PNPC VAdm Renata Tyrel - Command Divergence

[Tim]

((Admiral Tyrel’s Office, Deep Space 33))

Tyrel: What was the reasoning for conducting the test there? That is not an oversight. That is a deliberate risk. And I’d like to know why that seemed acceptable.

Tyrel’s eyes shifted between Shayne and Hobart as the question hung in the air like smoke. Neither of them moved to answer immediately, which at first glance told the Admiral more than their words likely could. She kept her expression unreadable, although internally, she noted the silence with irritation. After all, this was not a philosophical debate. Commander Hobart had taken a war asset into one of the most volatile stellar regions in the quadrant.

Shayne: Commander Hobart.

Their low tone suggested this was not a moment for interpretation.

Hobart: Sir?

Shayne: When I receive an order from Starfleet Command, I generally follow it.

Her gaze snapped back to Captain Shayne. Subtle, but pointed. That adverb, it was precisely one of the problems she had with the young man. If that was a shot at her or just a convenient deflection, she could not be sure. But she did not appreciate the implication.

Hobart: Yes, Captain, you do. And I endeavored to model myself after you in your absence, sir.

Renata Tyrel did not flinch. Let them test the waters.

Shayne: Yes, I thought you would. The Admiral appears surprised by this. Perhaps it would be beneficial to produce the mission orders you received.

Her brow rose slightly, just enough to signal mild interest in the game the two men were playing. If this was how they wanted to play it, it was fine by her.

She watched in silence as Commander Hobart produced his PADD and brought up the relevant orders. When he stood and handed it across the desk, she accepted it without the expression of any feelings. She did not glance at it immediately, but instead observed Hobart’s face. Not to let him stew any longer or let him crush under the weight of his decisions, but to determine the emotion the young man was feeling. Successful or not, that young Commander was wet behind the ears when it came to command. The concern she saw in his eyes seemed genuine.

Finally, her eyes started to examine the PADD.

Tyrel: Interesting…

Her brain was now fully focused on the orders in front of her. They began very much how she had issued them. But there was something off…

Hobart: Orders were nonspecific on the route, ma’am. I made it very… complicated, but you can see the final coordinates were clearly communicated. I assumed they came from you.

Tyrel: No, Commander. Not from me.

Her tone cooled a degree further as the looked down at the orders again.

Tyrel: But someone saw fit to alter the parameters after they left my office. That said, assumption isn’t policy. You followed the embedded coorindates without questioning why they contradicted the operational intent. You took this ship deeper into chaos than the mission demanded - and you did it without the full tactical picture.

Shayne: Response

Renata bit her lips. For the second time in this conversation, her mind had slipped for just a second. Criticizing Commander Hobart for not doing something, she would have been upset about when Shayne would have done it, was not only illogical, but unworthy of both her rank and office. She just nodded at Shayne’s comment. Hobart’s inability for a full tactical analysis was not the main issue here, it was the lack of security in the process that should have delivered a bullet proof set of orders.

Hobart: Orders were that secrecy was paramount, Admiral. Questioning the wisdom of the destination would have meant breaking radio silence, and risking interception. I trusted Starfleet not to put us over our heads. I trusted my ship and my crew to be able to handle it. And, accidental singularity aside, I think we did, ma'am.

Tyrel: The phrasing of those orders is mine. The coordinates are not. And if they did not come from me, then someone tampered with mission-level command data between my office and your ship.

She looked at Shayne now, her voice controlled but edged.

Tyrel: Captain, did you authorize or request any change to the flight plan?

Shayne / Hobart: Response

Renata nodded once. That had been her conclusion too. She exhaled slowly through her nose and stood, circling behind her chair.

Tyrel: Then we have two problems. One: We tested an unproven defensive system in an uncontrolled, high-risk stellar nursery under altered parameters. Two: Someone deliberately manipulated encrypted communications to steer Khitomer to that environment - knowing full well what she was carrying.

She turned back towards them.

Shayne / Hobart: Response

Tyrel did not answer right away. She moved to the console at the side of the room and tapped in her personal authorization, her voice distant for a beat.

Tyrel: I’ll have my office initiate a full audit of the command transmission logs - internal and subspace. I suggest you do the same on the Khitomer, Captain. Anything that touched that order between Earth, Deep Space 33 and the Khitomer as well as any relay station should be flagged. ::turning around:: In the meantime, I want new encryption protocols in place for any future communication. ::handing the pair a PADD:: These are new encryption codes that will not leave my office or yours, Captain Shayne. Communication will have full redundancy, no more single-channel traffic.

Shayne / Hobart: Response

Again, Tyrel hesitated.

Tyrel: Not yet. I want to see what kind of footprint is left before we widen the circle. If this was an internal actor, we will not give them the luxury of seeing us panic.

Shayne / Hobart: Response

The room was quiet for a moment. She glanced once more at the center of the table, at the echo of a conversation that had steered way too close to sabotage for her comfort. She was used to wars fought on battlefields, not through data steams.

Tyrel: I’ll coordinate with intelligence once the initial scans come back. We might need to expand on Khitomer’s intelligence department, Captain. Until then, treat this as a need-to-know. You will receive your next mission orders in this office, when the time is right. ::pause:: Dismissed.

Shayne / Hobart: Response

She didn’t wait to watch them leave, but turned back to the terminal, already issuing the first encryption lockdown order with quick, precise keystrokes. This wasn’t over. Not even close.

TAG/END?

Vice Admiral Renata Tyrel
Sector Commander
Strategic Operations at Starfleet HQ

as simmed by

LtCmdr Connor Dewitt
Chief Engineer & Second Officer
USS Khitomer
A239901CD3