After Action Report

Posted on Fri Jul 15th, 2011 @ 1:47pm by Admiral Ricky Wegener

Mission: In Our Time of Need
Location: SB900

The USS Arizona had once again docked at Starbase 900 only a short time after having left the first time. Unlike the last time, however, she was only making a short stop to offload a few bodies, take on a few more, and relay one important fragment of information that would likely influence the area for a good while to come.

Commodore Nathan Cowell stormed through the corridors of his ship, rather perturbed with the prospect of having to report failure to anyone. Nathan was a man that got shit done, he handled business... normally. Given the circumstances, his success had been slated impossible before he even left his own shuttle bay, but the degree in which he had found the cards stacked against him was something even he hadn't accounted for. The old man found his way off his boat and onto the station, then through the corridors of the station to Admiral Wegener's private office. The entire trip on foot had served to do one thing and one thing only... piss Nathan off further. As luck would have it, it had worked.

Nathan thundered through the small reception area, giving the Admiral's aide no time to even raise an objection at his entry without being announced, and found himself within the man's office with a look that would have likely made even the Borg think twice about any funny business.

"We need to talk," the Commodore said, foregoing any semblance of small talk.

Hope had run to follow him in, but before she could say anything, Ricky waved him off. "It's okay, Hope. Lock the doors, no one interferes with this meeting," he said, realizing that it must be very important to have Nathan barging in like this. He sat behind his desk and watched as Nathan sat in front of him, looking very agitated. "Spill it."

"It was a damn set-up!" Nathan fumed, "From the moment I set foot on that damn planet, we were being set up. The Archadians were being fooled into thinking they were still talking to us. Even asked about trade and shit while I met with their First Minister. Acted like everything was just peachy fucking keen... And then someone torches the damn Ministry Building and I'm being thrown in jail, branded a damn terrorist! Top it all off, that place is crawling with Section 31. Laugh if you want to, but Colonel DeVries had a one on one with the ring leader on that planet and she assures me he's an agent and that something else even more fishy is going on in that little organization. We don't know for sure, but what we do know is that they have an agenda and it doesn't include letting us stay in Archadian space."

Ricky sat back in his chair. A mix of confusion, anger and rage and dismay in his mind. "What the hell is Section 31 doing fucking around in this area of space? I guess they're the ones behind the Archadians thinking that they were still communicating directly with us," he stated, not in question form. He grew silent, wanting to beat his fists on the desk, but knowing it wouldn't do any good. "Nathan, I think it goes without saying that I want the heads of any S31 members on a pike. We cannot afford to lose this foothold with the Archadians. What the hell are we gonna' do if that happens--move the base to Divitian space? We don't even know them that well!"

"What you need to do right now is damage control," the Commodore stated bluntly, "And I can't make that shit happen. Our escape has likely put a dampen on their ability to manipulate the people properly, since they'll be up in arms about the local authorities being inept and letting terrorists escape. A little confusion will help, but if you don't cut them off at the knees now, they're going to walk through this system and take it over."

Nathan sighed, letting go of some of the built up rage, "I think it would be a good idea if I took the Arizona out of the Round Table, did some deep space work for a little while. At least if I'm out there, I might be able to do some good. Better than hanging around here anyway..."

"I think I have a good crew to send to meet with the Archadians to straighten things out. The Melbourne just docked and are awaiting orders. I can have our ops staff create a secure link to the Archadians that Commander Warrington can provide them. That way they'll know it's actually us, and not those..." he wanted to curse loudly, but composed himself, "...impostors." He looked around, trying to think quickly on how to proceed with the S31 issue. "For now, I'll have my Intelligence officers look into Section 31. I'll need you to provide them with everything your people had on their interactions with suspected S31 members."

"I don't suspect, son, I know," Nathan corrected the man, "And I'll have Ms. DeVries send it their way when she can. She's become a busy woman, what with all the changes I've had to make to get the boat back right. I know Starfleet sent me a First Officer already, but I think he's better left with the Marines he brought with him. The Colonel I know, I trust her to bust my old ass out of the can, and I can't buy that kind of shit anywhere."

Ricky respected the man--hell, he had to. Commodore Nathan Cowell, M.D., had more experience as a ship captain in his pinky fingernail than Ricky had in his whole body. Sure, Rick was over 100 years old, but Nathan was much older, had seen much more action and experienced so many more things than Rick that, sometimes, he wondered why Cowell wasn't the Task Force CO?

"Get any repairs you need to the Arizona completed. By then I'm sure I'll have something important for you to do out in the back forty of the Delta Quadrant to give you a little elbow room from here."

"Ship's in good shape, this was just a pit stop tour to get some people on and off the boat. Don't take this the wrong way, but the faster I'm out in deep space, the better I'll feel about things. You have my number, haven't changed it yet, still 77021. When you find something for me to do, give me a ring. I'll just trek out there in the stars for a while until then, maybe make my Science Officer do some science crap for a change. Maybe explore a gas cloud or two... maybe create a few of my own after taco night... who knows," the old man began to ramble.

Rick stifled a chuckle. "You know, Nathan, one of these days you're going to have to stay on 900 long enough for us to get to know each other."

The old man shrugged, "What's there to know? I'm six hundred damn years old, I've only been married once, been in at least five wars that I'll talk about, been a doctor longer than Starfleet's been an organization, and I'm hard to get along with. What else do you want to know?"

"Other than what you can tell me about the El-Aurians, that Starfleet doesn't know or have, I guess nothing." Ricky smiled. "Be careful out there. You'll hear from me soon."

"Well... here's something you probably never got told..." Nathan said as he got up from his chair, "We live to just around a thousand and some change. After that... the Q take us."

"The--do what, now?"

"What do you think that first thousand years is for? Gives you time to experience life before you join the Continuum. Just watch out for the P's... Strict little bastards..." Nathan said with a chuckle, "Oh, and if you're lucky and you live right, even a half-breed like you might get the offer. I probably won't be old enough to see it happen if it does, you'll either get it around six hundred or you'll pass on. Fornicating with humans does that to us... thins the longevity a bit... But hell, you seem like a good kid, you'll be snapping and zapping with the best of 'em no doubt."

Ricky was stunned. He wasn't sure if the old coot was screwing with him or not. But, now was the time for other things. "I think I'll have to follow up with you on this," he said as they both walked to the office doors. "But, uh, godspeed."


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A joint post by:

Commodore Nathan Cowell
TF38 Executive Officer

&

RADM Ricky Wegener
TF38 Commanding Officer