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Posted on Sun Dec 15th, 2024 @ 8:16pm by Lieutenant Etan tar-Lexros & Field Marshal Moxley Sorrel (Stoffels)

Mission: Those who are left behind
Location: Transporter Room 2 (and surrounding corridors)
Timeline: After "Command Centre"

Moxley was on one of his walks of the ship when he spotted a familiar face, the young operations officer who had been on the bridge when he briefly took command of the ship. He smiled at the young man and winked him over.

Etan wasn't very good with subtle body language, especially when he was working. That was part of why Talsi had explicitly whipped her tail against the deck of the Bridge when Sorrell had been in charge. She had wanted to make sure Etan understood he wasn't the only one who'd been mildly frustrated at the Captain's decision. The Ops chief was carrying a coil of ODN wiring over his right shoulder, and holding a section of EPS conduit shielding under his other arm. He realized that the Marshal was gesturing to him, so he waved for the man to join him. A polite conversation was due between them, but the smooth operation of the ship came first. "Marshal Sorrel, how are you today?" It was obvious that Etan bore the man no ill will whatsoever.

"Very well indeed, young man." Moxley said when he came closer and looked at what Etan was working at. "Don't you have minions to do that kind of work for you?" He asked polimost tely but also a little curious.

Etan smiled slightly at the question, but shrugged lightly. "That's good." At the question about his 'minions', his shrug was simple enough. "Not at the moment. My team are mostly engaged in the salvage and reconstruction operations, so we're stretched very thin for damage control. I've had to reach out to the Engineering department for support personnel, instead of the other way around. This is due for Transporter Room 2. Having to convert Cargo Bays 1, 2 and 3 to medical support, our cargo transporter is offline, so we have a heavy load coming through the transporter rooms and the Flight Deck cargo transport, in addition to the stream of personnel transports and support craft missions. So I need to reinforce the plasma conduit under the transport pad, and the data line between the command console and the buffer has been reporting line noise. That usually means the ODN cable has degraded from heat or EM interference. It's all standard procedure, Marshal, and detailed in the Galaxy-class Technical Manual authored by Dr. Brahms." He was open about this with Sorrel, because while the man didn't have command authority on the Resolution, he did have Command-level clearance and was stationed aboard, so he could be informed of the ship's systems. He walked with the older man to Transporter Room 2, which had been marked 'Offline' for the time being. The lights came on as the doors opened, a little slower than expected, which only confirmed Etan's theory that there was something in need of repair.

Moxley nodded. "You have a very good grasp of what needs doing and you are not afraid to tell others about it. I watched you on the bridge and I must say I was impressed. Have you considered command track?"

Etan shrugged the ODN patch line onto the transporter dais, setting the conduit casing aside. He knelt and opened the access hatch. "I've been asked about it, sir. I don't feel it's for me." He pulled out his tricorder and started scanning. "I don't believe it would be safe for myself or the crew if I was in charge during a crisis situation. On the Bridge, I just followed procedure in the absence of a commanding officer. The situation wasn't novel - it was almost the same as several of the Operations training programs available on the Holodeck. I recognize that I don't adapt well to novel situations. I'm merely doing my best and following protocol whenever possible."

He turned back to the Marshal and decided, for once, to be open about his issues with someone who wasn't a Counselor. This man had no oath to propriety, but Etan didn't feel he was likely to spread negative scuttlebutt either. "To be blunt about the situation, Marshal, I don't believe that any crew would be well-served by a commanding officer who has significant anxiety issues when emergency situations arise. My departure from the Bridge was a matter of necessity. I had to find a means to cope with the stress, even knowing the Bridge crew were under no threat whatsoever. That's how I am with the full support of the Counseling department on this ship, and appropriate medication."

Moxley listened and nodded. "I think you may be underestimating yourself." He finally said softly. "Do you think commanding officers are not afraid or anxious when they are at work? Son I have seen captains in the loo vomiting their guts out after a dangerous shift."

Etan sighed and nodded, then returned to his task. Carefully, he disabled the plasma conduit completely and removed the shield. The room was filled with a soft light, fading from purple to green from the plasma power being pumped into the transport inducer. He ran a tricorder over it and turned to the piece of shielding he'd brought with him, using a laser-like tool to trim it down to size. "It's not just a dangerous shift. It's any stressful moment that sends me into a spiral of doubt and anxiety, sir." He glanced up, looking at the man. "Are you aware of the simulation test which serves as part of the officer track capstone, regardless of division, at the Academy, sir?"

"Of course. Every starfleet graduate had to go through that test." Moxley said and was curious where this was leading the young man.

Etan carefully set the conduit casing in place, and then connected leads from his tricorder to the junction at the base of the transporter. He nodded, unsurprised that the older Marine knew about the Maru, though he knew some of the mustangs had bypassed it. "I failed that test, and spectacularly so. After my Tactical officer read off a risk assessment on the situation, and we could not receive word from Starbase 12, I ordered a type 8 probe to be fired into the vicinity of the Kobayashi Maru - scientific study does not violate the Organian treaty. A tachyon and heat scan identified several Klingon cruisers under cloak. When they refused to respond to hails, I called the Maru captain again, informed him that we would leave a comms beacon at the edge of the Neutral Zone, and even with their weak communication systems, they'd be able to contact a Federation embassy on Nimbus 3 before their supplies ran out. Then I continued on our patrol route. The proctor asked me if I was 'satisfied' with my performance, or if I'd prefer to retake the test. My response was that I was wholly satisfied with my performance. I was later informed that my failure was due to a lack of confidence."

He leaned in with a spanner, grunting slightly as he tightened a nut to ensure the casing was in place. "I assume that the passing response would be to violate the treaty and enter the Neutral Zone with an armed ship. Then, of course, the Neversail would be overwhelmed by the warbirds under cloak, which I assume were all equipped with unrealistic loadouts like multiple Mauler devices."

He looked over at Sorrel. "I wasn't willing to take that risk, Marshal, even in a safe simulator."

Sorrel blinked at the younger man, he could not believe how badly Etan had been guided in his career. "And you really think you were the only one who failed for that reason?" He asked. "I used to oversee that test for a while for marines and write scenarios. Let me tell you, you were not the only one to fail, or the only one to fail for that reason. You were barely more than a child." He paused. "And I will tell you another secret. The instructors rather have a cadet who fails for erring on the side of caution, that can be learnt by more training and experience. It is those who fail because they take too much risk that are the dangerous ones. Look at you, you are a department head, do you really think you would have been elevated to that position and department head training if Starfleet did not believe in you?"

Etan shrugged lightly as he started working on the console, disconnecting the terminal from the transporter. The Ops officer picked up the cable and connected it to his tricorder. While the scan ran, he looked at Sorrel. "Possibly not. But trusting me to manage day-to-day ship operations with a strong chain of command behind me is very different than potentially being in command in an emergency." He looked at the tricorder, and quickly attached the new cable to the junction at the terminal, pulling up the old one and connecting the cable where it had been as well, before closing up the transporter. "Without a clear procedure to follow, I would have no idea what to do. I'd probably go to pieces."

"I doubt it, young man, I really doubt it. So I want you to give it some serious thought. Maybe talk to some more people, your captain, XO and your counselor. I think you can be much more than you seem to think yourself." The older man finished.

Etan sighed and turned to Moxley. "Captain Carey has already suggested the possibility, Marshal. And as of this moment, I am sixth in the chain of command on this ship. Any time that Captain Carey, Commander Stoffels, Doctor Rutherford, Lieutenant Commanders Rinne or Johnson are not available, I am in command - and if I am incapacitated, Lieutenant Hamilton takes it from me. I'm painfully aware of that fact, especially the fact that Lieutenant Commanders Rinne and Johnson might both defer, which would move me to fourth in command. I have not spoken to Commander Stoffels directly on the topic, because, if I may be blunt and simultaneously be allowed some minor scuttlebutt about an officer I respect greatly, she has quite enough going on without managing my concerns. As far as the counselors, Dr. Jansen-Carey agrees with her husband, and under your command, First Lieutenant London and I cannot accurately judge one another in a professional sense."

He looked at Sorrel. "In my view, if there's any individual on this ship who should be promoted, or even long-term brevetted, sir, it's First Lieutenant London. I sincerely believe that her actions under my command on planet Lantea saved lives."

All these women. Sorrel shook his head. "Yeah, I am not a big fan of women in command. Antonia knows that and Kayleigh." He remembered the ponytailed brat who was one of the few in the brood of Stoffels / London kids who had the balls to mouth off to him when they were kids. "But wait what? Professional sense, what are you on about son?"

Etan looked at Moxley and crooked an eyebrow. "With all due respect, sir, Cannonball's captain is a woman, maintaining one of the last Ambassador-class vessels in the Fleet. Commander Stoffels and Commander Doctrine are command officers I greatly respect, along with Lieutenant Hamilton in Engineering. To be prejudiced against women in command roles is an archaic and ignorant belief that I feel you should re-examine based on reports of Starfleet Command." Then, he blushed when he was asked about his opinion toward Kay. "Marshal, I hold First Lieutenant London in high personal regard. She's my close friend. I can't feasibly separate my personal and professional opinion. I'd prefer you not press further on that, thank you."

Moxley broke out in a smile. "Aaahhhh." He said. "I get it. Well then young man, you need to know that I consider Kayleigh as one of my own, like my own grandchildren so your behaviour towards her had better be very respectful." Yet he winked at Etan. "I know what women can and can't do. And I regard women with the greatest respect. I just don't think the field of battle is suited for them. Never have and never will despite my own daughter and granddaughter making that choice in life."

The Ops Chief nodded as he considered his responses, He met Moxley's gaze with the experience of someone raised around diplomacy and negotiation, but who had no patience or understanding when it came to circumspection. He took a deep breath. "Marshal, I assure you that I have nothing but respect for First Lieutenant London. And candidly, sir, if any man ever did do something out of line toward her, I would expect him to have an extended stay in Sickbay en route to the Brig." It was a simple assessment - but then again, Etan's esteem for Kay sometimes caused him to put her on an unrealistic pedestal. "However, given how widely my experience differs from yours, can you explain why you believe women are unsuited to command and Starfleet service? "

Phrasing that as a question was about the nicest way that Etan could figure out to stop himself from saying something very untoward to the Marshal.

"Well I think that women should get children, it's a biological thing, survival of the species and all that and I think kids do better if at least one parent gives them some attention, the logical choice is the mother. So that makes it hard for young women to build a career." He was being matter of fact and honest in what he thought. "Second there is the biology. Women do have a monthly cycle and they are less efficient several days a month, I know it can be surpressed but I am still not sure how healthy that is. And again if a woman wants to get pregnant that is not an option. There is medical research to back me up. What if a woman has a bad day just when she needs to make important decisions?" He looked at Etan. "I have supported some gifted women during my career but my preference is to not have them in combat situations for these reasons."

Etan thought for a moment, taking a breath before speaking. He had a feeling that the man wasn't 'pulling his leg' in some way, or acting irrationally to get a rise out of him. So he had to focus on breathing, and process his indignation on behalf of his friends, coworkers, and superiors. "Then a significant part of your logic should apply equally to my situation. I am no more in control of my anxiety than women are in control of their processes, and it too falls into patterns. If I were in a direct command role on what you have termed a 'bad day', when an emergency occurred requiring my judgment, the outcome could be far more devastating than anyone suffering from a biological process whose symptoms can be mitigated with medicine available from any replicator." The Efrosian shifted his shoulders back slightly. "In fact, Marshal, if I may be blunt, disregarding the training, talents, and knowledge of any Starfleet officer on the basis of their sex or gender is openly discriminatory, and violates multiple sections of the Uniform Code, General Orders, and the Code of Conduct. Further, if you ever were in a command position where you did actively discriminate against a woman officer, you could rightly have been called to face a court martial for your actions." It was rare to see Etan really get annoyed - in fact, Moxley was one of very few people who'd ever seen it. But disrespect for anyone but himself was one of a few causes that got under his skin in a deep way. "And beyond that, the personal and private choices of an officer are their own. Starfleet is an entirely voluntary service, and all officers are entitled to resign or take leave at any time for any reason. If an officer chooses to have a child, that is a personal decision, between themselves and any partners she might have at the time - and acting reproachfully toward a pregnant officer is, again, a clear violation of the Starfleet General Orders. If you're unfamiliar with the regulations concerning proper conduct of an officer and the penalties for conduct unbecoming of an officer, please contact my office, we'll make certain that a copies of all relevant regulations are delivered to your quarters."

Sometimes, people forgot that Operations was the step between Counseling and JAG on a starship. that Personnel was just as much a part of their responsibility as the Quartermaster. tar-Lexros was not one of those people. He knew his job and the scope of his responsibility to keep the Resolution operating at full capacity. He wasn't the social butterfly that some Ops chiefs have been; but he did care. And faced with someone whose worldview was so diametrically opposed to his own irked him in ways he didn't know how to address.

Moxley watched him with great amusement. "Well said, young man. You stick to your convictions. You have just proven that you are a loyal friend and a loyal officer. Do you know how many people have dared speak to me like this in my life. except from my family? Almost nobody, and you just did. Without a hint of anxiety. I will stand by my conviction that with some proper guidance you will make an excellent command officer and I will make my recommendation known to the captain." He was not angry or surprised at the outburst, Moxley was used to people finding him old fashioned in his views towards women.

Etan looked at the man and tried to remain something in the range of remotely calm. The expression of amusement from Moxley was unexpected, and even unwanted. Remorse or anger were his expectations, certainly not amusement. He took a deep breath and tried to collect his thoughts. "I can manage to control my disability in short bursts, Marshal. You may not recognize the symptoms of my impending attack, but I assure you, the muscles in my chest are tight, and my eye is twitching. And any female member of this crew is more than capable of controlling her reactions when her physical are causing a potential issue. As far as no one speaking up, I will continue to do so if I have a reason to believe that your discriminatory actions or statements might impact the efficient operations of USS Resolution, the attached Marine division, or the Fighter Wing." He closed his eyes and then turned back to his work. "Marshal, I respect your opinion on my command potential. I would strongly appreciate privacy in this sensitive work environment. There may be plasma arcs, which could be dangerous to anyone untrained in Operations or Engineering practices. Please retreat to a safe distance."

The excuse was pointless, but official, and a way to 'politely' banish the man from the Transporter Room.

"Of course lieutenant." Moxley said, still amused but with even greater respect for the other man. He could really approve of Kay's choice of potential husband. He wished his blood daughter and granddaughter had that much sense. With that he left the other alone.