Stowage and Freight

[Sorehl 0]

The following log takes place just before the Round Table conference where the Alpha Site was selected for colonization, aboard Camelot Station.

 

The cargo staging area, comprising the outer rim of Deck 56 and 57, was abuzz. Enlisted personnel glided equipment and material by antigrav toward the central cargo transporters. Engineers scrambled over the surface of bulkier items, preparing them for direct physical transfer to waiting support ships.

 

Having dispatched other pending administrivia, Captain Sorehl stood among the activity, both assisting and supervising the work. A colony, the first permanent Federation settlement in the Gamma Quadrant, was about to take root on the planet Avalon.

 

Camelot had been stockpiling resources for the last six months. In the days following the Romulans’ ill-advised invasion of T-Rogora, it had seemed prudent to cement the Federation position and prepare for an eventual colony (see Irons in the Fire) The seeds of that effort were about to planted in this system..

 

Sorehl paced alongside a massive block of durasteel as a workpod eased it toward one of the outer force fields. Illuminated beyond, the main shuttlebay of the Galaxy-class Victory waited patiently for the incoming cargo. There was an elegance in orchestrating such transfers that transcended the mundaness of “stowage” and “freight” and appealed to his well-ordered thinking.

 

The ultimate destination, however, had yet to be confirmed.

 

From its excellent vantage at the LaGrange point between them, the station had used short-range scans over the past year to chart the topography of the trojan planetary pair. Tintagel, the larger of the two, was a shrouded N-class world rendered unsuitable for colonization due to its high-velocity winds, poisonous atmosphere, and high surface temperature. It was, in fact, a classic example of a greenhouse-gas dominated ecosystem. Avalon, by contrast, was an idyllic misty M-class world and far more habitable. Prior Dominion surveys had shown the blue-green orb lacked exotic mineral deposits – probably one reason they had suggested it as a Federation staging point – but the planet hosted an abundance of plant life and rudimentary animal life. Unspoiled, one description read.

 

Lieutenant Commander Graham had recently conducted a close-range survey, narrowing probable colony locations to three candidates – a mountainous Alpha site, a shoreline Bravo site, and a tundra Charlie site. There was a certain irony in the fact that Sorehl himself would make the final determination.

 

Although he had initiated the request to approve colonization, recent events had introduced misgiving to his usually determined mind. The strategic situation had changed significantly. The Hundred, originally a small insurgency of rebel Dominion forces, had amassed more power and now seemed able to clone new followers. Camelot, placed as a neutral buffer, had itself become an target. With the introduction of the Scorpiad threat, the Allies now faced an enemy of unusual strength and unknown objective. Given the chain of obliterated Dominion systems, it seemed an unnecessary risk to expand the Federation presence. As commanding officer of the Starfleet facility responsible for defending the system, he did not like the thought of bringing civilians into a likely war zone. He remembered his experiences at Canar all too well.

 

The Excalibur teams knew their jobs, as well. Engineering and security were both making colony defenses the highest priority. Sorehl glanced around, knowing he could do little more to help here on the cargo deck. It was time to consult with the other senior officers – their efforts must be coordinated if they hoped to let these roots sprout.

 

Without a word, the Vulcan turned back to the lift, bound for the Conference Room.