Getting Down To Brass Tacks

Posted on Sat Feb 20th, 2010 @ 10:44am by Commodore Samantha York & Colonel Damon Raine & Commander John Sheridan

1,044 words; about a 5 minute read

Mission: What Lies Beneath?
Location: Conference Room
Timeline: Current

ON

Samantha waited for the rest of the crew to leave the conference room, then turned to Damon and John. "Now I would like to talk to you about details. First, until the Captain returns, I would like Damon to be the acting Second Officer." She smiled at Damon. "I can't think of anyone else I'd rather have as backup than you and John."

Damon looked over to John before his eyes fixed on Samantha again. He gave her a quick nod "Whatever you need."

Sam smiled her thanks. Nothing against Sheridan, but Damon was the person she trusted the most on the Orion. "Next, I would like to go down to Tiberius IV with the away team and leave John in charge of the Orion." This was the biggie and she knew she would have to argue her position on this one.

Damon's eyes went wide and he immediately began to protest. "Okay...As the Marine CO, I think that is a bad idea. As your second Officer I think that's a REALLY bad idea."

"Damon, I'm still the Chief Science Officer. I'm the best qualified for this particular mission. I know archaeology and geology. And... I'd have you there with me. I promise I won't do anything dangerous. And I'll listen to you when we're on the planet."

He let her finish before he started shaking his head again. "This is way too big a risk for you to be taking right now. You are the acting Captain, whether you WERE the Chief Science Officer is trivial. There has to be someone else in the science department that is qualified to go."

Sam shook her head. "Not at the moment. I'm the most qualified person on the ship. If this had required a botanist, I would have sent someone else. I'm the only one currently on the ship that knows geology and archaeology. I don't know if we'll find anything, but based on what we found on Tiberius X, I want to be there." She looked at him somberly, placing her hand over his. "Damon, I don't make this decision lightly. I'm not trying to be a hero. I honestly think I'm the best scientist for this particular job. I want you and a squadron of Marines to go along with me."

Sheridan turned to the Commander and the Marine Captain. "I concur with the captain on this one. Her expertise will be needed planetside."

"Thank you," Sam said to John, then looked at Damon, waiting for his comment. She was sure he'd have another objection. She didn't mind, as his comments were usually valid.

Damon leaned back against his chair and ran his hand over the top of his head. He could sense that at this point he wasn't going to have his way. He was frustrated, with both of them.

"Fine." He said as he threw his hands up in defeat. "Under the condition that we take a platoon instead of just a squad, we will be able to cover more ground effectively that way. Also, and this is very important," He said as he leaned in and made eye contact with Samantha "at the first sign of trouble you leave the planet no questions asked. The Marines will hold tactical command."

"A platoon may be a bit large. I don't want to risk that many people on the planet. But I have no problem having them on the ship ready to beam down at a moment's notice," Sam compromised. "As for leaving the planet... no. But I will not walk into danger. Does that help?" She wanted to work out a compromise they could both live with.

"Sam! Starfleet officers went missing here. Professionals. We are going to a planet that Starfleet has remarkably little detail on and to top it off we will be searching for the lost people on the ground." He tapped his index finger on the table to emphasis the point. "A squad of eight Marines isn't going to be enough to ensure the safety of this away mission, especially knowing that one rescue attempt has already been attempted and failed. As for you not walking into danger, who get's to decide what dangerous is?"

"Okay, two squadrons. 16 Marines should be enough protection," Sam countered. "And we have an advantage over the others. We know there's a problem. We're not going to walk blindly into this. We'll do a thorough scan of the planet first. Then, if we still don't have answers, we'll send down a team." She looked Damon in the eyes and smiled. "How about I stick by your side the entire time? I will listen to your expert advice as long as you listen to mine." She felt like she was bartering with a Ferengi. Negotiating something they could both live with was proving difficult. But Sam would not run roughshod over Damon or his convictions. Winning this argument was not nearly as important as Damon's good opinion.

Damon still wasn't happy with the thought of her going down to the planet, but at least she relented a bit on the number of Marines to go on the away team. He recognised that, as this was her mission, she could have simply said no, she was willing to humor him and he really did appreciate the gesture. He just wished that there was some way he could guarantee her safety on the planet’s surface. The Marine in him knew all too well that when it came to missions like this there were never any guarantees.

He relaxed a bit and nodded to Samantha, a simple gesture to admit defeat. "Alright, fine, a section of Marines will be ready to go when the time comes."

Sam knew how hard it was for him to give in and let her go and she was grateful. She made a silent promise to herself to take extra precautions on this trip. And she would stick close to Damon. That should help him feel better about her going. "Thank you."

Then she turned to John. "Now, the three of us need to talk about details."

OFF

Commander Samantha York
Chief Science Officer
Acting CO

Marine Captain Damon Raine
Marine CO

Lieutenant Commander John Sheridan
Executive Officer

 

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