Important Messages

Posted on Sunday 5 August 2018 @ 13:31 by Lieutenant Colonel Kachiko Bayushi & Captain John "Apollo" Barstow, M.D.

Mission: Shoreleave
Location: Upper Habitat Ring, Starbase 306
1109 words - 2.2 OF Standard Post Measure

Kachiko stepped through the hatch separating her temporary office from Apollo's, surprised to find the man already inside, "Hey Boss? We just got some important flash traffic from Command that you're going to want to see."

The Commander stopped before his desk, setting the PADD down.

"Aye," Barstow replied with a sigh and rubbed his forehead, "this' the second attack on a Starfleet base, the first didn't make it to the nets," he said and showed the exec the report about the hit on a Starfleet security base and stolen weapons, "if this keeps spreading...."

"I already have Jantzen deploying First Platoon aboard, just in case," Kachiko sighed. "We have already had one security breach aboard."

Apollo nodded, "aye, and with the new tech on board we make a good target," he replied and sat forward, "this has made me reconsider your offer for secured comm...Starfleet has us pretty well encrypted, however, with my other job and then everything else I think we need a little extra here."

Kachiko sighed and nodded,"I was surprised at the first attack. Talk about brazen!"

"Had I still been with the Teams, we could have pulled off the hijacking without the destruction and loss of life," Kachiko frowned. "We have to assume that our opponents have similar capabilities to our own."

Apollo nodded, "that's why I was so interested in all this experimental stuff, give us a bit of an edge," he replied then smirked, "after all, I served here nearly twenty years and she was in service through at least three commands before I was in her squadron...good lord I'm old," he said and paused as it hit him, "not to change the subject but we may need to pass by the Briar patch on our way out," he joked with a smirk then took a breath, "I want you to use your special skills and vet the new crew, quietly ad extremely discretely. Look for the usual, debts, gambling, et cetera.""

"I have been doing exactly that, Boss," Kachiko pointed at the PADD. "That said, we have a new Engineer enroute. I was reviewing her file when the Flash traffic came in. She's a good Engineer and a great computer geek, but she is a disciplinary problem. Alcohol being her most serious trouble."

"I see that she has troubles and I want to take the opportunity to turn the girl around," Kachiko sighed. "I guess that you could say that I have a thing for fixing broken people, as a leader, not as a Counselor."

"That said, I have been in the Fleet since a few years after the Wolf massacre," Kachiko grimaced. "I know what you mean. I have made it a habit to look into EVERYONE whom comes aboard. I missed signs before on the London and it lead to the Chief Counselor betraying us and helping an enemy boarding of the ship. I lost sixteen Marines, in addition to four Fleet officers and two civilian family, including a three year old girl."

"I started to establish a shipwide scuttlebutt network," Kachiko shrugged. "It let me keep tabs on what was happening aboard. Everything from arguments, breakups and whom is sleeping with whom and so on. Most importantly, it tips me off to when someone starts acting problematically or out of their usual character."

Barstow nodded then smirked, "sounds good....lets keep any sleeping I do away from any reports though," he added and chuckled, "also, another thought occurred to me, if that colony wants to be left alone and they really were Merlin crew descendants then they'd have easily bypassed everything, let's keep an eye out for any missing crew command codes being used."

"Realistically, only you would have access to the ship's prefix code. The only reason I do is because I have that past special access," Kachiko shrugged. "My team was specialized in asset recovery. From hijackings to rogue crews, prefix codes helped. Though I usually infiltrated the crew before making use of them. I don't like lying to people, but I am very good at being people I'm not."

"I will talk to our Operations Chief about removing any command codes for anyone not assigned to the ship now," Kachiko was a bit more animated now. "Of course, hardwired codes will still be there. But only you and I should have any knowledge of those."

"Lieutenant O'Hara is due aboard soon, John. I have seen her disciplinary record and I will meet her when her shuttle arrives. I will have a chat with the gal and see if we'll be able to work with her," Kachiko sighed. "I am a mother and feel like I need to fix the girl, but even I know when we won't get anywhere. I want to get a feel for her and see if she's going to be a work in progress or a lost cause before she reports to you." Left unsaid was that the Lieutenant was a beautiful redhead and as already established, Kachiko's type of woman. Which strangely just made her feel even more maternal and want to help fix what ailed the Lieutenant.

"I guess that in the long run, you're the ship's father and I'm the mother. Q knows that I feel like a parent at times, especially with this desire to help people with what ails them," Kachiko sighed out loud. "I'm not used to feeling like this. I'm still a shooter at heart, but this body of mine has been through too much as it is. It's going to be a rough ride relying on others to get the job done."

"That's right, ma," Barstow replied with a smirk, "and if you think it's bad now just wait until the first fight. Look back at the holo-vids, I was itching to strap on a bird," he added with a chuckle, "and the Lieutenant....well, Merlin's the place for second chances, I wasn't much better for a long while there. And aye, that's why I wanted you to greet the new crew, I want you to know the senior officers, it makes you that much better at helping me. I'm not completely over bearing and a control freak, only a little bit of each," he added and held up his hand with his thumb and forefinger held close together, treating Kachiko more like a close friend then a subordinate and joking with her.

Kachiko smirked at his humor, "It's better that you have me as the tyrannical overlord. If I get out of line, you have the ability to overrule me. Good cop. Bad cop. Or parent, if you want."