Athena Mission 2.8: Skin Scratchers

[Susan Venator]

[Bridge]

James smiled softly as Constance piped in. "Did she bug my bridge?" He laughed, paused, and then tapped his comm badge. You got it Addy. I'll catch up with you about it after I deal with this thing that apparently needs my attention. Carter quickly walked into the turbolift and waited for Ash to follow.

[Turbolift]

The Captain sighed and leaned against the walls of the turbolift. "It's times like this I have to wonder why I took this job."

Bridge

As the Captain left the Bridge and the XO was on her tour of the ship, Suzie, as the senior officer present, took over the centre seat. The crewman who had been working at the secondary Ops console, took over the primary one.

Suzie checked the details and basically kept an eye on things in case she needed to take action.

[Ashlynn Ren Morgaine]

[Bridge]

James smiled softly as Constance piped in. "Did she bug my bridge?" He laughed, paused, and then tapped his comm badge. You got it Addy. I'll catch up with you about it after I deal with this thing that apparently needs my attention. Carter quickly walked into the turbolift and waited for Ash to follow.

[Turbolift]

The Captain sighed and leaned against the walls of the turbolift. "It's times like this I have to wonder why I took this job."

[Bridge]

Ash couldn't help but laugh at James's comment, but she nearly choked when he addressed Constance as "Addy." Ash herself had never had the courage to address the woman as anything other than "Captain," even though she considered Constance to be a friend. She could picture the Admiral's reaction already. Straightening in discomfort, brow slightly furrowed, lips tight and almost imperceptibly turned down. The accurate image sent her into another small set of giggles as she followed James into the turbolift.

[Turbolift]

Ash mimicked Carter's stance on the other side of the turbolift, crossing her arms over her chest. "Times like what? Having to take the turbolift to check a thing? Taking directions from Constance? Being stuck talking to me? I don't see much change from your last position." Ash's tone was light and joking as she spoke.

[Selden Perren Mestral]

[Medical Bay - Caleb's Office]
"Thank you, sir," Arrun smiled a little and nodded his head as he was led out of the office. "I do appreciate the offer; no offense meant, but I hope we do not need to meet in an official capacity soon." His smile finally warmed a bit just then, if only a moment before he carried on out of the office and indeed the Medical Bay.

[Enroute to Flight Control]
It was a huge relief to finally be back on duty. Though, he was unlikely to have any assignments for little while, since he had been out of rotation for a while. As his thoughts turned to the Doctor, he was glad to meet someone who wasn't too forceful with the hypospray method or dismissive of his meditative exercises. In his short emergency aid courses, the Bajoran folk remedies did not meld well with a certain Vulcan's logical mindset of modern medicine. Arrun didn't solely rely on such remedies, his parents were not the spirital types themselves after all; but, he had found various chemical treatments for past mental ailments to do more harm to him then good; though, he understood why they were helpful for others. In Lt. Brighton's case, he seemed more the talk-it-out type, with a bit of mindfulness thrown in: it was, refreshing.

As he stepped into a turbolift he shook his head, "I certainly hope he hasn't suffered half as bad as I did." He muttered to himself while lost in thought. "Maybe I'll ask him one day." He stood there in the unmoving turbolift and blinked in confusion as to why is wasn't moving. "Oh! Deck 10!" He said aloud, glad no-one had seen his lapse in concentration.

[Deck 10 - Flight Control Center]
As Arrun stepped into the control center, he nodded to a couple pilots and maintenance crewmen. He then found a spare PADD laying around, after checking to ensure it wasn't being actively used by someone else, and began noting his thoughts periodically using Lt.Brighton's method. He then logged himself as active and checked the rotations of the roster. "Excuse me," Arrun asked a nearby crewman. "It says here a crewman Lissa Rose is on bridge duty?"

"Yes, sir." Arrun blinked at the crewmen until it clicked that he was a lieutenant now. He had almost grown accustomed to being called Ensign that it struck him odd. Protocol had Ensigns still called sir, like every other officer; but, in practice Ensigns were just called Ensigns; at least in Arrun's experience. "No hostile action going on, plus it's just an A to B flight; just logging in her hours."

"Oh, I have nothing wrong with the crewman having the spot; I just didn't recognize the name." Arrun pointed out.

"Very good, sir. Anything else I can help you with sir?"

"No, that's all, thank you crewman." He said as the crewmen quickly hurried off to whatever duty Arrun had held him up from.

Arrun then made himself useful by finding a station and looking over the steller cartography charts of the Sapienta's route ahead for the science outpost; it wasn't very complex work and would take him only a couple hours to recheck the notes and files regarding the area.

As he worked, the Department Head, one Lt. Ridgeline, came by Arrun's console.

"Nice to see you up and around, Arrun. You picked the lucky spot to be tonight." To which he laid down a PADD full of navigational data regarding sector A-5.

"I need you to look this sector over, see if anything stands out that shouldn't. Won't be heading there for a while, but better to be ahead of the game." To which he walked away with a smile at having passed off some rather heavy work.

Arrun's wish had been granted, from Medical Leave to buried in work. It was one thing to check the helm and nav-data on a warp route; it was another matter entirely to researching a whole Sector. A-5 wasn't a sector that sprung to Arrun's memory. Perhaps this is a combat patrol? Some sort of secret mission? Or even a false chart laid out to lure the Athena into danger!. Arrun blinked, then he sighed, and noted the stray thought into his PADD in bright yellow, noting in maroon: Unlikely, not all of space is out to get us; only parts of it. Arrun chuckled, much to the confusion of the others working hard in the Control Centre, before setting his PADD down beginning his studies: first the route ahead and then this Sector A-5.

Lissa arrived on the bridge, her hands fidgeting with mild nerves and anticipation. She calmed herself quickly with a few deep breaths and went to her post. Looking around, she noted the captain's absence. Seeing that Suzie was currently at the helm, Lissa gave a quick salute in the form of a nod before diving into her work.

Lissa looked over the maps, quickly checking the calculations and watching for any obstacles. Aside from the odd asteroid passing nearby, yet well away from the ship, the path was clear.So far, it looks like fair seas and smooth sailing she thought, smiling to herself.

Lissa relaxed a little bit, keeping a close eye on the ship's path.

[James Carter]

[Bridge]

Ash couldn't help but laugh at James's comment, but she nearly choked when he addressed Constance as "Addy." Ash herself had never had the courage to address the woman as anything other than "Captain," even though she considered Constance to be a friend. She could picture the Admiral's reaction already. Straightening in discomfort, brow slightly furrowed, lips tight and almost imperceptibly turned down. The accurate image sent her into another small set of giggles as she followed James into the turbolift.

[Turbolift]

Ash mimicked Carter's stance on the other side of the turbolift, crossing her arms over her chest. "Times like what? Having to take the turbolift to check a thing? Taking directions from Constance? Being stuck talking to me? I don't see much change from your last position." Ash's tone was light and joking as she spoke.

[Turbolift]

James laughed slightly as he shook his head. "No, none of that. The downtime. It's so rare to actually get to breathe on this job. I wake up and have a hundred things to do before I start shift and by the time I'm done with work it's time to sleep." He sighed again as the door slid open. "Back to work 'ey?"

[Containment]

Before James could make it all the way through the door an officer met him with a worried look on his face. "Sir....we have a problem. Are you sure you want a civilian around?"

"She wouldn't be with me if I didn't trust her with my life. What is it Jeffries?" Carter asked bluntly.

Jeffries looked first to Ash and then back to the Captain. "Sir...one of the creatures we're hauling got out of containment and we have no idea where it's gone. The problem is...this species can breed into anything in it's food chain. If it has gotten far enough...who knows what kind of infestation we might have on our hands."

Carter looked directly over to Ash and then back to Jeffries. "Alright, when did it get out. If it was recent it's likely still on the deck."

"We don't know sir. We're just not sure. It was unattended for roughly an hour when it disappeared." The man looked down shamefully before looking back to the captain.

Carter nodded for a second and tapped his comments badge. Attention all senior officers. This is Captain James Carter. I need you all to immediately report to the briefing room. I repeat. All senior officer to the briefing room
Carter looked directly at Jeffries with an annoyed look and shook his head. "I'll deal with all of you once all of this is fixed."

[Arrun Dihsar]

[Deck 10 - Flight Control Center]

Just as Arrun was getting into the workflow of getting quickly through his examination of the course ahead, Lt. Ridgeline tapped him on the shoulder. "Commander is calling a senior staff meeting at the briefing room, I'm sending you in my place. We need the Sector charts worked out ASAP before the Admiral starts asking what's taking so long." He then motioned with his head. "Off you go, I'll work on this, go on." He said with a dismissive wave that gave Arrun little time to object or argue. He was not about to argue protocol with a superior officer, especially after getting off medical leave only recently. Maybe he should, prove his mettle and pride. He wouldn't be bossed around by some bureaucrat Arrun blinked a few times at the thought.

"Yes sir." Was all he said as he grabbed his PADD, noted the time and the rogue thought, and tucked it under his arm and strode purposefully from Flight Control to the briefing room.

[Enroute to...Briefing Room?]
When Arrun got to the turbolift, he began to call out the deck when he realized he wasn't entirely sure where the briefing room was. He had yet to memorize the deck layout, aside from his duty stations such as the bridge, the shuttlebay, and flight control. Luckily he had his PADD with him and he quickly looked up where the room even was.

"Oh Deck 1," he muttered. "Senior officers meeting, where else would it be, Lieutenant?" He muttered as a fellow officer stepped into the Turbolift and gave him a raised eyebrow before calling out the deck they were heading to.

"Deck 1 Lieutenant?" The officer queried of Arrun, noting the man hadn't called out where he wanted to go yet.

"Yes, Deck 1." Arrun was a little embarrassed, but Arrun had learned the crew of the Athena were surprisingly used to their officers acting strangely; if only by matters of degree. Then again, from what little Arrun had read of the ship's logs: a Bajoran muttering to himself was not the strangest thing the ship's crew had seen in its tours.

[Deck 1 - Bridge]

Arrun stepped out onto the Bridge and was puzzled for a moment. He looked around the room and nodded politely to Lt. Venator and Crewman Rose.

"Excuse me Lieutenant Venator, " he said to the Ops officer in the command chair; a familiar face he interacted with both when on bridge duty and shuttle duty. "Just making my way to the briefing room." he said by way of explaining why he was on the bridge when he wasn't even on duty. He hadn't been to the bridge in a while, but did not want to confuse the crewman or Venator at his accidental presence in the room,

He then spotted the briefing room door and crossed the bridge to enter. Trying his best not to show his embarrassment at accidentally turbolifting to the bridge instead of the briefing room. Computers were only as smart as the user let them be, even on a newer ship like the the Athena.

[Deck 1 - Briefing Room]
When Arrun arrived he stood near the door in some low-level daze. He had never been in the briefing room before; usually making his way straight to the bridge and back to his post in the flight control center as needed. The room seemed much larger than he imagined. Then again, it was the table that saw all the high level meetings aboard ship. Not a place a junior pilot usually had any business being at. But, orders were orders, even if he did feel out of place and was sure to feel more so when the rest of the senior staff arrived.

Rather then stand and block the door, he decided to find a seat as far from the windows and presumably the Captain's chair. He then took out his PADD and began pulling up various files on the flight status of the Athena, its shuttle complement, and the status of the flight roster crew. The names and figures helped him not focus so much on where he was and more on what he was supposed to be doing. There were any number of reasons for a senior staff meeting. From mundane ship-wide announcements for some event or another; to the fantastic like a new species or strange anomaly; or the ship was soon going to be under attack and they didn't want to panic anyone with a Red Alert.

Arrun blinked, quickly tabbed over to his Mental Health file, noted the rogue thought, then went back to reviewing his actual work.

[Katheryn Brighton]

Attention all senior officers. This is Captain James Carter. I need you all to immediately report to the briefing room. I repeat. All senior officer to the briefing room

[Main Security]

After going through the inventory, Katheryn was able to compile a list of supplies her department would need once the ship restocked but until then they would be able to manage with what they already had unless there was an extreme emergency but if that happened then she knew her teams were sufficient enough not to waste anything. Once that was sent off to the XO, she sat back for a moment to read the first of many reports that had been brought to her. However had only just started when the call from the Captain came through and quickly placed the PADD back onto her desk before getting up and leaving her office, issuing orders as she made her way out of Security and into a nearby turbolift.

[Briefing Room]

The journey to Deck 1 hadn't taken very long and Katheryn was out of the lift as soon as the doors had opened and of course she was curious as to why the senior officers had been called to the Briefing Room so urgently but would find out soon enough and knew that whatever the reason her department would be ready.

Acknowledging those on the Bridge that she knew before walking the short distance to the Briefing Room and went inside and spotted Lt Arrun sat at the table. " Hello Lieutenant, congratulations on your promotion" she said politely as she found her usual seat and sat down.

[Ashlynn Ren Morgaine]

[Turbolift]

James laughed slightly as he shook his head. "No, none of that. The downtime. It's so rare to actually get to breathe on this job. I wake up and have a hundred things to do before I start shift and by the time I'm done with work it's time to sleep." He sighed again as the door slid open. "Back to work 'ey?"

[Containment]

Before James could make it all the way through the door an officer met him with a worried look on his face. "Sir....we have a problem. Are you sure you want a civilian around?"

"She wouldn't be with me if I didn't trust her with my life. What is it Jeffries?" Carter asked bluntly.

Jeffries looked first to Ash and then back to the Captain. "Sir...one of the creatures we're hauling got out of containment and we have no idea where it's gone. The problem is...this species can breed into anything in it's food chain. If it has gotten far enough...who knows what kind of infestation we might have on our hands."

Carter looked directly over to Ash and then back to Jeffries. "Alright, when did it get out. If it was recent it's likely still on the deck."

"We don't know sir. We're just not sure. It was unattended for roughly an hour when it disappeared." The man looked down shamefully before looking back to the captain.

Carter nodded for a second and tapped his comments badge. Attention all senior officers. This is Captain James Carter. I need you all to immediately report to the briefing room. I repeat. All senior officer to the briefing room
Carter looked directly at Jeffries with an annoyed look and shook his head. "I'll deal with all of you once all of this is fixed."

[Containment]

As soon as the officer started speaking, Ash visibly cringed and closed her eyes. I'm not even being nosy, and somehow I STILL run into trouble. James's response made her open her eyes and smiled faintly, but her attention was on Jeffries, the bearer of bad news. As he explained the situation, Ash paled slightly and subconsciously wrapped her arms around her stomach.

She waited for Carter to finish speaking, then asked the officer hesitantly, as if she wasn't sure she wanted to know the answer, "What counts as this creature's food chain?... And when you say that it can 'breed into anything' in it... what do you mean... exactly?" Ash didn't remove her arms from where they were wrapped around herself, and it didn't look like she was going to anytime soon. It seemed like the longer the officer spoke, the more color leeched from her face.

[James Carter]

[Containment]

As soon as the officer started speaking, Ash visibly cringed and closed her eyes. I'm not even being nosy, and somehow I STILL run into trouble. James's response made her open her eyes and smiled faintly, but her attention was on Jeffries, the bearer of bad news. As he explained the situation, Ash paled slightly and subconsciously wrapped her arms around her stomach.

She waited for Carter to finish speaking, then asked the officer hesitantly, as if she wasn't sure she wanted to know the answer, "What counts as this creature's food chain?... And when you say that it can 'breed into anything' in it... what do you mean... exactly?" Ash didn't remove her arms from where they were wrapped around herself, and it didn't look like she was going to anytime soon. It seemed like the longer the officer spoke, the more color leeched from her face.

[Containment]

"Well...pretty much all the creatures we brought on board are a part of that food chain. Actually....all of them are. The current hypothesis is that the creature evolved so that they can breed with all of the creatures inside of its direct ecosystem. One of the experiments we wanted to try when we got to the station was introducing species outside of it's ecosystem to see how it responded." Jeffries replied timidly as he grabbed a PADD from a table near them and handed it to the captain. "Everything we know about it is on that PADD sir."

Carter considered berating the team openly for the obvious blunder, but instead decided that he would deal with whoever was supposed to be on duty at the time in private. "Thank you Jeffries. Put containment on lockdown. Once Ash and I are out of the room, nothing leaves the room until we've docked. We don't need this getting any worse." He turned directly to Ash, a mild annoyance spread across his face and motioned to the door.

[Briefing Room]

James entered to the surprise sight that only two of his senior officers had beat him into the meeting. "Thank you both for coming so quickly. Once everyone else has arrived we'll begin." His voice was flat, like he was attempting to imitate his former commanding officer. Lieutenant Brighton, Lieutenant Venator, Commander Naria, Crewman Rose, Crewman Curgh, and Admiral Lafayette. Please report to the briefing room as quickly as you can. His voice could easily relay the urgency of the situation but was still in a flat and professional tone that he rarely used.

[Susan Venator]

[Briefing Room]

James entered to the surprise sight that only two of his senior officers had beat him into the meeting. "Thank you both for coming so quickly. Once everyone else has arrived we'll begin." His voice was flat, like he was attempting to imitate his former commanding officer. Lieutenant Brighton, Lieutenant Venator, Commander Naria, Crewman Rose, Crewman Curgh, and Admiral Lafayette. Please report to the briefing room as quickly as you can. His voice could easily relay the urgency of the situation but was still in a flat and professional tone that he rarely used.

Bridge

Suzie was still seated in the centre chair when the com came through. she immedately activated the com-system.

On my way Captain. Venator out!.

Suzie nodded at the next senior person on the Bridge.

"You have the Bridge." She said formally as she got up and made her way to the briefing room.

Briefing Room

Suzie entered the Briefing room and nodded to Carter in greeting.

"Captain." She said, before taking her seat abut half way down the table.

[Caleb Brighton]

[ Medical Bay ]

Caleb made sure Arrun was out safely and on his way. He was glad the phasers were gone quickly and there was a note left of his PADD. He quickly read it and would respond accordingly. He was a bit busy at the moment and not at his desk so planing was not an option.

He had one more quick morning huddle. Since the latest chaos, he elected Wendy, Alphose, and Edward as senior staff under him. Though he was overall authority, he trusted them to run surgeries without him. Alphonse seemed to have a real knack for neuro-surgeries.

Carter nodded for a second and tapped his comments badge. Attention all senior officers. This is Captain James Carter. I need you all to immediately report to the briefing room. I repeat. All senior officer to the briefing room

Not being able to reply for a moment, He directed everyone to Wendy who would finish the briefing. He ran to his office to get his PADD to make his way briskly to the briefing room. He made a quick nod to his staff who were under way with their normal routines. Maybe a bit or normalcy would be good, but then again this was the Athena and changing into a woman was just a walk in the park. He thought to the photo they took together back when it happened. It made him chuckle.

[ Turbolift ]

Caleb was a bit irritated the lift took longer than normal. He shook his head. Though he was a bit lax when it came to time with his staff, though it rarely happened that anyone was late, he wanted to make sure he did his job properly as the new CMO.

Lieutenant Brighton, Lieutenant Venator, Commander Naria, Crewman Rose, Crewman Curgh, and Admiral Lafayette. Please report to the briefing room as quickly as you can. His voice could easily relay the urgency of the situation but was still in a flat and professional tone that he rarely used.

He shook his head and then tapped his combadge. "Aye sir. I am a lift now. Seems it got caught up with something. I will be over shortly." He then became a bit more impatient, but knew he was only a short bit away from his destination.

[Deck 1 - Briefing Room]

Caleb breathed a sigh of relief when he got to Deck 1. He made his way past the bridge, giving a acknowledging nod toward anyone whom he passed or greeted him. He made his way into the room with a stoic face. He wanted to be professional, but he smiled when he saw his beloved in the room. He gave her a quick nod and prepared his mind for the meeting ahead. He then sat down at one of the chairs. He knew the captain would want to get things going quickly.

[Naira]

Attention all senior officers. This is Captain James Carter. I need you all to immediately report to the briefing room. I repeat. All senior officer to the briefing room.

[Main Engineering]

Naira had been still talking with the crewman when the call came in over the comm badge. "Excuse me Crewman," she said as she turned away from him.

To her knowledge, they had no planned meeting of the senior staff on the agenda for today, so this meeting was being put together spur the moment. She took a deep breath, held it for a second and then exhaled. She turned her back to the warp core and made her way back towards the turbolift she had come from.

[Turbolift]

During what should have been a quick ride up to Deck 1, the turbolift had to stop to let two flight crewmen off on their way to the shuttle bay, pick up both the Chief Engineer and Chief Science Officer, and reshuffle to let a number of people come and go from their crew quarters and the mess hall. By the time they reached Deck 1, Naira was glad to be free of the confined space and looking forward to sitting down for a moment and hearing whatever urgent news the Captain had to say.

[Briefing Room]

James entered to the surprise sight that only two of his senior officers had beat him into the meeting. "Thank you both for coming so quickly. Once everyone else has arrived we'll begin." His voice was flat, like he was attempting to imitate his former commanding officer. Lieutenant Brighton, Lieutenant Venator, Commander Naria, Crewman Rose, Crewman Curgh, and Admiral Lafayette. Please report to the briefing room as quickly as you can. His voice could easily relay the urgency of the situation but was still in a flat and professional tone that he rarely used.

We'll be there in a moment Sir.

She relayed the message while crossing the bridge on her way to the briefing room. The Chief Engineer and Science Officer were right behind her.

[Briefing Room]

Naira nodded to those already seated or standing about the room as she entered and took her seat. Only about half of those assembled could she identify by name. Some, based on their rank, clearly weren't senior officers, but she assumed that the Captain had a very good reason for why he had asked all of them to attend this meeting.

"Sorry for the holdup. It seems the turbolifts can get quite congested during a shift change. What is it you want to discuss Captain?"

[Constance Lafayette]

[Briefing Room]

Constance arrived a short time after Jame's call, her nose buried in a PADD. She'd taken to reading PADDs again despite her implant- it wasn't high capacity enough for what she needed and the PADD still "felt" right.

Without looking up the small woman gave a nod, "Captain. I trust the reason you called was essential to the function of this ship." She said dryly, though without judgement. She actually did trust his judgement and knew if James was calling her here it was important- demanding her full attention. So, with that, she gave it to him.

[Selden Perren Mestral]

[Containment]

"Well...pretty much all the creatures we brought on board are a part of that food chain. Actually....all of them are. The current hypothesis is that the creature evolved so that they can breed with all of the creatures inside of its direct ecosystem. One of the experiments we wanted to try when we got to the station was introducing species outside of it's ecosystem to see how it responded." Jeffries replied timidly as he grabbed a PADD from a table near them and handed it to the captain. "Everything we know about it is on that PADD sir."

Carter considered berating the team openly for the obvious blunder, but instead decided that he would deal with whoever was supposed to be on duty at the time in private. "Thank you Jeffries. Put containment on lockdown. Once Ash and I are out of the room, nothing leaves the room until we've docked. We don't need this getting any worse." He turned directly to Ash, a mild annoyance spread across his face and motioned to the door.

[Briefing Room]

James entered to the surprise sight that only two of his senior officers had beat him into the meeting. "Thank you both for coming so quickly. Once everyone else has arrived we'll begin." His voice was flat, like he was attempting to imitate his former commanding officer. Lieutenant Brighton, Lieutenant Venator, Commander Naria, Crewman Rose, Crewman Curgh, and Admiral Lafayette. Please report to the briefing room as quickly as you can. His voice could easily relay the urgency of the situation but was still in a flat and professional tone that he rarely used.

Lissa looked up from her work with a quick jolt.  =/\=I'll be there soon, sir.   She made her way to the briefing room with a half jogging pace she had developed trying to keep up with her father at the docks, while her mind raced with questions.

[Briefing Room]

Lissa walked in, scanning the scene quickly. Giving a quick salute to her superiors, she quietly stood to the side. Looking over at the captain, she felt a sense of apprehension and curiosity rising in her. She shuffled her feet nervously, wondering what the crew was about to face.

[Ashlynn Ren Morgaine]

[Containment]

"Well...pretty much all the creatures we brought on board are a part of that food chain. Actually....all of them are. The current hypothesis is that the creature evolved so that they can breed with all of the creatures inside of its direct ecosystem. One of the experiments we wanted to try when we got to the station was introducing species outside of it's ecosystem to see how it responded." Jeffries replied timidly as he grabbed a PADD from a table near them and handed it to the captain. "Everything we know about it is on that PADD sir."

Carter considered berating the team openly for the obvious blunder, but instead decided that he would deal with whoever was supposed to be on duty at the time in private. "Thank you Jeffries. Put containment on lockdown. Once Ash and I are out of the room, nothing leaves the room until we've docked. We don't need this getting any worse." He turned directly to Ash, a mild annoyance spread across his face and motioned to the door.

[Briefing Room]

James entered to the surprise sight that only two of his senior officers had beat him into the meeting. "Thank you both for coming so quickly. Once everyone else has arrived we'll begin." His voice was flat, like he was attempting to imitate his former commanding officer. Lieutenant Brighton, Lieutenant Venator, Commander Naria, Crewman Rose, Crewman Curgh, and Admiral Lafayette. Please report to the briefing room as quickly as you can. His voice could easily relay the urgency of the situation but was still in a flat and professional tone that he rarely used.

[Containment]

Ash visibly relaxed at the officer's explanation. It was still a terrible situation, but her mind had - for some reason - expected him to say that humans fell into their food chain as well. I've been reading too many horror stories lately. She allowed her arms to fall back to her side, and as James gestured to the door, she followed with a slight nod.

[Briefing Room]

Ash stood along the edge of the room, silently observing as people started arriving. James hadn't really invited her... But technically he also didn't send her away, so Ash took that as permission to join. As strange as it was for a civilian to be present for a senior staff briefing, however, it wasn't Ash's first time by far. Thanks to unusual choices of the command leadership (and maybe a little bit of her poking her nose where it didn't belong) the Athena's mess hall manager had been involved in several briefings over her time on the ship. The officers familiar to the Athena didn't even bat an eye at her presence.

Ash remained standing back from the table as the doctor, the new Commander, a few straggling department heads, and finally Admiral Lafayette joined the room. Ash would have offered Constance a smile, but the woman was eye-deep in a PADD, working as always. After she spoke, Ash looked to James and waited for him to explain the situation to everyone.

[Arrun Dihsar]

[Briefing Room]

[Briefing Room]
Acknowledging those on the Bridge that she knew before walking the short distance to the Briefing Room and went inside and spotted Lt Arrun sat at the table. "Hello Lieutenant, congratulations on your promotion" she said politely as she found her usual seat and sat down.

"Thank you, Lieutenant." Arrun said with a smile and a nod. He hadn't interacted with the Security Chief much, not since he was debriefed after the Krem incident, but she seemed a nice enough person; for what little he knew of her. "Do you know what this is about, ma'am?" He queried, partly to get his head out of his PADD and partly because a little yellow voice thought she might know about anything the was dangerous to the ship and Arrun.

[Briefing Room]
James entered to the surprise sight that only two of his senior officers had beat him into the meeting. "Thank you both for coming so quickly. Once everyone else has arrived we'll begin." His voice was flat, like he was attempting to imitate his former commanding officer. Lieutenant Brighton, Lieutenant Venator, Commander Naria, Crewman Rose, Crewman Curgh, and Admiral Lafayette. Please report to the briefing room as quickly as you can. His voice could easily relay the urgency of the situation but was still in a flat and professional tone that he rarely used.

Arrun stood when Command- Captain Carter arrived, "Captain." He said out of Academy-fresh formality. Anouther officer who he had some level of debrief but otherwise little personal interaction. Though, if the Admiral had placed him as acting Captain, he was an officer well worth taking seriously in any regard.

Briefing Room
Suzie entered the Briefing room and nodded to Carter in greeting.

"Captain." She said, before taking her seat abut half way down the table.

Arrun was beginning to think the senior staff rarely showed to senior staff meetings. Then again, Arrun was once told that the more senior you get the more meetings and so-called paperwork you had to do. The Bajoran supposed, considering how busy the Athena was on a day-to-day, that any amount of extra time to do work while still being apprised of the ship's status was time well spent. Perhaps Lt. Ridgeline isn't the officious beaurucrat I thought he was; must be hard to get work done. He thought.

[Deck 1 - Briefing Room]

Caleb breathed a sigh of relief when he got to Deck 1. He made his way past the bridge, giving a acknowledging nod toward anyone whom he passed or greeted him. He made his way into the room with a stoic face. He wanted to be professional, but he smiled when he saw his beloved in the room. He gave her a quick nod and prepared his mind for the meeting ahead. He then sat down at one of the chairs. He knew the captain would want to get things going quickly.

Arrun smiled a little at the loving look the Doctor gave the Security Chief. Arrun had heard that love bloomed aboard ship as much as on station; especially in Starfleet. His own parents having met much the same way. He had wished to have been well enough to go to their engagement celebration; if only to support them morally. But now was not the time for regrets, he needed to focus on the task at hand; much as they were now.

Seeing as more and more of the officers were taking their seats, Arrun took the hint that he should sit down. Nodding in greeting to the Doctor before tapping at his PADD to make some notes regarding the file.

[Briefing Room]

Naira nodded to those already seated or standing about the room as she entered and took her seat. Only about half of those assembled could she identify by name. Some, based on their rank, clearly weren't senior officers, but she assumed that the Captain had a very good reason for why he had asked all of them to attend this meeting.

"Sorry for the holdup. It seems the turbolifts can get quite congested during a shift change. What is it you want to discuss Captain?"

Arrun blinked at seeing an Orion in a Starfleet uniform. He hadn't met very many and mostly read about the species. Of special note in flight class he learned that Orions, in general, were adept at adapting whatever they needed for whatever they wanted. The commander's pips and command red struck him into a professional mindset. As he had been told many times in childhood, anyone wearing the uniform earned it and deserved respect. So he said nothing and wrote out his surprise in his mental health PADD file, followed by why he had to keep himself in order.

[Briefing Room]

Constance arrived a short time after Jame's call, her nose buried in a PADD. She'd taken to reading PADDs again despite her implant- it wasn't high capacity enough for what she needed and the PADD still "felt" right.

Without looking up the small woman gave a nod, "Captain. I trust the reason you called was essential to the function of this ship." She said dryly, though without judgement. She actually did trust his judgement and knew if James was calling her here it was important- demanding her full attention. So, with that, she gave it to him.

Arrun stood when the Admiral entered the room, he hadn't expected her to appear; in fact, hadn't seen her for some time. He suddenly felt much relieved to not be the only one buried in a PADD. He refrained from saying anything to her by way of greeting, since she was talking with the Captain and looked a little busy for formality. Instead, he chose to take his seat once again, his gesture of respect for the upper ranks satisfactory to what had been drilled into him years ago.

[Briefing Room]

Lissa walked in, scanning the scene quickly. Giving a quick salute to her superiors, she quietly stood to the side. Looking over at the captain, she felt a sense of apprehension and curiosity rising in her. She shuffled her feet nervously, wondering what the crew was about to face.

Arrun blinked once again, though this time at seeing crewman Rose at the meeting; even though the Captain had called for her. Arrun was beginning to suspect something very serious or very strange was going on. He nodded at the the Crewman's gestures of respect with approval; completely understanding any unease she would be feeling. If HE was nervous as an officer, he couldn't imagine being a crewman and being faced with a room full of officers. Likely, she was handling it better the he would have in her place.

[Briefing Room]

Ash stood along the edge of the room, silently observing as people started arriving. James hadn't really invited her... But technically he also didn't send her away, so Ash took that as permission to join. As strange as it was for a civilian to be present for a senior staff briefing, however, it wasn't Ash's first time by far. Thanks to unusual choices of the command leadership (and maybe a little bit of her poking her nose where it didn't belong) the Athena's mess hall manager had been involved in several briefings over her time on the ship. The officers familiar to the Athena didn't even bat an eye at her presence.

Ash remained standing back from the table as the doctor, the new Commander, a few straggling department heads, and finally Admiral Lafayette joined the room. Ash would have offered Constance a smile, but the woman was eye-deep in a PADD, working as always. After she spoke, Ash looked to James and waited for him to explain the situation to everyone.

Arrun's head tilted slightly in great confusion to see...what was her name...Ashlynn Ren Morgaine, the Mess Hall Manager at the meeting. When he looked around the room and saw he was the only one confused, he said nothing on the matter. He had met her a few times in the Mess Hall, especially with his medical leave forcing him to do anything BUT work; so he availed himself of the Mess Hall's foods and drink he wouldn't normally get to have while being ready for flight duty. He recalled having almost ran over her in a hallway during the Krem incident, before it all went so wrong. He wondered if he had just chatted with her instead of hurrying about so much if he...enough of that, time to focus on the present, he chided himself mentally. Dwelling was going to get him nowhere. Instead, he marked his own thought into his PADD under mental health and returned his attention to the Captain and Admiral.