This is not the Debrief you are looking for...

Posted on Sat Aug 18th, 2018 @ 8:49pm by Commander Abigail Prescott & Captain M'Mira & Lieutenant Bradley Damon & Lieutenant Mika Rai'z D.Sc.
Edited on on Mon Sep 3rd, 2018 @ 3:24pm

1,603 words; about a 8 minute read

Mission: Mission 1: The Return to Faltan
Location: Captain’s Lounge, Command Deck, Faltan Station
Timeline: MD04 - 1700

Mint had given orders for those returning to the station with her to remain silent and head for the Captain's Lounge to wait for her. She had to check on Refelian first. Once she was had gained all the information she would get about his condition, she returned to the lounge to speak with the crew. She entered to grim faces and scowls. "Ok, debrief before we announce this to the rest of the station," she began talking as soon as she walked through the door. "As Executive Officer, I shall become Acting Commanding Officer while Refelian is being cared for. Commander M'Mira, as second officer you shall be my Acting Executive Officer," she explained, though she doubted any of them needed it.

"Now," she turned on her heel once she'd walked past everyone there. She looked them each in the eye, noting their expressions. "Lieutenant Damon, I don't give two hoots that you're looking out for our best interests, you openly commenting that you do not trust the Faltans WHILE still in the presence of all of their governing body was out of line! In the future, save those comments for these closed meetings. And before you ask, no we will NOT be sending our people to the city to knock down doors and complete an investigation of our own. If these were Federation people, we would assist. As they're OUT of our jurisdiction, we have to act diplomatically. Do you understand?"

M'Mira beamed at Mint. This security officer really had no idea what he was doing. How he rose so far in the ranks, she did not know. Perhaps it was people like him that caused the Faltans to believe that the Federation wanted to take them over. Then, their reactions would be perfectly understandable. Turning to Damon, she gave him a disinterested sniff, looked the other way and started filing her nails.

Damon stood ramrod straight, eyes forward and only responded when addressed. "Understood, sir!"

"Don't get me wrong, Damon," Mint pinched the bridge of her nose. "I want to wipe the smug looks off every one of their faces. I want to catch whomever shot Captain Refelian and beat them within an inch of their life," her face burned and turned a ruddy brown as she spoke, veins in her forehead and neck throbbed near the surface. "But we cannot, we must not, do any of that. We need to be the picture of perfect diplomacy. We cannot risk losing this station. We are a small pawn in the safety of the RTC, but an important one."

M'Mira looked over at Mint turning brown. Her eyes widened at the color change. That was definitely different. She would have to find a way to disguise that in Mint's makeup when they eventually met to have a girl's night.

She took a deep breath, closed her eyes and centered herself. "Right, I'm sorry I lost my temper," she opened her now watering eyes and blinked a few times. "I am glad all of you are safe. I'm also happy to report that Captain Refelian is stable, for now. He is in good hands." She gave a weak smile. "Now, Lieutenant Rai'z, I saw you and Doctor Aereen speaking with their Medical and Science person and their Diplomat. Did you learn anything from them?"

Leaning with one arm on the arm of the sofa, Mika stopped rubbing his forehead as he nodded, “How much they don’t want us here." He looked upset although his tone was steady, "They’re convinced we’re here to force them to join the Federation, taking away their identities in the process. I got the impression there's another external influence involved here.”

"That is... unfortunate," Mint said after a moment. "I got that impression from the discussion with the Deputy Governor. Something is amiss here. We really need to see what the previous station crew did that has these people on edge toward us..."

"They may not have done anything," Mika replied quietly, and feeling the need to, got up off the the couch and started walking around.

"No," Mint agreed. "They may not have, but this is one of those situations where we simply must consider the worst case scenario. Which is quite unfortunate, as we are discussing our own people."

Mika nodded, he understood, and continued to walk around the room.

Mint turned to Damon. "You were quick to leave your conversation with their Security Chief, what did you discuss with him?"

"Sir. Their security chief was requesting sensitive intell. He wanted to know how many security officers are stationed inside Ops. The only reason he would ask that, is if he was gathering intel, for an attack on the station, sir. I gave him an inflated number, sir. If I may, what makes you think the captain wasn't the intended target? This could be the beginning of an assault on the station, sir."

Mint leaned against Refelian's desk, flabbergasted that the Faltan Chief Security would ask such questions. "I agree," she said, never thinking she'd ever say those words where his ideas were concerned. "And I didn't say I don't think he wasn't the intended target, in fact, I fully believe he was the target all along. As is our station." She ran her hands through her hair in frustration. "Double your patrols. Add extra personnel to all key areas," she chewed her lip. "I want you to meet with Colonel Haversford, work out a plan to protect the station. At this point, there will be no action by us against the people of Faltan. We do not know who is behind all of this, therefore we cannot, in good faith, act against them. We can double our defenses. I want the station at yellow alert too."

Damon nodded in agreement. "Yellow alert, yes commander. I will contact the Colonel immediately."

Mint then turned to M'Mira. "M'Mira," she smiled, exhaustion already showing in her face alongside the worry, "my friend, I need you to work some miracles. Get as much power to our shields as possible." It was then that something clicked in her mind and she gave M'Mira a strange look, though she quickly regained her stern composure. "I need everyone's cooperation right now. Lieutenant Rai'z, assist medical where you can, I'm sure Doctor Aereen would appreciate it. And everyone, please, please have trust in me. I will get to the bottom of this."

M'Mira noticed the look. Mint had something in mind and she was going to tell her after the rest of the crew was dismissed. She knew it. Without revealing that knowledge and keeping her best Caitian poker face, she jibed, "Mirrracles. I can do that. Maybe I will enlist that skittish engineerrr and that lieutenant that you used rrrrecently. They prrrrobably would speed my time if I could get the male to focus."

"You are welcome to use any of the Engineering staff you require," Mint nodded. "I will let my assistant know to expect your requests."

His hands on his hips, Mika had nodded at Mint's orders, but there had been something crawling in the back of his mind he hadn't been able to put his finger on, and now it clicked. "Commander," he spoke up, sounding serious, "I'm not convinced the Captain was the intended target."

"Why?" Mint asked simply, curious as to Rai'z thoughts. "Who do you think they intended to assassinate?"

"The Governor," he replied, at first looking at no one as he continued to recall the conversation. "I think its possible. Sirdith and Kaiho made it very clear they have no respect for him, and who knows how many other Faltans feel the same way. And wasn't the Captain shot near the Governor's desk?"

Damon spoke up. "Maybe they were both a target. Kill each of them, and they blame us, while we blame them. It still doesn't mean their planning an attack on the station."

"He was shot near the Governor's desk, but only after he noticed something," Mint frowned. "I thought I saw something as well, but I'm unsure. I went over to the Captain to make sure he was ok, and that's when he was shot. The Governor was in clear view of that window as well," she pointed out. "And maybe they aren't planning an attack on the station, but again, worst case scenario. You said it yourself, they were asking for sensitive security information. It could have been something to throw us, or it could have been a security officer failing at being an intelligence officer and trying to gain more information for an attack.

No matter what the scenario is, until we are sure what the answer is, we go into defense mode," Mint had started pacing again, seeing Rai'z doing so had upped her nerves. "There are too many unknowns. Too many walls placed in our path. We MUST protect our people. Any further questions or comments?"

M'Mira shook her head indicating the negative. Her role, now, was to wait until the rest left and then to find out what Mint was thinking.

Damon shook his head.

"No, Sir," Mika said, although his brow was still furrowed.

"Alright," Mint sighed, she was already beginning to feel exhausted. "Dismissed." There wasn't much more she could say, and she didn't really feel like going over things again and again. Her mind was spinning with possibilities, none of them good. One thought kept rising against the tide of worry. She had to protect her people, even if it meant putting herself at risk.

 

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