06-08-2024, 11:35 PM
As predicted, but not for the reasons Jenny had anticipated, the news had gone down like a proverbial lead balloon; the crew were not enthusiastic about their mission, and Jenny had her theories as to why; while stellar mapping was hardly glorious work that'd win them any medals or commendations, it was still important work. Jenny suspected that in addition to boredom, their proximity to the Cardassian border was off-putting to many, especially those who had served with her on the Philadelphia's fateful previous mission.
“Captain, what kind of Federation tech are the Talarians working with? And, for that matter, where are they getting it?”
Qi was the only member of her crew to have a question, and it was a legitimate concern to know what they might be up against. Jenny knew the theories, she knew the stories, and she was well-aware of the history between the Federation and what had once been the Talarian Republic. Unfortunately what she didn't have, because either Starfleet Intelligence didn't have them or were unwilling to share them, was a list of concrete answers. Jensen and D'Tor'an would be unlikely to believe her, but it was what it was.
"All Starfleet Intelligence has are theories; the most likely one is they're using out of date tech looted from ships ambushed during the border skirmishes in the fifties. That doesn't rule out weapons being provided by sympathisers on our side of the border, or weapons provided by false-flag Cardassian operations to drag us into the conflict. Ultimately the fact the Talarian fleet didn't simply crumble in the first days of the invasion and is still actively resisting along the frontier implies that someone has provided them with better technology."
It wasn't much, but it was all she had. Intelligence assets in the area were few and far between, and most were focused on preventing Cardassian expansion into Federation territory. The fact it was their secondary mission probably didn't help, either; why would SFI waste their time briefing someone who was going to spend weeks looking at gaseous anomalies and checking off boxes to confirm the maps were up to date?
"I don't expect it to be an issue for us, but we will need to plan for it just in case. I want preliminary Tactical and Security plans for apprehending potential smugglers by ten hundred hours tomorrow."
“Captain, what kind of Federation tech are the Talarians working with? And, for that matter, where are they getting it?”
Qi was the only member of her crew to have a question, and it was a legitimate concern to know what they might be up against. Jenny knew the theories, she knew the stories, and she was well-aware of the history between the Federation and what had once been the Talarian Republic. Unfortunately what she didn't have, because either Starfleet Intelligence didn't have them or were unwilling to share them, was a list of concrete answers. Jensen and D'Tor'an would be unlikely to believe her, but it was what it was.
"All Starfleet Intelligence has are theories; the most likely one is they're using out of date tech looted from ships ambushed during the border skirmishes in the fifties. That doesn't rule out weapons being provided by sympathisers on our side of the border, or weapons provided by false-flag Cardassian operations to drag us into the conflict. Ultimately the fact the Talarian fleet didn't simply crumble in the first days of the invasion and is still actively resisting along the frontier implies that someone has provided them with better technology."
It wasn't much, but it was all she had. Intelligence assets in the area were few and far between, and most were focused on preventing Cardassian expansion into Federation territory. The fact it was their secondary mission probably didn't help, either; why would SFI waste their time briefing someone who was going to spend weeks looking at gaseous anomalies and checking off boxes to confirm the maps were up to date?
"I don't expect it to be an issue for us, but we will need to plan for it just in case. I want preliminary Tactical and Security plans for apprehending potential smugglers by ten hundred hours tomorrow."