Diving through Bureaucracy

[Valdivia]

You are captain of a Starship, and you receive a request for medical supplise. A plague has been declared in a Federation world not far from your position. The world has been quarantined, but they need those supplies as soon as possible, because the prediction is for millions dead in a couple of days unless something is done. You could beam them down.

With that in mind, you approach the nearest starbase and request the supplies. You are informed that they do have the supplies. But for you to receive them, the process would need to be approved by the corresponding Admiral, who happens to be out of the base in a diplomatic mission and will not be back for a few days.

You could try to contact Starfleet Command and request help, but that could also take days. Or, of course, you have full access to the base systems… you could easily beam them out and be on your way back to the affected planet within minutes. That would not be exactly legal, but Starfleet would understand in the long run, right?

Would you jump over bureaucracy? Let us know!

This is a new question from our category Morals of Trek, where you are in the shoes of a Starfleet Captain facing a dilemma any of our favorite characters could have faced in Star Trek. If your crew has faced any such dilemmas and you want to see it featured in a Poll of the Week, let us know!
 

[+ catscatscats]

I'd "accidentally" make sure the affected planet's government got hold of the emergency hailing frequency for the space station administrator. Oops, what's that? Getting pleading messages from a plague torn planet at all hours of the day and night? Better give me those supplies then, dirtwad.

[Laria Herren]

 It is easier to ask for forgiveness than to ask for permission. Someone has to do something now and when all is said and done, hopefully Starfleet Command can see the necessity of the action. If not I'd say that guarding against the potential loss of millions of lives is worth whatever punishment Starfleet settles on.

[+ Rune Jolara]

It's a medical emergency. Time is of the essence. If they won't give without going through red-tape bs, then I'd take them anyhow.... though I would find it difficult to believe that a Starfleet Starbase would refuse to give the needed supplies with lives in imminent danger.