Rapid Response: Preparations

Posted on Mon Sep 22nd, 2014 @ 9:43am by Commander Eliana Masters & Lieutenant JG Kaylee Williams & Lieutenant Jason Solaris & Lieutenant Commander Rosaleen O'Donnell

Mission: Bloodpath
Location: Main Medical, Conference Room 611C
Timeline: One hour after Lost Contact

[ON]

[Main Medical, Conference Room 611]

Rosaleen and her assistant...newly appointed...walked briskly into the conference room, arms overflowing with PADs and other items. Everybody else was already there, having been summoned minutes after the initial discovery of the 'event'. She literally dropped everything onto the table, and the young ensign that accompanied her immediately started to organize it all. For the first time since her appointment to Kathleen, Rosaleen felt uncomfortable...out of her element. But there was no time for that now.

"Thank you all for being here." She started without preamble. "As you are all aware, an unknown event has occurred on Taranok IV. The details of what have happened are unknown. In fact, we honestly do not know what has actually happened there. The only facts are that all communications from the planet and system have ceased, and there are some indications...and I caution you to take this as very uncorroborated data...that some type of detonation event may be associated with this occurrence. To that end, Commodore O'Shea has directed that we start to put together a plan for a humanitarian aid response mission...possibly a massive one."

"Oh no," the words escaped Eliana's mouth before she even realized it.

The constant workload she could handle. The same could be said for the stress and responsibility associated with her job on the station because after all, she was doing what she loved to do. Interacting with pilots and maintenance personnel, spending the day around exceptional equipment - Masters loved her job. Her species ability to empathize, however, meant that news of disasters and calamity, no matter how insignificant, could put a damper on an otherwise cheery individual. The current situation was beginning to have the feel of being far from insignificant, and Masters hated it.

"We've got the reconnaissance squadron in the air. They've been flying for forty-five minutes, so it shouldn't be too much longer before we start to get some data back from them. Let's hope they turn up some good news," Eliana added nervously.

To her right, her new department second chimed in, a look of consternation quickly spreading across his face. "We've already got travel vectors cleared to Taranok IV under emergency priority for the next twenty-four hours, so the Air Group will have a clear lane to approach the planet for aid operations."

Von Hyden had brought his Group Load Master along, he glanced at Purtak, the Vulcan was already doing the mental calculations on how much tonnage the 405th could deliver in that time period.

"We'll be ready as needed" Von Hyden confirmed

Lieutenant Jason Solaris, still looking a little uncomfortable in the midst of a new senior staff, shifted a little uncomfortably in the chair next to Eliana, watching Rosaleen as the stack of PADDs were organized and passed around. "Do we have any more information on the communications silence? Is it interference-based, or is the planet's communications network just...gone?" The prospect wasn't pleasant to entertain.

"Preliminary reports are coming back now," Masters' attention had momentarily shifted to the tablet in her hand. "Multiple attempts to raise the surface have gone unanswered. Nothing more, nothing less."

"We are going to sent a team to open up the cache supply station in the Mynok system." Rosaleen added. "If things turn out as badly as we all hope they don't, we are going to need quite a bit of the supplies and equipment stored there. We will look at opening others as well if needed. For now we need to formulate a plan to shuttle those supplies to Taranok if needed. Let's work on getting both Aries mission ready. Until we know exactly what we are dealing with we will hold the Altair back in case we need to use it to transport more Marine assets."

"There's a private supply frigate that's been granted Bay Eight docking in fifteen minutes," Solaris supplied, glancing at a PADD of his own. "Otherwise, we'll have vectors to the Mynok station open in twenty." Other than the coordinates, that was the limit of what he knew about the station so far, but he could, if nothing else, do his job and let Eliana worry about the department's bigger picture.

He added, "Beta shift has come in early to flight ops since the red alert, and is helping coordinate and conjecture traffic patterns in the Taranok IV area -- with communications down, Tin Six is the best resource we have in-system besides a few pre-registered flight paths."

"Speaking of which," Masters cut in, the topic of conversation having just aligned with the thought in her head. "I'm new to station procedures and protocol, but I didn't think a non-local event warranted red alert. Could you help me understand that a little better?"

Rosaleen cooled a bit. "That was a bit of an error, stemming from a computer protocol issue...specifically dealing with voice command interpretation. That is being addressed as we speak."

"Understood, I just wanted to make sure," Masters nodded in return. "What are our orders as things stand now? If a humanitarian mission is necessary, we'll need to begin preparations as soon as possible. In my opinion, it would be better to go ahead and start the planning phase now and not need it rather than wait and be a few hours behind once the intel comes in. You all know how time sensitive things like this can be."

"I agree, Commander. That is why I want to send a team to the Mynok station ASAP. Additionally, we need to start looking at ground vehicle needs and start checking them out for any maintenance or repairs needed. I doubt any of the vehicles have even been started up in a while. For now, I am putting you in charge of that as well, Commander. Going forward, we probably need to put somebody into that role permanently."

"We'll begin re-purposing some space for that as soon as we're done here," Eliana remarked. She was busy jotting down notes as she always did during meetings. The most recent scribble was underlined and circled, distinguishing its importance from the other things she had written down. Masters could already imagine the reaction of the mechanics in her department. Half of them would embrace it as another opportunity and challenge - the other half would begrudgingly accept the fact that ground vehicles were machines too and turn a spanner's attention towards them.

Walking the room quite late and fastening her uniform into place, she looked up and around noticing everyone present. "Sorry I'm late, sirs." She said saluting. "Had a uniform malfunction with the replicator, but it has been fixed now sirs, both the replicator and the uniform. What did I miss, if you don't mind me asking for a run down?" she said still saluting.

Rosaleen's glare could have frozen a polar bear. "You have missed nothing concerning your division as of yet. Going forward, we need to look at what capabilities you can bring to the table for both heavy rescue and large debris clearing if necessary, as well as trying to re-establish infrastructure necessities such as power and water. Communications will be handled by the Marines Communication Brigade if necessary for now. In time, you will need to start working with Medical as well to assist with setting up a base of operations, transfer center, and housing." Rosaleen paused for a moment, her gaze not moving a millimeter. Kaylee was still standing there saluting. She did not return it. "You may be seated, Lieutenant."

"Sir." She said taking her seat. "Well, I have limited experience in SAR or for those who don't know what that means it essentially means 'Search and Rescue', however, off the top of my head I believe we could use tractor emitters to move most of the debris, most of our shuttles have that capabilities as its basic ability these days. We could also move in with shaped explosives or paint the debris with transporter beacons and transport most of the bigger debris away from the main site. By conventional means this would be your best options for debris removal. Or rely on nanites to slowly eat away the debris to ensure nothing collapsed if bodies were under it. But this is just off the top of my head of course." Kaylee put forth as Rosaleen's request.

"Don't forget about the vehicles at you disposal. Especially the cranes. Looking for live patients requires a gentle touch." Rosaleen softened a bit. "Nobody expects you...or any of you, for that matter, to be experts with this type of operation." Rosaleen turned back to address the entire group. "You will be asked to solve problems that you have never even though of. Then again, this is all theoretical...we don't know what has actually occurred on the planet. But...we have to be prepared for anything, and I don't want to play catchup."

"I understand we have them but vehicles can break down, and they also require a lot of time to get put into place, men and movable gear. This way is much faster, and sometimes time isn't on our side, so I was assuming the same thing here. If lives were on the line that is. If we have the time, then the vehicles will be of use. Speaking of which, we need to set up a base of operations if we are called on, maybe a FOB? That means 'Forward Operating Base' to Operate out of. Also would be able to set up a parameter quickly, just in case of civilians." Kaylee suggested.

Rosaleen held herself in check...this was new territory for most of the crew. "In an urban environment, there is not room between buildings for technical flight operations. This is one of the reasons we have the vehicles in the first place. Additionally, there are a lot more people that are either already trained on or can be quickly rated to operate the ground equipment...not the same for aerial craft." Her expression took on a sad tone. "Collapse rescue operations are extremely delicate and time consuming operations. You can't afford even a minute slippage or collapse...that can be the difference between life and death for trapped people."

"I agree but try to understand I come from a background where vehicles were targeted by enemy munitions, so vehicles weren't a backbone asset. So I am still getting used to the fact I have them available, but my training will never use them until I retrain myself to think of such assets. I am still wrapping my mind around these modules and Northstars and such, sirs." Kaylee said admittedly.

Further discussion was halted by the announcement that the CIC had received a report from the response group sent to Taranok IV...

LtCmdr Falk Von Hyden
405th

Commander Eliana Masters
Director of Flight Operations
Second Officer
Starbase 80

Lieutenant Rosaleen O'Donnell
Commodores Personal Assistant
Starbase 80