Juris My Diction

Posted on Tue Jan 7th, 2020 @ 9:23pm by Rear Admiral Gareth Tau & Lieutenant JG Kara Madavi
Edited on on Tue Jan 7th, 2020 @ 9:32pm

889 words; about a 4 minute read

Mission: S1E4: The Hills Have Eyes
Location: USS Megaera & Llorona Station
Timeline: MD 1

Most admirals enjoyed starbases. Tau was happy with his mobile command center on the USS Megaera. The actual manning of the crew was left to Captain Jorgensen, which freed Tau to focus exclusively on his projects, investigations, and inescapable hobnobbing which the directorate of the Office of Special Investigations entailed. He could keep tabs on every matter of interest, arriving in person where necessary, all the while maintaining the ultimate measure of safety by being forever in motion with nobody knowing where he would be until he arrived.

After the quagmire of Starfleet Intelligence's virtual meltdown during the Species 8472 affair two months ago, Tau did not trust anyone, not even with Internal Affairs conducting ruthless purges of wayward Starfleet officers. The Megaera's heading was a mystery to all but Tau, Jorgensen, and flight control, and for the foreseeable future that's the way it would stay.

The doors to his office swished apart, making way for Clarice -- a woman of African descent with short-cropped hair and a transparent ocular accessory over her left eye that was anchored to her ear. There was a slight brogue to her clipped speech which placed her origin somewhere Sub-Saharan yet not from Tau's native South Africa. "Forgive me, Admiral, but there is a priority one transmission from the Sol system. A planetary administration rep insists on speaking to you personally."

"Oh?" The news snapped Tau out of his myriad of coterminous thought processes and back onto his chief yeoman. "Regarding... what exactly?"

Clarice presented her open hands in a gesture of uncertainty, then folded them at her waist, unneeded. "They wish to authenticate a Theta-Sigma 9 clearance authorization."

Memory Theta. What were they doing in the Sol system? Gareth closed his eyes and sighed. "Very well. Thank you, Clarice."

As his yeoman nodded and exited the room, Tau depressed the desktop release which brought his viewscreen up into display mode. Steeling himself for the worst, as was Memory Theta's modus operandi, he activated the display to receive the transmission.

"This is Admiral Tau. Explain yourself." His cheek quivered in a frustrated tick. "Please."

"You explain YOURSELF, Starfleet." Administrator Ch'Vihron practically growled out at the man across the screen. He didn't actually have much against the man, he didn't know him. But this was not the third Starfleet bureaucrat in as many hours. First, that arrogant investigator had tried to force him into giving them unrestricted access to HIS colony. Then there was fool Madavi, playing dumb about leaking the discovery his people had made. She even had the gall to pretend that she didn't know what he was talking about. Now there was this... man who dared to question him. "Who do your people think they are trying to exert control over my government?"

Tau clenched his jaw at the Andorian's outburst. There were few people that were permitted to speak to him in that manner. "Start over, Administrator, and be sure to state the specific nature of your concern as well as how it falls within my purview."

"Some Starfleet jackboot just contacted me, Captain ban-Avram or something like that. He demanded access to my colony, for some form of research mission." The Andorian said dismissively, curling his fingers into air quotes. "Tried to bully his way into it too, flashed some clearance that he claimed allowed him to circumvent the civilian government of my colony."

"Circumvent the government?" The admiral made no effort to hide his incredulous skepticism. He also made a note to chastise Captain ben-Avram for his lack of discretion. "I'm afraid you misunderstand our mandate, perhaps even the Federation Charter itself. It is our duty and honor to assess problems wherever they appear. If Captain ben-Avram's people have elected to pay your planet a visit, then you had better pay attention. At the very least, be grateful for the advanced warning. It's a greater benefit than many get."

"Grateful!? Grateful, for Starfleet's continued intrusion onto our daily lives? Whatever your mandate Admiral I don't have to sit still for this!" The man truly wasn't getting it was he. "Just because you say you can go anywhere you want doesn't mean you can."

Tau narrowed his eyes and regarded ch'Vihron with a suspicious expression. "In fact, I can, and I'd be happy to refer you to Starfleet's legal division for the fine print. What I'd rather do instead is learn what it is you're protecting." He shook his head with incredulity. "You aren't invoking colonial privilege for the fun of it. Here's what's going to happen: you will permit the survey of your planet, and if I receive a report that mentions even the whiff of obstruction, then I will notify Starfleet Security that Venus requires a full security audit."

The mirthless smile on Tau's lips signaled the discussion was closed. "I'm sure it won't come to that. The Office of Special Investigations appreciates your cooperation. If there is nothing else, Administrator, there are other matters demanding my attention."

Ch'Vihron glared but said nothing as the dropped connection snuffed out his image. While this wasn't the first nor the hundredth bureaucrat Gareth had incensed, the locale to Starfleet headquarters made the situation harder.

It made him grumble. He just might end up having to call a meeting about this.

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