03-17-2026, 02:52 AM
The doors hissed open and Jenny strode in, thunderous expression on her face, muttering barely-audible curses targeted at Cardassians, politicians, and people with gold braid on their uniforms. She did not take her seat when she arrived, instead simply plugging her PADD into the terminal and activating the holoprojector. As the lights dimmed, the projector displayed a starmap showing the border region of Federation and Talarian space, the latter having a note underneath stating that it remained under Cardassian occupation. The map automatically zoomed in to a specific area along the border, upon which a blue marker appeared labelled "Starbase 214" - the very base the Yeager had departed when embarking on her journey to the Wairara system.
"Last night, Starfleet Command received a priority one distress signal from Starbase 214. The report was garbled by local jamming, but reports that a Cardassian fleet has effectively blockaded the system."
Jenny took a moment to let that sink in; blockading a system was an act of war against the inhabitants of that system or the star nation or empire it belonged to. Blockading a military and humanitarian outpost like a Starbase just added yet another layer of sabre-rattling.
"This morning, the Cardassian Ambassador delivered a communique that stated that the Cardassian ships are there to prevent, and I quote, 'the free movement of Talarian terrorists across the border and the continued supply of weapons and equipment provided by the Federation.' While I can't discuss Starfleet's support of the Talarian Resistance, it would appear that once again the Cardassian Union is blaming us for not being able to keep its own territories in line - we saw it thirty years ago with the Maquis in the Demilitarised Zone, and now we're seeing it in occupied Talarian space."
Pulling her PADD from the terminal, the holoprojection faded and the lights returned to a normal brightness.
"Starfleet Command has issued a warning to all vessels in the area to be aware of potential Cardassian activity in the area, but to take no action except in self defence. The Federation Council is desperate to avoid another shooting incident with the Cardassians, and so far the Cardassians themselves appear content to sit in a blockade formation and wait. That said, we can't assume they're going to continue to wait around - Starbase 214 isn't on a main shipping lane, but it's close enough that those ships are a direct threat to commercial traffic, and taking a few merchantmen would be a fantastic way to pressure the Federation into turning over any Talarians on the station; Resistance members or not."
Pulling out her chair for the first time, Jenny slowly slid into her seat and rested her arms on the table.
"I want to take the Yeager into sensor range of the system and get a good look at those ships and their deployment. If Starfleet decides to send a relief force or someone decides to stage a breakout, that reconnaissance data will be vital. Arwen, Jadaris, I want proposals for how to increase our sensor range and sensitivity while also minimising our own sensor profile. Peter, Artemis, I want the Security teams drilling for potential boarding actions - offensive and defensive. Pax, I want a complete inventory of medical supplies; if someone tries to run that blockade they're going to need medical attention if they make it out the other side."
Jenny's face curled into something resembling distaste as if she had a bad taste in her mouth, indicating that she was about to say something she really did not want to.
"Flint...I want you to try and track down the Disreputable Damsel. If she's still in the area, it's possible that our old friend Obadiah has information we might not have access to."
Sitting back in her chair slightly, Jenny looked between her officers, including two who still needed promoting but who Jenny simply hadn't found the time to arrange yet.
"Questions?"
"Last night, Starfleet Command received a priority one distress signal from Starbase 214. The report was garbled by local jamming, but reports that a Cardassian fleet has effectively blockaded the system."
Jenny took a moment to let that sink in; blockading a system was an act of war against the inhabitants of that system or the star nation or empire it belonged to. Blockading a military and humanitarian outpost like a Starbase just added yet another layer of sabre-rattling.
"This morning, the Cardassian Ambassador delivered a communique that stated that the Cardassian ships are there to prevent, and I quote, 'the free movement of Talarian terrorists across the border and the continued supply of weapons and equipment provided by the Federation.' While I can't discuss Starfleet's support of the Talarian Resistance, it would appear that once again the Cardassian Union is blaming us for not being able to keep its own territories in line - we saw it thirty years ago with the Maquis in the Demilitarised Zone, and now we're seeing it in occupied Talarian space."
Pulling her PADD from the terminal, the holoprojection faded and the lights returned to a normal brightness.
"Starfleet Command has issued a warning to all vessels in the area to be aware of potential Cardassian activity in the area, but to take no action except in self defence. The Federation Council is desperate to avoid another shooting incident with the Cardassians, and so far the Cardassians themselves appear content to sit in a blockade formation and wait. That said, we can't assume they're going to continue to wait around - Starbase 214 isn't on a main shipping lane, but it's close enough that those ships are a direct threat to commercial traffic, and taking a few merchantmen would be a fantastic way to pressure the Federation into turning over any Talarians on the station; Resistance members or not."
Pulling out her chair for the first time, Jenny slowly slid into her seat and rested her arms on the table.
"I want to take the Yeager into sensor range of the system and get a good look at those ships and their deployment. If Starfleet decides to send a relief force or someone decides to stage a breakout, that reconnaissance data will be vital. Arwen, Jadaris, I want proposals for how to increase our sensor range and sensitivity while also minimising our own sensor profile. Peter, Artemis, I want the Security teams drilling for potential boarding actions - offensive and defensive. Pax, I want a complete inventory of medical supplies; if someone tries to run that blockade they're going to need medical attention if they make it out the other side."
Jenny's face curled into something resembling distaste as if she had a bad taste in her mouth, indicating that she was about to say something she really did not want to.
"Flint...I want you to try and track down the Disreputable Damsel. If she's still in the area, it's possible that our old friend Obadiah has information we might not have access to."
Sitting back in her chair slightly, Jenny looked between her officers, including two who still needed promoting but who Jenny simply hadn't found the time to arrange yet.
"Questions?"