round 16 PNPC Captain Chris Hallam, "Send Nem Down"

[+ Salkath]

((Deep Space 6: Meeting Room 11))

::Commander Renos was both proud and defiant as ne delivered nir testimony. There was conviction in the J’naii, that was for sure, and ne believed that ne had taken the right course of action at every turn. Ne rose some interesting points, Chris had to give nem that much, but he didn’t hear anything that he considered to be enough to change the outcome of the meeting.::

::Tugging at the front of his dress uniform and shuffling in his seat, the captain looked sideways to the Lieutenant Commander who had been assigned to work as Renos’s first officer. He was aware of the man’s longstanding history with the Darwin, and that he had been present on all three of Starfleet’s missions to Asav.::

Hallam: Commander, may I ask whether you personally feel the Asavii’s relationship with the Federation is currently stronger or weaker than it was following your previous visit to the planet?

Thomas: It’s difficult to say Sir. There would be many there who would see our involvement in the discovery of their history as meddling, as interfering to try and change them. Is it a weaker relationship, I’m not sure, but I doubt it’s any stronger.

Hallam: At this point, I would like to ask if anyone else has anything to say in defence of their commanding officer?

::He looked out at the assembled crowd of white shirts in front of him. Sometimes you had to appear to be the bad guy in the eyes of good people so that you could do the right thing.::

Traenor: ::standing, looking pointedly between Hallam and Thomas:: Sirs, I cannot add much to Cmdr Renos' testimony thus far, but I can stand as a character witness. I have served with nem on multiple ships, and have had the pleasure of learning his values and standards both on and off duty. Ne holds the utmost respect for the institution of Starfleet and the opportunities it gave nem to escape persecution and anarchy. Ne would never willingly introduce such anarchy to another world, nor would ne act in any way that would compromise the values that he has sworn to uphold. In my nearly twenty years of service to Starfleet, I have not met a more model officer. ::glaring pointedly at Thomas:: Nor one more loyal and dedicated to their shipmates. Thank you, that is all I have to say.

::As soon as the first dissenter sat down, another stood up, like some perverse game of Starfleet whack-a-mole. Chris folded his arms as the second man began to speak.::

Valdivia: If you will allow me. :: he cleared his throat. :: I will not comment on the Deep Space 6 incident, because I just recently learned about it. But for the other ones, I have the feeling Commander Renos is being judged for situations that were out of nir control. On the Dunbar, for instance. An anomaly we knew nothing about caused an explosion of a shuttlebay. We lost an unmanned shuttle, and the Dunbar lost some other material. But this explosion what out of nir control, nor anyone from the Darwin's crew. Instead, ne should be judged by nir actions after the explosion, and I think the return of the Dunbar certifies for that. Trying to salvage the shuttle would have put us all at heavy risk.

:: He paused. The officer hadn’t said anything that might sway him so far.::

Valdivia: Even more importantly, on Asav. The believers of Balzog were hidden, waiting for the Federation to arrive to make their move. So, by our very participation in the joint research project, we helped them reveal themselves, which almost lead to civil war. But our participation was again out of Commander Renos' control, as it was an Starfleet order, and any other ship with any other captain reporting for the same mission would have unearthed that same dispute. If you ask, however, about what ne did afterwards, it was exactly preventing the civil war. Thank you.

Walker: Captain, with all due respect to your rank and office, but I don't believe this is an appropriate discussion of the issues you raised. I say discussion because you aren't providing any evidence of wrongdoing, simply asking questions about what happened and why. There have been no witnesses for, or against Commander Renos, and by Starfleet regulations you'd need two other senior officers to make a tribunal for a court martial of this sort. Which either means Commander Renos isn't being given the opportunity to argue the case in front of them, which is against regulations.. or this was already decided before any of us arrived. In either case, this can be nothing other than a serious discussion.

Lyldra: First I must state as an Attache in the FDC I would be bound to report any violation of the prime directive in my reports and even anything that would fall in the grey areas close to it for that matter. The prime directive is more than starfleet general order number one it’s the guiding principle of the federation one as a citizen and representative of the Federation I hold dear. ::She paused before going on.:: I have only served under Commander Renos for the duration of this last mission. Nem’s quick thinking to diffuse a potentially society crashing or at least fracturing event on that planet. Ne, I and the representatives of both the majority and minority parties sat around a table and did what the federation and starfleet hold most dear. Perseve the peace, work though our differences and move forward. So On a personal level For that Commander Renos earned my admiration and respect and made me glad I accepted my starfleet commission when I had always content in only diplomatic service to the federation.

::Well, that was one way of looking at it, certainly. Chris had expected that Renos’s crew would want to take the chance to defend nem, but maybe he had been expecting them to attempt to offer up some kind of incontrovertible evidence that the mission reports sat in front of him were incorrect. Chris sank back in his chair and blew out a breath. This was certainly just as heavy going as he thought it might be. How did you weigh up this kind of evidence in this short a space of time? It was fortunate that the pre-existing evidence made everything look cut and dried, and that Commander Thomas had been as informative as he had been.::

Hallam: Commander Renos, do you have anything else to say? Any mitigating circumstances that you believe should be taken into account?

::All eyes were on the J’naii commander now. What words would, or could ne summon to nir defence?::

Renos: Captain, I have not had a lot of bridge experience but I have put every bit of training and years of experience in a leadership position to ensure that everything I’ve done has been in the best interests of the ship and crew. I have taken my responsibilities seriously and represented Starfleet and the Federation to the very best of my ability.

::Chris took in a deep breath and stood, indicating that Lieutenant Commander Thomas should do the same. He lifted up his PADD and took a couple of steps towards Renos, waiting as nir first officer took up his prearranged position alongside the witness chair.::

Hallam: If there’s one thing I do believe, Commander, it’s that. Before this hearing was convened, I received an official message from Starfleet Command. Now seems a fitting time to deliver it to you and the crew. It reads…

::He tapped at the PADD, looking at it solemly. When he looked up, he wore a wicked grin on his face.::

Hallam: …gotcha!

::Of course, a real court martial wouldn’t have been as whirlwind as sitting a CO in a chair and asking them four questions before slamming down the gavel. The process would have taken days and witnesses would have been called from every imaginable corner to testify for both sides of the case. There was no way someone with a record as squeaky clean as Renos’s would know that, though, unless they had been considering taking a job in the JAG’s office.::

Renos: Captain Hallam, explain yourself.

Hallam: Mr. Torrin, if you would please see to it that everyone has a glass, as arranged?

::Before Renos had too much time to react to what Chris considered to be one of the more impressive wind-ups he’d managed to launch on someone during his entire career, he hit nem with the real reason everyone had been gathered together.::

Hallam: Commander Renos, as you rightly say, you have been performing to the best of your abilities and your actions on Asav, Deep Space 6 and in rescuing the Dunbar have shown that you are not afraid to make difficult decisions and do the right thing. As such, with the power vested in me by Starfleet Command, I am hereby promoting you to captain, with all of the privileges and responsibilities associated with that rank. Commander Thomas, if you will do the honours, please?

::It seemed only fair that, after press ganging the first officer into the ruse that had just played out, he should allow him to actually pin the fourth pip onto Renos’s collar.::

Thomas: Congratulations sir.

Renos: Thank you Commander. ::Giving nir First Officer a broad smile. There were no hard feelings. ::

Hallam: Congratulations, Captain!

Renos: Thank you! All is forgiven but you know – you need to work on your jokes and trust me when I say, I’ll get you back for this. ::With a devilish grin::

::The glasses that had been passed around were now being filled with champagne. Chris had arranged for a few bars of gold-pressed latinum to be pushed in Torrin’s direction to fund the refreshments. It was the least he could do after giving Renos so much of a scare.::

::Of course, there was one thing that needed clearing up.::

Hallam: Just while everyone’s glasses are being filled, I feel I should point out that Commander Thomas had nothing but positive things to say about Captain Renos when we met before you all arrived. I’d like to thank him for taking a big risk today and please don’t judge him too harshly.

Thomas: ::Scratching the back of his nervously.:: Yeah, sorry everyone.

::Fortunately for Chris, in a room full of ruffled feathers, his own set of four pips protected him from hearing them direct too much frustration in his direction. When his own glass was filled, he held it up. This was an occasion that was certainly worth celebrating.::

Hallam: To Renos, the newest captain in Starfleet.

PNPC Captain Christian Hallam

Administrative Officer

Deep Space 6