"Executive Confrontation"
Previous Post: "Passages"
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Setting: USS HATHOR, Bridge
Sitting in her chair the Romulan/Terran hybrid
suddenly became aware of just how quiet the bridge of
the HATHOR had become making the CO think that this
had been the proverbial calm before the storm.
Quickly looking around all of the manned stations, the
hybrid confirmed that each and every officer had been
at their post, silently working, quietly waiting.
Standing at the back of the bridge, even the CMO and
CNS had remained absolutely still and speechless as
they watched the main view screen waiting to see what
would come of their encounter with the probe they had
detected. Hoping that it had been a stray Cardassian
research device had been the only thing which Ens. Mei
and Lt. Summers could do for the time being.
Accepting that the probe might have been Imperian in
origin had not been an option because that would have
led to other more unwanted images to fill their minds.
Glancing down at the FCO from where she stood, the
CNS tried to evaluate the half Vulcan's state of mind,
recalling the calmness the Ensign had displayed back
in the CO's Ready Room. Associating such behaviour to
a Vulcan had not been difficult, but Ens. Mei knew
that the FCO had also been half Human and that this
part of him seemed to often surface. Wanting to avoid
any potential problems, aside from the one they were
rushing headlong to meet, the CNS had been ready to
intervene should unvented emotions take hold of Ens.
Stormwind at an inopportune time.
Working from the engineering station, the HATHOR's XO
kept a close watch on both the crew and the ship,
fulfilling to the best of his ability all of the
responsibilities that the two positions he held
demanded of him. Being an engineer at heart meant
that his task as the ship's CEO had been second
nature, something that unfortunately had not been so
easily said for the second half of his duties. Trying
to focus more on the other, more demanding side of his
duties, Dawson performed another scan of the probe and
reported his findings to the rest of the crew.
"Confirmed, that probe does not fit anything that we
have on file and based on these power output readings
we can say with almost certainty that it is *not*
Cardassian in origin."
Having embraced his role as the HATHOR's Sec/Tac with
unmatched passion and zeal, the Hirogen presented his
suggestion to the Romulan/Terran hybrid immediately
following the XO's report. "Sir, recommend that we
destroy the probe as soon as it is in range. That way
we will insure that a minimum amount of information is
relayed back to whoever sent it and we will also avoid
being on the receiving end of whatever else this probe
has in store."
Sounding a little harsh in his suggestion, Ens. Uxtar
had made several valid points which the Romulan/Terran
hybrid had been unable to ignore. Letting the probe
report whatever it found to whoever or whatever had
sent in to intercept the ANUBIS had not been a sound
tactical move. Even considering that the probe's
heading towards the other ship had been a coincidence
still left the possibility that the fast approaching
device could contain more then simple scanning
equipment.
Following a few seconds of contemplating alternatives
the XO jumped in with a suggestion of his own, one
that the Hirogen had clearly not been all too
supportive of. "We could try to disable it using a
modulated energy pulse."
Ending her reign of silence, Lt. Summers gasped at
the thought, surprised by not only the suggestion
itself but also who had made it. "You want to
*disable* that thing? Why would you want to do that?
If it was sent out by those murderous robots we could
be inviting our deaths, and even if it was not sent by
them I think the overall situation calls for a
heightened sense of precaution."
Realizing that the CMO felt strongly about this
issue, the Romulan/Terran hybrid allowed the XO to
present whatever argument he might have had to defend
his choice of action. "The Imperians are mechanical
beings, this means that whatever technology they send
out reflects not only their way of thinking but also
their way of *being*. All races put a piece of
themselves in what they make, be it in shape or
functionality, the design of a Vulcan probe is very
practical and logical while that of a Romulan is
sneaky, no offence meant."
Looking at the XO/CEO, the CO decided to accept
Dawson's apology of sorts knowing deep inside of her
soul that he had been right in describing Romulans to
be sneaky, a character trait that the hybrid truly
hoped she had not displayed or even possessed.
Nodding her head the Romulan/Terran hybrid showed her
support for her XO's way of thinking and glancing back
at the CMO invited further comments to be made now
while they still had some time to think about what
they would do next.
Appearing enraged by the apparent calmness of the
HATHOR's XO, the CMO stormed off the bridge mumbling
to herself that the idea had been ludicrous and would
likely end up with her having to pick up the pieces.
Having been taken aback by her friend's reaction, the
CNS excused herself from the bridge and quickly went
after Doctor Summers to offer a sympathetic shoulder
and ear.
Returning her attention to the bridge and their
situation, the Romulan/Terran hybrid instructed the
FCO as to what she wanted to happen next. "Helm, take
us around the probe, we will have a better chance of
disabling it if we are moving *with* it instead of
*towards* it. Ens. Kea, assist Lt. Dawson in the
modulation of this energy pulse. Ens. Uxtar, have all
weapons on full stand-by and ready to fire on my
command and my command only. We may have a chance to
learn more about these Imperians but I won't take any
unnecessary risk with the lives of this crew."
Nodding their heads, each officer on the bridge
acknowledged the orders they had received and
immediately went to work hoping that the outcome of
this idea would prove to have been worthwhile and
inconsequential to their safety and mission.
/\/\/\
Lieutenant Commander Serenna 2006 post #045
Stardate: 60341.0730
Serena Switt {serena1141@yahoo.com.au}
Commanding Officer
USS HATHOR
