part of the cloud for several hours." She used her fingers for the air quotes of the word 'safe'. If questioned, we could use our conflict with the Romulan ship and call it collateral damage with the 'unknown ship' having been destroyed incidentally." She again had inserted the field and the prospective location for the Captain's perusal.

Alexis's eyes looked directly into the camera lens, as if to look into the Captain's eyes directly, "I know I disagreed with you and still do, ma'am, but regardless of that, you are my Captain. I've got your back, ma'am, and if there's anything I can do to help, you have but to ask. Lieutenant Aenera, clear."

She tapped the button to stop the recording and looked at the red light flashing and inhaled before pressing the send button.

OFF:

Lieutenant Alexis Aenera
Chief Science Officer
USS Astraea