[Galaxy] [Forrest Outpost] [FO] 25 Sep 2161 :: Briefing Room :: Drs Antonini and Cassidy :: "Speculation"

[Kate Nicholson]

~~~~~

>  
> // Briefing Room //
>  
> Jia frowned at Thompson¹s back. While she tried to appreciate the confidence
> he seemed to be showing by assuming everyone would be competent to determine
> what to do within his or her own department and position, it rankled her that
> he also assumed no one would want him to repeat or further clarify anything.
> She looked down at the PADD he¹d left on the table. Everyone seemed to be
> avoiding it. She leaned forward and pulled it over to her, set up the download
> sequence between it and her own, and waited for the few moments it took to
> complete the transfer. Then she passed it to the Gina on her right.
> 
> Quick-scanning the information scrolling down the datapad's small screen, Gina
> was relieved again to read that the shipyards' crew had already been moved to
> safety on Njord.  She looked at the rough sphere of Klingon ships, forming a
> circle that had Njord at its center.  The mines filled in the holes.
>  
> As Jia read the report on the PADD, she wondered why Thompson even showed up
> for his briefings, as the information was absolutely, precisely what he
> included in the report. Twenty minutes ago --what 30 now--, Klingon ships had
> entered the system. What had she been doing 30 minutes ago? Enjoying a cuppa
> tea and reviewing a patient¹s chart Šas Klingon warships mounted an assault on
> her home. Damn bloody Klingons. Bloody damn war.
>  
> This appeared to be a siege, not an outright attack, and she had to reckon the
> reason for not bearing down on them with canons firing was because they felt
> they could wait it out without having to risk their ships and personnel. How
> long would that last? Okay. Infirmary to red alert readiness, notify all
> medical personnel, notify all secondary relief medics in other departments,
> hurry upŠget readyŠand wait. ³Marty, get the coffee ready,² she whispered. She
> pulled her hair back with both hands. Humidity was high in the station today;
> it was particularly curly.
>  
> As Gina passed the PADD to her right, she turned to look over at Jia, who was
> for some inexplicable reason was admiring Gina¹s hair, probably because it was
> not nearly as unruly as her own.
>  
> ³Why can¹t people just live peacefully? Isn¹t the entire universe big enough?²
> she said rhetorically.
> 
> Gina shrugged.  People had been asking that question since the beginning of
> time, and Gina didn't have an answer for it.  "I can't help but think that
> this is more than a standard blockade.  We won't run out of food or water --
> we have Njord, where we can get both.  This is isolation; keep us here, keep
> the rest of our ships out. /That/ means, there's something going on out there
> that we don't know about.  A reason why we must be kept isolated."  She was
> frowning.   
>  
> That little bit of anti-encouragement sat heavy on Jia¹s shoulders. It was
> very good logic, as far as it went. ³True enough, but what good does it do to
> keep /us/ in the dark? We¹re not a huge threat, by ourselves, to the outcome
> of the war. There must be more reason to keep us isolated.²
> 
> "Well ... it would appear, if you think about logistics, that it's our status
> as a stopover, a resupply post, that marked us for a blockade."  Gina was
> thoughtful.  "What are they up to?"
> 
> ³Playin¹ the devil¹s advocate here, but could the Klingons be doing this
> independently of the Romulans?² asked Jia.
> 
> "Hmm ... the /Klingons/? Alone? How likely is that?" Gina turned to face Jia.
> "I thought the most recent tactical analysis Headquarters sent to us said that
> they reckoned the Klingons for remote, isolated actions.  This certainly
> doesn't seem to fit ... blockading the only viable space station in the
> quadrant -- that will service and supply all Coalition vessels, I mean -- it's
> going to cause an uproar."
> 
> ³Maybe they want this outpost if the war falls in favor o¹ the Romulans.
> They¹re hedgin¹ their bets by bein¹ here before that¹s fact,² Jia said. A
> chill of anxiety threaded its way down her spine and back up to end in a
> shiver.
> 
> "Well, that's why I said that before -- I don't think I'm being paranoid when
> I say something's going on, this can only be a piece of it."
> 
> "Or ... perhaps the Romulans found out about our little excursion to rescue
> those POWs and are going to exact some revenge.  /Or/ they have another use in
> mind for us, like replacing those people they were using as lab rats."  Gina
> chewed her bottom lip thoughtfully.  "Now that I think about it, there could
> be all kinds of things going on, all kinds of reasons."
> 
> ³I am NOT gonna be some Romulan guinea pig. This woman is going out fighting
> before that happens,² Jia proclaimed.
> 
> The datapad had made its way around the table and had come back to Jia and
> Gina.  Gina picked it up and scanned it again.  "Ten to one the Captain knows
> more than he's telling us.  Do you think Star Fleet is doing something? Maybe
> /we/ have done something, and this is in response to that."
> 
> ³Y¹ mean this station could really be more strategic than we, the mere Senior
> Staff, know about? Intell has /used/ us before. With the fate of Earth hangin¹
> in the balance, I¹d put nothin¹ past Œem t¹ do it again.² Jia felt she could
> speak her mind to Gina, but she spoke barely above a whisper. ³Do y¹ think
> they¹re after /people/ ...not just a mass of metal and a pretty planet?²
> 
> ~Yikes~ Gina thought.  "I think we all need to be very observant and very
> careful.  Their grand objective might just be to isolate us and then take us
> out.  Forrest Outpost is a plum on Star Fleet's plate ... a huge,
> fully-functional, multi-racial space station way out here in the far reaches
> of the galaxy ... we're like the twin towers of the 22nd Century.  Remember
> your history?"
> 
> ³Aye. They didn¹t have to take out the Country¹s Capitol, just a huge visible
> hub. I guess I don¹t think of us as being that special out here. T¹ me, we are
> so small in comparison to all around us. But in terms of man made, Human-made
> culture, we are a marquis diamond, aren¹t we now?²
> 
> "Yes," agreed Gina.
> 
> ³How can we help? /We/ being Medical. Other than being ready to treat people,
> surely our combined creative little brains can be of some help beyond that.
> With Yuri gone, and Trev ... Engineering is short a Chief.² Jia¹s eyes blurred
> momentarily, and she blinked them clear again. ³I feel sort of useless until
> the worst happens.²
> 
> "I know what you mean," Gina said, feeling a pang of guilt as she considered
> Yuri's most recent absence from the table.  "We are down a few players on the
> team.  But I'm certainly no engineer.  I could maybe help out more in
> Operations ... in my off time, of course."  She turned to face Jia more fully.
> "What do you think? What else can we do?"
>      
> ³Our speculatin¹ is probably not as accurate as what Thompson already knows. I
> guess, for the time bein¹, we do our job, trust the process of command t¹
> redirect us if needed. If we have any ideas pop into our heads, even if
> they¹re outside the box, we share them with each other and pass them up the
> chain if they seem viable. First off, we get our own house in order and then
> worry about what else we can do. Maybe by then, there will be a few more
> pieces in the puzzle and we¹ll see where we be fittin¹. That works for me.²
>  
> "Me, too."  Gina gathered her gear and stood up.  "All right, then, shall we
> head back to the Infirmary and brief the staff?"
> 
> ³Aye.² 
> 
> ~~~
> LtCmdr (Dr) Regina Antonini
> Counselor 
> Forrest Outpost 
> & 
> Cmdr (Dr) Jia Cassidy
> Chief Medical Officer
> Outpost Maxwell Forrest
> 

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