<USS Avalon> "The Fuzzy-Haired Interviews" By Lt. Marksbury

"The Fuzzy-Haired Interviews"
By Lieutenant First Class Elissabeth Marksbury
 
 
Marksbury went straight to deck two after leaving the bridge.  She wanted to 
know what happened with that delegate and who let it happen.
 
"Ensign Dareth, please meet me in conference room one," Lissi said into her 
com-link.  She knew the ensign was on duty, but didn't want to hunt him down.
 
"On my way," came the slightly confused sounding reply.
 
The ensign met her in the hallway right outside the conference room when they 
arrived at the same time.
 
"Good timing," he quipped.  Then noticing the set look on the Lt.'s face, he 
asked, "What happened?"
 
"I don't suppose you could tell me how a Rydyn ambassador managed to find 
himself exploring the bridge, could you Ensign?"
 
"Shit," he exclaimed.  "No, ma'm."  His eyes were wide with surprise.  "I had 
no idea.  It's been pretty quiet tonight - at least I thought it was.  I 
haven't even seen anyone out of their quarters. If I knew about any problems, I 
would've called right away."
 
"Alright," she sighed.  "I have six and a half hours to figure out exactly what 
happened and who is responsible."  The ensign nodded.  Lissi said, "I need your 
help, Elijah.  We're going to have a long night."
 
"Just tell me what you need."
 
"I'm going to interview each person on duty at this moment.  We're mid-shift so 
everyone should be here.  Since you're shift supervisor, you'll have to fill in 
for the person talking to me.  I have 14 people on duty, excluding you.  Anyone 
call in sick?  Any replacements?"
 
"No, ma'm."
 
"Let's get started then.  Just send them to me one by one.  No one is to leave 
until we're finished.  Understood?"
 
"Absolutely."  He turned quickly and headed out the door.  
 
"Oh, Ensign..."
 
"Ma'm?"
 
"The delegates are to attend a meeting in conference room three at 
oh-nine-hundred.  I want you personally to knock on their doors at 
oh-six-hundred to let them know their presence is required.  Well, all but the 
one sitting in the brig.  You - personally.  Got it?"
 
"Yes, ma'm," Dareth nodded and was quickly out the door.  He could tell 
Marksbury was frustrated.  She wasn't usually so pointed with him.  He was 
pretty sure that she liked him, often putting him in charge of small tasks over 
other ensigns who had been there longer.  He was pissed that something happened 
on his watch and intended to help set it straight.
 
He relieved the first guard of duty, sending them to Marksbury in conference 
room one.  He wondered how long it would take.
 
Lissi sat each one of them down, asking the same set of questions. She received 
direct answers for the most part - and a few questions as to why she was 
asking, which annoyed her a bit.  She didn't remember ever questioning a 
superior officer when she was only a petty officer or lower.  
 
She finally struck gold on her eighth interview.  Chief Petty Officer Teresa 
Brewer.
 
"Did you leave post without a replacement?" 
 
"No, ma'm."
 
"Have you seen or spoken to any of the Rydyns during this shift?" 
 
Brewer squirmed a bit in her chair, "Only Ambassador Maratt, but he had orders 
to go see the captain."
 
Lissi raised her brows.  "Really?  And did you see the orders?"
 
Brewer nodded.  "He had a PADD.  He was really mad that I stopped him," she 
explained.
 
"Go on.  Tell me what happened."
 
"Well, I was on post, just like I was supposed to be and this Ambassador walked 
right by me.  I stopped him, of course, and asked what he was doing.  He waved 
the PADD in my face and told me that he had orders for a meeting with Captain 
Ketchum.  I didn't even know Ketchum was on board, but he yelled at me that I 
obviously wasn't important enough to know such infomation, so I obviously 
wasn't important enough to interfere with his meeting which he was gonna be 
late to because of me.  I didn't want to get in trouble for causing the 
Ambassador to be late, so I let him go.  Did I do something wrong?" she asked 
innocently.
 
"Are you aware that the Rydyns are not allowed anywhere on the ship without a 
security escort?"
 
"I didn't think about that," she said, realising that the Ambassador hadn't had 
one.
 
"Secondly, if you weren't sure about those "orders" why didn't you call and 
verify them?  You could've called me - I know about any delegate that has 
permission to leave. And I typically escort them myself."
 
"I - I didn't want to bother you, ma'm."
 
"Petty Officer Brewer, let me ask you something,"  Lissi's tone was patient and 
non-condemning.  "Do you think I'd rather be woken up and asked a simple 
question or get woken by an angry bridge officer who orders me to the bridge to 
arrest a Rydyn who is attempting to break into the ship's computers and have to 
do the reports on the incident, not to mention the interviews to find out what 
went wrong?"
 
The Petty Officer began to cry.  "I'm sorry, Lt.  He was yelling at me and I 
figured he was more important and -" she sniffled the end of her sentence.
 
"I don't like excuses, Brewer.  It takes more time to explain why you did 
something wrong than to just fix it.  This was a serious breach of security.  
If the Ambassador had not been caught, there is no telling what sort of 
information he could've pulled from our system."
 
Brewer cried even harder, though Lissi didn't think she was being mean to the 
girl.  Her voice was calm and rational, just explaining things to the younger 
officer.  Lissi seriously disliked such displays of emotion.  A person should 
have better control of themselves, in her opinion.
 
Standing, Lissi told her, "We'll continue this discussion when you've pulled 
yourself together.  Meet me in the security offices at thirteen hundred hours.  
You have five minutes to dry your tears and return to your post. Unless you 
cannot and I need to bring in someone else?"
 
Wiping her face, Brewer said, "No, ma'm.  I'll be there in one minute."  It was 
obvious the girl was making an effort, but she was emotionally overwrought.
 
Marksbury softened a bit.  "Take five.  It isn't the end of your career," she 
half-smiled.  "Everyone makes mistakes, Teresa.  I'll see you at thirteen 
hundred."
 
Lissi found Ensign Dareth quickly and filled him in on the situation.  Glancing 
at his wrist chronometer, he said, "Not bad.  It's only four-forty.  You've got 
time for a nap."
 
She shook her head.  "I get up in fifteen minutes, ensign.  My shift starts in 
two hours.  I still have to put this report together."
 
"Don't forget to shower," he grinned.
 
"That borders on insult, there Ensign," she scoffed.  Then asked, "Do I smell?"
 
Elijah laughed, but leaned in and whispered, "No, but your hair is kinda 
fuzzy." 
 
"Thanks," Lissi rolled her eyes.  "I would like to ask one more thing of you, 
Elijah."
 
"You got it."
 
"Don't be so quick to agree.  I may just ask you to do my laundry or something."
 
"I'd do it."
 
"There is such a thing as sucking up too much."
 
"Maybe, but you didn't give me a chance to tell you about how much starch I'd 
use..."
 
Marksbury chuckled.  Quickly getting back to the subject, she explained, 
"Alright, Ensign.  I've got a headache named Maratt sitting in the brig and a 
couple of high ranking Ambassadors that are going to be yelling at me in a few 
hours, so this is what I need you to do.  First off, when you inform them of 
the meeting, make sure they realise that attendence is not optional.  Secondly, 
when they ask what it's about, because you know they will, tell them Sr. Lt. 
Manson has an announcement for them.  You can make it sound like he's going to 
finally give them some answers if you want, but don't lie.  I don't like lying. 
 Do not, for the love of Pete, tell them I have one of them in the brig.  They 
can find out in their own time.  I don't want to deal with it a moment sooner 
than I have to."
 
"No problem," he smiled.  
 
"That's not all."
 
"Oh."
 
"I would like it if you would stay on duty until after this meeting.  I need a 
full security detail for that meeting and I'd like you to set it up for me."  
Is that asking too much? she wondered.  The ensign seemed to have a high work 
ethic and had thus far been very responsible.  She didn't want this half-assed 
and she knew Dareth would do a good job.  Short of having to do it herself, she 
didn't see many options she trusted.
 
"Of course, Lieutenant," he smiled.
 
"You don't mind?"
 
"Not at all."
 
"Good.  Thank you.  I'll see you in two hours," she told him and went back to 
her room for that shower. 
 
 Fuzzy hair, indeed. Hmph.
 




                
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