Duty Log | FAdm. Kerry Malone | "The realities"

Posted on 241501.11 @ 8:55pm by Fleet Admiral Kerry Malone

Mission: The Fight For Peace [GQ Plot]
Location: Zetari Sector, Gamma Quadrant

= USS Ticonderoga =

[[The time is zero five hundred hours]]

Kerry's eyes opened slowly, seeing that the room lights were rising softly around him. So began another day, and yet another day where he'd actually have to get up. He wondered what it would be like to have weekends, and get to sleep in? Dragging his hands down his face, he pulled himself out of bed and padded across the room to his bathroom.

After a deeply relaxing shower using hot water, and some personal grooming, he was dressed in his duty uniform and making his way out of his quarters. Standing outside was one of his personal aides, a young blonde woman holding a PADD and a mug of coffee. "Good Morning Natalie." Kerry said, accepting the coffee mug as he was offered it.

"Good Morning Admiral." The young woman smiled back, and fell into step beside her charge as they walked down the corridor.

"So, any interesting developments in the night?" The elder man asked his younger colleague.

"We've received a number of intelligence reports pertaining to this region of space. Captain Felix is down in CiC waiting to brief you." Natalie replied. Natalie Fisher was a freshly promoted Lieutenant Commander, having advanced in rank by accepting the post of aide to Admiral Malone. She'd been somewhat of an underachiever in her previous billet, and this had been the only way she could think to advance in rank.

"Oh good, a morning with Captain Felix... I'm glad for the coffee now." Malone sighed, as they entered the turbolift.

Malone knew all about Natalie and why she'd taken this job, but so far she'd been a very good aide for the three weeks they'd been posted together. His Chief of Staff had been reluctant to approve her, but Malone had known her mother, and did owe her a debt. Sarah Fisher had died many years ago on a mission under Malone's command on the Intrepid, and had left her daughter to be brought up by her father. It was a fact that he'd been reminded of by a mail from her father, and whilst he didn't approve of being manipulated into accepting a transfer as a life-debt favour, he still took her on.

The ride down in the turbolift was blessedly short, and they arrived outside CiC fairly quickly. The marine sentries outside snapped to attention when Malone appeared, and the doors opened to reveal the largish deck where the Admiral could co-ordinate everything from, and had been where he'd commanded the Starfleet remnant against the usurpers to victory. Now it was to be used in a no less significant duty of policing the Gamma Quadrant.

Captain Adrian Felix, Malone's strategic advisor for the Gamma Quadrant, stood waiting by the massive pool-table holo-display for his CO. "Good Morning Admiral." He replied.

"Good Morning Adrian." Malone replied, sipping his coffee mug. "I hear you have a report for me."

"I do indeed, Admiral." Felix responded, and activated the holo-projector that showed the Gamma Quadrant as a three-dimensional holo projection, with sectors being marked out. "We've reports of piracy and organised criminal activity all along the derestricted zone. Basically, if its outside of Dominion territory, there's crime of some sort there. The Dominion have kept themselves to themselves, and haven't crossed the border. We've had no contact with them, nor do we forsee any in the coming future."

"I didn't realise things had deteriorated so badly so fast." Malone sighed, wondering how he was going to deal with all this.

"Its mostly corruption of public figures that's the problem." Felix replied. "I suspect once we show the flag, things will improve."

"What about our missing starships?" Malone asked.

"We're still looking, although there's a story going around the bars and taverns that a pirate gang took on a Federation starship and gutted it, and outran a second starship that came to their aid. No names, but based on where the story said it happened, it could be the Crazyhorse. She was last known to be operating in that area." Felix replied.

"So who responded?" Malone queried, although he had a guess.

"My guess, since it said that there were several small starships to help, its a Prometheus. That could only be Medusa." Captain Felix responded.

"Where is this rumoured to have happened?" Malone asked, looking at the map, as the sector was lit up and shown.

"Here, Admiral." The section of space was zoomed in and enhanced.

"Do we have any sensor data for that area?" Malone turned to his science officer.

"Very unreliable long range scans, but nothing worthy of providing intelligence, Admiral." Commander T'Pok replied.

"What else is out there?" Malone asked. If a starship had been badly damaged by a pirate raid, they'd need supplies and repairs, and with no friendly starbases around - they'd need local help. Especially if they were afraid of Starfleet right now.

"Very little, Admiral. Although there's reports of a civilian outfit operating out there selling to the Federation. Something from the Dunross Corporation." Felix responded.

"Oh great, the Dunross's." Malone sighed. "They know how to hide things from Starfleet."

"We don't know anything about the facility." Felix replied.

"Well, if the Horse needed help, thats where she'd go." Malone said, pointing to a nearby system. "Whatever's there, that's where she'd go. With pirates hunting her, she'll be an easy target, so my guess is that Medusa's still with her. That'll make finding them easier, as two starships will stand out."

"We can have the fleet assembled in nine hours, Admiral." Felix offered.

"No, I'm not taking the entire fleet to find two starships." Malone said, firmly. "Commander Fisher, my compliments to the captain of the USS Sutherland, inform her that I shall be transferring my flag aboard her vessel in an hour. Have the Zeus and the Hermes put on alert for movement."

"Aye Admiral." The young blonde nodded and left to carry out her orders.

"Captain Felix, signal Admiral Spencer, tell him that I'm going after two of our ships, and that he's in command until my return. He is not to move the fleet from the Zetari sector unless absolutely necessary." Malone ordered.

"Aye sir." Felix responded.

"If you need me, I'll be packing." Kerry said, and left CiC.

= End Log =

Fleet Admiral Kerry Malone
Commander, Gamma Quadrant Command