Captain Taybrim - Showdown Part 2 (Tags: Nicholotti)

[Jamie LeBlanc]

((Commodore Kinney's ready room - Raskor I Embassy))

::Kinney whirled as soon as the door was closed, wasting no time in emphasizing the size difference between himself and Sal. He spread his broad shoulders and drew himself up to full height, staring the slighter man down.::

Kinney: I suppose you're here to gloat.

Taybrim: ::Firm, unruffled:: No. I'm here to call you out on evidence that you maintain an alliance with the Orion Syndicate.

::On the table, laid bare. It took Kinney off guard.

Sal did not look amused. In fact he looked stone cold sober.::

Kinney: I highly doubt you have concrete evidence for that. ::He tried to pass that off as if he would say next 'because it's not true.'::

Taybrim: You hosted Nacien Rixx on Raskor eight days ago. We've been decrypting your communications signals and the black tower on Ops has been cross-referencing all available evidence. ::His tone was growing more confident with every word. Sal had evidence that he hadn't even told his staff about - he wanted an airtight case, and with teh research they had done and everything they had uncovered since coming here Sal felt fully confident in playing his trump card.::

Kinney: Impossible. ::He choked out, keeping his expression stable - but the color had drained out of his face.:: There were no signals in this sector.

Taybrim: No, there were not. ::He paused and let that sink in.:: But a call went through from Raskor to the Talos sector. An unsettled planet called Dagorin IV. That might be considered completely coincidental, until the USS Constitution-B uncovered an Orion Syndicate operation that was farming local fauna for a chemical intoxicant. ::he paused and emphasized this clearly:: One of the main ingredients in the street drug All Time High.

::The emotional temperature in the room had dropped to subzero levels. Kinney's eyes were filled with shock, He had been prepared to dismiss most claims, but not this.::

Kinney: Anyone could have made that call... You found a mole on the Embassy.

Taybrim: ::He shook his head slowly:: The call came from VIP quarters room 107. Listed as Kiergan Finley, a personal friend of yours.

::Kinney opened his mouth. Pause. Closed it. Sal Taybrim went in from the death blow.::

Taybrim: Keirgan Finley died seven years ago, in a freighter accident - body was never recovered. ::Pause.:: It is a common theme in Nacien Rixx's aliases.

Kinney: ::He was turning red, looking for an escape route or some way to gain power over this dark-eyed monster:: You have no proof that we willingly associated with the Orion Syndicate.

Taybrim: ::Lightly, dangerously:: I have proof that you sent a communication clearly marking the USS Albion as 'expendable' in the fight against the Sienov, and I have proof that that communication was sent 187 seconds after the end of a communication signal connecting Raskor to the Jentris cloud, a location we believe the Orion Syndicate is hiding. Even with the circumstantial evidence, it was more than enough to pique Admiral Hauke's interest.

::Kinney took a step back, the flush in his cheeks draining to a chalk white. He looked like he was about to vomit.::

Kinney: You don't know what you're doing, Taybrim. ::He spat back.:: I made difficult decisions seven years ago. Decisions that preserved the peace in this sector and saved countless thousands of lives. I stand by those decisions, and the peace it brought us. But you? All you do is question everything, like a child trying to break all the toys its parents gives them.

::Sal's passion flared as he took a step closer to Kinney::

Taybrim: Of course I question things! Four hundred and ninety two people died, Commodore! Thousands more Klingon civilians and warriors were killed because our reaction to the Sienov was delayed. And that's not even counting the mounting death toll for All Time High!

Kinney: That is the fault of Chennel. ::He tossed back, ready to argue that Chennel was a criminal, Rixx was merely a businessman.::

Taybrim: ::Low:: No, Commodore. Nacien Rixx brought All Time High into the sector long before Chennel appeared. She was in a Federation penitentiary when the drug cropped up in the sector, when Haz Arrhimen's brother was killed by terrorists who used bombs sold to them by the Orion Syndicate and when assassins were crawling through StarBase 118 to eliminate all evidence of Rixx's involvement! Chennel is just a symptom of this growing cancer! A cancer you allowed into the sector.

Kinney: ::Yelling:: I did what I had to do!

::Sal stopped and looked at him, quietly, letting that admission hand in the dim air.::

Taybrim: I know you think you did. ::Pause:: But that doesn't make it right. ::He fixed Kinney with an even stare:: Admiral Hauke is coming.

Kinney: She won't... ::he started limply::

Taybrim: She's already heard our case. The evidence we gathered here is only the frosting on the cake.

Kinney: ::He frowned, staring at the ginger Betazoid like a predator that was cornered.:: I suppose you want me to beg, now.

::Sal shook his head slowly, allowing his gaze to soften::

Taybrim: No. ::pause:: I want you to preserve your dignity.

Kinney: How? ::he spat.:: If Hauke arrives, there will be a full inquiry. Likely a court martial.

Taybrim: No one would question you if you retired. ::Gently, logically:: Getting shot at has been the straw that pushed several politicians over the edge. Hauke would, of course, administer your path into the civilian sector as far away from the Syndicate and the trinity sector as possible. You could preserve your public image.

Kinney: I don't believe your do-gooding bunch of heroes would allow me that honor.

::Shaking his head, Sal settled back and spoke with deep honesty::

Taybrim: You are correct, Commodore. You did good tings for the peace in this sector over the last seven years. I would hate to see that peace marred by a messy trial. Besides, I do not wish to stir the proverbial hornet's nest any further than it has already been stirred today. Allowing you to preserve face also protects Raskor and the peace in the Trinity sector.

::Kinney put a hand to his face, thumbs on his temples. He sighed a long sigh, trying to come to terms with defeat.::

Kinney: I will resign my commission. ::He looked up.:: But you'll have to wait until Admiral Hauke arrives. I will not count you as my command rank witness.

::Ah, the turns of fate. An old shipmate was now a perfect alternative::

Taybrim: I believe there is one other who might fit the bill to allow this process to move as swiftly as possible. ::Pause:: Ambassador Nicholotti holds the Starfleet rank of Fleet Captain and the authority to be your witness.

::Kinney groaned. he hated diplomats. Still, less embarrassing to resign in defeat to a total stranger than to face Hauke.::

Kinney: Fine. Call her here.

Taybrim: I will. ::He took a step back, not letting Kinney out of his sight. He didn't completely trust the man not to do something completely stupid in the throes of his defeat.:: =/\= Captain Taybrim to Ambassador Nicholotti =/\=

Nicholotti: =/\= ?

Taybrim: =/\= If I may, Ambassador, I request your presence on Raskor, in the ready room of Commodore Kinney, outside the Command Hub. =/\=

Nicholotti: =/\= ?

Taybrim: =/\= The Commodore would like an official witness to his resignation. I believe you are the most fitting candidate for the task. =/\=

Nicholotti: =/\= ?

~*~
tags/tbc
~*~

Captain Sal Taybrim
Commanding Officer
StarBase 118 Ops


"Why do we fly? Because we have dreamt of it for so long that we must"

~Julian Beck
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