Posted on Sat Jun 6th, 2020 @ 11:25pm by Commander Martin Sorenson & Captain Ewan Darrow
Mission:
Wrong Place, Right Time
Location: Observation Lounge
Timeline: A couple hours after Evacuation
1752 words - 3.5 OF Standard Post Measure
Ewan stood at the front observation lounge windows, staring out at the stars in front of the Vesta. The hull looked like a knife cutting into the expansive black sea in front of it, with the faint glow of the system's sun bouncing off the atmosphere of the planet blow causing the edge to glow with a brown warmth that didn't quite match the teal and black of the ships hull plating. It was almost serene... peaceful. Both things that Ewan was currently not feeling. The discussion, if there was going to be one, he was about to have with the Doctor was going to be a tough one, one he wasn't starting off on the right foot and yet he wasn't quite in the right headspace to acknowledge that, not now. Regardless it was a discussion that was going to happen and one in which he had already made up his mind and no amount of discussion or discourse or information was going to deter him. He had been angry for hours now even if it had been somewhat abated by learning Yoshi had been secured and was now once again aboard.
So he stood, watching the stars waiting for Martin to come. The privacy partition was up on the lunch area, the briefing room sides partition open, waiting.
Martin walked slowly toward the lounge, not in dread - though he knew despite a summons to the lounge rather than the ready room this wasn't going to be pleasant - but because his ribs were still painful. After Yoshi's surgery and checking on Izzy's condition he no longer had anything to distract from noticing every muscle and tendon stretched in ways they should never have been. Unlike Ewan he wasn't angry. He had been, hours ago, but he was drained now and actually feeling relieved, both because Yoshi and Izzy were stable and likely to recover, and because with the terrorists dealt with the medical mission to the colony could resume. He even had some hopeful news from the virology analysis of samples sent back to the ship.
"Doctor Sorenson reporting," he announced as he came through. "Both Yoshi and Ms. Cerin are in stable condition and beginning protocols for radiation poisoning, but I expect them to make full recoveries."
"Commander." Ewan said curtly as he continued to stare out the window, "That's... good news all things considered. I'm happy to hear that they will recover fully." He clasped his hands behind his back as he turned to face the Commander, "Not however why I called you here today. We're here to discuss your blatant disregard of a director order from a commanding officer in a situation which caused the splitting of vital resources needed to track down a Flag officer."
"Blatant disregard?" Martin said, taken aback. "Respectfully, there was no disregard, blatant or otherwise. I was preparing to leave, preparing the whole team to leave, when a child ran in begging for help because her mother was burning up and unresponsive. I could not ignore that. So I went with her, intending to return, but leaving orders for Lieutenant Lanik to get the team to the beam out site and leave if I did not."
The look on Ewan's face was cold, steely, with an underlying fire in his eyes. Few people had seen Ewan angry like this, at least not aboard Vesta; actually only Yoshi and Allison of those onboard had seen him this angry. "Commander I'm going to be honest. I expected better from a man of your level of training and experience, not to mention command training. You not only put the lives of others at risk, but you put your own at risk. You were given a direct order by myself to evacuate from the colony because of a hostile situation in which the Commanding officer of this ship, Commodore Minawara and the Chief Diplomatic Officer Ms. Cerin were kidnapped. By Terrorists."
Ewan began to pace a bit as he continued, not letting Martin get in a word, "As such I made the decision to recall all of the surface teams to the ship to protect those on my crew from potential harm and to prevent more of my crew, this family, from being kidnapped and potentially harmed or worse killed. This was to minimize the risk and exposure of this ship to hostile contact, something I would expect a Command track officer to understand. Everything I did was to minimize risk and protect this crew and yet I soon discover when Lieutenant Lanik returned with the rest of the medical team, that not one but two of my crew are still on the surface against orders. Placing themselves into the path of angry colonists who already had Starfleet to the point in which a group of them kidnapped members of a Starfleet crew. Something that was all but unthinkable not even 30 years ago. That's beside the point though, because of your disregard of orders, the safety of this crew was compromised."
"I understand your concern, but I had equal concern and responsibility for my patients," the doctor snapped, his own temper flaring. "Don't throw my status as an officer at me - I took an oath as a doctor, long before I took an oath to Starfleet. The risk I took was mine alone, and not much of one at that point since we were still assumed to be NGO."
He stopped, his jaw clenching slightly as he turned again towards Martin, "We had to split the resources of the Marine Recon team that came to find Yoshi and Isabella. We had to waste precious hours planning on how to locate not only him, but extracting yourself and the Chief Petty officer. Something that I hear didn't even go off without a hitch but ended in shots being fired by the Marines to secure your position and safety because someone who didn't care about your help was trying to kill you."
"Because you forced us to evac - against my advice!" Martin objected. "There would have been no riots there if they didn't think they were being abandoned. If not for that there would have been no need for any intervention or split in resources."
"Commander, as a result of your blatant disregard for Command authority, you are nearby confined to quarters when not on duty. At such a time as Commodore Minawara makes a full recovery, he will decide what happens, is that understood?"
Even in his anger, Ewan had known it was better to hold off until Yoshi was better to deal with the Commander, which in the end would likely be a saving grace for both sides even if they didn't know it yet.
Blatant disregard... Ewan had not heard a word he had said. This was not at all what he expected of the man, and he could not be more dismayed by it if Ewan had physically struck him. Deciding that any further attempt was futile, he answered with a short indignant, "Understood."
"I expected better of you Commander. You are a Starfleet officer. A Command officer at that. We make decisions every day that sometimes require the potential death of others, decisions we do not like and others will not like. It is not a task to take lightly but one you were trained for and are training to take on. You had a responsibility to to this crew to consider the larger picture around just what was happening in your narrow focus and you didn't do it. Did you know Lieutenant Lanik has transferred from this ship? She felt she could no longer properly do her job her because she was left in a position to which she had no way out. Because of all this, we lost an excellent counselor who the crew was beginning to warm up to, something we both know this crew has struggled with before." Ewan shook his head as he turned to look out at the stars again.
Martin ground his teeth. Larger focus? Larger than an epidemic starting to spread among especially vulnerable population? He did feel badly if Ildri had transferred because of him, but at the same time he didn't quite believe it. "I am acquainted with decisions that result in potential death of others; I have had to make them in tirage. But it was my understanding that Starfleet officers should be willing to risk themselves to protect others, especially the most vulnerable. I made the only decision I could as a doctor, and as an officer, not to mention a human being. If that discomfited Lieutenant Lanik to the degree you say, then tell me where she is and I will discuss it with her." Ildri, at least, would listen, he thought.
"Lieutenant Lanik has transferred to the Rutherford to await the arrival of the USS Bonnie Henry who will take over the role of dealing with the issues the colonists have reported after we leave to rendevous with the Alexander." Ewan replied tersely. He really didn't understand, did he. Martin had never fought in a war, he hadn't lost friends as Ewan had, hadn't had to make that command call to put people's lives on the line at the scale past his medical bed. He didn't understand hold the lives of 750 crew in his hands. Maybe one day he would. "Unless you have any other objections commander, you're dismissed."
At least there was medical relief coming. He'd send the virology and potential inoculation and immune support data directly to the CMO of the Bonnie Henry. With any luck, they'd have a working vaccine by the time they arrived. "Since you have no interest in listening, there would be no point in making any," he replied curtly, and then did an about face and walked away.
The doors swished shut behind Martin with their usual quiet hush. He could feel the anger draining away from him now, there was still so much to do now and little time before they left orbit. He let out a grunt as he turned to face the wall, grabbing the cup of tea sitting on the table, he took a sip before finding it cold. "Just fucking great..." He said before he whipped it at the wall in one last fit of anger before it finally all drained away.