Making A Point... Sort Of

Posted on Thu Jul 16th, 2015 @ 8:57am by Captain T'mpest Michaels & Commander Rylie Cattmor

1,309 words; about a 7 minute read

Mission: A Civil Act
Location: Briefing Room
Timeline: Directly after the "A New Assignment" series

ON:

The briefing room had been evacuated for several moments before either fully realised they were the only ones still present. Rylie looked across at T'mpest studying her PADD, waiting to be acknowledged, but in the end... "Captain?"

"Commander?" she asked, knowing her First Officer wished to continue with her reasons why T'mpest should not be part of the away team.

"Forgive my persistence, and probably my pig-headedness," Cattmor said before taking a breath, "but given the circumstances, I feel it's my duty as your Executive Officer to point out orders that I think could be mistakes. Your place, as the captain, is on the bridge of your ship, at least until any reasonable doubt as to risk has been mitigated. Your own experience as first officer would be telling you the same. So I can only conclude that your insistence to head the away team is in some way related to my previous performance in this regard."

T'mpest took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "No, Commander, it is not. I have experience with this type of assignment. I am the one who discovered the hidden city on the abandoned planet of Abydos. I have studied communications and history. I have dealt with ancient cultures. I am a scientist, an Intelligence officer and a diplomat. It would be illogical to stay behind because there might be some risk." She paused for a moment and then decided to turn the tables on Rylie. "It appears to me that you do not believe that I am capable of leading the away team and so wish to go in my place."

Rylie went to speak but she faltered on the first word, and looked away. "You're mistaken, captain. How do I put this without being charged for insubordination by citing regs for a superior officer?" she said rhetorically looking back into T'mpest's eyes. "As you've pointed out, you have a lot more experience than I do, in many different fields. That doesn't change the fact that we have no idea what we'll find when we get there, which in turn defines there could be unforeseen risk, and as per Starfleet Regulation Section Twelve Paragraph Four, it would be inappropriate and inadvisable for you to lead the away team." She took a breath but went on before T'mpest could, "That's not to say I think you're incapable of leading the away team, so much as to say I don't think you should until it's deemed safe."

Rylie stood and paced to the other side of the room. Looking back round to her commanding officer she went on, "If we played it your way, I've got you on the planet, Commander Keen wanting command up here, and Orin doubting my ability or experience to call the situation to keep you from harm, if you attended the surface; something which I shouldn't have allowed anyway. I may as well go back to my quarters, grab a drink, put my feet up, and bury myself in a good book."

"Come with me," T'mpest said. "So you can be there to tell me when you think it too dangerous," she said.

"You're missing my point, ma'am." Rylie replied with a small sigh. "I don't want to be the mother hen as the humans would say. It's those first few moments that I would prefer you not be in the first wave of personnel at all. You have the skills, you have the experience, so let's just make sure that you get to use them. Let Orin and me check things out first, then if it's all clear, you can join the teams. If you would prefer me on the ship, I can either return or you can let Orin as your duly appointed security chief make the call. But at least I would have done my job by ensuring your safety as commanding officer of this ship."

"The initial survey showed nothing harmful on the planet," T'mpest said. "We have several weeks for T'kaarch to review the findings. We will do another scan of the planet before sending down a team."

At that, it seemed like all the wind had been taken out of Rylie's sails, and she slowly walked back to her chair, but didn't sit down. "The first year at the Academy," she started, her tone deflated, softer, "in the end of semester review, one of the instructors stated in his report that if there was one word he could use to describe me, it would be tenacious." She paused a second to take a reminiscing breath, "And he was right, there wasn't a whole lot I could just let go. Even he would have to admit though that even up against that tenacity, it's useless to argue with a Vulcan. If you are absolutely sure about doing this your way, I guess there's not a whole lot I can do to stop it. But, I would like you to be aware, that I feel compelled and duty-bound to mention this conversation in my log, that my objections have been heard and overruled."

"My mother rivals you for tenacity -- or pigheadedness," T'mpest assured her wryly. "I am quite familiar with the trait. Yes, regulations state that the Captain should stay on the ship. However, there are numerous instances where that particular regulation has been treated more as a guideline than a rule. Since the Dominion War much has changed and more Captains are taking an active role in exploration. They do not go to the lengths of sending down a team to survey and make sure it was perfectly safe before beaming down. I am considering all the options. We could go down and find that the planet is unsafe, which would bely the report of the initial survey. I could stay behind and have the team find themselves in a situation where my expertise is needed and I am not there. And I could accompany the team to the planet and get into trouble. All are viable options, but the odds are in my favor that nothing untoward will happen -- or that I will be needed on the planet."

She paused for a moment before continuing. "File your report if you must, but I am not staying behind. Nor am I going to be hobbled every time we come across a situation where I am more good to the ship as part of the landing party. My choice is the most logical one and I stand beside it."

"With all due respect, captain; if that were the case and commanding officers were ignoring such regulations, then Command should probably consider changing the name to Starfleet Advisory Guidelines." Rylie intoned with a hint of frustration, even though she knew without a shadow of a doubt, that this was a discussion that she'd already lost. "But," she exhaled allowing her arms to fall by her side from holding the back of her chair, "You're the captain. It's making decisions like this why you get paid the big bucks."

"Perhaps you should take this up with Admiral Saalm?" she said quietly. "I generally do stay on the Ranger, but this is a special instance and I believe my expertise will be needed."

Rylie just knowingly nodded. "If you'll excuse me, I have another personal appointment to go brighten someone else's day."

T'mpest watched her go with a sigh, then sat down at her chair and shook her head. She was too much her mother's daughter to sit back and do nothing, and yet by following what both logic and her instincts told her, she was alienating her First Officer. She pulled a chanter out of a drawer and began to play. It wasn't the same as a full set of bagpipes, but it was something.

____
OFF


T'mpest Michaels
CO

Rylie Cattmor
XO

 

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