" Briefing "
(Previous Post was Tiffany's and Serena's " Different Points Of View ")
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Stardate: 60313.1250
Setting: USS ANUBIS, Deck 1, Captain's Ready Room
The young woman sat on the end of one of the two large couches that could be found in the CO's Ready Room, the Egyptian theme of the ship and base that it was attached to permeating every wall and piece of furniture in sight. From where she was the ExO met the eyes of each officer as they had walked in so as to insure that they had come as prepared as possible given the vagueness of the order they had received. Everyone seemed in agreement that this had been about a new mission, but no one seemed willing to venture a guess as to what this mission might involve… so they came in… searched for a seat… and all waited.
With only 5 minutes left before the top of the hour when the meeting had been scheduled to start, all of the seats had been taken but 2 officers were still missing… namely the aCMO and CEO. After having met the gaze of his First Officer James leaned forward over his desk and interlaced his fingers as he placed his weight on his elbows.
"Computer… Locate Lt. David Dawson."
=/\= Lt. Dawson is in Holodeck 1. =/\= The computer replied almost instantaneously as if the inanimate entity had actually been expecting the CO's query.
"Is he alone?" The ExO inquired, suspecting that the second of their missing officers had likely been at the same location.
=/\= Negative… Ens. Summers is with him. =/\= The Computer announced confirming the young woman's suspicions, and making several of those present in the room smile of giggle.
Since James had already contacted the aCMO to insure that she would be present at the meeting, James reached for his comm badge to see if David had been on his way or had simply decided to delay the Ensign from reporting as she had been asked. Just as he had been ready to directly contact the CEO, the CO revisited and edited his tactic. "Simmons to ANUBIS senior staff… come to my ready room please. Simmons out."
"Smooth James… real smooth. Are you sure you never served as a Cns at one point in your career?" The young woman teased as a warm smile flashed over her pink lips.
"You don't become a CO without having a few tricks up your sleeves Number One." James countered with, adding his own teasing smile.
Just as the clock changed to 1300, the massive CEO and somewhat less imposing aCMO both entered the room in which the entire senior staff had gathered.
"Whoa… its going to get a little crowded in here. Where do we sit?" The aCMO inquired as she pointlessly searched for somewhere to sit.
"That's what you get for having fun in a holodeck instead of reporting for a meeting early." Pravat stated indicating to the last arrivals that some of them, if not all, had been aware of where they had been when the last call made by the CO had been made.
"Now that we are all here… let's begin." James offered as he reached over to a pile of PADDs that had been on his desk and pulled them closer to him so that he could read the names that were displayed on them.
"This is pretty relaxed for a mission briefing." Serenna pointed out, voicing what most of the others had been feeling.
"That is because this is not an official briefing… but more of a pre-briefing. The actual mission briefing will take place in 1 week from now, but between now and then we all have a great deal of work and preparation to make. Everything will become clearer as you read these." James explained as he stood from his desk and began handing out the PADDs to those whose names had been on them.
"Sorry Captain… I don't mean to interrupt… but aren't we missing a few people?" The Ops Officer pointed out making reference to the Sec/Tac Officer and Lt. Onison, both of which she had expected to see here along with the others.
"The senior Staff of the ANUBIS is as you see it now… Lt. Rawyvin has been reassigned to another unit and Lt. Onison will not be taking part in this mission as per the direct orders from Adm. Koneki." Simmons stated as he handed out the last of the PADDs keeping the 1 for his ExO for last.
"Does that mean that I am back as CEO?" David inquired with a tone of voice that bordered on that of a child on the morning or Christmas.
"No… but it does mean that you are part of this mission like the rest of us." The CO offered as a reply, adding a faint grin as he returned to his desk.
"Why do I have the feeling that I was just tricked into volunteering for something that I will regret sooner or later?" David grumbled as he glanced at the aCMO standing next to her.
"Our next mission will require that we go under cover… hence why I though that giving you all a week to get better acquainted with your new personas would be a good idea. This mission will see us travel to the TANGIERS OBITAL… a high class casino station which orbits VEGA SIGMA. Once every solar rotation of the planet, which happens roughly every 530 EARTH days, the TANGIERS ORBITAL puts on a special show which attracts high rollers from all over the galaxy. Our task is to mingle and gather as much information as we can from as many different sources as possible. This Intel will be brought back here for analysis." James explained in a nut shell, looking at the expressions of shock and disbelief coming from his officers.
"Let me get this straight… we are being sent to a high class interstellar casino to do nothing more than have fun, mingle and keep our ears open for loose lips?" The Eneran Marine gasped, still trying to see some negative side to this mission.
"We are expected to be a little more proactive about getting the Intel… but you have the general idea. The mission is scheduled to last for 2 full weeks during which time we are expected to find out about some of the shadowy deals that take place between some of the more influential individuals that go to see this special event." James clarified as he prepared to read out loud the assignments that his people would be called upon to accomplish.
"What is so special that is gets people from all over the 4 quadrants to be there?" Ens. Mei inquired, finding it hard to imagine that anything could have such a powerful pull on people from so far away.
"Every 'year' the event changes and is kept under the greatest of secrecy… this is done to such an extent that not even the TANGIERS ORBITAL's master of ceremony knows what the event will be. It is the reputation of the event and the success of the previous years that make it such an inviting place to be at that time." The CO continued as he leaned back in his chair.
"What the heck to they do? Give away the rights to an entire solar system?" Ens. Summers gasped, unable to imagine anything that could draw so many people.
"The last time, the undercover team of the HORUS reported that a number of Iconian, Cytherian and other artefacts from ancient races had been auctioned off to the highest bidder. The time before that, the SEKMETH saw tickets being sold for a draw that gave the winner full ownership rights to a throne that had been left vacant for years. The winner in essence became the ruler of that world's civilization as their laws would recognize the owner of the throne as their supreme ruler."
"So what are we expected to do in this casino? I mean I get the idea that we are to gather Intel, but what are *we* suppose to do while we wait? Are we being sent in as casino staff members, additional security for the special events?" The CSciO inquired, not having read the information contained in her PADD all that thoroughly.
"Take the time to read the information that I have provided you… the casino is very tightly controlled and its staff extremely closely monitored… therefore it would be impossible to send in any number of undercover agents. The only open possibility is for us to go there as *gamblers*." The CO said as a devilish grin formed in the corner of his lips.
"Hold on there boss… there is no way I make enough to fool anyone in there. Either you will have to give us all one heck of a raise or Adm. Koneki is going to have to give us some pocket money." The massive CEO growled suspecting that SFI and the base's CO were more misers than anything else.
"How does 250,000 credits sound to you Lieutenant?" The CO smiled at the ANUBIS' former CEO.
"If the ladies can manage to not indulge too much in the shops… I think we can put all those credits to good use." David nodded, shooting a playful glance at Sabrina, Susan and Lea… the 3 women he saw as being the most likely to be the high spenders. Although Maya and Serenna also shared the same gender, Dawson had somehow not been able to picture either of them as being shopping maniacs.
"David… I wouldn't worry too much about the money… the 250,000 is not a general account… its an individual account that we will *each* have." The young woman offered as a correction, her eyes already sparkling with anticipation.
"Alright… you all have the details of your undercover assignments… read them carefully and become acquainted with the *new you*. You have 1 week to perfectly get into character, so make the best of it. Dismiss."
The young woman waited for all of the other officers to leave the Ready Room before she approached the CO's desk, the glee in her eyes having visibly finished in the last few seconds.
"James… what about Enaii?"
"All I can tell you is what I was told… that she is being briefed on this mission as well and that she *should* be joining us when we are ready to leave." James offered with a clear hint of hesitation, not at all liking that he had not been able to give his ExO better or more concrete news about her life-mate's status.
With the realization that she would have to spend the next week alone and preparing for this new mission, the redheaded woman stepped out of the Ready Room and back onto the bridge focussing on the task at hand instead of the growing emptiness within her soul.
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2005 post #113
Sabrina Jones {sabrina_sweet@hotmail.com}
Commander Sabrina Rikar
Executive Officer
USS ANUBIS, NCC-18501
"We are Grey, we stand between the Candle and the Star, between the Darkness and the Light"
-Entilza Delenn, Babylon 5
