Distant Early Warning - Part Two

Posted on Fri Mar 20th, 2020 @ 3:50pm by Commander T'Shamsu & Major Bart DeCrescents & Lieutenant Grovian T'Mass & Lieutenant Stozg

Mission: Mission 103: The Rumblings of Discontent
Location: Various Locations - USS Solemn Penance
Timeline: 0910Hrs - August 23rd, 2393

Lt Commander T'Shamsu moved through the small gathering with the grace of a seasoned professional, she wore the uniform well and she was one of those people who could make it look good, she moved over to the replicator on the port side bulkhead, she knew that the ship was overdue for leave time and she was having issues compensating for the length of the time that the carrier was in the field, suddenly the com system beeped at her and everyone else in the room.

Everyone in the room stopped what they were doing and looked up at the ceiling, as a loud whistling sound which sounded off for a couple of seconds. "Attention all hands, this is the Captain speaking." he paused as he considered what he wished to say. "I know you were all promised leave time, I know all you reservists were promised you were going to get to go home. But command wants us out here on patrol for another two weeks, yes, you've heard this before I know." There was a pause. "I understand your anger and your frustration, I share it. I am going to explain our situation to people higher in the chain of command because I've been reading the reports your department heads and section heads have been sending to me. This is a crew that has served very well and I am proud to serve as your Captain, now we might be on patrol but I intend for everyone to work reduced hours and the like, I will not expect a hundred percent from you when the command doesn't give us a hundred percent." Brevik's tone indicated that he knew he had just offended a good chunk of the crew with what he had just with that one but he opted to press along anyway. "I will keep you all informed of the situation. Brevik out." and with that, the com system was silenced.

The noise in the lounge slowly returned with a softness that wasn't there before. T'Shamsu slowly blinked her eyes as she ordered the meal she asked for before she turned and went over to the table she had been sitting at earlier, Lieutenant Stozg, a Saurian male, he was presently holding the posting of Chief of Intelligence, also a Caitian was already sitting there alongside him. Lieutenant Grovian T'Mass slowly blinked her large eyes as she could almost detect the changes in the room. "Do you ever wonder if the fleet command has it in for us?" the female Caitian inquired.

The female Vulcan sat down in her chair before she answered. "The answer to this is unknown, we simply have no data regarding the events in question," she answered. "All we have is the fact that we have simply been in the field for a month longer then we should have been." the Vulcan female explained as she regarded the Caitian before her. "We need more information before we can develop a theory, all we have is simply conjecture and little more."

Stozig nodded his bald reptilian head. "Indeed. However command is short on experienced personnel so we have been having to train up reservists and the like over the last while, we've been in the field too long with them, as they were only supposed to be present for several weeks, not several months. They have lives they must get back to and we are not letting them do so."

The door opened and in walked a Marine, he was wearing the rank insignia which marked him as a Major, he came over to the table he wished to take a seat at. "Hey guys, mind if I join you?"

T'Shamsu nodded. "Please." she indicated the chair next to her. DeCrescents sat down in the offered chair. "You guys hear that announcement?"

"I suspect, that the announcement is presently being discussed by people all over the ship as we speak," T'Shamsu answered in her usual deadpan tone of voice. "I suspect we will have several very disgruntled people to watch out for," she explained.

The Caitian female mewled ever so softly. "Lovely. As if we didn't have enough to look after, the ship's issues and now we have a disgruntled crew to handle as well." as she sighed softly. "I got forty reservists in my department, many of them have no field time with the new Federation fleet," she added.

The Vulcan nodded. "It's much the same with my people too, thirty-six reservists and many of those, honestly, are unfit for service. Having too many health issues. Are they are obese or they are unable to use the new equipment." the Vulcan female then let out a soft sigh.

DeCrescents nodded his head. "As for me, I feel I'm back in boot camp, with me being the one who's running the boot camp." as he shook his head. "I got thirty reservists who frankly, have no place in the marines, they are just hopeless, they don't know the difference between a sidearm, a knife or a rifle." as he let out a sigh. "How long are we to remain in the field?"

"According to the announcement from the skipper, too long," T'Mass answered bluntly. "It's intolerable," she added.

Stozig agreed with the Caitian before him. "I think the situation has been permitted to develop and deteriorate too much to be salvaged. We need time in the yard and we need to get rid of these reservists."

Just then, the ship's com system beeped at everyone present with the usual two pitched sounds, indicating that someone was about to speak. "Attention crew of the USS Solemn Penance, you humans are being kept out here in space because the aliens in command do not care about you, you are here to suffer for their failures and their leadership skills, which are lacking." the voice explained before going on at length as to why the present situation in the Federation was lacking, why the humans were better off in command and why various alien races should not be given anything." the voice began to ramble as it continued along.

Some of the various people began looking around the room, curious at what was being said and curious as to why this was being permitted to take place at all. "What the hell?" one of the humans said quietly.

T'Mass blinked her large eyes. "Why is nobody turning this off."

DeCrescents nodded at her. "Good question, here's another. What will the Captain do when he learns of this?" he raised an eyebrow indicating that he had just said something provocative and demanded a response. Unfortunately, the Caitian female was at a loss for words, the look in her eye, said as much.