Shadows of Doubt

Posted on Tue Jul 23rd, 2013 @ 11:09am by Vice Admiral Iluvar & Captain Tobias Naros & Petty Officer 3rd Class Christian Bates
Edited on on Tue Jul 23rd, 2013 @ 11:10am

Mission: Episode 1.2 - "A Friend in Need..."
Location: Ready Room, USS Yorktown
Timeline: Mission Day 06, 1348 Hours

ON: [[Ready Room, USS Yorktown, Mission Day 06, 1348 Hours]]

=^= ...Today's riot was the result of a confrontation between station personnel and representatives of Federation First, a political activist group which has criticized the Federation Council for providing resources to the Romulans and the Cardassians they argue should be reserved for Federation citizens... =^=

Tobias frowned. They were less than twenty-four hours from the monumental vote which would determine whether or not the Cardassian Union would provide much needed relief supplies to ailing Romulan colonies along the Neutral Zone. News of the protests aboard Starbase 484 seemed like the last thing any of them needed to be hearing and, if Tobias was seeing these broadcasts, then it was a sure bet both the Federation negotiating team as well as members of the Detapa Council had seen them, too. Tobias knew the events that had transpired in the last several hours could easily influence the Detapa Council's vote regarding their decision to provide aid to the Romulans or to continue their cooperation with Federation representatives.

Turning slightly in his chair, Tobias gazed out the viewport toward the planet below. His involvement in the original survey mission which prompted Starbase 484's construction over Jouret IV was one of the reasons the El-Aurian had been monitoring the developing situation in the first place. Vice Admiral Quinn Androski (PNPC) had placed a great deal of expectation upon the Gateway Project and those involved to better understad the technology without creating an intergalactic incident. As much as Tobias wanted to support his friend and former Commanding Officer, there was nothing he could do about what was taking place over a hundred light-years away. Dealing with these protesters was the responsibility of Captain Trax and her crew.

"Christian (PNPC)," Tobias called.

=^= Yes, sir =^= the voice of his yeoman answered, temporarily diminishing that of the news broadcaster.

"Establish a secure channel with the negotiating team," Tobias told him, "I want to speak with Commissioner Jarvis (NPC) as soon as possible."

=^= Right away, captain =^= Bates replied.

Tobias may not have been able to do anything about the protests themselves, but his job was to support the Federation diplomatic team...and that was exactly what he planned to do.

[[Guest Quarters, USS Coral Sea]]

=^= ...and while station personnel managed to bring this unexpected outbreak under control, there are unconfirmed reports that several smaller protests continue to take place at this time. Captain Aurora Trax, the station's commanding officer was unavailable for comment, but sources say... =^=

It hadn't taken long for news of the Federation First protests to make headlines. Several of the major Federation news networks had been broadcasting about the incident aboard Starbase 484 for at least the last forty minutes, although most of them seemed to repeating the same information over and over again. What began as a simple protest quickly escalated into open conflict between civilians and Starfleet personnel before being brought under control by station security. Starfleet Command had yet to make any official statement on the matter which meant any "new" information was merely speculation at this point.

Individuals expressing discontent with decisions made by representatives of their government was not a new phenomena. Ancient rulers might have dealt harshly with such outspoken criticisms. More recently, the freedom to express dissenting opinions had been held in such high regard that it had been incorporated into numerous historical documents including the Federation Charter. This particular incident, however, seemed to hit particularly close to home.

Starbase 484 fell within the Eighth Fleet patrol zone which meant station command staff were answerable to admiralty operating out of Eighth Fleet headquarters aboard Starbase 386. Iluvar (PNPC) had been content to keep his distance from the operation out of respect for Vice Admiral Androski, but it was becoming quite clear Federation First went well beyond a single station. The reports that were coming across Iluvar's desk told of similar protests taking place across the Federation.

Rubbing the bridge of his nose, Iluvar let out a sigh. It had been made clear to him upon assuming the role of Eighth Fleet Deputy Chief-of-Staff that he was to make every effort of developing and fostering diplomatic security along the Federation core-ward frontier. He had a feeling these latest developments would end up making that job far more difficult than it had already been. Convincing others of the Federation's good faith was harder when its own citizens, however few in number, were implying otherwise.

[[Ready Room, USS Yorktown]]

=^= ...and I appreciate your concern, captain =^= Commissioner Jarvis was saying =^= but we have been working with the Cardassian government for several weeks to bring this resolution forward. I doubt a few isolated protests on the opposite side of the Federation will have much impact at this point. =^=

The commissioner was understandably confident in the ability of his diplomatic team to accomplish their goal, that much was certain. They had spent a considerable amount of time and energy over the last decade to continue fostering positive relations between post-war Cardassia and the Federation. Tobias could only hope the commissioner's confidence was not overly premature. "Of course, commissioner," he said after a moment, "I'm sure you and your team have done an outstanding job. We will, of course, be standing by should you need our assistance in any way."

=^= As always, your hospitality and support are most appreciated =^= the man replied with a diplomatic smile =^= Jarvis out. =^=

OFF

A Joint Mission Post by:

Vice Admiral Iluvar (PNPC)
Deputy Chief-of-Staff
Eighth "Horizon" Fleet
Played by: Capt Naros

Captain Tobias Naros
Commanding Officer
USS Yorktown

Petty Officer 3rd Class Christian Bates (PNPC)
Captain's Yeoman
USS Yorktown
Played by: Capt Naros

Commissioner Jarvis (NPC)
Diplomatic Team Leader
Federation Diplomatic Corps
Played by: Capt Naros

and

Unnamed News Anchor (NPC)
Federation News Services
Played by: Capt Naros