With a blip, Jaso’s console returned to the Starfleet logo. “Attending another staff meeting because a higher rank doesn’t want to,” he said, transferring the minimal information to his PADD. He entered a nearby turbolift, “Deck 55, Section Thirty-Two Alpha,” the lift chimed confirmation and began moving. Jaso was stopped before entering the conference room. “Lieutenant Erdian Jaso, I’m here for the… meeting,” he said, presenting his PADD to the guard. The guard looked it over, nodded, and returned it. The doors slid open and he was greeted with an empty lounge. “At least I’m early… or really late,” he mused. Jaso eyed the replicator and his stomach grumbled in protest. He ordered a small bowl of fruit, glass of water, and took a seat at the table.

A couple of moments later the the door opened and a tall Lieutenant in a red uniform stepped through. Cynndle looked around and then glanced back at his PADD then back to the table. He smiled at the Lieutenant and walked over, “Hi, I’m Cynndle Odin’sun. Guess you are here for the…” he paused and shrugged, “…I am not sure really, my CO was frustratingly vague.”

“That’s at my request Lieutenant,” a stern voice from the port side door filled the room. Entering via the steps and moving to a position at the head of the table, a Bajoran in a pristine uniform placed a number of data PADDs on the table’s surface and looked across at the first members of her team to have arrived. “Names?” she inquired, picking up the PADD on top to start her roll call.

Cynndle snapped to attention and faced the new arrival, “Lieutenant Cynndle Odin’sun Ma’am.” 

“Mine was as well,” Jaso replied to Cynndle, finishing the last of his fruit. “Though it’s… unsettling that it was by design.” This wasn’t a staff meeting, judging by the new information. He turned to the Bajoran woman, “Lieutenant Erdian Jaso.”

“That would answer at least one of my questions,” Ryke said as he walked through the door, catching the last part of the conversation. “Ashfield, from counseling,” he added with a smile, just in case his uniform got him mistaken for a doctor again.

Cass wondered who else was on the list for the team. She knew the medical cadet she had been tasked with approaching.  The rest were a mystery.  She had her PADD checked by the security officers and walked through the door and into the observation lounge as someone finished introducing themselves from counseling.  She gave a nod to Peri and slid into an empty seat.  She glanced around, “Doctor Cassidy Montgomery, Deputy Director of General Medicine.”  She tapped at her PADD and waited for the meeting to start.

Linha had arrived looking around she quietly sat down not saying much of anything, she definitely felt out of place with all the senior officers. She had been requested by Doctor Montgomery to attend the meeting which she nodded to as she entered and noticed her sitting there.

Gideon walked in hurriedly and looked around. He noticed he was a tad bit later than he would have hoped. He looked around the table for an empty chair. He spotted one and walked over to it. Taking a seat he waited for the meeting to start. He wasn’t at all sure of what he had been called here for, as he had only been told to come here two minutes ago.

Cynndle grabbed a coffee from the replicator and took a seat and looked around at the others who had arrived, “Are we waiting on many more people to join?” He was always happy and do whatever work was required of him but wasn’t overly keen on being kept in the dark, especially after everything that had happened recently with the changelings and the Borg.

Peri had been silent during the recent arrivals, listening to the chatter and noting the presence of the newcomers until she heard a question that she assumed was aimed at her. “Ensign Cam Solari,” the Bajoran frowned, pulling out her seat at the table and plummeting into it. “We’ll get started without him,” she told, sliding encrypted data PADDs down the table, PADDs that wouldn’t be unlocked until she released the lockout on them.

“Ladies and gentlemen,” she began her briefing, “you have been assembled for a task of monumental importance. A task that, for now, shall remain secret. You are permitted to discuss it only with the people within these walls, or on the encrypted data PADDs before you. Any security breach will be dealt with severely,” she warned, her inflexion on the final word making it abundantly clear as to how serious she was taking this matter.

“If any of you feel unable to commit to such a project or its security requirements,” she didn’t need to finish the sentence, simply gesturing to the two security officers flanking the starboard door to the lounge.

Cynndle face grew serious as he listened. Generally carefree he was deeply troubled by the recent events. He looked around the room and then back towards Lieutenant Commander Peri, “I cannot speak for the others but I am in. Given the recent events Starfleet has gone through, we need to get our ship in order so just tell me what you need and you will have it.”

Cam made his way to the designated room, alerting those inside by chiming the door. It slid open swiftly, revealing a security officer with a stern expression. Despite the surprise, Cam stepped forward with determination. The meeting inside seemed to be in full swing, and now he was the center of attention, seven pairs of annoyed eyes turned his way, including those of Commander Peri.

“Hello,” Cam began, his voice slightly shaky but resolute. “Ensign Camden Solari reporting, and I apologize for the abrupt entrance. Navigating this part of the station is a bit like solving a puzzle blindfolded. The terminal directions didn’t quite cut it.”

Cam persevered, determined to assert himself, “I’m here as instructed by Commander Peri, ready to jump in and assist in any capacity required.” Seeking to inject some levity, he continued, “Just a heads-up, I come with a ‘no tribble transformation’ clause,”

Despite his best effort, his remark was met with the most serious expressions, though he managed to coax a smile from one person. Recognizing the need to proceed with more caution, Cam opted for silence. He found an unoccupied chair nearby and settled into it, quietly committing himself to contribute meaningfully to the ongoing discussion.

Cass was the one who smiled, and she had held back a full-on guffaw.  The young ensign had made the mistake of being late, and what little she knew of their leader, she was likely to have made notes and possibly even demerits to put on the kid’s record.  She was a Director, and Cass wasn’t about to make an ass out of herself in the meeting.  She indicated a nod to the young man, hoping he didn’t take it too hard.

“What you have missed is detailed on the data PADD Ensign,” Peri revealed as she slid the final device across the table to the newcomer. “Perhaps next time it would be prudent to leave somewhat earlier?” she suggested with a raised brow before looking out at the rest of the assembled team for further feedback. With a press of a button on her data PADD, the encryption systems on the others all released.

Ryke bit back his smile at the ensign’s quip. It was always difficult being the last one into a briefing, but it was a tough crowd in here today. He offered Cam a nod as the ensign took the spare seat next to him.

Montgomery spoke up, “I’m still in.  It’s the work that needs doing.  People are going to need to know they’re going to be ok…and we’ve got a lotta people to work with.”  She smiled wide, “Tribbles included, Ensign Solari.”  She quietly ignored the glances she got from the rest of the group and gave a glance at her cadet, “Cadet Varen – I hope you’re still willing to ride on this massive undertaking.”

She looked at the Commander and gave a weak smile and thought to herself that she didn’t have much of a choice. “I am still in,” Linha replied as she looked at Montgomery for a moment before looking at the others. Being probably the youngest out of all those that were in attendance she felt a bit out of place.

Deep into reading his PADD, Jaso’s attention was broken by Ensign Solari’s entrance. He looked around the table for reactions, Jaso himself wore a look of impassiveness. It was a mission of high security that included members from all the departments. And, as he glanced at the collar pips, some were high-ranked members. It appeared the mission was optional, as indicated by the Bajoran woman’s statement. Although Jaso said nothing to indicate acceptance, he made no move to leave his chair.

Cynndle looked up from the PADD where he had been scanning through the mission orders and objectives. He was even more sure now than before he wanted to be here, it was imperative that this was completed. Looking up he made eye contact with Lieutenant Commander Peri, “With the number of transport PADDs on the station we should be able to get all crew through the cycle in fairly short order I would think. Though I am concerned about the civilians, some of them use the transporters and will likely have been comprised as well. It may be worth reviewing the transporter logs for the last few months to ensure we include everyone.” He stopped for a second before continuing, “Do we know when the transporter systems were compromised? If so we could shrink the pool of individuals who we need to work through.”

“I can get that report for you,” Jaso replied to Cynndle. He typed a few commands in his personal PADD. “I’ve put in a priority requisition for the transporter logs and any reports of malfunctioning transporters. It’s not detailed enough to list which are compromised, but enough to make a determination. It won’t arouse suspicion due to the recent increase in post-Frontier Day transporter requests. The incident has, understandably, made people alert about transporter usage.” He paused to look at his mission PADD. “Once it’s up and running, the program shouldn’t be difficult to implement. The problem will be in getting it up and running. The algorithms will take some time and it states the schematics are experimental.”

“Everyone who is on this facility once the procedure is perfected, Starfleet or civilian, is to undergo this process,” Commander Peri warned the team, “no one gets away. No risks are to be taken.”

Cam, who had swiftly scanned through his PADD to catch up, found himself intrigued by the question posed by the tall Lieutenant. Bolstered by the subtle interactions with the two teal-clad officers which restored his confidence, he chimed in, “And what about the Changelings? How can we ensure they won’t tamper with it again?”

Ryke kept his expression level as he read through the details on the padd. He’d been wondering how the situation was going to be handled since it had all gone down on Frontier Day. He’d also wondered why his boss had sent him on down here, but the more he read, the more he realised that, while not an obvious requirement for a mission like this, a counsellor was going to have to be involved at some point. Lots of emotions, running high, and they were going to need to be managed, smoothed or outright dealt with.

He looked up at Solari’s comment. Changelings. Yeah, he wasn’t going to be able to do much with them. He was a counsellor, not a miracle worker. But he kept his thoughts to himself while watching how this new group interacted with each other.

“In the event that one is exposed, changelings will be detained in the brig using all necessary security protocols,” the Bajoran mission commander decreed before moving on. “Is there anyone unsure of what is expected of them? If not, we’ll draw this meeting to a close as there is much to do.”

Cynndle shook his head as his PADD chimed, glancing at his he saw the pending transport log requisition, looking at it he couldn’t help but think it was going to be a rather significant part of work. “I can get started reviewing the transporter logs right away. See if anything jumps out.”

Listening to the remarks, Cam was certain about one aspect of his life – he was exactly where he belonged and he would do anything to make a meaningful contribution to the project. At last, within the expansive confines of the Starbase, Cam found a sense of purpose beyond mere observation. This was the moment when he felt he could reclaim a little control over his life, even if it was for a fleeting moment.

“Should you notice any unusual activity, Lieutenant, I can cross-reference your data with both incoming and outgoing traffic records from flight ops,” Cam stated, addressing Cynddle.

Then, addressing the entire crowd, Cam added, “I will begin actively overseeing all station traffic without delay, simply to ensure precaution. If you require my aid or assistance with anything, feel free to activate your badge without hesitation.

The briefing continued for a short while until the team went their separate ways, leaving Commander Peri to ponder the team she had been sent. It seemed functional enough, for now, but she’d have to keep close tabs on all objectives to ensure the wider outcome of their mission was a success. Freedom depended on it.