KAT GRAY
COMMAND DECISION
Winston Churchill - “Responsibility is the price of greatness.”
JUNIOR OFFICERS QUARTERS
USS CANTERBURY
KELARTIN SECTOR
UFP SPACE
February 23rd 2354 – 1925 FST
The silence had become oppressive now, but then that was hardly surprising. It had lasted far too long. There would be no replacement crew until their arrival back at Starbase 234 which was several hours away yet.
Her mind choked on the thought replacement. It made them sound like consumables, spare parts to be dropped in to replace the battered, broken components that now lay in the Canterbury’s morgue.
She stood angrily, desperate to cry but completely unable. Oh, the Counsellor had told her it would come but Kat had retorted angrily.
“You’re certain about that are you? You’ve been responsible for the deaths of young crew men and women?”
Instead of answering the question directly, the counsellor had stared back at her. “So you honestly believe that you are completely responsible in this case?”
“I was in charge of the away team; of course I’m responsible unless Starfleet has decided to negate that little clause in the contract!” Her anger was boiling over now and she didn’t care.
“What about Lieutenant Charles?” The question was asked quietly.
Kat felt her train of thought derailed at the question. “Cammy? What about her?”
Counsellor Aretha Harrold sat forward in her seat. “She was the pilot of the shuttlecraft wasn’t she? Was it not her responsibility to advise you that the landing zone was unsafe?”
“I’d already ordered her to land there. We didn’t have time for the alternate zone.”
Harrold nodded already knowing that Starfleet orders specifically stated that the pilot of a vessel was responsible for the safety of his crew and ship and unless under orders from a senior officer, that duty was paramount. “Did she advise you though?”
“No,” replied Kat, “but the order was already given.”
Harrold decided to let that one go. “And Ambassador T’Vek? What about her order to deploy the security force in a non-standard formation?”
Kat sighed, at once frustrated and tired. “Counsellor, the mission logs are quite clear on all these details, but ultimately it was my mission. End of story.” She stood, fully intending to leave.
“Lieutenant, there are still ten minutes of our appointment to fill and your apparent need to claim the responsibility of the away team’s deaths needs to be addressed.”
“Then it will have to be addressed later. I’m tired and, unless you missed the subtle signals, I’m angry.” She headed for the door. “I’ll book a further appointment tomorrow if it helps satisfy your quota?” It was an unnecessary jibe and she immediately felt guilty.
Harrold stood too, her voice completely calm and controlled, but the threat she delivered couldn’t have been clearer if she’d screamed it.
“Then I need to tell you that unless you return within 24 hours and start to talk honestly about your feelings, I will request that you are relieved of duty.” She lowered her eyes. “It is not something I wish to do, but right now you are a risk not only to yourself but to this ship Lieutenant.”
Realising that the grip she held on her anger was slipping beyond her control, Kat let the door slide open before replying. “In that case, I’ll be sure to book in tomorrow morning. If that’s all Counsellor?”
Harrold knew that nothing substantive would come of making Kat stay and simply nodded.
That had been five hours ago, and Kat had been sat in the silence of her quarters ever since. In that time, the same thoughts had chased themselves in circles through her mind until she’d felt like screaming.
Had the mission been planned properly? Yes.
Had there been a way to make the mission safer? No.
Had T’Vek been right to deploy the security contingent in such a manner? Yes.
If Cammy had issued a warning about the tactical safety of the landing zone, would she have ordered an abort? No.
Was she responsible?
Yes.
Unable to stand the deafening silence any longer, she left the room and all its memories of Cammy to head for the 101 Club.
SHUTTLECRAFT CHAUCER
IN DESCENT TO THEREGARD
KELARTIN SECTOR
UFP SPACE
February 22nd 2354 – 1515 FST
“Lieutenant?”
The elderly Vulcan diplomat had the kind of voice that could penetrate any amount of background noise without needing to be raised. Kat had come to admire the Ambassador even more considering the risk she was now taking and to see her now, the calm eye of the storm, only reinforced that.
Around them in the rear of the shuttlecraft, the security team were checking equipment for the forthcoming landing. Nothing about it was good, but every precaution that could be taken had been. Right now the lives of 500 plus civilians rested on their ability to make this mission work.
“Yes Ambassador?”
“I wanted to say thank you for your support at the briefing. Your faith in my ability to deploy your team is…appreciated.”
“Ma’am, you know much more about this marauder coalition and the way they work than I do. The Captain and the Security Chief were both more than happy with the arrangement.” Kat hesitated.
“I sense the famous human ‘but’ is about to be pronounced.” T’Vek raised an interrogative eyebrow.
“I just need to point out that if it starts to fall apart, then I will immediately take control of the team and redeploy. If that happens, then knowing our opponents long term doctrine becomes somewhat secondary to saving skins Ma’am.”
T’Vek nodded sagely and Kat wondered just when, if ever, she could attain that level of calm and serenity before going into action.
“Understood Lieutenant. Let us hope that it does not come to that.”
As T’Vek returned to her seat at the rear of the shuttle, Kat turned her attention back to the approaching landing site. She scanned the area and wasn’t at all happy with the placement of cover for the opposing forces and the complete lack of it for the away team.
“Cammy, where’s the secondary site from here?” They’d built in a diversion site in case one of the infamous Theregard storms should force a revision to their meeting. Cammy pointed out to starboard where thunderheads could clearly be seen building.
“Sorry Kat but it’s in the middle of that mess. We’d never get in and even if we did, the deadline is too close to make it back here on foot.”
“Decision’s made for us then. Take her in Cammy, full scans on approach and full lights. I don’t want them thinking we’re trying to sneak up on them.”
Cammy hesitated for the briefest fraction of a second before nodding. Kat was about to ask her what was on her mind when the shuttle lurched to port and down, a victim of the approaching storm front with its attendant capricious downdrafts. The sound of muffled thuds and curses from the rear made Kat turn, forgetting Cammy’s reaction as she struggled to even out the flight.
“Strap in everybody. If you’ve not got it sorted by now, you never will. I don’t want broken bones before we even hit dirt!”
The young security lieutenant grinned. “Don’t worry Ma’am, we won’t screw up your first away team lead!”
Kat hoped they couldn’t see her blush in the gathering gloom of the storm. “I appreciate that Mr Marcos.”
“30 seconds.” Cammy had scanned the landing zone already and spotted the ten members of the marauder group who were here to negotiate the release of the hostages. “Scans are transferred to your tricorders Lieutenant, Ambassador.”
Kat watched as T’Vek checked her tricorder then nodded. Looking at Kat, she said “As we briefed Lieutenant.”
“You heard the Ambassador ladies and gentlemen. Let’s make it work.”
Fighting the downdrafts constantly, Cammy settled the shuttle into a wide gully littered with boulders and brush. Normally the ramp would be deployed on touchdown to allow the security team immediate egress but they had been told to wait inside until contacted.
In fact they waited for almost thirty minutes under the approaching storm before the comm beeped with an incoming transmission.
Kat nodded and Cammy accepted the transmission which showed a shaky image obviously transmitted from a hand held device. A hooded figure looking not unlike the grim reaper stared back at Kat from the screen.
“This is Lieutenant Kat Gray of the USS Cant…”
“We are not interested in speaking to you. Where is the Vulcan?” The voice was raspy and harsh and brooked no dissension. T’Vek stepped up behind Kat and stood in view of the pickup.
“This is Ambassador T’Vek. To whom am I speaking?”
The figure stared closely into his screen before grunting. “My name is unimportant Vulcan. Leave the craft and approach the large rock directly behind the ship. You will come alone.”
That startled Kat. There had been an agreement in place to allow equal numbers of marauders and Starfleet security personnel on the site but it would appear that the marauders were changing that agreement. She didn’t like this at all.
T’Vek squeezed her shoulder and whispered “This is not unexpected Lieutenant. Remember, as briefed.” To the hooded figure on screen she said “I am leaving the shuttle now.”
“Then hurry Vulcan, my patience wears thin!”
With a last nod to Kat, T’Vek turned and as the ramp lowered she walked out into the gloom.
“Starfleet, you will close your ramp and await contact from us.”
“Whoever you are, this was not part of the arrangement.” Kat knew she should simply have stayed quiet but she didn’t like the way that things were going.
“It is part of the arrangement now.” The transmission terminated abruptly and all Kat could do was shrug at Cammy as she closed the ramp.
“Ok Cammy, keep it hot we might need to move in a hurry.” Cammy nodded as she continued to scan the area surrounding the shuttle. Kat stepped into the rear compartment where the eight members of the security team sat grim faced and tense.
“Alright, we knew this was a possibility so like the Ambassador said, as briefed.” She looked around at the pale faces which were suddenly thrown into sharp relief by a flash of lightning. They all jumped then smiled nervously as the nearby rumble of thunder made the loose items in the cabin rattle.
“Let’s not get spooked, just be ready to…”
Without warning, the lights dimmed and went out as the background whine of the electrics faded as well.
“Cammy? What’s happened?” Kat ran back into the cockpit to sit in her seat and saw that all the panels were dead.
“I can’t be certain but it looks like they’ve got an energy damper. There was a spike just before I lost everything.” She waved her hands uselessly at the dead cockpit.
“Backups?” she asked, flipping open her tricorder which was equally dead.
“Nope, nothing.”
Kat thought quickly. “How do we get out?”
Cammy considered for a moment but her reply wasn’t one she liked.
“Only way to do it is blow the bolts. When the ramp came up with power on, the latches would have sealed. Course, if we blow the bolts she’s not gonna make orbit again.”
Kat Gray was fluent in five alien languages, and each one had a short sharp word that summed up her feelings right now.
101 CLUB
USS CANTERBURY
KELARTIN SECTOR
UFP SPACE
February 23rd 2354 – 1945 FST
Kat sat in the darkest corner of the crew lounge hoping that nobody would disturb her. Many of her colleagues nodded while she was at the bar and making her way to the table, but they all had the decency to leave her to her thoughts.
It came as a surprise then that some twenty minutes later a shadow fell across her table.
“It’s a real good job that this club doesn’t need to make a profit.”
“Hmmm?” Kat shook herself from her dark thoughts to see Guinan standing patiently looking at her, her trademark broad hat casting much of her face into darkness but her smile obvious nonetheless. “Oh right, the drink.” Kat looked at the untouched glass of synthehol. “Seemed like a good idea when I came in.”
Guinan sat down, placing the small cloth she’d been carrying on the table.
“A Zehavian whiskey is never a good idea. I don’t even know why I still stock it. How can you drink that stuff?”
Kat nudged the glass disconsolately. “Obviously I can’t. Look Guinan, I appreciate what…”
Guinan held up her hand and Kat stopped mid sentence.
“Let me tell you something Kat. Much as you might not be able to tell it from my girlish complexion, I’ve been around the block a few times. If there’s one thing I know it’s that people are wary of Counsellors.” She raised her eyebrows but Kat remained silent. “They’re scared that they’ll say something that a Counsellor will take as a negative and then it’s on their records, but a bartender? Different thing altogether.”
“Because?” Kat honestly didn’t want to get into this conversation but found herself drawn in nonetheless.
“Because, Kat Gray, we’re natural listeners. Births, deaths, murders, infidelities, we’ve heard them all and we never judge. Why? Because it’s what we do.” Guinan shrugged. “Being an El-Aurian gives me an edge of course.”
Despite her mood, Kat couldn’t help but smile.
“Leaving Starfleet isn’t what you want though is it?”
“I never said I wanted to leave Starfleet!” she said much louder than she’d intended and several people looked over before returning to their own conversations. Kat was shocked that Guinan would have any inkling of her thoughts after the incident, thoughts that over the past few hours had indeed centred on retiring her commission. For her part, Guinan sat patiently waiting for Kat to continue.
Kat sighed. “It’s not as if Starfleet is gonna lose anything important.”
