Sven Aune
Security & Tactical
[TI23]
Posts: 378 Likes: 23 
Rank: Lieutenant Commander
Position: Chief of Security. Combat Engineer
Species: Human
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Post by Sven Aune on Mar 2, 2021 18:39:34 GMT
| Docking bay 2 -> Captain Eastman's office || Sherry X. | Sherry, dressed in a sleek red cocktail dress, garnished with red sequins, polished jet black high heels and a small red clasp bag dangling from one arm took a few steps off the private transport. A Raven Class Federation ship called the Jewel of the Eye. Behind her stood her porter. A tall muscular woman, with a hawkish face and sharp eyes. She picked up the two heavy, overpacked suit cases with relative ease and kept exactly 2 paces behind the eccentric woman. The porter was dressed in a simple black, sleeveless tunic, matching shorts and a pair of combat boots. Sherry dug around in her bag, pulled out a long thin cigarette holder. The mouth piece was made of gold, the slender tube of black obsidian tipped at the end with ivory. She clamped it between her teeth then remembered that there was a smoking ban in the general station. "Uggh." she scoffed as she put her holder away. "Can't smoke on that dammed ship. Can't smoke on this dammed station. What do these people want? To live forever or something?"Her porter was silent. "You know where to take that stuff. Have it set up when I drop by the room in a few hours."Her porter nodded and walked off in long strides. Sherry stood there and looked about. She really needed a hit of nicotine. And especially before seeing the station captain. There was no time. She boarded the turbolift. "Take me to Miss Eastman's office, you confounded contraption."The lift began its speedy journey and before long the woman was standing in front of the Captain's private office. "Well?" she tapped her foot. "Notify her that I'm standing here."The door did not respond. She rolled her eyes. "Backwards frontier station." She pushed the call button Tag Judith Eastman |
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Judith Eastman
Civilian
Grandma
Posts: 2,593 Likes: 84
Rank: Civilian/other
Position: Civil Servant
Species: Human
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Post by Judith Eastman on Mar 2, 2021 21:59:16 GMT
[NPC - PO3 Roland L. Jenkins - Antechamber to the Commanding Officer's Office, Front Ear Station]With Mabel working on a long-term project with security, and the Captain spending quality time with her daughter, Jenkins was alone in the office, tending to admin work. And then, the chime rang. He pushed a button, and the door opened to the antechamber. "Can I help you, ma'am?" he asked the woman outside, whose attitude already alarmed him.
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[Capt. Judith Eastman(-Williams) & Anna Eastman Williams - Gym, Front Ear Station]Since Anna made a bad wager on a game of chess, mother-daughter time had moved to the station gym for a bit. At present, the two women were occupying a pair of exercise bikes. "Come on, kiddo. My bubbe can do better than this," Judy teased, referring to the supercentenarian Estelle and to Anna's low resistance level. "Actually, I don't think she's worked out since before I was born," Anna protested, even as she raised the resistance level. She truly was trying to take it easy on herself, but her mother's eagle eyes saw all. "You'd be surprised."
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Sven Aune
Security & Tactical
[TI23]
Posts: 378 Likes: 23
Rank: Lieutenant Commander
Position: Chief of Security. Combat Engineer
Species: Human
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Post by Sven Aune on Mar 3, 2021 2:46:01 GMT
|Eastman's Office || Sherry X.|
Sherry looked down upon the seated Jenkins. Annoyed that she wasn't recognized. She fished in her purse for a moment, clenching the cigerette holder between her teeth and pulled out a PADD. The device had a protection case, black, with gold trim and a gold leaf design on the back.
She set the thing down upon the desk and pushed it towards the poor man with a long, French manicured fingernail. "I have an appointment with Miss Eastman at fifteen hundred." he gave the man a cool look. "I didn't just travel half the known galaxy in what I would call the collective equivalence of a shoebox for nothing. When can I go in?"
The Eye of the Jewel, though chartered, did not come at a cheap price. Then again, the woman was used to traveling in her own private space yacht. She lit the end of her cigerette, not giving a care that she was breaking the rules. What was the point of fines, if one didn't have to pay them every once in a while. She took a deep drag, held the smoke in her lungs as the nicotine worked its magic then slowly exhaled. She did so with great care turning her head to the side as not to breath on Jenkins.
"I'm waiting..."
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Judith Eastman
Civilian
Grandma
Posts: 2,593 Likes: 84
Rank: Civilian/other
Position: Civil Servant
Species: Human
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Post by Judith Eastman on Mar 3, 2021 3:21:51 GMT
[NPC - PO3 Roland L. Jenkins - Antechamber to the Commanding Officer's Office]Roland was sure the Captain's schedule was empty, but he checked it anyway, and sure enough, it was empty. He just wished his nostrils were less empty, as he was hit with the smell of cigarettes. Such a barbaric, outdated practice. "Put that away, or I'll call security, and you can meet the Captain in the Brig," he threatened, and then focused back on getting the obnoxious woman her desired subject. "Smoking in her office isn't something she stands for.""Ma'am, Captain Eastman doesn't have any appointments on her schedule, but I'll check with her," he said, and then tapped his own commbadge. =A= "Jenkins to Eastman. Captain, there's a woman here insistent she has an appointment with you at 1500 hours," =A= the exasperated young man reported.
[Capt. Judith Eastman(-Williams) & Anna Eastman Williams - Gym, Front Ear Station]Judy took a hand off the handle of her exercise bike, to tap her combadge on her lime-green sports bra. =A= "I'm pretty sure my schedule is empty, but I'll be right there. Eastman out," =A= she answered, and then looked over to her daughter. "Well, looks like you earned a reprieve, kiddo. Go choose a board game, and I will destroy you as soon as this is squared away," she directed. "Good luck, Mom," Anna replied, accepting this opportunity to bail out. She was fine with exercise, but her mother could be so judgemental, and the older woman seemed to flaunt her own fitness to guilt her daughter into trying harder. The women parted, Judy jogging to the turbolift, while Anna made a stop at the water fountain. In the lime-green sports bra and leggings set she wore, with a towel draped over her shoulders, Judy was certainly showing off, but far from an effort at guilting her daughter, it was the pride of a woman who, despite 3 pregnancies, 2 heart attacks, and a husband who made excellent pastries, had kept it tight for so long.
[NPC - PO3 Roland L. Jenkins - Antechamber to the Commanding Officer's Office]Roland was visibly relieved that his Captain was coming to save him. "Captain Eastman will come to see you, ma'am," he reported.
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Sven Aune
Security & Tactical
[TI23]
Posts: 378 Likes: 23
Rank: Lieutenant Commander
Position: Chief of Security. Combat Engineer
Species: Human
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Post by Sven Aune on Mar 3, 2021 3:32:06 GMT
((phone post))
|Eastman's office || Sherry X. |
Sherry sighed, and extinguished the death stick. "Have it your way."
She took a seat and crossed a leg while she waited for the station's commander to present herself.
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Judith Eastman
Civilian
Grandma
Posts: 2,593 Likes: 84
Rank: Civilian/other
Position: Civil Servant
Species: Human
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Post by Judith Eastman on Mar 3, 2021 3:54:48 GMT
[Capt. Judith Eastman(-Williams) & PO3 Roland L. Jenkins - Antechamber to the Commanding Officer's Office]Roland returned to his work, waiting for the Captain, who came before too long. From her athletic clothes and sleek ponytail, he could tell she had been busy and had come in a hurry, though surely their guest wouldn't appreciate that. "This is the woman," Jenkins pointed out the insolent visitor. "Ah. Sorry about that little miscommunication," Judy said tactfully, with her typically pleasant tone. "I'm Captain Eastman, and you are?"She extended a handshake, the watch on her right wrist giving the time as 15:19.
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Sven Aune
Security & Tactical
[TI23]
Posts: 378 Likes: 23
Rank: Lieutenant Commander
Position: Chief of Security. Combat Engineer
Species: Human
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Post by Sven Aune on Mar 3, 2021 16:45:24 GMT
|Eastman's Office || Sherry X.|
Sherry waited patiently for the stations commander to appear. And she did, in workout clothes, no less. Well, country bumpkins can't be helped. Sherry hitched on a smile and stood, offering the woman a well manicured hand.
"Captain Eastman!" she said dripping with sweetness. "Congratulations on your promotion. The last time we met you were but a humble commander." She waved a dismissive hand. "Don't worry about the miscommunication. Being out here on the fringe of anything civilized, it's a small wonder that you receive any subspace communications at all! Not to mention how old this station is. I'm sure it keeps you all very busy!"
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Judith Eastman
Civilian
Grandma
Posts: 2,593 Likes: 84
Rank: Civilian/other
Position: Civil Servant
Species: Human
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Post by Judith Eastman on Mar 3, 2021 17:08:46 GMT
[Capt. Judith Eastman(-Williams) - Antechamber -> Commanding Officer's Office]There was a lot that Judy tactfully decided to overlook, many slights in so few sentences, that as a graceful Captain, she just had to ignore. And yet, as she firmly shook the woman's hand, she noted them all. "Let's head into my office, so we can talk about what brings you here," she directed, and the door came open into that expansive main space. Judy led the way past her conference table, flanked by bookshelves and large family photos, past the little shrine for the Caldonia Five that she kept, to her large, wooden work desk, whose appearance was distinctly vieux-riche. She draped her towel on the backrest, and then sat down in her chair, motioning for her guest to take the opposite seat. "I'll be honest, I don't remember ever meeting you before, so you'll just have to introduce yourself."Judy was polite, courteous, soft-spoken as usual, but those members of her crew who had served with her long enough could pick up on her displeasure. Anytime she had a meeting from her desk rather than the conference table was a sure sign of trouble, with her.
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Sven Aune
Security & Tactical
[TI23]
Posts: 378 Likes: 23
Rank: Lieutenant Commander
Position: Chief of Security. Combat Engineer
Species: Human
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Post by Sven Aune on Mar 3, 2021 17:29:14 GMT
|Eastman's Office || Sherry X.|
Sherry followed the woman into capacious interior of her office. It was well decorated, and photos of those moments in her life that were meaningful stood forefront on the large bookshelves.
"You have wonderful taste." Sherry complemented, again with a smile showing her dazzling white teeth. "You can call me Sherry. We met at a little fundraiser, while back in New York. A teeny affair. Anyway, I don't want to waste your valuable time."
She began, "As you are aware, the Federation Bureau of Geographical Survey, in a cojoint effort with the Federation Anthropological and Ecological committee has taken up some interest on some plots on Kerelia." She pulled up the information on her PADD, and slid it over to the stations head. "You should have received a subspace communication concerning this. That is, if it too wasn't lost."
She took a pause, "As you can see, an expedition is to be held here at these coordinates." she tapped the PADD and it responded, showing a map and an outline of the area of interest.
That in itself didn't seem out of the ordinary. But what did was that the eastern most boarder butted right up against area of land that had been marked by federation intelligence as "Quarantined."
Even more odd, was the marked area for expedition showed a tiny little jetty into that area, no more than 25 feet by 25 feet. A nipple so to say. And according to the topographical survey, indicated that it was at the top of a sheer cliff that had a drop of about 200 vertical meters.
"Of course, Front Ear will not be providing any materials or labor. Merely a staging post."
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Judith Eastman
Civilian
Grandma
Posts: 2,593 Likes: 84
Rank: Civilian/other
Position: Civil Servant
Species: Human
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Post by Judith Eastman on Mar 3, 2021 18:19:35 GMT
[Capt. Judith Eastman(-Williams) - Commanding Officer's Office]A less jaded Captain might've been caught off-guard, sitting there in her workout clothes, bombarded with mysterious information from other parts of the bureaucracy. However, Judy was a jaded bureaucratic warrior who knew how the game was played. She put on her reading glasses and looked over the PADD. "You know, that's funny, considering it's been a year now that I've been here, and this is the first time we've missed a message from Earth," she pointed out, resting both of her forearms on the desk. "In fact, just about all of this is new to me, so I think we have a lot of ground to cover."Kerelia was part of Front Ear's jurisdiction, and Judy wasn't about to just hand over the keys.
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Sven Aune
Security & Tactical
[TI23]
Posts: 378 Likes: 23
Rank: Lieutenant Commander
Position: Chief of Security. Combat Engineer
Species: Human
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Post by Sven Aune on Mar 3, 2021 19:09:01 GMT
|Eastman's Office || Sherry X. |
Oh, Auntie B can crack a pun. How quaint. Sherry continued to smile. "Sounds like a personal problem." She tilted her head and tapped her chin. "Or, there is a third possibility. The message was never transmitted in the first place. Given that my arrival was a complete surprise, this seems to be likely the case. Some sort of oversight. I dare say."
She pulled out another PADD and turned it on. "As you can see..." And indeed this document was well over 200 pages, "this contains all the permits, requisition, work orders and task codes, not to mention QAPP's for the expedition. All signed by the governing boards. You are most welcome to contact any of the authorities listed and verify if you wish."
This wasn't Sherry's first rodeo dealing with a ball of wax and red tape.
"A Federation transport will be arriving at this station in a weeks time with 5 archeologists, a geologist, a hydrologist, and a biologist."
"Oh, you can keep that." she motioned towards the second PADD with all the permits.
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Judith Eastman
Civilian
Grandma
Posts: 2,593 Likes: 84
Rank: Civilian/other
Position: Civil Servant
Species: Human
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Post by Judith Eastman on Mar 3, 2021 19:36:23 GMT
[Capt. Judith Eastman(-Williams) - Commanding Officer's Office]Judy vetted this PADD through her glasses, and was, understandably, dubious. "Okay, let's talk about this, because there's a lot to talk about," the Captain said, in no mood for nonsense. "Let's start at the top: why send archaeologists to a place with no history of intelligent life?"The subtext was clear: Judy Eastman was calling bullshit. She was going to look at this thing under a microscope, with a fine eye for precision and very low tolerance for lies.
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Sven Aune
Security & Tactical
[TI23]
Posts: 378 Likes: 23
Rank: Lieutenant Commander
Position: Chief of Security. Combat Engineer
Species: Human
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Post by Sven Aune on Mar 3, 2021 20:01:07 GMT
|Eastman's office || Sherry X. |
Sherry listened. It's true, there was no sign of intelligent life on the planet. Nor has there ever been.
"Who says were looking for intelligent life? We are interested in some of Kerela's ancient past." she took the PADD back from Judy and pulled up the topographical map. "You see these two mounds? They are of particular interest. A theory about ancient bacterial mats building up here, possibly trapping and fossilizing any ancient creatures. We're particularly interested in co-evolution here, with a number of other planets."
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Judith Eastman
Civilian
Grandma
Posts: 2,593 Likes: 84
Rank: Civilian/other
Position: Civil Servant
Species: Human
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Post by Judith Eastman on Mar 3, 2021 20:06:33 GMT
[Capt. Judith Eastman(-Williams) - Commanding Officer's Office]Judy shook her head. "Well, that doesn't sound like archaeology, now does it? Paleontology, sure, but not archaeology," she pointed out, with a neutral expression. "I think you'll be better off borrowing some of my people," she suggested. "Much more relevant talent, and they're familiar with Kerelia."This was but one issue of a list that would surely grow longer, but it was a first move by Judy to put her house in order.
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Sven Aune
Security & Tactical
[TI23]
Posts: 378 Likes: 23
Rank: Lieutenant Commander
Position: Chief of Security. Combat Engineer
Species: Human
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Post by Sven Aune on Mar 3, 2021 20:26:20 GMT
|Eastmans office || Sherry X.|
She waved a dismissive hand. “Tomatoes, tohmahtoes. Send whomever want. It’s an open site so long as you pull the permits for it. And of course data will have to be collaborated.” She shrugged.
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