USS Malinche NCC-38997-A

<The Waiting Game>
<<Security Office, USS Malinche, Day 01, 0900>>

Begin Log:

Well, here it is, my first official log entry as Chief Security/Tactical Officer of the USS Malinche. I guess it's just one more reminder of my current assignment. To be honest, I'm still trying to get used to all the new responsibilities. There are status reports to file, security drills to oversee, shift reports to write-up, and duty rosters to organize. I should have known that a position like this would have a lot more paperwork than my previous assignment.

You can add to that all the excitement that's been happening ever since I came aboard. First there was that fight on the Promenade of the station between two of the Romulan delegations. Apparently the delegates from the Romulan Star Empire and the Romulan Imperial State decided to take a few swings at one another. Thankfully, the station's executive officer arrived just in time and put a stop to the whole thing. There were a few minor injuries but it could have been a lot worse, I suppose. I don't envy those Romulans though...the commander looked ready to put someone in detention (I hear he used to be an instructor at the Academy).

Of all the places in the world to run into someone, imagine my surprise when Mike (NPC) came out of that crowd during the brawl. I mean, we've been talking, but he didn't tell me anything about being out this way. In fact, I don't think he ever told me what he was planning after graduation. I'm not sure how I feel about having Mike under my command. We had always talked about being assigned to the same ship, but I guess I just always assumed that we'd be working together as equals. There are probably some people who'd have a problem with a department head having a relationship with one of his subordinates, but the captain seemed okay with it as long as it didn't interfere with our duties.

He's not the only new member of the team. The other day, the captain asked me to consider allowing her...well, allowing Mr. Greyman (NPC) to participate in semi-active duty as a member of the security team. That's another one that I'm pretty sure people aren't thrilled about. In fact, I know that there are at least a few people who have expressed concern over my decision to allow him to participate, but I agree with the captain that being a part of the security department would do him some good. Does the fact that he was assimilated by the Borg bother me? I don't know...he seems nice enough to me. Besides, both the counselor and the chief medical officer have assured me that he's been cleared of the Collective's influence. That's good enough for me.

Then there's Ensign Vosh, my new Assistant Chief Security/Tactical Officer. He must have just arrived last night or this morning, considering that I didn't even know about his assignment here until he walked through my door. From what I have been able to gather during our conversation, he seems to be more focused in security operations. It will be interesting to see what his thoughts are on the current organization of the department and some of the personnel within our ranks.

I should probably wrap some of this up sooner rather than later. If the captain finds out I spent my entire shoreleave working instead of relaxing at some point...well, she might not like that.


End Log

[[Inferno's Light]]
[[Main Bridge, USS Malinche, Day 13, 1600]]

Begin Log:

It's still difficult to believe that there isn't anything left on Athos III. I've been trying to think of anything that might have been capable of such destruction, but I've only come up with a few possibilities and I'm not really sure that any of them are very likely answers.

We're not really any closer to identifying the responsible party. There's been almost no usable evidence from any of our sensor sweeps because of all the background interference from the Badlands. The only thing that we have to go on is that strange transmission we received almost an hour ago. I've been working with operations to see if I can narrow down the source of the message, but it hasn't been easy.

It's more than a little concerning that there's someone out there watching us, shadowing the Malinche without our knowing it. I'm not even sure who 'they' are. The man that appeared on the viewscreen was clearly Bajoran and the design of the room around him was clearly Klingon, but he referred to himself by the Cardassian title of Glinn. It's not really a combination that I would ever expect to encounter, especially out here.

--Pause--

When they were deciding who would accompany the away team, I suggested that Ensign Vosh go. He's got more experience in security than I do, not to mention the fact that he's been training with the department for this. Besides, if whoever is responsible for this decides to come back, I'm certain my skills will be needed here on the bridge.

OFF

[[Inferno's Light]]
[[Gamma Bridge, USS Malinche, Day 14, 1550]]

Begin Log:

Twice now since coming aboard have I been given the responsibility for commanding a section of the Malinche while in multi-vector assault mode. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a little bit nervous about being in a position of command. Leading a security detail or even being the head of the entire department is an entirely different animal from starship command. I'm still trying to get used to the idea of being the head honcho in the Security/Tactical arena, let alone trying to wrap my mind around the possibilities of command. Still, I must be doing something right for the captain to assign me to such a position twice in such a short span of time.

Less than twenty-four hours have elapsed since my last log entry and things have certainly been shaken up around here. We engaged what can only be assumed to be those responsible for the destruction on Anthos III and managed to ward off an ambush, though not without cost.

The Beta section took the brunt of the assault, followed closely by the Alpha section. It is going to be some time before Commander Peters and Lieutenant Schulz (PNPC) are able to make sufficient repairs to the Beta section's docking systems to allow for reintegration of the sections. Until then, we have been forced to make do with what we have available to us as independent sections. Thankfully, the damage here aboard the Gamma section was not nearly as extensive. It didn't take us long to complete our own repairs, which has allowed us to keep an eye out for any anomalous readings that might indicate whether our assailants have returned or not.

As if things weren't bad enough, I've just learned that one of my team members who was part of the away team that visited the abandoned bird-of-prey has become the victim of a genetically engineered virus. The captain has informed me that his condition is stable for the moment, but if the EMH and this Vulcan they brought back from the bird-of-prey are not able to come up with a cure soon, Ensign Morris (NPC) will not survive. There is nothing that I can do about it from here and, even if I was aboard the same section, I would not be able to offer any more assistance to them than they already had. All I can do is wait for word of the results.

Looks like we're all waiting now...

END LOG

[[Putting the Pieces Together]]
[[Chief Security/Tactical Officer's Office, USS Malinche, Shoreleave Day 02, 1320]]

Begin Log:

We certainly have a puzzle on our hands. It has been at least two days since we were first given permission to take advantage of the shoreleave opportunities Starbase 422 has to offer and I feel like I am no closer to coming up with a cohesive report on the events of our last mission. I've rewritten what I have so far at least a dozen times, but I can't seem to figure out how to phrase it. It really doesn't help that there are still a lot of unanswered questions about exactly went down at Athos III. Even the information we do have ends up giving us more questions than answers.

Mike (PNPC) would say that I'm just being picky and he could be right about that...I do have a tendency to over-analyze things sometimes. Just this morning, he told me that we had been invited to join Commander Barrett and Lieutenant Townsen aboard the station for dinner. I'll admit that I wasn't quite sure about the idea when he first asked me, but I'm starting to think it may be a good idea, especially given the fact that I've pretty much hit a dead end with my report right now. Maybe a little break away from it all will do me good...except that it's dinner with the executive officer and his fiancee.

Okay...so I've been a little uptight about things between Mike and me since we came aboard. When he first asked me about possibly getting transferred here, I wasn't quite sure it was a good idea. We had always talked about trying to get posted to the same assignment after we graduated. It wasn't that I didn't want to have him around...quite the opposite really...but I also had to think about my professional responsibilities. This has been my first assignment as the head of a department and I really wasn't sure how the captain would feel about me making such a personal request, especially regarding personnel assignments. I've been so worried about our professional relationship that I guess I haven't been paying as much attention to our personal relationship. We should be able to have both a professional and a personal relationship without one overpowering the other...it's all about balance and moderation.

Speaking of which...I really should probably get through a bit more of this report so that I can actually have any hope of enjoying our evening out without thinking about work too much.

END LOG