<USS Avalon> "Wheels within Wheels"

?Wheels within Wheels?
by Commander Javan Sierra
& Junior Lieutenant Caine Reilly McKinsley



Caine stood in front of Javan's door and range his chime. She did not want to be visiting him on such a serious manner but Caine knew she was the counselor and with that came the responsibility of her job. Sighing, she wished that she had at least taken the time to take off her make up and undo her hair. She felt so stupid, coming to see Javan all dolled up but for professional business not for personal.

His eyes fluttered open and stared at the open abyss of stars looming outside his quarters' window. He shifted slightly and reached out with his mind, sensing his Imzadi looming near. He stood, still feeling what she wanted, and pulled on a shirt. Javan had been meditating, as he usually did when his mind was troubled, but this was a more pressing matter. As the shirt slid over his body he called out to her, "Come on in, Lieutenant." He didn't want to meet like this and he knew she felt the same, but it couldn't be avoided.

The door opened and Caine walked in, looking around, trying to avoid his eyes. "Hello Commander," she said softly. "I am sorry to be barging in on you like this, if it is a bad time, we can make an appointment for me to come back later," she said, finally looking him in the eyes. It was such a struggle for her to not reach out and hug him and tell him it would work out but she had to be professional about all of this.

"Of course not, Lieutenant, come on in and have a seat unless you prefer to stand." Javan motioned with a hand to the only piece of furniture in his sitting area before stepping to the replicator. "Can I get you something to drink? Water? Alcohol? Perhaps something to eat?"

Caine laughed slightly, "I would love alcohol, but seeing as I'm on duty right now, I don't think that would be smart. But I would love a glass of water please." She sat down where Javan had directed her and tried to calm her racing heart.

The water shimmered into existence and Javan handed her the ice-cold glass where condensation bubbles had already begun to form. He sat opposite of her on the floor cross-legged. Javan enjoyed it on the floor in that cross-legged state, he didn't know why but he did. He tilted his head slightly, looking at her with eyes, "Well, Lieutenant, what can I do for you?"

Taking a large gulp of water, Caine calmed herself down a bit. "As you can tell this is not a social call, I'm here on ship business. Captain Ketchum has put me in charge of the investigation of what happened on the bridge. So, what I would like from you right now is your complete side of the story of what all happened."

"Where to begin?" Javan smiled as he ran a frustrated hand through his hair, "She went completely nuclear on me. I have security set up that when there's a course change it logs into the computers - for security purposes and well within my bounds as Chief of Security. I noticed that one had been made with no orders to back it up and I just wanted an answer. I went to the bridge and asked Commander Skyler where we were going and on whose authority. She said something like 'go back to your hole' or something along those lines. It went downhill from there."

"So basically, Commander Skyler changed the course of the ship without any orders from the captain, that you knew of? So you confronted the commander and she said a degrading remark to you. How did you react to her remark?" Caine asked, she was finally getting into her counselor role and now wasn't having such a problem separating her personal and professional life, though she was upset to hear that Commander Skyler said something undignified.

Javan smirked, "Like I normally do, responded back. Not before she said that she got the order from the Captain, then changed her mind and said that he hadn't approved it. She was caught in a lie and she knew it. She also stated, mind you, that she was tired of being left in the dark and that everyone would report to her now. I felt that things weren't in the best interest of the crew and relieve her of duty." Javan shrugged and gazed out towards the stars once more, "I will admit, however, I did say some things I shouldn't have and got rather upset. All I wanted was a straight upright answer and that would've been that. Skyler put this crew in danger, Lieutenant, and as a Starfleet Officer I made sure that it wouldn't continue."

"You relieved the commander at phaser point. Do you really think that such force was needed with her at that point?"

"I'm a security officer, Counselor. All I know is force. Yes, I probably could've had her restrained with a couple of security guards, but her words sliced through the calm like a knife. She was edgy and hostile, I truly felt that I needed her to understand that I was serious." Javan stood and almost began to pace, but thought better of it. "Would you like to know the extent of what she said?"

Javan stepped over and accessed the bridge logs and then it came over the speakers in his quarters: "Well not this time. This time, we follow my orders. You want to take a shuttle, you ask me. You want to take an away team somewhere you get permission from me. Understand?"

It ended abruptly. "That was Commander Skyler talking about how since we don't tell her every little detail that she was taking over. According to Starfleet Command Discretion Rules any member of the command staff can seize control of the bridge if the situation is that pressing and proof can be obtained that the seriousness is unarguable. I felt that this situation was getting out of hand, so I settled it."

"Hmmm," Caine sat there thinking for a moment, she had been taking down what Commander Sierra was saying and making small side notes. She had heard all of the conversation that had taken place but she had needed to hear Commander Sierra's side of things and hopefully tomorrow, she would hear Commander Skyler's. Leaning back in her chair, she looked up at him, "do you feel that you were committing an act of mutiny in anyway?"

"I can see how it might have been construed that way, Lieutenant, but personally I felt as if I was acting in the best interest of the crew. I at no point in that conversation planned on drawing the phaser, and even when I did it was simply to ensure that Commander Skyler was escorted from the bridge." Javan smirked a bit as he turned once again to face her, "If I had intended on taking the ship do you think I'd actually call the Captain to the bridge? I wanted him to come to the bridge so I could explain my actions before he heard it through the grapevine."

Caine nodded in understanding because she did understand his actions. "All right Commander, do you think or believe that what Commander Skyler did could be considered a mutinous act?"

"Mutinous? No." Javan shook his head quite visibly; "I think that she's too harmless for that. I do however think that she wasn't thinking in the interest of the crew or Starfleet and that her actions were for personal benefit which doesn't belong on the bridge or anywhere near a Starfleet vessel." Javan didn't want to tell his true feelings about her because of his personal bias, but he was telling it like it was.

"Okay," she said, looking over all that Commander Sierra had told her. Caine stood up and faced him. "Thank you very much Commander Sierra. I am sorry that all of this had to happen this way but I am sure it will all work out correctly in the end. Is there anything else you would like to add?"

"The Captain and this crew are the most important thing for me because their safety is my responsibility. If I am accused of anything, it should be of making sure that this crew is safe." He nodded as he motioned to the door, "That is the extent of what I have to say."

Caine took his not so subtle hint that he was more then ready for her to leave. So she nodded her head, "All right, thank you again Commander Sierra for your time and if you have anything else you wish to add just contact me and I might be reconnecting you later on." Caine walked to the door. "Goodbye Commander Sierra," she said before walking out.

Javan watched as she walked around the corner and disappeared. He let the doors to his quarters slide shut with that reassuring hiss before he took his shirt off once more and assumed his meditative state. His eyes gazed out at the stars once more before taking a deep breath and closing them off to the world. "Wheels within wheels."

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