S6: E2 - Truth and Consequences

[Ian Galloway]

[Conference Room | Starbase 185]

Carter glared at Gillepsie for a brief moment confused at the analogy. "Might I remind you that the first time we encountered the T'Kori was when they attacked their sister species at Beacon Point and we had already observed they were a warp capable species at that time." James replied dryly.

Then the admiral's attention quickly returned to the captain and the situation at hand. "I'll be frank captain, I remain undecided. It will take time and reflection to come to a conclusion on either side. Bluntly, it is a matter of fact that by the letter of the law you did violate the prime directive." Immediately following his last word Carter left out a frustrated sigh before continuing. "However...I'm not sure if I would have made a different call in your shoes. Hell, I don't know if that even makes it better or worse. As I said, it will take time and reflection. The only thing I can promise at this time captain is that consideration of the situation will not be taken lightly. Unless Admiral Gillespie has any further questions you are dismissed Captain." James leaned back in his seat and brought his hands clasped together in front of him.

[Conference Room - Starbase 185]

Ian nodded to Admiral Carter. He'd made his point and thought he'd done a good job at doing so, saying anything further would only make things worse. He stood, executed an about face, and exited the conference room.

"Well, that went about as well as it could go."

He muttered as he began to wander the massive starbase. Barred from the Challenger, Jess unavailable, and not having anything else to do, he simply allowed himself to be carried along by the foot traffic with no destination in mind.

[Ardyn Jaeger]

[Starbase 185 - Promenade]

As usual, Alex paused after stepping out of the turbolift onto a busy throughway, orienting himself as to which direction to go. Moreso sensing then feeling someone lean into his personal space, he turning to face them and was promptly startled by a kiss. The instinct to pull back was quickly quashed by her familiarity, Alex kissing her back. "Sorry stranger, I'm actually taken. And she's the jealous type." He teased, wrapping his arms around her. For a few seconds, the hectic noise and bustle around them faded away, replaced by Ardyn's presence alone. Imzadi. He lived for those brief moments every day when she and Maddison were all that mattered.

"They didn't tell me if they'll need me back either. I wouldn't be surprised though, it seems like they're aiming to go after everyone involved. Hopefully most of the crew will fall under the 'following orders' indemnity." Alex reached down for her hand as they began to stroll casually along. "Would it be so bad if we got fired? Could go back home to our lake." He didn't really expect Ardyn to answer, knowing she had only previously conceded to settling down on Earth because it'd been what he wanted. "Where were you heading off to, by the way?"

[ACEO Lt.JG Neva Cordon|Starbase 185|Promenade Pub]

Neva grinned thoughtfully as she sat at a table in the Pub, taking a sip of the Aldebaran Whiskey. She'd meant to try it before, but never had a chance. She was duly impressed.

Despite the fact she was meeting Ardyn here, Neva turned her gaze to the PADD on the table before her. She'd been reading technical journals about possible refits her Iron Lady was getting, making notes and writing down questions to get answered the next time she was allowed access to her Lady. She shook her head and sighed. This Landser thing was dragging everything out way too long.

[Promenade]

Ardy nudged Alex in jest as he teased her, before gladly taking his hand and meandering their way through the Promenade, nodding as she heard how his interviews went. So they were both left hanging. Typical. Either way, they'd be still waiting. "œI was going to be meeting with Neva, She's in engineering. She offered to hang out over lunch while there was nothing better to do in between interrogations", she mentioned, as she  chatted with Alex. While it would be nice to be back home on Earth, they had also just gotten onboard a ship too.  Getting kicked out after just coming back was almost insult to injury. She noted Neva in the Pub already. "œHey there." she nodded to Neva.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

[Little Mo | Schoolrooms | Starbase 185]

For Mo, adjusting to school had not been easy. But he did his best to make his sister happy. She liked it when he went to class and paid attention to the teacher. And then when Mo told her all about his day. He also enjoyed it when they painted with their fingers or played with his action figures. Also, he was fond of maths. To count numbers and write substractions made him feel like a big, ole important Ferengi businessman. At least, as far as he remembered his parent's stories to go about them.

While he was working on some additions, he noticed that his classmate, Maddy, seemed a little distracted. Tilting his head to the side, he waved his little hand in front of her to get her attention, "Hey Maddie, you okay? You schem to be thinking lots!"

[As Maddy]

[Schoolroom]

Maddy had been making "œcookies"  in the  play kitchen somewhat distractedly when she heard her classmate, Mo  try to get her attention. Mo was a nice Ferengi boy and he had some really big ears, but he was fun to play spaceships with when they weren't doing school stuff.

"œI guess I do have lots of things to think about, Mo. "œ said Maddy, as she stirred the "œfood" in the play kitchen. I think my mommy and daddy are worried about something.  They won't tell me why though. I think it's cause they might lose their jobs or somethin', and then we won't be on a spaceship anymore."  she said,  pushing the button on the toy EZ Baker oven.

[Ch'e N'ok Savyn]

CPO ShranLahr ch'Verret
[Starbase 185 - Sickbay]

For a moment Lahr thought the Vulcan was actually gonna accept but then it seemed the man had a change of mind.  The Andorian winced at the needle poke but wasn't quite willing to give up just yet.

"Well, you don't have to party to come to the event. You could... just observe.  Take notes.  Learn how to loosen up a little.

[Starbase 185 | Sickbay]

Savyn gave Lahr a strange look, almost distrusting as he looked the other man up and down with an expression comparable to a sneer, but not exactly. He didn't seem to have any intention to look rude, and upon a bit of thought, one could suppose it was among the handful of Vulcan expressions they were willing to portray publically.

"... Very well," He said finally, not entirely sure why it was he was agreeing. "I shall attend this social gathering for... a short period of time. For anthropological reasons, of course..." 

[Alexander Wu]

[Promenade]

Ardy nudged Alex in jest as he teased her, before gladly taking his hand and meandering their way through the Promenade, nodding as she heard how his interviews went. So they were both left hanging. Typical. Either way, they'd be still waiting. "œI was going to be meeting with Neva, She's in engineering. She offered to hang out over lunch while there was nothing better to do in between interrogations", she mentioned, as she  chatted with Alex. While it would be nice to be back home on Earth, they had also just gotten onboard a ship too.  Getting kicked out after just coming back was almost insult to injury. She noted Neva in the Pub already. "œHey there." she nodded to Neva.

[Starbase 185 - Main Promenade - Promenade Pub]

"Does it feel strange to you that they've got everyone sequestered on the starbase while they're hashing all of this out...with the repairs and refit going on, and the crew not allowed to take part in fixing their own ship or even watch? At the end of the day, there's only a handful of people they can lay the blame of how this mission went. Doesn't make sense." Alex was naturally suspicious, especially after what had happened on Frontier Day with the integrated fleet. Training scars, complacency, and skill fade with the ever increasing reliance on automation, in his opinion, were major contributors as to why dozens of warning signs and caution flags were ignored or had gone unnoticed by so many. "If I were in the engineering department, I'd be scratching at the hatch to be let onboard. I still want to know what they're doing if we have to get back onboard eventually."

"Speaking of engineering...Neva Cordon's the chief engineer, right?" Alex chuckled, glancing conspiratorially towards Ardyn. "Having heard what she pulled during the Captain's presentation with those Landser delegates, I'm surprised she hasn't already forced her way onboard."

"Hey there, Cordon." Alex added his own greeting as they stepped into the fairly decent re-creation of a 20th century British pub, complete with long mahogany bar, polished brass, and a literal wall of spirit bottles. "Not bad." He remarked approvingly.

[Tora Zalos]

[Lieutenant Zhukdra'shar Mrekrerhas | Function Room Mayflower | Starbase 185]

The co-organizer, none other than Lieutenant Zhukdra'shar Mrekerhas, was currently inspecting his P.A.D.D. as he made sure that everything ran smoothly and according to schedule. His ear swished over when he overheard Tora ask him a question. He promptly settled down his device and smiled gently over at her. His outfit certainly was not a uniform, but it was cute. Some people may argue about the comfy part, however. A burgundy tuxedo, a cute little topknot of the same color, and a puffy, white dress shirt with sleeves.

Oh yes, Zhuk dressed elegantly, for the occasion called for it. Besides feeling good, it would allow people to recognize him if they needed anything unavailable, or had something they required catered to them. After all, with all the diversity the Federation had, maybe there was something that his fellow officers required he had not provisioned for. That would be easily fixed, though.

As for why he had accepted this position? Well, Tora certainly was charismatic, he had to admit. Though he was not too enthused by the idea of organizing a party, she quickly changed his opinion. Besides, it was a great opportunity to subtly show off his management skills, and continue to prove that he was more than fit for his duties as Chief of Security. It also served as a nice distraction, considering how obnoxious and time-consuming the interrogations by Starfleet intelligence had been thus far.

"Yes indeed,"

He answered, taking another look to inspect who was slated to play. It made him happy to see Lahr, or rather 'DJ Lahr', who was meant to participate later today. For now, though, the first act consisted of a band of Bolians, calling themselves Jei'BO:L. They played what was called 'Japanese popular music', or J-Pop for short, an ancient type of Earth music that Zhuk was rather unfamiliar with. Though it was popular, it seemed, considering the small investigation he ran concerning the genre,

"We have Jei'BO:L, it does seem. They shalt present themselves within the stage in five minutes, so mayhaps you are interested in presenting them beforehand, esteemed organizer Tora?"

Zhukdra'shar suggested, "Or would you want me to do so? Also... would you like to know whomst is next after this band?"

Suddenly, Zhuk furrowed his brow. He felt a pair of eyes gazing over at him with no small amount of inquisitiveness. His ear swished from the side, and then he turned his head to the direction he swore the gaze was coming from. Zhuk failed to notice anything, however, save for a swift shadow of black out of the corner of his eye. Strange.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

[Little Mo | Schoolrooms | Starbase 185]

For Mo, adjusting to school had not been easy. But he did his best to make his sister happy. She liked it when he went to class and paid attention to the teacher. And then when Mo told her all about his day. He also enjoyed it when they painted with their fingers or played with his action figures. Also, he was fond of maths. To count numbers and write substractions made him feel like a big, ole important Ferengi businessman. At least, as far as he remembered his parent's stories to go about them.

While he was working on some additions, he noticed that his classmate, Maddy, seemed a little distracted. Tilting his head to the side, he waved his little hand in front of her to get her attention, "Hey Maddie, you okay? You schem to be thinking lots!"

[Ensign Tora Zalos | Function Room Mayflower | Starbase 185]

"Sounds good to me, Chook. Go grab a seat, I'll do the honors." Tora couldn't help snickering at the nickname she'd come up with for the Caitian over the past few days; as much as he was a head of department and a big, strong Caitian man it was hard not to also think of him as a cute, fluffy kitten when one really got to know him. That and the Shakespearean phrasing... which she still had yet to un-condition him out of.

She'd done it all before, working on Risa as a teen and then as a dabo girl as a young adult. Tora stepped up the empty stage with a microphone in hand and tapped twice on the head; she was glad to see her colleagues pause their partying for a moment to pay attention. "Ladies and gentlemen - and those in between - welcome to the Challenger's We're-Not-Dead celebration! I hope you're all having a wonderful time tonight!" There was an art to it, as she'd learned on the fly. Be playful, upbeat and maybe a little bit sultry if you wanted, so long as it got people interested - which had gone well with her previous job, of course.

And yes, that was the actual name of the party - she and her team had had a good laugh when coming up with it and, honestly, a few of them had a sneaking suspicion it'd had no small part in raking in the crowd present tonight.

"Now, then. I have a list of wonderful performances lined up for everyone tonight! Up first: let's get our blood pumping with some hardcore music! As our first performance of the night would surely say, today is a good day to drop some beats! Put your hands together for the one and only Klingon rock band, Jei'BO:L!"

Yes, she'd practised saying the name. Several times. Tora wasn't a polyglot by any means and had trouble trying to reproduce some words she'd heard from visitors and customers alike - which didn't stop her from trying her damn hardest.

[Jalen Kartos]

[Kartos Quarters, Starbase 185]

Jalen looked over at Lorian and both shared a knowing smile. They liked for Leran to be exposed to different cultures, so it was already a faite-accomplis that they would approve. Jalen always found it interesting how an Only could switch from being an adult, chaffing under authority, to a child asking an adult permission to do a thing, even though the Only in question was usually centuries older then the person they are asking permission from. Well not in his case but, there is an exception to every rule.

"œAlright, we can go. But you all must be on your best behaviour"¦ only one minor maiming each"¦ no death!" Lorian said with a chuckle, from his position being tackled by two of the children. Jalen got up and brushed himself off with a frown.

"œYes, and no brining that violence home with you, there is a time and place for everything, but that is not in our home"¦ and I think that I should change into something more appropriate for a concert." Jalen said as he brushed his uniform with the back of his hand.

[Neva Cordon]

[Promenade]

Ardy nudged Alex in jest as he teased her, before gladly taking his hand and meandering their way through the Promenade, nodding as she heard how his interviews went. So they were both left hanging. Typical. Either way, they'd be still waiting. "œI was going to be meeting with Neva, She's in engineering. She offered to hang out over lunch while there was nothing better to do in between interrogations", she mentioned, as she  chatted with Alex. While it would be nice to be back home on Earth, they had also just gotten onboard a ship too.  Getting kicked out after just coming back was almost insult to injury. She noted Neva in the Pub already. "œHey there." she nodded to Neva.

[ACEO Lt.JG Neva Cordon|Starbase 185|Promenade Pub]

Neva did a little wave and lopsided grin when Ardyn and...man...came over. "Hey Ardyn! Good to see you! Sit, sit, sit!" She made a shooing sort of motion towards the seats across from her. She raised an eyebrow at the other woman and nodded her head towards Alex.

"Ardyn, when were you going to tell me about this man who adores you?" Neva winked at her friend and pointed at herself. "Half Betazoid here. Granted, it's obvious if you pay any attention."

The Engineer then looked past them and held up her now empty glass. "Need a refill and some food over here, m'dear barkeep!" She called out, then turned back to the couple before her with a jovial smirk."So...any idea on how long we'll be here? I'm beginning to wonder with how much grilling I've heard people are getting."

[As Maddy]

[Schoolroom]

Maddy had been making "œcookies"  in the  play kitchen somewhat distractedly when she heard her classmate, Mo  try to get her attention. Mo was a nice Ferengi boy and he had some really big ears, but he was fun to play spaceships with when they weren't doing school stuff.

"œI guess I do have lots of things to think about, Mo. "œ said Maddy, as she stirred the "œfood" in the play kitchen. I think my mommy and daddy are worried about something.  They won't tell me why though. I think it's cause they might lose their jobs or somethin', and then we won't be on a spaceship anymore."  she said,  pushing the button on the toy EZ Baker oven.

[Kyan Mackenzie]

"œAlright, we can go. But you all must be on your best behaviour"¦ only one minor maiming each"¦ no death!" Lorian said with a chuckle, from his position being tackled by two of the children. Jalen got up and brushed himself off with a frown.

"œYes, and no bringing that violence home with you, there is a time and place for everything, but that is not in our home"¦ and I think that I should change into something more appropriate for a concert." Jalen said as he brushed his uniform with the back of his hand.

"Q'apla! Today IS a good day to die!!" Kyan exclaimed jumping off of his defeated foe.

"No dying!" Max laughed from his spot on the floor, "...only light maiming."

Kyan heaved a theatrical sigh. "Fiiiiine. We'll agree ta yer oppressive grup demands.... but I cannae speak fer the Klingons so... Anyways... Release me honorable comrades ye great creature so's we can prepare for the glorious battle to come!"

With that, Kyan piled on Lorian's back to save his fellow warriors from the Vedek's wrath.

Later, at the party....

Kyan, the Kartoses, and Max had arrived at the party a few minutes before Tora's announcement. Having never been to a Klingon concert before, Kyan didn't exactly know what to expect. Would there be bloodewine? Bowls of Gagh set out for snacking? Pain sticks? Torches and sharp metal decorations.

Definitely torches. Klingons didn't go anywhere or do anything without some torches.

Those were the possibilities that had danced in the Onlie's head before walking into the party. What he hadn't given any consideration to was the fact that the Klingons were performing at a party. Admittedly his written Klingon was very out of practice, and when Kyan saw the four imposing warriors with their instruments in the advertisement he hadn't tried to parse the text under the picture. He'd assumed that it was some sort of concert and let his imagination steer after that.

What he saw before him as he and the others entered the party was NOT among the things that he'd envisioned. For starters, the entire room was filled with flowery decor. There wasn't a barrel of bloodwine to be seen, and definitely not a torch in the place. Then there was the size of the room and the fact that it was filled with his own crewmates in their off duty clothes.

"Uhh Kyan?" Max spoke up from his side. "I've never been to a Klingon concert but... "

"I think we can ta da wrong place sure." Kyan answered, looking around.

"No this is the right room. Hey look, there's Ensign Tora on the stage!"

"Now, then. I have a list of wonderful performances lined up for everyone tonight! Up first: let's get our blood pumping with some hardcore music! As our first performance of the night would surely say, today is a good day to drop some beats! Put your hands together for the one and only Klingon rock band, Jei'BO:L!"

Kyan watched as a group of Klingons stomped onto the stage behind the Cardassian scientist. They were definitely the group from the advertisement. That was obvious. But what in the flowery Beltane party hell was going on? Kyan was at once shocked, confused, intrigued, and honestly a little disappointed at the lack of... well... Klingon-ness of the whole thing. He looked over at Leran and Max, who cheered and whooped as if everything was going exactly as it should. To him, Jalen and Lorian looked.... relieved? That was probably right. They were a doctor and a Vedek after all... probably not avid Klingon enthusiasts.

Looking back at his friends and seeing how excited they were to be here and see the band that they'd been waiting all evening to see, Kyan shrugged internally. And who cares if it's not exactly as ye thought it'd be?" His inner voice asked him. You came to see a Klingon band with your family and there they are! Who cares about the flowers and... Wait.. Family... was that the Immersion Therapy talking? If not, then when did that happen? Sure he thought of Max like that, they lived together, and he was an Onlie. And he'd known Jalen forever...but... family?

The Klingons began their set to raucous cheers from Max, Leran, and others as Kyan stood contemplating what his inner monologue had just said and the implications of it.

".....up by by the stage c'mon!"

Kyan only caught the tail end of what Leran had said. His reverie had been broken only when the Bajoran boy grabbed his arm. He shook off the last vestiges of his thoughts and looked him. "Huh?"

"There's room up by the stage. C'mon!" With that, he dragged the Onlie along with him and weaved through the partygoers until they were close to the raised dias where Jei'BO:L! were performing. On the way, Kyan noticed Tora was still next to the stage and waved his free hand at her. "Great choice Tora! Good party this!"

As they got to where Max was already standing and watching the Klingons play, Kyan decided that he'd think about the ramifications of his thoughts later. For now, there was a party going on, and fun to be had.

[Ardyn Jaeger]

[Starbase 185 - Main Promenade - Promenade Pub]

"Does it feel strange to you that they've got everyone sequestered on the starbase while they're hashing all of this out...with the repairs and refit going on, and the crew not allowed to take part in fixing their own ship or even watch? At the end of the day, there's only a handful of people they can lay the blame of how this mission went. Doesn't make sense." Alex was naturally suspicious, especially after what had happened on Frontier Day with the integrated fleet. Training scars, complacency, and skill fade with the ever increasing reliance on automation, in his opinion, were major contributors as to why dozens of warning signs and caution flags were ignored or had gone unnoticed by so many. "If I were in the engineering department, I'd be scratching at the hatch to be let onboard. I still want to know what they're doing if we have to get back onboard eventually."

"Speaking of engineering...Neva Cordon's the chief engineer, right?" Alex chuckled, glancing conspiratorially towards Ardyn. "Having heard what she pulled during the Captain's presentation with those Landser delegates, I'm surprised she hasn't already forced her way onboard."

"Hey there, Cordon." Alex added his own greeting as they stepped into the fairly decent re-creation of a 20th century British pub, complete with long mahogany bar, polished brass, and a literal wall of spirit bottles. "Not bad." He remarked approvingly.

[ACEO Lt.JG Neva Cordon|Starbase 185|Promenade Pub]

Neva did a little wave and lopsided grin when Ardyn and...man...came over. "Hey Ardyn! Good to see you! Sit, sit, sit!" She made a shooing sort of motion towards the seats across from her. She raised an eyebrow at the other woman and nodded her head towards Alex.

"Ardyn, when were you going to tell me about this man who adores you?" Neva winked at her friend and pointed at herself. "Half Betazoid here. Granted, it's obvious if you pay any attention."

The Engineer then looked past them and held up her now empty glass. "Need a refill and some food over here, m'dear barkeep!" She called out, then turned back to the couple before her with a jovial smirk."So...any idea on how long we'll be here? I'm beginning to wonder with how much grilling I've heard people are getting."

[Promenade pub.]

"œIt's definitely strange. Last one I was a part of didn't nearly take this long, probably because the president was assassinated and they needed to tell something to the public fast, but even still, that was way less impactful than whatever sweet time they're taking for this one." she said as they walked along into the tastefully-decorated joint.  "œI think they were waiting for Mackenzie to get better, but he's been up and at "˜em for a while now, so I don't know why we have been waiting so long."

Ardyn grinned and laughed as they saw Neva. "œYup.  Same. I'm part Betazoid as well, but it's not really much of a secret that we're together, I'll admit. Alex is my partner and as of recently, my fiance. Haven't set a date yet." she smiled as she snagged a couple of peanuts from the container. "œ I wish I knew. Was hoping to update the Mjolnir when I got the chance, but they've locked it down pretty good."

[Kyan Mackenzie]

[Runabout USS Estes | En route to Starbase 185]

"œWhat have we got Commander?"

Commander Frank Burnham had practically pounced on this assignment like a starving animal. Having been in line for his own command before the events of Frontier Day, he was now stuck waiting for the shipyards to turn out more ships. At least that was the reason he was given when he'd been denied promotion"¦ again three months ago. Of course he knew that was likely bullshit. The fact was that Frank had seen very little combat in his career. He'd also seen very little exploring. Aside from a few stints, his career had mostly been spent on starbases or planetary installations getting coffee for admirals. But if he ever wanted to be the one drinking the coffee, he would need to have command experience.

Frontier Day had stopped that from happening.

But this assignment could be a second chance. If this Galloway were convicted, along with his First Officer, the Challenger would need a new Commanding Officer. And Frank Burnham intended to be there when the admirals selected one. In fact, he intended to be the one that they selected. All he had to do was make sure this went the way it needed to go.

Frank Burnham cleared his throat and began his report. "œSo we have testimony from Galloway, most of the senior staff, and the junior officers that were on the bridge or went to the planet. We've got official logs, but haven't gotten permission to look at personal logs yet."

The old admiral remained seated, gazing out at the window as the ship warped toward the starbase. As he listened to reports about the pending courts martial, the sole reason his commission had been temporarily re-activated, he cursed Admiral Clancy and the whole affair. A week ago he'd been happily retired. In fact, he had made plans to visit their son before he embarked on his new assignment. Now those were cancelled. Instead, he was on his way to potentially take part in ending the Starfleet career of a different Captain, his First Officer, and whomever else was found to be culpable.

He sighed. "œWhat about the First Officer?"

Burnham shook his head, for which he immediately chastised himsef, since the Admiral wasn't even looking at him. "œWell sir, he's on some kind of medical leave."

"œRevoke it."

"œWe can't revoke it sir. His commission is deactivated for at least the next three weeks. A doctor would have to countermand his Medical officer's order. And since he's an Onlie, you know"¦ from Miri's Planet.."

"œI'm aware of where he comes from Commander. Find me a doctor who will revoke the order and get his testimony. I don't want to see this things get dragged out because of some medical thing. If he can walk and talk then he can testify."

"œYessir but"¦"

Admiral, We're approaching Starbase 185. We'll be dockin in three minutes.

Burnham heard the chirp when the old Admiral tapped his com badge to reply.

Very Well Lieutenant.

Frank waited a few moments before he continued. "œAs I was saying Admiral, Commander Mackenzie's doctor is a pediatrician by trade, and probably the one with the most experience dealing with them. We're not going to find someone who can cancel his order without it raising serious questions."

The old Admiral stood up, smoothing his jacket as he did so. "œCoordinate with the Chief Medical Officer at Starbase 185. I don't care who questions it. Have him or the counselor, or whomever needs to examine Commander Mackenzie to do so. Get his testimony. And I don't want to wait three weeks to get it."

Burnham nodded again, making notes on his padd. "œUnderstood Admiral."

"œGood. Let's get this over with."

A few minutes later, the Admiral walked through the airlock with Burnham in tow. Waiting for him was a Lieutenant Commander whose ramrod posture alone might have told his heritage before the two of them were close enough to see his ears.

The Vulcan nodded slightly when the two new arrivals stepped onto the Starbase. "œI am Commander Jonak, Executive Officer. Welcome to Starbase 185 Admiral Jellico.

[ShranLahr ch'Verret]

CPO ShranLahr ch'Verret
[Starbase 185 - Sickbay]

[Starbase 185 | Sickbay]

Savyn gave Lahr a strange look, almost distrusting as he looked the other man up and down with an expression comparable to a sneer, but not exactly. He didn't seem to have any intention to look rude, and upon a bit of thought, one could suppose it was among the handful of Vulcan expressions they were willing to portray publically.

"... Very well," He said finally, not entirely sure why it was he was agreeing. "I shall attend this social gathering for... a short period of time. For anthropological reasons, of course..."

At the Vulcan's distrustful look, Lahr gave the medic his best charming grin.  It must have done the job cause a moment later the Vulcan was agreeing to go.  "Alright!  Awesome!" He cheered, then when the medic claimed it would be for 'anthropological reasons' the Andorian nodded.  "Oh of course..  and don't worry.  There will likely be several of your species there, for the same reason."

Lahr looked to the growing blue stain on the adhesive bandage's pad and then reached out to grab his uniform tunic, to put it on.   "I take it we're all done here and that the doc will call if there's any problem with my stats?" the Andorian stated-asked as he then grabbed his uniform jacket.  He'd need to change into his civilian outfit for the set but until then regulation required a complete uniform.

"I go on in an hour.  Hope to see you there." Lahr advertised his gig once he was ready to leave.

[Ch'e N'ok Savyn]

CPO ShranLahr ch'Verret
[Starbase 185 - Sickbay]

At the Vulcan's distrustful look, Lahr gave the medic his best charming grin.  It must have done the job cause a moment later the Vulcan was agreeing to go.  "Alright!  Awesome!" He cheered, then when the medic claimed it would be for 'anthropological reasons' the Andorian nodded.  "Oh of course..  and don't worry.  There will likely be several of your species there, for the same reason."

Lahr looked to the growing blue stain on the adhesive bandage's pad and then reached out to grab his uniform tunic, to put it on.   "I take it we're all done here and that the doc will call if there's any problem with my stats?" the Andorian stated-asked as he then grabbed his uniform jacket.  He'd need to change into his civilian outfit for the set but until then regulation required a complete uniform.

"I go on in an hour.  Hope to see you there." Lahr advertised his gig once he was ready to leave.

[Starbase 185 | Sickbay]

Savyn nodded, putting away the rest of his supplies. "Understood," he replied, glancing at the ground momentarily. Suddenly, it hit him that going to a party with music and lights like this probably wouldn't be particularly pleasant for his irritable sensory issues-- but it seemed his fate was sealed. "You are free to go, crewman."

[Nira Said]

[Conference Room | Starbase 185]

Carter glared at Gillepsie for a brief moment confused at the analogy. "Might I remind you that the first time we encountered the T'Kori was when they attacked their sister species at Beacon Point and we had already observed they were a warp capable species at that time." James replied dryly.

Then the admiral's attention quickly returned to the captain and the situation at hand. "I'll be frank captain, I remain undecided. It will take time and reflection to come to a conclusion on either side. Bluntly, it is a matter of fact that by the letter of the law you did violate the prime directive." Immediately following his last word Carter left out a frustrated sigh before continuing. "However...I'm not sure if I would have made a different call in your shoes. Hell, I don't know if that even makes it better or worse. As I said, it will take time and reflection. The only thing I can promise at this time captain is that consideration of the situation will not be taken lightly. Unless Admiral Gillespie has any further questions you are dismissed Captain." James leaned back in his seat and brought his hands clasped together in front of him.

[Conference Room - Starbase 185]

Ian nodded to Admiral Carter. He'd made his point and thought he'd done a good job at doing so, saying anything further would only make things worse. He stood, executed an about face, and exited the conference room.

"Well, that went about as well as it could go."

He muttered as he began to wander the massive starbase. Barred from the Challenger, Jess unavailable, and not having anything else to do, he simply allowed himself to be carried along by the foot traffic with no destination in mind.

A few minutes later, the Admiral walked through the airlock with Burnham in tow. Waiting for him was a Lieutenant Commander whose ramrod posture alone might have told his heritage before the two of them were close enough to see his ears.

The Vulcan nodded slightly when the two new arrivals stepped onto the Starbase. "œI am Commander Jonak, Executive Officer. Welcome to Starbase 185 Admiral Jellico.

[{NPC} Admiral Hamish Gillespie | VIP Suite | Starbase 185]

"Ah," said Gillespie. "I stand corrected about the T'Kori." After a while, Galloway was dismissed. Gillespie looked back at Ruzal. She had taken the notes, recorded the interview. She nodded solemnly but in a way that told him she was with him.

"Certainly a bugger of a situation," Gillespie said to Carter, reaching for a glass of water. "I may reserve judgment until we have our third fellow..."

Ruzal perked up at noticing a notification on her PADD. "Sir, the third admiral has arrived. Admiral Jellico, and his aid, Commander Burnham."

Gillespie spewed water back out his mouth in a spitting of shock. "Wot?" he said. "God forbid, it was one thing to bring that utter bullock Jellico from retirement, but bringing along that utter whinger Frank Burnham?"

"Unfortunately, their arrival is confirmed," said Ruzal with pity.

"Bloody hell," huffed Gillespie. "Suddenly makes me long for Clarence and Marge...yoo ken, James, that couple who also admirals, M. Clarence and Karen Marjorie Maizlish...bloody other fellows..."

"I dread seeing Frank Burnham already," Ruzal muttered. "You know how frequently Will Riker denied starship commissions in the past before assuming command of the first Titan, Admiral Carter?"

"Oh, I ken plenty of Burnham, always whinging about wanting his own command. Would one give him command, way he bloody well is? He get his own ship, his crew would mutiny before the week was oot."

[James Carter]

[{NPC} Admiral Hamish Gillespie | VIP Suite | Starbase 185]

"Ah," said Gillespie. "I stand corrected about the T'Kori." After a while, Galloway was dismissed. Gillespie looked back at Ruzal. She had taken the notes, recorded the interview. She nodded solemnly but in a way that told him she was with him.

"Certainly a bugger of a situation," Gillespie said to Carter, reaching for a glass of water. "I may reserve judgment until we have our third fellow..."

Ruzal perked up at noticing a notification on her PADD. "Sir, the third admiral has arrived. Admiral Jellico, and his aid, Commander Burnham."

Gillespie spewed water back out his mouth in a spitting of shock. "Wot?" he said. "God forbid, it was one thing to bring that utter bullock Jellico from retirement, but bringing along that utter whinger Frank Burnham?"

"Unfortunately, their arrival is confirmed," said Ruzal with pity.

"Bloody hell," huffed Gillespie. "Suddenly makes me long for Clarence and Marge...yoo ken, James, that couple who also admirals, M. Clarence and Karen Marjorie Maizlish...bloody other fellows..."

"I dread seeing Frank Burnham already," Ruzal muttered. "You know how frequently Will Riker denied starship commissions in the past before assuming command of the first Titan, Admiral Carter?"

"Oh, I ken plenty of Burnham, always whinging about wanting his own command. Would one give him command, way he bloody well is? He get his own ship, his crew would mutiny before the week was oot."

[Conference Room | Starbase 185]

Carter let out an exasperated huff as he looked over to the other two in the room. "Playing the hardass is always exhausting. I'd say I didn't know how Jellico did it all the time but I suspect that's less of an act." The admiral said letting out a subtle laugh. "Am I the only admiral that doesn't keep an aid with me at all times? Not to say it isn't always lovely to see you Ruzal." He added a rye smile appearing on his lips.

He thought on the situation for a moment and shook his head. "I don't like it. By letter of the law he did violate the prime directive...but I suspect by letter of the law you're also not supposed to use the ship you're only temporarily in command of as a torpedo against a borg cube that assimilated the captain. It also wouldn't be the first time a captain has violated the prime directive in line of reasonable duty, that's a time honored tradition at this point. Hell, it wouldn't even be the most flagrant of the violations that went unpunished. As an admiral I want to say I never would have done it, but I'm not sure that in his position I wouldn't have made the exact same call."

[Ian Galloway]

[Promenade - Starbase 185]

Ian stood against a railing looking down at the sea of beings going about their business and marveled to see so many species living in a reasonable facsimile of harmony. His time on Land had reminded him that humans had once hated each other based on ridiculous differences such as skin color and religion. Once humanity found out there truly were aliens, that trivial nonsense finally ceased.

What he really wanted to do was buy a bottle of really good single malt for an exorbitant amount of latinum and get quietly, rip roaring drunk. However, as a Starfleet captain, such behavior was unbecoming of a Starfleet captain. Especially as he was currently under a microscope over the whole Land business.

He knew there was a party the crew had thrown together, a real shindig by what he'd heard, but he wouldn't go because nothing kills a party like having your boss around. Normally, he and Jess would take advantage of the distraction for some quiet time, but thanks to the unmitigated fiasco of Frontier Day, she was some 80 lightyears away on Earth.

So, he continued to lean against the railing and people watch, his mind adrift.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
[Function Room Mayflower - Starbase 185]

The party was still just getting started, but while the idea was for this to be an event for the crew of the Challenger, it wasn't advertised as 'crew only', therefore, there were many, many unfamiliar faces in the crowd. Thus the two figures, that slipped in quietly, went unnoticed as they stayed mostly in the shadows, observing and talking in low voices.