RAdm Renos, Capt Zaekia - The blame game (Oscion)
Renos SB118
Renos: Expanding on what Captain Zaekia has asked, do you feel in any way responsible for the losses the Blackwell has suffered?
Thoran: I was the duty tactical officer, it was my responsibility to monitor for any threats to the ship. We got hit on my watch sir.
::It was as they had suspected. Most officer could relate to having feelings like these to a greater or lesser extent at some point in their career. For some it affected them so badly that they hung up their uniform for good. Both of them hoped it wouldn’t come to that. Akinor himself felt regret that things had gone the way they had. He asked himself - was he deficient? Had he missed something critical? What could he do differently. Thoran was at tactical but he was Commanding Officer of the ship. They had lost lives and he would have given anything to get them back.::
::A small bell chimed three times, then the room fell silent. While Renos had only 5 senses to rely on, Akinor was using his to best effect, within the confines of the reader’s code, to suss out the troubled officer before him. He had considered what he would say were his suspicions confirmed and now he said it in a soft, even tone.::
Zaekia: Would you feel any less guilty and responsible if you had not been on shift that day?
Thoran: Yes sir. Whilst according to my latest update the engineering teams are still struggling to retrieve the sensor data, I have programmed a simulation of the incident, based on the crew logs and once the sensor data is available this will be added. I plan to review the simulation to find out exactly what happened sir.
::He became more animated now, clearly passionate and determined to get to the bottom of things. The information would no doubt bring closure to him, however they had not brought him here for speculation’s sake. Unbeknownst to him, they had already completed a thorough investigation. Even had they not done so, it wouldn’t be appropriate for him to lead or participate in the investigation other than to answer queries relating to it. It was important to have uninvolved officer’s involved and in this case, having the Atlantis close by had been handy indeed.::
Renos: We appreciate you want to establish the facts around what happened as much as we do. The Atlantis’s security and tactical team is staffed with fine investigators.
Thoran: Yes sir, I will gladly share my findings with you and the crew. Thank you for the offer, the sensor data from the Atlantis will definitely help.
Zaekia: Hold on there a moment. You misunderstand.
Renos: The investigation is concluded and you are here to hear the results of our findings as follows.
Thoran: Response
::Captain Zaekia picked up the lone PADD on the desk. In a flash of blue, the screen sprang to life. There were in depth technical reports attached to the document he was gazing at for the umpteenth time that day. He could recite it in his sleep.::
Zaekia: Mr Thoran. The external sensors were heavily damaged and those that were operational were outwith your control when critical threats emerged...
::Akinor went on to list, with timestamps a blow by blow retelling of everything that had happened and what the status of critical systems were at the time. He stopped periodically for breath and to allow the key point of the technically heavy report to sink in. When he finally got to the end he summarised his findings. Could Thoran have done anything differently in order that things play out more favourably? They had run simulations for days, and put the most critical of minds on the case and the results had been unquestionable.::
Zaekia: It would not of mattered who was at that station that day - due to the environmental conditions, and the status of the ship’s systems you could not have detected the threats. We find no evidence at all of negligent behaviour. In fact, what you did do was continue to work around the obstacles and offer out of the box solutions that enabled other on the bridge to find solutions to pressing issues. You were a very great asset that day. In fact, we want to present you with this...
::Whether he believed that was up to him. The facts spoke for themselves but sometimes people were still determined to take blame for events they could not have changed. Akinor hoped this did give him peace of mind. He was a good officer and he had served well. On cue, Renos pulled out the desk drawer and retrieved a small box. It wasn’t the only one in there and normally these were presented at a ceremony in front of all the senior staff. Here, they wanted to do things more personally.::
Renos: The Innovation Ribbon. For such ideas as using morse code as a means of communicating with the Atlantis. That was, on the face of it, such a simple idea. It was a spark and without it, the two ships may not have found a way to communicate at all. Do not underestimate the value of your contributions.
Thoran: Response
::The handed him the ribbon and allowed him a moment to soak things in. There were still other things to discuss so after an appropriately long pause, Akinor shifted in his seat and moved things along.::
Zaekia: You are an officer with a significant amount of potential. Do you have any career aspirations? Do you see yourself as taking on more responsibility in the department? Taking further, speciality training courses? Cross training? Anything else?
::Renos had nir own plans and schemes in mind about the future of this officer, about the opportunities an officer of his calibre should receive. First, it was only prudent to ask what it was he himself was interested in. As Akinor asked the innocent, even rote question, they gave nothing away about what was on their minds. This was just one of many typical questions posed at this type of evaluation.::
Thoran: Response
Captain Akinor Onali Zaekia - Commanding Officer, USS Blackwell
And
Rear Admiral Renos - Commanding Officer, Andaris Task Force
* Executive Council & Captain's Council Member
* Academy Commandant
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