1Lt. Isaac Green - See Something, Say Something

[Nestira Aristren]

I have not yet had the pleasure of writing with @Anthony Meeks yet, but I wanted to highlight this scene in particular. AIne's frustration is something I honestly expected her to keep her mouth shut about (and gulp down with a bottle of whiskey), and it was a surprise to see her actually articulate it. At the same time, it says a lot about Green that he looks out for her. He's a bro, and I love that! 

 

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((C.O.’s Office, Starbase 118))

When he arrived on the station, Lt. Commander DeVeau had offered him actual quarters but he hadn’t had time to consider them. Well, after the last couple of days were over, and he finally had a moment to stop, he took her up on her offer. It had been about 34 hours since he last slept, so he grabbed a quick shower to wash off the dust and was asleep before his head hit the pillow.

When he woke, he stirred briefly in the new bed and it took him a moment to orient himself to where he was. This wasn’t unusual considering the nomadic life he had led in the Corps. It always took a second or two. Shaking the cobwebs off, he sat up and swung his feet over the side, feeling the low carpet under his bare feet. He made little fists with his toes, gripping the low shag between them. He asked for the computer to turn on the lights.

The replicator was across the room and he called for it to make a hot cup of black coffee. It was only a few strides to get there, and in those simple movements, Isaac was awake and starting to feel refreshed. He drew the mug from the orifice in the wall and turned, taking a breathy pull from the top of the steaming cup. On the table, a flashing light caught his eye. His PADD had a pending message from the Commanding Officer of the station, requesting his and Lt. Sherlock’s  presence in the C.O.’s office in just a little over an hour.   

Isaac dressed in the Marine utility uniform and set out. He would be early, but that was always preferred over late… or even on time. The Marine decks were several hundred decks below the command level towers, and where Commodore Taybrim’s office was, and based upon Isaac’s experience getting around on the station, it could take a minute to get there, and it did.

He had only arrived in the lobby a few minutes before the scheduled meeting time. He found a chair in the lobby and was about to sit down when he heard footsteps approaching. He turned to see Lt. Sherlock crossing the small area. She crossed the room like she knew what she was doing, a woman on a mission, and gave Isaac a quick nod as she approached and passed him. He fell in behind her and she entered the Commodore’s office without pomp or circumstance. He had to admit to himself, he was impressed by the young Security Chief.

The office was large, but what Isaac expected for the Commanding Officer of a large station such as SB118. He expected to have the C.O. at a desk, but was caught a little off guard when he encountered the man standing to greet them. The setting was far less formal than he thought it would be. Isaac stood at attention as the commodore greeted them.

Taybrim: Lieutenant Sherlock, thank you for attending.

He tipped his head to Aine in pleasant greeting, and Aine returned the nod, smiling as best she could.

Sherlock: Welcome back, Commodore.

Taybrim: And Lieutenant Green, I’m sorry that this is our first meeting and I wasn’t able to welcome you on board before this all transpired.  But I am glad that you were with us.

Green: Baptism by fire, Sir. It’s good to finally meet you, Sir. 

Sal gestured to the seats across from him and the coffee on the table. Aine wasn't much of a coffee person, but right now, the hot bitterness sounded comforting and she poured herself a mug before taking a seat.

Taybrim: I want to start by saying thank you for coming and commending you and your fellow teammates on taking swift and decisive action.  

Sherlock: Lieutenant Green here did commendably. As did my new Ensigns in Security.

Green: Thank you, Sir. The crew on this station was absolutely incredible, Sir. ::Turning to Sherlock:: Your Security teams were top notch, Lieutenant. That’s testimony to your leadership. 

 

Isaac had gained a lot of respect for Aine and her leadership style. She led from the front, rushing into the fray alongside the newest ensign, prepared to do whatever she needed to do to get the job done. There weren’t many who worked that way. She could have just as easily ran her part of the operation from the I.C.

Taybrim: I understand it was not ideal by any stretch of the imagination.  But I also recognize that you and your teams prepared for what we could rationally expect.  I think elements of this incident went far beyond expectation.

Green: I would agree, Sir. 

 

Aine took a gentle sip of the hot coffee. There was a slight sting on the tip of her tongue, but she didn't care.

Taybrim: Can you tell me what you both felt was the biggest concern or challenge you faced in this incident?

Green: The sheer size of the area of operation, Sir. The event spanned multiple areas, creating incidents within incidents, and when communications went down, it was difficult to maintain interoperability and a unified command. 

 

Isaac was reporting as he saw it, knowing the only way to improve for the next event was to learn from the last one. He had learned long ago, what happens in an event was training for the next one. 

 

Sherlock: Secrets, Sir.

Aine’s answer wasn’t what Isaac expected to hear. He couldn’t help but look over at the Security Chief, wondering what she meant.

Taybrim: ?

Sherlock: I feel so many missions in my past, and with this one, there are people who compartmentalize information. And if you objectively look back on what happened, each time, everything could have been stopped had someone just said something.

 

What she was saying wasn’t incorrect, but in the world of government there is always compartmentalization of information, disseminated to those who need to know when they need to know. Who decides who needs to know is often a mystery to those who don’t need to know. Isaac knew this from experience, but he also understood Aine’s frustration, so he sat quietly while she aired her concerns.

 

Taybrim: ?

 

Sherlock: We didn't even need to know everything. We've all seen enough weird ::beat:: stuff...out here. If he'd even said there was a suspected time traveller trying to mess with the timeline, we could have had so much more to go on.

 

Again, Isaac sat quietly and listened to what Aine had to say. It would have been nice to know exactly what they were dealing with, but in his experience that was never the case, and likely would never be the case in the future. That was the nature of the universe they lived in.

 

Taybrim: ?

Aine was becoming frustrated, she bit her lip again.

Sherlock: Yes, there are things that are classified beyond certain people's clearances, but not every bit of information is classified or violates Starfleet regulations if it is shared. And frankly, Sir, I've lost twenty crewmates in my time in Starfleet, twenty-one if I count myself being clinically dead on Rin...::she paused knowing she wasn't allowed to speak that name::...I'm tired of people not doing the right thing and others paying for it.

He had listened intently to what Aine was saying, and even agreeing a with her on some level, but he was starting to get concerned for her. He leaned in toward her and whispered to her.

Green: ::In a whisper:: Throttle down, Lieutenant. You’re getting dangerously close to the line. 

He could understand where she was coming from. It wasn’t ever easy to be kept in the dark, and when there are casualties that in hindsight could have been prevented if information had flowed down to the boots on the ground, frustration and blame are often the result. Somewhere, somebody could have done something to save lives, but instead hid behind the wall of “it’s classified”. He had seen it before, and would definitely see it again.

Taybrim/Sherlock: ?

 

Hoping he hadn’t crossed the line, he continued. He had seen many of his compatriots, and friends, over the years ruin their careers by not staying in their lane, and he was worried Aine was about to do that now. He had stood on the same battlefield with her, and he was not about to watch her stomp on her career without saying something about it.

 

Green: I’m sorry, Sir, but if I may have a moment with Lieutenant Sherlock?

 

Taybrim/Sherlock: ?

 

Green: Lieutenant, may I speak to you outside for a moment?

 

Taybrim/Sherlock: ?

 

It was awkward as hell, considering he was new to the crew, and the look Aine gave him was cold enough to make him wish he had brought a jacket. Regardless, he couldn’t let her shoot herself in the foot. Standing, he motioned toward the door and followed her out. As soon as the door closed, he spoke.

 

Green: What the hell are you doing?

 

Sherlock: ?

 

Green: To be frank, you were out of line in there. I couldn’t let you shoot your career in the ass.

 

Sherlock: ?

 

 

Tag/TBC

 

1Lt. Isaac Green

Marine Officer 292 SFMC

Starbase 118 Ops

R238801IG0

 

 

[Lt Aine Olive Sherlock]

Agreed! I love the direction he took it!