Joint Log | FAdm. Malone, Gen. Sharpe & RAdm. Harper | "Do they know its Christmas time?"

Posted on 241412.25 @ 11:44pm by Fleet Admiral Kerry Malone & General Richard Sharpe & Rear Admiral Kassandra Harper

Mission: The Fight For Peace [GQ Plot]
Location: Zetari Sector, Gamma Quadrant
Timeline: Merry Christmas UCIP!

The fleet, after much travel, arrived in the Zetari Sector. It was a grim and sober moment for one or two people - namely Sharpe and Kassi - as they stood together looking out of the conference room window of the USS Ticonderoga. Outside was the massive debris field that had once been Starbase 204, more affectionately known as Starbase Zetari. For Kassi, it had been her home for almost her entire career. For Sharpe, it had been where he'd worked for a few years - but still - it was an unpleasant reminder of a war they need not have fought.

They were aboard the flagship to attend a meeting to discuss the way forward, and being keen to get off the Carolina, Sharpe had beamed over considerably early. He'd met up with Kassi, who had managed to convince herself she wanted to see where Zetari had been. Now, Richard suspected, she was regretting that impulse.

So many things were going though her mind as she gazed at once was. As strong of a front as she was trying to put on, inside she was feeling the pain of all the loss, the memories of good times... and bad. The deaths of friends and co-workers. A slow deep breath was taken in as she worked to settle the onslaught of emotions and started wondering if this was such a good idea.

A glance over to Richard a moment before turning from the window with a soft mutter. "He could hurry up and get here."

"A Fleet Admiral is never early or late." Sharpe replied. "He arrives when he means to, and not before." He noticed for the first time since they'd been in the room that there was a decorated Christmas tree in the corner of the room. He was surprised he hadn't noticed it before, considering it was very eye-catching now that he'd seen it, what with its tinsel, baubles and fairy lights. "Has that always been there?" He asked Kassi, pointing at the tree.

After muttering something under her breath about time. Kassi glanced over to the tree that he pointed too. "Probably, though I wasn't paying attention when I came in." She looked at the tree with a slight cant of her head. "Well, at least someone's in the holiday spirit."

At that moment, Kerry entered the room, wearing a Santa hat, but otherwise in uniform. "Merry Christmas!" He announced, as other officers entered the room and looked at him, some with rather quizical looks. "Well, it is the season on Earth, and I figured we might as well enjoy ourselves."

"Speak for yourself..." Sharpe muttered, as he pulled out a chair and took a seat at the table. He looked at Kassi. "Right now, I'd be at home, having a Christmas dinner with my family. Instead, I'm sat in this room, in uniform, with this toss-pot wearing a stupid hat."

Kassi smirked a little bit hearing Richard and murmured as she sat down. "Be nice. He's trying." Of course, for her it helped that she had Patrick with her for the holidays. "Merry Christmas" She said softly to Kerry.

"Now then..." He said, taking his seat at the head of the table. "We've a lot to do, and the sooner we get on with it - the better." Malone looked down the table at the gathered officers, formation commanders and staff officers. "The most immediate concern will be securing the wormhole, for which will be Admiral Harper's responsibility as the new Zetari Sector Block Commander. I'll be detaching four starships to your command, Kassi, to help you secure your sector block. I know its no where near enough, but its all I can spare."

"Four..." She murmured with a shake of her head as she tried to picture that concept in her head. Secure the wormhole, and keep the sector block safe.... with four ships. "No problem... Admiral." She finally replied and hoped the sarcasm wasn't heard as much as she was thinking it.

"General, for the time being, I'm leaving you on Zetari, to try and sort out your marine base." Malone said, focusing on his marine commander. I'll be leaving the Vesuvius at Xonnel, but that's one of Kassi's four ships, so I doubt it'll be around much."

"It makes sense to keep the Vesuvius in the system, since she's a carrier, and can secure the wormhole better than most other ships." Sharpe said, then looked to Kassi. "Assuming that fits into your plans."

"I have no problem with the Vesuvius, it's been a pretty good ship to have around. I'd be able to use it." She'd been on the ship enough to know just what that ship could do and handle.

"I can detach the Sutherland, the Texas and the Kansas to your command, as well as the Vesuvius." Malone said, in answer to the question. The Sutherland was an Akira class, configured as a torpedo boat, rather than as a mini-carrier, as some Akira's were. The Texas was a Defiant class escort ship, a nice gunboat, but very dependant on being close to a resupply point, due to her small size and crew. The Kansas was a Nova class scout vessel, nice little nippy thing, but not heavily armed.

Kassi made mental notes about the ships he was supplying her so she could work on the best way to handle setting things up.
Secure the wormhole, get Xonnel base set up. She was going to have her hands full for quite a while it seemed. "Alright, I'll make do with those."

"Like you have a choice." Sharpe muttered to her. "Be glad you got four." He then directed himself to Malone. "I assume you have no immediate plans for the MEF?"

"None at this time, General, but rest assured, I'm sure there'll be calls on your services before too long." Malone replied, then addressed himself to giving his other officers their assignments and allocations. On the whole, Malone was spreading himself out pretty thinly, so as to cover as much ground as possible, with the emphasis that this wasn't a battle-fleet, but a standard Federation deployment assignment. Exploration, contact, enforcement, development.

"Lastly." Malone said, as people prepared to leave. "We have an unknown number of Federation starships out in this quadrant. After the fall of Starfleet Command, I instructed any ship who didn't want to be caught up in the mess, to head deep and head dark. You might find a few of them in your travels. Your orders are to bring them back into the fold through peaceful means - I do not want to hear of Federation vessels firing on one another. Am I clear?"

"Crystal clear Admiral." Kassi replied, having been listening to Malones orders to the others.

"Kassi, stay behind a moment." Malone said, as he dismissed everyone else - even Sharpe.

Sharpe gave Kassi a sympathetic look, as he headed out of the conference room, leaving the two Admirals alone.

Crap, what did she do now? She wondered seeing that look of Richards and hearing the order to stay behind. Nipping lightly on her lower lip as she looked from Richard over to Kerry and stayed sitting. "Admiral?" She said after all had left.

Malone turned his chair that he was facing Kassi. "During your aborted attempt to retake Starbase Zetari, you worked with the USS Medusa, did you not?"

"I did" Kassi said as she resettled in her chair a little and looked more closely at Malone. Studying him a bit with his questioning now as a hint of curiosity caught her.

"Yet when Zetari was destroyed, Medusa disappeared, and despite your instruction for them to fall into your fleet - they did not?"

As much as she'd thought she'd come to know Nathanial, his leaving the fleet like he had with no word or reason had caught her off guard and had frustrated her. It was the last thing she'd needed at that point in time. "Aye, they did."

"What can you tell me about her commanding officer, Captain Nathaniel Hunter?" Malone asked, as he picked up a PADD to check the name.

"He is a good man. When he took off like that it really threw me. He doesn't normally do things without a reason. So I'm assuming he had a good one this time also, I just hadn't been able to talk to him to find out what it was." Kassi said with a slight furrow of brows, having not thought of details like that much lately.

"I'm planning on going after him." Malone replied. "Tell me, is he likely to fight first and talk second, or is he reasonable?"

"Well...." How to answer that one as she tried not to laugh at the question. "He can be, but then he has his moments of shooting first and take names later. Kind of like Marines sometimes."

Kerry nodded. "Alright, I'll let you get going. You have a lot of work to do."

"Alright Admiral. Good luck with tracking Medusa down." Kassi said as she stood up to get ready to go. "And again, Merry Christmas."

"Merry Christmas Kassi." Malone replied, smiling.

= End Log =

Fleet Admiral Kerry Malone
Commander, Gamma Quadrant

General Richard Sharpe
Commander, 1st MEF

Rear Admiral Kassi Harper
Commander, Zetari Sector Block