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"Command Level Decisions"
(Previous Post: (ANU) "Exit, Stage Left" / (BAS) "Imperfect Purrfection")
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Setting: USS BASTET, Captain's Ready Room
Stardate: 35009.0950
Selene felt bad and maybe even a little angry. This was not one of those impossible decisions for her to make. The situation was actually simple and required little thinking as to what needed to be done, and yet here she was sitting on the proverbial fence finding every reason possible *not* to make the decision that needed to be taken. In between thinking that she would need to speak to Counsellor Dima about all this and wondering if she had truly lost her professional edge, Iverson studied the nearby planet, or at least what she could see of it through the window of her Ready Room.
Captain Iverson hated the fact that she could not bring herself to make the call. Asking for the opinion of the crew made sense when they were contemplating a decision that would affect all of their lives on a permanent basis. This was not the case although there could be arguments offered to show that the decision could have deeper repercussions, that said though, this was an integral part of their missions. Each and every time they ventured out, they risked encountering some unfathomable danger that could threaten millions. Each time they traveled into a new dimension, the BASTET could find itself trapped or worse, destroyed, and that was considering the best-case scenarios. The knowledge that the Masters and the Lokustaar were out there, in their respective corners of the multi-verse, only hinted to the kind of demons they risked encountering at any time. So, why was any of what they faced now so different than anything else they had already come up against?
Selene glanced at the time display and realized that Sarena would soon be returning with her report and proposed course of action. Again, this was as it should be, her First Officer presenting all possible scenarios and offering the best way she believed they needed to address it. The final say would remain in the hands of the Captain though, that was both the curse and ultimate benefit of being in command. It was her responsibility to evaluate all of the risks, to weigh them again needs and potential benefits and finally to make a decision using an illogical formula that mixed facts with gut feelings.
The sound of the door chime echoed through the room. "Right on time," Selene said making her way back to her seat. "Come on in Commander."
"Should have asked Gemma or Counsellor Dima to come in instead of me," Sarena chuckled. "I have become too predictable."
"I find great comfort in your predictability," Iverson admitted.
"As I would hate to disappoint," the Commander said handing over a PADD. "Here is my report and recommendations."
Selene perused the content of the PADD, quickly locking onto the details that she believed to be most important to her final decision. "Are there any updates on this idea that what Ensign Enel is seeing is some kind of communication?"
"Lieutenant Mitshiba is still looking into that," Sarena reported. "The idea was presented to her by Counsellor Dima not that long ago, and I would suggest that we do not base our decision on the possibility that she may be right. It could take days if not weeks for Misaki to figure out that language if it is indeed that."
"Agreed," Selene said nodding her head. "I find it interesting that A'Janni has volunteered to beam down to the surface. Have you spoken to him and asked about his reasons for his volunteering?"
Sarena laughed. "I did, Nicole did, and believe or not, but Gemma did as well. Everyone who learned about it went straight for the cause without giving him the slightest chance to try and deny it. He was almost ready to admit that it was because of Sheetora and the rest of the royal family, but he didn't. What he did say to Gemma though made it clear that his feelings are tempered with logic. He is right, there are only three members of the senior staff who are qualified for doing this. Ensign Enel, Lieutenant Gemma and himself."
"Zub is still trying to find his footing," the Captain said. "Taking him into a new dimension on his first mission is already putting a lot of extra pressure on him. We also have to take into account the fact that his visual perception is not as it should be and we have no idea how this would affect him once on the surface."
"Agreed," Valentine confirmed. "That leaves Gemma as the best person to take care of this. I appreciate that A'Janni volunteered, but we have to consider the skills and experiences of the person we are sending down above everything else."
"There are other things to take into account here," Selene said challenging the opinion of her First Officer. "Gemma has proven herself to be more than a skilled operative, no matter the situation, but she is also highly unpredictable. If we were absolutely certain that Gemma was the only one do beam down, then I would agree with you, but there is no telling what she might encounter and how, or more to the point, who would show up to deal with it."
"I still believe her to be a better choice than A'Janni."
"Objection noted, Commander," Selene said, her tone reminiscent of the way she used to be before the War of Shadows. "Please call for a senior staff meeting.."
"Aye, Aye, Sir."
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Setting: USS BASTET, Observation Lounge
Stardate: 35009.1020
As requested by Captain Iverson, all of the members of the senior staff were present anxiously waiting for the decision of their Commanding Officer, some more than others.
"First, Lieutenant Mitshiba," Selene began looking straight as her Chief Science Officer. "Have you discovered anything new about this vibration and the effects it has on Ensign Enel?"
"I am sorry, I have not discovered anything new at this time," Misaki reported clearly sounding less than happy with her own lack of progress and inability to provide her Commanding Officer with more information. "I am looking into several aspects of this vibration, one of which is that it is used as some sort of carrier wave to transmit a communication signal that only Ensign Enel is capable of perceiving. So far though, I have not been able to confirm or refute this possibility. As for our sensors, I am afraid that they are as good as they can be at this time. The modifications made to them greatly increased their sensitivity and resolution allowing us to pick up the settlements on the planet, but that is as far as I have been able to push them."
"Thank you, Lieutenant. Doctor Andersson," the Captain continued, turning her attention onto the Chief Medical Officer. "Have you had any success in shielding Ensign Enel from the effects of this vibration?"
"I am sorry," Sofia replied, her words directed at the Voth far more than to anyone else including the Captain. The guilt of her failure was personal as Doctor Andersson saw her inability to find a solution as having let the reptilian humanoid down. "There are simply too many possibilities and there is still so much we do not know or fully understand the physiology of his race. Maybe in a couple of weeks to a month, but I doubt that I will be able to make any serious breakthrough before then."
"Thank you, Doctor. Counsellor Dima," Selene said taking Nicole by complete surprise, the Trill not expecting to be called to voice an opinion on anything pertaining to what was to come next. "In an effort to expose you to the demands of a bridge officer, I would like your opinion on this matter. Please know that my decision has already been made and what you say next will not affect this. I simply wish to see how, if you were in command, you would handle this particular situation."
Nicole let out an elongated sigh. This was not what she had expected when she asked to be considered for bridge officer training, but Counsellor Dima understood that this was a part of it just as much as sitting on the bridge. Making difficult decisions using only the available information is part of the game. "Leaving this dimension and ignoring what happened to those two cruisers is, in my opinion, not a valid option. We need to figure out, in one way or another, what happened, either to utilize it at a future date or for us to become aware of a weapon that we may need to defend ourselves against at some point."
The Captain nodded her head in a way that did not show any emotions but only acknowledged the logic of the statement made by the Counsellor. "Go on," Iverson politely urged the Trill.
"This means that we must send an away team to the planet and since a shuttle would be too vulnerable during its descent and our transporters are only able to send a single individual at a time, sending Lieutenant A'Janni, as per his own suggestion and volunteering for this task, seems to make the most sense." The Trill looked onto the Caitian, his one eye looking back at her with almost gratitude.
Looking around the table, the Captain noticed something amiss with the Voth Chief of Security. "Ensign Enel, you do not appear to agree with what the Counsellor has just said."
"It is not my place to disagree, Captain," Zub quickly stated as it was his belief that it truly was not his role to voice any apprehension towards any command-level-decisions, that they affected him directly or not.
"Openly stating opinions is one of the reasons why we have these briefings, Ensign," Commander Valentine pointed out. "No one will think any less of you, in fact, we are all more likely to respect you for stating what you believe even if it should stand against the opinion of anyone else in this room."
"Stating an opposing point of view can be very useful," Doctor Andersson offered. As a physician, I often have to deal with opinions that differ from mine, and I consider this to be a good thing as it forces me to look upon a given situation from possibly a different perspective."
"Captain," Zub began. "I am not opposed to Lieutenant A'Janni being the one sent to the planet surface. I agree that given my current state, I have become a less than valid candidate. My expression, which I suspect may have been misinterpreted, was only one of support. I will follow whatever orders I am given, no matter what they may be and if I agree with them or not, this of course as long as those orders are not patently illegal. If your decision is to send A'Janni down and you wish it to be done using a rope, I will do my best to ensure that he reaches the planet safely, even if it requires my jumping down with him."
"I do not believe we have a rope long enough for that," Commander Valentine teased.
"We could always replicate one," Lieutenant Mitshiba added. "I would just need to target one of the empty cargo holds as I am sure that it would take quite a bit of space."
Zub was about to say something, likely pointing out that he was only kidding and that his example might have been ill-chosen, but it was the Captain that spoke next. "I greatly appreciate your devotion and loyalty, Ensign. The rope will not be necessary, but you all seem to have reached the same decision as I have. We cannot just leave and Lieutenant A'Janni does seem to be the best candidate for this mission." Everyone agreed, with two barely noticeable exceptions, Commander Valentine and Lieutenant Gemma who looked at one another before returning their attention to the gathering. "Then, let us proceed."
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Setting: USS BASTET, Transporter Room 2
Stardate: 35009.1045
The Caitain stood on the transporter platform, ready to go, but first, he needed to be given some last-minute instructions by those officers present in the room with him.
"Your mission is to survey the settlement where the metal fragment was found. Do your best to identify what it is, but you are to do so without making contact with the inhabitants of that world," Captain Iverson explained.
"The laser beacon is set to emit an invisible beam that we will be looking for," Lieutenant Mitshiba followed up with. "There are three settings. Setting A, also known as 'green' will indicate to us that all is well and that you believe it safe for others to follow. Setting B, also known as 'yellow' will indicate that you are safe but suggest that no one else follows at this time. The idea is for you to change the setting once you are more comfortable with whatever it is that you are dealing with down there. Setting C, also known as 'red' is a call for immediate beam out, likely due to you discovering something bad."
"What about setting D?" The Caitian inquired, his one good eye locked on the device in question which he held in his right hand. Even with only one eye, A'Janni could easily see that the Beacon was set to emit four different signals.
"That setting is your way to tell us that the mission is a bust and that there is no way for us to get you back," Misaki reluctantly explained.
"The problem is that there is no way to know for sure what you may encounter down there," Gemma offered, her tone of voice calm and unemotional. "Technically, there are only three options; we beam down after you, we beam you back up if we can, or we leave you down there because beaming you back could expose us and threaten the entire ship and crew."
"For the record, I did not want to have that setting on the beacon," the Chief Science Officer said.
"I understand," A'Janni confirmed with conviction. "Any final words, Captain?"
"Do not take any risks," Selene said. "We can always try again at a later time or even just leave with a full crew. You going down there is just to satisfy our need to get as much information as we can. We want you back, safe and sound."
"Thank you, Captain, I appreciate."
"Lieutenant Gemma," the Captain said to the woman manning the transporter station. "Energise."
Within seconds the Caitian was engulfed in a swirling dance of light until he and the equipment he had with him vanished from the platform.
"Transporter Room 2 to the bridge, Commander Valentine, report."
=/\= As we feared, we are not picking his life signs on the planet surface. =/\=
=/\= I am sure that he is fine, we just need to give him the time to do an initial survey of his surroundings before he sets up the beacon. =/\= The Chief of Security added. The next few minutes passed in near-complete silence and steadily growing anguish. =/\= Captain, we are picking up a signal. It is the beacon and it is on setting B. =/\=
"It means that he is safe," Gemma said, the announcement indicating that she was pleased even though her facial expression did not convey that sentiment or any other for that matter.
"Now we wait," the Captain said not having any real other options at this time. Whatever they would do next rested squarely on the shoulders of Lieutenant A'Janni.
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Setting: USS BASTET, Captain's Ready Room
Stardate: 35009.1330
"Captain's log, supplemental. It has been nearly 3 hours since LieutenantA'janni beamed down to the planet surface. Sensors are still unable to pick up any life signs, and as far as we can tell, nothing has come close to the beacon. The crew is becoming increasingly concerned about the well-being of our Flight Control Officer, but alas there is nothing we can do at this time. We hope that..."
=/\= Captain, =/\= Commander Valentine interrupted. =/\= Its the beacon. The setting has been changed from 'yellow' to 'green'. Looks like we are cleared to beam more people down. =/\=
"Very well Commander. Have Lieutenant Mitshiba perform some basic beaming tests. Once she gives the go-ahead, you and a small away team can head down and see what Lieutenant A'Janni has discovered."
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Setting: USS BASTET, Sickbay
Stardate: 35009.1335
Ensign Enel sat on the biobed while Doctor Andersson performed some additional medical scans. Sofia was hellbent to discover a way to help Zub, but so far all of her efforts had proven futile.
"Good news," Nicole said as she stepped into the medical department. "The setting on the beacon was changed to green. A'Janni is safe and sound and has cleared the way for an away team."
"I'm guessing I should get my field kit ready," Doctor Andersson stated. "First-contact with a race from another dimension almost always calls upon the Chief Medical Officer and Chief Science Officer to be involved. Sorry Zub, looks like we are going to have to wait to complete this latest exam."
"I completely understand, Doctor. Is there anything I can do to help?"
"No," Sofia chuckled. "My bags are already all packed and ready to go. You never know when the head physician might be called to do a house call," the Doctor said finding her joke rather amusing, but as she walked away and was joined by Nicole, the two women failed to notice something odd about the reptilian Chief of Security who just slid onto his feet and walked out of Sickbay as if in a trans.
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Setting: USS BASTET, Transporter Room 2
Stardate: 35009.1345
The sounds of alarms filled the room and corridors as Lieutenant Gemma, Doctor Andersson and Counsellor Dima came rushing into the transporter room to find the Chief Science Officer on the floor, her back against the far wall.
"What happened?" Sofia asked of Misaki.
"I was performing the transporter tests as requested by the Captain when Zub walked in," the Asian woman explained as she rubbed the back of her neck. "He looked like some sort of walking lizard-zombie. He said nothing, just went to the controls, overrode the security protocols, which was easy for him as the Chief of Security. and he then headed for the platform. When I moved in to ask what he was doing, he just pushed me to the side. I do not think he meant to injure me, just to not have me in his way, but his strength against my weight... well... you can see what happened."
"Yeah, you have a nasty bump on your head," Sofia said.
"What happened?" Commander Valentine asked as she ran into the room.
"Ensign Enel has gone rogue," Gemma explained. "He has beamed down to the surface without permission and there is no way to contact A'Janni to let him know what just happened."
"Commander," Counsellor Dima cautiously warned. "We have no idea what happened here. Lieutenant Mitshiba reported that Zub acted as if he was in a trans, not in control of his own actions. Maybe my earlier theory about what he was seeing being some sort of communication attempt could have forced him to beam down. We cannot simply dismiss as coincidence the facts of him acting the way he did and our getting a green signal from Lieutenant A'Janni so closely together."
"Is it safe to send people down using the transporter?" Sarena inquired of Misaki who was still sitting on the floor.
"Yes, it is safe. I just completed the tests when Zub came in and forced his way onto the transporter," Lieutenant Mitshiba confirmed.
"Doctor Andersson, please take care of her. Lieutenant Gemma, set the transporter for three beam-down sequences. I will go down first followed by Counsellor Dima and you will beam down last. Your orders," Sarena said looking straight at Nicole, "are to try and get through to Ensign Enel. If you fail, your orders," the Commander continued this time looking straight at Gemma, "are to take him down by whatever means necessary. We cannot risk him jeopardizing this mission. Are we clear?"
"Yes, Sir," both Nicole and Gemma said, each understanding the importance of their respective orders and each already planning on how to best achieve their objective.
---
Jessica Solarik
Commanding Officer
USS BASTET
&
Chief Science Officer
USS ANUBIS
"To see the world in a grain of sand,
and a heaven in a wild flower.
Hold infinity in the palm of your hand,
and eternity in an hour."
- William Blake (British, 1757-1827)