LtCmdr. Talos Dakora - Least Favorite Part Of The Job
Travis
((Outside RSF Headquarters - Risa))
Talos stood near the entrance to the Headquarters of the Risian Security Forces with Lieutenant Vailani, Chief Ral Shaw, and a fresh green Ensign who seemed to be actively dissociating as Talos grilled the former.
The facts were starting to knit together, a combination of what he knew from the reports received by the Artemis and his friend in the RSF and the tale currently being spun by Ral.
Dakora: Wait, hold on. Let me get this straight. ::He pointed a bladed hand at Ral.:: You ordered him ::His hand shifted to the Andorian:: to gear up and accompany you on a prisoner retrieval excursion?
He Ops Chief interjected with a question of her own.
Vailani: I’d also be interested to know what authorisation you intended to use when you stepped into that building? Or did you think you could just walk in and flash your combadge and they’d give you a prisoner?
The Andorian– an Ensign Tho’Bi, apparently– seemed to flinch and take a step back. He rightfully seemed to want to be anywhere but here right now.
Talos could relate.
Ral: Not ordered; asked nicely, sir. He’s an officer.
If the Bajoran NCO understood how FUBAR this situation was, she was doing an excellent job of not showing it as she quickly spoke again.
Ral: ::gaze at Dakora and turn her eyes on cobblestone a few steps away:: Can I speak to you more privately, sir?
Talos’ mouth fell open, momentarily, at the sheer audacity of the question. He was aware that these senior enlisted personnel were typically afforded a fair bit of leeway when it came to formality with junior officers, but Vailani was NOT a junior officer. She was Ral’s direct superior and the Chief of her department.
His voice was uncharacteristically icy when he replied.
Dakora: No. You may not. ::He gestured to Zoyara:: Lieutenant Vailani is your superior officer, and anything that you are allowed to know, she is cleared to be read in on. You are out of line, Senior Chief Ral.
She still tried to step aside, maybe to put some distance between the Ensign and the trio, but Vailani rightfully had no interest in removing herself from the conversation.
Ral: ::whispers:: When I got a report from RSF, I recognized that fake name. That enlisted is not an OPS Yeomen; he’s one of yours.
Talos’ already furrowed brow found a way to descend another millimeter. He assumed the Chief meant someone from the Intelligence Department. While that was new information, it didn’t explain much.
Ral: ::whispers:: Given that fact, I decided to address it without an immediate paper trail before RSF gets time to think differ and start digging into his real name and all. Keep RSF happy. Iron out the problem down here and pick him up if possible; if so, restrict him to his quarters and report the incident up to the department with a boatswain’s disciplinary recommendation so they can handle it in-house as they see fit.
And it just kept getting worse. As someone who spent years as a Starfleet Intelligence Officer, he’d dealt with the pre-conceived notions that many people held– Both within Starfleet and in Civilian circles– that Intel Officers were all untrustworthy, shady types who were all secretly under the control of some unknown shadowy, nefarious arm of Starfleet.
Talos knew personally that was not the case. Intelligence Officers posted to ships received orders from their Captains and Command Staff alone. If this lone asshat had risked a diplomatic incident and gone off half-cocked on some unauthorized undercover operation, Talos had every intention of making sure he faced the proper disciplinary procedures.
The Lieutenant was on the same page.
Vailani: I respect your … creativity Chief, but your judgement is way off it might as well be in another galaxy. At no point in this plan, did you think to reach out to Commander Dakora? Lieutenant Silveira, our tactical chief? Myself, your direct superior officer? Or any member of Commander Dakora’s former team?
Ral: I assure you I weighed the situation on hand against the regulations, and I took into account the detainee’s service record and commendations altogether with the reported administrative misdemeanor, which was a reason for detention by RSF. It was not the clearest from your upperdeck view, I guess, but I dare to say it was a decision within the regulation interpretation about informing at the time necessary. ::with a teacherly tone:: As a Boatswain, it is within my purview to assess whether it is necessary to involve Security or if I or any of my Boatswain’ Mates in the commission of our duty as Shore Patrol is enough to take over the detained enlisted person to transport him back onboard. But if you wish, I can wake you up in the middle of the night for you to prepare - in compliance with the regulation - when some OPS enlisted commits an administrative misdemeanor and gets detained instead of me sensibly picking him up, placing him in a brig, and waiting until morning to inform you about his offense and the grounds for simple administrative punishment.
Talos closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose momentarily in a vain attempt to ward off the incoming headache. He didn’t appreciate the implication of the pseudo-threat.
Dakora: Check your tone, Mister Ral. ::He frowned.:: Your desire not to bother the Senior Staff notwithstanding, the incarceration of a member of the crew should be a rare enough event that following proper protocol and notifying the Department Chief and on-duty Security Chief should ALWAYS be warranted.
He shook his head.
Dakora: You do understand that this is a Starfleet Vessel– the Flagship of the Borderlands– and not some old Navy Boat from an ancient holovid, right?
He could feel the dismissive energy radiating from the NCO as she huffed.
Vailani: So, as you explain it you recognize a name that you believed could be compromised? When and how did you learn of this name, Chief?
Ral: I’m not sure if I would say compromised. I told the commander that I knew that the name was fake and had been used by the petty officer while ashore before. ::pauses:: But to answer your questions - When is not a topic I would wanna develop on. How? The first occasion was by unintentionally hearsaying the part of a private conversation of said petty officer with another Starfleet officer in the lavatory of his quarters. ::smiles sarcastically at Vailani:: And no, they didn’t have a Consensual Relationship Agreement at the time.
Talos didn’t even know what to make of that story? Confession? It was asinine. A part of him wondered how this day had gone so wrong.
He realized he was clinching his fists so tightly that the skin on his knuckles had gone all white and tried to relax them.
Dakora: So your justification for bypassing the chain of command and rushing down here to spring some Petty Officer is that– and please, let me know if I’m misunderstanding things— you overheard him use the name while doing a peeping tom on a couple of your shipmates? I– ::He stammered, searching for a way to express his feelings that didn’t include profanity.:: That’s just–
He trailed off, momentarily lost for words. Fortunately, Zoyara found some words of her own.
Vailani: :: to Dakora :: I think I might have heard enough. Whatever you want to do, I will support you?
Ral interjected once again.
Ral: ::to Dakora:: While still not knowing all the details from RSF, sir, Black is not a brawler, and he was detained and not arrested for a barfight he participated in but did not cause. He’s enlisted, and it’s the maximum administrative punishment for that barfight. I’m still willing to pick my enlisted up, write all the paperwork for and about detainee transport, put him in our brig until his division chief decision; and inform Lieutenant Antonova about his misdemeanor with boatswain punishment recommendation ::looks at Vailani:: What was my intent from the beginning. ::turns head back to Dakora:: Or you can do all of that with the lieutenant here, sir. It’s your officer’s time, your call, sir.
Talos blinked. Once. Twice. Then he shook his head.
Dakora: That is your interpretation. But Petty Officer Black’s use of an unauthorized cover-identity on a Federation world was WILDY inappropriate. It doesn’t matter if he’s just using it to hit the dance floor or to conduct a surveillance op. We aren’t the Tal Shiar. We don’t freelance. The second an enlisted crewman from a Federation starship assumes a cover identity without approval from his department, without a briefing, and without a paper trail, that becomes a serious issue.
He turned his dark gaze on Shaw, his tone low but firm.
Dakora: Then someone like you decides to ‘handle it quietly’ and that becomes yet another liability.
Ral: Response
Vailani/Tho’Bi: Response
He took a single step closer to the NCO, not quite getting in her face, but making his presence known.
Dakora: I don’t care what rumors you overheard in a bathroom, Chief, and I don’t care how many commendations this crewman has. What I do care about is the civilian law enforcement agency to deal with, a potentially compromised cover identity—authorized or not—and a junior officer you’ve dragged into this without proper orders. This stopped being a “handling things quietly” situation the moment you took it upon yourself to bend protocol and set foot off the ship.
His glare hardened.
Dakora: Senior Chief Petty Officer Ral, you are dismissed. You will return to the Artemis immediately and confine yourself to quarters until further notice. I expect a full written report of this incident on my desk by 0800 tomorrow. Further disciplinary recommendations will be left to the discretion of Lieutenant Vailani as your department head.
Ral: Response
Vailani/Tho’Bi: Response
With that handled, he took a deep, centering breath and turned to Zoyara. Out of the corner of his eye he saw the shimmering light that signaled Ral’s departure.
Dakora: Well, that was unpleasant. ::He looked to the baby-faced Andorian Ensign.:: You, Mister Tho’bi, narrowly avoided getting tangled up in a mess on your first day. Be a little more careful next time, ok?
Vailani/Tho’Bi: Response
Still tense from the heated exchange, Talos realized he hadn’t introduced himself and, given the sort of murkiness surrounding the hand-off of Genkos’ acting XO position, he figured he should probably clear things up.
Dakora: I’m Talos Dakora, by the way, the Artemis’ XO. ::He frowned.:: Sorry to meet you this way. This sort of thing is my least favorite part of the job.
Vailani/Tho’Bi: Response
He gestured to the entrance to the RSF HQ.
Dakora: Since both of you are here, let’s go ahead and retrieve this pain-in-the-ass Petty Officer.
Vailani/Tho’Bi: Response
LtCmdr. Talos Dakora
USS Artemis-A
O238811CD0