Busted!

Posted on Wed Feb 16th, 2022 @ 10:08pm by Captain Michelle Bartlett & Lieutenant Commander Danon Prel & Ensign Laro Adel & Lieutenant Commander Shaille Levine & Lieutenant JG Stan More & Crewman Gregory Richardson & Ensign Corinne Wisemann & Gunnery Sergeant Ami Rori

Mission: Recovery
Location: Main Bridge

Corinne's next movement happened so quickly, not even Prel could respond in time to stop it. Her fist closed around the data rod in her hand before delivering first one, then a second firm punch to the bridge of his nose. Chaos exploded on the bridge around them, the doors to the turbolift parting, someone else shouting her name. "One for each of the encrypted messages YOU sent to the fighters before they engaged!" Corinne shouted over the noise. "You set the whole thing up!"

Stan could not believe what he had just seen. It reminded him of the time his two uncles. Got into a fight over a soccer game. Mind you they were both very drunk at the time.

The doors opened to the turbolift to show the Captain having arrived just as Prel was knocked back. "Ensign, you'd better have a good explanation for what I just saw." she said before turning to Prel. "Status, Commander?"

"Ensign, you're spending the next 48 hours in the brig." Prel said. "Our fighter reported it came under attack by Planetary Defence. I ordered the squadron to intercept and engage."

Not realizing comms were never closed, the Marine craft came on... "Waterloo to Wellington, I'm sorry sir but that statement is incorrect. As we said, that I could see the Wellington nor the fighters were in any danger."

Michelle's ears perked up. "I see... Thank you, Waterloo. Wellington out." she said, nodding to Rori to close the channel. "So that leaves one question... What happened that resulted in an ensign clocking you in the face?" she paused before turning to Wiseman. "Well?"

"External sensors are offline, probably his doing," Corinne spat venomously toward Prel. "I was using the internal systems to see if anything from the fighters or the shuttle sensors were feeding back to our core and I happened to notice that he sent two encrypted messages to one of the fighters right before they engaged. There was never an attack, he orchestrated the whole damn thing safe from the center chair like the gutless piece of crap that he is!"

"Encrypted messages?" Michelle asked. "Now why would you need to be communicating with our own fighters over an encrypted frequency?"

"So as not to give away our plans and keep information secure, ma'am." Prel said, wiping the blood off his nose. "Maybe you prefer to let the entire quadrant see what we're doing, but we don't know a lot about this world other than they really don't have their shit together." he explained before turning to the other security officers.

"Take Ensign Wiseman into custody." Prel said as a couple of the crewmen were about to.

"Stop." Michelle said. "Not yet." she paused, staring at the viewscreen then back to Prel. "You were very gung ho for a shot at revenge, Commander."

"How do you know Sergeant Rori never sent the message? It's rather odd she's been on the bridge most of the day, is it not?" Prel asked.

"You're overlooking one thing, there. I ordered her on the bridge most of the day after your little outburst this afternoon." Michelle said. "I don't buy that fighters require encrypted messages as protection from a government that was willing to let us on the planet. Where were the fighters ordered to?"

"To intercept the attacker." Prel said.

"Except we now know the attacker doesn't exist." Michelle added. "So once again, I will ask you.. Where were the fighters dispatched to?"

"I was about to find that information out when I found out that apparently you had shuttles spying on my men." Prel said. "Can we talk about THAT, Captain?"

“An idea with an abundance of caution, sir.” Ami added from where she’d moved to partially protect Ensign Wisemann in case Prel did anything too stupid, “As the Captain said, sir, you’ve been all about getting revenge ever since Captain Reynolds was ambushed, I believed you might do something as dumb as you did do and had a rescue team deployed in the second shuttle. If the ground team were discovered and taken under fire, they would have responded to that too. We have a team down there with a damned experienced officer, if they needed our help, they would have broadcast and the shuttle, at least, would have caught it.”

The Operations crewman turned to the Captain. "Captain. Commander... I have Long Range sensors and comms again. Engineering reports they've resolved the disruption."

"Track the fighters. What's their present course?" Michelle asked.

"Captain, they've entered the planet's orbit." came the reply. Laro looked at Corinne and Ami... 'Uh oh...' she thought to herself.

Ami’s eyes narrowed and her hand stopped suddenly as it began to reach for something, “Commander, with all due respect, you had better hope your stunt doesn’t get anyone on the away team injured, because I’ll take an appendage for each one that is.” She was visibly restraining herself from doing what Corinne had done, just with different results: Prel would have worse than a bloody nose. Of course, she’d just threatened a senior officer, but that was the last thing on her mind, the Captain, the Colonel, the Commander… And now the Major was in danger, what was a career next to lives.

"Their weapons appear live, Captain. They're about to fire." the Ops crewman responded.

"Open a channel to the fighters. Now." Michelle said, conveying her barely controlled anger at the moment. This was supposed to be a simple retrieval, and now on her first time out, she can't even trust a long term member of her senior staff? She was already preparing to have Prel handed over to authorities in her own mind. There wouldn't even be a question of it.

"Open, ma'am." came the reply

"Fighter squadron, this is the Captain. Lieutenant Commander Prel is relieved of duty and facing at least 2 or 3 court martial offenses. If you don't want to join him, you will lower your weapons, withdraw, return to base and remain in the fighter bay until I decide if I'm turning you over to Security or over to the leaders of the planet who's sovereignty you just violated."

There was a silence on the line. Hard to say what discussion was being had, but it also wasn't clear the squadron would follow orders. Michelle waited and waited before coming back on. "Fighter squadron, you were given a direct order. Some acknowledgement of your immediate compliance would be appreciated."

A different voice broke in. "Squadron confirming your order, Captain. We're on our way back." she added.

"They're leaving the atmosphere." Laro said.

"Excellent." Michelle replied. "Take Commander Prel into custody. As of now, I am placing you under arrest for insubordination, gross negligence, violation of the Prime Directive, and whatever else the Judge Advocate General chooses to throw at you." she ordered security.

"You really don't get it." Prel replied. "You think you're going to waltz in here, aboard this ship and just wave away our right to vengeance? We owe these people NOTHING, Captain. Not a damn thing! Maybe your hug it out and love one another crap works in the Alpha Quadrant, but this is the Delta Quadrant. And you just show up here and deny this crew its chance to move on from what happened? Who in the hell do you think you are?"

"Sir, what we are, are officers of Starfleet and the Federation." Ami had stepped up behind him, his focus being on the Captain, "We're not here to get 'vengeance.' We remember those who fall in the line of duty, and move on to the next mission." She place a hand on his shoulder, gently cradling one of his wrists in a deceptively gentle but firm grip, "We retain our honor and the honor of the Federation. I'm just as unhappy with those people as you are, sir, but I'm not about to murder any of them just to try to feel better about losing our people. Now, sir, if you'll come with Corrine and myself, quietly, this may go easier on you."

Stan felt his face redden he knew he was just technically the ships botanist. He wondered if his opinion would count. But as his late great uncle Franklin said, “If yer have summit ter say boy. Yer say it or stay yer peace for evermore or till grave opens before Yer.”

“ I agree with her. If we go looking for vengeance then we sully their memory. We all took an oath when we joined Starfleet. We would be breaking that oath by murdering for vengeance. How when our time comes to leave this plane of existence. Face those who died up holding that oath. When we broke it ourselves. By murder.” Stan said

"He deserved a lot better." Prel said. "They all did."

"Of course they did." Michelle replied. "As if nobody here realizes that. But if you think that your former captain would have wanted this.... You need your head examined." she said. "Get him off my bridge."

"Come on, sir." Ami said softly, "Let's get you to your new, temporary quarters nice and safe, Commander." Her voice was more of a croon, almost begging him to do something stupid for her, the promise of pain if he did so.

As Ami led Prel passed, Corinne aimed one last sharp kick to his shins. "Sorry, tripped," she muttered sarcastically before she turned on her heel and stalked back to her station. "Captain, the fighters are opening fire on the surface. I'm issuing an urgent recall..." her fingers flew across the console. "But I think the damage is done. We need to get our people out of there before they get fired on, or worse."

"Give the order for them to get back. Inform the marine vessel to remain on standby. And send a message to the local authorities with a simple explanation of what happened. Inform them we will be providing a full report in the morning."

Still sour over the turn of events, Corinne grimaced as she returned to her console. "Aye Captain," she replied, her voice tinged with a hint of anger.