Stardate: 70101:1024
Title: Loose Ends Part One, Yoni and the Captain
Author: Captain Khavok
Time: After "Convincing Lies"
Scene: Various locations on Relentless


Relentless' Captain sat brooding, looking out into space. With all the challenges facing he and his crew one bothered him more than any other. One would think that faced with a weapon capable of ruining interstellar travel across several sectors of space that would be the chief problem on his mind. It wasn't. The problem most bothering him at the moment was one of his cowboy officers. What made the Captain truly angry was the fact that he had to deal with this problem in the midst of much more worthy and demanding uses of his time.

The door chimed, it was Lieutenant Levi requesting permission to enter. Peevishly Alex let the Lieutenant stew for a moment or so before barking the command to enter. The Captain remained facing his view port as Yoni approached his desk and reported.

"Have a seat," Khavok ordered.

"Sir, I prefer..."

The Captain cut his lieutenant off, "I didn't ask your preference Lieutenant have a seat."

Alex turned and fixed a level stare on his junior officer, for his part Yoni returned the Captain's gaze managing to keep most of his natural dislike of authority off his face.

"Is there a particular reason you disobeyed orders?"

"Sir, I was buying time."

"Buying time? That is exactly what you did not do. You cost us time, and you jeopardized my ship and her entire crew for a few seconds of heroics. What disturbs me even more than that is the fact that you think the way to earn respect in this crew is to disrespect the chain of command."

"Sir, may I speak freely?"

"No. This time I speak and you listen. I don't know why you feel the way to importance is to challenge and disobey. I have another word for your behavior it is disloyal."

The Lieutenants jaw clenched as he mastered himself. He would have liked nothing better than to tell the Captain off but he realized the dangerous territory he was in. A disloyal marking in his record could ruin his chances of a future command. Yoni did not know his Captain well but it was clear that he had crossed a line with the man. As much as he would have liked to fight, years on the street had taught the younger man how to correctly assess a situation. With effort he willed himself to relax.

"So there will be a toothbrush detail for me then Sir?"

Yoni had hoped for some trace of a smile or some sign of ease in the Captain's manner.

"No. We're adults here. If you question an order, challenge me, or disrespect me in front of my crew again, I will strip you of your command duties and make the appropriate log entries. Am I clear?"

"Yes Sir."

"Very well, you are dismissed," with that Alex turned back to gaze out into space.


=/\= Meanwhile... =/\=

Captain Merdlock was in way over his head. He'd had that funny feeling that he shouldn't have gotten involved with Galt but the money he'd been offered was too good to pass by. Merdlock cursed himself for a fool for the thousandth time. When someone offers enough latinum to buy a fleet for passage and cargo, no questions asked it can't be a good thing. Merdlock wasn't an especially morally strong person and the money quickly overcame his common sense.

At his first opportunity he'd disengaged from the charming Deltan. He'd been starting to feel very strange and had the uncomfortable feeling that he'd said far more than he should have. Merdlock blustered and ballyhooed his way down to the cargo bay insisting on checking the manifest personally. He was vitally concerned that a portion of it lay secure. The blood drained from his face as he realized the container he'd been looking for was empty. 

When he'd finally browbeaten a crewman into submission the flustered woman got as far up the chain of command as the XO. And with the XO he hit a brick wall. The XO politely informed him that there was a transporter malfunction and they'd transported all of the cargo they could. While Abby did sympathize with his loss she was sure that he would agree that lives were more important.

Merdlock walked as a man to the gallows to deliver the news to the assassin.


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Captain Alexander Khavok
Commanding Officer
USS Relentless
NCC-11966
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