Security: Are Any of Us Truly Secure?

Posted on Sat 25th Nov, 2023 @ 9:18pm by Captain Gordon Francis & Lieutenant Commander Dallas Briggs

1,400 words; about a 7 minute read

Mission: O' the Cardiff Rose
Location: Captain's Office, Ops
Timeline: MD 1 0830

Having finished his report with his new XO, Captain Gordon Francis was ready for the next introduction. Adjusting his glasses, he saw the next in line was his Chief of Security, a man named Dallas Briggs. Looking at his chronometer, Francis saw the Security Chief was due any second...

Dallas quickly finished compiling reports that he thought were relevant for the new Captain of SB109. He had heard of his name somewhere before but couldn't quite place it without looking at the man's personal file. Dallas decided not to do that this time. He preferred to meet the man first and get his impression without the bias of a file. Later he would go back and look at the file, but not before.

He grabbed the PADD and headed out of his office and into the corridor. It would take a few minutes to get to the Captain's Office and he hoped that he wouldn't be late, first impressions and all. He arrived at the door and pushed the door chime that would let the Captain know that he was there. He pulled his uniform shirt down. His physique was still big and hard to hide, even with the uniform.

When he got to the Captain's office, Francis greeted him at the door.

"I hope you're Lieutenant-Commander Dallas Briggs," he said in a well-projected, authoritative voice. He smiled and gestured inside the spacious office.

The first thing that went through Dallas' mind was how short the man was. That thought quickly left his mind just as quickly. "That would be me, sir," Dallas replied.

Instead of heading straight to the seat behind his desk, Francis went over to the replicator. "Would you like something to drink? I've had a cup of coffee already, but I haven't slept a lot lately which means I'm still cranky if I don't get a second cup."

"A cup of coffee would be fine, sir," he replied before taking a seat. Then he wondered why Captain Francis didn't offer him his hand when he came in. Perhaps he wasn't a hand shaker or just wanted to keep the visit a little less friendly. Who knows, but it wasn't for Dallas to judge. He would continue to keep an open mind.

Once drinks were taken care of and the two sat opposite the desk from each other, Francis looked over at his LCARS monitor, which no doubt contained Dallas' most recent evaluation.

"Well it looks like your job performance has been quite exemplary," Francis said. "By these numbers, you've dotted every J and crossed every Q. It's a Commanding Officer's dream record." He turned in his chair and faced the large Chief of Security. Francis removed his glasses and set them down on his desk. "Frankly, a perfect record worries me. Sometimes when your work is so precise it means you're running from something taking place when you're not in uniform." Francis smiled. "I speak, of course, of my own experiences with a troubled social life. I'm not implying anything about yours. What I want to know is, what do you enjoy outside of work, and are you finding enough time to do it?"

Dallas waited for a moment and wondered if the man had read his personal file yet. If he had then he would already know about his late wife and how she died in the blast. How he lost his leg and the assassin had tried to kill him on the station. He would know that Commander Lena's shuttle was shot down and the assassin would divulge her location if Dallas agreed to fight to the death with the Assassin. How he had just returned recently from that ordeal with Commander Lena. Then he replied, "I do enjoy my physical activities outside of work and I have plenty of time for them. I also have someone special in my life that I can enjoy those activities with." He owed some kayaking and mountain climbing excursions to Kiara since he had been neglecting her since their return to SB109.

Francis nodded evenly and offered a warm smile. "That's good to hear, Commander. How about your health? Any physical difficulties," he nodded to Dallas' leg, "or negative habits I or a medical staff should be aware of?"

"No sir." Dallas said as he tapped on his artificial leg. "And Medical is well aware of my physical situation. They gave me the option to have surgery, but I'm not ready for that yet."

"Alright," Francis said, glancing back at the monitor and scrolling through the readout before looking back at Briggs and straightening his posture. "OK, Mr. Briggs. I think thus far you appear in great mental and physical health. So, which elephant shall we discuss first? Yours... or mine?"

"I'm not really sure what you mean, Captain, but I'll bite. How about mine?" Dallas replied wanting a little more information. He wasn't worried about talking about any subject.

Francis smiled warmly. "The elephant in the room. The topic of conversation that looms but isn't acknowledged, despite the fact it's the size of an elephant." He leaned back slightly in his chair, a casual behavior but his back stayed erect and his posture was attentive, his face now very serious. "As with any new crew, I did my research on the officers who were assigned to me as my senior staff. I assume you did the same thing with me. If we both did our jobs, I'd know about your loss of a loved one under peculiar circumstances, and you would know of the scandal that led to my demotion and reassignment... also under peculiar circumstances. So now I've told you of my knowledge of a life-changing situation that absolutely must still be affecting you. As such, you are aware that I went down the command ladder and was reassigned here. That tells the spy in me that both of us likely have outstanding vendettas, or agendas of our own that could seemingly threaten the station's stability. I don't need details of the events or the steps you've hopefully taken to receive help. I just want to know if the two of us can trust each other."

Dallas smiled, "Actually, I did something a little out of character for me. I decided to meet you first and get a first impression before I went through your file with a fine tooth comb. Just to make sure my judgment wouldn't be tarnished by what I already knew. For me?" Dallas paused. "The assassin is dead and I know who sent him and who is responsible for my wife's death. Star Fleet has dealt with him so now it's time for me to move on. I have no private vendettas to go on so yes, you can trust me. I will go through your file and do my homework, but I'm sure there are things that were not in the report and not in your file as with mine. Should you wish to talk about them, I will certainly listen."

Francis gave a curt nod. "I appreciate that, Mr. Briggs," he replied. The admiral slipped his glasses back on and sat forward. "Now, Commander T'Venderath told me about an issue with an abnormal increase in crime in Brown Sector. I want you to look further into it. Gather as much information as you can. Get me some names of people who may be useful to us. I expect a full assessment of the matter by the end of the day. Understood?"

Dallas nodded and replied, "Understood, Captain. I will have to rely heavily on Sherrif Jaroth Dieklin as he is in charge of law and order there. I normally get reports from him so that I am apprised of any situation that arises, but it's his baby."

"And I don't want to step on too many toes either," Francis said. "But it is a concern of mine, and I'd like that report regardless. I've had two predecessors already who haven't been able to work things out in Brown sector and I don't want to be goat number three."

Dallas nodded but said nothing. He had already agreed to provide the rescissory information and didn't want to argue with his new Commanding Officer.

"If there's nothing else, Commander, consider yourself dismissed," Francis said.

Dallas nodded then stood, "Very well, Captain." He turned and then exited the room.

 

RSS Feed