Third Law

Posted on Thu Dec 27, 2018 @ 9:01am by Commander Caleb Ryan & Captain Maritza Soran

1,248 words; about a 6 minute read

Mission: Doors of Perception
Location: CO's office
Timeline: MD03 2340

[ON]

The computer bleeped in Caleb's quarters. "Commander Soran requests your immediate attendance in her office."

Caleb groaned, rolling over in his bed and rubbing his fists into his eyes. Of all the-- Doesn’t that woman ever sleep? The one night he’d managed to get to bed at a decent hour.

“Tell her Ah will be there shortly,” Caleb replied to the computer.

He lay in bed staring into the dark for a few moments before finally throwing off the covers. “Lights, dim,” he said. He hauled out a fresh uniform to pull on and stopped at the head to dampen down any bedhead before he headed out. He paused outside Aleczandra’s door, listening quietly. It was silent, his daughter asleep.

“Coffee,” Caleb ordered from the replicator. It buzzed and dinged and he pulled out the steaming mug and headed out into the corridor, wincing at the too bright lights as he made his way to the turbolift.

Finally Caleb walked into Soran’s office. “This couldn’t wait until morning briefing?” he asked with a yawn.

Soran sat at her spartan desk, in her spartan office, looking even more severe than usual. There wasn't even a cup or mug in sight to suggest she was struggling with the hour. "Is there anything you'd like to tell me about yesterday, Mr Ryan?"

Caleb sighed and rubbed his eyes with one hand, flexing his other into a fist. His knuckles were still a bit bruised and sore from punching that reporter. He hadn’t bothered to use a regenerator on them.

“Let me guess. Mah little outburst on the Promenade yesterday afternoon?” he said, sitting in the seat across from Maritza.

"Outburst?" Soran said, frost forming on the word. "Is that what it was?"

“What are they makin’ it out ta be?” Caleb asked. He tended to avoid the news. He adjusted his lanky body in his chair. He wasn’t making excuses for what he’d done.

She found his attitude cavalier, and it made her jaw clench. "See for yourself. Computer, run the first segment of last night's," she glared at him as she spoke, "FNN news on screen." The large screen on the wall to her left came to life with the anchor's face, and in a frame to one side a shot of Caleb Ryan on the Promenade. The the news report ran.

After it finished, she turned to him. "I don't know what they're making it out to be, Mr Ryan. But I make that common assault."

Caleb’s jaw worked, and he scowled. “That was hardly a reasonable question,” he grumbled, sitting up. “Yes, Ah lost mah temper,” Caleb admitted. “Ah’m sorry. He was askin’ about mah wife an’ mah daughter. An’ Dys,” Caleb admitted.

Soran pinched her lips together. She knew the story behind Dys and his wife. And even though Caleb didn't realise it, she knew what had happened after too. Even so, "I fail to see how that's an excuse for a) punching someone, and b) failing to mention it at all."

“Not an excuse,” Caleb admitted. “An explanation. Is Reyes pressin’ charges? Ah’ll go down ta Security right now an’ turn mahself in.” Caleb shifted his weight in the chair to prepare to leave.

"Sit!" she snapped. She knew what she should do. She just wasn't sure she should hand the enemy factions on the station such an advantage. "You realise this goes beyond a punch up on the Prom, don't you?"

Caleb frowned. “How so?” he asked. “Are ya sayin’ someone set me up? Ah don’t like politics, Commander. He was pokin’ his nose where it don’t belong an’ makin’ unfounded accusations. Not ta mention steppin’ on the good name of mah wife an’ daughter. He deserved more’n just a punch in the face that he can easily get fixed at Sickbay, on Starfleet’s dime. Ah considered it mighty restrained of me.”

Soran pinched the bridge of her nose. "Politics are inevitable round here. The implications being insinuated over the investigations, then an assault. It's hardly behaviour becoming of an officer, especially not one who is so very visible."

“Ah know it’s unbecoming,” Caleb said. “Ah’m sorry. But those investigations are clean,” he insisted. “Ah was chief, not the assigned officer to the case. Mayhew an’ Trellis were handlin’ those. An’ Ah’ll remind ya that Ah objected to the assault on the Ferengi courier,” he pointed out. “Nazl was scum, but Ah did my due diligence.”

"Clean they may be, it doesn't matter now. They’ve been linked to ones that aren't," Soran allowed. "Even so, that doesn't excuse what you did. What would you do if one of your reporting officers assaulted a civilian?"

Caleb sighed and rubbed his eyes. “Write ‘em up,” he said. “Maybe a courts martial if it was severe enough. What’s this Reyes prick saying? The Dys case was clean. Ah just...we did things differently on the Nemesis. He got himself a slimy lawyer that twisted everything up. An’ Ah’m not convinced there wasn’t some latinum changin’ hands, though Ah can’t prove that.”

"You did things differently on the Nemesis," Soran stated, a hint of sarcasm flickering in her tone. "I am entirely unsurprised. But this is DS5. We do things by the book. So if you can think of a good reason why I don't suspend your rank and privileges and refer you to JAG for court martial, I’d like to hear it."

Caleb took a breath. “Ah’m not sayin’ Ah don’t deserve some discipline,” he admitted. “But is that a can of worms you’re willing to open, Commander?” he asked. “You file a court martial, it’ll get shut down faster’n you can say JAG. Pierce will make sure of that. No one wants anyone ta go pokin’ ‘round the Nemesis. And no one should go lookin’ at Dys. That Reyes kid starts pokin’ that bear, he’s liable to end up with his guts in his hands. Dys don’t mess around.” Caleb took a breath. “That Ferengi shot mah shuttle outta the sky out of spite. He was free an’ clear, an’ he still came after me,” he said pointedly. “He wanted ta send a message, an’ it cost mah wife her life.” And my daughter possibly her sanity.

Soran looked at him. This was why she despised Pierce and his ilk, who thought themselves beyond the law. "And whilst I am sorry for your loss, I cannot tolerate my senior staff committing a crime and having that crime go unanswered. I'm suspending you from duty, and your rank, effective immediately, whilst I talk to JAG and determine what the next steps are. Your pips, please."

Caleb nodded. “Yes, sir,” he said, standing. He reached up and removed his pips from his collar. “Ya know where ta find me if ya need me,” he said quietly, placing the pips on the desk in front of Soran.

She stared at the three gold studs. There was no satisfaction in seeing them there. They looked rudely out of place on her spartan desk. "You're dismissed, Mr Ryan."

Caleb simply nodded and turned. Once outside the office, his shoulders slumped a bit and he rubbed his face tiredly with a sigh.

[OFF]

Commander Maritza Soran
Commanding Officer

Caleb Ryan
Suspended Executive Officer

 

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