Personal Log: Cayden McConnell

[Cayden McConnell]

I am a little disappointed that I was not assigned to Shadow Fleets newest ship, the USS Gettysburg. It looks like I will be staying on the Churchill for the forseeable future. I am enjoying my position in the Flight Control Department and was the sole helmsman for our last mission. I must say that it is very different piloting a starship over being on the ground fighting. There are times that I miss being on the ground fighting but those are few and far between. I am hoping to put my prior training to use for the Churchill. I think that my experiences during the Dominion War during ground engagements may prove useful to the crew of this vessel.

On a lighter note, I am sad to see Sukal leaving the ship to join the Gettysburg. He was the first crew member to welcome me aboard the Churchill and we have gotten to know each other quite well. Who knows, given an extended time we could have become friends.

I am curious to see what changes will be made since a good portion of the senior officers of the Churchill will be leaving. Change is not always a bad thing and there is a rumor that a new task force may be starting up soon.

On a personal note, I need to schedule to have my personal items beamed aboard once we return to the Spacedock. If I am going to be here, I might as well make it feel a little more like home.

[Cayden McConnell]

Not much has been going on in the area. We've run across, what appears to be a replicated NX-class starship from the 22nd century. The Engineers and Operations personnel are all perplexed about the strange power readings and the variance in the warp field. Waiting on the CO to see if we will be boarding this vessel or to see if we will just take the vessel in tow.

Other than that it had been a pretty uneventful mission thus far. I'm getting alot of time on the helm and will begin checking out the ship's shuttlecraft. I will also be setting up a field training simulation on the holodeck to keep my skills sharp. I figure some armed exercise will keep me sharp and also keep me grounded.

I received my personal items and have begun setting up my quarters for the duration of my assignment.  There are going to be a lot of changes on board but since I haven't been here long, they won't affect me in the least bit.

Personal note to self: DO NOT EAT THE ENCHILADES from the replicator in the messhall. They are chewy and disgusting.....

[Cayden McConnell]

Going to see a few new faces on board in the near future. Commander Krol, now Captain, has transferred to his sparkling new command. With him he has taken our former XO. Lt Cmdr Brown has been promoted to XO and we are getting a new CO, Cmdr Thompson. I am looking forward to seeing what this ship will do under new leadership. Also with these moves, I have to say goodbye to my friends Sukal and Lt Cmdr Kirok. With all these transitions, it opens up the possibility for advancement on the ship.

Going to chow now, so more later.

[Cayden McConnell]

Just got back from sickbay. The Jem'Hadar blade did some pretty nasty damage to my shoulder but the Doc fixed it without too much grief. She was actually....nice. The Solen taking over her mind must have really messed with her. Maybe it wasn't such a bad thing.

The Churchill has an abundance of new personnel that have reported aboard. In any case, I need to take a shower and get some chow before reporting to the bridge. More later....

[Cayden McConnell]

When I reported to the bridge I saw a shadow from my past. A Gamma Class Starship, that has been refitted for Starfleet Intelligence. I wonder why she is here and what it means for us as a whole.

On a lighter note, the Starbase Magellan is going to start construction soon and will be the new fleet headquarters. This means that we won't be getting back to Earth much. I will have to have a case of bourbon sent out on the next transport from Earth to SB Magellan.

[Cayden McConnell]

I have been selected for Ensign and am awaiting promotion. This is a big day for me. I should be able to head up the Churchill's security department in a matter of months.

On a personal note, the Trafalgar should be arriving with a case of 1792 Bourbon. I will add these to my collection and use them for special occasions, like my promotion ceremony.

[Cayden McConnell]

We have taken the Churchill without permission and are on the way to hopefully, rescue Admiral Brown. Our current course and speed put us at Alpha 343 in a little under seventeen hours. I have some reservations about our engine modifications, as they interfere with our shields ability to protect the ship.

On a personal note, Jon Tulley has elected to leave us and return to the starbase. He was one of the people that I felt, would storm the very gates of he'll with us, without blinking. I was counting on his expertise in helping to find and track the Avenger and also in finding the Admiral on that remote starbase. As with most things, I will have to adapt and overcome. Semper Gumby is the motto at this point. End log.

[Cayden McConnell]

Log Begins:

"I have been reassigned to Starbase Columbus following the outcome of a board of Inquiry into my actions on Bellatrix. I have retained my rank of Commander and been awarded the Christopher Pike Medal for Valor, following the outcome of Operation: Inherent Resolve."

Looking towards the deck, Cayden let out a sigh.

"I can't help but feel that the cost for a Remans weapons developer was too high. We lost one and they lost several thousand, some probably innocent. Thus is the cost in war..some innocent and some not so innocent. Chief Smith's loss has weighed on me rather heavily though."

Looking off in the distance, Cayden closes his eyes.

"We were exfiling with V'Ruk in tow. I had set the reactors to overload by sealing their coolant valves and we made it to the Boreas about two minutes before the overload. Smith was hit as we were boarding the shuttle. He fell right into my arms and died there, on the deck of the shuttle.

I can remember being angry and then feeling the smug satisfaction in knowing that all of those bastards were about to die. What I had not counted on was the weapons cache nearby and the resulting secondary explosions."

Looking back at the monitor, Cayden continued.

"The sensors had the crater at thirty-one kilometers, with plasma fires out to fifty kilometers. Several thousand casualties, which wold most certainly rise in the coming weeks....and all of it on my hands."

Shaking his head, Cayden continued.

"As a reward, I have been given command of the USS Monitor, a modified Defiant class starship and placed in the position as Executive officer of Starbase Columbus, the fleet headquarters for "Shadow" Fleet. I am hoping that I will be sent out on a mission soon and will be able to eventually get back to the teams. The Federation still has enemies and like it or not, the light that the Federation represents, only exists because of the darkness that allows it to shine so bright. Thought they may not openly admit it, they need officers like me. The ones that go out into the dark and prevent the light from being consumed by it."

Smiling, he held up a PADD.

"On a personal note, I have received a correspondence request from an Ensign Jamie Shen, of the USS Athena. Something about battlefield medicine and nantes. I find it rather intriguing and may have to look into it."

Log Ends

[Cayden McConnell]

Log begins

Cayden sits at desk, with viewport behind him.

"I've replied to Ensign Shen's request for correspondence and offered to assist her in whatever way I can. Her requests seem very noble and it appears she's trying to advance battlefield medicine."

....incoming visual transission

*Jamie's face appears smiling, contrary to her Vulcan features, but she has no ridges of a Romulan, she's definitely Vulcan*

Commander McConnell.  I am so happy that you accepted to answer my questions.  I have so many of them that I need to sit down and ponder on which are the most important and not a waste of your precious time.

*laughs and smiles wide*

Forgive my enthusiasm, I am just excited to be working with someone of your repute.

*waves hands and shakes head*

Let me begin by explaining a little about the project.  I'd like to use nanites to stabilize a patient during combat situations.  This will involve the injection into the blood stream where these little robots will latch onto a wound and close it up.  It will stop all internal bleeding without the need to perform surgery, which, as you know, in battle situations can be very dangerous, dirty and not always successful; because it is so stressful.  This will insure that the patient does not bleed out and may prevent shock.

This is where I would need your help.  Although I've had my share of stressful encounters where I've had to perform surgery in stressful situations away from a regular surgery theater, I've never had to do so in battle.  The type of wounds, the stress, the shock are factors that will need to be considered.  So that will be the focus of my questioning.

*smiles*

Sorry, I'm a bit excited about this.  I hope I haven't scared you off.  I know my ship is traveling further away from the base, so real time communication may be difficult.  So..what do you think?  Are you still on board with me?

*leans into the monitor and narrows eyes*

This isn't for the weak minded.

*sits back and laughs*

I'm joking, but yes, I hope you're still interested and ..

*raises a hand to wave*

...thank you, talk to you later?

.......end transmission. 

Cayden finishes watching the response before continuing.

"I'm sure the nanites will be a wonderful addition to battlefield medicine but there is the inherent flaw of using the in areas that have operating dampening fields. However, in large scale combat, they may indeed, prove to be useful."

Chuckling to himself, he continued.

"So, I've resigned myself to helping the pretty Vulcan doctor. Her personnel file was helpful in explaining her....un-vulcan like habits. Apparently, her mother is human and her father is Vulcan. I'm sure she turns quite a few heads on her ship."

Clearing his throat, he looks away for a moment, focusing on something in the distance.

"I've contacted Chief Smith's widow and expressed my condolences at her loss. "Training" accidents can be such a horrible thing for those left behind to cope with. It puts me in a bad spot when I can't explain how the Chief died valiantly, being the warrior in the shadows of the great Federation. It's very troubling that very few people will know what he died for or even why he died. Instead of telling the family that his death could have prevented the deaths of millions, they tell the family that he died in an orbital insertion training exercise."

He looks at the monitor for another moment before pressing on.

"But that is what we signed up for when we became a part of the Teams....the possibility of dying in some for off world and no one ever knowing why.

On a more personal note, we are still awaiting more personnel transfers to get the Starbase up and running. We are currently running on a skeleton crew."

*a door chime is heard in the distance*

"Well, I guess duty calls."

End Log