Final Briefings

Posted on Wed Jan 5th, 2022 @ 2:35pm by Lieutenant JG Shaille Levine & Captain Abigail Laurens & Lieutenant Commander Evelyn Rozia & Linza (Lin) Esni & Joquer & Lieutenant Commander William Rogers & Commander Ichiko Gail & Lieutenant Commander William Gunnison & Lieutenant Commander Calvin Morgan & Lieutenant Veznia MD PSyD & Lieutenant Alexis Aenera

Mission: Double Bind

Leaning in, another flick of her hand and both maps sat side by side in the middle of the table as Abigail sank down into a seat, wrapping her hands around the mug again, savouring the warmth on her fingers and hands. "Any questions?"

Evelyn looked at the maps again, knowing that this was in part her responsibility. How the setup went, how the generators were arrayed, if this plan failed, all the deaths that would occur. But if it worked? All the lives it would save. But an idea had been niggling at the back of her head, something that could help, "Ma'am, what if we set up an outpost sensor rig further North of the city? It could help us recalibrate the shield generators before the storm even hits the edge of the shield perimeter.. I don't think we'd be able to recover it, but most likely it would be turned to slag after the storm passed, then buried under ice."

Linza had stood against a wall and listened to everything. This was going to be an enormous task to take on very quickly. However, seemed the crew was up for it. She glanced to Evelyn when the suggestion was made. "We'd have to be very careful with that, especially if, for some reason, it wouldn't get buried and someone went wandering at some later point. But, it is a good idea."

"It's certainly possible to rig some generic explosives to that and set them to a timer," Will said. "Of course, there's no guarantee that something like a lightning strike wouldn't incapacitate it."

Veznia rubbed her temples with her fingertips.

Abigail shook her head slightly. "We can't risk leaving anything behind, even if we intend to destroy it. There's always the chance that it won't work and that what ever we leave will be discovered. Remember, we're trying to avoid cultural contamination as much as possible. What about using a sensor probe or a shuttle in the atmosphere to act as a sensor for us? Would that work?"

"Sensor probe." Evelyn decided quickly, "We don't know what this storm is going to do and I'd rather not put anyone actually at risk to gather the data we need. I know our shuttles are well shielded and a major storm shouldn't affect them that badly, but I still don't want to chance it. A probe is expendable, lives aren't."

"Very well, Commander Rozia, work with Lieutenant Aenera to have the sensor probes set up and ready for launch," Abigail ordered.

"Yes, ma'am." Evelyn nodded and flashed a smile at Alexis, "It shouldn't take too long to prepare it for the mission."

Alexis nodded slowly, "Upgrade shielding and static dispersal for survivability, can do, Captain."

"Commander Gunnison, how many hands will you need to prepare the kits for immediate deployment to the evacuation centers?" Abigail asked. "And how long do you think you'll need? We'll to get them out as quickly as possible, and we will need to make sure we give our pilots sufficient time to prepare." She scanned the somewhat crowded room, gaze settling on the two Ts'usugi pilots in the corner. "How long do you think you'll need to prepare for departure?"

Koh and Callisi conferred with each other in their native tongue for a moment. A few hand gestures, possibly mapping out a deployment route. It wasn't a very long discussion before the pair turned back to Abigail. Koh, being the wing commander between the two of them, spoke up, "We leave when you give the word. Three hundred ticks is all the time we need." a pause, "Wait, Shaille says that's not how you ... that, that... Five minutes notice for wheels up. Extra depending on what we're loading and hauling."

"If we're flying a Federation shuttle, maybe a little longer." Callisi added.

"It could be done in 30 minutes," Will said after doing a quick bit of calculating. "I'd have to pull in everyone from Ops, barring whomever is covering Ops on the bridge, but..."

At that moment, a Ferengi hand stuck up into the air.

"If Commander Gunnison needs any assistance in preparing the kits for the evacuation centers, I'm sure I could call upon my staff for assistance." Joquer interjected.

"That would be very much appreciated," Will said. "That would cut down the prep time considerably."

Linza listened for a bit before saying something again. "I"m at anyone's disposal, no matter the department I think at this point. Just don't trust me with too much engineering and we're good."

“Please keep the triage system updated as people get moved. It will be the only way to keep track of numbers and injuries,” Calvin added, knowing it could be an after thought with so much other planning going on.

"The course itself won't be a problem. The real bummer will be getting the ship to actually do it." Rogers looked up from his PADD. "Astraea isn't designed for atmo; she's too big. There's a bunch of safety protocols we'll need to override to even get into the exosphere."

Evelyn looked over at Buck and shook her head, "Astraea can enter the atmosphere once. Then we need another ship to fly. You're right, she's too big, structural integrity will fail once we get too deep into the gravity well and we aren't doing that to my baby." She gave a slight smile at Abigail, "We can briefly enter so long as we maintain super-orbital speed to make sure we don't get captured by the planet, but I wouldn't recommend it."

"What if..." Ichiko started, "... we had another ship to tether us with a tractor beam?" she offered a new line of thought. "Would we be able to handle descent into the atmosphere and safely return?"

“I’ve always wanted to die in a way that gets spoken of in awe, but I’ll pass on ripping the ship in half for the time being.” Mentally, Evelyn was taking wagers on just where the ship would snap if that particular idea was enacted. Five potential spots came to mind instantly, “Maybe if we had eight ships of sufficient size, plus a star dock to check the ship out afterwards, with a couple-few days to plan out the right locations for each tractor beam and perfect coordination? But the damage would still be severe.” She shook her head in a ‘no’ gesture, “Why does everyone want to take the ship into the atmosphere? How about…” She made a wide open gesture with her hands, “Shuttles. They’re not flying in the storm itself, which is why I chose a sensor probe, and they are designed to handle the conditions.” She looked to the Captain, hoping she wasn’t intent on tearing the ship apart like the rest, “The ship cannot enter the atmosphere for any significant amount of time or she will come apart. If we land on the surface, she stays on the surface unless I can build an anti-grav cradle to get her back into orbit. Astraea isn't like an Intrepid, she just isn’t built for it.”

Ichiko gave a quick nod, "Merely a suggestion to ensure all options are explored. I trust your expertise in this matter." and she gave a nod to Koh and Callisi, who gave a nod back in return.

Evelyn kept her face schooled into impassivity as she mentally noted the look between the three Ts'usugi. That answered one question about a sensor ghost that kept the computer requesting diagnostics on the sensors. The question about if 'another ship' could tractor the ship? She'd have to talk to the Captain, maybe the Exec. Later, much later. "No problem, ma'am, there's no idea that's a stupid one."

"Well, unless anyone else has something they'd like to bring up," Will said, "I think we all have work to do."

"If the Astraea can't dip into orbit then find another way and find it quickly. I don't care how it gets done, just get it done. We need to make sure this all runs smoothly when the time comes," Abigail responded as she stood up from her chair. "If there's nothing else, as has already been stated, we all have work to do."

Linza shook her head, "Nothing else here, Captain."

When no one else spoke up, Abigail gave a curt nod. "Very well, everyone is dismissed." Turning on her heel, Abigail made her way through the doors and into the corridor. There was a lot of work to be done and all hands were needed on deck, including hers.