Waiting on the Sidelines...

Posted on Tue Jun 23rd, 2020 @ 1:26am by Captain Tobias Rao
Edited on on Fri Jul 10th, 2020 @ 5:23pm

Mission: Death in Paradise
Location: Ready Room, USS Palatine
Timeline: Current

A Mission Post by Captain Tobias Rao
Mission: Death in Paradise
Location: Ready Room, USS Palatine
Timeline: Current
Sat Dec 8th, 2018 @ 3:48pm

Tobias sat quietly in his chair as the Palatine made her way...at Warp Speeds towards the Rendezvous point for all Starfleet Vessels there were operating in the Iconnu Expanse.

But he was not happy.

With the creation of the Alrakis Pact and their immediate demands about taking this area of space as their own, Tobias was disturbed at the speed of their movements and also with how fast Starfleet ordered all vessels to withdraw. Whilst it was true that they were out numbered heavily in the Expanse vs the might of the Alrakis allies, Tobias was well aware that ships like the Palatine and the Pandora were some of Starfleets newest vessels and capable of combat with severals at once...and yet there were running away.

Well, thats what it felt like to him. Being one of the fleets 20 year plus veteran commanding officers gave him a unique and informed view on all situations that involved his ship and any that they dealt with on whilst on both Recon and Supply duty.

Whilst in thought, Tobias got up from his chair and walked over to the Replicator. "Computer, request Rao Alpha Five. Spiced Apple Tea, Double Sweet, hot," he requested. Once it materialised, he took the Cup and Saucer and walked back to put it on his desk. The Teapot that also was a part of his program was waiting their as he collected that and took it back to his desk. Adding some further liquid to the drink, Tobias sat down again and picked up the one PADD that held a report that troubled him.

It held the confirmation that the Pandora had diverted to Paradise Station under a diplomatic mission. Rao knew Nyx well enough from their previous encounters and knew that his friend was onto something...that had to be the only reason as to why the Luna Class vessel that was leading Starfleets exploration of the expanse had not yet headed back to Federation Space.

And it concerned him.

Whilst he knew that Nyx was an incredible capable Commander and an impressive crew, he also knew that one Starfleet vessel amongst many Iconnu Expanse localised vessels would be a match that Pandora would lose... Something Tobias hated the idea of.

He recalled his "heated discussion" with Admiral Li when given the order to head back to Federation Space. Whilst he was willing to lose his command by virtually disobeying orders, Rao had made it clear that he thought this was a rash decision.

Whether the Admiral bought his rouse that the Palatine had suffered damage to her Slipstream Drive after an almost close encounter with the Indigo Cloud had not bothered him. Keeping up the charade meant that the Vesta Class Starship was returning back to her rendezvous under low Warp power, however he also knew they were prepared should any Alrakis Pact vessels decide to take on the Palatine in her "weakened" state.

After hearing the door chime, Rao called out "Come in" and took a sip of his tea. As he put the cup and saucer down, he saw Commander Raven stood before him.

"Number One," he acknowledged her. "How go the repairs to the Slipstream Drive?"

Raven handed her CO a PADD with the latest updates on it, even though she was fully aware that the Drive was in full working order. "The repairs are going slowly according to Commander Walker, however she has informed me that to accelerate her repair timetable she has also enlisted Commander Morgan and several Operations teams," Aeryn reported.

Rao nodded as she gave her report. "Very good, make sure that Walker knows she has the full resource of Operations to assist her if need be... I know that Morgan would agree with me," Tobias confirmed. "Whats our ETA looking like for Carwennon Station?"

Raven again hesitated before giving her report. "At current speeds we should arrive within 18 hours Captain," she confirmed.

"Very well, keep me updated on the repairs," he finished. Noticing that his XO was still stood there, Tobias looked up from his PADD holding the Engineering Report. "Is there anything else Number One?"

"The Pandora, sir... Last report had her docked at Paradise Station, however we are now out of sensor range and no longer able to track her movement," Raven replied.

"Very well, your dismissd," Rao nodded at her update on the Pandora. He was happy to know that they had docked at the station but that still didnt answer his questions or concerns as to why they were there and not heading to the rendezvous.

As Raven left the Ready Room, Tobias got up from his chair and walked over to the window to watch the stars fly past at a blur. "Whatever your up to Nyx... Be bloody careful," he murmured.