Dawn Chorus

Posted on Thursday 4 March 2021 @ 16:19 by Lieutenant Commander Hayley Godding

Mission: A Cry from the Darkness
Location: Main Security Office, Deck 5
Timeline: MD02 - 0630
1248 words - 2.5 OF Standard Post Measure

It was always tough leaving Sansa in the mornings, looking as sweet and innocent as she did when she slept. Having showered and dressed, Hayley went back into the bedroom briefly before she left. Leaning over Sansa and brushing the hair out of her face, she leaned in and kissed her gently on the cheek. Once her due dilligence with Sansa was complete, she headed off to check in with Main Security before her daily meeting with the Department Heads.

The dubious honor bestowed on the Chief of Security was to perform a daily meeting with all the department heads aboard ship so as to discuss conduct and disciplinary matters within each of their departments. Whether it was her bringing to their attention concerns or they themselves raising concerns - Hayley was the gateway for all disciplinary action aboard ship. She would conduct a relevant investigation into any allegation of misconduct and present her findings in a report to the First Officer with her recommendations for action, if any. Most were simple issues that could be handled via non-judicial punishment, or potentially a Captain's Mast.

A crucial part of this step was to have a meeting with her security personnel prior to this meeting to get their shift report. Typically, this was composed by the Master-at-Arms and the ship's Gunner, both being the enlisted lead of Security and Tactical respectively. It was Hayley's preference to have these two provide a report, as they could digest all the reports submitted by the various teams across the various shifts and compile it into a single daily brief for their respective section - rather than having multiple officers give it.

"Morning Chiefs." Hayley said, walking into the main security office to see Master Chief Nicholls and Senior Chief Grufford standing there waiting for her. Nicholls was a recent arrival to replace Scarlet after his elevation to marine commander, but she'd taken to the role in her stride being an experienced MAA from Starbase 12 but had wanted a ship assignment. Grufford had been on the ship for what seemed like decades. Rumour was that they'd built the Merlin around the grumpy old bastard.

"Morning Commander." Nicholls said, brightly, offering Hayley a steaming mug of coffee. "Good evening?"

"Yeah, I'd like to think so." Hayley smiled. "Any evening I get to spend with my girlfriend is a good evening, I think."

"Hrmph." Grufford responded.

"Just because your girlfriend is a torpedo tube, doesn't mean we are all miserable." Nicholls chastised Grufford.

"Yes Master Chief." He replied moodily.

Hayley rolled her eyes and moved over to the main pool table in the middle of the room. "Alright, lets get the dawn chorus done." She said. "I'm meeting the others at 0700 before I have my meeting with the XO. I'd like to actually have something to present."

"Aye ma'am." Nicholls said and brought up her large PADD. "Light load this morning, but sadly not devoid of content."

"Go on." Hayley said, picking up her own PADD to make notes.

"An incident of fighting on deck 13, just outside the main lounge. Two women assaulting a male crew-member. Statements from the women are fairly typical for this kind of incident - it seems he was sleeping with both of them, they found out about one another, didn't like it very much, but instead of being mature about it - decided to deal with it themselves in a rather public manner. Lots of witnesses as well as injury to the security team who arrived to break them up. Ensign Keller received a very nasty scratch which injured his right eye. He got treatment, of course, but duty doc said it could've been quite bad." Nicholls reported.

"Hmm... not our first 'bar brawl' that's ended like this." Hayley sighed. "Who're our perps?"

"Specialist Cei Suey, Petty Officer 3rd May Crawley and Petty Officer 1st Kyle Blake." Nicholls replied. "Ms. Crawley was the one who scratched Ensign Keller, but by all accounts it wasn't intentional."

"Too bad." Hayley said, making notes. "Recommended charges?"

"All three for conduct unbecoming, additional for Specialist Suey for assault and resisting arrest and additional for Petty Officer Crawley of assault, resisting arrest and assaulting of a superior officer. Ensign Keller seemed forgiving and didn't insist on charges." Nicholls explained.

Hayley looked up at that. "That's very considerate of him, but that's not his call to make. Make it two counts of assaulting a superior officer. The man nearly lost an eye. If the XO doesn't endorse it, that's his call, but I'm moving for charges."

"Aye ma'am." Nicholls said. "All three are cooling their heels in the brig."

"Good, they can stay there until the XO has rendered his verdict. I suspect that one will end up before the Captain." Hayley said. "Whose department?"

"Blake is from Operations. Suey and Crawley are from Sciences."

"Alright, I'll bring it up to Lieutenants McPhee and Hawkins." Hayley said. "Anything else?"

"Domestic at Cabin 21184 again." Nicholls said, cringing.

Hayley gave her a deadpan expression and slammed her padd down in irritation on the pool table. "Again?!"

"I'm afraid so." Nicholls said. "0240 this morning"

"Shove his fat ass in the brig and leave it there." Hayley growled. "I'm not putting up with this anymore."

"Ma'am, its a delicate-"

"I don't give a damn!" Hayley snapped. "He's a member of the crew, he has to conform to regulations, just like everyone else on this ship! He cannot take his bad mood out on her."

"She won't press charges... she... likes it...." Nicholls said.

"I know all this! I'm going to push for a transfer this time. We can't have security over there all the time. He's going to seriously hurt her one of these days." Hayley fumed.

"She's currently in sickbay. She needed her arm re-attaching... Don't ask!" Nicholls said suddenly, looking at her.

"Lock. Him. Up." Hayley snarled through clenched teeth.

"Yes ma'am."

"Anything else?" Hayley asked, sighing.

"Not from me." Nicholls said, somewhat happier.

"Excellent. Senior Chief?" She asked, turning to Grufford.

"Number two launcher is down again." He said, sullenly. "We've put in a repair request. Looks like the same issue again."

"I'll have a word with Rathburn. I don't doubt her people, but I'd like someone else to have a look at it." Hayley said. "We might have to fire that thing in anger one of these days, I'd like it to do more than fire sparks at the operators."

"Yes Commander." Grufford said. "We're also drawing excessive power from the port ventral emitter array. Its only a two percent variance, but I'm not happy. It could cause a feedback pulse in sustained use, which we wouldn't want."

"Want me to flag that one up too?" Hayley asked.

"If you could mention it, but it's not a critical failure yet, more of an annoyance in our diagnostics." Grufford explained. "Oh and one of the class two probes fell out of the rack by Gunners Mate Sorkin's mishandling. It seems okay, but you know how sensitive the equipment is on a class two. I've put him on remedial tasks for the next two watches, but I recommend taking the probe out of service and getting science, ops and engineering to give it a once over."

"Approved." Hayley said. "Anything else?"

"Nope." Grufford replied.

"Cool, well, in that case, I'd better go make the Department Heads morning. Thank you both."

OFF

○●● Lieutenant Commander Hayley Godding
Chief Security/Tactical Officer
USS Merlin