First Staff Meeting

[Vice Admiral Lara Rell]

She walked onto the bridge and past the watch crew as they turned toward her she waived them back to their jobs and entered the conference room. She walked to the com panel.

"Senior Staff Officers, this is the Captain. Please report to the bridge conference room for our mission briefing. Captain out."

She turned at smiled at her XO. She was looking for ward to leaving Utopia Planitia right on the dot.

She turned back to the panel to make sure a similar message went to Captain Kavanaugh. She wanted him present for the briefing and whatever intelligence he'd be able to deliver as well as making her officers aware of his presence and the reason he would be making himself available for these negotiations.

She crossed the room and looked out at Mars from the window as they orbited in the arms of the construction facility.

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[xColonel Jonathan Richards]

Jonathan heard the comm and knew that technically he counted but it was the Captain's discretion if he would come following this meeting. Jonathan wasted no time in coming to the bridge and received a frowned look or two before entering the conference room and glancing at the table. That was a nice table.

"Lara," Jonathan said in greeting to the Captain, a pleasant smile over his face. "Sleep well?" He asked as took a seat next to Lara's that faced the window. If he had to make his speech or say something, he would want people's attention on him and not on the stars behind him though he knew that starship models behind him might be hard to ignore, they were quite beautiful.

Tag: Lara/Any

[xCommander Vladik Fedorov]

Vlad had followed Lara into the room. He had hardly noticed the crew on the bridge as his attention was focused on the PADD he held in front of his face as he walked. He sat to one side of Lara and only looked up when he heard Jonathan greet the Captain. Nodding at the man, he went back to his work. As they waited for the rest of the senior officers, Vlad worked on a rather serious oversight. He didn't bother Lara about it; it was nothing he couldn't handle.

Reaching to his left, his hand grasped at thin air and he realized he had forgotten his coffee cup. "Well, that doesn't bode well for the rest of the day," he thought to himself. Rather than getting up, he did without. He would get another cup when the meeting was over.

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[Captain Xian Chen]

Phoebe had been in her office when she heard the Captain's order. Taking her mug of tea and PADD, she notified the medic on duty to contact in the event of an emergency and then made her way to the conference room.

Walking in she looked about the room and took a seat next to Jonathan. With a pleasant expression on her face she said, "Good morning Lara... Vladik... Jonathan." She looked at each of them as she spoke their name and gave them a nod then took a sip of her tea and settled into her seat. Leaning in slightly toward Jonathan she whispered over the rim of her cup, "You're in my seat..."

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[Special Envoy Bryson Kavanaugh]

Having received Lara's personal invitation, Brice made his way to the bridge. He'd left a note behind in case Alex and Kathleen would return, but for now his services were needed elsewhere.

When he emerged onto the bridge, he heard a young officer call out....'Captain on the bridge,' He quickly waved them back to their task, though he could sense many of them were dying to know what he was doing in their presence. After all, he was not destined to lead this. It was almost a hum he could feel in the air as the young officers' questioning gazes and thoughts seemed to reach him. Chuckling to himself, remembering the days of being one of the young and uninformed, he made his way to the conference room.

Upon entering, he glanced at the already assembled group. Noting right away the fiery red hair that was Captain Rell, he made his way to her. He recalled the few other times their paths had crossed over the years at various events. He hardly knew more than her name, her posting, and her reputation for being one of the best captains of the fleet.

"Captain Rell," he moved towards her and extended his hand to her. "I would like to extend my thanks for welcoming my little team onboard for this mission." Brice gave her a smile, knowing she knew just how important this little 'diplomatic' mission was to the Federation. So important that they had felt it necessary to send him along as well even though she was more than capable of carrying out this mission. Yet, his personal interactions with the people of Evadne years ago should prove very useful in securing exactly what the Federation hoped.

Tag Lara/All

[xColonel Jonathan Richards]

Jonathan smiled to Vladik when he saw him, giving the man a nod before his attention diverted to the next person to arrive, which was Phoebe. He smiled at nodded in familiar fashion and found himself staring at the table for a moment when her words reached him.

Jonathan turned to look at her, bemused really. He had to admit, this had never happened to him before, not in such a place anyway. Composing himself smoothly Jonathan whispered quietly back to her, "You could sit in my lap." He said, he was joking of course.

His face turned serious quickly enough, "Would you like me to move?" He asked politely though he didn't really see the problem with seats, how was he supposed to know it was 'her's.

The whoosh of the doors attracted his attention to the next visitor, one he did not expect. Jonathan was confidently sure that the man who had just entered was Captain Bryson Kavanaugh... Jon didn't know the man personally but he had heard of him. Jonathan watched the interaction between the two Captains, they obviously knew each other. Lara was certainly a connected woman but then, most COs were.

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[Vice Admiral Lara Rell]

"Captain Rell,"

She turned to see the tall Captain Kavanaugh coming toward her with his hand extended. She smiled and took the hand offered.

"I would like to extend my thanks for welcoming my little team onboard for this mission."

"Of course Captain" she said and then with a half smile said "This Captain Captain stuff is going to get old fast. Why don't you call me Lara."

She'd head about his dramatic injury and near death experience and marveled at how well he seemed to have recovered. Of course scuttlebutt had it that part of the credit went to his new wife. He certainly seemed healthy now.

"I'm glad you were available to help us with our mission." She smiled again "Hopefully you'll be able to get us where we need to be with the Evadnians with as little pain for them as possible."

Then she turned to introduce him to the officers already in the room.

"Captain, this is my First Officer, Vladik Federov, Captain Brice Kavanaugh." and once that introduction was made she turned to Phoebe.

"Commander Phoebe Sutherland is our Chief Medical Officer and was responsible for getting Nike and her crew home after her recent encounter. She is our Second Officer."

She followed this introduction by turning to Jonathan "Finally," she said "Colonel Jonathan Richards is the CO of our Marine Contingent."

"I'm certain the others will be here shortly." she said when she saw Mack arrive and begin placing a coffee service and some pastries on a tray in the corner. She smiled when he found Vlad with a cup of his personal brew.

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[Captain Xian Chen]

Phoebe practically choked on her tea at Jonathan's hushed retort but managed to swallow before embarrassing herself. She had not expected that from him. He seemed so conventional. 'I guess appearances can be deceiving,' she thought amusedly. When he offered to move she shook her head gently. "That's not necessary," she gave him a little grin. "I just wanted to give you a hard time."

Phoebe turned her attention to the newest arrival and sat listening as Lara made her introductions. She gave Brice a nod when Lara introduced her and smiled. Taking another sip of her tea she placed it on the table and then folded her hands in her lap as she waited for the other department heads to arrive.

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[theresa]

The door opened to admit another officer. Terry stopped just inside and surveyed the scene before her. Only five people were already there, and some of them weren't department heads or commanding officers, so she wasn't late. That was good. She offered them a brilliant, energetic smile. "Captain. Other captain. Commande'r. Commande'r. Uh, colonel?" She had no skill in identifying military rank. The only combatants she had real experience with were inside of Starfleet. Her only experience with marines was Heath, and that encountered hadn't been long before that meeting. She offered each of them a nod. She was the youngest in that company, and they all outranked her. Pretending that she wasn't clueless about of half what was going on, she moved forward with a spring in her step. She settled in a seat across the table from the captain and the others.

"Lieutenant Commander Terry Kimball. Chief of Operations;" she said as an introduction. She'd only met Vladik, the executive officer. Other than that, she only had names off records. Despite the esteemed set in front of her, she hardly looked fazed or bothered. She gave each of them a solid look. Then she was distracted by the pastries that had been placed on the table. She grabbed one and munched on it, chewing with her mouth closed but otherwise showing a limited amount of manners. She was hungry, and she wasn't the greatest fan of meetings, not that she showed it. She was an action oriented person. Planning was limited to paperwork and some mental need for some organization. The pastry was sinfully good too.

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[Special Envoy Bryson Kavanaugh]

"This Captain Captain stuff is going to get old fast. Why don't you call me Lara."

He chuckled and grinned in her direction. "Yes, too many captains in the proverbial kitchen." His smile was full of mirth as he added, "Feel free to call my Brice, Lara." With that he turned and greeted each of the other individuals with a smile and a nod.

"It's a pleasure to be working with all of you." He stated before turning back and nodding at Lara. He then moved and took a seat next to Vladik. Settling in he spoke to the XO, "I hear you've managed to put together quite a crew. Leading a Galaxy crew is a true honor," he added, looking at Vlad. Part of him actually envied the other man. He would serve onboard the Nike for however many years his services were needed. Brice already missed the command, and to be back on a galaxy...ah, he missed the Crudaigh. She was no longer his, however, and he knew there was no going back. The past was the past. For now, his job was to act as adviser and so-called diplomat to the Evadnian people.

Tag Lara/Vlad/Any

[Lt. Cmdr. Alexis McConville]

Alexis entered the conference room. Though she did her best to portray an image of confidence and assurance, she was still nervous. She hadn't really met any of the senior staff. Truth be told, she'd spent most of the journey on the way to Utopia Planitia recovering from her injuries on the Carolina and then her time as the shipyards trying to get the labs up and running again. And now that most of the new staff had arrived, she had found herself rather occupied with spending time with Nick.

She nodded her greeting to everyone. "Captain, Commander," she stated, addressing Lara and Vlad. Her eyes fell on the others in the room, her peers. That was until she spotted another man sporting the rank of captain. For a moment, she paused, confused, thinking she had mis-read his rank. No. He was clearly a captain. "Captain," she acknowledged him as well. Then, taking a seat, Alexis tried to tell herself to be calm. Looking around her, she realized she was the lowest ranking officer among all those assembled. Suddenly, she felt her confidence slipping away. She was in the midst of higher-ranking officers and she had no idea what to say to any of them.

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[Commander Pesh'ewa]

He hadn't meant to be one of the last arrivals, but as he'd left engineering his team had found a small glitch with the engines, which he wanted to get fixed immediately. Those few extras minutes would save them hours of waiting later as his team would begin the modifications while he was still engaged in the staff meeting.

Entering the room, he gave a nod of acknowledgment to those already assembled. After greeting Lara and Vlad, however, his eyes fell on a face he hadn't expected to see again.

"Captain Kavanaugh?" Pesh's question hung in the air as he found himself frozen in place, staring at the man that had once been his captain. "Sir. It is an honor to see you again. I didn't know you were onboard the Nike."

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[Special Envoy Bryson Kavanaugh]

"Captain Kavanaugh?" Pesh's question hung in the air as he found himself frozen in place, staring at the man that had once been his captain. "Sir. It is an honor to see you again. I didn't know you were onboard the Nike."

Brice looked up and smiled brightly. Standing he reached out his hand to the Caitian. "Well, Pesh'ewa. It is a pleasure to see you again!" He shook the Caitian's hand. "Commander now I see. Congratulations. I'm sure it was well earned." What a pleasant surprise to find one of his officer's from the Crudaigh here on the Nike as well. It was true that Pesh'ewa had only been a lieutenant back on the Crudaigh, but he had shown great promise in engineering and Brice wasn't surprised to see the Caitian now heading up such a department.

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[Commander Pesh'ewa]

"Commander now I see. Congratulations. I'm sure it was well earned."

Pesh'ewa couldn't hide his grin as he shook his former captain's hand. "Thank you, sir." Then, with his own grip tightening a bit, he looked Brice in the eyes. "It's good to see you again, sir." He knew what had happened. Had been just as shocked as the rest of the crew when Brice had to be transported off the Crudaigh for emergency medical care. It had been a sad day for them all. Seeing his old captain looking well whole and well again was a relief. He had respected the other man and still did. Pesh'ewa as curious as to why Brice was on the ship, but he figured his questions would be answered in time.

Releasing Brice's hand, he stated, "Perhaps we can catch up later, sir." Pesh, too, had been saddened to hear of the loss of his own chief following their final mission. Commander Carter had been a great engineer and had taught Pesh a lot in the time they had served together. In fact it was his work in helping the Crudaigh get out of the battle zone when Brice had fallen ill that had earned him his first promotion. Since then, Pesh had worked hard and even become the head of engineering himself. Now, being back on a Galaxy ship, seeing Brice, brought back memories of his time on the Crudaigh. There had been good times and...other times, but mostly Pesh tried to dwell only on the good.

With a final nod towards Brice, Pesh'ewa took a seat and waited for the meeting to begin.

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[Vice Admiral Lara Rell]

Moving toward her seat she said "Ladies and Gentlemen, why don't we get started." she scanned the room and it appeared most of her people were here.

She didn't see the Security Chief yet but assumed he'd been detained by something that required his personal attention. It was a shame he was missing but she wasn't one to waste her peoples time when they were quite busy. He could watch the briefing later.

"It appears that most of us are here." she said as they settled. "I'm aware that we're a blended crew from both Nike and Carolina with additions by transfer from elsewhere. But I think things are coming together nicely in all departments." She was happy to see heads nod around the table.

"While most ships of Nike's class carry a Marine Contingent, we have added power with us on this cruise and therefore Colonel Richards will be included in our Senior Staff briefings. His contingent will be part of the key to our success."

Looking across the table she noted the new Chief of Operations and acknowledged her with a not "Commander, good to have you aboard."

"Coordination of all our efforts will fall on the First Officer..." she said with a smile at Vlad. "Who will be completely briefed on all of our capabilities. So, please consult with him if you have any questions or concerns."

"Our first mission is to a little known system near the Ngame Nebula called Evadne IV. It seems the people of this system have a natural immunity to Borg assimilation. Therefore, we are going to approach them and request access to their medical records and any biological studies."

Looking to Brice she said "Captain Kavanaugh is with us as he has prior contact with the indigenous people and will act as our primary negotiator. I'm sure he can brief us regarding his expectations."

"Captain?"

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