Joseph Manning, Captain of Qob

[Joe Manning 0]

To: Constable Lerryn Mogg

From: Marshall Adam Benedict, Aldebaran Precinct

Re: Client # 7493's Request

 

I was instructed by Grand Marshall Riker to bring you up to speed on the intelligence gathering operation we were paid 16,000 credits to conduct for Client 7493, whose name will not be printed here for obvious reasons of conflicted interest, though I understand you are aware of 7493's identity. The Grand Marshall has not informed me of the level of briefing you've been privy to beyond said Client's identity, though he has instructed me to give you all the essential information. Thus, I will include a briefing on our Longarm branch; I expect you to destroy this briefing at such time that it is not needed.

 

The Grand Marshalls funded and organized the Longarm branch of the Guardians for one purpose -- to conduct operations within territories under explicit Federation jurisdiction. Our Longarm agents are chosen from among our most skilled and intelligent recruits, and they are trained to be discreet. The Federation suspects the activities of our Longarm agents, but they have no proof; we strive to maintain deniability. The work conducted by our Longarms is highly sensitive, and they are trained to be efficient enough to accomplish it successfully. Thus, their services are available only at our steepest contract rates, reserved for wealthy and influential clients who have interests in Federation space.

 

Client 7493 requested as much intelligence as could be gathered on the history of Joseph Manning prior to his arrival in Bull's Head. Manning is the Captain of a Klingon scout ship operating independently in Bull's Head; we have separate reports on him that you are free to access, though they have little bearing on 7493's request. Prior to his arrival in Bull's Head, Manning was Federation and Starfleet. Thus, 7493's request was assigned to the Longarm branch after the appropriate fee was levied. Longarm Agent Leonard Detridge was appointed for the task.

 

A few of Agent Detridge's findings were quite remarkable, most notably the classified entry in Manning's Starfleet personnel record. It was with a great deal of painstaking effort that Agent Detridge was able to uncover a few of the details of this classified entry. He did not uncover all the details, unfortunately, and his cover was blown in the process. He has been recalled and sent to Xorax colony for facial reconstruction.

 

Here is the basic information we've gathered; Client 7493 will have to identify areas we should investigate more thoroughly. Everything reported below is for 7493's eyes.

 

Manning was born March 24th, 2350 in the city of Dublin on Earth. His father Archie was a teacher working on a PhD at Cambridge, where he now teaches history. His mother was a Starfleet medical intern; she would eventually achieve the rank of Commander and receive an administrative post at Starfleet Headquarters' medical division; she is currently retired. Joe maintains intermittent SCN contact with his mother, though he and his father have not spoken in some years. His participation in the War is a sticking point between them. He has an older brother, Patrick, serving as medical chief on the USS Hermes; either they do not maintain regular contact, or their mother acts as intermediary; there is no indication of either a close or a sour relationship between them.

 

Conversations with contacts from his past suggest that Manning's early career desires leaned toward entertainment, despite the family's pressuring him to enter the medical field. For several of his teenage years, he bounced between restaurants, cafes, and eventually clubs serving as a waiter and, at one point, a bartender. The obvious cover story was that he was saving up money to fund his education, insisting that the family not fund his way through Cambridge. His closest friends knew that he was trying to work his way into a more prominent role in the clubbing scene.

 

At the age of 16, Manning enrolled in Louisiana University's medical program; he was certainly true to his intentions to make his own way through college. It's possible that New Orleans' notorious nightlife was a factor in his decision to move across the globe. Some of his fellow students indicated that much of his free time was spent on music and dancing lessons. He clearly hadn't given up on his aspirations, but for whatever reason he was never able to achieve them. Within four years, he earned his medical degree and enrolled in Starfleet Academy, following his brother's footsteps almost indentically. It's hard to say why his life took this path. Was he forced into a medical and military career by his family? Or did he find that he wasn't cut out for a career in the club scene? Our initial indications are that it was a combination of both; we could delve deeper if 7493 requires it.

 

After two years at Starfleet Academy (abbreviated on account of his previous medical education), Manning was assigned to the USS Cassandra. Cassandra prowled near our neck of the woods, exploring beyond the Hydran Expanse near Gorn space. Manning and two other officers nearly lost their lives when they contracted on a virus on Durgal Ceti III. Cassandra's medical staff was able to devise a one-use treatment that effectively rendered the virus dormant. It is worthy to point out that Manning is still, according to some semi-classified reports we fished up, infected with the virus. The reports noted that the virus is not 100% certain to remain dormant for Manning's entire lifetime; it's not contagious, so it represents no threat to others, but it could still be lethal to Manning.

 

When the Dominion conflict broke out, Cassandra was recalled to patrol the Federation borders. She didn't see much action until the conflict heated up in the final year. She was crippled in a rough engagement at Alchar II; Manning was probably fortunate to escape that incident with his life. The next few months were pretty frenetic, like a lot of the Fleet's activities at the time. Manning was promoted to Lieutenant and re-assigned to the USS Minbar, where he replaced the medical chief who had been recently killed in action. It was originally meant to be a temporary assignment, but it stuck, despite the fact that he was only 25. You can do the math; the war was a critical reason that Manning, like a lot of young Starleet officers, was able to advance so quickly. The Fleet wasn't quite as desparate to fill positions as they've been since the Beholder invasion, but they lost a lot of senior officers in the Dominion years.

 

The next entry in Manning's service jacket is rather remarkable. The Minbar, like most of the Fleet's ships, was assigned to the Allied Task Force that ended the Dominion conflict. After the final engagement, Manning actually resigned his post on the Minbar to join up with the civilian relief effort being set up on Cardassia Prime, an effort that was eventually organized into the Cardassia Medical Relief Organization. No formal resignation from Starfleet was ever recognized; I guess they were okay with it. He spent two years on Cardassia Prime, serving in a minor administration position at the CMRO's central office.

 

In 2377, Manning returned to Starfleet and was assigned as a medical assistant on the USS Nebraska, attached to Deep Space Delta One station. This is where his record starts to get really peculiar. Officially, Starfleet maintains that Manning resigned his post on the Nebraska some time early in 2378 and fell out of contact. By that I mean he made contact with no one, not even his family, for a period of nine years. Any attempts to dig deeper netted a story that he wandered off into the Delta quadrant on some kind of personal spirit quest. Agent Detridge suspected that this story was a fabrication; the entries with high-level classification in Manning's personnel record further suggested that something was being covered up.

 

Detridge had to absorb a lot of heat from the Fleeters to dig deeper into Manning's disappearance. When his digging led him to classified reports being kept by Starfleet's Temporal Physics Division, he knew answers weren't going to be easy to come by. Before his cover was blown, he was able to gather a few accounts painting a vague picture of an incident that took place at Deep Space Delta One. A ship (believed by some to be Starfleet) had somehow been displaced from another time into the year 2377. An effort was made by the station's staff to return the ship to its own time. For some reason, this effort included heavy involvement from the station's medical personnel, including Manning. There is speculation that the doctors were appointed by the Temporal Division to erase the memories of the displaced ship's crew, in order to preserve the timeline. Among the people who were willing to talk about this incident (and none of the doctors Detridge could get ahold of were willing to break their vows of secrecy), there are hushed whispers that one of the station personnel was stranded aboard the displaced vessel when it was returned to its own time. Given that this incident coincides perfectly with Manning's disappearance, it would seem that Detridge was getting close to the truth of the matter.

 

The discovery that finally blew Detridge's cover came from a partly damaged report that he managed to dig out of Starfleet's archives from (and you're going to love this) the year 2283. It made a brief mention of a medical officer named 'J Manning.' Detridge was in the process of trying to determine why many reports from a Fleet vessel operating in the 2280's -- the USS Hood -- were likewise damaged, when Starfleet intelligence operatives started to close on him and forced him to return to Bull's Head.

 

In 2386, Manning just ... showed up. He was brought to Earth aboard an Orion freighter that he claimed picked him up from a backwater colony near the Briar Patch (nowhere near the Deep Space Delta stations, it's worth noting). Details of his exchanges with Starfleet Command at this time were buried under layers of classification too deep for Detridge to crack. Starfleet hasn't had so easy a time burying medical reports that suggest that Manning is about three and a half years younger than his birth year would otherwise indicate. Did Manning actually spend six years living in another era? Considering how sensitive Starfleet considers this matter, I'd advise charging Client 7493 extra hazard pay if he wants more details.

 

Manning did not return to Starfleet service right away (if he'd even been absent from service anyway). He travelled back to the regions around the Gamma Quadrant wormhole, taking up a bartending position on a space-based nightclub station partly owned by the Bajorans. This aspect of the investigation was handed off to an intelligence agent that we have operating in Union space. He was able to question a few former club staff who'd been around long enough to remember Manning. The rumors that spread at the time were that Starfleet helped Manning get the job, and that they may have been in regular contact with him. Detridge wasn't able to locate any evidence of this on the Starfleet side before his cover was blown; it's possible that Starfleet had Manning performing a job for them on the nightclub; we could dig further into this if 7493 is interested.

 

In 2390, just a few months before the Beholder invasion, Starfleet offered Manning the medical chief position on the USS Gettysburg. He left the nightclub to officially return to Starfleet. Aboard Gettysburg he met his future wife Amanda. Detridge did not attempt to uncover any details on her for two obvious reasons -- 7493 didn't pay us for information on her, and 7493 is not likely to need such information given his prior relationship with her. Information on their son will similarly be omitted.

 

Early accounts of Manning's service on Gettysburg are not remarkable. The ship was part of the widespread mess that was Starfleet's attempt to fend off the Beholders. She assisted in the defense of the Keros III colony during the attack's second wave and remained behind to provide medical relief. As with a lot of Fleet officers in the days following the invasion, the emphasis shifted to starting a new family and providing for its protection. Within three years, Manning and his wife had their child. A year after his birth, Manning started to receive command level training from Gettysburg's Captain. In 2397 he was promoted to Commander, and in 2399 he was appointed First Officer of Gettysburg. His psych and behavioral profiles from this period are perfectly sterile. For someone who was noted as a bit of a firebrand before his disappearance in 2378, he did his best to play the good obedient officer during his years on Gettysburg, especially after the Beholder attack and his son's birth.

 

When the Civil War broke out there was a separation in the Manning family. Half of what Detridge was able to uncover sounded like standard crewman gossip. A few people indicated that Manning and his wife had a fundamental disagreement about the War and whether or not they should remain in Starfleet. Others indicated that they both desired to remain with Starfleet, but Manning insisted that his wife leave Federation space and take their son with her, for their protection. There were even a few conspiracy theories suggesting that Manning pulled rank and had his wife discharged from Starfleet, forcing her to take their son away. The truth would be impossible to ascertain without questioning either Manning or his wife. Since he's the subject of this operation and she's been dead for eight years, that puts this detail at an impasse. In any event, Manning remained on the Gettysburg while his wife and son departed for the Hyades colonies.

 

For the first six years of the War, Captain Morrison acknowledged the orders of Admiral Sawyer, and Gettysburg remained neutral. According to accounts from Gettysburg's crew, that changed when they received word that Admiral Geron's fleet assaulted the Trifon II colony, inflicting a number of civilian casualties in an attempt to apprehend one of Commodore DiAngelo's key supporters. Apparently, Morrison had friends on Trifon II. Like a lot of ships in those latter years, Gettysburg signed on with DiAngelo's fleet; Manning, along with the rest of the crew, found themselves immersed in the war. Near as Detridge could tell, Manning supported the decision to take sides, though he had never been a loud proponent of getting involved previously.

 

Detridge managed to interview a few of the old Gettysburg officers. Nobody could get much of a sense of what was going through Manning's head during the war. He'd grown more and more distant from the crew, even stretching back to the years before Gettysburg's direct involvement in the war. A few of his old crewmates pointed out how difficult it was to get clear subspace comm channels out of Federation space in those days. It was even more difficult for the ships in DiAngelo and Geron's fleets; Starfleet Command still regulated the subspace relays, so hack jobs were usually needed to get in touch with people. I imagine that Manning was able to keep in touch with his wife and child far less reliably than he'd have liked.

 

His old crewmates said that the war changed Manning (a familiar story). He started out as a largely jovial and outgoing fellow. So cut off from his family (we're assuming), he started to become more of a withdrawn and brooding sort. There were rumors (hesitantly voiced, naturally) that he was beginning to drink a lot more, and not that syntheholic crap that the Federation loved to replicate. There are indications in our own reports on Manning that he has issues with the drink; he's been involved in more than one incident in taverns and bars around Bull's Head.

 

When the war ended, Manning resigned from Starfleet before his involvement in the war could be reviewed by Starfleet Command. Detridge was able to determine that Command had no intention of reprimanding Manning; most of the blame for Gettysburg's involvement fell on Captain Morrison. There were strong indications, in fact, that Manning would be kept in line for a promotion, possibly assuming command of Gettysburg. Manning departed for Bull's Head, however, to seek out his family.

 

There our rudimentary investigation of Manning's past ends. Client 7493 should be aware of most of Manning's activities after his departure from Federation space; further investigation, as requested, will require additional fees. Further investigation of any of the items contained in this report, however, will be included in the original 16,000 credit fee already paid by Client 7493. I will await any word of specific areas this operation should continue to investigate or of the operation's conclusion.

 

Adam J. Benedict, Marshall

Aldebaran Central Guardian Precinct