Judgement – Wearing Two Hats
by Commander Karen Villiers & Captain Tasha Tahir (NPC)
Post Details
ON:
The morning had been eventful, even if it were a little uneasy and her stomach still rumbled and not through hunger.
Karens entrance had done nothing to lighten her demeanour or spirits as she lay 2 cups onto the table, one containing tea and the other hot chocolate.
"Thanks." Tasha said as she reached forward for the latter, hoping the sweetness of the chocolate would add a flavour back to the bitterness in her throat.
“So tell me about the meeting with the Romulans,” Karen said as she took a seat.
Holding the cup to her lips Tasha shook her head. "The Romulans were fine," She admitted, "it's our crew I'm concerned with." She blew a gentle breath across the liquids surface and sipped at the chocolate. It didn't taste at all sweet.
Karen listened with interest to the Captain's description of the meeting. “How did Carstairs hold up?" she asked. "I was on my way out of the door when she came in,” she being the Romulan Ambassador, “Normally I wouldn’t let Carstairs into a situation like that without my support but he was the best I could do at short notice.”
Licking her upper lip, she put the cup back onto the place mat. "Admirably, I guess." She replied, "a little nervous and in my opinion, maybe a little out of her depth." She gave her assessment of Carstairs, but not knowing her well, was sure it was just first time nerves. "I would say he was the Antelope in the lions den, but we all have to rise up to these little challenges." She added, hoping she had not placed Karen's subordinate into an awkward posotion.
Karen pursed her lips. “In confidence,” she said. “Making me miss that meeting was deliberate. That woman could have come any time in the last week or any time in the next but she chose a time when she knew I had a conflicting appointment and where my expertise would have guaranteed that certain question were asked.” Karen paused. She was aware that it was quite an accusation, even though it was being made off the record and she also had no idea what Tahir’s opinion of the woman was. “She knew that having made the charges I was tied up until I had Gabriel arrested and informed the relevant people at HQ and that took just long enough for the planning meeting to be well over by the time I was free. That’s foresight Tahir, planning right down to the minute.”
Tasha was disturbed at being called by her surname, it made her recall the Academy when she was being dressed down for some minor, or even major attitude adjustment lecture.
"Please Commander, Captain, Ma'am or when it's just us, alone, Tasha will be fine. You sound like an Academy instructor I know." She grinned, trying to make the request sound humorous as she again reached for the cup.
"Ambassador t'Khellian knows how to play her hand." Tasha admitted. "Then again, we also have a lot to thank her for. Then again, that might just be me, but I have found her a source of great knowledge and wisdom and it is far better to have her on our side, rather than another." She spoke with a fondness, because despite everything that had happened to her over the last few months, besides Darson and Brady, Tasha found she had few friends on the station, but she counted Isha as one of them.
A Romulan with a superiority complex was nothing new but something about the ambassador’s manner, the poise and the slight air of entitlement she possessed rubbed Karen up the wrong way. “If I’m honest, I found myself wanting to slap her just to see if it would wipe the look of amused contempt off her face. Litigators are trained to observe people, body language gives a lot of clues about a witness or an opponent and she is very good at controlling hers. She hasn’t left a thing to chance,” Karen said.
"Mmm, I agree, she leaves little to chance, but amused contempt is a natural look for any Romulan. Isha is a great deal deeper and complex than any of us could begin to understand." She leant forward. "As a JAG officer, you may find this a little out of the ordinary, but here is a little advice." She allowed her eye to remain on Karen for just a moment before offering up her words. "When you are looking for an avenue that is darkened and it needs illuminating, as Isha for a torch. I have and the light burns brightest in the darkest places." She arched her eyebrows, as if to reinforce her point.
So the rumour was rue, that nine out of ten people did fall for the ambassador's charm, Karen thought, which made her number ten. She sipped her tea then spoke again. “What bothers me is that I am about the only person they would possibly allow to conduct this trial – Anyone else and the push would have been for extradition, no concessions, or rather they’d have taken him. What I’m saying Captain is that they want to have the trial here and I can’t for the life of me understand why. Look at it this way, its no coincidence that I was sent here, this has been a while in the planning.”
"my point exactly!" Tahir responded. "Look, you were sent here whilst I was off the station, I was not even told I was getting an Executive officer. Damn, I was four days away from the station when I heard you been assigned and I didn't get to voice my own objections.." Her hand shot up in surrender. "Sorry, poor choice of wording, but you can understand what I am trying to say. Sometimes, we are not given the option or choice, t what we have to do, or where we are steered and directed but there is always an underlying reason." She moved her seat around a little to get a better angle to talk to Karen. "I have served on this station for just a few months, and in that time, I have been overruled, ousted, shot at, usurped, kidnapped, held prisoner, used as a bargaining chip and just about everything that a person can go through, and to me, it was 'Get out of Dodge' time. Now, if you want to talk about conspiracies.... " She began, but Karen waved her hands to silence her.
“No, I didn’t come to talk about conspiracies, or about the Counsel for the Prosecution. I came to talk about the defendant.”
Tasha leant back. "Gabriel? What do you want to know? A good officer, fastidious, passionate, loyal, possessive, contemptuous, aggressive, insubordinate ... " She shrugged her shoulders, "a man of many talents. Look, Gabriel and I, as well as other members of staff, have all had run-ins with Gabriel. At first, I despised him, but when I stood back and watched him, he is efficient, very efficient at his job. I may not agree with all of his motives, but he gets the job done. He was a royal pain in the ass as the Chief of Intelligence, but as a Security officer, I have seen sweeping changes. Look at what happened after you had him incarcerated. Heck, there was even a riot on the Promenade AND, that was quelled by the Ambassador and her staff." Tashas' eyes widened as she practically started a rant about Gabriel.
"I gave him the opportunity to speak to me as his XO, and off the record. To give me his side of the story before I have it presented me by a set of lawyers," Karen said. "I wasn't expecting to be accused of being a lackey of the Romulans. Tasha, you clearly admire him, but that man is doing himself no favours. I haven't been here long enough to form an opinion. Which brings me onto another topic." Karen paused.
'Admired' was a little more than the correct adjective that the Captain would have chosen, but after her tirade, it seemed to be poignant to the fact that she held him in a certain regard. Tasha paused, wondering what the next topic would be, there were after all, more than enough to make a selection from.
"I also haven't been here long enough to form a bias, and due to my earlier work I have a good reputation in the Romulan Empire ... but as Executive Officer if one of my people is on trial it is my duty to support them, as judge on this murder trial I can't wear both hats. If I tried, sooner or later one side or the other would accuse me of lacking objectivity - most likely the prosecution. What I am saying, Tasha, is that until this trial is over I can't perform my duties as XO."
Tashas' brow dropped a little as Karen stated her position and its conflict. "Prudent, if not poorly timed." She responded. "The crew have yet to get used to you as Executive officer, but they are in general a good bunch, at least I found them to be when I was forced upon them as XO and shortly after as their Commanding officer and Captain O'Dowd was a very tough act to follow, believe me. Are you sure that this is the best course of action?" She enquired as her hands went to her hips.
"If you have a complaint about the timing, take it to the Romulan Ambassador," Karen said without missing a beat. "Captain, it is the only course of action. Without me to oversee it the Romulans will not agree to a trial, the Ambassador was quite clear on that point. They will insist on extradition and their evidence is quite strong enough to secure it. I for one wouldn't rate Gabriel's chances in their system. They've agreed to a trial in our court and hopefully they'll be satisfied with the verdict of the jury," she said.
Tasha looked at the Commander and scratched at her head, rubbing her crown in a circular motion wondering if there were another power play struggle beneath the surface in the Romulan camp.
"Off the record, Tasha," Karen said, "Talk to Gabriel and try and persuade him to employ Defence Counsel. t'Khellian is Prosecuting and she'll rip him to shreds in an open court."
The captain shook her head. "I don't know if he will listen to me, but I do know who he will listen to." She winked. "Commander Davies is not due to leave for another 48 hours, I shall see if I can convince him to have a chat with Commander Gabriel." The smile on her face belied her own angst where Gabriel was concerned. She doubted if he would ever bow to her advice, but then again, stranger things had happened on this station.
Karen nodded, "Good, because if he thinks he can successfully make his own defence he's deluding himself." Karen pushed to her feet. "Its in your hands now, and those of the Second Officer. I'm JAG through and through until this case is settled."
Tasha bobbed her head in agreement. "Very well Commander. How would you feel about Doctor Adams moving up as Second officer. She has command capabilities and I think she deserves a chance. Would she be able to cover you whilst your working on defence?" She enquired as her hand that had scratched at her head fell back to the table.
"Gabriel would never have accepted my representation - I offered it, and it was declined. It didn't matter anyway. I'm the Judge, Captain, what Gabriel does about his defence is his own business." Karen repeated this as Tasha seemed not to have heard, "The Romulan Ambassador insisted on it. If I am not Judge, then there is no trial, just a call for extradition that *will* be granted on the evidence presented. Understood?"
Tasha sucked in her breath, but didn't reply. She heard the underlying intonation and didn't want to pull the 'Rank' card, no matter what position her Executive officer held. She 'Understood' that Karen was not too excited, nor particularly happy with the enforced role, but that she had a duty to perform and by hell or high water, she was going to do it.
"As to Adams, give her a go," Karen shrugged, she did not know the doctor that well, but she thought Adams didn't like her very much. Hardly an issue, as Karen was here to do a job, not to make friends.
"Settled then, I'll arrange a meeting for later this afternoon." Tasha pushed her hands against the desk and stood. "If we have nothing further, I feel the need to take a stroll along the Promenade, see if I can unruffle a few civilian feathers." She unconsciously winked as she moved around Karen. "As for Gabriel, I think a visit to the brig will be on the agenda. Do you need anything else from me?" She asked.
"No," Karen said, "and I'll put the mention of 'unruffling' to the back of my mind," she added. "I haven't switched sides, or taken one, I'm just here to do my job," she said as she rose to leave.
OFF
Captain Tasha Tahir
&
Commander Karen Villiers
Executive Officer / JAG
by Commander Karen Villiers & Captain Tasha Tahir (NPC)
Post Details
| Title | Wearing Two Hats | |
| Mission | Judgement | |
| Author(s) | Commander Karen Villiers & Captain Tasha Tahir (NPC) | |
| Posted | Fri Oct 15, 2010 @ 9:24am | |
| Location | Tahir's Office | |
| Timeline | SD35 11:30 |
The morning had been eventful, even if it were a little uneasy and her stomach still rumbled and not through hunger.
Karens entrance had done nothing to lighten her demeanour or spirits as she lay 2 cups onto the table, one containing tea and the other hot chocolate.
"Thanks." Tasha said as she reached forward for the latter, hoping the sweetness of the chocolate would add a flavour back to the bitterness in her throat.
“So tell me about the meeting with the Romulans,” Karen said as she took a seat.
Holding the cup to her lips Tasha shook her head. "The Romulans were fine," She admitted, "it's our crew I'm concerned with." She blew a gentle breath across the liquids surface and sipped at the chocolate. It didn't taste at all sweet.
Karen listened with interest to the Captain's description of the meeting. “How did Carstairs hold up?" she asked. "I was on my way out of the door when she came in,” she being the Romulan Ambassador, “Normally I wouldn’t let Carstairs into a situation like that without my support but he was the best I could do at short notice.”
Licking her upper lip, she put the cup back onto the place mat. "Admirably, I guess." She replied, "a little nervous and in my opinion, maybe a little out of her depth." She gave her assessment of Carstairs, but not knowing her well, was sure it was just first time nerves. "I would say he was the Antelope in the lions den, but we all have to rise up to these little challenges." She added, hoping she had not placed Karen's subordinate into an awkward posotion.
Karen pursed her lips. “In confidence,” she said. “Making me miss that meeting was deliberate. That woman could have come any time in the last week or any time in the next but she chose a time when she knew I had a conflicting appointment and where my expertise would have guaranteed that certain question were asked.” Karen paused. She was aware that it was quite an accusation, even though it was being made off the record and she also had no idea what Tahir’s opinion of the woman was. “She knew that having made the charges I was tied up until I had Gabriel arrested and informed the relevant people at HQ and that took just long enough for the planning meeting to be well over by the time I was free. That’s foresight Tahir, planning right down to the minute.”
Tasha was disturbed at being called by her surname, it made her recall the Academy when she was being dressed down for some minor, or even major attitude adjustment lecture.
"Please Commander, Captain, Ma'am or when it's just us, alone, Tasha will be fine. You sound like an Academy instructor I know." She grinned, trying to make the request sound humorous as she again reached for the cup.
"Ambassador t'Khellian knows how to play her hand." Tasha admitted. "Then again, we also have a lot to thank her for. Then again, that might just be me, but I have found her a source of great knowledge and wisdom and it is far better to have her on our side, rather than another." She spoke with a fondness, because despite everything that had happened to her over the last few months, besides Darson and Brady, Tasha found she had few friends on the station, but she counted Isha as one of them.
A Romulan with a superiority complex was nothing new but something about the ambassador’s manner, the poise and the slight air of entitlement she possessed rubbed Karen up the wrong way. “If I’m honest, I found myself wanting to slap her just to see if it would wipe the look of amused contempt off her face. Litigators are trained to observe people, body language gives a lot of clues about a witness or an opponent and she is very good at controlling hers. She hasn’t left a thing to chance,” Karen said.
"Mmm, I agree, she leaves little to chance, but amused contempt is a natural look for any Romulan. Isha is a great deal deeper and complex than any of us could begin to understand." She leant forward. "As a JAG officer, you may find this a little out of the ordinary, but here is a little advice." She allowed her eye to remain on Karen for just a moment before offering up her words. "When you are looking for an avenue that is darkened and it needs illuminating, as Isha for a torch. I have and the light burns brightest in the darkest places." She arched her eyebrows, as if to reinforce her point.
So the rumour was rue, that nine out of ten people did fall for the ambassador's charm, Karen thought, which made her number ten. She sipped her tea then spoke again. “What bothers me is that I am about the only person they would possibly allow to conduct this trial – Anyone else and the push would have been for extradition, no concessions, or rather they’d have taken him. What I’m saying Captain is that they want to have the trial here and I can’t for the life of me understand why. Look at it this way, its no coincidence that I was sent here, this has been a while in the planning.”
"my point exactly!" Tahir responded. "Look, you were sent here whilst I was off the station, I was not even told I was getting an Executive officer. Damn, I was four days away from the station when I heard you been assigned and I didn't get to voice my own objections.." Her hand shot up in surrender. "Sorry, poor choice of wording, but you can understand what I am trying to say. Sometimes, we are not given the option or choice, t what we have to do, or where we are steered and directed but there is always an underlying reason." She moved her seat around a little to get a better angle to talk to Karen. "I have served on this station for just a few months, and in that time, I have been overruled, ousted, shot at, usurped, kidnapped, held prisoner, used as a bargaining chip and just about everything that a person can go through, and to me, it was 'Get out of Dodge' time. Now, if you want to talk about conspiracies.... " She began, but Karen waved her hands to silence her.
“No, I didn’t come to talk about conspiracies, or about the Counsel for the Prosecution. I came to talk about the defendant.”
Tasha leant back. "Gabriel? What do you want to know? A good officer, fastidious, passionate, loyal, possessive, contemptuous, aggressive, insubordinate ... " She shrugged her shoulders, "a man of many talents. Look, Gabriel and I, as well as other members of staff, have all had run-ins with Gabriel. At first, I despised him, but when I stood back and watched him, he is efficient, very efficient at his job. I may not agree with all of his motives, but he gets the job done. He was a royal pain in the ass as the Chief of Intelligence, but as a Security officer, I have seen sweeping changes. Look at what happened after you had him incarcerated. Heck, there was even a riot on the Promenade AND, that was quelled by the Ambassador and her staff." Tashas' eyes widened as she practically started a rant about Gabriel.
"I gave him the opportunity to speak to me as his XO, and off the record. To give me his side of the story before I have it presented me by a set of lawyers," Karen said. "I wasn't expecting to be accused of being a lackey of the Romulans. Tasha, you clearly admire him, but that man is doing himself no favours. I haven't been here long enough to form an opinion. Which brings me onto another topic." Karen paused.
'Admired' was a little more than the correct adjective that the Captain would have chosen, but after her tirade, it seemed to be poignant to the fact that she held him in a certain regard. Tasha paused, wondering what the next topic would be, there were after all, more than enough to make a selection from.
"I also haven't been here long enough to form a bias, and due to my earlier work I have a good reputation in the Romulan Empire ... but as Executive Officer if one of my people is on trial it is my duty to support them, as judge on this murder trial I can't wear both hats. If I tried, sooner or later one side or the other would accuse me of lacking objectivity - most likely the prosecution. What I am saying, Tasha, is that until this trial is over I can't perform my duties as XO."
Tashas' brow dropped a little as Karen stated her position and its conflict. "Prudent, if not poorly timed." She responded. "The crew have yet to get used to you as Executive officer, but they are in general a good bunch, at least I found them to be when I was forced upon them as XO and shortly after as their Commanding officer and Captain O'Dowd was a very tough act to follow, believe me. Are you sure that this is the best course of action?" She enquired as her hands went to her hips.
"If you have a complaint about the timing, take it to the Romulan Ambassador," Karen said without missing a beat. "Captain, it is the only course of action. Without me to oversee it the Romulans will not agree to a trial, the Ambassador was quite clear on that point. They will insist on extradition and their evidence is quite strong enough to secure it. I for one wouldn't rate Gabriel's chances in their system. They've agreed to a trial in our court and hopefully they'll be satisfied with the verdict of the jury," she said.
Tasha looked at the Commander and scratched at her head, rubbing her crown in a circular motion wondering if there were another power play struggle beneath the surface in the Romulan camp.
"Off the record, Tasha," Karen said, "Talk to Gabriel and try and persuade him to employ Defence Counsel. t'Khellian is Prosecuting and she'll rip him to shreds in an open court."
The captain shook her head. "I don't know if he will listen to me, but I do know who he will listen to." She winked. "Commander Davies is not due to leave for another 48 hours, I shall see if I can convince him to have a chat with Commander Gabriel." The smile on her face belied her own angst where Gabriel was concerned. She doubted if he would ever bow to her advice, but then again, stranger things had happened on this station.
Karen nodded, "Good, because if he thinks he can successfully make his own defence he's deluding himself." Karen pushed to her feet. "Its in your hands now, and those of the Second Officer. I'm JAG through and through until this case is settled."
Tasha bobbed her head in agreement. "Very well Commander. How would you feel about Doctor Adams moving up as Second officer. She has command capabilities and I think she deserves a chance. Would she be able to cover you whilst your working on defence?" She enquired as her hand that had scratched at her head fell back to the table.
"Gabriel would never have accepted my representation - I offered it, and it was declined. It didn't matter anyway. I'm the Judge, Captain, what Gabriel does about his defence is his own business." Karen repeated this as Tasha seemed not to have heard, "The Romulan Ambassador insisted on it. If I am not Judge, then there is no trial, just a call for extradition that *will* be granted on the evidence presented. Understood?"
Tasha sucked in her breath, but didn't reply. She heard the underlying intonation and didn't want to pull the 'Rank' card, no matter what position her Executive officer held. She 'Understood' that Karen was not too excited, nor particularly happy with the enforced role, but that she had a duty to perform and by hell or high water, she was going to do it.
"As to Adams, give her a go," Karen shrugged, she did not know the doctor that well, but she thought Adams didn't like her very much. Hardly an issue, as Karen was here to do a job, not to make friends.
"Settled then, I'll arrange a meeting for later this afternoon." Tasha pushed her hands against the desk and stood. "If we have nothing further, I feel the need to take a stroll along the Promenade, see if I can unruffle a few civilian feathers." She unconsciously winked as she moved around Karen. "As for Gabriel, I think a visit to the brig will be on the agenda. Do you need anything else from me?" She asked.
"No," Karen said, "and I'll put the mention of 'unruffling' to the back of my mind," she added. "I haven't switched sides, or taken one, I'm just here to do my job," she said as she rose to leave.
OFF
Captain Tasha Tahir
&
Commander Karen Villiers
Executive Officer / JAG