That's A LOT of Purple

Posted on Sat Jun 27th, 2015 @ 10:46pm by Commander Andrew Matheson

Mission: Paradise Lost
Location: Starbase 80, Deck 65 Grand Ballroom

Andrew looked out over the assembled personnel of Starbase 80's Diplomatic Corps. Once he'd gotten back to the starbase, he'd worked through the myriad of minutiae that were going to have to be addressed if the stability of the region was to be attained. As the last of the personnel worked their way back to their tables, beverages in hand (and with the beta shift personnel looking slightly groggier than their counterparts), he took one more pull from his own tea and stepped up to the microphone.

"Welcome, gentlebeings, to the only all-hands Corps meeting I hope to ever have to call in my tenure here. I am Commander Andrew Matheson, Chief Diplomatic Officer for Starbase 80. As I'm sure you are all aware, things have radically changed in the last few days as politics have turned decidedly nasty back at headquarters. I thank you all for choosing to continue to do your duty here in view of that political landscape."

As a quiet sussurrus of sound went around the room, Andrew took another sip of his tea. The room looked about the way he expected to; more pips tended towards interest, while the ensigns tended toward concern and fear. His heart went out to them, and really to all of the personnel; his diplomatic career was probably longer than most of their lifespans, and he'd spent most of it operating only on the resources in his head and on his ship. Reality was a bitch some days.

"That said, in view of the current operating protocols and the actions of the Federation Council back home, our mission here has necessarily had to adapt to new limitations. These limitations are not insurmountable; once we adapt to our new reality, I have every expectation that we will succeed admirably in anything we need to do."

Another sip of tea. He was starting to get the vibe of 'Enough pep talk, more actual details'. And he was happy to oblige.

"Our first project is to stabilize the region. We have 26 separate regions of claimed space out here, all with varying degrees of antipathy to Starbase 80 and to each other. Fortunately, my predecessor had the foresight to have established teams of personnel to focus on each of these regions. I haven't meddled with that arrangement too much, but those groups will have the potential to become consular teams as we reach out and attempt to establish ties with these regions."

He swirled the tea in his mug and took another sip. If he couldn't finish the tea before it got cold and before he finished the presentation, he had obviously done something very wrong.

"Our second project is to look after our own. That project is not any less important than the first project, but it's easier to do that if no one in the area is shooting at anyone else in the area. We expect a sizable influx of people who disagree with the Council's decision, which means we will have to address the issues applicable to a displaced population. For us most directly, that means at least getting the foundations of a judiciary in place. Those of you with concentrations in legal analysis and Prime Directive matters will be tapped for that as the need arises. In the interim, you'll be working with the regional teams to aid their efforts. Familiarize yourself with your region's particular legal policies, because if - or more likely, when - things go sideways, I'll be consulting with you."

Some more tea. This was going well, but he realized something he had forgotten. He kept it off his face as he went off-script for a moment.

"Related to that, tensions are probably going to be rather high given the upheaval our people will be going through. Medical and Security are more geared to address that than we are, but keep your eyes open for indications that things may be getting unstable. You all know how to read rooms and crowds. The first-contact specialists in particular may wind up tasked with observation duties if the situation warrants; for most of our incoming people, most of the regional species are pictures on a PADD at best and complete unknowns at worst. Culture shock can be a starting point for that instability I mentioned earlier."

Most of the way down the cup. Fortunately, the list was getting shorter.

"Our third project is to replace the services that the Federation Council will no longer be providing for us. In the diplomatic arena, there are two major areas which I am most immediately concerned with. The first is the Judge Advocate General's office. Since we weren't lucky enough to have one on station when the situation developed, we'll address that situation on an as-needed basis. Those of you with concentrations in Federation and Starfleet policies and adjudication/mediation will be tapped as needed. In the interim, again, work with your regional teams. The second area is intelligence gathering. This is NOT an authorization for you to engage in espionage or surveillance - but keep your eyes and ears open. I'm not asking you to violate oaths and regulations, either. If you come into information that you are not bound to hold in secrecy and that has a material impact on our situation out here, relay it to me immediately."

He took another sip of his tea. The mug was down to the dregs, which meant it was time to wrap this up.

"Finally, we have to keep ourselves in condition to perform our mission out here. Stress, frustration, isolation, and other negative feelings WILL arise out here. I've spent most of the last twenty-five years working where the Federation safety net and resources were weeks away, so this is from personal experience. Use the resources we have here to help you do your duty. Counselors are your friends, and use downtime when you can. Above all else, remember this - you are not alone out here. And you are not any of the negative things I suspect we'll be characterized as by the people back home that have their own agenda. You can always come to me, and we must ALWAYS be here for each other."

Time for the last rah-rah.

"Those purple shoulderpads look fantastic on each and every one of you. You've all earned them, and I know we'll continue to earn them out here. I'm honored to serve with you all."

"Now let's get to work."

He took his last sip of tea, got off his metaphorical soapbox, and became another body in the sea of purple.

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Commander Andrew Matheson
Chief Diplomatic Officer
Starbase 80