Dishonour Before Death

Posted on Fri Nov 15, 2019 @ 11:27pm by Captain Maritza Soran & Commander Caleb Ryan & Lieutenant Jason Haines

1,078 words; about a 5 minute read

Mission: Doors of Perception
Location: MD16 1000
Timeline: MD16 1000

[ON]


There was a hush over Ops when Jason arrived. Yeoman Zita even looked more subdued than flustered as she greeted him at the turbolift. "Please come with me, Lieutenant Haines. Commander Soran is waiting for you."

Given the amount of time that had passed, Jason was pretty certain he was here because Soran was about to drop the hammer. That said, just In case that wasn't so, he asked, "You look a bit down today. Are you okay, Zita?"

"Uh, Yes sir." She didn't look at him.

They crossed Ops with the weight of the watching shift on them, and then up the steps to the mezzanine office of the station’s CO.

Inside, Commander Soran, and Commander Ryan were waiting. Soran behind her desk, tightly braided and looking grim, Commander Ryan lounging in a chair in the corner, where he would be behind Jason, his fingers steepled, his dark eyes hooded.

There was nowhere else to sit, just a clear space in front of the black glass desk, cold and empty as the void.

Seeing both Soran and Ryan, Jason thought, Indeed, hammer time.

"Lieutenant Haines, reporting as ordered, Commander." Jason stood there at attention.

She let the moment hang. This wasn't going to be fun for anyone. "Jason Haines. Your actions in the alternate dimension recently discovered are considered mutiny. As such, you are liable for full court-martial. In light of situation you were placed in, and the wellbeing requirements of other staff members, I am inclined to be lenient, and offer you a Captain's Mast" And hope to hell that Starfleet Command lets me get away with it. "If you agree, you forfeit any rights to appeal. My decision is final. Your alternative is to go to a full court-martial. How would you like to proceed?"

Jason paused and thought. The no appeal piece bothered him, but the harder he made things on Soran, the harder it would be on Alanna, so he decided to go the easier route.

"I will accept the Captain's Mast, Commander," Jason said, all the while thinking, Mutiny my ass.

"Well then." Soran folded her fingers in front of her. "Abandoning your away team on a mission, whatever your motivations, is inexcusable behaviour. To possibly save one life, you endangered twelve others. In the field, officers have to know they can rely on their colleagues, that their loyalties aren't split, or divided, and that everyone understands that objectives are more successful when everyone pulls together, and no one goes cowboying off on their own. You abused that trust. You let them all down." She took a breath. "Commander Ryan, do you have anything to add?"

“Besides abandoning yer team, you also admitted to your intention to murder them, should it be necessary to maintain your mission. Regardless of the actual outcome, that should drum you out of Starfleet and right into the closest penal colony,” Caleb spoke, his lazy Texas drawl nowhere to be heard. “Back in my many-great-grandfather’s day, we’d string you up from the nearest tree. But apparently these are more enlightened times.”

Soran nodded. "Have you anything to say?"

There was nothing to be said that hadn't already been said, or would get him into further trouble if he said it. "No, Commander," Jason replied, semi-defiantly, his cheek twitching just slightly.

Caleb watched Jason. Good. At least the man knew when to shut his pie hole and keep it shut. He may just survive this without ending up in a penal colony.

"Very good." Soran fixed him with a look that could have frozen nitrogen. "Jason Haines, you are hereby demoted to ensign, effective immediately. Furthermore, you are considered on probation for the next year. If you abandon your post, argue with superiors, take orders from anyone not in your direct chain of command, or otherwise endanger members of this crew or residents of this station, I will refer you to court martial."

"Understood," Jason replied. "I do have a question in regards to this."

Maritza just had to hope it was a genuine question, and not an emotional outburst that would dig his hole deeper. "Permission granted."

"My demotion reduces my rank below that of my second in command," Jason said. "Should I relinquish command of the intelligence department to him?"

"Yes." Time would tell if that remained permanent, but it would also reinforce the fact that there was no reward for putting self above team in away team situations. "I expect you to complete the handover promptly."

"Aye, Commander," Jason replied, seemingly unphased by the declaration.

"Lastly, you will speak to JAG and make an affidavit detailing the orders you were given by your superiors in TI vis a vis Dr. Wells and others. Every detail you can remember: names, dates, everything." Maritza wasn't going to ignore that. And if she was going to make a stand, she was going to do it with every weapon she could lay her hands on.

Great, Jason thought. Now I agreed not to argue, she can add anything she wants to this.

"Understood, Commander," Jason replied.

"Very good." Soran got to her feet and held her hand out. "Your pip, please, Mr. Haines."

Jason took the pip off and. locking eyes with her, he handed it to her, not saying a word.

Maritza didn't look away, just put the hollow pip on her desk between them. "Any final thoughts, Mr. Ryan?"

“Looks all wrapped up,” Caleb said, not voicing his darker thoughts about where Haines should be ending up.

Maritza gave her XO an acknowledging nod. This had been unpleasant enough. No point in drawing it out. "In that case, you are dismissed, Ensign Haines."

"Aye, Commander," Jason replied, a slight smile appearing on his face as he remembered something his father told him. He looked to Ryan and said, "Commander." He left Soran’s office and started humming to himself. Once in the turbolift, he tapped his comm. badge.

"Ensign Haines to Lieutenant Gazan."

In Intelligence, his former second in command looked a little confused, but replied, "Go ahead."

"Per Commander Soran, you are now in charge of intelligence," Jason said.

"May I asked what happened?" the Andorian asked.

"I'll buy you a drink sometime," Jason said. "Haines out."

[OFF]

Ensign Jason Haines
Former Chief of Intelligence
Deep Space 5

Commander Caleb Ryan
Executive Officer
Deep Space 5

Commander Maritza Soran
Commanding Officer
Deep Space Five

 

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