Trials and Tribulations: Part 1
Posted on Tue Jan 17th, 2012 @ 2:05pm by Captain Alexsa Kendrick & Captain Elsie Halliwell & Lieutenant Cedric Shepherd
2,339 words; about a 12 minute read
Mission:
Fishing
Location: Briefing Room, Deck 1
Timeline: Five Minutes After "To The Letter"
ON:
As Kendrick wanted, she was the first to arrive, but she chose not to sit. To sit would ultimately give the impression to the others that she was at peace and relaxed--Alex was neither. Instead, she paced one way, and then the other around the table waiting for the summoned officers to show, finally resting in one spot facing toward the window.
It was at least fifteen minutes before Cedric and Elsie, together, crossed the threshold into the briefing room. If Kendrick hadn't known any better, she might have been forgiven for thinking that her fellow colleague wore a smug, almost pleasured expression as she breathed into the room, adding the final pip to her colour as she walked. "Do you mind, Captain," she said, nonchalantly and almost in a feminine daze, "I was just taking a bubble bath and with how this mission is developing, I do appreciate my down time of late. Is this not an issue my Yeoman can deal with?"
Kendrick was nothing if not pleased that they could not see her brooding expression especially at the baiting comment she just heard come out of the Captain Halliwell's mouth. "You have got to be kidding me Halliwell?" Kendrick started as she turned to face them. "Why the Hell has my computer access been revoked?"
"Revoked is such an acrid word, don't you think?" Elsie replied, lifting her hand up slowly to her face and, taking her eyes off Kendrick, began to play with the tips of her nails; inspecting every cuticle. "It's merely been amended, Captain." She squinted her nose. "One would say... reassigned."
"To Delta Two clearance--how gracious of you. You call it reassigned, I would call it rescinded." Alex replied with just a subtle hint of sarcasm in her tone. "I'd be lucky to be able to order a coffee with that kind of access."
"Delta Two is a serviceable clearance," Shepherd replied calmly.
Shepherd's calming tones had no effect on Kendrick's mood, and in fact made her temper flare that little bit more than what it even was. As such, she didn't respond right away, instead boring her gaze as far into his skull as she could. "I would like to see you do your job with only Delta Two clearance Mister Shepherd. As the Security Chief aboard this ship, your own access would need to be a lot higher than that for you to effectively carry out your duties. For my ability to conduct this investigation under the direct authority of Starfleet Command and the Office of Internal Affairs, my clearances are to be fixed to how they were when I arrived--immediately."
"We both know that Security Clearance on board a Starfleet vessel happens exclusively at the COs discretion," replied Shepherd, not condescending so much as jovially incredulous. "Delta Two is the decision Captain Halliwell's made, and that's the size of it. And Delta Two's not exactly a lockout--plenty of Starfleet personnel work just fine their whole careers on Delta Two clearance. I'd be happy to bring whatever function permissions you require to the Captain," he continued, ignoring for the moment that Captain Halliwell was standing right next to him. "All I need is a list of the functions you'll need in order to discharge your assigned duties. I can work with you on that, as well, if you'll provide me with a list of your assigned duties. Your transfer order should have the details I need, and has the bonus of being something official that can go on record."
The corners of Kendrick's mouth quivered slightly, and almost manifested a smile. "I see what you're doing here, Captain," Alex started ignoring Shepherd's replies and request for the moment. "And it's not going to work. You and I both know that I am here on the highest authority of Starfleet Command and it was requested and required that you lend your fullest co-operation with the selected representative, namely me, for the duration of this investigation. Just on the off chance I need to explain things for the uninitiated, that means full Alpha One clearance, minimum."
"I am cooperating," Elsie replied, a mock innocence masking her features. "I'm merely just routinely restructuring our security measures before we decide what our next move should be."
"Like Hell you are..." Alex quietly interrupted, letting her thoughts be known but also allowing Halliwell to continue.
"Surely, with a background in Intelligence such as you possess, you understand the value of compartmentalisation..." Her voice trailed off a little, now shifting her gaze to Cedric.
"Oh I understand Halliwell, more than you realise." Alex responded before turning her attention back to the Chief of Security, "Mister Shepherd," Alex said suddenly as she approached the large briefing room monitor. "If you require authorisation in black and white so to speak," she went on accessing a computer record, "then there it is. How long can I expect to wait before either you or one of your lackeys reactivates my security levels to which I was assigned and authorised long before I came aboard?" Alex asked with a subtle hint of superiority sarcasm.
Shepherd stepped politely to the monitor and studied the text for a few silent moments. Without turning to Kendrick, he spoke as he continued to read. "While I was confused, Captain, now I'm entirely mystified. You've been on board for weeks. Why is this document only surfacing now?"
"It's surfaced before Mister Shepherd," Kendrick answered immediately as if she was expecting this delaying tactic of a response, "when I first came aboard the Ranger and handed this on a PADD to Halliwell here and her then first officer Commander Curtiss Drake. These orders were on a need to know basis as per level of involvement in this investigation, and not to put too fine a point on it Lieutenant, this didn't involve you and you did not need to know."
Shepherd stepped back from the monitor and shrugged acceptance of the statement.
"As for your involvement and if you want more, and given the current circumstances, then so be it." Alex started more addressing Captain Halliwell, "I'm acting out the right under Starfleet regulation one-forty dash ten to temporarily reassign Lieutenant Shepherd to my authority. His actions in the Taylforth mission are to be immediately reinstated to my investigation, and his access to other Ranger personnel will be limited and strictly supervised."
"Absolutely unacceptable!" Elsie nonchalantly scoffed. "You wish to reassign my Chief of Security during the intricate meanderings of a potentially lethal threat to the Ranger?" She shook her head slowly and audibly tutted. "Where is your sense of professional courtesy? I think you'll find buried somewhere in that there regulation of yours that your physical presence on board my ship is to have no bearing or impact on the mission at hand. I think you should know better than to 'request' the services of one of my senior staff at such a critical time. My crew answer to my authority during this mission. And not to yours. Am I clear?"
"Not at all. Elsie," Alex said with a small crack of a smile which would have been barely perceptible, "I don't think you're really aware of the gravity of your situation. I've already told you that your plan to submerge the ship could be considered a violation of Starfleet General Orders, despite your reckoning you are impeding an official inquiry, and it's come well past time that I am required to act. My time on this vessel as a simple observer has come to an end. I'm well within my rights to assign any member of your crew, and not allowing it could give me more than enough grounds to cancel this mission and place you under general court martial. Besides, I'm sure that Lieutenant Shepherd's second can handle it for a few days, a week at most--unless there is some sort of security crisis on board that requires his attention? You've just made no mention of it in your logs."
"What do you propose to do, Captain? Commandeer this ship and my crew?" came her curt reply. "You know you have no direct authority here. Your outlined role is to observe me and report back. Not assume control of this mission or directly comment on my actions. I think you're over-stepping your job description. Don't make me confine you to quarters for interfering in matters that do not concern you or your role..." She raised an eyebrow to impregnate the threat that now lingered between the two women. "I hate to repeat myself, Captain, but this is my mission and my call. I won't be undermined by anyone whilst still sitting in that captain's chair."
If Kendrick would have been carrying something she would have thrown it at Halliwell at that point, due to the severe frustration she felt. Belying her true feelings she stepped forward calmly, closing the gap and removing the conference table as an impediment to their discussion. "Oh my dear Captain, how wrong you are. First, under section three point two of my transfer orders, my authority comes direct from Starfleet Command, and unless you want to skip this investigation and move on summarily to your court martial for disobeying direct orders from your superior officers, then you will comply with the associated orders. I don't know how much simpler I can make this Halliwell--you basically have three options. One: you can grant me my due access to the computer. Two: Failing this, Lieutenant Shepherd is to be transferred under my authority--temporarily I might add. Or Three: we move on. You see IA investigations such as this go on a two to three step process--observation, interviews, then possible trial. As you can see from the outline of the document, I have the authority to remove you from command whereby Commander Michaels would assume the centre chair, and my job description changes from examiner to judge and jury. One can only hope the Commander will be more... reasonable." Alex left a brief pause hang in the air to let all that sink. "Your call."
"Then I suggest you prepare for trial, Captain," Elsie smirked as she turned to face Cedric. "Unless you can think of an alternative scenario where we can at least allow my fellow colleague here to adequately perform her job without taking such liberties, Lieutenant..." Elsie trailed of in a mock ponderous tone to intimate her consideration of the situation. Turning back to face Alex, her face dropped as the serious lines that usually framed her face returned. "I'm not an unreasonable woman, Captain Kendrick, but you're pushing me to work against you. And that gets neither of us anywhere."
"Okay," Shepherd had his arms across his chest, but now held up his palms, a little exasperated. "This is two shades more adversarial than it needs to be, and is veering into dangerous. Captain Kendrick, you keep citing an order that only Captain Halliwell has heretofore seen, and I've only skimmed, which you claim grants you complete authority over anything you want on board, regardless of how silly that sounds. Because your authority is nebulous and undemonstrated, your recent statement amounts to a threat of mutiny against the Captain of a Starfleet vessel in the presence of the ship's Chief of Security. I need you to think about that a moment."
He turned to Halliwell and kept speaking, cutting off reply for the moment, or maybe uncertain he could continue if he stopped for too long. "Captain Halliwell, you're bristling at Kendrick's presence. Justified or not, that bristle is leading you to claim absolute control over the actions of an appointed independent investigator, which is a bit of an overreach all by itself. Now you're threatening to relieve and detain her, which would mean that the Provost Marshal of the next starbase we visit would be ordered to question you and start paperwork on an inquiry for the Court Martial. I need you to think about that a moment."
"While you're both thinking, let me propose an alternative," he took a deep breath and continued, looking first to Kendrick, and ignoring the two womens' glacial glares that he was certain would vaporize him if left to bear down on him too long. "There's no reason I can't work for both of you. Ultimately, I have to answer to Captain Halliwell pursuant to my own quite clearly defined duties as the Chief of Security on a Starfleet vessel, but that doesn't mean I can't aid your investigation. We all just need to know where the lines are in this investigation. Let me read the investigative order, and let's sit down and discuss what we can do together. I'm happy to work with you voluntarily, Captain Kendrick. All you had to do was let me know what you needed--this doesn't need to be adversarial. We're all Starfleet, and we all want what's best for this ship and crew. And what's happening here in this room isn't advancing that agenda. Can we all agree that working toward what's best for the ship and crew is priority one?"
For all of Lieutenant Shepherd's annoying let's sit and calm down chat, Alex could see the conversation was yet again going downhill faster than a freight train dropped at forty thousand feet. She blinked lightly and took a breath, knowing that the security chief was making sense, before walking to the table, pulling back a seat and sat down facing them both and clasping her gloved hands in front of her. She wanted this cleared up now. "Just like revoked was an acrid word for Halliwell, Lieutenant, mutiny doesn't sit right with me either. Whether anyone likes it or not, my position on this ship comes under no-one's jurisdiction. How can there be a mutiny if I essentially work for no-one. I agree with your priorities though Mister Shepherd, however my analysis of the options still stands. Shall we discuss?"
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