SD241808.18 - Joint Duty Log - CEO & NPCs (Grey & De'Lenn) - "Gluten-free"
Posted on Sat Aug 18th, 2018 @ 2:26pm by Brigadier General Jonathan Grey & Lieutenant Commander Ky'La De'Lenn & Lieutenant Jonathan Williams
1,612 words; about a 8 minute read
Mission:
Tremor Trouble
Location: YaDalla Colony Orbit
Timeline: Current
=^= USS Baron =^=
It was the middle of the day shift, and the bridge was silent. Stony faces glared at padds, lips were pursed at digital displays, and even the command staff were slumped in their seats.
On the main screen, a tactical display showed the chaotic state of affairs that was YaDalla's orbital traffic control. Glowing yellow triangles represented Starfleet vessels, spread evenly around the planet in an effort to slow the madness. Ultimately, most of them were busy ferrying refugees to nearby colonies and even Versailles itself, so the net was stretched very thin. When yet more mercenary vessels dropped out of warp at the atmosphere's edge, all they could do was send threatening messages. Most simply ignored Starfleet's threats, and made landfall regardless.
The ground must be swarming with opportunists and hired guns, the Captain mused.
And yet, this was not the source of her perpetual frown, nor the throbbing headache between her eyes.
A little ditty of beeps drew the Tactical Officer's eye to a small corner of his console, and he briefly closed his eyes in tired resignation.
"Captain, the lawyers are calling. Again." he announced, to a chorus of sighs.
Mumbling insinuations about the lawyers' parentage, Captain Triss stood up and rallied the last vestiges of her self restraint. "On screen." she commanded, her voice tired and her tone resigned.
The tactical display blinked off, to be replaced by the piercing glare of a young man in a suit and tie. His hair was cut as if by a razor, his fingernails impeccably maintained, and every flash of his pearly whites threatened to blind with whiteness.
"Captain, under sub-article 3-19-71-G of the Interplanetary Interspecies Internment (I3) Act of 2413, individuals identified under subsection 14-9-3 are entitled to refreshments tailored to their individual requirements as defined by..."
"You *are* kidding me." the Captain asserted, simmering rage rising once more to a boil. "We sent you food, we gave you a comm link, we even assigned you assistants from the crew. Your cell isn't even a cell! It's our entire Ten-Forward, because you kept quoting some obscure nonsense about medical guidelines."
"The I3 Act makes medical provisions for individuals suffering from both claustrophobia and agoraphobia, which my people have. Ten Forward was the only suitable space, as defined by sub-article..."
"I don't care! I really, really don't care!" shouted the Captain, losing her rag at the screen. Her crew watched with vague interest, but were unsurprised by this. It wasn't the first time their dear Captain had snapped at the lawyers, and it was unlikely to be the last time.
"Careful Captain." clipped the man on the screen. "Verbal abuse of interned individuals is strictly prohibited under sub-article 19-4-26 of the I3 Act. Not only that, but your own regulations strictly prohibit such behaviour. Perhaps your Medical Chief should review your fitness for Command."
"Dream on, lawyer boy." snarked the Medical Chief, who sat on the side of the bridge at the Captain's request. This was the third time her mental health had been questioned by the legal team in Ten Forward, and it was proving easier to have the ever-sarcastic Doctor McGregor sit on the bridge to rebuff the fool before he had a chance to submit more medical appeals.
"In any event," the lawyer continued smoothly, "two of my colleagues have gluten intolerances. We demand a suitably gluten-free menu be tailored to their needs, and provided at your earliest opportunity."
"And if we say no?" growled the Captain, swiftly running out of rope.
"Then we will be forced to report your noncompliance to the judiciary on YaDalla, which will invalidate your emergency visa. Your ship will be forced out of orbit, either by your own Admirals to avoid an incident, or by YaDalla's own anti-aircraft batteries."
"We are saving your God-Damned people." seethed the Captain, her volume decreasing as she regained her grip.
"And if you wish to continue to do so, you will ensure a gluten-free menu is provided to us within the hour. Good day."
The comm link went silent, and the Captain near-shook with rage. Two hands made fists at her side, opening and closing slowly as she breathed deep.
"Want to take a break?" asked the Doctor, nodding to convey that it was only barely a question. The lawyer was a pompous jerk who didn't deserve the satisfaction of the Doctor siding with him during the call, but the fool was definitely working the Captain's last nerve.
"I'm fine. I'm fine. Lunch is in thirty minutes." said the Captain, sitting back in her seat. The main screen was back to displaying the tactical map, so she tried to distract herself with strategy. It was bound to be at least ten or twenty minutes before those suited idiots called again, so maybe she could actually get some real work done for a change.
"Captain, we're being hailed." announced the Tactical Officer.
"Maybe I should take this one, eh lass?" rumbled the scottish XO, seeing Triss' face turn purple at the thought of speaking with that high-powered cretin one more time.
"I...fine. Your turn anyway." she replied, resting her head in her hands.
"It's not the legal team this time, sir. Another Starfleet vessel just dropped out of warp." the Tactical Officer clarified, pushing buttons on his console to confirm readings.
"On screen lad." replied the XO, standing up.
==========Engineering of the Orion========
Both De'Lenn and Johnathan were sitting at the console staring into the screen as the picture flickered into existence showing the standing figure of the XO of the Baron. "Hello sir. Sorry to drop out of warp on you like this but the General thought it best to get us here ASAP. Being as he is swamped with bloody paper work, as he puts it, thought it best that we do this on our own with his blessings. May we come aboard?", asked De'Lenn.
=^= USS Baron =^=
"General, eh?" said the XO.
"Orders coming through now, sir." said the Tactical Officer, running the encrypted data packet through an authenticator program on the main computer. "Confirmed. General Grey sent them from Versailles. Short message; he's approving them for access to the planet, and our guests."
"Aye." replied the XO, to both the Orion and his Tactical Officer. "Beam aboard wen'er yer ready."
"Our transporter rooms are booked solid with mission taskings, Commander, as are our security staff." announced the Tactical Offficer, who doubled as the Security Chief. "I can open a window for a corridor beam-in, but you'll have to make do without an escort."
=/\= Engineering, USS Orion=/\=
Smiling at the tactical officer, who was clearly over worked, “You can beam us to the bridge if you want. No escort is needed. We have come to help and to see if we can’t get those lawyers to agree on letting Starfleet help better. They do have a serious problem in their underwater tunnels and we need to get the access to them before the tectonic plates move again and the tunnels go completely and take those trapped with it. We should be getting additional help from the USS Timmis when she gets here. I assume that their engineering chief and staff will want to get together with us and discuss the situation down their but we need to get to the lawyers first, which is why the General has permitted us to make first contact with them and to get them to see reason”, she said.
“Sir, we have studied the tectonic plates and the past shifting with each earthquake and we might have a possible answer to the reason why, but we need to get down their and see for ourselves if it is true. However, if the next good shake doesn’t bring down the tunnels the next one will definitely so we can’t afford to waste time with lawyers that keep changing their minds”, Johnathan added.
=^= USS Baron =^=
The XO listened to the Commander and her assistant, nodding thoughtfully. He looked to the CO for the final word, given that the lawyers were swiftly becoming a sore spot with her.
"Go ahead. She can bring them their menus." said the CO through her fingers, her head still buried in her hands. The XO nodded in response and shared a look with his CTAC, who was already tapping in the coordinates.
"Ready to beam, Commander. Are you ready?" asked the Tactical Officer, his finger hovering over a button.
=/\= USS Orion =/\=
Looking at Johnathan and then back to the screen, she picked up several PADD's, "Beam us to the Bridge", she said smiling. She felt the transporter grab hold of her and in a moments time she was standing on the bridge of the USS Baron.
=/\= Bridge of USS Baron =/\=
"Permission to come aboard sir?", she said, smiling.
"Bit late for that line, eh Commander?" brogued the XO, light and friendly to offset the pall the CO was casting over the room. Hours of repeated legal threats from the group ensconced in Ten Forward had taken its toll over her, and (despite her indefatigable nature) she was definitely feeling the weight of it all.
Now there were strangers on her bridge.
"Let me escort ye to yer quarry, eh?" the XO said to the Commander, keen to give his CO the breathing space she needed.
Nodding, both De'Lenn and Johnathan followed behind the officer past the captain, who was visably upset and stressed out, off the bridge into the lift.
=^= End of Log =^=
Lt. Cmdr. Ky'La De'Lenn
Chief Engineering Officer
Versailles Station
Lt. Johnathan Williams
Assistand Chief Engineering Officer
Versailles Station
&&
Command Crew (NPC Grey)
USS Baron
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