Tactical approaches

Posted on 20 Feb 2017 @ 10:28pm by Captain Jasmine Somers FCapt & Lieutenant Solan Jekkar

1,634 words; about a 8 minute read

Mission: S02 Episode 2: Once More Unto the Breach (Incidental Posts)
Location: Ready Room, USS Tomcat
Timeline: Mission Day 0-4

[ON]

Solan finished off the last of his preparations and downloaded them to a PADD. He logged off his console and made the small walk towards the Captains Ready Room. With his PADD under his arm, he pressed the Chime and waited.

Jasmine was going over a few things before the mission briefing when a chime startled her, she realised it was her door chime, she took a moment to make sure the banners on the wall behind her desk were straight. It was an impressive sight the flags usually varied depending on her mood, hanging at angles the one angled to the left was the 95th Rifle Regiment flag, angled to the right was the rifles battle honours flag, it had the old battles on there as the reformed 95th had yet to be in a major battle. In the middle was the Federation emblem, but one with a difference, it had superimposed on it the rifles Bugle with a crown above it and below it, 95 and below that was two crossed Phaser rifles.

Realising she kept whoever it was fashionably late "enter," she said and in walked the Andorian Security Chief with some Padds under arm "What is it Chief?" she asked indicating for him to sit in front of her desk.

Solan nodded and took a seat. "The preparations you requested for our upcoming mission Captain." The Andorian said as he slid a PADD towards her. "I've decided on what scenarios we can attempt with the Crew."

"Oh really!" Jasmine said as she picked up the Padd and read it and grunted in satisfaction "okay El-tee, lets here what you have planned?"

Solan nodded. "Well without giving too much away too soon I have decided to go with a few unorthodox approaches." The Andorian highlighted a section in particular. "Simulate a drill in which Engineering, the Hangar Deck and Cargo Bays are all boarded simultaneously following a skirmish, a second one with yourself the XO and Commander Swiftpaws all incapacitated....." The Andorian chuckled, he had been thorough in his approach. "Shake up the status quo so to speak."

She studied it looking at it thoroughly making um ahh sounds as she read it when she was satisfied she looked up "Who do you suppose will be left in charge, have you any plans for the one who is to be tested? Remember it cannot be you as you would be the one running the simulation." Jasmine said then added, "This will have to take place after the mission we have, so you will have time to plan."

Solan nodded. "I think Mister Dodd or Mister K'Muss could be possibilities, our Chief Engineer has yet to settle in so it could be interesting to see how he runs a Ship, K'Muss could use the Command Training."

She considered that having been a marine officer commanding a ship herself at one point she knew how difficult it could be for a marine "use him last, concentrate on the fleet officers. Also in your spare time, I want you to work up a briefing so you can run it by myself and Commander Sterling, I also want you to include Lieutenant Commander Swiftpaws in on the test, she is the new 2XO and I need to know that she can handle herself should me and the Command fall. The briefing is mainly to keep us in on the loop so we can act accordingly when the test is started"

The Andorian nodded. "I'll get to work on it Captain, I don't think it should be too difficult to incorporate," Solan said as he made another note on his PADD. "When I was an Instructor at the Academy I used to run drills of a similar ilk for potential Criminologists."

Taking in what Solan said, she found it hard to see him as an instructor at the Academy "you were an instructor at the Academy! I thought you was a cadet, or did you go for the extra credit and assist in some teaching classes while you was there? You have me curious now El-tee.

Solan shook his head. "No Ma'am I served as a Criminal Investigator for Starfleet Security for several years, I'm one of the few Junior Lieutenants still in my thirties due to the nature of my work." He chuckled. "I have even published a book based on a Serial Murder Case I solved whilst serving on Armstrong Station."

Looking interested "Oh! Page notes please?" Jasmine asked in a light tone, she liked to hear of such things, she found them interesting, never having been a security officer for long, she had never investigated a case, so when word of such things came up her interest was piqued.

"Yes Ma'am, I shall forward you a copy this afternoon." The Andorian said with a smile and a nod. "You should find it rather....Thrilling? If that is a suitable turn of phrase."

Smiling "oh no, you misunderstand Lieutenant I meant cliff notes verbally, I find such things better for the imagination if they are spoken, please continue with them" Jasmine, said with a friendly smile "Could I offer you a drink?"

"Tea please." The Andorian said as he placed his PADD down on the desk and took a seat.

She stood up and walked over to the replicator, then looked back at him "What type of tea?" she simply asked, it was then she had no idea on what type of tea any of her crew drank, not even her First Officer.

"Tarkalian Tea, with a pinch of honey if I may?" He asked politely to his Captain.

Smiling as she turned back to the replicator "One Tarkalean tea with a pinch of honey and a much of Raktajino three sugars" she said and the device replicated two hot drinking vessels, she picked one up and handed it to Jekkar "careful it is hot" then she we picked up her Klingon coffee and sat in one of the comfy chairs in her Ready room. She indicated Jekkar to a similar seat opposite her.

She waited till he was sitting on the chair "okay now verbal cliff notes if you will"

The Andorian followed on and then after a sip of tea sat back. "Well when I was at Armstrong Station as Chief of Security it seemed like any backwater Station, that was until a Crewman was found dead in one of the Labs." The Andorian paused. "He had been stabbed in the back unaware of his attacker."

"Oh! How juicy, go on what was the blade and did you ever catch the murderer?" Jasmine asked enthused at the beginning of the tale, while she waited for his response. She recalled some years back when she did a short stint as a Security officer, she had never encountered such an event, perhaps this is why she found the beginning of this tale so intriguing.

Solan nodded. "He used a replicated Stiletto knife circa 1920, killed 4 more people and stabbed me in the side." The Lieutenant chuckled. "Wasn't expecting a roundhouse kick from me, though...."

Looking amused "I bet! So after you kicked him, how did things progress from there?" Jasmine asked, "the type of blade indicates that he was a fan of old-time movies and had some knowledge what weapon he was using."

Solan nodded. "We wrestled around the deck for a brief time until Security arrived. Our Assailant had become obsessed with a Holo-program set in 1920's Chicago, they developed it as a coping mechanism to deal with Trauma from a previous Assignment." The Andorian thought back to the incident. "Each of the victims had no prior connection to each other but they were selected based on their likeness to characters within the program."

Nodding, "that's interesting, a killer becoming obsessed with a holo-program, if I were a doctor I would say the killer had a holodeck psychosis similar to that of Reginald Barclay on the Enterprise-D when he got hooked on the holodeck. But it sounds like the killer was suffering probably from PTSD and on downtime went into a holodeck and got immersed in a 1920s program that made him snap, it is however very strange" Jasmine said.

Solan nodded. "Very much so, I taught my Cadets to always look at the wider perspective and that an eye for the unexpected is vital."

Nodding in agreement, "I have to agree and I am glad I assigned you as Security Chief, as I know you will be up to the task of making sure something like this does not happen again *pause* now if there is nothing else I believe that we both have work to do before we get this mission started, also I think an inventory is due for the Quantum and Photon torpedoes we have been taking on, I will leave it up to you to decide where to store the extra ones. Major Donovan will be taking care of the small weapon armouries around the ship; any questions?" Jasmine asked.

He shook his head. "No Captain, I think all bases are covered."

Smiling "Excellent, you will keep me up to date with those reports and progress, yes?" Jasmine asked as she stood and straightened out her uniform.

The Andorian nodded also standing, as Jasmine picked up the now empty drinking vessels and took them over to the replicator she watched the Chief leave her Ready Room, he told a good story, she knew that he would work out, full of ideas he was, same for stories. Smiling to herself she pressed the surface on the replicator and the device reclaimed the items, now she returned to her desk to finish her paperwork.

[OFF]

Captain Jasmine Somers
Commanding Officer
USS Tomcat

Lieutenant Jg Solan Jekkar
Chief of Security
USS Tomcat

 

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