STF

LACUNA: Governor's Office - Priority Transmission - Tag HotJ and CoP, Lt. Gov, COS, CIO

Posted Feb. 11, 2020, 3:29 p.m. by Lieutenant Commander Nicholas James (Chief Intelligence Officer) (Sage Pennington)

Posted by Civilian Michael “One” Halloway (Governor) in LACUNA: Governor’s Office - Priority Transmission - Tag HotJ and CoP, Lt. Gov, COS, CIO

Posted by Civilian Joseph Karlson (Head of Police Force) in LACUNA: Governor’s Office - Priority Transmission - Tag HotJ and CoP, Lt. Gov, COS, CIO

Posted by Civilian Michael “One” Halloway (Governor) in LACUNA: Governor’s Office - Priority Transmission - Tag HotJ and CoP, Lt. Gov, COS, CIO
Posted by… suppressed (23) by the Post Ghost! 👻
Michael Halloway briskly walked past his secretary, through the threshold of his office, and to his seat behind his desk. As if he hadn’t had enough going on, now somebody else needed his attention.

He sighed and rubbed his temple as his computer display blinked with a voice message. Lovely,he thought. Not quick enough I guess.

Halloway opened the message. Suddenly the door maneuvered itself shut on its own. The lights dimmed and the windows blackened. “Are you kidding me?!” he said aloud incredulously. Did the CIO seriously send him here on a wild goose chase so as to be locked up? Halloway stood up, his adrenaline pumping. He quickly stepped out from behind the desk and moved to the door.

Before he reached it however, a voice emanated from his computer. “Governor Michael Halloway,” stated the deep, encrypted voice through his speaker. “It appears I missed you. You’ll notice I have locked down your office for the moment. Do not be alarmed. You will be allowed to leave shortly.”

There was a pause as Halloway moved back to his computer, wondering if there had been video feed. Unfortunately, he was let down.

“I suspect you have already been alerted to my presence. I find that to be good. Proper introductions are always important. You’ll find little information about me Governor. There’s no use tracing this either. All of that is encrypted. Good luck.

“Now, on to my request. I’ll cut right to the chase. Within your bloodstream are dormant borg nanoprobes. I need a sampling of them.” He paused to laugh at his own boldness. “If you supply me with my needs, Oed will remain perfectly safe. You see, I need those nanoprobes for a project. Life is so precious. Those nanoprobes keep you alive Governor. A former borg drone, dependent on borg nanoprobes. Imagine, others…sickly, dying, no known cure for their ailment. With the proper procedure, those nanoprobes could save millions of lives! I want to save lives, Governor. Surely you see that.

“But I can’t do it alone. Starfleet won’t grant me access to their nanoprobes, and you are currently the best source for them anyway. Help me, help Oed, by just having a sample available at the Sacred Heart Hospital. I truly hate to force my hand, Governor but there’s really no other choice. I’m prepared to take lives if you choose otherwise. You will not know how; you will not know where; you will not know when.

“I plead to you Governor, don’t let the hand that feeds fall short. For the hand that does not feed will come back up to correct. I don’t want to correct you Governor. This may be a difficult choice, but know this: There is only one choice that will benefit all. Do as I say and have the samples ready in 24 hours, or else.”

With that, the communique stopped, the lights turned back on, the door opened, and the message deleted itself in a hurry. He tried to stop it, but there was no way for him to trace it right now.

This was it. They were after him, not Commander James. He was the easier target for sure. But it also made him an open target. Front and center stage for all of Oed to see. He checked his pocketwatch. One earth day to get find the culprit and stop whatever madness he or she was up to.

Halloway’s mind started to race, but he stopped it. He shook his head. He breathed in, then out. His hands then zipped to his computer and he sent the following message: “You’re requested for an urgent briefing in the Emergency Operations Center of the Government building.”

He then sent the message on an encrypted channel to the Head of Police and the Head of the Judicial System. He needed Karlson and Rousseau to be fully aware. Medical would also likely need to be apprised of the situation, but that would wait for the full briefing that would include the Lt. Governor and the Intelligence Officers of what had just occurred.

Halloway immediately stood up, grabbed his coat, and walked to his secretary. “I’ll be out for most of the day. Cancel the rest of my appointments until otherwise stated.”

“Yes sir,” came the obedient reply.

He then went to the lift, and made his way to the EOC.

-Governor Michael Halloway

bump

OOC: Sorry I don’t know how I missed this.

OOC: No worries, I didn’t have the tags on when generally I try to tag. :)

IC:

When the Governor arrived Joseph was just exiting his elevator. The large man walked hurriedly across the room, his wooden cane making a recognizable click sound each time. He noticed the Governor and gave him a brief nod “Sir” The older man said gravely “I assume this is serious.” He said matter-of-factly.

Commissioner Karlson

Halloway nodded. “It unfortunately is. I’ve asked Judge Rousseau to join us. I have some news to share which will also lead to starfleet’s involvement. I want to make sure my staff are prepared for the worst though. Once the judge gets here I’ll tell you more.”

The man was clearly concerned. Never in his time as Governor did he seek a meeting in the EOC. The place had the best tech though to keep a conversation under wraps. Their new CIO had proven his office was no guarantee of that.

-Governor Michael Halloway

Joseph nodded at the Governor’s explanation. Halloway’s predecessors, Joseph included, had always deigned to only use the EOC during emergency situations or sensitive moments that required privacy. He moved inside and went directly to his favored chair. Sitting down he activated his own anti-surveillance gadget on his wrist, a useless precaution given the room they were in but it was a habit.

Commissioner Karlson

Though Astrid had never been to the Emergency Operations Center of the Government building, she knew where it was. It had been a part of her extensive briefing upon arrival on her new home. She strode in, clad in a skirted suit, heels and a hat as usual. She stepped in as the guard opened the door for her and then stopped, waiting for it to be closed behind her. Upon hearing the click, she seemed satisfied and moved to meet with Karlson and Halloway.

“Sir?” Astrid looked concerned.

Rousseau, HotJ

Halloway had been sitting down near Karlson at the conference table. He nodded to Astrid and indicated a vacant seat. “We have a bit of a dire situation on our hands. I was intending to tell you both about it, however things have escalated now.”

His tone did nothing to alleviate her concerns and she sat down in the seat he indicated with his hand wondering what dire situation she and Karlson were going to be privy to. If the Governor was this serious, it had to be quite a problem. She sat back and waited for him to explain.

The Governor activated the map of Oed space where a marker for Oed V and custom marker were set outside of the system. “Starfleet Intelligence has sent an operative to Oed with a mission and vital information. There was suspicion that Oed V would be the target of a terrorist interested in borg nanoprobes. We don’t know how many are involved or what exactly they wish to have them for. To be quite honest, we have very little information.” He paused allowing it to sink in before continuing.

“However, as of just under one hour ago, I received a message from an unknown source. Whoever it was masked their voice and left no visual. Their demands are simple yet dangerous. They want a sampling of my borg nanoprobes. With it, they want to aid people, however they also mention that if I don’t surrender a vial to them, harm will come to the people of Oed. No time or place mentioned. They want the vial of nanoprobes at Sacred Heart Hospital within the next 23 hours.

“I want to notify the Lt. Governor and Starfleet intel. Obviously, I trust you both. Commissioner, you are going to be vital in maintaining security on Oed for all civilians, so I wanted you to be one of the first to know. Ms. Rousseau, I wanted you here to be aware of all that was going on and to be clear on the various laws that we need to ensure that we maintain at a time like this. Are there any questions?”

Halloway finally left the floor open to the pair.

-Governor Michael Halloway

There was no word to properly explain the facial expression that came over the Commissioner’s face, a blend of calm anger and focus. “How exactly did they contact you?” He asked calmly. The word terrorist alarmed and annoyed him, he’d spent much of his life hunting their ilk throughout the stars. Hunting them down on a Colony the size of Oed was a much simpler task than before, and with considerably more resources.

Commissioner Karlson

“It was a priority one message that I was summoned to my office to respond to. But that’s just it, it was only a message. No way for me to respond really. I’m sure someone in intel will want to try and trace it, but I have a feeling it won’t be so easy to figure out.” If the new CIO’s arrival was any indicator as to the actual security his office provided, Halloway had lost total trust in it.

Astrid listened to the Governor’s explanation of the situation with a keen ear but as he finished, she was no longer looking directly at him. IT was obvious that she was processing the information given. Her gaze had turned inward and she sat with a mild frown on her face. She waited patiently for the answer to Karlson’s question before she finally looked up. “For someone spouting their intentions to be honorable, they threaten to harm people in order to get what they want. If someone is truly altruistic in their desire to help others, they would not threaten the people of OED V in order to get what they want. Their intentions must be disingenuous at best, malicious at worst.”

“I agree,” he added.

She took a slow and deep breath, letting it out as she regarded the Governor with a serious and almost sad expression. “You cannot give into their demands even if they have the best of intentions. Besides the fact that regulations and laws both prohibit you from acquiescing to their demands in any way. There is a long history of such actions causing even greater harm and most certainly will not be the last demand they make of you Michael.”

Rousseau, HotJ

Bump

“So, what do we do then? No nanoprobes means, they do as they see fit. Are we prepared for what little we know about them? Is 23 hours enough time to get fully prepared?” There was a hint of emotion behind what he said. Michael Halloway was good at maintaining his composure in difficult situations. He obviously had more at stake than his own life though. He had his wife and children to consider as well. It was personal. They knew him and his past. What was to stop them from targeting his own home?

Despite whatever worries he had, he held on to the fact that he along with many others would handle the situation. He was a tactician. And he would use that to the best of his abilities.

“We secure all soft targets such as the schools, hospitals, and any area where the civilian population gathers in great numbers. Mostly the entertainment and commercial districts. We lock the Government tower down and you instruct Starfleet to close down the ports, Longstreet will have his own plans for securing the Starbase and securing the system itself. I would Mobilize the Strategic Response Unit and have all teams on standby. This can all be done without much fanfare, the Police should be ready for action without placing the populace into a panic.” Joseph spoke calmly but not slowly, ever since his first day and the Riots he’d planned for something similar happening, first with the formation of the SRU then with his Special Crimes Unit under Pangolin, his unofficial right hand.

When they both gave their responses, Halloway then suggested, “Perhaps now is a good time to get the others involved? I’ll get a hold of the Lt. Governor, and intel if you’re both ready for that briefing then?”

-Governor Michael Halloway

He leaned back in his chair, turning his cane in his hands slightly “Of course, I suggest that you ask the Captain to bring Commander Longstreet in on the meeting so as not to waste time” He was admittedly surprised, pleasantly so. Originally he’d thought that a man of Halloway’s background’s first instinct would be to brief Starfleet. “On a side note, I think we should secure your family immediately, it would be easiest to bring them here but your house should be secure enough.” He grabbed the shaft of his cane with his left hand and grasped the handle with his right “You, of course, won’t be leaving this room for the foreseeable future” He said with a vague smile.

Commissioner Karlson

“I would agree with those measures. Also, we would need to make sure any of the Governor’s loved ones are put in a place of safety as well as the Governor himself. I do not know that I would count his home as the best place for his family. No matter how secure it is, it is a known place for them to be. The last thing we want to do is make it easy for them to hurt or take them.” She said to Karlson. “No doubt if they find their plea fell on deaf ears, they will try to take the nano probes by force. We must be prepared for that as well as any retaliation they might feel is equal to the denial of their demands.”

“We absolutely should make the Lt. Governor aware as well as Intelligence. I am ready for whatever you might need sir.”

Rousseau, HotJ

bump

Halloway found most of their suggestions to be wise and apt. However, it would likely take more than a suggestion to keep Halloway put in one place. He was used to be in the front, on point, testing the waters for whatever threats lay in wait. He was not going to enjoy being detained for ‘his own safety.’

The Governor moved to a console with a prepared emergency communique to be sent to the Lt. Governor, Starfleet Chief of Security, and Chief of Intelligence on Oed. He pressed send, and off it went.

=/\=Emergency meeting in the EOC now…please.=/\= was all it read.

Halloway moved back to the pair. “We can likely set up a different place for my family, even the EOC would be as good as anything. I also am aware there are several highly secure places on Oed to hide someone. Any of them would suffice. However, hiding me isn’t going to be go over well. The moment I disappear is the moment they either make their move or disappear. If it’s me they want, why don’t we use me to draw them out?”

-Governor Michael Halloway

Nicholas entered, clad all in black, carrying a silver briefcase and a PaDD. “Because they only need a second.” He tossed the PaDD onto the table. “Scientists. Arrived to work on the new dome. Three are capable of making aerosol dispersal devices, one is capable of programming nanoprobes. And they already have blank, unprogramed, ‘experimental’ nanoprobes. Stror. He’s not necessarily the leader, but he’s the key asset. The one at the centre of the Venn diagram. It’s worth noting that there’s also one potentially compromised Starfleet Engineer. He has bomb making and handling capabilities and he’s got access to OED ventilation. All of it.” He sat down. “You asked for solid intel.”

-Lt Cmdr Nicholas James, CIO/Section 31

Joseph turned in his chair and smiled slightly at Nicholas, a polite smile. He certainly got here fast He thought. Twisting his cane in his lap slowly the large man spoke: “These three Scientists you’ve identified, are they suspect enough that Starfleet can detain them?” He asked but continued speaking before getting an answer “And if they are outside Starfleet reach can you give Rousseau and me enough hard intelligence to warrant an arrest” Starfleet could detain people with the say-so from their own intelligence officer but technically to warrant an arrest Joseph knew that Rousseau would need cause. Although Jame’s word was enough to start surveilling them, that much he was certain of. In his mind, he was calculating what an aerosol device could do to a closed dome or what they could do with access to the ventilation systems.

Commissioner Karlson

“I can’t identify my sources, however, these people are the only matches on a multiple query, cross checked search. They’re the only people on this rock with the means and understanding to follow through on any threat. That’s probable cause enough to detain. Halloway and I both have Borg nanoprobes in our blood. They only need a few. I’m a tough target. Him-“ Nicholas pointed at Halloway. “Public. Much easier. And too responsible for people’s safety. The question; how are they going to get to you? At this point, unless there’s an immediate threat, exposing that we know might just set them on the run.”

-Lt Cmdr Nicholas James, CIO/Section 31

-bump-

Halloway nodded in response. Commander James was accurate. They couldn’t tip their hand just yet. “They would likely target my family. Unless they decide to send me another message of some kind. They are expecting me to show up at Sacred Heart. We could be ready for them there?” He was truly curious what the others would suggest after hearing what the CIO had to share.

-Governor Michael Halloway

Nicholas had one more idea. “You should go.” He gauged the room. “With enough coverage, maybe some sort of transport inhibitor… we should be able to keep you safe.”

-Lt Cmdr Nicholas James, CIO/Section 31

That definitely through Michael Halloway off. He was expecting a fight on the issue. He looked about, curious if there were about to be any raised objections. “Good. Then let’s get a plan underway. My job will be easy enough…draw out the culprit. You’ll both need to be ready, Commander and Commissioner.”

Still listening, he strode over to a case with various different pieces of equipment stashed neatly away. He took a small transport inhibitor and tucked it under the cuff of his sleeve.

-Governor Michael Halloway

Joseph nodded “I’ll mobilize the SRU and start quietly replacing the Hospital security with Armed Police, We’ll also place Transport inhibitors around the hospital grounds.” He said calmly listing things up “I don’t want you to be alone so I’m assigning you a new bodyguard, one of my personal people. They’ll blend in and follow you around the hospital but I think it’s best if you don’t know what they look like.” He slowly turned his cane around between his hands.

Commissioner Karlson

Halloway nodded understandingly. “How long will you both need to mobilize?” he said to both the CIO and the Commissioner. He was curious if Astrid would object at all, but he didn’t make that known. Deep down, he wanted to do this. He wanted to see justice served.

-Governor Michael Halloway

“I am effectively-“ =/\=Emergency call for Commander James.=/\=
=/\=Go ahead.=/\=
=/\=Sir… you’re listed as the emergency contact for Lt Commander Kasmira Kassidine.=/\=
=/\=Your point being?=/\=
=/\=Sir, shots fired in the red light district. Reports indicate that she was hit, but we can’t locate her.=/\=
=/\=Do. Better. I don’t want to hear from you again until you find her. James out.=/\= Nicholas stood and silently seethed for a moment. He opened his silver case and displayed the constituent parts of a disassembled rifle. “Give me a vantage point.”

-Lt Cmdr Nicholas James, CIO/Section 31


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