The other doctor offered up his right hand to shake.  He had a deep voice, and she would most likely notice he had long, agile looking fingers, the mark of a good surgeon.  "Lieutenant Paulo Helopolis, Ship's Doctor.  Hello, Captain.  Call me Paolo.  Welcome aboard!"  He gestured at her computer.  "Get synched up all-right?  The Colonel and Captain can move through the material pretty fast."<br/><br/>He turned back to his own tablet computer, but continued to speak to her.  "Did you get all your things stowed?  After this, I'll show you around the sickbay, if you'd like.  I hope you'll feel at home there while you're aboard."<br/><br/>A few more people came in hurriedly and found seats, and the Colonel and ship Captain stepped back up to the podium.  (Nova might feel the urge to come to standing attention here, but no-one around her seems to be doing that, so...)  The naval officer spoke first.  "Welcome aboard the<em>Talon</em>, either welcome back aboard for those returning, or welcome aboard for the first time, for those new to my ship.  You'll find a copy of the ship's protocol in your inboxes on the ship's notification system.  Please read it.  We'll be shaking out for a few days, so we'll all be flexible at first, won't we, Colonel?"  He looked at the taller woman, smiling broadly, pausing for a few moments.<br/><br/>The Colonel rolled her eyes, and chuckled slightly.  "Certainly, Captain."<br/><br/>The Captain continued.  "Also, I can share our flight plan, to some extent--at least the first couple of weeks.  We'll first move away from Regina, then spend a day or so working out in the area just beyond 100 diameters from Regina's primary.  We'll then jump to Extolay in the Lanth subsector, and dock with the Highport, where we'll refuel and pick up some logistics material, then move on to Demotam in Vilis subsector.  Our course from there is still sensitive, but I'll share as much as I can with you when the information becomes available for general consumption."  He paused, looking around the room.  "We'll be going into danger, as you all know, but it's my hope that we'll not encounter the threat levels we've encountered before.  However, this is no milk run, and I expect everyone to do their jobs with the normal, abnormally high, levels of professionalism you've shown in the past.  You new people, take that as advice.  Watch the old hands around you, and emulate their attitudes.  Do your jobs, as I know you can do, and we'll come home fine.  Colonel?"<br/><br/>The Captain stepped away from the podium, and the Colonel stepped up to replace him.  "I'd like to also welcome everyone, old and new.  Just as the ship is working up, we'll be working up in the simulators.  You'll be getting more information about the specifics of our mission, but I can share with you the generalities."<br/><br/>She paused, took a breath, and then pressed on.  "Recently, several worlds in the neutral area between the Zhodani Consulate and the Imperium have reported that large amounts of new illicit drugs have appeared in their certain parts of their urban areas.  These drugs are being imported somehow, and local authorities are clueless as to where they are coming from, and how they are being distributed.  The only evidence common to all the incidents is that some packing material that seems to be associated with the drugs comes from Arden."<br/><br/>"So.  The goal our employer has set before us is to scout the various Arden controlled and allied systems both openly, with a merchant ship conducting trade, and clandestinely, with our resources aboard this vessel."  She mimicked the Captain's survey of the room, probably unconsciously, and smiled a bit.  "We don't expect to be in hot zones featuring big firefights, but I can't guarantee that we won't be in some sort of lower intensity events."  She put up a slide on the screen, and Nova's tablet showed it also.<br/><br/>(http://elliquiy.com/elluiki/images/d/db/DSDS_Slide2.JPG)<br/><br/>"Here's the situation with Arden.  Not a huge military threat to us, but if we get in a bad situation, we could get outnumbered fast."<br/><br/>She paused, and looked down at her tablet for a moment.  "Give me a second, everyone.  I just got something new from our employer."<br/><br/>The doctor next to Nova mumbled a bit.  "Interesting...  Hunting narcotics.  That's a first."