And the Curious Plot Thickens
Posted on Wed Apr 15th, 2020 @ 5:44am by Rear Admiral Othello Matthews & Lieutenant Colonel Shaun Bradley
1,461 words; about a 7 minute read
Mission:
Equivalent Exchange
Location: USS Titania, Captain's Ready Room
Timeline: MD - 4 : 0812 Hrs
"... So that's the brief."
By the time Rear Admiral Othello Matthews had heard about the going-ons on the colony, a pair of rather colorfully-written Intelligence reports had arrived on his desk. This was many days ago, when he had already set out to deliver a sizable upgrade to the colony's Starfleet contingent. Some part of him was curious as to what the hubbub was about, but he had his own reasons.
He had contacted the young Captain of the colony a month prior, and received a record-quick response. A thank you, an apology, condolences. But there was little that the Admiral could gather from a small snippet of a video chat.
Such as why he had asked Lieutenant Colonel Shaun Bradley to come along. There were multiple reasons for him to ask a man with such marine experience to accompany him to the colony. There would be some convincing that a doctor of Captain Mahone's caliber may have needed to remind him that there was a need for such secure measures. If Commodore Minawara had a hard time convincing him, a stronger hand was necessary.
He could very well have ordered Captain Mahone to 'deal with it,' but if there was an agreement, then it would have been an easier transition.
"The truth of it is that I have absolutely no idea what we're about to walk into. I wish it were that predictable. However, I've heard little about the actual colony outside of reports. This matter with the... shuttle." A shuttle he had not heard about till now, but a disregarded Intelligence gag order was not something he could ignore. "It troubles me. Tell me, Colonel, what do you make of it?"
"In my experience there are two divisions you want to avoid having to interact with closely," he said, leaning back slightly and looking at the roof. "The first is diplomatic, especially since most of the people you talk to love long words, long conversations and cheap wine." He paused and smiled, thinking back to Marine Captain Cooper fondly. "The second is Intelligence, because there are a great deal of people don't talk to each other, feel like they belong on a holo-novel, and want to avoid sharing any information to anyone outside of Intelligence." Looking to the Admiral, he sat and thought about it all for a minute. "Honestly, if Intelligence is interested in the shuttle so intensely, then the fact of the matter is that there is a lot more in play here than meets the eye." He cast from his PaDD to the display on the desk.
"I am looking over the leaked information and what has been made available to the pair of us. It's old, classic, and the computer is completely cooked. Now when I used to run anti-piracy, we had a slash and burn policy. If the ground boys breached and boarded they downloaded and nuked the computer core." After a brief pause, he added, "Alternatively, we hit the base with enough fire power to make a new lake in a few years." He regarded the information on his PaDD and pursed his lips. "And I don't think Captain Mahone is too green to have missed that, so either he is aware of that fact and chose to exclude it from his report, or he's an idiot. And I don't think it's the latter."
Othello shook his head. "I suspect if he was, he would have been discovered well before this shuttle." There were too many variables. It went without saying that he wanted a more in depth chat with the young Captain, preferably behind closed doors. Why these snippets of information would be left out of official reports garnered a more serious discussion. "And while it would not surprise me that he simply was caught up in all the goings on within the colony, it does not add up. Especially since Intelligence arrived and made a point of communicating it with him. I'm sure Agents Anubel and Cabid are eager to speak on their side as well."
Bradley nodded, as if thinking it over. He was also curious to sit down with the two agents and hear what they had to say. Surely there was more to the story than would meet the eye. His attention was pulled back as the Admiral continued to talk.
"But that just means there's more for us to straighten out before we give this colony anything. It is at the perfect placement for too many unpredictabilities. We need to make sure the one person we can communicate with regularly is who we need him to be." Othello steepled his fingers while staring out into the distance. "... This could work in our favor."
Raising an eyebrow, Shaun cocked his head and added "While I am sure that there is a series of explanations as to what has been going on, I also feel if we take the time to install hardware here to make this facility more profitable, we'll keep the civilian population happy. As for leadership, if there is an issue with contact, then we could easily place a new officer in that we can control. If I am not mistake, the Colony is missing an Executive Officer, is it not?"
"Currently, it isn't." The Admiral stated. "Though I feel as if Lieutenant Commander Koplo isn't exactly the most ideal choice. He has not been as adamant about his communications either. I suppose someone down the line thought it would be ideal for a more... security-minded individual would be a good choice for Captain Mahone's second in command. We'll have to touch base with Koplo regardless, but I fear we'll have to make more adjustments. Did you have something in mind?"
"No suggestions thus far, just more of a thought really. If Koplo isn't a good fit, I would feel it's in the Fleet's best interest to replace him quickly." Bradley nodded slowly at the end of this, thinking over his words carefully. "The concern also, of course, becomes putting someone who is a good fit for the Colony. We are merely thinking Fleet logistics. In reality, the other half of that equation is the civilian personnel. If we make an aggressive move that displeases them, they could request to the Federation Office of Civilian Affairs that Star Fleet be removed from the colony. And seeing how the last little while has been..." the Colonel trailed off, and offered a shrug.
"Mm." It was a sentiment the Admiral had to agree with. "It is by civilian appeasement alone that Captain Mahone remains in his position, or else I fear someone would have found a way to whisk him away." Whether 'someone else' was the Admiral himself was yet to be determined, but he went on. "We're already about to introduce quite a bit of change to the community. Having the Starfleet Captain be part of those changes could indeed cause a fair bit of unrest, and that's something I'd like to avoid."
He lowered his gaze to the paperwork in front of him, which slowly scrolled on the PaDD as the reports continued to filter in. Some from Haumea, some from other colonies farther off. "And I'd like to not have to explain to the Federation that taking the blatant Starfleet presence off this planet could replace it with something more covert, less controlled."
"But, there is another matter," the Admiral continued. "I know the Captain tasked a small section of his crew to the continued investigation into the Io incident. We've had quite a few different reports on that, and none of them seem to make a clear amount of sense, simply that their chief of security is on non-essential administrative duties. Agent Cabid is looking into the matter, but I'd need a better perspective on the situation while I give the Captain a chat..."
"Those are likely to be short conversations, I would be happy to take care of them for you. I have read over those reports as well," Bradley regarded the PaDD in his lap. "For me, I think a conversation with Mr. Winslow would be beneficial, as well as one with the members who are operating the investigation. I feel that getting a well rounded picture is always better."
"Agreed. I believe... that would be Lieutenant Sera Williams and Lieutenant Junior Grade Lillian James who are the most well-versed in the information surrounding that. Start with Miss James. With the position she's in, she may have more insight into Lieutenant Winslow than others on the colony."
The Admiral gave pause, a frown forming. "I do believe we have our work cut out for us, don't we?"
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