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Rhan K'hal

Keeping Busy

Keeping Busy

 

Coordinating a task force is no small feat. Coordinating one that includes a wing of Klingon Bird of Preys, Bajoran civilian transports, and a pretty much unknown species' civilian and military is like trying to juggle photon grenades. What fur Rhan had managed to grow back was standing on end more often than not as he began the laborious process.

 

Operations was one of the departments that didn't really have an administrative home office on most Starships, the Excalibur included, so Rhan had snatched one of the small, unused non-commissioned officer's quarters on deck 3, knowing that not all business could or should be conducted from the Bridge. Considering the enormity of the task at hand he'd requisitioned a number of display units, and the small room was now a very cramped Evacuation Operations Center. Sitting behind the centrally located desk, Rhan figuratively cracked his knuckles as it was time to continue the juggling act.

 

While the office was being set up, he had already contacted Kutang, the commander of the Klingon part of the task force. He'd actually met the fierce Klingon woman when he arrived at Camelot Station after leaving the Academy. He'd met enough Klingons in his life in San Francisco to not be overly intimidated by any of them, but was always wary of those that might try to engage him in Klingon-style tests of prowess and honor. Thankfully, Kutang had her share of experience dealing with the Federation and bypassed these displays. Whether she did this due to understanding of the cultural differences or to merely avoid wasting time, Rhan couldn't say. Either was he was glad he was dealing with her. They'd exchanged pleasantries, via a "Qapla" each, and then quickly shared what information was relevant. He knew he wouldn't hear back from her unless they found something that needed sharing, and it would all be done on narrow-band, encrypted channels.

 

Rhan had also been in touch with the Starfleet ships in the task force. The secondary ship, the U.S.S. Wasp, yet another Akira class, will be managing the operations on the opposite side of Bryiom from the Excalibur, to try to keep the evacuation moving as fast and efficiently as possible. The Cape Horn, one of the Galaxy class ships coming along, will take on a large number of evacuees on the Excalibur's side of the planet, while the Kamakura will tag alongside the Wasp. The Nebula class U.S.S. Prince de Austrias will also take on a number of evacuees, as well as being the primary hospital transport, as it was fitted with an emergency response module for its activities in the Gamma Quadrant. Although extreme cases will be shared amongst the various sickbays in the fleet to give a better doctor to patient ratio. The Steamrunner Class light cruisers Haig and Nile are along as primary escorts and if/when necessary, shepherds.

 

Next, he had to call ahead to Bryiom and figure out who he was going to be working with from there. Communications would again be narrow band and encrypted, as no one wanted to raise a big flag for the Dominion to see that would tip them to the upcoming evacuation before it even got started. After setting up the signal, he waited for the Bryiomen government to route the signal through.

"Rittock, aide to First Minister Avioli speaking. Ah... Excalibur, is it?" Asked a very blue, very bald humanoid. Captain Swain was right, they did look a lot like Bolians, but they didn't have that split face feature, rather their brow ridge was very pronounced and proceeded to circle around their entire head, rather giving them the look of Terran medieval monks.

 

"Yes, this is Ensign Rhan K'hal, leading Operations office of the Excalibur. I will be coordinating the evacuation efforts. We have much to organize before we arrive," Rhan replied.

 

"Yes, of course. We were expecting your communication. Of course we are very busy on our end, but we have found someone suitable to act as liaison. Our Minister of Finance, Nuomi, will help you with whatever you need. Considering the circumstances, he has very little else to do," Rittock said, with the driest hint of irony in his voice. "Just append your future correspondence flagged to him and you will be directly routed through."

 

"Thank you," Rhan replied. "Is there anything else the First Minister's office would like to impart?"

 

"Not at this time," Rittock said. "I will transfer you to Minister Nuomi now." Before Rhan could so much as blink the display flickered and the face of another Bryiomen filled the screen. This one, presumably Nuomi, seemed far more distressed if the rather puckered mouth was any indication.

 

"Minister of... Finance... Nuomi," he said. "To whom am I speaking?"

 

"Ensign Rhan K'hal of the U.S.S. Excalibur." After a moment of silence, with Nuomi peering at his screen as if pondering what he was speaking with, Rhan decided to move things along. "I will be coordinating the evacuation efforts. There are many things that we will need to work out before our arrival."

 

"Yes," Nuomi agreed dourly.

 

Blinking, Rhan certainly had to agree again with Swain that the Bryiomen were certainly less chatty than Bolians, and this one especially. It would also mean he would have to take charge of the conversation a little more than he expected.

 

"First, we need to determine the number of your people that will require continued hospitalization or medical/psychiatric attention through the evacuation, and the coordinates for the medical centers. Also, we need all information you have on any incarcerated individuals, and the detainment facilities locations so that we can evacuate them with proper security protocols. I am also assuming that you have already determined your evacuation points for the rest of your people. We'll need those locations, expected numbers for each, etc." Rhan paused, giving the Minister an opportunity to chime in.

 

"I will find out these things," Nuomi said, after a good moment of maintaining his silent dourness.

 

"Good, thank you," Rhan said, hiding his exasperation at Nuomi's depressing demeanor. "Other items we will need to know: as close an estimate as you can manage at the number of vessels, public and private, that will be evacuating from your own port facilities and any that plan to join the evacuation convoy. Also we will need at least generic information as well as transponder codes for your military vessels so that our Tactical Information Center can parse them as friendly vessels."

 

"All right," Nuomi replied, his mouth puckering even more.

 

"Well," Rhan continued, deciding this was as good a place to leave off than any, feeling that asking Nuomi for anything else at this point would force the man's face to implode. "Please contact me as soon as you have the information, Minister."

 

Nuomi wagged his head laterally, a physical gesture that the translator couldn't do anything about so Rhan was unsure if it was agreement or if he'd just been insulted. Or perhaps both. In any case the transmission was ended on the Bryiomen's end, leaving Rhan staring at the default Starfleet communications screen.

 

"Fun guy," Rhan muttered to himself before letting out a deep sigh. He still had to contact Major Vellan Kre of the Bajoran transport fleet, but after that fun conversation with Minister Nuomi he needed to walk off the frustration and refill his cup of bhosas. By then hopefully his fur would be lying flat again.

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