Star Trek: Theurgy

Day 06 [0910 hrs.] Old And New

July 15, 2019, 11:04:54 PM

OLD AND NEW
STARDATE 57571.20
MARCH 16TH, 2381

[ Cmdr Ranaan Ducote | Intelligence Officer's Quarters | Deck 10 | Vector 02 | USS Theurgy ] attn: @CanadianVet

Ducote was on his rounds again. Between going down to the planet, unavoidable meetings, and getting up to speed on the ship's logs and reports as they came in, he was finally able to properly get back into his old habit of working on the move. Frankly, with a crew this size, he wasn't sure he'd get enough done if he were stuck in one place. In between that, he'd been meeting with his new department heads as and when convenient, to get a feel for how they operated, and to see what they needed of him.

There was one, however, that remained less than easily predictable, at least as far as how the meeting would go. The hybrid hadn't been putting it off so much as he had been prioritising other things. A distinction without a difference, if ever there was one. Be honest.

No, given the highly-charged nature of the events that led up to Trent's removal from post, and his own position in that post, he simply wanted to forestall any awkwardness. Though he did run the risk of making it so merely by worrying about the possibility. He sighed as he rounded a corner, scrolling through a PADD as he walked. Personnel reshuffles were still ongoing, between longer-term injuries and addressing roster casualties. He trusted the relevant supervisors and heads to know what they were doing there, and was content to sign off as they came in with only a cursory check to make sure all the necessary roles were being covered.

Blue was still vacillating between bone-deep joy at having three entire engine rooms to play around in and work on Albert and Cross' hand, and some form of separation anxiety whenever they had to go their separate ways to work. Now that she was letting him back inside her head with more regularity, it was easier to see. Harder not to let her see his seeing, though...  But she was on the mend. It would be slow, no doubt, but while they (and their relationship) would never be the same, they clung together still. He was more than happy with that.

Pushing her out of his mind, albeit reluctantly, he finally arrived at his destination - though only after heading halfway to his old borrowed berth on this deck, a couple of sections over. He straightened his tunic and thumbed the door chime, his face a mask of professionalism. When the doors slid open, he offered a polite smile and his hand to shake; they hadn't yet actually been introduced. His damaged voice, not quite yet up to speed thanks to the mid-morning hour, was characteristically full of gravel.

"Mister Trent. May I come in?"

Re: Day 06 [0910 hrs] Old And New

Reply #1 – August 02, 2019, 04:42:44 PM

[ Lt Carrigan Trent| Quarters | USS Theurgy ]

Trying to focus on the data surrounding him in his private study, Lieutenant Trent imagined his eye-wear to agonise him, while he knew that he rather lamented having to return to analytics after having been in command once more. The study had been fitted to the needs of his duties, and also kept him safe from any Bellerophon crew. He knew Thea was keeping an eye on him as well as the officers from that Intrepid-class ship, and while he didn't care to be knifed down in the corridor, the confines of his duty hours were wearing on him nonetheless.

When there was a chime heard from the door, Trent removed the goggles, and all the holographic planetary sensor readings and surveillance screens vanished from view. It was a precaution to keep his classified work from letting Heather seeing it, since she didn't have the clearance for it, and he had begun to think that the level of secrecy plain to Heather was wearing on their relationship. Another thing to lament, and hate Ives for. Of course, he hated Dewitt more, and kept his personal tabs on her, hoping to make his case once more whenever she took a single step awry.

"Enter," he called in his almost whispering tone of voice, but Thea had long since calibrated her audio sensors to hear him. The doors opened, and Trent left the goggles behind to meet his visitor.

Commander Ranaan Ducote.

Oh, but what would he make of this? Had Ives decided to pass on the duty of handling his reports to the new XO? Was his work being downgraded in priority? Was it a social call? Why was this? Surely the Endeavour officer had nothing but gratitude over having been given Trent's duties? Politely enough, however, the man asked if he may come in. Trent tried to swallow the bitterness that the new XO represented, even though he - admittedly - may have been too quick to accept the XO position himself. Not that he'd admit it openly to this person, however. No, Ducote could be useful to handle Dewitt, and once that was done, perhaps Ives would be more amiable to alter his assignment...

"Please," he said quietly and gestured with his metallic hand, the servos whirring a bit as he did. He had motioned towards the sitting area. "Can I get you anything?"

As for himself, he replicated a glass of water, even though he'd preferred bourbon. He'd taken a few too many the last couple of days, admittedly, and he may have forgotten to shave and shower since yesterday morning, but holed up in his quarters as he was, he'd not made it a priority.

"My condolences on the Endeavour, and your Captain," he said when he returned and seated himself, regardless if the Commander had opted to stand or not. "Interestingly enough, it would seem from the communication logs of Starbase 84, extracted by Miss Ravenholm when we were there, Amasov made a distress call directly to Captain Ian Hawthorne before your ship was destroyed. I found the negative imprint of the deleted log the other day. Clearly, Hawthorne being one of the enemy, they suppressed the knowledge of the Borg presence."

An offhand statement, perhaps, but also a means to show the new XO he had far more wits than his demotion might suggest...

---

OOC: Since Trent is featured in Silver Shadows on Day 08 and 09, and it would be a lot of work to edit all those posts, we could have this thread be a warning/strike one deal, in reaction to Zephyr's report? Instead of his removal from duty, fiendfall and I are planning on using a bitter Bellerophon officer that lost his pregnant spouse to remove Trent from the story, and with Hathev having to unite the Bellerophon crew with the Theurgy crew rather than letting the incident divide them. WIP idea, and you're welcome to be a part of that too!

Re: Day 06 [0910 hrs] Old And New

Reply #2 – August 09, 2019, 10:47:23 PM

[ Cmdr Ranaan Ducote | Intelligence Officer's Quarters | Deck 10 | Vector 02 | USS Theurgy ] attn: @Auctor Lucan

Several feelings flowed through Trent's head at the realisation of who was standing in his doorway. He was Human, which made reading him a far more trivial matter than it might otherwise have been, but this was also a near-total-stranger and someone not unused to keeping a lid on themselves at the best of times. Still, Ducote anticipated that he'd manage a good solid read on the man by the end of their meeting. The complicated jumble that greeted him as the door opened offered little understanding.

"Can I get you anything?"

No deliberations necessary there. "Black coffee, please. Thea has a decent Brazilian roast on file."

The mug was delivered with a message of condolence. Ducote's faced darkened somewhat for a brief moment, before a polite smile visited his face. "Thank you. Likewise; the Endeavour's hell is over, but the Theurgy has been flying through hers for a good long while."

"Interestingly enough, it would seem from the communication logs of Starbase 84, extracted by Miss Ravenholm when we were there, Amasov made a distress call directly to Captain Ian Hawthorne before your ship was destroyed. I found the negative imprint of the deleted log the other day. Clearly, Hawthorne being one of the enemy, they suppressed the knowledge of the Borg presence."

His voice, it appeared, got no louder. Ducote resisted the temptation to lean forward to make sure he heard everything Trent said. It was a tactic he disliked, as a rule; better to be clear and project rather than force your counterpart to sit up. Though for a personal meeting like this one, it was perfectly fine as an affectation. The quiet acknowledgement of the vocal... tic? ran parallel to his processing of the content of Trent's words.

They had been betrayed themselves, it seemed. Ducote looked off to one bulkhead, sighing deeply. He found himself in the odd position of leaning into the (now at least justified) belief in the parasite threat, so that he might avoid the pain of feeling as if his home - his people - had abandoned him and his crew to the Borg.

Finally, his gradually-attuning empathy betrayed in turn Trent's intention to showboat by dropping that nugget into the conversation. This meeting was not going to be easy after all, it seemed, however small that particular hope had been.

"I'm glad that your circumstances have not overly affected your work, Lieutenant," he deadpanned in return. "Quite sloppy of an entity so concerned with subterfuge to forget to overwrite the imprint, hm?"

Ducote straightened one leg, ignoring the (now thankfully occasional) twinge from his almost-recovered knee, to draw his PADD from his pocket. "It is your work that I'm here to discuss. I have a note here that said you were unhappy with staffing? Office accommodations are obviously below par, but we'll come to that in a moment."

Re: Day 06 [0910 hrs] Old And New

Reply #3 – August 17, 2019, 03:22:43 AM

[ Lt Carrigan Trent| Quarters | USS Theurgy ]
After having delivered the Brazilian coffee blend and his condolences on the fate of the Endeavour, Trent found the halfblood Betazoid commenting on Hawthorne's conduct as an agent of the nameless darkness. Should he speak of his theories on this? No, that couldn't have been the purpose of the visit.

Truthfully, after facing Sonja Acreth, Trent's fears towards the Infested had dissipated somewhat, even though the recollection of Acreth was vivid in his mind. Loosing her at Starbase 84 might have been a loss of available intel and means of understanding the nature of the enemy, but he'd been quite relieved to not have her aboard. Then again, now Nicander served in the same capacity as she did, only the Doctor appeared to be more cooperative. At least that's what he'd heard. Nicander's nature, however, had grounded his suspicions about Ian Hawthorne's shortcomings when it came to communication logs. Surely the level of skill for subterfuge was relative to the host, since the hosts gave purpose and direction towards the nameless darkness? This theory said something about Acreth, who'd been caught by Captain Vasser, Hawthorne, who'd despite his flaws when it came to technology did suppress the Borg threat and put Federation high end weaponry in the hands of the Romulan rebel fleet - instigating the Praetor's coming wrath towards Starfleet - and Doctor Nicander, who'd allegedly been one of the enemies since his Academy days, and hadn't been caught unless shot by one of the Devoted.

No, Commander Ducote was about to answer his requests about better access to personnel and resources to carry out Ives' assignment at Aldea. The man was about to speak of work accommodation as well, and both topics served Trent better than a long-winded analysis on the enemy.

"Indeed," he said quietly, opening up with reiterating his concerns. "I have been tasked with using my means as a former SFI analytic to protect the Theurgy against discovery, and yet in this capacity, I am bereft of qualified personnel to carry out the very tasks I see needed to accomplish this. Instead, I am reduced to a one-man-show, supposedly carrying this responsibility on my own, and I feel that I am also eligible to carry the responsibility for failures in protecting the ship in this capacity. Should anything slip me by, it would not only happen because I couldn't deploy resources where I deem fit, I would also find myself an easy target. A scapegoat, if you will, with little means to address the accusations laid at my feet."

After the whole debacle with Dewitt, and he carrying the blame for what happened - unjustifiably so in his opinion - how could he deflect any further blame on his conduct? It wasn't fair that he'd have the accountability without the proper means at his disposal to do what he was supposed to.

"As for my working conditions, I would much prefer using the Flag Bridge again, as I did before I earned your current position, Commander. Ives said it was for my own protection, but whatever grievances new crewmembers might have with me, these people wouldn't have access to that area anyway, right? With Thea keeping her watchful eye at me, and it being a secure area, surely that place would be better suited for my tasks than these quarters?"

Better yet, with the extra space, he'd be able to keep a better eye on Dewitt - devoting enough space in that area to ensure he caught anything she might do. It irked him to no ends that Jennifer had given him no means to undermine her - allegedly preforming her duties as a liaison officer over all expectations.

He couldn't quite shake the feeling that while he was holed up where he was, Dewitt was earning back whatever trust lost with her performance. She had an unfair advantage if he was going to set the record straight, and rid himself of the guilt. Perhaps it was this frustration that had spurred his outburst towards that science officer? Regardless, he was not about to give up.

Re: Day 06 [0910 hrs] Old And New

Reply #4 – August 24, 2019, 01:56:54 PM

[ Cmdr Ranaan Ducote | Intelligence Officer's Quarters | Deck 10 | Vector 02 | USS Theurgy ] attn: @Auctor Lucan

Ducote nodded along while Trent spoke, mostly to show he was listening. The added context regarding his concerns about being scapegoated was interesting, and not least because it helped him build his 'emotional glossary' for the man sitting across from him. Trent kept a fairly tight leash on himself, outwardly at least, but internally was just about as impassioned as any other Human. But still, everyone was unique, and his own damaged empathy took a moment to acclimate to new people now.

The XO checked his PADD for a couple of details, as Trent moved on to wanting to use the flag bridge for his work space. Privately, Ducote agreed that the room made the most sense; it was literally designed to collate and display multiple intelligence streams and simplify the process of issuing orders to several places at once. A small wrinkle with that one, though. For the sake of not losing his colleague early, he elected to go back on his earlier preference to talk about personnel first, and addressed the work/living arrangements instead.

"I'm afraid the flag bridge is out of the question, Mister Trent. Captain Ives was quite clear on that point," Ducote pointed at the line in Trent's orders on his PADD, written up for the log, though the little screen was both too small for the other man to read at that distance and facing away from him, "and hasn't made any indication that s/he is inclined to change hir mind yet. However, there are certainly other compartments aboard that have the ability to stand in and are no less secure with the appropriate measures." Theurgy-only security staff, multi-role rooms with only one entrance, et cetera. "If you have any particular requirements outside of the usual Intelligence-standard kit, let Ops know. I took the liberty of having them begin to modify one of the labs on deck nine; they should be done in a day or two."

The hybrid took a breath and shifted in his seat. Time for the bigger one.

"As for being expected to run this operation alone, I... couldn't actually find where that had been stated at all. There are no dedicated Intelligence staff under you, because - simply put - the crew are needed elsewhere on a day-to-day basis. This ship is in, to coin a phrase, a shit state. However-" he inclined his head, anticipating the protest, "-you are functionally as much a department head the same as any other. A position in which you have found yourself in the past - volunteered for a second time, even - unless I misread your jacket. So the experience is not unknown to you, to have to coordinate with your peers. If one of them should refuse a request for a secondment without reason, I encourage you to tell me immediately; getting this ship up and running is priority one, but making sure we aren't blind to what's coming isn't exactly far behind."

Ducote scrubbed a tiny piece of sleep from the corner of his eye with one finger before putting the PADD aside and looking at Trent directly.

"Whether you are being scapegoated... is irrelevant, Mister Trent." Time to teach his grandmother how to suck eggs, I guess. "I don't have to tell you how this situation should have worked, were we still part of the rest of the Fleet. The mutiny happened. The mutineer surrendered to authority. The mutinee was released from their bonds. Then the ship moves immediately to the nearest starbase, the Judge Advocate General is called, and an admiralty board is convened to begin a court-martial of those involved.

"Assuming a justifiable mutiny, the mutinee is relieved of their position and discharged from the Fleet for losing the respect due their rank and control of a vessel. Potential criminal proceedings take place depending on what precipitated the mutiny. The mutineer is discharged from the Fleet for having revolted against the chain of command. Assuming an illegal one, the mutinee is removed from their position for losing the respect due their rank, and assigned to a desk somewhere because their reputation has been sufficiently damaged that they are not expected to command the respect of another crew following transfer. The mutineer is arrested and, pending trial, imprisoned in the stockade - up to a life sentence, depending on the severity of the actions taken during the act, according to the Uniform Code of Justice."

He gazed levelly at the veteran officer.

"I can't get rid of either of you. There is no JAG. There is nowhere I could leave you both and be certain that you wouldn't get disappeared - or worse - by the infested elements of the Federation leadership. In the meantime, I have to find a way to use you both that avoids any interaction with each other, with any of the involved elements in the events that led to your deposing, and keep you away from the Bellerophon survivors until we can vet them for their intentions regarding this ship and its crew.

"I can give you my word that I will walk that tightrope to the utmost of my ability, but I require you to play the game in turn, Mister Trent. Remember the spirit as well as the letter of your orders, and cooperate with the other departments to get what you need until we can find a way to guarantee you a permanent staff."

Re: Day 06 [0910 hrs] Old And New

Reply #5 – August 29, 2019, 03:21:03 PM

[ Lt Carrigan Trent | Quarters | USS Theurgy ]

Sweet and sour news, a mix of progress and disappointment.

What Ducote spoke of illustrated quite well why he loathed Dewitt and could not abide the notion that she still served the crew. Perhaps, if he was honest towards himself, he might have hated how she had more liberty of movement than he did. Indeed, she had not antagonised the Bellerophon crew. Quite the opposite. He also placed the blame upon Leon Marquez, who had fired those torpedoes against the Intrepid-class ship. Perhaps on his orders, but his intention had not been to cause so much damage. Poor luck. Of course the crew of that ship would blame him tough, having been in command of Vector 01 at the time it happened. They had grievances over what had happened, and he was the prime target. He avoided to think of his guilt in the matter. No, he couldn't allow himself to feel it in the company of a Betazoid - hybrid or not. That scientist on the Memorial Terrace had sensed far more than she should when he'd let his guard down. Focus.

"I appreciate the possibility of working somewhere else than here. I will make sure to send Ops my requirements," he said quietly, then he considered how to best phrase himself in regard to the hurdle of requesting aid when the import of his duties merited having resources devoted to him at any time of the day. Ducote may technically have been right, but Carrigan though there was more to it than that. Since Ives had accepted Dewitt's word on the events on the bridge that day, he couldn't quite shake the idea that he was being punished rather than protected. How had the woman managed to sway Ives? I wouldn't put it past the harlot to sway Ives with sex. How else could she have convinced hir? That KDF whore too. Of course Miss Natauna would side with Dewitt rather than me. She should never have put her foot on the bridge...

Deep down, he knew he was unfair and irrational, but one woman had removed him from command, and the other had backed her up, and since then, he had realised that he may never be able to set things right again. How was he going to make people take him seriously? If it hadn't been for Dewitt, it would have been him sitting where Ducote was now, making sure all departments had everything they needed. It irked him to no end, but he kept his face impassive.

"I may not find it as irrelevant as others might, of course. It's my name on the line, and it's been dragged in the dirt. I wonder, how closely is Commander Dewitt watched in her duties with the ADC?" he asked quietly, folding his hands in his lap. The Aldean Defece Committee was far too important to be left to that decrepit woman. He did not trust anything she sent him. If it weren't for the risk to the Theurgy, Trent had even entertained the idea to let slip to the KDF that Zyrao Natauna had betrayed the Empire at the Coreless Moon. It was merely the truth, after all. Of course, he'd refrained. The safety of the ship depended on the alliance with High Chancellor Martok. "I merely ask out of concern for the ship and crew, but if I am held on this tight leach, I can't help but wonder if it's not a mistake to leave the 'Mission Liaison Officer' with the kind of latitude she has here at Aldea. As you said, she and I would normally not have served aboard this ship at all, after she unjustly deposed me from command."

Oh, how he wished to engage in conversation about past events, and make Ducote see things his way. It was the key to a brighter future aboard, and a way to earn his repute back.

Re: Day 06 [0910 hrs] Old And New

Reply #6 – August 31, 2019, 12:20:43 PM

[ Cmdr Ranaan Ducote | Intelligence Officer's Quarters | Deck 10 | Vector 02 | USS Theurgy ] attn: @Auctor Lucan

Ducote looked down at his PADD again and scrolled slowly through his little agenda there, without really reading it. His attention was firmly on his blunted empathy, gradually getting a read on the man. He was still fixated, and ruminating, and his mind-tone rather was rather neatly the inverse of his vocal one. He was keeping a leash on himself, at least, but it felt rather more that it was for the hybrid's benefit than his own.

At the question about Dewitt, Ducote looked squarely back at him, one eyebrow a micron higher than the other as he tried to gauge exactly what he was aiming at.

"I merely ask out of concern for the ship and crew, but if I am held on this tight leash, I can't help but wonder if it's not a mistake to leave the 'Mission Liaison Officer' with the kind of latitude she has here at Aldea. As you said, she and I would normally not have served aboard this ship at all, after she unjustly deposed me from command."

A breath Ducote hadn't realised had hitched escaped in a long draught out of his nose as he made a good effort not to break his own composure. Ives did warn me that he refused to listen. There was a strong temptation to answer sarcastically that not only was she being given free reign right now, but he honestly had no idea where she was at all nor what she was up to... though he was sure it was probably fine, right? Better not. Tough crowd.

"Ms Dewitt is my concern, Mister Trent. She was appointed to her role by the captain in order to do the same thing s/he did with you; keep her mostly out of the crew's way in such a way that she is still useful to it. She is being actively and passively monitored, just like you." He shifted his right foot closer to the couch in order to bend his knee a little tighter; it was beginning to ache with inactivity. He couldn't wait for the connective tissues in there to finish healing, as there was little more that regenerators could do for it. "Captain Ives, with full telepathic support, Thea's heuristic analytical skills, and everyone's logs and testimony from the event, determined that it was not unjust. I wasn't there and will not issue a judgement of my own, but I have found the captain to be quite wise enough in other matters so far."

Meaning, explicitly, that he agreed with the given verdict. He'd had occasion to review the logs and subsequent hearings - helpful when trying to figure out whether or not there was anything he could do about the pair of them - and couldn't find much fault in the logic. Ducote still desperately wished he could just debark them both and wash his hands of them, as it was another headache the entire ship didn't need.

"Regarding your name..." he trailed off, shrugging expressively though not dismissively. "It would be easy for me to sit here and tell you that once this mission succeeds and the dust settles, any damage to your reputation will be undone. I'm not the one who has to feel as if he's now persona non grata. But you're not, Trent.

"If you were, we'd be having this conversation in the brig." 

Re: Day 06 [0910 hrs] Old And New

Reply #7 – September 05, 2019, 04:25:06 PM

[ Lt Carrigan Trent | Quarters | USS Theurgy ]
The replies given were a mix of sweet and sour once more, making Trent at odds with what he ought to say.

On one hand, it could be that they were actually keeping tabs on Dewitt, and on the other, she was still more influential than he was. He felt like an analytic without sway or means to execute actions needed to keep the Theurgy's presence hidden from Starfleet and the Federation, whereas she was acting as a diplomat and able to move freely around both the shipyards and Aldea Prime. Surely the threat upon his life was blown out of proportion? Had not the Theurgy saved every single Bellerophon crewmember aboard?

But to hear that even Commander Ducote believed the swill from Dewitt? What witness accounts? Natauna's, surely. Thea? She had been on the Versant at the time. Whatever data she used may have been tampered with. Telepathic support? Doctor Kobol ? He was from the Endeavour and had no experience reading his mind, and that Betazoid had earned the Chief Medical Officer role from Ives. Of course he's take the Chameloid's word over that of more experienced officers in the Command Division.

"Ives, wise enough?" he let slip before he could catch himself. "He would not have come as far as he did if it wasn't for me. With the push of a button, I single-handedly stopped Task Force Archeron from making minced meat of the Theurgy and the Harbinger both above the atmosphere of Theta Eridani IV. In command on the bridge, I fought the USS Calamity after have taken the ship back from Captain Vasser and his Vulcan. I kept us all alive outside Starbase 84 while besieged by the cannonade of the starbase as well as its interceptors. I destroyed the Orcus before she could render our shields ineffective. I ordered to make the Tovarek drones warp into the engines of the Versant so that all three Vectors could escape the Savi. I severed the connection between the Borg Queen and the drones aboard this ship during the battle at the apertures. I have earned more than this."

He may have skirted the truth a bit, phrased himself for effect, but he was angry. Still, he did not raise his voice. Merely a dark frown upon his face as he looked at this Betazoid who had not walked a single yard of their journey. Who was he to judge him?

"It would seem I have been judged for having a heart, when I told Dewitt that my first priority was the abductees on the Versant, and getting them back. I did not even know about the presence of the Borg in the nebula, and continuing the mission without Ives and the single Radiant we know about was a mission doomed to fail. Even you had a fiance aboard the Savi dreadnought, did you not, Commander? Am I truly to blame for doing what everyone wanted, instead of following the Continuance Protocol to the letter?"

A dangerous game, to give in to the anger, but it was as if the incident on the terrace the night before had opened doors he'd firmly shut for far too long.

Re: Day 06 [0910 hrs] Old And New

Reply #8 – September 12, 2019, 09:57:38 PM

[ Cmdr Ranaan Ducote | Intelligence Officer's Quarters | Deck 10 | Vector 02 | USS Theurgy ] attn: @Auctor Lucan

Ducote looked off to one side as Trent went on, almost appearing as if he was zoning out (he wasn't, though he wished he could). It wasn't deliberate, and it certainly wasn't meant as a snub, but this meeting had entirely strayed from its intended purpose. The former XO was attempting to use it as a reprise of (or a stand-in for) his hearing, apparently, and the current one was not interested in hearing a combination of curriculum vitae and impassioned defence.

And then he brought Blue into it.

Trent may well pride himself on being in total control of himself, whatever that meant given recent events, but it took a supreme effort of will for Ducote to remain stoic in the face of that deliberate provocation. He would not be drawn into some meaningless squabble here.

The Brazilian took a deep breath, and let it out for a good few seconds. From somewhere, a bastard of a headache was taking root behind his eyes... the coffee was either too strong, or not strong enough for this. "You are of course entitled to your opinions, Mister Trent, but kindly do me the credit of believing that I would read the relevant reports of and on a person before I met them like this - particularly given the unusual nature of our circumstances. Subtle wordplay and creative omission hold little water with me."

He held up a hand to forestall the inevitable rejoinder, and continued, "This conversation is about cooperation, not competition, Trent. There is nothing to win here, because it is not about winning. I want to make sure you're as useful to the crew as possible, and vice versa, as is practical. We're not going to rehash your service aboard this ship, we're not going to retread and second-guess decisions already made, we're not going to make any judicial decisions without the presence of the captain, the ship, and an adequate representation of the senior staff. At minimum." Ducote paused. "Unless you'd like me to summon them now?" he asked rhetorically, even if it somewhat undermined his earlier comment about this meeting not being about point-scoring.

The PADD was once again consulted in order to underline this particular chapter in their fun little chat, and his own voice returned to a more conversational tone. "I assume there is a list of personnel already drawn up that you wished to utilise for your initial operations?" Ducote glanced over at Trent expectantly.

Re: Day 06 [0910 hrs] Old And New

Reply #9 – September 16, 2019, 08:30:24 PM

[ Lt Carrigan Trent | Quarters | USS Theurgy ]

To his great irritation, the Betazoid did not rise to the bait of discussion, simply giving his comments and rights to better treatment a blanket dismissal under the argument that he'd read all the reports and made his own call on the contents. Not even acknowledging how Ives,  perhaps even Dewitt, might have altered the reports! Surely that was not beyond them, framing him as the two had even though he was in the right of it. He would not put anything past Dewitt, but the greatest betrayal was in how Ives had taken her side.

When Trent came aboard, he'd sacrificed everything for the Theurgy and her mission, for Jien and the crew, when he unleashed the virus upon the Archeron and the subspace sensor network that ran through the whole task force. Career suicide, sacrificing countless lives of Ops personnel in the shuttle bays, and painted a target on his own back. For what? This?

In the end, Trent found nothing to say, and made no comment when he was rebuked, remaining silent until Commander Ducote asked of his requirements of personnel to carry out his tasks. He paused in silence, perhaps for effect, but just as much to try - against his wishes - to dismiss his concerns about Dewitt and the way he'd been slandered left and right by lower ranking officers that didn't have the experience and fortitude that he had. He felt like a sacrificial lamb which had been gutted to quell the hurt feelings of the Bellerophon crew. While he didn't say it, knowing it might not be entirely justified, he did feel that since he could see through Sankolov, then every single soul in the Infested's task force could have done the same.

"I would like Selena Ravenholm, provisional warrant officer and encryption specialist, to report directly to me and make herself available as soon as possible. Furthermore I would need Thea’s personal projection at a minimum of three hours per day, as well as a minimum of ten security officers of high qualifications that can be my eyes and ears down on Aldea. Moreover, I need Dewitt as well as Zyrao Natauna to submit all reports to me, and make their scheduled duties available to my purview. I also need one flight of Lone Wolves - that's four of them - to do recon on my behalf, following up any leads I may have on threats in the Epsilon Mynos System and without. Also, a minimum of two CONN officers on standby at all times. Moreover, I need officers that have experience with undercover duties to investigate the old safehouses that Captain Ives left behind in the city, since my own training is woefully inadequate in that regard. I need the Science department to dedicate a minimum of two officers to enhance the particle sensor suite that Ensign ch'Xinya built, and also build new Tovarek-class drones, fitted with Aldean sensor scramblers."

Carrigan shifted in his seat and continued in his quiet voice. "This is just what's at the top of my head, but I will send you the full list of what I need, in hope that the rest is just as reasonable."

Boldness tended to take you quite far...

Re: Day 06 [0910 hrs] Old And New

Reply #10 – October 05, 2019, 12:08:30 PM

[ Cmdr Ranaan Ducote | Intelligence Officer's Quarters | Deck 10 | Vector 02 | USS Theurgy ] attn: @Auctor Lucan

Ducote's empathy was reasonably well-tuned to Trent's emotional state now, and he rather wished it wasn't. The... childishness of his earlier comments was confirmed by the burst of irritation that followed the XO's failure to bite, and as it faded it hardly improved, as it gave way instead to a brooding sullenness about... goodness knew what. He had come here to attempt to forge some sort of working relationship with one of his new senior staff (whatever the circumstances of the man's arrival in that post) but had instead had his opinion of Trent reduced. No doubt the feeling was mutual.

He settled himself by taking notes as Trent made his list of demands. Privately, he had to admit that the list was not out of the ordinary for a security operation, albeit one that had been prioritised. It lent credence to the assertion that the erstwhile XO had been hung out to dry, even if Ducote didn't read the situation that way. Certainly, Trent's resistance to hearing the other view was telling in itself.

He also didn't volunteer himself to check out those safehouses, despite having precisely the requisite experience. If no one else could be found, he'd do it. But that was a chapter of his life he'd rather put behind him permanently if possible.

He had ideas for the other things - he made a note to check if Marlee was still aboard to help with those sensors, and a standby rota for the CONN staff could be drawn up with little difficulty - though he knew that there were things in that list that he would not be able to unilaterally decree.

"This is just what's at the top of my head, but I will send you the full list of what I need, in hope that the rest is just as reasonable."

Ducote raised an eyebrow, but nodded. "Send it along. It'll all be taken case-by-case. We are unfortunately dependent on the good graces of the Aldean authorities, which is another layer stifling us," he said, almost noncommittal but not quite. "Leave it with me."

He stood, reasoning that the workspace item on the agenda had already been settled (or as good as, anyway), and slipped his PADD into his thigh pocket. "I have another meeting, but you can reach me any time," he explained, giving Trent the same offer he did to everyone else as a show of good faith on his part. "I won't take any more of your time, Mister Trent - unless there's anything else?"

Re: Day 06 [0910 hrs] Old And New

Reply #11 – October 08, 2019, 06:53:00 PM

[ Lt Carrigan Trent | Quarters | USS Theurgy ]
To be fair, Trent had asked for a lot just to provoke the Commander, to test the waters...

...but in the most galling way possible, Ducote had acted completely unperturbed.

Reminding himself that he was dealing with someone of Betazoid heritage, Trent kept his sourness in check as best as he might. Deciding that while he wasn't even sure he'd won any victory in that particular battle, he would save his strength for the war. In fact, did he even gain some leverage with the exchange? It seemed, at least, that he might not have to work from his quarters for much longer, if the Commander was to be believed.

Better yet, it seemed that his little... outburst - his lack of control - on the Memorial Terrace hadn't been reported. At least not yet, and he hoped that the scientist - Zephyr - would have decided against it. In fact, perhaps he'd actually managed to scare her? While not intended, at least not directly, that would actually have been fortunate. He certainly didn't need his name dragged in the dirt any more than Dewitt had already done.

"No, nothing further, Commander. Thank you for visiting me," he said in his quiet voice, and waited for the man to leave.

Time would tell what would come of it all, and how much more he had to do to rectify the injustice done to him.

- FIN