The Hunt is On

Posted on Monday 2 April 2018 @ 06:55 by Captain John "Apollo" Barstow, M.D. & Captain Tyler Malbrooke

Mission: Lost Souls
Location: USS Pioneer and Marine Base Bengonin Futeki
Timeline: 6 Weeks Ago
1151 words - 2.3 OF Standard Post Measure

John sat in the beat up chair after walking into his room in the BOQ [Bachelors Officers Quarters] after another long day. His undercover mission hadn’t gotten off to a great start with the confrontation with General MacTaryn, which had ended with Apollo wearing railroad tracks instead of his eagle and lost him a grade in rank as CO of Merlin, making him a Commander again. The officer let out another tired breath and closed his eyes. It had taken him months to get into the inner circle of the weapons dealers. He’d had to skirt breaking the law, including having to have appeared like he’d committed murder. However, now things were drawing to a close and Barstow now had just enough to bring in SFCIS, Starfleet Criminal Investigation Service, a civilian component within Starfleet Security able to investigate officers and enlisted personnel without being in the command structure.

A beep from the nearby desk pulled him from his thoughts and he opened one eye and turned his head partly towards the terminal, “what,” he asked the darkened screen came to life.

The image of Commander Tyler Malbrooke the Commanding Officer of the USS Pioneer and the Senior Ship Commanding Officer for Task Group 47C Obsidian Fleet appeared on the comm screen. "Commander Barstow, Apollo, your reputation proceeds you. Good afternoon, we have never met I am Commander Tyler Malbrooke. How have you been?"

John sat forward and stood to move over to the terminal, "tired but not to bad otherwise. Good to meet you, Commander," he greeted and leaned with his palms on the desk, "and that reputation is the good one I hope," he added with a tired smirk.

"For the most part..." Tyler chuckled "Listen I have some good news and some bad news for you. So here is the bad news first. You are being recalled, however, you are being recalled for a special mission. You are to assemble a crew and go find the Merlin" Tyler smiled he had an idea that Apollo would rather like the task. Even if it meant a demotion of sorts.

John chuckled then tilted his head to the side, "what happened to Merlin?" he asked, instantly getting a knot in his stomach and regretting not have checked in on the ship, "when I left they were on their way to the Perez Nebula to study it then there were a few other sight seeing stops my former exec's charted."

"Well it seems that the sight seeing has taken a turn for the worse. About three months ago all communications with the Merlin was severed. Many attempts have been made to track the ship and find where she has disappeared to. Unfortunately these searches have been to no avail. What is known is her last known coordinates. I am sending those to you now. We fear the ship may have been captured, possibly fallen through a rift in space or worse. As it stands right now the Merlin and her crew are classified as missing in action. Apollo if you find her she is yours to command I am authorized to tell you that much. However, you are also the last effort if you fail the status of the Merlin and her crew will be changed to killed/destroyed in action. I do not envy the predicament that you are being placed in." Tyler leaned forward in an effort to get his point across. Malbrooke was not used to giving orders to other COs, well it was something he was going to have to get used to if he was to stay in his new position.

Barstows blood froze and he felt like he'd just gotten punched in the gut. The Commander just stared at the viewscreen, though his gaze went much farther than the screen, "why did no one say anything before now?" he asked finally, his becoming soft with a little more of an edge, "three months is a long time not to tell me my ship, crew and my....daughter are missing....."

"You were on mission, and the word came from above my head to leave you on mission and not interrupt. For that I do apologize..." Tyler ran his hands through his hair, he was not happy with what he was about to say, but it had to be said. "It is because of your daughter that I have managed to talk the Admiralty into allowing me to contact you. The thought is if anyone is going to find the Merlin or what happened to the Marlin it is going to be someone with a stake in her whereabouts. The Grissom will be placed at your disposal for the mission. Gather who you need, the Grissom's crew will also be a resource for you. I took the liberty of having the Pioneer's Intelligence Department gather what they could on the events leading to the Merlin's disappearance. I am transmitting that to you as well." Tyler's look softened, he had no children and could only imagine what Apollo was going through. "I am sorry you have to do this..." he added.

Barstow just nodded with a sigh, "aye," he replied simply as every bad and worse scenario ran through his mind all at once, hitting him like a ton of bricks and causing him to flinch, "I'll finish up here and leave at zero five tomorrow. I have been reading up officers since my exec got transfer orders. There's a Lieutenant Commander Kevin in charge of a team and this would be up their ally. I'd like him assigned to my command," Apollo said, knowing that as much as he wanted to run out the door he had to finish with his arrest, and the few hours extra wouldn't hurt in the grand scheme since it had already been three months. At least that was what his rational mind told him, his heart, however, wanted to go now at slipstream to find his daughter, friends and crew.

"Consider it done Commander. One other thing, if you find the Merlin to be destroyed or otherwise unsalvageable, the most important thing would be her data beacon. We need to know what happened to that ship. If things get extra sticky feel free to summon the calvary. I will have the Pioneer there even if I have to fly her apart." Tyler spoke the last words with a smile and chuckle.

John just nodded, "copy the black box, sir. I want to know too," he added then stood strait, "if there's nothing else I should go take out the trash so I can head out," he added.

"Very well Apollo... Happy Hunting... Malbrooke out." Tyler closed the channel with a smile.

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Commander Tyler Malbrooke
SSCO Task Group 47C/CO USS Pioneer
Obsidian Fleet

Commander John “Apollo” Barstow
Commanding Officer
USS Merlin