Impending Matters

Posted on Mon Sep 18th, 2017 @ 4:55pm by Commander Isabella dei`Silvisi & Captain Alistar McKeon

919 words; about a 5 minute read

The day couldn't get any better or worse Alistar thought as he reclined in his chair in the ready room. Commander Silvisi's away team had been rescued, the Endeavour was in near working order, and they were en route to a nearby research station for a quick stop before heading out into the unknown. Finally, things were starting to look up. Which, he reflected silently, was also when things seemed to go south for the Endeavour and her crew. It was always when things were starting to look good that the ship encountered something that was the complete opposite. Which was why he didn't want to hope for the best, and he damned well wasn't about to voice it out loud either. For the moment, Alistar was content to sit in his ready room and do nothing but work through the endless paperwork that gathered about his desk every time he turned his back.

Isabella took a deep breath and very slowly released it as she paused outside the door to the captain's ready room. She could almost guess that the captain was happy that there wasn't a crisis going on, and she hated to be the one to bring an end to the illusion of quiet that seemed to have taken over the Endeavour. Unfortunately, she had unresolved matters that needed his attention, and it was best to get these things over with. Steeling herself, Isabella continued onwards and suppressed a shudder as the doors opened for her. Walking into the ready room, she clasped her hands behind her back and nodded stiffly. "Captain, I was wondering if I could have a few moments of your time," she said.

Alistar looked up from a status report from engineering and frowned, a look of dreadful warning on his face before he nodded and set the PADD down. "What is it?" he asked, keeping his voice normal.

"I'm afraid I need to discuss a matter of an officer assigned to this ship acting in a manner that is unbecoming of an officer," Isabella replied as she took a seat and sat down. "Ensign Connor acted ... well, he acted unprofessionally during the away mission and he displayed an attitude towards Crewman Ellija that was disturbing to several members of the team. I'm afraid that he seemed to be targeting her alone, as she was the only person to survive the crash who wasn't a commissioned officer. He said a number of things that show a blatant dislike or disregard for enlisted personnel. I haven't had time to finish my official report, but I wanted to warn you before any of the others submitted theirs. I'm afraid that a few members of the team took the ensign's attitude and words to heart."

"I see," Alistar said thoughtfully and with a heavy sigh he pushed back from the desk a little. "Options?"

"We can try to settle it here with a Captain's Mast, or redirect it to the nearest star base for a formal court marshal. There is enough evidence for one," Isabella replied quietly.

"Connor seems to be a decent enough security officer and a court marshal under these charges will end his career, or at the least damage it enough so that he gets perminately beached. The problem is, we could use him. We see enough action that we need good security officers," Alistar said.

Isabella nodded, understanding and even agreeing with him. But, the fact of the matter was still there. "Sir, I'd suggest a Captain's Mast be conducted. That way, we keep it in house and we can still retain Connor on board."

"The problem is that from what you're saying that he targeted an enlisted member of the crew and acted unbecoming of an officer. Either way, from how I understand what you're saying, after I read the reports, Connor stands a very good chance of being stripped of his commission," Alistar said.

"So we strip him of his commission. That's in your authority, isn't it?" Isabella asked.

Alistar stared at his first officer for a long moment, silently thinking on the implications. If Silvisi was willing to go that far, after she had brought the matter to him, then it must have been bad indeed. "Where is Connor now?" he asked.

"I've had him restricted to quarters under house arrest," Isabella replied.

Alistar managed to his instant reaction and instead blinked before he recovered. Dear God, it must be worse than he thought if she was going to those measures. It also meant that she was serious, and while he had never doubted Silvisi's ability to get strict if she had to, he had hoped to never see that side of her either. He made himself nod. "Alright," he finally said. "Gather the reports from everyone and finish your own. Then, put Reynolds on the matter. We'll give twenty four hours for everyone to submit their reports, and Reynolds another twenty four hours to conduct his investigation. After that, I'll read through everything and we'll go from there. Agreed?"

"Agreed," Isabella said with a small nod. Standing, she paused. "Sir, I'm sorry I have to bring this matter to you in this manner, but I wanted you to be forewarned."

"You're doing your job," Alistar said. "Carry on."

With a stiff nod, Isabella turned and headed out of the ready room. Silently, she prayed that her captain wasn't about to be upset with her due to the headache of the matter she had just informed him of.

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