A quick recall

Posted on 26 Jun 2017 @ 12:53pm by Vice Admiral Colin McDermott & Lieutenant Amaranai Franklin
Edited on on 26 Jun 2017 @ 3:57pm

2,233 words; about a 11 minute read

Mission: Episode 15 - Emanation
Location: Earth - San Francisco, Starfleet Headquarters
Timeline: MD 03, 1400

[ON]

"Lieutenant Junior Grade Franklin:" the message that had arrived in Franklin's email had begun.

"The Board of Inquiry into the loss of USS Galileo requires your presence for an interview in Room E-1201 of Starfleet Headquarters at 1400 local time. Report to the board in your Class B duty uniform, unarmed. You will be depositing your PADD outside, and may be subject to search for surveillance devices.

"For the Board,
Commander James Aronson
Starfleet Personnel Command"

The room itself was standard, annoyingly so. There were no windows. The brightly lit room had a table, behind which Vice Admiral McDermott sat, flanked by two other officers, as well as a lone chair for the interviewee. Security personnel stood outside the door.

It was to this that Amaranai Franklin was summoned.

Amaranai had spent the night with Charlotte and Commander Doteen. It had been a long, emotional night for the three of them, but Amaranai had been proud of her sister's decision to join her wherever she ended up going. Amaranai could tell that Charlotte had grown up a lot in the three years since she had been left practically on the doorstep of the commander and it turned out to have been the best thing to happen to the girl.

Receiving the summons for the interview was not shocking to Amaranai. She knew it would be coming and was surprised that it took a couple of days. Not that she had a lot to say. She hadn't been involved initially with the crew on Kreanus so she knew it could be difficult to answer some of the panel's questions.

Dressed in the requested uniform, Amaranai made her way to Starfleet Headquarters for the interview. She arrived several minutes early to insure promptness and a show of good faith. When she was called, Amaranai entered the room and stood at attention.

"Lieutenant Junior Grade Amaranai Franklin," she started. "Reporting as requested."

"At ease, Lieutenant. Get yourself some water if you'd like, then stand in front of the chair. One moment while I finish setting everything up," McDermott replied. "Computer, begin secure recording and transcription of Galileo Interview Four, subject Franklin, encrypted at SEABASS protocol under authorization McDermott Tango Omicron Five."

The computer beeped. "Recording and transcription begun, encrypted under SEABASS protocol."

Amaranai looked to the pitcher of water and glasses. She stepped over and retrieved a glass and poured herself a small amount and then drank it - she was nervous already and didn't want to have a bathroom emergency during the interview. She returned to the chair and waited for further instruction.

Once Franklin was standing in front of the chair, a human female (in a uniform with command red trim, wearing the pips of a Commander) who was sitting at the table spoke. "Lieutenant, before you sit. Please state your rank, name, service number, and last position of assignment for the record."

"Lieutenant Junior Grade Amaranai Franklin. Service Number VN-471-3725. Last position of assignment, Assistant Chief of Security and Tactical, USS Galileo.

Amaranai had been disciplined by Starfleet in the past, but there had never been this level of investigation. She had been interviewed by First Officers and Security Chiefs for past regressions, but this was a whole other level. Nerves were getting to her but she took a deep breath and reminded herself that she didn't get involved on purpose. She was trying to keep Luke safe.

"Computer, verify identity of claimed individual against Starfleet personnel file and biometric identifiers," McDermott ordered.

The computer beeped. "Identity verified: Lieutenant Junior Grade Amaranai Franklin, service number Victor November, Four Seven One, Three Seven Two Five, confirmed."

The commander nodded. "Raise your right hand, please, Lieutenant. Do you swear that the evidence you shall give in the matter now under investigation shall be the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth?"

This was more like it. This was the kind of setting Amaranai had been accustomed to when she was disciplined. The brunette nodded and then raised her right hand.

"I do," she said.

Like the good officer that she was, Amaranai waited until she was told she could sit down.

"Please be seated, Lieutenant," McDermott ordered. "Lieutenant, walk me through the adventures of the Galileo's crew, from departure from Celes III to the return to Federation control aboard that Romulan warbird. I'll stop you along the way when I have questions."

Amaranai sat down in the chair. As she listened to the question, she was suddenly struck with nervousness and some fear. She hadn't been part of the intial mission. She figured that the admiral would know that but maybe that was the exact reason for asking. Clearing he throat for a moment, Amaranai then began to speak.

"To begin with, sir," she started. "I didn't join the crew until after the Galileo had left Celes III. I arrived on the Oceana having transferred from the Gemini shortly before.

"From there, I participated with the crew as required by my position. As we were headed toward Starbase 234, we detected a distress call in the Paulson Nebula. The admiral changed course to investigate."

Amaranai thought back to just a few months ago. It seemed like another lifetime - aboard the Galileo before the madness.

"Once we arrived in the nebula, initial scans indicated the USS Recluse as the ship in distress. I wasn't involved in the discussions about the ship because I was not the officer on duty. From what I understand from talking to others, the Galileo took an intercept course for the Recluse but before it arrived, it was ambushed."

Inwardly, Amaranai could feel her body shake from the explosions. She had been involved in so many fights and battles in her time in Starfleet but the way the explosions felt and how she wsa tossed against the bulkheads was a different feeling. She could still feel the glass as she was thrown through it and the pain in her leg that she could still feel. After talking to a doctor on one of the Starships that had been transferring the crew back to Earth, she was glad to know there wasn't any permanent damage.

"The crew fought valiantly and did its best to survive. Unfortunately, the Klingons that had attacked us were too many in number, forcing the evacuation of the ship and for the admiral to initiate the self-destruct."

Amaranai thought again of leaving the ship and watching it explode from the shuttle she had escaped on with Luke.

"I managed to escape on a shuttle with Commander Wyatt," she continued. "We made a short warp jump in the nebula to avoid being seen by the Klingon ships. Once we noticed the Klingons leaving, we carefully followed them to another planet within the nebula. We landed our shuttle and made our way into the colony. It took time, but we were able to find the rest of our crew. Commander Wyatt, however, became ill and fell into a coma. Without a real plan, I found my way to Commander Warraquim and requested help. She offered medical assistance for Commander Wyatt and for myself and then offered to help us rejoin the crew before they were transferred to a Klingon vessel."

McDermott nodded. "Keep going, Lieutenant."

Amaranai paused for a short moment before continuing.

"We integrated with the remainder of the Galileo crew and were transferred to a Klingon vessel, the DuJa'Q. I returned to the position of Security and Tactical Officer, as it seemed to us that the Federation crew was in charge, with Admiral Saalm as commanding officer.

"From my understanding, our mission was to go back to the Klingon homeworld to convince the High Council to not kill General Ko'raH for his actions." She paused. "I wasn't involved in a lot of those discussions, so I simply followed orders.

"During our journey, we encountered the USS Sentinel as we approached Starbase 234. Unable to provide proper identification or respond to their hails without giving up our position, we were fired upon. I was the officer in charge of firing the Kliingon disruptors on the Sentinel. Admiral Saalm insisted on specific targets to keep injury to a minimum. The Sentinel was disabled and unable to pursue as we continued toward the Neutral Zone."

Amaranai thought about her actions. She was following orders despite her brain telling her that what she was doing was against everything she had learned in Starfleet.

"As we neared the Neutral Zone, I was on the bridge of the Klingon vessel when the general decided he was going to stage a mutiny. He attempted to murder the admiral and the rest of the officers on the bridge attempted to subdue the general. It took several minutes of fighting and being wounded before we managed to get an upper hand.

"We were contacted by a councilor from the High Council who then proceeded to transport the general to his ship where they fought to the death. When we were told the general was dead, we were told to leave the Neutral Zone. From there, the admiral directed the ship toward Federation space and the closest Starfleet ship that would then transfer us back to Earth.

She paused. She had never talked so much without someone interrupting her before. She had always been the quiet one. The one to observe and consider strategy and plans before reacting. It was who she was. Talking was overrated and so was diplomacy in her mind. But here she was, talking and hoping that the admirals would understand her actions and the actions of the crew, especially Lirha.

"From there, we moved between several ships until we reached Earth."

She waited for a response but made no motion of impatience or nervousness because that would show weakness.

"I was told by previous crewmembers who I've interviewed that it was not possible to communicate with the Sentinel. You're making it sound like it was a deliberate choice. Could you communicate or not, Lieutenant, and if you could, why did you not?" McDermott asked.

Amaranai thought back to the moment they encountered the Sentinel. The past few months had been practically a blur, especially because she wasn't sleeping well, so she considered what she had said and what the admiral had said as well.

"Sorry, sir," she said. "As I recall, the Sentinel had discovered us despite our cloak and was attempting to contact us. The admiral was the one to indicate that we should not attempt to communicate." She paused. "At the time, despite the fact that I then fired upon the Sentinel, I still feel that it was the right decision to make."

"Why is that?" McDermott asked.

"Honestly, sir," Amaranai started. "We were on a cloaked Klingon vessel at the time. There was a Klingon general on the bridge. If we had contacted the Sentinel, they wouldn't have believed us." She paused. "As it was, when we did reach another Starfleet vessel to request passage to Earth, the captain, rightfully so didn't believe us right away. It took some convincing but here we are."

"I understand. Do you have anything else to add that you feel the Board should know about?" McDermott asked.

"I think that regardless of the outcome, Admiral Saalm was simply doing what she had to in order to save her crew. At no time did she consider us lucky because we were helping the Klingons. The admiral knew that her actions were going to be questioned and could possibly lead to court martial. Though I agree that her actions were dangerous to the crew of the Galileo and the other Starfleet vessels we encountered, I also agree with the desire to save as much of the crew as possible."

She was finished. Amaranai had to hope for leniency and compassion from the committee and pray she wasn't discharged from Starfleet.

"Understood, Lieutenant. Thank you for your cooperation. We're done here. The no-contact order remains in effect until you hear otherwise, however. Until we've worked out the counterintelligence implications of this whole situation, your security clearance has been suspended - you'll be working on unclassified administrative matters at Starfleet Command. Hopefully, that'll be temporary, until the investigation is completed and the next steps have been decided upon. You may feel free to move about Earth, but if you leave San Francisco, you need to tell Starfleet Security so they can track you down if needed, and you may not go off-planet. If you have no questions, then, you're dismissed," McDermott offered in reply.

Inwardly, Amaranai sighed and was disappointed. She knew that there wouldn't be a decision made until all of the inquiries were over, but she had hoped for something. She was glad that she could travel even if she did have to tell security about it if she left the city. Good thing she didn't feel like going back to London. Not being able to contact Lirha was going to be difficult, but she would spend time with her sister to distract her.

"I have no questions, sir," she said and stood up to exit the room.

[OFF]

--

VADM Colin McDermott
Chief of Starfleet Personnel
Starfleet Command

Lt. jg Amaranai Franklin
Assistant Chief Tactical / Security

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