Discussions on Security

Posted on Sun Apr 27th, 2025 @ 2:28pm by Lieutenant Jaina Zalla & Captain Mitsu Sato

825 words; about a 4 minute read

Mitsu yawned as she pushed back from her desk and leaned back in her chair. Glancing out through the view port, she watched the stars as they passed by. She was thoroughly convinced that Starfleet had evolved itself somehow to operate as a massive corporation instead of as the defensive military and scientific arm of the Federation. The paperwork she had faced since taking command of the Eclipse was massive compared to what she had dealt with when she had commanded the Sierra.

It was most likely the difference between the two ships, Mitsu had finally decided. The Sierra had been an older model Nova class, limited to missions lasting no longer than a few months. The Eclipse could operate on her own for several years, a vast improvement and upgrade over all other Nova class ships. If the new systems worked out. So far, they had and Mitsu's only hope was that they continued to do so.

The sound of the door chime drew Mitsu's attention away from her stargazing. Turning towards the door, she tapped the controls on her desk.

Jaina walked into the captain's ready room and simply sat down in one of the empty chairs. It had been a rather long and interesting day, and she was beginning to feel the long shift that she had worked. "Captain, I feel that I need to speak with you over a few things," she said.

"Of course," Mitsu said as one of her eyebrows rose a centimeter in curiosity. "What's wrong?"

"I would like to know if Ensign Connor was sent to us because of any disciplinary action taken against him on his last assignment," Jaina said, diving straight to the point.

Mitsu sighed and leaned back in her chair. She had indeed read the security officer's service record, even spoken to the executive officer on his previous two ships after doing so. She hadn't been happy with his being assigned to her command, but Starfleet had posted him to the Eclipse before she had even taken command. The problem was theirs to deal with now.

"I have to be honest, Lieutenant, in the fact that I've not only read his service records but I've also spoken with command officers from his previous assigned posting," Mitsu admitted. "I wasn't very happy, but there was nothing that I could do about it by the time I assumed command."

"Can I ask what was said?" Jaina asked, hating that she was doing so, but at the same time she felt that she needed to know.

"Ensign Connor developed an attitude towards other officers, and of course one in general," Mitsu said. "It seemed to happen less than a year after he graduated from the Academy. Of course he also caused a problem during an away mission during which the lives of the entire away team were in jeopardy when he refused to obey direct orders from the officer in charge. His attitude seemed to get worse when his promotion to lieutenant was denied by the command team. He was transferred to a remote facility to see if he would improve, then to us when Starfleet was trying to fill out the manifest with qualified officers."

"And so now we're stuck with him," Jaina said unhappily.

"For now," Mitsu agreed. "May I ask what his problem has been to cause this conversation?"

"Mostly his attitude," Jaina replied. "He hasn't been insubordinate, but I detect the edge of an attitude that could become a problem if it isn't contained or corrected. I'm worried that it could, for lack of a better term, infect the rest of the officers in security and cause a morale and disciplinary problem."

Mitsu nodded silently for a moment before she leaned back in her chair. Such problems could indeed become major issues, and security was one department that discipline was critical. "Do you have any ideas on how to deal with him?" she finally asked.

Jaina nodded. "The storage lockers on deck eight are critical mission required equipment that need to be guarded for the time being," she said. "At least until I can think of a way to get him to improve his attitude."

"It's your department, so I'll leave the details up to you," Mitsu said. "Just keep me informed."

"Yes, Ma'am," Jaina said as she stood.

"You mentioned another issue?" Mitsu asked, not sure if Zalla had forgotten about another matter or not.

"Oh, yes," Jaina said with a slight grin. "I've managed to make some headway in our problem with Commander Harrington's concerns with our security measures."

Mitsu's eyes widened slightly as she silently wondered just how the security officer had accomplished such a feat. She finally decided that it was a matter better left unknown. "That's very good," she said. "Keep me updated if that situation changes."

"Of course, Captain," Jaina said. Giving her commanding officer a bow, she turned and headed out of the ready room.

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