Into the Maelstrom

Posted on Sat Mar 14th, 2015 @ 12:19am by Commodore Kathleen O'Shea & Lieutenant Commander Rosaleen O'Donnell & Commander Eliana Masters & Lieutenant Commander Adria "Tempest" Desoro

Mission: Bloodpath
Location: Taranok IV/The Briar Patch: Ba'Ku

"Commanders Desoro and Masters, please meet me in the my office." The call came in the middle of the night, awakening both officers who wondered what could be so urgent as to summon them at this hour, but not enough so to warrant a general alarm. O'Shea had converted one of the empty cargo bays on the Bettina into her operations office. This would be the first visit to it for both of them.

Adria awoke with a start not that she'd been asleep all that long. Only two hours earlier her rest period had been interrupted by a call from one of her pilots. Throwing on her uniform Desoro grabbed her flight jacket since she'd fallen back asleep in her flightsuit. Entering O'Shea's office, "Lieutenant Commander Desoro reporting Ma'am."

[FOB Phoenix, Barracks]

=^=Commanders Desoro and Masters, please meet me in the my office.=^=

The aural intrusion interrupted the sound of rhythmic breathing as many of the crew assigned to these particular sleeping quarters were sleeping away the day's fatigue. The disembodied voice had originated from the shape sleeping on the bottom bunk of the bed closest to the door. Masters thought of everything. One of her last conscious thoughts was to minimize her response time to any crisis by sleeping as close to the exit as possible.

"Mmph, five more minutes," the mass of El Aurian and standard issue bedding groaned to no one in particular.

Moonlight shined through the slit in the tent flap, ebbing in intensity as the wind blew the canvas material back and forth. A gust of wind that had started as a result of heat transfer in the atmosphere hours ago chose that particular moment to hit the barracks door, allowing a beam of light to strike Eliana in the face.

"Oh. My. God. I am so definitely not a creature of the night, so piss off," she murmured, hovering between the conscious and unconscious world. A battle between the Sandman and the call of duty raged on, the outcome of which was very much in doubt until a voice called down from the heavens - or was it the bunk above?

"Uh, ma'am. I think that was the Commodore calling."

Blue eyes sprang wide open in the darkness.

"Shit!"

[USS Bettina, Commodore's Office]

Two officers were joined by their somnolent colleague. The cool air had done wonders to bring Masters back to life.

"Hello dearly beloved, for what are we gathered here..." Eliana paused, having only recently detected the rather serious expressions on the others' faces. Her body language straightened and so did her vocabulary.

"Apologies ma'am, reporting for duty."

Before Kathleen could respond, a fully cloaked and cowled figure walked into the room and moved to stand by Kathleen. Removing the cowl, Rosaleen looked at the two officers that stood before them. "You are the only one's I would trust for this."

Kathleen placed a hand on Rosaleen's should. "I agree. Sorry to roust out so early, but we have a sensitive task for you to perform. I need you to check out an Arrow Class Eliana, and a fighter of your choice Adria. If you need a side-seater, pick carefully. You guys are headed out to the Briar Patch. To Ba'ku to be precise. And there is a good chance that you will meet with some type of opposition...possibly Starfleet in nature."

For a long moment Adria looked at O'Shea and the others. There had been another time in her career she'd faced a similar dilemma. "What is our main objective with this assignment?"

Rosaleen answered Adria's question. "I need to meet with the Elders Council immediately. Recent information that has been uncovered leads me to believe that they are in imminent danger."

Slowly Adria nodded while she let it all sink in. More pieces were beginning to fall into place yet did nothing to relieve the knot that was quickly growing in the pit of her stomach. "I hate to admit it but that may be true of all of us."

"Your rules of engagement are simple. Protect yourself no matter what. It does not matter who the opposition is." Kathleen handed a small PADD to both Adria and Eliana. "This makes that order official."

Adria accepted the PADD with a nod, "The ROE's are clear on that Ma'am. Is there anything else we need to be aware of?"

"I want you to depart at 0500. There are a couple of other assets that will be in place at that time to expedite your departure. Give no destination or flight plan. In Rosaleen's position, that will not raise any alarms or questions. Head out of the system toward home, then shift course once out of the system."

Listening carefully Adria responded, "Understood Ma'am." This wouldn't be the first or the last time a mission required Desoro to operate without a flight plan.

"Our best option is more than likely going to be remaining undetected for the duration of the mission. I'll begin the necessary preparations as soon as we're finished here," Masters nodded in response. For all the world it appeared as if her wish to get a little more seat time in the Arrow was going to come true. However, the uncertainty about the ends left even her with her decades of experience with some doubt about the means.

"Make a list of anything that you think you might need, and get it to me...only me." Rosaleen said to the two. "But try to keep it light. No sense attracting unnecessary attention from provisioning."

"Understood, we'll be ready," Masters' brain was already firing in high gear. There was a small chance that she would be able keep her thoughts quiet enough to get a little more rest before the departure time, but all things considered, it was highly unlikely.

"Just an early morning flight with friends is all, right?" Eliana nudged Tempest's shoulder.

Adria's attention focused on Eliana momentarily, "Of course I always enjoy our early morning flights."

"I want to take some extra firepower as well. I'll arrange for that quietly." She was quiet for a moment, trying to decide how to broach the next subject. "When we arrive on Ba'Ku, it would probably be best if you guys stayed in the ship for a bit. I'll signal you when to come into the village. I doubt they will be very happy with off-worlders when I speak with them, and...well they have never met any of us. Ka'Bu I mean. It may be a bit interesting for a few minutes." Rosaleen actually had absolutely no idea what to expect upon their arrival, but she figured it was better for her to approach them alone.

"Understood. I know it goes without saying, but we've got your back. Whatever you need, you've got it," Eliana replied. There had already been enough suffering and loss to go around for one mission.

Rosaleen smiled at Desoro and Masters. "Thank you...thank you for being there when you did not need to be. Thank you for being the truest of friends."

"No problem we'll stay put until you need us. This is new ground for all of us. We're all dealing with a major unknown here," Adria's voice grew softer as her thoughts shifted to her daughter.

OFF:

Commander Eliana Masters
Director of Flight Operations
Second Officer
Starbase 80

Commodore Kathleen O'Shea
Commanding Officer
Starbase 80

Lt Commander Rosaleen O'Donnell
Commodores Personal Assistant
Starbase 80

Lt Commander Adria "Tempest" Desoro
220th CAG
Starbase 80