"Detour"
(Previous Post was Brian's and Jessica's "Boarding Party")
==========
Stardate: 60341.1445
The young woman stormed onto the bridge like an enraged beast and made
a beeline for the Sec/Tac Officer obviously having somehow heard that he
had committed the ANUBIS to the aid of the HATHOR.
"Explain yourself *Lieutenant*! I thought I had made myself perfectly
clear… SURIAL III is our primary goal… everything else is *secondary*,"
the young woman spat at the Enaran who could do nothing more than to look
back at the redheaded woman in disbelief. Since his having been assigned to
the ANUBIS Prav had *never* seen the Co in such a state, and that he was on
the receiving end of her sudden display of anger had just made the
situation that much more difficult to handle.
"Captain… I…" the Enaran 1st Lt offered in an attempt to explain, but
before he could continue he saw the CSciO stepping down from the science
station at the back of the bridge and approached the CO, the Shillian quickly
placed herself between the two officers as if offering herself as a shield to
the Marine. Pravat definitively had in no way required the protection of
someone as small and delicate as Maya, but the Enaran man found the
gesture oddly sweet, if not utterly misplaced.
"I gave the order to have the ANUBIS alter course… Lt. Pravat only
acted as *my* second in command and relayed to information to all other
departments," the CSciO explained as she stood her ground in front of the captain uncertain as to whether or not Rikar would redirect her anger onto her.
"You?" the young woman inquired, finding it hard to believe that the
Shililan had been the one to order the change of course. Rikar had
expected Pravat to have taken this decision on his own based on his growing
desire to engage the Imperians, but the CO had thought that her ExO had shared
her desire to see Enaii be reunited with her family and those she, in a
very weird way, considered as friends and family.
Without saying anything more the young woman turned on her heel and
headed to her Ready Room, the anger she had displayed upon her arrival still
clearly visible in her movements. After the CO vanished into her
office the CSciO turned to the Enaran Sec/Tac Officer and met his gaze for a few seconds before following the captain. Although no words had been
exchanged Prav understood by the look he had received that the ship was to
continue on its new course and that the crew had been required to continue
preparing to render assistance to the HATHOR.
==========
"Captain… I would like to offer you my resignation as your Executive
Officer… obviously I am not qualified to address the responsibilities
and demands of this position. You require someone on whom you can trust, I
mean you can trust me but I have let you down by placing the needs of the
HATHOR above that of our orders and mission," the Shillian explained as she
stood in front of the woman now sitting behind her desk.
The young woman glanced up at her ExO but remained silent for several
seconds which had felt like an eternity to the CSciO who could do
nothing more than to stand there and feel the glacial gaze of her CO pierce
through her very soul.
"Rikar to Annie… please report to my Ready Room," the young woman
requested, never breaking the visual lock on the CSciO.
The ship's Avatar entered the room and approached the desk of the CO,
stopping right next to the Shillian who had not even turned her head to
acknowledged the arrival of the andrioid.
"You wanted to see me Captain?"
"Yes… Lt. Fairborn once explained to me the extent of your capabilities
and mentioned that you are capable of recording with exceptional accuracy
events that take place immediately around you… is this correct?" the CO
inquired, obviously having a very specific idea in mind.
"That is correct… while onboard the ANUBIS I am able to integrate data collected by the internal sensors to what my visual and auditory receptors collected, comparing the time stamps to insure accurate reconstruction," the Avatar ever so calmly explained as though this ability had been as normal as could be… which of course for someone like herself it had been.
"Access and playback records as of when the HATHOR contacted the ANUBIS
to request assistance," the young woman instructed as she diverted her
piercing gaze away from the Shillian for only a fraction of a second to look at Annie before returning her attention onto the CSciO as if her gaze had been
the only thing keeping the Shillian from moving or objecting.
"Accessing internal sensor records… comparing data to audio and visual
records… synchronizing… initiating playback," the Avatar stated, listing each step that she had taken in order to comply with the request of her CO.
What followed next took both Sabrina and Maya by surprise… although
Annie had been the one standing in the office, the voices that had come out
of her lips had been nearly identical to those of the half Human, half Romulan
CO of the HATHOR, that of the Enaran man who had still been on the Bridge
and of the Shillian woman standing right there next to the Avatar.
"This is the USS HATHOR to the ANUBIS," the Avatar said sounding
exactly like Serenna.
"This is Pravat, we're receiving your transmission," Annie continued, this time her voice having changed to match that of the Enaran Chief of Security.
"The Imperians are boarding this ship, we have already lost one deck,
we need assistance," the Commanding Officer of the HATHOR said through the
lips of the ANUBIS' Avatar.
"Hold on we're on our way," were the next words spoken by Annie clearly
indicating that the Sec/Tac officer had not cleared this with the ExO
first. The next words which came out of the ANUBIS' Avatar confirmed what
the young woman had suspected from the very start.
"The Captain ordered us to remain on course for SURIAL III… she will
not be pleased when she learns of this," the voice which matched that of the
CSciO was heard saying.
"I will *not* let our people suffer because our CO is out *ghost
hunting* and is too emotionally involved in this mission to realise what she's
doing… we have *real* lives to save and it is our duty to help," the voice of
Pravat was heard adding as an argument for his having taken the
decision to have the ANUBIS change course and rendezvous with the HATHOR.
"Thank you Annie… you may return to your station," the CO said finally taking her eyes off the Shillian and turning her chair away from the 2 women.
The Shillian stood there speechless and motionless, unsure as to what
to say or do next… she had been caught in a lie meant to protect Pravat but
now they both found themselves on the wrong side of the chain of command
having not only disobeyed an order but attempted to cover it up.
"I accept full responsibility for this… I was in command… I should have
ordered Lt. Pravat to resume course for SURIAL III instead of allowing
the ANUBIS to remain on its new heading for the HATHOR. I acted without
taking into account your orders and the objective of our mission… I thought I
was doing the right thing… I was wrong," the ExO offered in a deeply
apologetic tone, knowing that deep down inside she had disappointed her CO and in a way betrayed the trust that had been placed in her care.
"You are right…" Sabrina offered as she slowly turned her chair to face
the CSciO once again making the Shillian feel as if her career as a
Starfleet Officer had been about to come to an abrupt and unexpected end.
==========
The Enaran had felt his blood chill the moment he had watched the
ship's Avatar step into the CO's Reading Room… and that feeling had been made
worse when he witnessed the same android exit the officer of Captain Rikar
alone meaning that Maya and Sabrina had not finished with their talk. Pravat
wanted to burst into the room and set the record straight… that it had
been *his* fault and no one else's… he had committed the ANUBIS to helping
the HATHOR and no one but him should be made to pay for this decision…
especially not Maya.
As the CSciO returned on the bridge, a blank expression on her face,
the Enaran feared the worse and rushed to the Shillian's side and grabbed
her by the shoulders. The two of them share a quick yet emotional glance
which triggered in the Marine a reaction that he had never thought possible
of himself. As he leg go of Maya to go into the Captain's Ready Room,
Pravat felt a hand take hold of his arm and as he backtracked it back to its
owner he found that it was that of the ExO.
"The Captain wants all available speed and resources directed to helping the HATHOR… if the Imperians have boarded the ship, you and your Marines will need to be prepared and appropriately armed for when you beam over," the ExO explained, her voice clearly carrying a tone of partial confusion.
"She is supporting our helping the HATHOR?"
The Shillian nodded and smiled as she recalled the last words spoken to
her by the ANUBIS' CO, **You are right… you were doing the right thing… it
is I who is in the wrong… please inform 1st Lt. Pravat that he will be
leading the rescue team and that we will beam them over as soon as we are
within range. Be sure to tell him to check in with Elan… maybe he has come up
with an upgrade or two that they could use to level the field against the
Imperians.**
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"We are Grey, we stand between the Candle and the Star, between the
Darkness and the Light" 2006 post #072
Setting: USS ANUBIS, Bridge
Stardate: 60341.1450
Setting: USS ANUBIS, CO's Ready Room
Stardate: 60341.1510
Setting: USS ANUBIS, Bridge
Sabrina Jones {sabrina_sweet@hotmail.com}
Captain Sabrina Rikar
Commanding Officer
USS ANUBIS, NCC-18501
-Entilza Delenn, Babylon 5
