Informing the Captain

Posted on Sat Sep 8th, 2012 @ 3:52pm by Captain Vorn Krace & Commander Acle Walex & Commander Jordan Gunning & Lieutenant Commander Sara Archer

Mission: Heart of an Explorer
Location: Conference Room [Deck 1 - USS Iapetus], Warp Flight Facility [Meltorra]
Timeline: After the events of 'Prefect De'laan' & 'Impact'.

[ON]

The holographic tablet's powering sequence was one of Gunning's major bugbears. Unlike the ease of a subspace communication which displayed people by virtue of a camera, the holographic tablet which sat in the centre of the Iapetus' main conference room showed full 3D models of the people in question.

After the Dominion War Starfleet had poured a lot of research capital into holographic technology with the hope of using it to mask ships, troops and also to provide a more realistic interactive environment for shipboard officers who wished to communicate with away parties.

Of course, in order to accurately render holographic images of an away team, the transport buffers had to be called into action along with the short range and long range scanners aboard the vessel. It was a process that very few officers ever bothered to involve themselves in, preferring the standard viewscreen over the laborious and resource-draining task of holo-communication.

Archer didn't say much. While the holo-communicator was certainly more flashy, Sara really thought of it as a waste of resources. Communications with it were usually less secure, and voice communication was faster and more efficient. She looked over at Gunning, who she could tell was also getting tired of waiting.

Jordan rolled his eyes at Archer as the holo-emitter began to kick into life. In an instant, the loading time was forgotten as accurate, if slightly blue-tinged facsimiles of Captain Vorn Krace and Commander Acle Walex appeared in the centre of the room.

"Commanders," the Captain said, looking at what must have been an even lower quality image than those on the ship enjoyed, considering that the visual signal was being routed through the transporter array rather than a dedicated (and local) set of holographic emitters.

Acle's image nodded at the onboard officers, but, did not speak. He stood beside his captain, his face expressionless as was his habit. They both stood apart from the Maltorran's that served as their escort while on the ground, under a shaded cupola where they were afforded some privacy.

"Captain, Commander," Jordan nodded to each of them in turn as he began a PADD download to the one that Walex held in his hand, "we have some information that might be pertinent to your investigation."

"Already?" the Captain asked, his simulated eyebrows rising. "That was fast." The Captain had been back aboard briefly overnight, and had transported back down with the XO to collect Prefect De'Laan for her promised tour of the Iapetus, though their brief overnight return hadn't allowed much time to interact with the crew.

Acle merely raised an eyebrow, awaiting a further response.

"We don't waste time, Captain." Gunning replied. "They're just theories based on scans at the moment but we do have some evidence for you."

Sara nodded. "I think you will be very interested in our findings, Captain."

"We'll take whatever we can get in the way of evidence. As we spend more time on the planet and begin to interact with more of the natives, the extreme nature of the panic is becoming more obvious." Acle said, speaking for the first time since the communication began.

"The videos we've seen of the infected support the panic," the captain added. "They almost definitely develop extremely violent symptoms rapidly after infection, and the civilians down here are fearing for their lives in the areas worst hit."

Gunning joined in with their findings. "You might be interested to hear that their panic might be more justified than we had thought. There seems to be an artificial element to the spread of the infection. We can't be absolutely sure but our research suggests that the infection has a number of 'hot zones' where it appears to have been spread deliberately."

Acle's face turned into a slight frown "Somebody is playing at biological warfare." he said, his voice low. "Is there any indication that the virus itself was artificially constructed? Or is somebody manipulating a natural occurrence?"

"It's too early to tell but our best estimate based on a brief analysis of local pathogens suggests that it's not a locally occurring strain." Gunning looked aggrieved as he followed up the information, "We won't be able to tell for sure without access to a live sample."

"We'll have to arrange a local visit then," the captain said, making plans in his mind's eye. "Speak with Doctor Marx about what he would need to set up down here, but I don't want any live samples to be brought back to the ship unless we can confirm that we can neutralize them, and I want any teams going into an infected area to go with full hazmat protocols. Get a plan ready for after the Prefect's tour so that I can make final arrangements with her before she beams back down."

Gunning nodded, "Agreed. I'll have Doctor Marx draw up plans for a mobile control centre. I'll also require that all hazmat teams are accompanied by a fully-equipped security detail."

"We'll be beaming up shortly with the Prefect. Commander, I'd like you to meet us there to accompany us on the tour. Krace out."

The holographic projection ended and the two officers were suddenly alone in the Conference Room. "I wouldn't have said this was the time to be showing foreign dignitaries around the ship." The Commander offered quietly to his companion. "More to the point, I'd have thought she'd have more important things on her mind."


[OFF]

Captain Vorn Krace
Commanding Officer

Commander Acle Walex
First Officer

Commander Jordan Gunning
Chief Of Security

Lieutenant Commander Sara Archer
Chief Intelligence Officer