"Command Decision"
Previous Post: "Soldiers Of The Dominion"
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Stardate: 60298.1505
Setting: USS ANUBIS, Bridge
Heading back to TOLAR IV with its systems returning to full operational status one by one thanks to the hard work of the CEO and his staff, the USS ANUBIS remained under the protection of its armored shell. Travelling at partial impulse speed meant that the journey back to the planet would take longer than anyone on the bridge would have liked but at least the ship and its crew were heading in the right direction. Considering all that they had seen and done over the last little while the Romulan/Terran hybrid actually believed that luck had been with them in some way.
With the restoration of the long-range sensors, the COO had seen her work return to full strength requiring the Romulan/Terran hybrid to supervise the repairs occurring inside of the ANUBIS while at the same time keeping an eye on the events unfolding around TOLAR IV. With the departure of the Ferengi and the destruction of the Breen frigate, the number of ships present in the system had been reduced making the task of keeping track of everyone slightly easier. That the Orion scout ship had been completely disabled by the Hirogen had further helped matters although the small ship had still been in the vicinity.
Passing near the drifting wreckage, the Sec/Tac and COO both requested from the computer that a complete sensor sweet be made of the Orion ship, Lt. Seth doing so to insure that the Orions did not present a threat while the Romulan/Terran hybrid had been curious to see the actual state of the ship and its crew. It was the Chief of Security that reported first on his findings, "Sir, the Orion scout seems to have taken several hits at the hands of the Hirogens. Main power is offline and I am not picking up any signs of active weapons or shielding. I do not believe that they are in any shape to cause us any problems."
Looking down at her instruments the Romulan/Terran hybrid confirmed what Rawyvin had said and wondered why he had not reported on the one aspect of the scan that had caught the COO's attention. Maybe it had been because she no longer carried with her the responsibilities of being the Chief of Security but Serenna had focussed more on the crew than the ship's tactical abilities, a fact that she reported on immediately after Lt. Seth had finished. "Sensors also indicate that life support is inoperative and that there are three extremely faint life signs onboard. We could divert from our current course and rescue them with little problem."
Sitting in the captain's chair the CO seemed less than enthusiastic about the report that he had just been given. The situation had been complicated enough without it needing to be made that much more complex by tugging at the strings that made the Federation different from the rest of the main superpowers in the sector and quadrant. Exchanging a cold stare with the Romulan/Terran hybrid, Cpt. Simmons sighed and rubbed the back of his neck as he debated what to do since the Federation was not the type of organization that ignored people in trouble, the only problem being that the ANUBIS was not a typical Federation ship currently engaged in an even less than typical mission.
Scanning the bridge with his eyes, the CO could almost hear the thoughts of his senior officers as they returned his gaze. Some, like the CSciO and COO seemed more than willing to have the ANUBIS divert from its course to rescue the three Orion officers trapped on the disabled ship while others such as the Sec/Tac and XO who had returned to the bridge via her holographic image seemed content to leave the aliens to their fate.
Thinking of Enaii, Nikita, Pravat and the rest of the Marines currently on TOLAR IV and the fact that they would soon have to deal in one way or another with the crew of the Hirogen ship made the decision even more complicated for the CO. Could he abandon one of the founding principles of the Federation, that of offering aid and assistance to those who needed it the most, in favor of saving a few minutes? Cpt. Simmons had seen a great deal during his many years in Starfleet, none of his memories making the task of taking this decision any easier as many of them conflicted with one another.
It was the FCO who reminded the CO that he would need to make this decision quickly unless the Captain would be willing to sacrifice even more time should the decision be made to rescue the three trapped Orions. "Sir, do I change course?"
Thinking of the men and women on the planet surface and of the ethics and responsibilities placed on his shoulders by his position as CO of the ANUBIS, Cpt. Simmons was left to decide between the lives of three strangers doomed to perish if they did not receive immediate assistance or continue on their current heading to offer another type of aid and assistance this time to members of his own crew that would likely be in a completely different type of peril themselves. The decision was a difficult one to make but one that he had no real choice in the matter. Standing from his chair the CO met the eyes of his Sec/Tac officer first before meeting those of the Romulan/Terran hybrid before announcing his decision to the senior staff present on the bridge.
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Serena Switt {serena1141@yahoo.com.au}
Lieutenant Serenna
Chief of Operations / Second Officer
USS ANUBIS
