Next Moves

Posted on 2025, Thu Jul 10th, @ 11:11pm by Fleet Admiral Pat Lovell & Brigadier General David Dunne & Commodore Bowen Parton & Captain Joral Taran
Edited on on 2025, Wed Aug 13th, @ 8:18pm

1,485 words; about a 7 minute read

Mission: Episode 1B "Shadow of the Past"
Location: Lovell's Office
Timeline: After New Era Of Star Fleet

After the meeting concluded, Lovell strode purposefully to his office, his mind racing with the implications of the discussion. Once inside, he leaned against his desk and turned to his colleague. "So, what do you think—do you still believe that Secura is the mole?" he inquired, his voice a blend of concern and curiosity as he referenced their earlier conversation. The atmosphere was thick with tension as they contemplated the potential consequences of the betrayal lurking within their ranks.


" I am more certain than ever. My suggestion, send out an immediate order to the Star Fleet Marine Corps. Get the Chronepsis under guard as soon as possible. If there is an attack, we know the mole was in that room." Bowen said this deliberately, crossing his arms and running his right hand over his beared, his black gloves glinting in the dim light. A sudtle reminder of his sacrifices.

"Marines you say? One sec" Lovell stated as he clicked the phone button. "Lt. Send in General Dunne"

A Few seconds later a Marine walked into the room wearing the rank of Brigadier General.

"Bowen, meet my Secuirty Detail Chief, Brigadier General David Dunne" Lovell introduced.

Bowen stood there, a slight scowl on his face. He had come to hold an air of caution around the S.T.M. They where incredible assets to have, that was sure, but they always walked away knowing to much, and that is something his Section 31 mind couldn't reconcile. " General" He introduced himself coldly, holding out his gloved hand for a hand shake.


"Seems your gonna need the best of the best for a Protection Detail" Dunne stated as he shook Bowens hand.


"General, I'll let Admiral Lovell filll you in" Bowen responded stepping back into the corner.

Lovell smirked a bit. "Bowen, this is your show, not the two I put in charge out there, they are decoys"

" We are launching what might be Star Fleets most powerful ship. This ship was originally a top secret project. Certain members of the Intelligence community have deep seeded desires to keep this ship in the shadows. I need this vessel guarded 24/7 until the strike inevitably happens." Captain Parton revealed before walking up to the holo table and queuing up the ship and its birth on Io.

"Admiral, General, this let me introduce you at this time to my Chief Engineer, Cammander Teren. I am conviced that he has the knowledge and skill to reformat the EPS system of the Chronepsis into something actually usable." Bowen motioned to the door way at the man who had quitly and respectfully walked in behind him.

The Trill officer stepped further into the room, his footsteps measured, his uniform crisp despite the long hours behind console and conduit. His spots, symmetrical and sharply defined, ran neatly down his temples to vanish beneath the collar of his duty uniform. Three pips gleamed on his chest, but his demeanor was all professionalism—tempered by the quiet confidence of someone who had already restructured half the power grid of a ship most engineers wouldn't dare touch.

He stopped beside Bowen with a polite nod toward the Admiral and General.

"Admiral Lovell, General Dunne," he greeted respectfully, then turned slightly toward the table’s display of the Chronepsis. "Gentlemen."

Joral’s eyes scanned the holomap of the ship’s internal grid—one he'd already memorized. He folded his hands behind his back.

"If this vessel is as high-profile a target as Captain Bowen believes—and I don’t disagree—then security's only part of the equation. Power distribution aboard the Chronepsis was never optimized for peacetime operations. Her EPS grid was designed to feed three core systems simultaneously, including one that bends dimensional space. The redundancy’s brilliant... if you’re a theoretical engineer. In practice? It’s a minefield of cascading failure points."

He let the words hang in the air for a moment, then turned his gaze toward General Dunne.

"That means every phaser strip, every shield emitter, and every transporter pad is only as reliable as the stress points I’m reinforcing right now. If there’s an attack, and they try to take the ship from the inside—sabotage, system lockdowns, power bleed—we need a response force that understands the corridors and the choke points as well as my engineering teams."

His expression grew more intense, more personal.

"So I’m recommending two things, General. First: embed two fireteams within my EPS access teams. Quietly. If someone tries to tamper with the network, they won’t know which engineer has a rifle under his toolkit. Second: I want round-the-clock lockdown protocols on the quantum core and the dimensional rift generator. That’s where the real danger lies."

He turned at last to Admiral Lovell, voice even but resolute.

"You called me here to make the Chronepsis ready. She’ll be ready, sir. But I’ll need security that thinks like engineers—and engineers who think like spies."

A beat.

"And if Secura is the mole? Then let them come. But not before we’re ready to make damn sure they never walk out again."

" Admiral, she will fly again, but it will take time sir." Bowen added " AN until that time comes, she is vulnerable"

"DO you have a estimated Completion time" Lovell asked.

Joral shifted his weight slightly, folding his arms as the holographic schematic of the Chronepsis cast flickering blue light across his face. His tone remained professional, but the weight of his words carried the caution of someone who'd already run every simulation twice—and still wasn't happy with the answers.

"Not a simple fix, Admiral. We’re dealing with a full recalibration of a trinary core matrix that was never meant to operate outside controlled conditions. Core A’s plasma injectors were running 12% out of phase before shutdown. Core B’s thermal regulators failed a Level-2 diagnostic, and Core C—well, we’re still running tests to make sure its quantum harmonics didn’t destabilize during the last red wave activation."

He paused, letting the technical detail settle before translating.

"Best-case scenario? Six weeks. That’s with unrestricted access to the shipyard’s resources, three dedicated shifts, and zero bureaucratic delays. Worst case? Closer to eight—assuming we don’t find additional structural damage near the rift generator’s shielding array."

He met Lovell’s eyes now, no evasion in his expression.

"She will fly again, sir. But until then, Captain Bowen is right—Chronepsis is vulnerable. If someone wants to sabotage her, this is their window. Once we bring those cores back online, it’ll take more than a mole to bring her down."

A beat. Then quieter, more personal:

"I didn’t sign on to babysit a ghost ship, Admiral. I signed on to make her burn through the stars like she was meant to. Just give me the time—and the trust—to do it right."

"You have a strict deadline of six weeks—no extensions. Every single minute matters. The longer the Halo stays trapped in the mirror universe, the more severe the consequences will be for us all. As of now, General Dunne will report directly to you, so ensure you make effective use of his expertise and resources.

Captain Bowen, effective immediately, you are being promoted to Commodore and will take on additional responsibilities. Commander, you are now a Captain, following in the footsteps of Mr. Scott.

Both of you have been granted Level 6 clearance, which is the same level I possess. This elevated status comes with greater authority, so use it wisely to coordinate your efforts and streamline your operations. I expect nothing less than results. Is that clear?"

"Aye Aye sir, Lets get this this ship back into the fight where she belongs" Bowen stated before snapping a solute.

Joral didn’t immediately speak. The weight of the promotion settled over him like an unexpected gravity shift. Captain. Not just a recognition of rank—but responsibility, legacy… and risk.

He drew a slow breath, stepped forward, and offered a crisp nod, his voice steady and deliberate.

"Understood, Admiral. I won’t waste a second of it."

He glanced briefly toward Bowen—now Commodore Bowen—then turned his eyes back to the holo-display of the Chronepsis, where the glowing nodes of its trinary cores pulsed faintly in sequence.

"I’ll make full use of General Dunne’s teams. With direct authority, we can bypass the bottlenecks, secure the core access towers, and initiate EPS relay reintegration on all decks simultaneously. We’ll burn the midnight plasma if that’s what it takes."

Joral’s eyes narrowed, focus sharpening like a scalpel.

"And when Chronepsis flies again, she won’t just be operational—she’ll be untouchable."

Then, as if addressing the ship herself through the image on the table, he added softly but with unmistakable resolve:

"Let’s go get Halo back."

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