Getting Everyone Settled

Posted on 11/09/2020 @ 9:04am by Captain Cian D'Anvers & Lieutenant JG Siobhan Richards PhD

Mission: S2E2: The Auction House
Location: Captain's Ready Room, USS Crazy Horse
Timeline: Day 42 at 0730

Josiah Rynott, who started his day a full hour before any of his staff even thought about showing up, leaned back in his seat and held his initial reaction in through long practice. "Any chance it was self defense," he asked after a moment. Vain hope, he knew that, but the idea that someone could just ... kill someone ... it was nearly unthinkable. This was Starfleet for pity's sake not the violent streets of Earth three hundred years ago.

"No Sir," Cian responded. "There were witnesses, among them, my First Officer. The guards were unconscious. She changed the setting on her phaser and just ... fired." The word 'fired' was said with all the disbelief that he still felt.

"Where is she now," Rynott asked though he knew the answer or at least knew what it ought to be. She would be in the Brig. When he saw the outrage forming in the captain's eyes, he held his hand up in a gesture of peace. "Forget I said that. She's in the brig right where she should be." He drew a deep breath and tried again. "The Santiago is going to stay there and finish retrieving data on their operations. You're being ordered back to Earth, effective immediately, and you're to bring those colonists with you. They've stirred up quite the little hornets' nest."

"Hornets' nest," Cian repeated. He'd lived on Earth long enough to understand Federation Standard but the idioms often escaped him. Still, he took a guess based on what he knew of the situation. "Trouble?"

"Exactly," Rynott answered. "Sheliak Corporate has already reached out concerning ownership of Skunil which will keep a whole lot of diplomats and lawyers busy for the next few weeks. Skunil and several other worlds, all with geological surveys indicating Pergium deposits. So, bring them back to Earth. If they want to colonize some place, we'll help them out. Just can't be out there. Not the way things stand."

"That's not going to go over well," Cian said. "They lost over 200 of their own on that world."

"I know and before you ask," Rynott said, as he searched his immediate vicinity for his coffee cup, "retrieving their dead is something that will be worked out in the negotiations. The Sheliak are claiming the world is too close to their borders and dispute ownership by anyone by themselves. So, those are your orders. Bring those colonists and Syndel back to Earth." He leaned forward, ready to sever the connection, and stopped, a ghost of a smile playing about his lips. "Have an uneventful trip back. That's an order."

"Aye, Sir," Cian said. The connection terminated, he thought about what came next. "Bridge, have Lieutenant Richards and Doctor O'Hamlin join me in my Ready Room."

"Aye, Sir," the Operations officer on duty responded.

[Short While Later]

Chet arrived promptly upon being summoned. He had just finished breakfast, so why not just head to the ready room before he even checked in at Sick Bay? No good reason, that's why. So, he turned up where he'd been requested to be. "Morning, sir," he said almost cheerfully, still carrying a half-full coffee cup. "Notice I didn't say good. I hate mornings."

Siobhan came shortly after, energetic and in fresh uniform. She glanced at Chet before her eyes settled on the captain. "Good morning." She greeted both men.

A corner of Cian's mouth quirked upward as he said, "good thing," he said as he gestured for them both to take a seat, "as you're not likely to be greeted by a sunrise upon waking. Thank you both for responding so promptly. Counselor, can I get you something to drink? I was about to get a cup of coffee for myself."

"Coffee is fine, captain. Black, one sugar." Siobhan requested. "So, what had happened?"

Cian ordered her coffee and then his own, brought her mug to her, emblazoned as they all were with the ship's name and logo, and returned to his own seat before continuing. "I wanted to hear how things were going with the colonists since between you both, you've had the most to do dealing with injuries both physical and psychological."

Siobhan took the mug and couldn't help but grin on the whole ship's logo all over it. But as the captain spoke it faded quickly.
"The colonists are... let's just say shaken. Most of them were not prepared for situation like that mentally. My people are working to help them to come back to normality and work out the trauma. However, these are border settlers, so I am confident they will overcome that - you need to be a special kind of person to settle that far out from the Federation."

"I'm relieved to hear that," Cian said. He remembered vividly those last months on his own world, the haunted desperation that lurked in the eyes of the older ones, but then the counselor was correct. They weren't settlers and they had never been given a choice in anything. "The Sheliak are laying claim to the planet so we'll be transporting all of them back to Earth. That will give you the length of the trip to work with them."

"More than enough time on the medical end," Chet put in. "There's the typical- broken bones, malnutrition, minor cuts and bruises- as well as some more serious injuries, but nothing that can't be patched up. Our dentist is going to be busy- lots of tooth decay. We'll get them set to rights, though."

"I believe the counseling team will manage but I'll keep you in the loop, captain." Siobhan nodded.

"If there's anything either of you need, to make this go more smoothly, please let me know. Those colonists have been through enough. More than enough," Cian said. "And keep me informed as to their overall status. If anything problematic occurs, I want to know. Thank you both for coming."

A Post by:

Captain Cian D'Anvers
Commanding Officer
USS Crazy Horse

Lieutenant JG Chester O'Hamlin, M.D.
Chief Medical Officer
USS Crazy Horse

Lieutenant JG Siobhan Richards, Ph.D.
Chief Counselor
USS Crazy Horse