[BO] LtCmdr Sky Blake, "Consequence creates ambition."

[Deliera Jay]

((Blake's office))

::Just off the Veritas Command Information Centre was what originally used to be a storage compartment. It had been re-purposed for the Strategic Operations Officer when she'd finally settled an argument with LtCmdr Cormac back in 2392, with both of them moving to deck 6, branching from the CIC. It was small, cramped almost, but it did it's new job in housing Ranger Sky Blake's meager equipment and a connection to the Marshal records of Shadow's Edge and Antor space. She liked the small space, feeling comfortable and cozy.::

Blake: *What do you mean, "covert operation"*!?

::The small office was not, however, sound proof. So when Blake was practically yelling at her computer display, chances were anyone in the main CIC could hear everything she was saying.::

::Blake was generally a quiet kind of person, happy to stand in the background and let those with more experience handle a situation - ready to follow, but somewhat ill equipped to lead. She'd been uncomfortable as the Vertias XO, coming off the back of Carrero's death and jumping into Zhou's position. She was almost ecstatic to recommend Mei'konda for the position when the offer from the Rangers came.::

::However, when it came to matters she knew of well - such as Starfleet operations on Shadow's Edge and Antor II, influence on the area by the Orion Syndicate and Brekkian cartels and the likes, she felt downright entitled to know. This was why she'd been furious at Federation Security for not alerting them to Delano's presence in the area - and the most frustrating thing about it was that this was by no means the first, nor the last time such a thing would occur.::

::And her unfortunate victim was Lieutenant Caide, a Trill with a currently miserable demeanor as he gave her a full report of events that occurred six months ago in the Leutra system, outside the Shoals, involving a platoon of Rangers.

::Six months ago.

::Long after it'd already affected the Shoals.::

::Sky was about to kick her couch.::

Caide: Believe me, I'm about as impressed with all this as you are.

Blake: In *what world* are the Rangers *ever* permitted to act as covert ops. This is exactly how we get situations like Intelligence branch break-offs and bad reputations for those of us out on the borders. "Operate under our own authority" - Did Commander Cavallero *brainwash* these people? They were lucky the Gorkon turned up when they did - that away team deserves a Noree-damned commendation.

::They'd been operating under "classified" orders, clearing Orion Syndicate players on a base in Leutra IV. When the Gorkon showed up, they'd taken it upon themselves to *monitor their communications*, before crashing in an attempt to locate an away team that had been sent down.

::One survivor.::

::And what would have happened if they'd been operating like a regular unit, and the Gorkon crew were fully aware of their presence on the planet?

::Where was that total transparency each department were supposed to have with each other?::

Caide: Commander, I'm aware you're upset-

Blake: The fact that Cavallero still holds Commander pips proves to me that someone somewhere is not only unaware I'm upset, but is grossly misguided in their understanding about how Starfleet officers are supposed to operate. Especially in units. It was a blatant breach of regulations! This kind of thing ripples back to us here in the Shoals - and under a "classified" guise, we won't know about it until it hits us in the face!

::And had *already* hit them in them in the face. Clearing out an Orion Syndicate base was a hell of an achievement, there was no doubt about that. But without warning, those in Syndicate-affected areas, like the Veritas and the Montreal, would be unprepared for the fallout of that kind of hit up in more populated areas of space - such as the Tyrellian sector. Attacked and in danger of being foiled again, the Syndicate would fall back into areas where they could operate without as much trouble from people such as Starfleet, Klingons, or even the Romulan Empire.

::And as much as Sky would like to believe that the Veritas was kicking ass and taking Syndicate names, the reality was that Operation Safe Harbor was not as expansive in the Shoals as it should have been. Both ships visited each colony one at a time, their progress slowed by the speed restrictions and tetryon fields. They couldn't be everywhere at once, regulated to lending a hand where possible and trying to keep the area calm politcally.

::But it's the fallout of what happened on Leutra IV that causes things like the situation of Outpost 3 here in the Shoals. More Syndicate players move into their area because it's easier for them to work without problem.::

Blake: I had to write the Noree-damned book about ranger and marine conduct here in the Shoals, and *you've* got some idiot behind a desk deciding "covert operations are a good thing"! We *deal* with the major powers he's surrounded by on a regular basis. I'm holding him personally responsible for the lives lost on Outpost 3-

Caide: *Commander*!

::Sky huffed, taking a deeper breath and training her eyes to the ground, placing her hands on her hips, and remained silent when Caide finally put his foot down. He was, after all, her assigning officer.

::Mother of Skyleena - she as a LtCmdr needed a "handler" as it were, yet there was a full Commander behind a desk creating platoons to go be black ops units.::

Caide: If you're quite finished?

::Infuriated, Sky scrubbed at her face, turning her back to the monitor to collect herself a little more. What had happened in the Leutra system had happened *months* ago - she was only hearing about it now by virtue of a deciding vote on a council somewhere, under the impression that "oh, this might actually impact our officers in areas affected by the Orion Syndicate - whoops". A Happy New Year, indeed.

::The entire Starfleet system was dying. It's like they didn't know how to read their own regulations, for Noree's sake.::

Blake: The whole point of the Rangers is to act with the best Starfleet qualities, to protect and to serve where general crews cannot. We're not supposed to operate within our own collective, we're not supposed to be in command of anything, and we're *definitely* not supposed to be black ops units. We have a Marine and Intelligence department for that. How am I supposed to keep my standing here as a Starfleet Ranger with my crew, this sector's Marshals, when you've got platoons out there operating like some long forgotten Black Operations Intelligence department?

Caide: Because they *won't* be operating like that any further.

Blake: I'm sure you'd like to believe that, but our head of 3rd division went out on a limb. ::She turned back to the monitor.:: You can't prove it won't happen again.

Caide: Commander, you're regulated to the Shoals - which means your *business* is regulated to the Shoals. I'm giving you this report because I believe this will effect you in some manner, be it big or small. But you have to understand that the platoons work on a different philosophy than you do. They're in groups - they have their own chain of command they need to respond to. *You* are governed by different rules.

::The fundamental difference.::

::Sky shook her head, a deep frown across her features as she turned back to face the Trill on the monitor. She had a rush job kind of training in comparison to the hard-hitting Ranger platoons, but her job was considerably more difficult, being by herself and responding to any and all civilian organizations.

::On the Veritas, not only was she keeping up with civilian reports, keeping tabs of the groups she'd been tracking on Shadow's Edge, and relaying Veritas movements with Marshals, she was essentially a duty officer. She was required, when both on and off the Veritas, to respond to any and all Starfleet and civilian agency orders. To try to take command of Veritas officers, or try to order them, under "Ranger authority"? Never in a million years would that go down well.

::Not only that, but having such practises placed divides between officers and civilians. Officers who needed to be able to trust each other. Civilians who needed to trust that these officers weren't working with some hidden agenda.::

Blake: If that's case, I'd like to distance those of us working on our own from the platoon rangers. We don't want to be associated with a division who refuse to work with their own people.

Caide: Blake, these people are Rangers. Whether you like it or not, they are part of our operation-

Blake: They are marines in sheeps clothing, Lieutenant. That is not the direction this branch needs to go.

Caide: And now you are out of line. You were *offered* this position, Commander. You are not in command of any ranger division in the Shoals, nor should you act like it.

Blake: The regional division doesn't *have* a commander. As the ranking ranger in the Shoals, I'm saying that things need to start changing. And the first step can be calling out black tape where we see it. "Classified covert operations" have no business in Starfleet, let alone the Rangers. We ceased being military when the Dominion war ended. Lets start *acting* like it.

Caide: Yeah, we're not having this conversation. Lodge a complaint with Starfleet Security, or call me when you get a promotion. If you don't like how we operate, then *leave*. Caide out.

::The monitor turned back to the Starfleet logo, leaving Sky to move and seat herself on her small office couch, rubbing at her temple. Her own department, acting like black ops as if they needed to.

::Security *protected*. These so-called "Rangers of the 3rd Division" had been sent to attack the Orion Syndicate, and in doing so, may have caused a wave of the criminals to head down to the Shoals.

::As if they needed to act under a classification banner for that kind of operation. As if they needed to have a separate chain of command and ignore ship standard operations. As if anything they did absolutely had to be kept under wraps to the point of destruction of Starfleet property to keep information out of the hands of *Starfleet officers*.::

::Mother of Skyleena. What a divisive, uncoordinated mess Starfleet was becoming.::

Tbc . . .

LtCmdr Sky Blake

Ranger

USS Veritas

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