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Topic: Star Trek: the Edge of Duty
Subject: captain's mast, part 3
Stardate 2365.02.09
USS Peregrine, Captain's Mess - 1412
((OOC: I have put a few words into Chief Crane's mouth, assuming that she would answer direct questions. She is not my NPC, however, so if I assumed incorrectly, please let me know and we can edit.
Likewise, neither Berk nor Lasad have been super active of late, so I assumed that they would also answer direct questions. If either player has an issue with this we can edit.))
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Once Drake had presented the case as he understood it, it was Chief Crane's turn to give her version of events. The scientist was calm and measured as she presented her side. To her credit, she did not deny the facts, nor did she offer any excuses. What she did communicate, however, troubled Silas more than a little. Unless he misunderstood, Chief Crane's basic narrative was that she did not feel that command would hear her concerns, so she felt compelled to seek outside help. She was very sorry, she never meant any harm to come to anyone's career.
And yet, at this very moment, Silas knew that Lieutenant Tesenblen was sitting in a brig awaiting a formal court martial. There would likely be at least some sort of inquiry as to Drake's own involvement in the incident. And for what? Hurt feelings?
The Captain kept his face impassive as Chief Crane completed her narrative. Then, to no surprise, Tochi spoke up.
"As Chief Crane's advocate, Captain Drake," Zai said, meeting Silas' gaze, "we would like to offer a few words, if we may."
Drake nodded. "Please do, Lieutenant."
Not surprisingly, Tochi played the only real card in his hand - he pled for leniency for Chief Crane, citing an exemplary career and lack of previous disciplinary issues. For a moment, Silas allowed himself to be swayed ever so slightly; after all, he had no desire whatsoever to mete out punishment for the sake of punishment alone. Unfortunately, Zai continued to speak.
Silas found himself to be more than a little surprised as Tochi opined that perhaps all of the command staff shared in culpability for Chief Crane's actions, as he implied that there had been some failing to establish trust which contributed to the Chief's feelings that she had to take the matter outside of the Peregrine.
"Again, sir," Lieutenant Zai concluded, "I present these items for your consideration in determining appropriate consequences in regards to this matter, not in any attempt to justify the Chief's actions, nor to deflect or deny guilt."
Appropriate consequences? Silas mused bitterly.
Once Zai had completed his speech, the Captain looked around the room. "Thank you for your input, Lieutenant Zai," Drake spoke. "Does anyone else have anything to contribute that the feel may be pertinent to the matter at hand?"
((OOC: assuming no one does))
Drake nodded. "Very well, then," he spoke.
The Captain leaned back in his chair just a bit.
"On the one hand," Silas opened, "I hear the plea for leniency, and it strikes a chord within me. The main reason I was so surprised to learn of these events was specifically because Chief Crane has always maintained a spotless service record. I have no desire to punish for the sake of punishment alone." Drake's voice began to take on a bit of an edge. "And yet..." he trailed off.
The Captain's tone grew cold. "This is the first major disciplinary action I have had to take part in since assuming command of the Peregrine. What I do here today will establish precedent for the duration of my command. I fear that if I slap the Chief on the wrist today, it will send the message to the crew that discipline and order are not the priority that they should be. I do not see exactly how I can reconcile the claim of 'no bad intentions' with the reality of a conscious, willing, major violation of the chain of command."
Drake fixed his gaze on Chief Crane. "Chief, you are a geneticist, correct? With my own background light in the sciences, I would be a fool to question you in areas of, say, sequencing of unknown RNA or DNA, or in various gene therapies, or in diagnosing various genetic disorders, or in analysis of the genetic makeup of exo life forms, or in any one of a myriad of other subjects that I likely have only the most basic notion of. Wouldn't you agree that I should, in fact, trust specialists like yourself in areas like these?"
Crane looked a little dubious to Silas. "Yes, sir," she offered quietly.
Drake nodded. "I see. Chief, from your service record, I see that you have been in Starfleet some fifteen years. However, it would appear that perhaps my copy of your service record is incomplete. Tell me, Chief... exactly how many years of experience do you have in command of a starship?"
Crane blinked. "Sir?" she asked.
Silas frowned. "It's a simple question, Chief. How many years of command experience do you have?"
The Chief glanced at Tochi before answering. "None, sir."
Silas nodded. "None. Ah. Perhaps you were in some other command staff position, then? First or second officer, perhaps?"
Chief Crane looked miserable as she answered. "No, sir. I have not served in such a capacity."
Drake was aware that his approach was overkill, but he had now committed to the course. "Very well," he spoke. "Perhaps my copy of your service record is only missing the command training that you have recently completed?"
The Chief shook her head slightly and cast her eyes down. "No, sir. I have not completed such training."
Silas frowned again. "Hmm. I wonder, then, Chief... what exactly was your basis for believing that you were better equipped to make a command decision for this ship than I or the existing command staff?"
Chief Crane looked even more miserable. "I don't know, sir. It wasn't like that, sir... I was just worried about the mission..."
Drake cut her off. "So you told us, Chief. You were concerned that the chance acquisition of this rare plant would have become known to the diplomats, one of which would then possibly plan to disable the security protocols we had in place so as to use the plant to murder the other, and thus sabotage the peace process."
The Captain fixed his gave on Lieutenant Berk. "Lieutenant Berk," he began, "assuming that you were to take us by surprise, how long would it take you to kill everyone in this room with the sidearm you are wearing?"
The Chief Tactical Officer looked more than a little surprised at the query. "Sir?" he asked.
Silas narrowed his eyes. "Just answer the question, Lieutenant. If you were to take us by surprise, how long would it take you to kill everyone in the room with your sidearm?"
Berk looked decidedly uncomfortable. "Er... well, sir. It honestly would only take a few seconds. I mean, we're practically at point blank range, so assuming I prioritized my threats, it wouldn't take long."
The Captain nodded. "Thank you, mister Berk. That estimate, of course, is for your sidearm; if I am not mistaken, we stock phaser rifles in our armory that are more powerful than your hand phaser, and we also stock heavier weapons and explosives - some of which could, in fact, punch a hole though the hull. Do we not?"
Berk nodded. "Yes, Captain. We have more powerful weapons like the ones you describe."
Drake seemed mollified. "Thank you, Lieutenant."
He turned his gaze to Lasad. "Lieutenant Lasad, how difficult would it be to use the replicator to create various engineering compounds that could be used to commit murder?"
The Ops chief seemed prepared for this line of questioning. "It would not be difficult, sir. There are many such compounds that could be easily synthesized. Some are toxic, others could be combined to create corrosive or explosive materials."
Drake remained impassive. "Is it not true, Lieutenant, that even the food replicators could be used in such a way? Are there not dishes in the computer catalog that some species consider to be edible - if not actual delicacies - that could, in fact, sicken or kill members of other species?"
Lasad nodded. "That is true, sir."
"Thank you, Lieutenant," the Captain stated before turning his gaze back to Chief Crane. "Chief, I could page medical if you like, but I am certain than Doctor Moore would confirm that many medicines - some easily obtainable - can be used to sicken or kill. And we haven't even scratched the surface of tricks like modifying a photon torpedo to explode within the ship or just after a launch; such an act could kill everyone aboard."
Drake tapped on his PADD, and the table projector display changed to written documentation. "If you would be so kind as to examine this data, you will note some relevant facts about the wolfsbane. Yes, it is possible for the plant to cause death, but the biggest risks associated with growing it are that it can cause nausea and sleepiness in humans exposed to the aromas of the plant, and that skin contact with the plant can cause sickness. Death typically requires ingestion of the plant, but it has an extremely unpleasant flavor which curtails this - most deaths associated with it arose via application though broken skin, as in a blade coated with the plant's material, or introduction via mucous membranes such as the female genitalia."
The Captain arched his eyebrows. "I pray that you will forgive me if I found these scenarios to be slightly less likely than obtaining a traditional weapon or poison. The containment fields were more for the comfort and day to day safety of the crew than for anything else. And there is, of course, the fact that Lieutenant Tesenblen had obtained seeds for the plant, seeds that would not, in fact, yield full sized plants until long after the current diplomatic mission was completed. As such, I determined that the wolfsbane provided a negligent risk to the mission, and that the security protocols proposed by Lieutenant Tesenblen were more than adequate to ensure the safety of the crew."
Silas went silent then, and allowed the silence to hang over the room for a few long moments. Eventually, he fixed his gaze on Crane once more.
"Chief," he spoke, "I want to be abundantly clear - my issue is not with the fact that you questioned my judgment. Had you gone through appropriate channels and raised your concerns to me, I would have shared the above data with you and hopefully set your fears at ease. If, for some reason, you had information that I was not privy to, I would have gladly considered it. I do not take the safety of this ship or her crew lightly. I am responsible for more than sixty souls, and I bear that responsibility with every fiber of my being."
The Captain's voice once again took on a hard edge. "However, much like I choose to trust you and the other specialists in the execution of your duties, so too do I expect for you to trust the chain of command. It is my job to make decisions like this one, and I do not believe that it is too much for me to expect you to understand that I will make those decisions in the best interests of this crew, this ship, and our missions. This is the entire foundation of the operation of a starship - we must trust one another to do our jobs... especially on a craft of this size, where there is little to no redundancy in any given department or position. If that trust is not there, we are doomed to fail before we even undertake a task."
Drake shook his head slightly. "Lieutenant Zai feels 'almost ashamed' in the lack of faith we as a command staff have instilled that would cause you to feel you needed to go outside the chain of command to resolve this matter." He paused for a moment. "I, on the other hand, am absolutely appalled that such a condition would exist to begin with."
His face a a cold, stony mask, the Captain continued. "I am unaware of any situation that I or Lieutenant Zai have so grossly mishandled over the past three months to justify such a lack of faith. In fact, I can think of no situation during that time - that being, of course, the time since I assumed command of this vessel - that crew safety has ever been put at risk from any decision. It would seem to me, then, that the failing is yours, Chief - not ours."
Drake sighed. "The chain of command is there for a reason. If it is not respected, people die and ships are lost. It may sound like an oversimplification, but that is the absolute truth. As a scientist, you may not have been involved in such situations, but that does not diminish their reality. Absent clear and irrefutable evidence that the Captain is making a choice to unnecessarily endanger the crew or the ship, you are honor bound to respect that chain of command. Even then, many an officer has found themselves on the wrong side of a court martial for choosing to stand against it; you must realize that while you are, in fact, a trained expert in your field, the fact is that Starfleet has expended not insignificant resources to train Command officers to likewise be fit for their posts. Let the record show that I have an open door policy - you may always bring your concerns to me - but even so, I expect for orders to be followed and the chain of command to be respected at all times. There are no exceptions."
The Captain cleared his throat. "Chief Crane, had we still been at port when I discovered your transgression, I would have beached you on the spot. Fortunately for your career, that was not the case. Be that as it may, here is my ruling."
Drake fixed Crane with his gaze. "Chief Petty Officer Lauren Crane, I do hereby find you guilty in the matter of this gross violation of the chain of command, and find no mitigating circumstances to justify your actions in any degree. Therefore, your punishment will be as follows.
First, you are hereby reduced in rate to Petty Officer, First Class. All privileges and benefits are likewise hereby reduced.
Second, you will be confined to the brig for three days, during which you will subside on bread and water rations only.
Third, upon completion of your time in the brig, you will return to duty, as the science department can ill afford being short an experienced staff member. However, for the next fourteen days, you will remain confined to quarters when not actively conducting your normal duties or such special projects as your department head may assign to you. During this fourteen day period, you will forego any 'off days' as may have been part of your normal schedule, instead making yourself available for duty shifts as needed by your department head to help cover for the strain of others being forced to work extra shifts to cover for your absence. You may visit the crew mess to obtain your own meals during this time period, but you will take said meals in your quarters.
During this fourteen day period, you will be assigned extra duties to be completed once your normal daily shifts are done.
Fourth, for the fourteen days following this period, you will be likewise assigned extra duties to be completed once your normal daily shifts are done.
Finally, a written reprimand will be placed into your service record."
The Captain took a breath. "I trust that this will be the end of the matter, and that chain of command will never again be an issue with you, Petty Officer Crane. Understand that if anything like this ever happens again, the punishment will not be so light - your career in Starfleet will be over. Understand, too, that I expect you to return to full and vigorous execution of your duties. If I find out otherwise... well, let's trust that I won't find out otherwise."
Drake looked around the room. "If no one else has anything to add?"
((OOC: assuming not))
Silas nodded. "Very well. Lieutenant Berk, please escort Petty Officer Crane to the brig. The rest of you are dismissed."
Posted on 2016-11-07 at 11:56:10.
Edited on 2016-11-07 at 23:54:44 by t_catt11
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Topic: Star Trek: the Edge of Duty Q&A
Subject: post is really, truly coming
Almost done...
Posted on 2016-11-07 at 10:52:02.
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Topic: Boo Boo away for a short time
Subject: okay
I was worried. I'm not sure who approved the off time, but have fun, we'll miss you, come back soon.
Posted on 2016-11-06 at 10:56:14.
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Topic: Star Trek: the Edge of Duty Q&A
Subject: yep
Agreed, liked the Haemis post a lot!
Drake post coming, I swear...
Posted on 2016-11-03 at 18:03:48.
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Topic: Tann’s NFL U Pick em Game 2016-17
Subject: just under the wire...
Atlanta
Dallas
Kansas City
Miami
Minnesota
Philadelphia
Pittsburgh
Carolina
New Orleans
Green Bay
San Diego
Denver
Seattle
Posted on 2016-11-03 at 18:03:13.
Edited on 2016-11-06 at 10:58:08 by t_catt11
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Topic: Star Trek: the Edge of Duty Q&A
Subject: noice
Great round of posts, folks!
Sorry for silence from me over the weekend; Halloween time is big at my house, and with five kids, I'm super busy.
I should have a post up tomorrow (Monday).
Posted on 2016-10-31 at 00:19:51.
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Topic: Tann’s NFL U Pick em Game 2016-17
Subject: Ack
Tennessee
Cincinnati
Green Bay
Buffalo
Cleveland
Kansas City
New Orleans
Oakland
Detroit
Denver
Carolina
Dallas
Minnesota
Posted on 2016-10-27 at 19:39:22.
Edited on 2016-10-30 at 11:49:58 by t_catt11
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Topic: Star Trek: the Edge of Duty Q&A
Subject: excellent
Great round of posts, folks! I'll try to have my next one up today.
Posted on 2016-10-27 at 11:05:09.
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Topic: Star Trek: the Edge of Duty Q&A
Subject: nice!
glad to see you, Brennus! We've been missing ya, no doubt.
Post #2 from me regarding the mast is now up. It's time to Lauren to present her defense.
Posted on 2016-10-26 at 00:38:11.
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Topic: Star Trek: the Edge of Duty
Subject: captain's mast, part 2
Stardate 2365.02.09
USS Peregrine, Captain's Mess - 1405
To her credit, Chief Crane had thus far conducted herself in an utterly professional manner. She sat straight and tall, and kept a serious, though neutral, expression on her face.
Sias went though his preliminaries and offered the Chief the option of seeking a court martial. He had honestly expected for her to confer with her advocate, but it would appear that Tochi had already helped to prep her for the proceeding; she did not hesitate in her response. "There's no need to confer, Captain," Chief Crane's voice maintained a steady and level tone. "I am fully prepared to accept your ruling in this matter, sir."
A wise decision, Drake mused. Clearly, Tochi had given some good advice.
"Fair enough, Chief," Silas answered. "With that being the case, I will proceed to the heart of the matter."
The Captain paused for a moment and looked around the room before fixing his gaze once again on Crane. "This morning at oh eight thirty," Silas began, "I had a meeting with Lieutenant Sh'iraolnas. As we recapped her impressions of her new department, she revealed to me that the two of you had a meeting yesterday evening, during which you confessed that you were, in fact, the individual responsible for the arrest of Lieutenant Tesenblen. According to Lieutenant Sh'iraolnas' report, you had concerns with the study of the wolfsbane and the potential impact in terms of safety to the crew and the mission."
Drake paused for a moment. "I was told that you raised these concerns to Lieutenant Tesenblen, but that he was not swayed, and cited the containment plan he had developed and I had sanctioned. From what I understand, you felt that since I had already approved his research and his plan, that your concerns would fall on deaf ears. You then contacted security aboard Starbase 118 to report the illegal research that Lieutenant Tesenblen was conducting."
The Captain paused again, and the holographic projectors leapt to life to display a time stamped communications log.
Drake gestured to the display. "The communications log between the Peregrine and Starbase 118 appears to corroborate this account. Please note the highlighted entry - stardate 42135.3. Communication initiated from Chief Petty Officer Lauren Crane to Starbase 118 security, duration six minutes, twelve seconds."
The Captain sighed ever so slightly. "Furthermore, an interview with your roommate, one Chief Petty Officer Dana Cook, reveals that you told her an essentially identical story to the one you told Lieutenant Sh'iraolnas."
Silas interlaced his fingers atop the table and regarded the accused. "Chief Crane, to be quite honest with you, the facts seem to be exceptionally clear. However, I will now give you the chance to present your version of the events in question. While I rather doubt that you will be able to tender any facts to call into question the veracity of the evidence I have related, it is possible that you may still present some mitigating circumstance of which I am not privy. This is your chance to speak, so please, include any information that you feel may be relevant to this proceeding."
With that, the Captain leaned back a bit in his chair and waited for the Chief's response.
Posted on 2016-10-26 at 00:37:17.
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Topic: Star Trek: the Edge of Duty Q&A
Subject: well
As Drake pointed out, he absolutely does not have to offer the court martial. Were she a commissioned officer, she could demand a court martial instead of the NJP; as an enlisted, she does not have the right. However, with the ship being under weigh, Drake might still be able to force the NJP on even a junior commissioned officer... an NCO like Crane has literally no standing here. Drake's offer is made to show that he is willing to be utterly impartial.
A court martial could indeed open an investigation into why Captain Drake allowed an illegal operation on board the ship. However, he doesn't seem to be too worried about that - note his interaction with Starbase security regarding the matter. He makes no secret of it.
If Crane insists on a court martial, her career is over, and as Eol has pointed out, she will do real time on a penal colony. The only possible way that she would be able to avoid this would be if she had first attempted to resolve the matter via proper channels and discovered that neither Drake nor Zai would hear her concerns - AND if she could prove that her concerns were valid. Even though the plant is illegal, it is not some super weapon that would jeopardize the ship (as you may see, depending on how the NJP goes).
Bottom line, she violated one of the basic tenets of military discipline in a serious manner, and in doing so, caused severe harm to her department head. She's not going to have anywhere near the mitigating circumstances to prevent serious punishment at a court martial.
The NJP is not going to be fun for her, but it's her best choice by far.
Posted on 2016-10-25 at 08:26:53.
Edited on 2016-10-25 at 08:29:01 by t_catt11
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Topic: Star Trek: the Edge of Duty Q&A
Subject: part 1 up
Okay, part 1 of the "trial" is up. I would assume that Crane will accept the NJP, but if she wishes to hold out for a full legal proceeding (and the increased rights she would be afforded at the cost of much greater jeopardy), Drake is prepared to allow her to do that.
An astute officer would likely be able to ascertain how serious Drake feels about this issue, seeing as how he referred to it as a "gross" violation.
Posted on 2016-10-25 at 00:46:34.
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Topic: Star Trek: the Edge of Duty
Subject: captain's mast, part 1
Stardate 2365.02.09
USS Peregrine, Captain's Mess - 1355
Captain Drake stood, alone, in the hallway outside of the Captain's Mess. His fury from the earlier meeting had cooled, and he found that his heart felt a touch heavy. Though Silas knew that he carried a deserved reputation for being a hardass when the situation warranted, his underlings might have been surprised to learn that he did not relish tasks such as the one he was about to undertake. To the contrary, he truly wanted nothing but the best for his crew; however, much like a father might reluctantly punish a wayward child, so too would Drake dispense discipline as needed.
Now was a time when it seemed that such discipline was clearly needed.
Silas took a deep breath, straightened his back, and adopted a completely neutral face before striding into the Captain's Mess. It would not do to show doubt or weakness to his crew.
The hatch hissed open to reveal the normally cozy Captain's Mess, tough the atmosphere seemed anything but this afternoon. Drake noted with a touch of satisfaction that he was the last to arrive - Chief Crane was present and seated at the foot of the table, with Lieutenants Zai, Lasad, Berk, and Sh'iraolnas seated around the table. Taking his own seat, Drake spoke.
"Since it would appear that we are all here," he spoke, "I see no reason to delay this. If no one has an objection, let us begin."
((OOC: assuming no objections))
Drake nodded. "Very well. Let the record show that we are assembled here today for the purpose of conducting a non judicial proceeding in the matter of a gross violation of the chain of command by Chief Petty Officer Lauren Crane." The Captain paused for a moment to allow his words to sink in before fixing the Chief with his gaze.
"Before we continue, Chief, I would like to clarify some potential questions." Silas took a breath. "Since you are not a commissioned officer, Chief, and further influenced by the fact that we are under weigh, I am fully within my rights as Captain of this vessel to compel you to accept this non judicial proceeding. However, I am willing to give you to option of a formal court martial, if you so desire."
The Captain glanced around the table. "You should carefully consider this choice, Chief. If I find you guilty in this non judicial proceeding, you will have no true method of recourse; you will simply be forced to accept any punishment that I choose to hand out. Such an action will almost certainly have a negative impact upon your Starfleet career. Bear in mind that, unlike in a formal legal trial, I need not be convinced of your guilt beyond a reasonable doubt; I need only decide that a preponderance of the evidence points to your guilt. At a non judicial proceeding such as this, you are entitled to retain an advocate to help plead your case, but even though I have the utmost faith that whoever you choose to be your advocate will in fact do their best to represent your interests, the fact remains that we lack a true legal specialist aboard the Peregrine, and certainly do not have anyone truly trained to defend breaches of maritime law."
Drake gave a moment for the above to sink in. "With that being said, if you elect to take your chance with a court martial, understand that you will be relieved of duty and confined to quarters until such time as we are able to arrange for your transport to a Starbase or similar Federation outpost where you can stand trial. If this does go to a formal legal action, I will pursue it aggressively, filing charges that will include items such as dereliction of duty, conduct unbecoming, and any and all technicalities that I can find that may apply. While it is certainly possible that you may be able to win your case in a formal legal proceeding, given the evidence I have seen thus far, I rather doubt that will be the situation. If you are convicted at a court martial, you can expect to spend real time in the brig, and can almost guarantee that your Starfleet career will be over."
The silence in the room was palpable. "If you wish to confer with your advocate, Chief Crane, you may do so now. I need to know which course you would prefer to take."
Posted on 2016-10-25 at 00:43:19.
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Topic: Star Trek: the Edge of Duty Q&A
Subject: okay, cool
If it's okay with everyone, I'm going to assume that the characters with "speaking parts" will be there on time. Eol and Brom, if you guys want, you could do a collaboration (or a backpost) having Crane talk to Tochi about being her advocate - but this is hardly necessary, just a way to do some posting since you guys seem to look for any excuse. 
If all goes well, I may have a preliminary post up tonight, which should provide some tag opportunities for other players before my next post.
Posted on 2016-10-24 at 22:43:12.
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Topic: Star Trek: the Edge of Duty Q&A
Subject: suhweet!
Cubs won the NLCS for the first time since 1945, Auburn stomped Arkansas; I'm super happy. My NFL picks continue to be terrible for the game here on the Inn, but let's not talk about that.
Loving the series of posts for Trek!
Looks like things are quite elsewhere in the game, so it you folks are okay with it, I may skip ahead to the Captain's Mast. I believe that I can safely assume that Chief Crane will be there, and be on time, yes?
Posted on 2016-10-24 at 15:50:52.
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Topic: Tann’s NFL U Pick em Game 2016-17
Subject: apparenty, 8 is my number....
Green Bay
Los Angeles
Cincinnati
Detroit
Indianapolis
Kansas City
Buffalo
Baltimore
Minnesota
Oakland
Atlanta
San Francisco
New England
Seattle
Denver
At least I won't miss the Carolina pack AGAIN.
Posted on 2016-10-20 at 15:31:51.
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Topic: Star Trek: the Edge of Duty Q&A
Subject: welp
There you go, one Captain's reaction.
Posted on 2016-10-19 at 01:37:26.
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Topic: Star Trek: the Edge of Duty
Subject: in which the fecal matter strikes the air distribution device...
Stardate 2365.02.09
USS Peregrine, Captain's Ready Room - 0838
The conversation with the new Chief Science Officer had started off well enough. The attractive andorian had quite a bit of a prim, by the book manner to her, though the previous evening's interactions with Tochi had proven that there was another layer to her. Still, she offered polite, expected responses to all of his queries, offering little in the way of personal insight into her thoughts... at least until the conversation ventured to the science staff.
Sh'iraolnas' comment about a "deviated trajectory" elicited an arched eyebrow from the Captain, but he made no comment - the department was hers to run as she saw fit, assuming they continued to meet the ship's needs. For the new CSO to succeed, she would need the Captain's support - which he understood would largely involve him staying out of the way. As such, he felt that the matters were likely to be minor and not worth him getting involved.
And then, the bomb dropped. "It is, however, troubling that I need to report a rather serious infraction," Sh'iraolnas spoke in a serious tone.
Releasing her knee, the blue-skinned woman leaned back in her chair and used the palm of her right hand to press the folds in her right pant leg down, paying attention to her actions instead of looking at Captain Drake's response. "Chief Crane admitted to me that she is the reason for Lieutenant Tesenblen's arrest, though the intention was innocent enough."
"You see," she continued, "the Lieutenant's most recent project - the one that involved the Wolfsbane - became a concern to the Chief when the delegation chose the Peregrine as their berth. She approached Lieutenant Tesenblen with her concerns and according to her, he dismissed them as he had your approval for the security protocols he'd enacted and the intention behind his research. You'll see in the report I forwarded you early this block that she felt she had to act to protect the integrity of the mission and the safety of our guests, the crew, and Starfleet on a whole. Feeling that she had nowhere else to go due to your approval of the project, she reported the existence of the Wolfsbane to Starbase One-One-Eight's security team."
"Chief Crane was quite distraught that this caused Lieutenant Tesenblen's arrest. She considered him a friend as well as her commanding officer." Looking up from her ironing work, Asovil met Silas' gaze once more. "Details are in the report, including the message from CPO Crane's personal communication file. I've spoken with her about the severity of her actions and told her that discipline will be forthcoming. Until then, she is to remain restricted to her quarters. I felt that the situation did not warrant bothering you with it during Beta Shift's activities and could wait until Alpha."
At last, Sh'iraolnas stopped speaking, though truth be told, it took a moment for Silas to register that fact. His face felt flushed; there was knot in the pit of his stomach and a dull ringing in his ears. The Captain's eyes sparked with dark fury as he fixed the new science chief with a glare. "She. Did. What." he spat through gritted teeth.
Drake snatched his PADD off of his desk and thumbed through until he located the aforementioned report. If possible, the Captain's countenance fell even further as he absorbed the information therein.
Silas glanced up at the andorian woman, then dropped the PADD back onto his desk as he stood and paced a few strides. The Captain turned his back on his guest as he considered the various ship models from around the room. At last, he spoke. "Thank you for bringing this to my attention, Lieutenant. Whatever her motivations, the fact remains that not only did Chief Crane clearly violate the chain of command, but her actions caused severe - perhaps irreparable - harm to the career of your predecessor. This is a matter of discipline and protocol, and will have to be dealt with by more than a few days of being grounded to her room."
Drake closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose as he keyed his communicator. "Drake to Petty Officer Vish."
=/=Vish here, Captain=/= came the reply with a bit of a snarky tone. =/=Why so formal?=/=
"Not now, Yeoman!" Drake snapped.
Instantly, the voice on the other end turned businesslike. =/=Aye, Captain. What can I do for you, sir?"=/=
In other circumstances, Drake might have marveled at the change in tone, but he was too preoccupied to notice. "Riva, I want you to locate Chief Crane. If she is off duty, proceed directly to her quarters; if not, find her at her station. Inform her that she is to report to the Captain's Mess at fourteen hundred hours to be subject of a Captain's Mast."
=/=Sir?=/= came the unsure reply.
Drake's voice was measured and calm, though his had to consciously un ball his fist. "You have your orders, petty officer. Carry them out."
=/=Aye, sir. Orders acknowledged. Vish out.=/= came the reply.
Silas let out a heavy sigh and retook his chair. Once again turning his gaze on Sh'iraolnas, he spoke. "Unless there is something more, Lieutenant, I believe that you have a department to attend to, and I have hearing to prepare for."
((OOC: assuming nothing to force the meeting to last longer.))
Drake nodded. "Very well. Dismissed, Lieutenant."
((OOC: assuming she leaves))
Silas sat for a few long moments, staring silently at the door. He had a bridge shift to return to; it would not do to hide in his office for hours on end. First, though, he needed to inform the XO.
Drake tapped his commbadge. "Drake to Lieutenant Zai."
((OOC: assuming a typical response))
"Sorry to bother you, Tochi; I know that you're not on shift until Beta today. However, something has come up - I'll be bringing Chief Crane to Captain's Mast today at fourteen hundred hours, and I expect that she may want you or Lasad to act as her advocate."
((OOC: seems like a nice point to end this))
Posted on 2016-10-19 at 01:34:27.
Edited on 2016-10-19 at 01:36:33 by t_catt11
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Topic: Star Trek: the Edge of Duty Q&A
Subject: yep
Reaction post coming, should be today.
Posted on 2016-10-17 at 11:01:39.
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Topic: Star Trek: the Edge of Duty
Subject: getting scientific
Stardate 2365.02.09
USS Peregrine, Captain's Ready Room - 0828
The chime sounded, just a bit early - which was exactly what Silas had expected. "Come in," he bade, and the hatch slid open to reveal the blue-skinned Andorian officer that served as the new science chief. The Captain rose and offered a hand, then gestured to the seat across from his own. "Please, have a seat, Lieutenant Sh'iraolnas."
((OOC: assuming she does so...))
"I trust that you have had a chance to settle in a bit?" Drake asks.
((OOC: whatever answer))
The Captain nodded. "Again, I would like to apologize for the less than cordial welcome yesterday. While I am certain that you can appreciate the frustration I was under by having all but one of my department heads replaced within a twenty-four hour window - including a secret arrest of one of them - the fact remains that none of that was your fault, and as such, I was less than polite to you. Hopefully, the lack of tact on my part will not hamper our working relationship going forward."
((OOC assuming some sort of polite response))
Silas gave a half smile. "Very well. You strike me as an individual that values directness, so let's get down to business. First off, I owe you a full briefing."
Drake leaned back a bit in his chair. "We were originally assigned as the escort for the USS Coronado, a Miranda class vessel that has been refit for diplomatic purposes, in her mission to broker a peace between the Kuldar and Rytain at a summit to be held in the Gamera system. Her outdated combat capabilities were even further reduced by the refit, but she has excellent facilities for diplomats - as well as a crew trained for, and dedicated to such missions. The escort was required to ensure their safety. However, when Lieutenant Zai and I met with Captain Jacobs, his first officer, and the ambassadors at Starbase 118, the ambassadors put a wrinkle into the situation by demanding berths aboard the 'superior' vessel - even if it meant leaving the rest of their contingents behind on the Coronado. To say that Captain Jacobs was displeased would be an understatement, but in the end, we really had little choice but to comply."
The Captain shook his head. "We have less than two days worth of warp to reach the Gamera system, at which point we will deliver the ambassadors, resume an escort position, and wish the process the best. Captain Jacobs has made it clear in no uncertain terms that we are not to interfere, that we are to limit our interactions with the ambassadors."
Drake gave a wry grin. "I am more than happy to comply with these orders. As you have likely surmised, I care little for politics and flowery words. Fortunately for this mission, Lieutenants Zai and Lasad have talents in this area, so last night's reception wasn't the utter failure I might have otherwise created."
Silas clasped his hands. "Any questions?" he asked.
((OOC: allowing for Sh'iraolnas to interject whatever here. If we need a sidebar, we can handle it via future posts. Assuming, however, that she does not torpedo the entire conversation...))
The Captain nodded. "Moving on, then. I would assume that you have had a chance to meet with all of your staff. I'm curious as to your first impression of them, if you don't mind my asking."
Drake kept his face neutral. This line of conversation would allow Lieutenant Sh'iraolnas the chance to mention the confinement of Chief Crane to quarters without him having to break tradition and inquire about intra-department discipline. Naturally, it was his right to know - nothing aboard a ship was off limits to the Captain - but traditions were to be respected. He did not want the new department chief to feel that he was stepping on her toes with her less than a day into the job, but the fact that an otherwise well behaved chief has required this disciplinary measure did pique Drake's curiosity.
Posted on 2016-10-14 at 00:42:20.
Edited on 2016-10-14 at 00:43:01 by t_catt11
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Topic: Tann’s NFL U Pick em Game 2016-17
Subject: ugh
Denver
Buffalo
Chicago
Detroit
Tennessee
Pittsburgh
New England
Carolina
NY Giants
Philadelphia
Oakland
Green Bay
Seattle
Houston
Arizona
Posted on 2016-10-13 at 16:12:27.
Edited on 2016-10-16 at 00:14:52 by t_catt11
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Topic: Star Trek: the Edge of Duty Q&A
Subject: yep
If we go by the "current" game time of the 0800 hour, we're just into Alpha.
Not that there would be anything wrong with handling one of the past shifts...
Posted on 2016-10-12 at 23:23:13.
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Topic: Star Trek: the Edge of Duty Q&A
Subject: what, no Eol?
Say it ain't so!!! 
I should have my post up soon to start the convo with Asovil.
Posted on 2016-10-11 at 10:51:28.
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Topic: Star Trek: the Edge of Duty Q&A
Subject: yee-haw
Tag, Tochi's it.
Posted on 2016-10-07 at 09:49:23.
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Topic: Star Trek: the Edge of Duty
Subject: intrigue, bah
Stardate 2365.02.09
USS Peregrine, Captain Drake's Quarters - 0025
"Well, sir," Zai replied from behind a roguish smirk, "our thoughts were to bypass Jacobs altogether. We believe we may have something of a rapport with Commander Farr and thought that we should perhaps contact her as opposed to the Captain." He sipped from the snifter once more and offered up a bit of a shrug; "We're fairly certain that she would be open to an exchange of information, especially since it's the Coronado's mission that would suffer more for all of this. Our mission is accomplished once we successfully deliver the Ambassadors and the Coronado to the Gamera system; their success will be gauged by the summit's outcome."
He set his own snifter aside, then, and regarded Silas. "Given Jacobs' elitist attitude, I have no compunction about plotting a course around him, sir, but we don't want to fly around you. If you tell me to drop the matter, we will; otherwise, our intent is to contact Commander Farr first thing in the morning."
Silas let out a heavy sign in response. Commander Farr had seemed to be far more level-headed and reasonable than Captain Jacobs - but then again, Drake was not at all convinced that many Klingons in the midst of battle lust were not more reasonable than Jacobs.
The Captain's lips drew tight as he answered. "Tochi, I understand your approach here, and certainly agree that you are likely to get more positive of a reaction from Farr than from Jacobs. But tread very lightly - I would not put it past Jacobs to have standing orders that he be copied on all communications from the Peregrine. My initial impression of Commander Farr was positive, but I don't know that I would wager any real money on her not sharing your concerns with Jacobs. If he finds out that we attempted to circumvent him, there will be hell to pay."
Silas took another sip, the snifter now all but empty. "Naturally, I trust your abilities to communicate delicately more than I trust my own, but I would be remiss if I didn't suggest that you may wish to simply inform Commander Farr as to your observations regarding Ambassador Threel, perhaps suggest that she keep an eye out for the same among the rest of the Rytain contingent. You may not want to ask yet for her to actively pass intel back to us, as she has little to gain by doing so - but much to risk by going behind Jacobs' back."
The Captain chuckled again. "You may also want to check the Coronado duty roster before you try any communications. You certainly don't want to be hailing the Commander while she is sharing the bridge with Jacobs - I would think that you would have the most luck if you can catch her alone, off duty."
Drake finished off his brandy and spoke again. "Thank you for coming to me, Tochi. I appreciate you keeping me in the loop. I do so detest these sorts of shenanigans, however."
Posted on 2016-10-07 at 09:49:05.
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