Awoken From Hibernation

Posted on Saturday, 23 October 2021 - 7:39pm by Captain Pippa Whitley & Lieutenant T'Lanna Vali

Mission: Operation: Mirror of Madness
Location: Starbase 74

I'm not sure if I should be pleased or insulted thought Captain Pippa Whitley as she arrived at the docking port where her Merian class starship was awaiting her arrival. Her personal belongings had already been transported from her guest quarters on Starbase 74 to her new quarters aboard the USS Standing Bear (nee Fontana). It had been the starship's previous Commanding Officer who rebirthed and repackaged to a small yet formidable starship with the name Standing Bear. She was not sure if she loved it or hated it, but it was sticking, and she was not about to waste anyone's time with a formal request to remove it from the hull and restore the ship's original namesake. Vanity was overrated.

What irked her a bit was that nobody had been there to meet her when the turbolift doors opened. She was so used to having her Yeoman right there with her every step she took and on her previous command? As soon as the turbolift doors opened regardless of what deck she was on, her entourage was quick to swarm her with PaDDs and quick reports to offer her a debrief.

It was not to say that she was completely alone though. A welcoming part was there for Pippa, to greet her and provide a bit of a debrief as she toured the starship. Lieutenant T'Lanna Vali, the starship's FOA and apparently Ship's Psychologist from what the Captain had read. The woman was deemed an asset when it came to relations with the Vulcans which was presently a matter of dire concern.

Not only had the Vulcans just nearly voted to leave the Federation, but one of the most vocal among the chorus of separatists was Lieutenant Commander Soral, Captain Whitley's new right hand, her First Officer. He was not aboard the starship, still muddling things up on Vulcan undoubtedly. It was already on her agenda to request his transfer before he could throw a resignation her way.

I'll need to review applicants for First Officer, but I'll have a look at internal candidates first and foremost she thought. First Officer, then we need to find a suitable Tactical Officer, and anything else that needs to be filled she summarized as she went through her mental checklist. "Good morning, Lieutenant," she said with a pleasant nod in T'Lanna's direction.

T’Lanna was glad to be back doing her duties, her recovery was still a work in progress as her abilities weren’t yet fully back to pre-injury levels. She was still wearing an inhibitor too, set to a level that wouldn’t allow her past a certain point just incase of any problems with her control. She smiled warmly as she greeted the Standing Bear’s new Captain. “Good Morning Captain, welcome aboard the Standing Bear. Apologies for not rolling out the welcome wagon straight away, Commander Soral is busy off ship, and a lot of the crew are off on shoreleave as well. I was already here so I thought I’d make your welcome official.”

She waved off the explanation. "It's alright, I was not expecting the whole crew to assemble for my arrival, and I know that Commander Soral is...'busy'" Pippa commented with a bitterness regarding Soral. "The Commander's actions are unfortunately why I'm here early, and why I'm unfortunately recalling the crew from shore leave immediately. "

T’Lanna nodded. “I don’t understand it, Soral isn’t like this.” She sighed.

"Are you cleared for active duty?" Pippa inquired.

“I’m a new mother ma’am, plus I’m still recovering from recent surgery to replace internal organs due to radiation poisoning.” T’Lanna offered a wry smile. “Needless to say I’m feeling much better, and Doctor Rose has cleared me for light duties.”

"Light," she echoed. "That is fine. Can you see to it that any crew able to return within 48 hours does so? Anyone that cannot is unfortunately stuck waiting for our return."

T’Lanna nodded again. “I can do that Captain, the crew are used to recall’s at a moment’s notice and I’d imagine they’ll be expecting a recall sooner than planned given recent events.”

"Captain Stillwater was supposed to still be aboard when I arrived, but he seems to have left several days ago without notice. Did he say anything before he left?"

T’Lanna shook her head, “To be honest I missed his departure, I wish I’d had chance to see him off. If it wasn’t for Captain Stillwater I wouldn’t be here either, I was ready to resign my commission to be off ship with my son. He let me keep Jayce onboard. I also have someone onboard that I love very much, we’re partially bonded. Our bond will become a permanent one in a few months time.”

Pippa recalled reading that the woman had a child aboard. "Yes, I recall being briefed on some of the crew's living arrangements aboard. These Merian class starships were not meant for families. Nine decks with a focus on speed for intercepting vessels suspected of piracy, decently armed, but not quite a 'gunship' by any means."

The woman shook her head. "I know that Captain Stillwater has taken one of the cargo bays and was working on converting it into a bit of a childcare facility to provide supervision and education to children aboard. I believe Petty Officer Eberhardt and her husband are also in a similar situation as you are. I support Stillwater's initiative, but I don't like his choices in converting that cargobay. It is located in a rather vulnerable section of the ship."

T’Lanna was concerned. “I hadn’t realised that, do you have any other suggestions or possibilities? After the recent loss of my father I...had a lot of problems. I couldn’t face losing my son.”

"These ships were designed to take down pirates, recover stolen cargo, and that makes our cargobays a prime target for retaliation. I have some ideas in mind. How about I discuss these with the Chief Engineer. We should be able to find a safer solution to what Stillwater was trying for."

T’Lanna breathed a sigh of relief. “That would be wonderful, thank you Captain. Is there anything I can do to help you settle in?”

"Where can I find Lieutenant Kingsley?" asked Pippa. "With Commander Soral off the ship and not returning anytime soon, I'll need a First Officer. That would be her by chain of command."

“If she’s not on the bridge, or in her quarters. You’ll normally find Alexandra in the Science Lab.” T’Lanna smiled. “She’s most likely finding it difficult at the moment, Commander Soral is her husband and with recent events she’s well and truly stuck in the middle.”

"Well then," Pippa replied. "I will go seek her and have a bit of a discussion with her. I know it cannot be easy with the current situation on Vulcan, and Soral's involvement."

“Indeed” T’Lanna nodded. “She may not admit it, but Alex is suffering more than anyone at present. Might I suggest you tread carefully, she will defend Soral no matter what.”

Pippa smiled. "We'll see," the Captain replied. "I do not want to drive a wedge between family and duty, not yet at least, but I want to give her the ability to show me where she stands. Both Victrix and Stillwater highly noted her as being the sort of officer that I will want aboard. I will be careful though, and I appreciate your suggestions...always."

T’Lanna smiled warmly. “Thank you Captain I appreciate that. For what it’s worth, Soral was behaving differently to his normal self prior to leaving the ship. He’s had a difficult time lately, I’m uncertain whether it’s linked to his vote or not.”

"Hmm" Pippa responded instinctively. "I have read through the Standing Bear's most recent mission reports and the Captain's logs from some past missions. It seems as though Commander Soral has been through a lot, but I fear that could be said about a lot of the crew, yourself included. Was there anything in particular that you were concerned about in regards to Soral?"

T’Lanna paused to think. “He was acting....differently, almost like he wasn’t himself at all. Like a different person almost. But we spoke before he departed and he seemed more himself then.”

Pippa listened to the details carefully. "That sounds a bit peculiar, inconsistent even." She looked at the woman. "Can you have Doctor Rose have a look at Soral's medical reports over the past few months. I'm sure if there was something that Doctor Rose would have found it, but I don't want to leave any rock unturned."

T’Lanna nodded and made a note on a PADD she was holding. “Yes ma’am, I’ll do that. For what it’s worth Soral has been a friend and mentor to me since I came onboard this ship. I want to do whatever I can to help.”

"Commander Soral seemed like a fine officer from his personnel file and everything that I could find," replied Pippa. "I can imagine Captain Stillwater was taken aback by his recent actions."

T’Lanna nodded. “Last I saw of him he seemed quite...upset by all of this. He left before I really got a chance to say goodbye. Though that was probably for the better.”

"Thank you for the help and the welcoming aboard," Pippa replied. "I will let you handle the recalling of our personnel on shore leave."

“Yes Captain” T’Lanna nodded. “How long do the crew have to get back onboard?”

"Whoever can make it back within 48 hours will be suitable. If they can't make that, then they will have to wait until we return." Pippa gave a swift nod. "That is all, Lieutenant," she added.