RP Log: Career Advice, the Musical
| Roleplay Log | |
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| Participants: | |
Location(s):
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Stardate:
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| 2025-05-25 15:28 | |
- Main Bridge <USS Phoenix NCC-170100-A>
- The main bridge is divided into three sections. Far to fore is an open area before the large viewscreen. This area also doubles as a walkway between the Captain and XO's offices to starboard and port respectively, the bridge staff breakroom to port, and a doorway to starboard which leads to the forward corridor and the conference room.
- The central section, raised a single step from the forward section, is accessible from both sides. To the fore of this section are the helm and operations stations, with the XO, Captain, and Mission Specialist chairs at aft. The latter three stations are enclosed in a horseshoe-like shape.
- To both sides of the central horseshoe shape are ramps that lead up to the highest and largest tier of the bridge. On the starboard side is the engineering station with a large L-shaped console, and the damage control station behind it. To port is the communications station, again with a large L-shaped console, and behind it the science station. At the aft side of the horseshoe shape is the tactical station, and along the back wall are multiple auxiliary stations. Access to the saucer turbolift and a doorway leading aft are also available on this tier.
Worthington remains in his seat on the bridge, watching and waiting.
Ryu walks onto the bridge, she spots Worthington sitting in the XO chair, she walks over to her Science station and sits down saying "Commander, from Tontro's memory, if I am not mistaken, in a situation where the Commanding Officer has been removed from command, the Executive Officer becomes Acting Captain until Starfleet command assigns a new Captain, just my way of pointing out the captain's chair is yours at this time"
Worthington snaps his head around to face Ryu. "Maybe by protocol," he says, "But it doesn't feel right. Not right now."
Ryu nods and says "I know how you feel, its a shoddy way of treating Captain Shulon, he was only following orders"
Ramirez interjects, quietly, "It's a rough period for all of us, XO, Lieutenant." A pause, then:" May I suggest...XO? What would you prefer to be addressed as?"
Worthington ponders. "Commander will do for now," he says. "Regardless of my position, it's still technically correct. I just don't think it's right for the crew for me to take on the trappings of Chill's position, even though I hold that authority. We need time to process what has happened, and command hasn't given any orders to the rest of us yet. So, I'm going to respect Chill as best as I can."
Ramirez adds, "Since we're still on leave, sir....Starfleet set us up to fail. They detached us from the fleet, ordered us to do what was necessary to help the Hur'q, they had hidden intelligence vessels running around out there..." Then he shakes his head. "So far as I know, there were no real parameters set. They wanted results, and they wanted a scapegoat if things went bad."
Ramirez nods. "Captain Shulon took a phaser blast in the face for us, sir."
Ryu nods and says "All crew are accounted for Commander" she looks at her monitors and says "No obstacles in our path for Emissary Station on sensors Commander, we're clear for departure."
Worthington nods to Ryu, glancing to Ramirez. "That he did," he replies. "That report had politics written all over it. I didn't like reading it 1 bit." He pauses. "Rig us for cruise, and set course for Emissary Station."
Ramirez sighs. "Aye."
Ramirez says, crisply, "Nav check complete. I concur with Lieutenant Ryu. Course from here to Emissary station is clear. Cruise power set. Course laid in."
Worthington nods. "Full impulse. Engage," he says.
You say, "Aye. Full impulse engaged."
Ramirez looks up. "We're clear of Risa and free to go to warp, sir."
Worthington nods. "Engage warp drive, cruise speed," he says.
The vessel vibrates slightly as it accelerates to warp speeds.
Ramirez nods. "Aye. Cruise warp selected."
Lieutenant (jg) Telula arrives from Saucer Aft Turbolift.
You say, "Cruise warp achieved. ETA 1 hour, 25 minutes, present speed, sir."
Worthington nods to Ramirez. "Thank you," he says, glancing around to the lift.
Ryu looks over the sensors and asks "Commander, has Chill been in contact with you since command made public his discharge?"
Counselor Telula steps onto the bridge, back in uniform, and makes her way over to her usual chair. She takes a seat, crosses her legs, and empties her lungs in a demonstrative sigh.
Worthington glances to Ryu. "No," he says. "No contact from him in any way since he was taken off the Phoenix."
Ramirez frowns from his station. "This entire situation reeks of a political appeasement plan. The Dominion wins again." His tone is dark and irritated-sounding.
Counselor Telula doesn't comment. She just listens thoughtfully, idly strumming her fingers in a sequence against the armrest of her chair.
Ryu nods and says "Starfleet Command should at least give him the opportunity to give the crew a farewell"
Ramirez looks up. "Incoming comms request from SS Serendipity, XO."
Worthington nods to Ryu and Ramirez, then speaks. "Put it on the main viewer," he says.
Counselor Telula reaches for the controls at her seat and accepts the communication request. "Onscreen," she confirms.
Counselor Telula frowns and shakes her head. "Actually, we missed them," she adds.
Ryu taps in a few commands idly on her console as she sits back, monitoring the sensors.
Worthington nods to Telula. "Guess he doesn't want to talk that badly then," he says.
Miri shrugs. "I guess not," she replies softly.
Ramirez glances over to the other people on the bridge, a frown settling onto his features. "Incredible. Starfleet's managed to create worse morale then /before/ we got to Risa. That's got to be some kind of record."
Ramirez glances up. "1 hour to Emissary Station, sir."
Worthington nods to Telula, then Ramirez. "Thank you," he says. "And yes. It's amazing the effect Command can have. Some of us have known Chill for a very long time. I thought he'd be an admiral by now, not discharged from the service, with the sort of record and accomplishments he's had."
Ramirez sighs. "Sir? We violated sovereign borders on multiple occasions. Worse? We got caught doing it and created a massive interstellar political incident. History suggests this was inevitable. And frankly, sir, both you and I aren't out of the woods, either."
Ryu continues to monitor her station as she listens to what is said
Worthington nods to Ramirez. "I know, Hatter too," he says. "Probably us two more than you. We were actually in command of the missions that violated Dominion space, after all. They tend to come down much harder on those who bear ultimate responsibility. That's why Chill was the first scapegoat. It's easy to pin things on him, because as the captain, he is ultimately responsible for everything and everyone under his command."
"Did Captain Shulon order the away mission that resulted in the border violation?" Miri wonders aloud, presenting the question to the general group.
Ramirez nods to Worthington, adding a moment later, "That's true, sir. But. Balance this against what we accomplished, sir. We saved a species. Or, at least, stopped the Dominion from eradicating them and we gave them a fighting chance."
"We /did the right thing./ But that doesn't mean there will be no cost. Captain Shulon paid part of the bill. I fear there's still a lot left on that tab." He shrugs. "I can't speak for you, sir. But if I end up getting cashiered over this? It was worth it. We did the morally right thing. I won't be happy. Not at all. But I will, in the end, feel as if I did the right thing. Sacrifice doesn't always entail death, after all."
He looks over to Miri, then, and then back to Worthington, curious about the answer.
Worthington nods to Telula. "He ordered at least 2 of our incursions, well, 3 of them, actually. One, he ordered Hatter's mission. That was kind of the point of our whole mission anyway, which is why this really sucks," he says.
"He ordered our rescue mission, which is the only reason why some of us are even still alive. He also ordered our other rescue mission. The only one he didn't explicitly order, was when we followed that Hur'q ship to Saltah'na, though he initially thought it was outside Dominion space."
He pauses. "He authorized the mission in which that violation occurred, but he did not order us into Dominion space on that occasion. That doesn't matter to command though. The way it works at that level, you're the captain, you authorized the mission, the mission screwed up, you're held responsible. Crap trickles down from there."
He nods to Ramirez. "Ensigns don't usually get cashiered over something their commanding officers did. If anything, I'll get the blame for Saltah'na, not you. The Dominion battleship, that was the whole time loop thing at Yadera as well. One hell of a mess that was. Technically neutral space, but a whole bunch of circumstances too weird that won out."
Counselor Telula rolls her eyes slightly, facing forward. "My question isn't really concerning command's opinion on the matter," she explains. "It's concerning matters of what's right and wrong and whether the crew will be able to look themselves in the mirror each morning." She frowns and leans back in her chair. "Can we truthfully say we can do that without even lifting our fingers to file a petition or something?"
Ramirez frowns. "Maybe that's the way it normally works, sir. But they are offering blood sacrifices to the Dominion leadership in an attempt to appease them. Who knows. Maybe this was one of the Dominion's strategic goals all along -- force us to act because of the moral stance of Starfleet, and then bleed us of competent officers."
He shakes his head after another thoughtful frown. "I mean. I'm not saying I matter to anyone. Which is the point. I don't matter to anyone, but long lists of officers who 'paid the price for their transgressions' are useful diplomatic tools when your goal is abject appeasement of monsters."
His glance falls, then, to Miri. "I can't speak for anyone but me, Miri. I knew what I was doing. I wouldn't really do anything differently. Captain Shulon might feel the same way. He /had/ to understand the risk he was taking. He's not dim."
Worthington nods to Telula and Ramirez. "No, Shulon was far from dim," he says. "I don't think command is looking for that level of sacrifice. The report had the air of wanting to sweep it under the rug, but feeling forced to act on it."
He pauses. "This is the time for logic. Serving under a Vulcan commander for many years, well. Sometimes, there's not much we can do. If a room full of admirals makes a decision, even a bad one, well. It's not like they've ordered us to do something, and we can disobey it on moral grounds. There is a serious diplomatic cost too. I mean, do we actually want a war with the Dominion? They are evil, true. But there are billions of innocent beings who would pay the price for such a thing. How do we balance that? None of the civilians out here asked for any of this. We all knew the risks too. We were serving a higher purpose, doing the right thing helping the Hur'q. If anyone is going to pay political consequences for that, it's us, not innocent civilians. Some day, we may need to do something about the Dominion, but war is a truly ugly and terrible thing, and comes with a hefty price. Just ask the Cardassians."
Counselor Telula frowns and considers Ramirez's suggestion. "What was it that the Romulans had thought happened to Riov Haram?" she asks.
Ramirez sets his jaw. "Our gravest sin, sir, was getting caught. We need to get better at our jobs, sir, so that it doesn't happen again." His frown is deep, and the sense of self-recrimination is strong. "Maybe you're right. Maybe it stops with Captain Shulon. But we need to be better, sir, because it's partly on us. We /owe/ it to Shulon everyone else to not make the same mistakes again."
"Riov Haram, according to the Romulans, was killed when her ship was destroyed, I believe? She was given a state funeral and everything. "He looks over to Worthington for confirmation.
Worthington nods to Ramirez. "Her body was found aboard her ship, IRW Preceptor," he says. "Returned to her people, and given a full state funeral."
Miri nods at the given answers and falls silent.
Ramirez looks back to his console. "Anyhow, sir. I wish I knew what our fate was going to be. Maybe this is part of the punishment -- letting us wriggle on the hook." He punches a button on his consoles. Disconsolately, he murmurs, "Maybe I can become a mercenary. That has a dashing sound to it."
Lieutenant Ryu leaves for Break Room - Main Bridge.
Worthington nods to Ramirez. "So did I," he says. "I find this lack of news, disconcerting, to say the least. I intend to talk to an old friend of mine, get her perspective."
Miri looks over her shoulder at Ramirez and frowns and then slides down in her chair a little bit. She folds her arms across her chest and falls into a silence.
Ramirez sighs. "Emissary station on sensors, sir. ETA roughly 6.5 minutes"
Worthington nods. "I'm sorry I can't provide more information," he says. "This is a precarious position for all of us. Phoenix without a captain, our main mission concluded, who knows what will happen to us for the moment," he says.
Ramirez says, "Well. You know what? Emissary Station has a nice park. It has good drinks. It has decent food. No reason to not enjoy what's before us for the time being, sir."
Worthington glances to Telula. "Get us a docking assignment please," he says.