02x20a Aftermath of Andoria

Started by Klaw, February 04, 2017, 06:27:18 PM

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Klaw



Date: September 16th, 2156
Daedalus Season 3 kicks off in April

Admiral Gardner and the Coalition Command Council have met at an emergency session to discuss the recent events of the war. Andoria has fallen, and the Romulan fleet is poised to strike Vulcan, Tellar and Earth. The CCC has been looking for somebody to blame, and they decided that person is Gardner.

"What we have here is an apparent lack of wartime leadership from the very heart of the Coalition!"  Ambassador Quincy Wayne, one of Earth's two sitting Council members exclaims. "This can not continue, Admiral Gardner, we are putting it to a vote today, here and now, to determine your future with starfleet" Wayne paused for a moment, then gave Gardner a friendly glance; "Unless you decide to step down on your own."

Gardner looked over at Ambassador Wayne with an intimidating glare. "If I may address this council."

"The Council recognizes Admiral Richard Gardner." Called Soval, Vulcan's Ambassador to Earth and the Command Council's current chairman.

"Thank you, Chairman, Ambassadors and Councillors. In short, we saw this coming, but we still weren't ready. Over the course of the last four years the Romulan Empire has made their presence known, testing our defences, our friendships, and our resolve. We sat back and warded them off when they struck, but we never struck back. The occupation of Andoria is a very bold move for the Romulans, one that I'm sure will slow down their war effort. Wasting time pointing fingers at the head of Starfleet Command is only going to slow us down. 6 years ago, Earth had one dock on Jupiter Station allowing us to build and work on one ship at a time. Today, Jupiter Station has broken ground on its sixth and seventh docks. The Columbia and Yorktown Classes are in full production, and the revisit of the Daedalus and Intrepid type starships has given us an effective group of starships that are quick and efficient to build. Over the course of the last 6 years, the United Earth Starfleet alone has grown from twenty ships, to over one hundred. I am not going to plead for my job, nor am I going to resign. What I will do is lay out the actions taken under my watch, and let you see the good that has come of Starfleet Command in the last two years." Gardner paused, to allow the councillors to interrupt him, but was met only with silence, so he proceeded.

"Councillors, The future of our war effort rests on the Romulans' actions with their occupation of Andoria. Tactically speaking, the Romulans have spread themselves thin. We can use this to our advantage. If we stick all of our available yards on fast ship production, we can increase our force while we plan the liberation of our Andorian Colleagues". Gardner turned with a nod to acknowledge  to the Andorian delegation on the council. "And with the aid of the Xindi, The Romulans won't know what hit them."

"Admiral", Ambassador Wayne interrupted, "What about your 'Task forces'. To my knowledge, Starfleet Intelligence's Special Operations branch had designed and operated three special Task Forces named, Sierra, Zulu, and Yukon. At this time, Task Force Yukon is leaderless, Zulu is in shambles, and Sierra is unaccounted for. These units were the test beds for our war time defense system development, and now, they're gone or practically useless. If the strongest ships of Starfleet can't handle the Romulans, how will the rest?"

"Ambassador, The Task Forces consisted of twelve ships each, and were - as you stated, the test beds for the developments in our starship and wartime technology. Of the thirty-six ships, we have lost thirteen. As you stated, all of Taskforce Sierra was lost, and loss of Admiral Bentley on the Discovery has set Yukon into disarray, but they are recovering. In short, only a third of our Special Operations fleet has been lost, and they were all lost at Andoria."

Gardner paused and glanced around the room before continuing. "Whatever you do today, make sure it's the right move. Starfleet needs stable, established leadership at this time. If we fail to give them that, then we will lose the war. But if we can come together and do what must be done to win, then Andoria will be liberated, and we will drive the Romulans back to their territory. The next few months are crucial to our future. The Romulans need continued pressure on their line, small victories will help keep them off balance, and then - once our fleet is back to its former strength, we will launch a mission to Andoria, and begin our first major step toward ending this conflict."

"And how long do you think that will be, Admiral?", Ambassador Garth, of Andoria inquired.

"I can't say, Ambassador. But I know this, the longer you take to make up your mind, the longer it'll be before you see your homeworld is once again, free from Romulan rule."

The room stood silent for what seemed like an eternity. The silence was broken by Soval.

"Admiral, if you will please step outside, the vote will be decided within the hour."

Admiral Gardner stood up with a nod, then turned to walk out the door; leaving the diplomats to their deliberations. Knowing the fate of the Coalition still rested in his hands, Gardner retreated to his office, to catch up on the piling paper work. Here's hoping the Coalition stands.