New Orders (Part 1)
Posted on Sat Aug 31st, 2024 @ 4:36am by Captain Maho Takahashi & Commander Keisuke Takahashi 'K.T.' & Commander Elisabeth Churchill & Commander Ichika Misono & Commander Victor Delling MD & Lieutenant Commander Kurumi Ebisuzawa & Lieutenant Commander Brennyn Scott M.D. & Lieutenant Ami Rori & Lieutenant JG Jane Sinclair & Commander Chiyomi Anzai
1,229 words; about a 6 minute read
Mission: Captains and Contraband
Captain's log,
Almost three months have passed since the fiasco at Gamma Zednor, and in that time, the Confederacy's membership has grown to include over 20 former Federation member worlds. If the Confederacy continues to gain membership at the current rate, they'll soon have the capacity to bring us to our knees.
Which is all the more concerning that a major defense contractor- the Federal Rheuysian Republic- has been making and providing Starfleet grade weapons to the Confederacy. While little remains known about the status of a potential Confederate military, given the kinds of people who have left the Federation to join them, it's a foregone conclusion that military armament is a first and foremost policy.
On the stardate when the Federation Council is due to vote on granting emergency powers to the office of President Pallis, the Myogi is being sent to Sector 813 to rendezvous with our fleet mate, the USS Kaga, in the hopes to clear up this misunderstanding with the Rheuysians.
End log
Maho stood in the Myogi's observation lounge, watching the stars whiz past as the Myogi made steady headway to the rendezvous point. Now at 31 weeks pregnant, things had been changing rapidly for Maho- her unborn daughter was now obsessed with mastering her motor functions, and was quite active in the womb as a result. She was also beginning to recognize the voices of her mother and father, and even a few of the senior officers.
While it was an exciting time internally for Maho, externally, things weren't as good: The growth of the Confederacy of Independent Planets had continued despite Starfleet's best efforts to curb it. As a result, the Federation Council wasn't long from holding a vote to invest emergency powers in the office of the President.
Maho had called this staff meeting, however, to discuss the matter most relevant to the Myogi- and the reason they were on their current heading- the existence of a Rheuysian gunrunning ring believed to have direct ties to the Confederacy. In addition, the senior staff were also to be briefed on the prideful and patriotic race that the Rheuysians were, and that such allegations were not to be thrown around lightly.
First to arrive were the other three members of the Command Staff- Ichika, then Keisuke, and finally Commander Anzai, all in rapid succession. Given the strategic importance of their alliance with the Rheuysian Republic, the three of them had been working closely with representatives of the Kaiser to get to the bottom of this matter. Based on their initial proceedings, it appeared that the Rheuysians were just as surprised with this revelation as Starfleet was, and were eager to cooperate to fullest of their abilities; an enemy of Starfleet was an enemy of the Republic, and any dissident cells in their domain were just as much their responsibility to stamp out as it was Starfleet's.
It was with a big yawn that Ami followed the senior officers into the room and picked a seat near the far end of the table and tucked her feet under her as she nearly curled up inside the confines of the chair. Instead of effectively going back to sleep as she usually did, she pulled out a PADD and began playing a game on it to keep her attention focused.
The doors of the room opened and in walked Kurumi carrying a PADD in one hand and a cup of fresh coffee in the other. She looked tired and run down. It was obvious that she had not had a restful night.
Bree followed behind the two women and as she took her seat, she also took in the demeanors of the others in the room. It struck Bree that three of the rooms occupants - Maho, Ami, and Kurumi - had been very much on her mind of late. Ami and Kurumi were professionally under her psychological care while she had been assisting the medical team with the Captain's prenatal visits. All three women had quite a lot on their plates currently, and all three of them looked to be struggling in varying degrees.
Now was not the time, of course, to engage in a lengthy and public inquiry, but Scott elected to sit between Ami and Kurumi, hoping to meet the latter's gaze first. "How are you holding up?"
"Barely," Kurumi replied giving her a weak smile. "Yaeka is still having vivid nightmares. I'm up nearly every hour trying to sooth her." She explained. "She cries and shouts out a lot in her sleep. I've resorted to napping on the sofa so I can get to her quicker."
"I'm sorry that things are so rough," Bree replied sincerely. "I know we talked about therapy making things a little worse before they get better as just a natural part of the process of uncovering painful experiences, but still, I'm sure it's not easy when you're in it and dealing with your own trauma. If things persist and truly become unmanageable, we can always talk again about a bit of medication, but if you can hang on, these nightmares are actually a sign she's beginning to process the trauma in earnest. In the meantime, I'd be happy to take a shift or three if you think she would warm up to me?"
"I could use a second shift-mate," Kurumi replied "and Yaeka knows you so I think it's perfect."
Bree nodded to Kurumi silently. She would check in with Kurumi and Ami later.
Maho loudly cleared her throat as a subtle cue to the two Lieutenant Commanders to save further discussion on the topic of the Myogi's new civilian until after the briefing. Shortly after this happened, Commander Churchill arrived and took her seat at the table, nodding to the command staff and her fellow crewmates as she did so.
Jane was the next one in. Freedom from the brig had come a number of weeks earlier but not much had happened to the ship in that time. The pilot was getting antsy for them to get started. She nodded to her crewmates, giving a warm smile for her little sister Ami, and then took an available seat.
Victor arrived a moment later humming a tune under his breath. He was tanned, so he'd spent some time in actual sunshine and it seemed to agree with him. He nodded to everyone and settled into a seat with his cup of tea in his hands.
With her senior staff assembled, Maho finally proceeded to assume her seat, clicking a button on the table and causing a holographic image of the Rheuysian coat of arms to flicker into existence above it, as well as the screen behind her to change to the state flag of the Federal Rheuysian Republic. The flag was a tricolor design of the official state colors of the Republic: Black on top, red in the middle, and finally blue on bottom. The blue was meant to signify the Rheuysians' status as a Federation member world. In addition, the flag featured the Rheuysian coat of arms.
"This is the Federal Rheuysian Republic:" Maho explained. "First established in 2270 as the official successor state of the Rheuysian Reich, it has since risen to become one of our most important defense contractors... And that is where we are headed once we rendezvous with the Kaga"
To be continued...
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