Incommunicado – "Rules Of Engagement"
by Commander Richard Dunham & Commander Karen Villiers
Post Details
On::
Padd in hand and ready to make his report the Chief of the Air Group sat outside the commanders office. He was not alone, the commander not only had her executive staff and aids to hand but also those that dealt with some of her JAG cases also. This made Dunham think momentarily on the recent trial onboard DS5. He had tried to keep up with it as best as possible but it had mostly been behind some closed doors, plus Rick had really not wanted to get in the way, so he had tried to stay out of it. He wondered how Gabriel was doing now...now that he was no longer chief of security. He was a grumpy sod, with a bad temper, but he had been bloody good at his job....Rick was torn from his reverie when he realised somebody was telling him the commander would see him now. He picked himself up and headed to her office.
"Get yourself something from the replicator, Commander Dunham," Karen said as the door opened. She was looking out of the window, her gaze briefly lifted from the padd she held in one hand. "Have you experienced any communication glitches, Rick?" she asked as she turned back to the room.
Rick nodded as he helped himself to a coffee from the replicator and sat down. He pressed the touch screen interface on the LCARS display of the PaDD he had and handed her the information he had brought up. "Yes Ma'am. We temporarily lost communication with our long range patrole, but re-established communications when they reached the third marker."
As she took the padd in the same hand as the one she already held, Karen nodded, "There've been a growing number of reports around the station ... interesting that long range is an issue too - might point the Techs in the direction of a cause. "SHe paused, "Though I'm not sure if I was more comfortable thinking it might be local to the station."
"Given the amount of spacial phenomena in this area of local space around deep space five, I wouldn't be surprised if it was local..." he trailed off a little thoughtfully. "To be honest I wouldn't be surprised if was the results of something we had done in repairing all the rifts, dimensional watcha ya ma call its and time dilation field stuff." There did seem to be something about this area of space that made it a hot bed for the extraordinary.
Karen pursed her lips, "Its a possibility," she said, her tomne thoughtful wondering if it was teh location that was ill fated. "We'll see. So, any other news to report?"
Rick chuckled to himself "Seems Cardassian Vi'kar Gul Tharek Getal has himself a new starship, we've had to have a re-shuffle to make room for it, but it fits."
That was news to Karen. She had no liking for the Cardassian Ambassador, an arrogat prig who needed to be taken down a few notches. Usually she was willing to do favours, particularly when the recipients did favours back - it made things harmonious, but not for that one.
"It would be a terrible shame if its dimensions were such that we had to do a full examination of the internal bays of the station and of the hull of the vessel before it could be accomodated," she said, one eyebrow involuntarily lifting as she spoke. "How awful if one of our ambassadors was so inconvienced."
Karen reacehd for her little espresso cup and drained the remaining liquid. "You know with such a 'large' ship, it will take time to requisition space on the station for visiting personell too without upsetting the balance of the population. Did you happen to receive an estimate of the crew compliment?"
"Are you kidding, everything on the data file was 'classified,' he was almost to stubborn to give me the correct dimensions so I could make enough room."
"Oh dear! Senior officers only then allowed to transfer aboard. Such a shame that this arrival coincides with a major trade conference."
Rick grinned and chuckled a little then he frowned a little "Is it best to poke that bear with a stick Ma'am? He is still a diplomat, no matter how much of a (insert expletive) he may be."
Karen smiled as she placed her empty cup on the desk with a click. "Its the rules, Commander Dunham. We don't make exceptions. If the correct procedure isn't follwed, then the ship doesn't come in." Something tells me that it won't be, she might have added.
Rick couldn't believe what he was about to say next and for days after he would be thinking just what hell had he thought when he had stuck his head out for that Cardassian "I hope that recent events haven't made you bias....towards the cardassian ambassador commander?"
"Not at all," Karen replied swiftly. "If the correct protocols are followed then I will grant the request to allow the ship to dock. Ambassador or not there are rules for the protection of this station," perhaps her glib approach had been taken too literally. "You seem to have misunderstood my meaning. Other dignatries have not found the procdure too arduous, and we don't make special exceptions," she replied.
Rick raised one eyebrow at that statement "Ma'am doesn't the Romulan deligation keep its starship 'cloaked' in our hanger bay?"
"It did," Karen replied - it was gone now, but with an addendum to the record requesting that the space remain vacant for its return, "but there was no secrecy involved. All the forms were filled, and on arrival a discreet inspection team were allowed aboard - hardly access all areas, but the necessary criteria were fulfilled."
Why did that surprise him?
"That kind of makes me feel like one set of rules for one person and one for another person. I mean a cloaked ship, even with access is a security risk.....why do we even let them bring in starships?"
"Like it or not these are friendly powers. They might not be allies, but they are classified as friendly all the same. The qualification procedure for any given ship and its complement accounts for the risk, and once its internal, we have a better view of whatever operations they are carrying on - " Karen hadn't wanted it to go this way, but she was not used to blurring work with friendship, and somewhere along the conversation she had got it wrong. "and that is classified beyond your level, Dunham."
Rick chuckled and a smile crossed his face "It always is commander. It always is." He paused as he scratched the stubble on his chin thoughtfully "But that's not a bad thing, its one of the reasons I stay a pilot."
"Its one of the reasons I'd rather be at my desk in HQ," Karen admitted, "or in a ocurtroom, without the ancilliary duties that come with rank."
Seeing the conversation turning subject, and wanting to know why the commander came into command he asked "So why take a command position?"
"Obligations," Karen replied. "A month, three at the most ... " that sentence in itself a neat summary of why she was here - with a delicate situation at home JAG couldn't allow a free thinker to have free reign - better leave her at grass until she lost her will, "and here I remain six months on. I plan to make the best of it, and making the best does not include pandering to bulllies of any rank or persuasion."
They were damned if they thought a 'temporary' backwater posting could keep her down.
"Has it only been six months!" exclaimed Rick as he thought just how much had actually taken place on this impossible space station in that short amount of time. He smiled "You must of enjoyed it just a little" the smile was slightly mischievous.
"Its had its moments, and I've met some great people, but when it all boils down I want to be back on earth."
"ahhhh I see" said Rick as if her statement gave him some greater insight into her state of mind. It certainly did answer some questions. "The trials over now...." he left that hanging, he didn't want to actually say 'so when are you leaving'.
"The trial might be over, but the fallout isn't," Karen said, wondering when she had started to see the half empty glass.
"And your wandering what the point of it all was?" asked Rick, wandering to himself why he was playing the counselor something that he had proven on a number of occasions that he was not very good at...at all.
"Not really, there's always a point to justice, and in this instance the evidence was clear cut. " Karen had no doubt over her verdict when based on the evidence proviced, she doubted only what Gabriel might have been holding back that could have spoken for him if he had not let his blatant prejudices blind him. That was what bothered her.
"Well at least he didn't get deported, that's something....." said Rick trailing off for a moment. He wondered what kind of fallout the commander had left to deal with. He hadn't really thought about it before, he'd kept out of it, in fact he had kept out of a lot of politics that happened aboard this station, he stuck to what he was good at, flying.
Karen raised an eyebrow. "That was never the object of the trial. It was purely political - an opportunity for Romulus so show how co-operative they are and how much they respect our justice system - the question is why. And that's something that won't be known for a while."
"Do we care?" asked Rick with genuine curiosity and total naivety to galactic politics and political machinations of great empire and their machiavellian style politics.
"Rick," Karen said, trying her best not to sound patronising, "not all the myths and rumours about the Romulans are true, but there are facts behind the rumours. One of the facts that is incontrovertable is that nothing is done without a reason. I for one want to know what that reason is, and the whole trial tells me that there are people higher up who want to know too."
Rick smiled "sounds like you do enjoy it here." He got up excusing himself with a polite Nod and a "ma'am"
Off:
Commanding Officer
Captain Tasha Tahir
&
CAG Squadron Leader
Lieutenant Commander Richard Dunham
by Commander Richard Dunham & Commander Karen Villiers
Post Details
| Title | "Rules Of Engagement" | |
| Mission | Incommunicado | |
| Author(s) | Commander Richard Dunham & Commander Karen Villiers | |
| Posted | Mon Apr 16, 2012 @ 7:28am | |
| Location | Executive Officers Main Office | |
| Timeline | SD57 09.45 |
Padd in hand and ready to make his report the Chief of the Air Group sat outside the commanders office. He was not alone, the commander not only had her executive staff and aids to hand but also those that dealt with some of her JAG cases also. This made Dunham think momentarily on the recent trial onboard DS5. He had tried to keep up with it as best as possible but it had mostly been behind some closed doors, plus Rick had really not wanted to get in the way, so he had tried to stay out of it. He wondered how Gabriel was doing now...now that he was no longer chief of security. He was a grumpy sod, with a bad temper, but he had been bloody good at his job....Rick was torn from his reverie when he realised somebody was telling him the commander would see him now. He picked himself up and headed to her office.
"Get yourself something from the replicator, Commander Dunham," Karen said as the door opened. She was looking out of the window, her gaze briefly lifted from the padd she held in one hand. "Have you experienced any communication glitches, Rick?" she asked as she turned back to the room.
Rick nodded as he helped himself to a coffee from the replicator and sat down. He pressed the touch screen interface on the LCARS display of the PaDD he had and handed her the information he had brought up. "Yes Ma'am. We temporarily lost communication with our long range patrole, but re-established communications when they reached the third marker."
As she took the padd in the same hand as the one she already held, Karen nodded, "There've been a growing number of reports around the station ... interesting that long range is an issue too - might point the Techs in the direction of a cause. "SHe paused, "Though I'm not sure if I was more comfortable thinking it might be local to the station."
"Given the amount of spacial phenomena in this area of local space around deep space five, I wouldn't be surprised if it was local..." he trailed off a little thoughtfully. "To be honest I wouldn't be surprised if was the results of something we had done in repairing all the rifts, dimensional watcha ya ma call its and time dilation field stuff." There did seem to be something about this area of space that made it a hot bed for the extraordinary.
Karen pursed her lips, "Its a possibility," she said, her tomne thoughtful wondering if it was teh location that was ill fated. "We'll see. So, any other news to report?"
Rick chuckled to himself "Seems Cardassian Vi'kar Gul Tharek Getal has himself a new starship, we've had to have a re-shuffle to make room for it, but it fits."
That was news to Karen. She had no liking for the Cardassian Ambassador, an arrogat prig who needed to be taken down a few notches. Usually she was willing to do favours, particularly when the recipients did favours back - it made things harmonious, but not for that one.
"It would be a terrible shame if its dimensions were such that we had to do a full examination of the internal bays of the station and of the hull of the vessel before it could be accomodated," she said, one eyebrow involuntarily lifting as she spoke. "How awful if one of our ambassadors was so inconvienced."
Karen reacehd for her little espresso cup and drained the remaining liquid. "You know with such a 'large' ship, it will take time to requisition space on the station for visiting personell too without upsetting the balance of the population. Did you happen to receive an estimate of the crew compliment?"
"Are you kidding, everything on the data file was 'classified,' he was almost to stubborn to give me the correct dimensions so I could make enough room."
"Oh dear! Senior officers only then allowed to transfer aboard. Such a shame that this arrival coincides with a major trade conference."
Rick grinned and chuckled a little then he frowned a little "Is it best to poke that bear with a stick Ma'am? He is still a diplomat, no matter how much of a (insert expletive) he may be."
Karen smiled as she placed her empty cup on the desk with a click. "Its the rules, Commander Dunham. We don't make exceptions. If the correct procedure isn't follwed, then the ship doesn't come in." Something tells me that it won't be, she might have added.
Rick couldn't believe what he was about to say next and for days after he would be thinking just what hell had he thought when he had stuck his head out for that Cardassian "I hope that recent events haven't made you bias....towards the cardassian ambassador commander?"
"Not at all," Karen replied swiftly. "If the correct protocols are followed then I will grant the request to allow the ship to dock. Ambassador or not there are rules for the protection of this station," perhaps her glib approach had been taken too literally. "You seem to have misunderstood my meaning. Other dignatries have not found the procdure too arduous, and we don't make special exceptions," she replied.
Rick raised one eyebrow at that statement "Ma'am doesn't the Romulan deligation keep its starship 'cloaked' in our hanger bay?"
"It did," Karen replied - it was gone now, but with an addendum to the record requesting that the space remain vacant for its return, "but there was no secrecy involved. All the forms were filled, and on arrival a discreet inspection team were allowed aboard - hardly access all areas, but the necessary criteria were fulfilled."
Why did that surprise him?
"That kind of makes me feel like one set of rules for one person and one for another person. I mean a cloaked ship, even with access is a security risk.....why do we even let them bring in starships?"
"Like it or not these are friendly powers. They might not be allies, but they are classified as friendly all the same. The qualification procedure for any given ship and its complement accounts for the risk, and once its internal, we have a better view of whatever operations they are carrying on - " Karen hadn't wanted it to go this way, but she was not used to blurring work with friendship, and somewhere along the conversation she had got it wrong. "and that is classified beyond your level, Dunham."
Rick chuckled and a smile crossed his face "It always is commander. It always is." He paused as he scratched the stubble on his chin thoughtfully "But that's not a bad thing, its one of the reasons I stay a pilot."
"Its one of the reasons I'd rather be at my desk in HQ," Karen admitted, "or in a ocurtroom, without the ancilliary duties that come with rank."
Seeing the conversation turning subject, and wanting to know why the commander came into command he asked "So why take a command position?"
"Obligations," Karen replied. "A month, three at the most ... " that sentence in itself a neat summary of why she was here - with a delicate situation at home JAG couldn't allow a free thinker to have free reign - better leave her at grass until she lost her will, "and here I remain six months on. I plan to make the best of it, and making the best does not include pandering to bulllies of any rank or persuasion."
They were damned if they thought a 'temporary' backwater posting could keep her down.
"Has it only been six months!" exclaimed Rick as he thought just how much had actually taken place on this impossible space station in that short amount of time. He smiled "You must of enjoyed it just a little" the smile was slightly mischievous.
"Its had its moments, and I've met some great people, but when it all boils down I want to be back on earth."
"ahhhh I see" said Rick as if her statement gave him some greater insight into her state of mind. It certainly did answer some questions. "The trials over now...." he left that hanging, he didn't want to actually say 'so when are you leaving'.
"The trial might be over, but the fallout isn't," Karen said, wondering when she had started to see the half empty glass.
"And your wandering what the point of it all was?" asked Rick, wandering to himself why he was playing the counselor something that he had proven on a number of occasions that he was not very good at...at all.
"Not really, there's always a point to justice, and in this instance the evidence was clear cut. " Karen had no doubt over her verdict when based on the evidence proviced, she doubted only what Gabriel might have been holding back that could have spoken for him if he had not let his blatant prejudices blind him. That was what bothered her.
"Well at least he didn't get deported, that's something....." said Rick trailing off for a moment. He wondered what kind of fallout the commander had left to deal with. He hadn't really thought about it before, he'd kept out of it, in fact he had kept out of a lot of politics that happened aboard this station, he stuck to what he was good at, flying.
Karen raised an eyebrow. "That was never the object of the trial. It was purely political - an opportunity for Romulus so show how co-operative they are and how much they respect our justice system - the question is why. And that's something that won't be known for a while."
"Do we care?" asked Rick with genuine curiosity and total naivety to galactic politics and political machinations of great empire and their machiavellian style politics.
"Rick," Karen said, trying her best not to sound patronising, "not all the myths and rumours about the Romulans are true, but there are facts behind the rumours. One of the facts that is incontrovertable is that nothing is done without a reason. I for one want to know what that reason is, and the whole trial tells me that there are people higher up who want to know too."
Rick smiled "sounds like you do enjoy it here." He got up excusing himself with a polite Nod and a "ma'am"
Off:
Commanding Officer
Captain Tasha Tahir
&
CAG Squadron Leader
Lieutenant Commander Richard Dunham