AT/D02 - Briefing Room

[Tyra Crawford]

== A dedicated area for senior staff to conduct meetings and conferences, accessed through the Bridge. The conference table is long and matches the curvature of the exterior hull, with seating and consoles for up to ten individuals (usually reserved for VIPs, Department Heads, Mission Advisors, and Command Staff). A large, interactive display is also in the room, with a feature wall and audio/visual recording devices to transcribe and keep minutes from meetings. ==

[Miles Grant]

The recall came after close to 11 weeks of Shore Leave. While it was longer than Miles had expected it would be, it was still enjoyable, especially with the arrival of Lina and the time they were able to spend together the couple of weeks she had been on DS9. Although, with what occurred during the last mission...

Miles refocused on the task at hand and the recall. Furthermore, he had been included on a list of crewmembers who needed to report to the Briefing Room the night before the launch. The time of the meeting was set for 2000. Miles checked the time and noted he was on track to arrive a little over fifteen minutes early.

As he walked through on his way to the Briefing Room, he looked around the corridors of the Artemis. Everything was in pristine shape from any updates and repairs needed to be done by the Base Engineers. It was strange in a way, given how little time Miles had been aboard the Artemis during the last mission.

Soon, though, he had arrived the Briefing Room. He wasn't sure who all had already arrived, but he entered, ready for whatever this meeting would entail.

==Tag all==

[Robin Mayfair]

As she entered the Briefing Room Robin stifled a yawn. She'd been working an extended shift and had been on duty since 5 AM, and the coffee had long since worn off. The young Augment didn't dare have another cup. After the briefing (assuming it wasn't an emergency) she planned to go straight to bed and get enough sleep to keep her going for launch... and caffeine was a bad idea.

Robin had only returned yesterday from her month-long trip to Earth. She'd set up her new home, spent time with relatives she hadn't seen since she was a toddler, and otherwise enjoyed being surrounded by the fresh green of the Appalachians. Her aunt had been right; she'd spent far too long cooped up in metal tubes surrounded by hard vacuum. However luxurious the Artemis was by the standards of other starships it was still limited, even with holodecks to simulate the great outdoors.

Ultimately I don't think people are meant to live like this, at least not long-term.

The Artemis had a new Captain, though the purple-haired nurse hoped it was only temporary. Starfleet was playing games as far as she was concerned, and it only served to tick her off. Tyra Crawford had built this command, had captained the ship since its launch. She'd seen the ship through some terrifying encounters. There was a stability in having her in the big chair. And now Starfleet was blaming her for their screwups? They'd given her an impossible mission, and then complained about the way she'd done it. If only Elias hadn't confessed. She understood why from an ethical standpoint, but still thought it wad been a terrible idea.

As Uncle Frank said, "Cop didn't see it, I didn't do it." Ben didn't have to confess his sins, and the evidence had crashed into the Cardassian Nor station. And they call me a choir girl? I hadn't been planning on saying anything about the cloak. We're alive because of it.

The only person in the Briefing Room was the ship's Chief Tactical Officer, Miles Grant. She gave him a warm smile. She'd missed the Artemis crew, and she was glad to be back. "How are you doing, Lieutenant Grant?" Robin tended to be friendly and cheerful but still business-like on duty. She rarely called her fellow officers by their first names while in uniform, though some others preferred to do so. It didn't bother her; it just wasn't her style.

After taking a seat about halfway down the table she asked "Have you had a chance to talk to the new Captain yet?"

== Tags ==

[Aeryn Miller]

In the weeks since she had transferred departments and received her additional promotion, Aeryn had made the most of her leave. When she wasn't spending time with Beka fortifying and making their relationship even stronger or with her friends, the CSO was either in the gym (old habits never really went away) or working on the project she had started with Lucy. The results so far had been promising, but this hadn't been done with the intention of it being temporary, but rather a long-term thing, and not just growing hybrid tomatoes.

Her plans might be ambitious but Aeryn was determined to see them through, especially with how the transition to Science hadn't been as scary as she first believed. Her passion and excitement over rediscovering her spark for experiments and the buzz of the science lab were reflected in Aeryn's outward personality, while the demons from the last mission were firmly under control.

Occasionally she was reminded of Callisto and everything that transpired in her dreams when they became more like nightmares, but overall she was coping a lot better than she had thought. That being said, the message from Cera informing the redhead of the briefing to be held the evening before the launch didn't come with the usual anticipation of what they might be facing. Although Aeryn hoped that would change, then again, who could blame anyone for feeling that way following the fallout from their escape from Cardassian space?

Crawford had left, and rumours were circulating about who their new CO might be, although Aeryn's latinum had been on Coleman as Acting CO. So, entering the briefing room, came with a little trepidation of what to expect before Aeryn cast a glance to see who was already present.

" Hi Lieutenant, Commander," she said in greeting to Miles and Robin, deciding to forego her usual informality for the moment, considering that they didn't know who they were dealing with just yet.

== Tags ==

[Lucy Devereaux]

Lucy tried to get her ducks in a row. Crew recall was perfectly normal, nothing to feel anxious about. It was the addendum to Cera’s message that Lucy feelin’ might awkward.  Something was up and more than usual. The botany research with Aeryn was everything she needed. Getting called to the Briefing Room was odd. That was for Senior Officers unless something more significant was up.

Lucy arrived at the Briefing Room and yes. Miles, Robin and Aeryn were already there. Medical, Tactical, and of course Science. Who you’d expect, being the respective department heads. Lucy lifted a glass of water from the replicator before taking a seat next to Aeryn. In her current state of mind caffeine was not advisable.  Water was a risk for a different reason, but as far as she was aware she was only there to listen.

Long as she wasn’t called upon to contribute Lucy felt she might get through this okay. Engineering, Security, and Command were the only ones missing so far. Suppositions were only the cause of anxiety and a mineral study on the atomic composition of rocks from Luna was a good distraction until the meeting started. Greeting Aeryn would help her not feel so awkward.

“Hi, Lieutenant Commander.”

== tag ==

[Eun Ju Han]

Ju had spent longer than she meant to psyche herself up in the mirror of her nearly non-existent bathroom. It wasn’t for looks or uniform, it was for the courage to do her job again and not let her past mistakes dictate her first official Artemis mission. Things had changed, a lot had gone down, some she knew, some she didn’t. Hubub on the ship was there was a new Captain for the time being; though she wasn’t sure if it was permanent or temporary. She had liked Captain Crawford and her vibe. She had been completely straightforward with Han but also understanding.

While Eun Ju was dating Commander Coleman she worked very hard not to blur the lines or ask him to blur the lines of professionalism. If he could tell her something she knew that he would. If their conversations erred on the side of forbidden information as soon as he gave her a bit of a shake of his head, she changed the conversation to another topic. Her internal curiosity died a little each time but she was not about to ruin their relationship by putting him in a tight spot. Besides, knowing that they were dating meant that people might come to her to see if she had insider information, which she would prefer not to have, it was easier to keep secrets when she actually didn’t know them.

Over their downtime, Damian and Ju had worked on solidifying their relationship spending a great deal of time together. They were almost always found together when they weren’t on shift or busy. He and Mara had helped her throw an excellent Korean-themed party in the Lounge which people were still talking about. There was nothing like seeing the tough Mara up on stage with others doing Gangnam Style. Definitely a video Ju would not delete soon, the video evidence of her bravery would live on forever.

Ju adjusted the collar on her uniform one more time before letting out a long breath. She wished there was more than a singular pip there, if so, she felt the gap between herself and Damian would be much smaller and people would judge her less for being with him. Ju was not easily bothered by the opinions of others. Had that been the case she wouldn’t have embarked on a relationship cemented in adversity. One day, she would have more pips on her collar, and one day they could stand side by side once people realized she wasn’t with him for his rank but for his personality…. And more.

Leaving her Quarters, Ju headed for the turbolift and headed for the deck where the Briefing room was located. Other officers got onto the lift at different decks, causing Ju to end up against the side of the turbolift until they all filed out. The Briefing room already held a few people as Ju stepped in with some of the others who had ridden with her from the various decks. Ju had not yet met the new Chief Engineer, she hadn’t even met the old one, so she supposed new or not… it didn’t really matter at this point. She could only hope that she would be good enough to make him proud and not think she was a complete idiot.

Inside the room were several people some she knew the faces of, a couple she knew the names of, but none of her comfort-people yet. They would come, she was sure. She made eye contact with Lieutenant Grant giving him a small smile. “Nice to see you again, Lieutenant,” Ju said with a bit of a smile. She also noticed that Aeryn was there as well offering the redhead a smile as well. “Good to see you again as well.” Ju kind of wished she had brought some tea or something to drink, maybe some coffee, with her to give her hands something to do. She was feeling really nervous. Just don’t make an idiot out of yourself this time, Ju, you can do it! Fighting!

==Tag Miles and Aeryn, and anyone else==

[Cassandra Givens]

Cassandra must have skipped the part of her command refresher that covered what to do when you truly wanted to hide in your Ready Room and never come out. She'd voiced as much to Admiral Anderson but she'd only gotten an amused look, no sage advice on what she felt was an awkward situation.

In fact, the admiral was being less than helpful in general. They'd spoken twice since she'd begun the recall process and he'd rather skillfully dodged most of her questions. He wouldn't tell her why Coleman hadn't been a suitable CO candidate and actually, he wouldn't answer any of her questions. Usually, he used questions as teaching points but during that first conversation, he'd grated out that she needed to trust him.

It had taken her a moment to recognize the tone and the expression on his face. Whereas he was normally blunt and forthcoming, each answer and statement seemed to be weighed and assessed before coming forth as if he was carefully considering the consequence of every little tid bit he gave her. He was maneuvering, moving pieces around a chess board that only he could see, but to what end, Cass didn't know. What she did feel confident of was that control of Artemis was at stake but who was he racing for it?

That question had sat heavily in her stomach as she worked on launch checklists. She'd spent weeks digging through Artemis and her crew and while she hadn't voice diy or put it in her report, she'd come to the conclusion that Artemis had been the victim of politics. Someone had made Artemis a pawn in a game of chess, or maybe, Artemis had been the prize. She still wasn't certain on that point but someone had gotten exactly what they wanted with the collateral damage, of that she was sure. The question was the committee involved, had they wanted Artemis in more controllable hands so badly that they'd torpedoed the career of one of their most stable commanding officers? It seemed possible, maybe even probably if Cassandra's own presence meant anything.

She's tried to push that aside as she met with Coleman. She wished she had an answer for why he hadn't been considered during the conversation but the commander had seemed more upset on behalf of his former commanding officer than on his own snub. She could appreciate that, even if she had no comfort to offer. He'd been understanding enough, more than she'd expected at least.

But she didn't expect that level of understanding from the crew gathering in the briefing room. In their defense, she doubted she'd have been very understanding of this situation had played out against Captain Huddle or Captain Mghoun.

She took a long sip of her coffee, which might have been more cream than coffee, as she moved across the bridge from the ready room, her steps surer than she felt as she approached the back door to the briefing room. Even having talked to the admiral again --this time wheddling a little more information out of him --, she felt far less than confident in this situation but she didn't need to broadcast that.

As she reached the edge of the door sensor's range, she paused. She quickly ticked through the checklist: her uniform was straight, her dirty blonde hair was swept back into a neat low bun, her boots weren't shined but they were clean, she had her coffee, and she had both PADDs that she'd need.

With that checklist marked off, she stepped forward, letting the doors yawn open before her before stepping in with a decisiveness she didn't feel.

It was no shock that some personnel were already present. There was acting Chief Tactical Officer, a young but capable officer based on his records and Crawford's recommendation. There was the newly minted Chief Science Officer, whose move from security puzzled Cass to no end. There was her minion, who had a rather colorful history based on Cass' study of the Planitia Utopia mission. There was the young engineer, who she believed was seeing Commander Coleman. An unwise decision by Cass' estimates but this ship seemed born of unusual circumstances and decisions. And there was the Chief Medical Officer, who was an anomaly on not one but two fronts. Not only was Mayfair not a doctor but she was an augment; Cass wasn't sure which fact had raised her eyebrows higher.

All the same, Cassandra offered the occupants a smile, not quite warm and certainly reserved, but a smile all the same as she walked to the head of the table and set her cup and PADDs down.

Her eyes skimmed over the room once more, noting that Lieutenant Commander Morgan hadn't finished her task yet it seemed. They were also still waiting on some personnel so there was time.

I should have stayed hidden longer...

[Miles Grant]

Miles was only somewhat surprised to be the first to arrive to the Briefing Room. On one hand, he was fairly early to the scheduled meeting. On the other, he had anticipated either Commander Morgan or their new Captain to have been present. He felt a pang as the thought of the "new Captain" crossed his mind.

He knew little about them other than the fact they were taking over for Captain Crawford. The details had been more or less kept under wraps, but what Miles did know was that both Crawford and Elias were no longer currently assigned to the Artemis. Whether temporary or permanent, Miles was not privy to.

He was brought out of his thoughts when the doors opened. He turned to see the arrival of their Chief Medical Officer, Mayfair. He returned her smile. Though they weren't particularly close, Miles would say he shared a "friendly" relation with the Medical Chief. Her demeanor was also friendly and cheerful while still maintaining professionalism. A balance it had taken Miles longer to obtain, and mostly assisted by his relationship with Lina.

Mayfair had asked him how he was, as well as if he had a chance to meet the new Captain yet.

"I have been well," he replied. "I hope you have as well. As far as the new Captain, I have not yet had the opportunity." Before any conversation could continue, more people began to arrive. The first was Commander Miller, the former Chief of Security turned Chief Science Officer. Miles returned her greeting as more came in. The next was the other Senior Science Officer, Devereux, followed by one of their newer transfers, Han, whom Miles had had a chance to speak to at the get together the crew had during Shore Leave.

"It is good to see you again as well, Ensign," he replied to her greeting, as she also addressed Miller. More people would be entering, though only three of the five Department Heads were currently present. With Miller as the new Science Chief, Miles believed he had heard Crawford had made Calleja the Security Chief, though he had yet to confirm that fully, or if that would even stick given Crawford was no longer aboard.

The Chief Engineer was also a blank, but something they would more than likely figure out in due time.

==Tags==

[Omdor Jaein]

Jaein walked into the briefing room and still didn't exactly feel like he belonged there. Maybe it was too many years spent behind a desk, maybe it was the very 'finished' feel of the ship compared to the Vestas he had been building at 40 Eridani. Maybe he was just nervous. Prophets, he thought, this is probably the first time you've been leaving your family behind since the kids were born. True, there had been the brief stint as Chief Engineer of the Spirit, but it was a testbed ship which had operated for only a few months, and had been confined to the heart of the Federation.

Now, here he was, taking a post on one of the ships of the line, and heading off to a mission who knew where. Spirit had had its dangers, but now he was quite possibly putting his life in harm's way like he never had before. And while a much younger Jaein would have done most anything for this opportunity... now, at 53, he was much more sanguine about what this meant. Sure, his kids were adults now, but only barely, and he well knew just how important parents could be even for someone of their age. And there was Mary Ellen, the love of his life. He hated leaving her behind, but she didn't need or want to be on a starship like this, away from her work. What would happen to her if he didn't come home?

And he had to face it: this crew had a record of being assigned tough, dangerous missions in places that weren't exactly the friendliest of places. From the front lines with the Borg to the Delta Quadrant, and now a mission that went so badly he couldn't even get any more information out of it than 'things happened in Parhelia and now it's ours again'? He couldn't discount the fact that this crew had also come out of those missions bruised and battered but alive and honored, but it still was enough to make an old man nervous.

But for now, he'd accepted the post. Interim Chief Engineer. It wasn't exactly a permanent position - he still wasn't quite ready to give up his posting at 40 Eridani, and there had even been talk from the shipyard's master of retirement, and Jaein was being considered for that post - but he considered it a favor to a friend. Ben Elias was out - and apparently permanently, though from what he knew the trial still hadn't happened yet - so he had come in to lend a hand. The department was staffed, but they were young. The next most senior officer, Lieutenant sh'Thanis, had evidently just accepted a new posting before the last mission, and everyone else was an ensign or lower. They needed an actual senior officer, and he was the most qualified person in the sector.

It also hadn't helped that they had made the offer two days ago. He'd been packing up to head back to Vulcan after his leave was done when the request came in. A talk with his wife later, and he'd accepted it, at least for the duration of the mission. That thought reminded him, and he tapped a control on the padd he was carrying to set a reminder so he could finish up his needed paperwork for the shipyard. They still had some personnel changes that needed approval before the next keel was laid on his line, and he needed to get it signed off before he handed control over to the yard master.

But for now, he had a briefing, evidently. He gave the room a look, noticing a pair of scientists - junior and senior officer, it seemed, - as well as a tactical officer and an engineer. Captain Givens had also arrived, taking her place at the head of the table but apparently not looking to call the meeting to order at this exact moment. He nodded to her, but let the woman be. She seemed nervous, and he didn't want to break her nerve with an idle comment.

Instead, he walked over to the engineer, a young woman with a single pip on her collar. For a moment he felt the oddest sense of deja vu before he recognized her as the young woman hosting the party he had inadvertently crashed while trying to find out what had happened to Ben. He put on a smile - more sincere than it would have been moments before - and put a hand out to her. "Ensign?" he said, and stopped for a second before apologizing. "I'm sorry, I can't recall your name; I'm still trying to get through all of the personnel files. I'm Omdor Jaein."

==Tag Han!==

[Mara Calleja]

Mara had missed the initial notification of the briefing as she had been in the gym, so she had been left with a relatively short period of time to scrub up and get herself to the briefing room. Still, the Security chief was in no rush. She had gone back to her new quarters - a suite of rooms she found almost obscenely large - to get a shower and a fresh uniform. A type II and combat blade were tucked securely into a custom holster on her belt as they always were.

There had been so many rumours swirling around Artemis lately that Calleja was almost dreading this briefing. The fact the summons had come from Cera Morgan hadn’t helped the feeling of trepidation as the muscular Bandaran got off the turbolift on deck 2.

I can’t believe some of the shit I’m hearin’. I mean, if this is senior staff, I’m expectin’ to see a new Chief Engineer. There’s no way Elias comes back. That poor bastard was set up so thoroughly I feel like the only way he sees daylight for a while is if someone breaks him out. But the rest? Fuck’s sake, I keep hearin’ about the Captain bein’ replaced, and those guys are definitely hittin’ somethin’ strong. Artemis is Crawford is Artemis. That’s just how it is.

Nobody had an information network on the same level as Cera Morgan but Mara was starting to build a pretty extensive web, at least on Artemis. The Bandaran’s fierce sense of loyalty to her friends and shipmates tended to bring the same thing out in others, and people told her things because they knew she would respect the confidence.

Although I swear, one more prick comes up to me and starts doin’ the invisible horse, I’m gonna fuse their damn spine.

The thought made her smile. Mara’s efforts to tear down her image as a distant and terrifying figure had been almost too successful, and it had all started with that karaoke set at Ju’s party. The Bandaran had been forensically dissecting her own performance for hours before Halee had come over and showed her the videos of people laughing and joining in with the Gangnam Style routine. And there had been so many videos.

It’s still weird havin’ people just come up to me and start talkin’. I mean, my friends were right. Bein’ so closed off wasn’t helpin’ me at all. But I’ve never been this open with a crew before, like ever. Never been this senior either though, I guess. And if I want to do the job right, people can’t be afraid to talk to me. I need them to be able to relate to me. And if all they know about is the shitty childhood and Cardassian killin’, that ain’t gonna happen. I feel like I’ve made the right call. Even if it is takin’ some gettin’ used to.

So far at least, Calleja had worn the mantle of Chief of Security easily. She’d made a concerted effort to speak to as many of her department as she could and made a habit of going to see others across the ship as well. Given all the noise Mara had also taken as much off the Command crew’s plate as she could, having discretely taken over the emptying of the DS9 drunk tank amongst other duties. She had absolutely savaged every single unfortunate who had been disgracing the Artemis’ name. For all the good vibes, the ex-ganger could still bare her teeth when she needed to, and she had taught the station’s Security staff some particularly virulent new curses.

Can’t all be singin’ and dancin’ she thought with another faint smile.

Mara stepped into the briefing room. She nodded in greeting to everyone who looked over at her and made her way to the replicator. With a protein shake in hand, she settled down in an empty chair and took in the occupants of the room.

New senior engineer? Check. There’s Ju. Good to see her makin’ a name for herself as her. Everyone else pretty much as expected.

And then Calleja clocked the unfamiliar figure at the head of the table. The Bandaran tilted her head quizzically. It wasn’t a cold glare by any means but it wouldn’t have taken another Security officer to know she was appraising the other woman.

Now who the fuck are you. Command red. All prim and proper and tryin’ to make a good first impression. And you’re sittin’ in Tyra’s seat. Which is either really fuckin’ brave ‘cause the boss is gonna rip your legs off at the knees, or…

The alternative wasn’t one Mara wanted to contemplate. She owed her position and her confidence in her own ability to carry it out to Tyra Crawford. Without the legendary redhead around, things got a lot less secure for the Security Chief. She was still so new in her position that the paint was practically wet on the office door. If a new CO wanted to bring their own people into senior positions, then the Bandaran was vulnerable and suddenly she was all too aware of it.

Fuck’s sake. I wish I’d just stayed at the gym and ignored the beepin’. Things are a lot simpler when you’re liftin’.

Calleja’s expression softened. For a moment she considered asking the new girl when the boss was getting here, but swiftly discarded the idea. She was very lucky that her last outburst in a briefing hadn’t had any lasting ramifications and she wasn’t about to test that luck again.

Guess we’ll find out who's callin' the shots soon enough.

[Beka Sydesh]

It wasn’t the first time Beka had run across Artemis to get to a meeting on time, and it wasn’t likely to be the last either. At least she had a defence this time. The elective procedure she’d been carrying out to replace and upgrade a very rudimentary prosthetic limb for CPO Hyde had taken a lot longer than planned. It wasn’t just a case of replacing the hardware. She’d had to replace the whole nervous interface as well, and that had meant some very prolonged and delicate work. There were no shortcuts in that kind of surgery and she had been in there for over 5 hours non-stop.

If I hadn’t been fixed myself, there’s no way I could have done it. But I’m paying for it now though! My back is screaming…

Sydesh had spent the leave period getting back to fitness after her spinal operation. The redhead had made a conscious choice that she didn’t want to be as jacked as she had been before. It had been great being that strong, but having to spend so much time in the gym and topping up her calorie intake had been so time-consuming that she was happy with her new, more lithe physique.

And it’s not like I’m unfit or anything. I can still run, I can still lift. If anything I feel faster. I don’t remember being that quick through my forms before, not even when I was taking my black belt tests.

The doctor was one of the last attendees to slip into the briefing room, clutching a rapidly-cooling coffee like it was an elixir of life. She nodded in greeting to Robin, winked at Aeryn and then slid into a seat next to Mara.

There were some people present that the redhead didn’t recognise but that wasn’t a surprise. She wasn’t plugged into any of the gossip networks and shore leave took away her main opportunity to keep up to date with what happened on the ship, as nurses and patients weren’t whispering around Sickbay where she could hear them. Mayfair wasn't the only medic who could hear like a bat.

Calleja seemed to be intently watching an unfamiliar woman in Command red, and Sydesh gently elbowed the Security chief. Relations between the two had improved dramatically and whilst they had a way to go to be friends, Beka certainly wasn’t intimidated by the other woman any more.

“Hey,” she said, her voice not quite as low as she thought it was. “What did I miss? When does the boss get here?”

[Damien Coleman]

Standing in the refresher, the face staring back at him punched right through into his very soul. There were questions there. Concerns and disappointment floated around too, contributing to the furrows generated by his perpetual frown that he wore over the last while. His meeting with one Cassandra Givens had been a surprise. Damian couldn’t give a damn that he wasn’t considered for the Acting position, but he was pissed about Fleet Command’s handling of Tyra. They’d been less than helpful in giving an inkling as to what was going to happen with the command situation on the Artemis. Then the brass sprung Givens on them. It stirred a fire in Damian’s belly, which he had to try to quell as much as he could.

Personal feelings aside, he had to ensure a relatively smooth transition of power with Tyra still sitting in the frying pan. Or did she end up in the fire? The meeting with Givens hadn’t been unpleasant. Quite the contrary, the new captain seemed to seek some propitiation for the situation, and was good at trying to allay his confusion. Even then, Damian could see under the facade. Givens was nearly as clueless about the whole situation as Coleman and Crawford were. That uncertainty seemed to extend beyond knowledge, and surrounded Givens. Damian had known plenty of officers that would use that to their advantage; he, however, did not.

Accepting Cassandra, and assuring her he’d help smooth the transition out, wasn’t done just out of the kindness of his heart. It was duty. Duty and not wanting to further rock the boat. While there had been frequent check-ins and questions from on high, it seemed like most of the fallout had been settling. If having Givens as an Acting Commanding Officer for a time was the penance, then that was a small price to pay.

Standing upright, Damian rolled his shoulders back and tossed his head from side to side before letting out a powerful sigh. His visage changed from what it had been, to something more like his usual when it came to dealing with business. Picking up the PADD from the countertop, Damian made his way out of the refresher. It was a short walk to the Briefing Room, especially with the long powerful strides that he took propelling him forward. As he reached the door, there was only a momentary pause before he hit the control, causing the doors to swish open.

There were plenty of officers in the room already, which was a good sign. Cassandra was at the head of the table, the seat to her right still open for Damian to sit at. Miller, Grant, Mayfair, and Calleja were all there too, along with Omdor, rounding out their department heads. There was still something odd that Damian felt about Jaein, something that he couldn’t quite shake about the man. Coleman put those thoughts aside though, knowing that they were likely tainted by his feelings regarding Elias’ situation. Lucy sat with Aeryn, and Damian had to wonder how that situation was working out. It’d be a conversation for another time, when Coleman would do a regular check-in with Aeryn about how things were going.

Ju was in the room too, and his serious face relented just a bit. At the corner of his mouth, his lip pulled to the side into a subtle slight smile as his gaze fell upon her. It wasn’t to last though, as Damian’s legs carried him forward toward his chair, his eyes pulling away from the engineer, and his face returning back to business as usual.

“What did I miss? When does the boss get here?”

No sooner than Coleman found his seat did The Mouth reveal herself. The latter question had caused his brow to raise, and he leveled his gaze at the doctor, though Damian didn’t immediately say anything. If things truly got rowdy, he would step in if needed. But for the moment, Cassandra didn’t need his help; not with Beka at least. Plus, the redhead was only saying the quiet part out loud. Most of the department heads were likely thinking the very same thing, they were just smart enough not to speak it. Sydesh knew Coleman well enough that she’d probably see his train of thought just in his facial expressions.

“Here are the numbers you were looking for,” Damian said when the timing was right, and offered the PADD to Cassandra beside him, though he wasn’t sure she’d take it from him; the information was clearly visible for her to see.

Coleman then offered a cordial smile to Givens, understanding that it surely couldn’t be easy to be in the seat she found herself in.

== tag Givens ==

[Cassandra Givens]

As more personnel filtered into the room, Cass couldn't help but feel like a circus act with the way eyes flitted her way for a moment before quickly looking away. No one seemingly wanting to acknowledge the truth of her presence but no one being quite capable of denying it altogether.

She sighed as she took another sip of her coffee, her dark eyes moving over the room as she took the opportunity to assess. This section of the Artemis crew, and maybe all of the crew, was a strange hodge podge of backgrounds and ages. She'd almost go as far as saying that Captain Crawford had liked to collect lost causes but she also seemed to like to give chances to the young and hungry.

Then again, she couldn't say that she truly knew her predecessor. She'd met her a handful of times, most in passing at functions following her departure from the field, but as she'd combed through the Artemis' logs, it was her first encounter with the Captain that had continuously risen to the surface.

She'd been a green, eager midshipman on the Cairo when the ship had been tasked to give CSAR Alpha and Bravo a lift to the nearest starbase. It had been Commander McCalla that had caught her attention first with his easy smile and hulking form, easily making him the giggling talk of the women's locker room, but there has been no ignoring the woman with him, not with how she had carried herself. Then Commander Crawford had been confident, she knew exactly who she was and what she was capable and she had been comfortable in her own skin in a way that Cassandra had envied immensely from afar. The pair of Commanders had felt like the ideal of what she should have been striving for as a security officer and she felt like she's accomplished that. And yet, here she was once again feeling like she was called to fill boots that were too big for her, boots worn by someone who seemed far more enigmatic than she had some ten years ago. This time, the path didn't seem so sure or measured.

“What did I miss? When does the boss get here?” The words seemed to settle through Cass' musing, her dark eyes shifting to fall on the redhead, a recent arrival from medical, who had uttered them.

For all of Cass' bluntness, she still understood a baited line when it was dangled in front of her and judging by Coleman's reserved response to the question, she wasn't judging the statement incorrectly.

She was grateful when he answered the query in his own subtle way, saving her from having to weigh how to proceed in a potentially volatile balancing act.

“Here are the numbers you were looking for,” Coleman offered as she leaned over her chair to look at the figures. She didn't take it from him, not needing a third PADD in her stack, and instead, focused on memorizing the numbers quickly. They weren't needed for this meeting but they would be when she called the mother ship with an update.

"Thank you," she said quietly, offering another tiny smile. She appreciated that he wasn't making this more difficult on her, even though he was certainly capable and maybe even expected to. He was certainly handling this more graciously than the last FO she'd been forced to step around and for that, she was immensely grateful.

Before she could make any other requests or reconsider answering the young doctor's loud question, the door to the briefing room behind her opened and Lieutenant Command Morgan stepped inside, carrying a small crate with a small thermos balanced on top. The quartermaster motioned for Cass to step aside as she placed the small box at the head of the table where Cass was still loitering.

Cass patted the box lightly, knowing exactly what was inside based on her previous conversation with Morgan. However, she was surprised when Morgan offered her the thermos and what appeared to be a genuine smile before disappearing from the room once more.

The almost brunette couldn't help but let her gaze follow the quartermaster out, her expression likely puzzled. The tiny blonde had been nothing if not professional and polite in every encounter Cass had with her but there had never been any sort of friendliness or warmth. And yet, it seemed like there had been some sort of thaw between their talk on the bridge, along with their brief talk in the ready room where Cass had requested the crate, and now. Maybe she'd come to accept this change, though it seemed a fast turnaround for one of Crawford's closest associates, or maybe the quartermaster's reputation wasn't an understatement.

She carefully cracked open the lid, peering at the caramel colored liquid within with the tiniest hints of suspicion, before pouring it into her cup. If the quartermaster intended to poison her, might as well get it over with before she had to deal with this room full of people.

She took a careful sip of coffee, surprised when it tasted just like she preferred it. That merely served to confuse her even more but she tucked that away behind a neutral expression.

With her coffee tucked into her hand, its warmth offering some comfort, she evaluated the room once more. It seemed that everyone was present as she counted off faces versus bio profiles and that meant it was time to dive in.

"If I can have everyone's attention, please," Cass requested, her drawl lilting over the syllables. She remained standing behind her chair, her forearms resting on it as her hands clasped the cup securely.

"I'm Captain Cassandra Givens. As of about 10 hours ago, I was assigned as the acting commanding officer of the Artemis. Some of y'all may have seen me over the past few weeks as I conducted the command review following..." Her head tilted as she considered her next words carefully. Incident felt like an understatement but that was how she had referred to it in her report. After all, there were people in the room not privy to the full details.

"Following the reclamation of the Callisto. I say that to say I am not a total stranger to this ship, your history or your files, though I understand that I am a stranger to y'all."

I'm not here to tear this down to its roots.

"Before anyone asks, I do not know how long I will preside over this particular circus, as your previous captain so lovingly referred to you all," she preempted, the tiniest hints of a wry grin breaking through.

"On that, I'm as in the dark as you all are but I understand that you all have been left in the dark about more than you should be. I can't promise I have answers for everything but I am willing to answer any pressing questions before we get down to business."

== Tag everyone! ==

[Aeryn Miller]

More people began to arrive for the briefing, including Lucy and Ju, who Aeryn quickly acknowledged as they greeted the CSO. However, any further conversation soon evaporated as a woman wearing command red entered the room and silently took the seat where Crawford usually sat. Whoever she was acknowledged those present by offering them a smile, but that was all they were going to get for the moment, which only strengthened Aeryn's trepidation as to the reason for her being there.

Others carried on talking, but Aeryn chose to listen while taking the opportunity to assess the situation before a man arrived who she recognised as the Commander who Damian had spoken to at Ju's party. The way he then approached Ju, told Aeryn all that she needed to know, which, if anything, made her feel sad, that Elias wasn't where he should rightfully be. Not that she had anything against the new CE assuming she was correct, and she often wasn't wrong when it came to her gut instinct.

Aeryn knew she was optimistic, believing that everything would correct itself, that they wouldn't have lost two members of the Artemis family, but it was going to take some time to accept it all. A change could be a fickle thing and this was huge, but for now, she chose to hold back, and maybe it wouldn't be so bad. Then came a distraction that never failed to make her smile as Beka arrived after Mara, offering a smile to her successor as COS before returning the wink that Beka gave her.

When Damian entered the room it felt as though everything was right with the universe, and maybe the odds of him becoming Acting CO hadn't been completely unfounded until he did something that diverted Aeryn back to the woman he handed the padd to. There was that sinking feeling again before Cera showed up, offering the kind of gesture usually reserved for Crawford. Her mind was conflicted at this point, but Aeryn figured she needed to give Captain Givens the benefit of the doubt.

The way she spoke about Callisto was probably the polite way to address it. Her expression softened somewhat as she gave a believable explanation. She also wasn't wrong about them being left in the dark, but understood that information was going to be limited, so she took a moment to think about what she wanted to ask, aware that she might not get an answer.

" Is there anything you can tell us about what happened to Captain Crawford and Commander Elias? All we know is that they're no longer on the ship".

== Tags ==

[Carol Harriman]

Carol wasn't sure why she'd been asked to report to the ship's briefing, as typically they would include departmental heads who would then pass needed information down. Orders were orders though. She arrived seemingly late, as a large group had already found their way and were seated. As she looked for an open seat her eyes discovered all were here. She managed to find a place at the far end of the room much to her disappointment.  Meetings were never really her thing, though she knew some were necessary. As Carol slid into her seat, she pulled her jacket down and then smoothed her pants before shifting in her seat to get comfortable. Her moves weren't distracting, just something she would do. 

Okies... here.  Carol's hands sat in her lap under the table, clasped together. Her thumbs began to twirl around the other. Wonder what this shindig is about?  

== Tried posting earlier today on the plane, but the free airplane wi-fi wasn't helpful. ==

[Robin Mayfair]

Grant said that he hadn't had the chance to meet Captain Givens yet, and Robin was about to respond that she hadn't either when a young woman in command red entered the room. The nurse acknowledged him with a nod instead.

The new Captain took her seat. There was a definite (and understandable) strain in the room, with the close-knit Artemis crew not sure what to make of her. Robin put aside her annoyance at Starfleet's poor decisions and politics, because they weren't relevant. Captain Givens had to be judged on her own merits, not saddled with the blame for the idiotic decisions of the admiralty.

She looks so... young. And that's coming from me.

“Hey,” she said, Beka said in a low voice to Mara. “What did I miss? When does the boss get here?”

The CMO fixed her gemstone-colored eyes on her friend with a look that said 'zip it.' 

Not cool, Beka. It's time for business, and I'm pretty sure the Captain heard you. Coleman sure did.

She hoped she wouldn't have to step in. Beka had a tendency to blurt things out that she regretted saying later, and Robin admired her bluntness... sometimes. This wasn't one of those times.

"If I can have everyone's attention, please," Givens began. Her southern drawl was much more pronounced than Robin's soft Appalachian accent.

Kentucky or Tennessee, if I had to guess.

"I'm Captain Cassandra Givens. As of about 10 hours ago, I was assigned as the acting commanding officer of the Artemis. Some of y'all may have seen me over the past few weeks as I conducted the command review following..."

The absolute crapshow that was the Callisto mission. You don't have to say it.

"Following the reclamation of the Callisto. I say that to say I am not a total stranger to this ship, your history or your files, though I understand that I am a stranger to y'all."

Givens wasn't coming across as a hardass who was here to purge the ship, and that was a good sign. She hoped that the Captain didn't have any biases against Augments, because Robin's promotion and department head status had been very much against the grain of standard procedure. Without Tyra Crawford the Augment had little doubt she would have still been an Ensign doing first aid and emptying bedpans on some random space station in the middle of nowhere. Crawford had given her the chance to shine, and she'd done so despite having a previous CMO turn out to be a hidden Augment who'd murdered several people and poisoned the command staff.

But it's still early, and the Captain hasn't had the chance to meet with you yet. Stow your usual Pollyanna optimism until you know that she'd not going to transfer you to the K-7 station because of your freaky genes.

"Before anyone asks, I do not know how long I will preside over this particular circus, as your previous captain so lovingly referred to you all. On that, I'm as in the dark as you all are but I understand that you all have been left in the dark about more than you should be. I can't promise I have answers for everything but I am willing to answer any pressing questions before we get down to business."

There was no reason to expect that Givens would have been told anything about the legal situation with Elias and Crawford, of course. Robin wanted to ask about the mission but kept silent. The Captain would get to that.

Just no more Cardassians. I'm beyond sick of them.

Robin was still coming to terms with the Callisto mission. She hated that she'd been forced to shoot one, an idiot who had been yelling and charging down the Callisto corridor into phaser fire, but he'd already injured away team members. The medic hadn't been the one who'd killed him (that had been the late Midshipman D'Mar), but nonetheless she'd assisted with a stun shot. And then there was the USS Brittany, a ship filled with corpses where the Cardassians had set a trap and kidnapped Crawford. They were like the villains from bad holomovies, always engaged in amateur schemes... but their plots always cost lives.

She shook her head to indicate 'no questions' and let the Captain continue. Anything the nurse had to ask could wait for the department head meeting.

== Tags ==

[Mara Calleja]

“What did I miss? When does the boss get here?”

Mara turned her head slowly at Beka’s words and gave the redhead a cool glare. The doctor had apparently just added another entry on the long list of gaffes that made her rank sometimes look like the result of a lost bet amongst the medical hierarchy.

“Everythin’ and nothin’,” she replied evenly. “How ‘bout you try readin’ the room once in a while? And if you’re tryin’ to be all sotto voce, probably best to shut the fuck up until you’re sure you’re safe to talk.”

The Security chief turned away without looking at the impact of her words. Judging by some of the expressions around the room, Calleja wasn’t alone in her irritation at Sydesh’s latest outburst.

I got bigger things to worry about than her.

As the new Captain spoke, Mara listened in silence. She kept her expression carefully blank. The effort required to do that was not inconsiderable; she felt like the deckplate had just been pulled out from under her. Her stomach lurched as her worst fears were confirmed and the change of command made official.

I… I don’t even know how to process this. I ain’t got the words for it. Like someone just sucker-punched me right in the gut.

"On that, I'm as in the dark as you all are but I understand that you all have been left in the dark about more than you should be. I can't promise I have answers for everything but I am willing to answer any pressing questions before we get down to business."

Mara took her own advice, draining what was left of the protein shake to keep herself from saying something she’d later regret.

"Is there anything you can tell us about what happened to Captain Crawford and Commander Elias? All we know is that they're no longer on the ship."

The question was Aeryn’s, and it was a good one. Unfortunately for Mara, even thinking about the injustice that she felt had been done to both officers set something off in her mind. There was a sharp snap as the Security chief’s prodigious strength proved too much for the glass in her hand and it cracked from top to bottom.

Fuck’s sake! Pull it together! she admonished herself as she put the glass down on the table. There was a spider’s web of cracks all through the surface but it had held together. With attention now on her, Mara knew she had to say something, and her dark eyes met Givens’.

“All I gotta say is, some of us might need a sharp reminder that what happened to Tyra ain’t your fault. You’re just the poor sod that got volunteered to hold the reins and you don’t deserve to be on the wrong end of how we feel about the process playin’ out. So if we…”

She stopped and sighed.

“OK. Me. If I look hostile, it ain’t at you. I’ll get over it, and if there’s anythin’ I can do to help ease you into life around here, I’ll do it. But I do wanna echo Commander Miller’s question. If there’s anythin’ you can tell us about what happened to Tyra and Benjamin, I’d sure appreciate it.”

Calleja’s voice was steady and from the outside, the broken glass was the only sign that she was feeling any discomfort. It was a very different matter inside though.

I feel like I’m gonna hurl. But the joys of now bein’ the senior copper on the ship is I gotta hold it together and represent Security, ‘cause that’s what comes with the office and fuckin’ staterooms to live in. No matter how much I wanna just cut and run and bury myself in deadlifts.

[Eun Ju Han]

Ju was exceedingly happy that she had thrown the party during Shore Leave because she didn’t feel as strange and lonely walking into this room as she remembered her first day on duty onboard the Philly had been. There she had known no one but Ichika, and the briefing had turned into a whole crazy thing where people were upset, and felt that certain people were doing things wrong. It was complicated. Here she knew a handful of people by name and even more just by face. It was nice not to be a complete stranger to the room even if this was her first mission. Miles returned her hello kindly and she offered a warm smile in response. This was why she liked the Artemis, there was something warm about it.

There were others entering the room, some of them she knew, others she didn’t. A new face, Engineering gold upon his attire, stepped into the room. She didn’t know him, hadn’t met hi, but she vaguely remembered him as the guy who took Coleman away right before she had done her first round at karaoke. Ju figured that she would meet him later, except, that he seemed to have other plans. He came towards her with a smile on his face. Ju gave him one in return. Ju was the kind of girl that was nice to a fault at times, but she was also outgoing, and liked to give people chances.

He called her by her rank, which was not surprising, as they hadn’t been introduced yet. He told her he couldn’t recall her name but that he was Omdor Jaein. Her smile widened as she held out her hand to him. “It’s nice to meet you, Commander Jaein,” Ju gave his hand, if he gave his to her, a solid shake. “I’m Ensign Han Eun Ju, or Ensign Han.”

After the handshake, Ju noticed that Mara had come in and she shot her friend a kind smile. Mara had been a large part of what called Ju to the Artemis. Rough around the edges with a solid and kind core, Mara was good people and that’s who Ju wanted to surround herself with. A woman in Command Red had come in, at some point, because Ju hadn’t noticed her perhaps she had been too busy talking to Miles or Commander Jaein, but she hadn’t noticed the woman until just now but she could feel the confusion in the room with her empathic abilities of a half-breed.

What trumped all the emotions in the room was when her favorite Commander came into the room. His emotions, to her, were loud and clear. As much time as they spent together during Shore Leave she had come to be very familiar with his emotional presence even if she tried to keep her mind to herself. Empathy was not something easily turned off and she often read the room without thinking about it as it was like breathing. But, she never dove any deeper than she was allowed because she refused to void ethics. Her eyes followed Damian for a few moments before they moved away because she was not here to make a scene. They were dating, it was all over the ship, it was no secret especially after he had kissed her so publicly at the party. Still, she promised herself that she would remain professional on duty and would not be one of those girls that followed her man around everywhere begging for his attention. They were both professionals and while she was young she was not stupid.

Finally, the Commander stood up and began to introduce herself. So this is our current Captain, Ju thought to herself looking at the woman who was probably just as nervous as many in the room. She stated she did not know how long she would be here, or what was happening with the Captain and Chief Elias, but she was just going to do her best with the circus she had been given. Ju’s eyes shifted to her current Chief and then back to the Commander. I wonder if he knows anything..

Ju could feel the tension in the room, the confusion, the shock. Everything was on it’s side. Ju hoped the new Captain knew what she was getting, a fiercely loyal crew when it came to Crawford and their own kind. She had begun to witness it since moving to the ship just how tight knit the group here was. She didn’t have any questions for the Captain, so she stayed quiet and let the others do their talking.

==Tag Jaein==

[Lucy Devereaux]

The new arrival taking the seat usually for the Captain was unexpected. It looked as if consequences had been enacted. The man in the Chief Engineer’s uniform was the same one who had been talking to Damian at Ju’s party. Now Captain Givens had introduced herself. With the number of crew present this could have been done in the Officer’s Lounge. Holding it in the Briefing Room felt overwhelmingly tense.

Finding out that Starfleet Command had installed an acting CO was… strange. Lucy didn’t mind not being part of that grapevine, but nobody below Damian had been told. The questions from Aeryn and Mara certainly showed it. Also Beka’s flippancy could be taken either way. Tyra and Ben were currently not part of the crew roster. Having an acting CO left the door open, but there was the possibility of a desk job.

Gotta stop dwelling on this ********! Just be glad you’re not the ringmaster or the senior clown.

It hurt to find out this way. Starfleet likely wanted to adjust a perceived characteristic of the Artemis’ crew.  Also papering over how they ****** over a crew that while unorthodox got things done. Miss Givens certainly had been the unfortunate participant in a game of hot potato (with a live grenade) and even temporarily replacing Captain Crawford was going to take an interesting amount of good will from the crew.

It came down to how Tyra had been moved from the role of Captain of the Artemis. Politics was a mug’s game, but that meant the joy of getting to suffer for somebody else’s bad decision making. It was as Mara said not blaming Cassandra for being handed the short straw. Lucy was glad she had no questions. She almost wondered if Damian wanted a hug, but he had Ju, so Lucy was safe-ish on that point. The compulsion was hard to shake, but she could work on restraining herself, until she found someone she wouldn’t get shot for hugging.

[Cassandra Givens]

The question wasn't out of left field and truthfully, it was one she had expected. Yet, even with that forethought, she didn't know if she had a good answer to it because there was a line between what she was willing to say while drinking a beer with a close associate and what she was willing to tell the crew that was in the middle of this particular shit show. And somehow, she didn't think they'd appreciate the formal, official answer.

Fortunately, she didn't have to answer immediately as the newly minted Chief of Security spoke up. Given what she had read of the woman's record, Calleja's words were surprisingly understanding and spoke to the issue at hand.

She offered Calleja a smile, warm and appreciative. The first flicker of Cassandra relaxing. "Thank you, Lieutenant. I appreciate it and I think we're all in agreement on how awkward of a situation it is."

There was a pause, her shoulders straightening as she stood a little bit up from the chair. However, her arms still rested on the back of the chair.

"Officially, Lieutenant Commander Elias is currently moving through the judicial process. As I'm not privy to the finer details of an ongoing investigation, I can't tell you what the final charges were or what his outlook is but I know that it's grave enough that a temporary replacement was deemed necessary," she answered, motioning to the Bajoran engineer in the room.

Now, she paused for a moment, nose crinkling slightly as she considered how to deliver the second part of the answer. "As for Captain Crawford..."

Unlike with Elias, she knew the answer, no matter how unpalatable it was. After all, despite being a generation behind, Cass and Crawford ran in the same circles, knew the same people and likely shared some of the same friendships. The upper echelons of security officers, particularly those in command crimson, wasn't a large group and as such, it has been impossible to ignore what was being said, what the general consensus was. Whether they agreed that falling on her sword had been the right thing to do, they all seemed to agree it had been a railroading in progress from on high.

"Well, hopefully, she's enjoying some much deserved time on Risa," she said with hopes of lightening the following blow some.

"She's currently on an indefinite leave following the resolution of her judicial woes. As for what she actually pled no contest to, you'd be better off reaching out to her yourselves but I believe she won't have a difficult time finding a landing spot once her penance has been paid. No doubt Security HQ will be salivating at the chance to bring her back into the fold and frankly, if I was her, I'd feel a lot better about orange over crimson at the moment."

She let that moment hang in the air for a moment. Her dark eyes shifted over the room before glancing at Coleman with a slight head tilt, the tiniest of questions on whether he wanted to say anything before they moved on to the matters at hand.

== Tag Everyone! ==

[Omdor Jaein]

Jaein had lost count of the number of briefings he'd been in in his career. He'd even been part of several of them with a change of command happening, either planned or sudden. When he was with the Bajoran Militia after the Dominion War, there had been a spate of officers leaving to join Starfleet, and then when he had been one of those, being in ship construction had meant officers were constantly coming and going, either back to the fleet 'proper' or going for the first time. After all, there wasn't a lot of chance for upward mobility in the shipyards. He'd even had the occasional scandal that had to be smoothed over, though not very often. Usually the issues were more mundane than this one, obviously - an improper relationship requiring a reassignment, or once in the militia there had even been a small black market broken up - but they'd existed. 

Those, however, had all failed to hold a candle to this one. And we haven't even gotten to the actual briefing yet.

Ensign Han introduced herself properly, a firm handshake and a wide smile good signs as to her demeanor. He was going to say something, but never got the chance. A particularly mouthy medical officer stage whispered a blunt comment wondering where the captain was, and drew everyone's attention. The first officer, Commander Coleman, pointedly addressed Captain Givens to make clear she was in fact in charge, and she finally called the meeting to order.

He took a seat next to the ensign, instinctively gravitating towards his own department - notedly, they were the only representatives of engineering present - as Givens pressed on. He couldn't help but notice how carefully she was picking her words, obliquely referencing the previous mission and trying her best to offer the chance to just move past it and get on with the business of running the ship.

A chance that was swiftly not taken. The CSO spoke up after the call for questions was put out:  "Is there anything you can tell us about what happened to Captain Crawford and Commander Elias? All we know is that they're no longer on the ship."

Before Givens could respond, there was a sharp snap, a glass breaking in the security chief's hand, and all eyes were swiftly on her.  “All I gotta say is, some of us might need a sharp reminder that what happened to Tyra ain’t your fault," she said into the silence. "You’re just the poor sod that got volunteered to hold the reins and you don’t deserve to be on the wrong end of how we feel about the process playin’ out. So if we…" There was a pause and a sigh, as if she was gathering herself. "OK. Me. If I look hostile, it ain’t at you. I’ll get over it, and if there’s anythin’ I can do to help ease you into life around here, I’ll do it. But I do wanna echo Commander Miller’s question. If there’s anythin’ you can tell us about what happened to Tyra and Benjamin, I’d sure appreciate it.”

Givens gave a warm smile, looking a little more relaxed than she had been. "Thank you, Lieutenant," the captain said. "I appreciate it and I think we're all in agreement on how awkward of a situation it is." She then continued to give a little more information, though it was only a little. Benjamin was still going through the trial process, it seemed, while the previous captain was on 'administrative leave'.

Jaein nodded, hands steepled on the table, resting on his padd. He had nothing to add, but tried to pay attention as best as he could. Tensions were high, and at the very least he wanted to know where the landmines were so he could attempt to avoid them, though he knew that simply by virtue of his position it was quite likely he was already standing in the middle of the field. For now, he thought, best to just see the lay of the land.

[Miles Grant]

It seemed everyone was arriving, and conversations were starting to wrap up. Miles had noted two people entering the room that he did not recognize, at least not in person. One was a Commander in the Engineering Gold. The other wore Crimson of Command, with the four pips denoting Captain. Without the need to be told, Miles knew this person would be the Commanding Officer of the Artemis for the foreseeable future.

As others made their way to their seats and threw glances at the Captain's way, Miles had also taken his seat, but looked directly at her, prepared for when she would inevitably bring the meeting to a start. He didn't miss, though chose to ignore, Lieutenant Sydesh's comment about "when the boss gets here".

The Captain did begin in due course, introducing herself as Givens, and then going over the why she was present before opening the door to questions. The first of which was fielded by Calleja, who was surprisingly reserved from what Miles knew of the Bandaran during their time serving together. Maybe it was her new position. Maybe it was a matter of feeling the need to walk on eggshells with the person who had presided over at least part of the investigation that lead to the absences of Captain Crawford and Commander Elias.

Calleja did ask if there was any information the crew could be provided regarding an update on the two wayward Officers, of which Givens was fairly open about, while in agreement to how awkward the situation was presenting itself. The unknown of whether or not either would be returning was definitely not lost, though it did seem like the chances were slim. After the answer, there was an opening, which Miles decided to field his question.

"Do you have any plans to implement changes to how our normal duties and positions are fulfilled, such as rotations or personnel changes?" Miles asked. Though it was a pretty common question in regards to when new leadership took place, as everyone had their own style and what worked best with them, there was an underlying question that Miles did not voice out loud: is anyone else being replaced?"

==Tags==

[Aeryn Miller]

Aeryn was well aware of the so-called elephant in the room, but that didn't stop the CSO from pressing forward with the question she had asked, knowing she probably wasn't the only one wanting to learn the fate of Crawford and Elias. That being said, no one else seemed to come forward to ask any questions, except for Mara, after her friend had broken the tension, by breaking the glass she was holding. Having known the COS for some time now, Aeryn understood that it had been a reaction to the news they had just received, and regardless of the glass, the redhead was grateful for the backup as Mara addressed Givens.

She was right, of course. None of this was their new Captain's fault, but rather the injustice of it all, especially with the circumstances of the last mission. Aeryn had never quite been able to shake the feeling that it was all a setup for them to fail, and now here they were, preparing for a new mission, with a new Captain. It was a lot to process and, naturally, there would need to be some time for them to come to terms with it all.  A task in itself but not completely unachievable, because regardless of how she felt, Aeryn was professional and wouldn't let it get in the way of following orders and doing her job.

Mara's words appeared to positively affect Givens, as the newcomer offered her a genuine smile, nodding in agreement to what was said about the awkwardness of the situation. Aeryn also appreciated the response from Givens as she told them what she could about Elias, before motioning to their temporary new CE. As much as the CSO hated the idea of the process Elias was now facing, she realised all she could was support him from afar.

Then came the news about Captain Crawford, again appreciating Givens' attempt to lighten the mood, as she began to process the information about Tyra's punishment. While she hoped that she was taking some deserved R&R, the idea that she might not come back haunted Aeryn, who would make an effort to reach out, even if it meant staying in touch, because Crawford, along with Damian, had been instrumental in keeping Aeryn grounded, and shape her into who she was today while reminding her that Artemis was her home and how to get through the most testing of situations.

" Thank you, Captain, I appreciate you answering my question, and I'm with Lieutenant Calleja about how this isn't your fault. Therefore, I'd like to welcome you to Artemis, and I look forward to hearing what our next mission will involve".

Aeryn wanted to start afresh, especially as this was new territory for everyone, and Givens deserved a chance.

Grant then asked another important question, which was quite relevant considering what they had just heard, and once again Aeryn waited patiently to hear if anything else was going to change for them.

== Tags ==

[Mara Calleja]

There was a twinge of relief that flickered across Mara’s face as the new Captain seemed to take her intervention well. It was safe to say the Bandaran did not enjoy a reputation for tact or diplomacy.

Maybe that’s why Givens is looking a bit more relaxed. I suppose I’m probably seen as a Crawford loyalist, and yeah, I am. What happened to her sucks. You leave me in a room with JAG and no cameras, we’ll have a few less lawyers in this galaxy. But I’m not gonna unload on someone who was completely unconnected to the carnage.

"She's currently on an indefinite leave following the resolution of her judicial woes. As for what she actually pled no contest to, you'd be better off reaching out to her yourselves but I believe she won't have a difficult time finding a landing spot once her penance has been paid. No doubt Security HQ will be salivating at the chance to bring her back into the fold and frankly, if I was her, I'd feel a lot better about orange over crimson at the moment."

Calleja’s expression was stoic as she absorbed the information. The news was about as grim as she thought it was going to be. It certainly sounded like the end for both of them and that cut deep.

"Thank you, Captain, I appreciate you answering my question, and I'm with Lieutenant Calleja about how this isn't your fault. Therefore, I'd like to welcome you to Artemis, and I look forward to hearing what our next mission will involve."

Aeryn speaking gave Mara time to pull her thoughts together. The Security chief wanted to say something meaningful, and to try and put Cass at her ease. But the words tasted like ash on her tongue. She managed a nod to acknowledge the answer but she stayed silent, her gaze focused on the refracting light on the cracked glass in front of her.

Fuck. Guess that’s that.

Mara was dimly aware of Miles asking a question but she was only half-listening. She felt Tyra’s loss keenly, and it was going to take her time to adjust to the new reality on board Artemis.

At some point I gotta take the pain and get to know this new Captain. I think that’s how I deal with this. Get to know her, hopefully warm to her a little, and then I can feel better about fallin’ into line if that’s on the cards. Assumin’ she wants to talk to me. She did her whole review for Command without needin’ anythin’ from me so I’m not countin’ on bein’ particularly valuable.

Broad shoulders rose and fell as Mara silently drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly. She had a few friends on the crew, and once this meeting was over she was going to need them.

[Cassandra Givens]

Against all odds, her response regarding the fates of Elias and Crawford seemed to be taken as she had hoped they would be. She wasn't here to be antagonistic nor was she here to be a wrecking ball to the culture and community that had been grown on this ship. She was just relieved that the senior members of the crew seemed to understand that she wasn't the enemy here, though she understood there would likely be growing pains.

" Thank you, Captain, I appreciate you answering my question, and I'm with Lieutenant Calleja about how this isn't your fault. Therefore, I'd like to welcome you to Artemis, and I look forward to hearing what our next mission will involve".

There was this tiny voice in her head that considered that maybe they were being too willing to absolve her of guilt or fault. Everything in her research had indicated they were a crew that was loyal to a fault and yet, they seemed to be taking their captain's fate better than she'd expect. The dark blonde wondered if there would be a breaking point in the near future, likely the first time she didn't make the expected decision.

"Thank you," she merely answered with another small smile.

Cassandra's gaze turned to the young acting Chief Tactical Officer as he spoke up, asking a question that likely affected him the most Well, the overt question was harmless enough but she could read under it. After all, other than Miller who had DH experience but little science experience, he was the least experienced and the only one with acting slapped in front of his title. He was ripe for replacement in the wrong regime.

"I have no plans on changing anything for the sake of changing it or making it mine. That's inefficient and counterproductive," she stated to Grant directly before her dark gaze swept over the entire room. "However, with that said, y'all are under a microscope. There's no sugar coating it. There are pockets within the powers that be that feel that this ship has been corrupted from the top down and that there is no fixing it without dismantling it entirely. I wouldn't call them the majority but if y'all give them even an inch this mission, I have no doubt that they'll take a mile and everyone will suffer."

"You all are capable and accomplished but you also have an amazing ability as individuals to do absolutely knuckleheaded things. And if I start to see that, I damn well will make changes if it's going to save the whole. Understood?" For a moment, the warmth had left her voice and had been replaced by an edge that likely harkened back to her roots.

However, she seemed to quickly slip back from that edge, the tension in her shoulders easing and her gaze softening once more. "Alright… I think that's enough Q&A for the time being. Let's more into the next part of the meeting…"

Personally, she still wasn't convinced that this was a particularly good idea but when she'd spoken to Coleman earlier, he seemed to think it would be a good idea or at least, a way to break the ice with the more senior members of each department. For Cass, she wondered if it was just another minefield for her to trapeze through and another opportunity to wonder exactly what Bill was up to by playing this bait and switch on her. Was getting control of Artemis that important?

As she'd considered those questions for the countless time since she'd spoken to her boss last, her fingers had idly flipped open the lid on the small crate that Cera had set at the head of the table. Her expression was fairly neutral as she regarded the contents of the crate before reaching in. The first two black boxes she pulled out, she tucked on her side of the crate as if purposefully keeping them out of sight. The next two boxes, both differing sizes, were offered to Coleman with a knowing smile, almost bordering on conspiratorial.

And then, her eyes were back on the occupants of the room, her smile shifting back to something a little more professional and contained. "Commander Coleman, Lieutenant Commander Mayfair, Lieutenant Commander Miller, Lieutenant Calleja, Lieutenant Harriman, JG Devereaux and Midshipman Star: I am pleased to present each one of you with the Gold Star, presented for actions above and beyond and bravery in the face of unspeakable odds."

As she'd spoken, she'd slid a black box across the table towards each of the individuals she had named. Each box contained a medal that bore the yellow and red markings of the Gold Star. Once she was done, she closed the crate in front of her before looking back up. "I understand that there are likely mixed feelings that accompany these and that's understandable. However, I'd ask that you consider them in the spirit they were intended, as a show of appreciation for the risks taken. While it might feel like everyone has unfairly judged you all for your actions, decisions and willingness to do what was needed, they're only a faction in a sea of opinions."

[Emily Star]

Everything had been a blur since the return to the ship. Emily had been familiarizing herself with the ship, attempting to socialize and attending all her mandatory therapy sessions.  The call to the briefing caught her off guard, and she'd spent most of it quietly at the table, taking everyone in. The mix of emotions was intense and the hair on the back of her neck was tingling. 

Then she heard her name. 

"Commander Coleman, Lieutenant Commander Mayfair, Lieutenant Commander Miller, Lieutenant Calleja, Lieutenant Harriman, JG Devereaux and Midshipman Star: I am pleased to present each one of you with the Gold Star, presented for actions above and beyond and bravery in the face of unspeakable odds."

Blinking and trying not to look too surprised, she cleared her throat. Taking the box that was slid towards her, she brushed her fingers over the top and glanced over it with a smile. Was she allowed to speak? Was it wise to speak? Emily just looked back down at the box and watched the others.

[Robin Mayfair]

"I have no plans on changing anything for the sake of changing it or making it mine. That's inefficient and counterproductive," the Captain stated to Grant directly before her dark gaze swept over the entire room. "However, with that said, y'all are under a microscope. There's no sugar coating it. There are pockets within the powers that be that feel that this ship has been corrupted from the top down and that there is no fixing it without dismantling it entirely. I wouldn't call them the majority but if y'all give them even an inch this mission, I have no doubt that they'll take a mile and everyone will suffer."

So same old same old in my case?

Robin again had the feeling that everything was riding on her performance, and one slipup would end with her gone. It was something she hadn't felt since her earliest days on the ship when she had been fresh out of the Academy.

"You all are capable and accomplished but you also have an amazing ability as individuals to do absolutely knuckleheaded things. And if I start to see that, I damn well will make changes if it's going to save the whole. Understood?" The Captain's voice was flat and clear. Robin merely nodded. There was no other response to give.

Givens continued. "Alright… I think that's enough Q&A for the time being. Let's more into the next part of the meeting…"

The Captain gave a look to Coleman, then a slight smile. "Commander Coleman, Lieutenant Commander Mayfair, Lieutenant Commander Miller, Lieutenant Calleja, Lieutenant Harriman, JG Devereaux and Midshipman Star: I am pleased to present each one of you with the Gold Star, presented for actions above and beyond and bravery in the face of unspeakable odds."

She slid the small boxes across the table. Robin picked hers up before it stopped moving. "I understand that there are likely mixed feelings that accompany these and that's understandable. However, I'd ask that you consider them in the spirit they were intended, as a show of appreciation for the risks taken. While it might feel like everyone has unfairly judged you all for your actions, decisions and willingness to do what was needed, they're only a faction in a sea of opinions."

The nurse look at the box and and opened it, saying nothing. She looked at the medal, her second Gold Star, her expression carefully neutral. She didn't have mixed feelings. Instead, bitterness and irritation washed over her.

A show of appreciation? Starfleet sends us on a near-impossible mission, one with bad intel from the start. We failed to save any hostages, failed to capture the Slipstream, and lost a kid fresh out of the Academy. If Jennifer Braggins hadn't basically gone rogue the Cardassians would have those people and the Slipstream. We accomplished nothing. Then they nailed our Chief Engineer and our Captain to the wall and we're told that some in Starfleet think we're 'corrupted?'

Robin was one of the most cheerful and optimistic people on the crew, and definitely among the command staff. She'd been called a 'Pollyanna' once or twice. She really did try to look on the bright side of things. This time it took effort.

The new Captain was trying to make it clear that not everyone in Starfleet thought that the Artemis crew were a bunch of Crawford-trained screwups. That did help, and the young Augment decided to take it for a positive. Regardless, whatever her feelings it wasn't Givens' fault. She was walking into a powder magazine. The CMO wasn't going to make her life worse.

"Thank you, Captain. It's appreciated," Robin said, her own southern drawl a much lighter and softer mirror of Givens' own. "And welcome to the Artemis." She gave the Captain a genuine smile.

Nearby, Emily was looking at the box. She looked hesitant, and the CMO tried to give her a look of encouragement. She'd done well on her first away team, and she deserved the medal.

== Tags ==

[Lucy Devereaux]

It was good news that some of Starfleet weren’t entirely willing to scrap the crew of the Artemis. The sword of Damocles overhead wasn’t a surprise. There were elements who didn’t like the crew. The joys of working under a bureaucracy were starting to become clear. The odd thing was that it was directed at everyone who had been on the mission. She couldn’t figure what was meant by corrupted. Sometimes the crew gave logic a dropkick. Responsibility before reason or something similar.

No room for square pegs?

The knuckleheaded comment certainly represented Lucy, but it seemed she wasn’t alone in Starfleet’s surmise. She had held back from doing problematic things recently, but she really hadn’t had the opportunity. Lucy had updated training outside of her chosen field. Finding an appropriate use for it was complicated. The crew’s cohesion was important and keeping from giving Starfleet an excuse to can them was also important. 

With the Q&A finished there was an interlude. The Captain opened a small crate that had been on the table. There was a list of names mentioned and something about a Gold Star. Achievement medals weren’t uncommon where it was appropriate and those mentioned had shown what was required. Lucy couldn’t figure how she was on that list. The medals were passed to each officer named.

The box before her held a medal and a new ribbon for her dress uniform. The Captain hit the proverbial nail on the head. Lucy felt a churn of emotion looking at the black box. She wouldn’t say unfairly judged, but unfairly used felt more appropriate. Somebody had set a mission. The faction in a sea of opinion was problematic even if knowing that somebody had it in for an impolitic crew like the Artemis. If the legend of the Rogue Planet was anything to go by, even a mission that on the surface seemed straight forward often carried far reaching consequences.

[Aeryn Miller]

Givens acknowledged Aeryn's response, thanking the CSO before moving on to answering the question from Miles. It was reassuring to hear that the new Captain had no plans to change the current roster or replace anyone just because she was taking over, but that in itself came with a warning of sorts. Appreciating how Givens didn't sugarcoat the news that they were under scrutiny, nor was the science chief shocked upon hearing the reasons why, and how serious it was. Essentially, if they didn't want to suffer a similar fate to Crawford and Elias, they had to toe the line and prove that the opinions of some were unfounded and untrue.

Considering that this would be her first mission leading a different department, Aeryn felt that scrutiny more keenly, but decided not to worry about that now, as Givens continued. There was an edge to the Captain's tone as she made it clear that they weren't infallible and that she wouldn't hesitate to make changes if it saved the crew as a whole.

" Understood".

That signaled the end of the questions as Captain Givens brought about the next part of the meeting, ensuring that everyone's attention was now on the crate before she opened it. Aeryn's natural curiosity became heightened, wondering what they could represent, having already been handed her extra pip by Damian. Not that the room occupants had to wait to find out the answer when they were presented with a Gold Star in recognition of what they had endured on Callisto.

Taking hold of the black box as it slid towards her, Aeryn picked up a little hesitantly as Givens gave a further explanation. Opening it, the redhead stared at the yellow and red medal laid neatly inside of it, feeling those mixed emotions before she finally looked up. Aeryn was lost for words, unsure how to feel, but then didn't Givens say it was okay to accept it for the intention behind it, rather than cast it aside because of the opinions of others, and maybe she would do just that.

Robin spoke up, and Aeryn, still unable to find words suitable, offered a grateful nod in Givens direction.

== Tags ==

[Miles Grant]

Givens had answered Miles' question quite professionally and to the point, while also getting the gist of his underlying question. She also followed up regarding how the Artemis was under a microscope. With what had happened with Crawford and Elias, Miles wasn't truly surprised that this was at least the minimum.

What came next was surprising, as Givens closed out the Q&A and moved along to other matters. Miles expected a mission briefing at this point, but was instead met with boxes being taken out of a crate. Such boxes, Miles noted, were usually saved for medals, ranks, and recognition. He watched intently as she named everyone in the room save herself, Han, and...Miles himself.

His face gave nothing away as she spoke about the Gold Star, how it could come with some mixed feelings, but these appeared to be in regards to last mission. The same mission that had seen the exit of Crawford and Elias after an investigation. She was right about mixed feelings. For one part, they were being rewarded while two of their own had been punished. On the other, more personal side for Miles, it was not lost that he had not been included.

Han he could understand, as she had not been a member of the Artemis during the previous mission. He, on the other hand, was a surprise. He didn't care for the recognition or rewards, per se. That's not why he joined. But it was strange that everyone else had been rewarded. He thought back to the mission to think of any way, any reason, he would have been excluded. Was it because, as Pilot of the Liberty Bell, he didn't immediately call everything quits when the cloak was activated? Was it something else?

He said nothing, however, as he congratulated those who had received medals, before turning his attention back to Captain Givens for the next part of the meeting.

[Omdor Jaein]

After the young CTO asked his question about changes, Jaein was glad to hear that Captain Givens' approach appeared to mirror his own in that regard - namely, don't fix what's not broken. He'd been planning on doing the same in engineering - once he actually got a chance to figure out what the current system was, actually; he'd scheduled a meeting with his shift leaders right after this briefing broke up to do exactly that - and knowing he didn't need to bring down any other potential changes from On High was a relief. The Prophets' will may be accepted easily, but a new captain rushing in and breaking things rarely went over well.

Quickly closing the Q&A portion after that, she made a quick turn he hadn't expected, and neither had anyone else apparently. "Commander Coleman, Lieutenant Commander Mayfair, Lieutenant Commander Miller, Lieutenant Calleja, Lieutenant Harriman, JG Devereaux and Midshipman Star: I am pleased to present each one of you with the Gold Star, presented for actions above and beyond and bravery in the face of unspeakable odds," she said with a smile to her voice, and slid black boxes down the table to each of the named officers. "I understand that there are likely mixed feelings that accompany these and that's understandable. However, I'd ask that you consider them in the spirit they were intended, as a show of appreciation for the risks taken. While it might feel like everyone has unfairly judged you all for your actions, decisions and willingness to do what was needed, they're only a faction in a sea of opinions."

For a moment, Jaein wondered why no one from Engineering had been given an award, before remembering that Ensign Han, like himself, was newly appointed to the crew. He didn't know much about the previous mission, but assumed that each of the recipients were on the strike team; since Elias was in prison, he obviously wouldn't be handed a medal at this juncture either. The Bajoran did notice a pair of other boxes that had been palmed to Coleman, and wondered what they contained.

Despite the ominous beginnings, this briefing was turning out to be entertaining. He almost wished he'd brought snacks.

[Mara Calleja]

Mara’s expression didn’t flicker as Givens did her best to add knuckles to her voice.

It’s cute she’s tryin’. Considerin’ who she’s followin’ though I have no idea why she’s botherin’.

The news of the crew being in the spotlight really wasn’t news. With a department head in a jail cell and the CO on ‘administrative leave’, not even the most oblivious member of the crew could have been in any doubt of that. The actual mission itself seemed almost a sideshow to the investigations and legal troubles and various other dramas that seemed sure to play themselves out.

Are we even goin’ to have any time to actually be officers?

As the medals were handed out, Mara still stayed carefully blank. Dark eyes guardedly watched the box in front of her like it was a disguised mine. She wanted as few reminders as possible of the last mission, and she wasn’t really listening as Givens spoke.

The rewards of failure. They can keep it.

"Thank you, Captain. It's appreciated," Robin said, her own southern drawl a much lighter and softer mirror of Givens' own. "And welcome to the Artemis."

“Yeah. Welcome.” Calleja rose from her chair, figuring the meeting was over. “Wish it was under better circumstances.”

The medal box was still on the table as she turned to pick her way out of the room.

[Damien Coleman]

Coleman did much more than just listen as the meeting continued, and was instead watching the reactions at the table. Questions came and went, reactions to Sydesh’s run-of-the-mouth, but otherwise most were quiet at the table. Though it was what wasn’t said that was speaking the most to him. As Captain Givens’ gave her best answers regarding Elias and Crawford, Damian continued to scan the room. There was a moment, as silence hung in the air, that Coleman caught Givens looking at him. In reaction, he gave a slight turn of his head, deciding not to add more to the current conversation; for the time being.

It was Grant who was the next one to speak up after Miller had her question answered, and both were thoughtful queries. Though it was Calleja that Damian’s eyes settled on next. Watching her shoulders rise and then fall, he tried not to react to seeing her steady her breathing. It was a good technique, especially with the entire galaxy upended; or so it felt like for them. Though he hadn’t ever been part of a change in command, it wasn’t completely unheard of. It was why there had been a change of command in the first place that rankled and left the air thick amongst those in the room.

Attention snapped to the words that Givens was speaking in answer to Miles, with one part in particular that happened to affect Damian more than he would care to admit, and certainly wouldn’t outwardly show.

“...There are pockets within the powers that be that feel that this ship has been corrupted from the top down and that there is no fixing it without dismantling it entirely…”

Oh yeah, ‘cause of course it is us who are corrupted. Burdened with the impossible, but still came out on top. They wanted us to fail. Hell, feels like someone in the brass wanted some of us to not be here anymore…

Managing to maintain his composure, Damian took his own steadied breath in response and swallowed his feelings on the matter. It wouldn’t help anyone to buck what was happening until he knew where all the cards were landing. Even then, Coleman questioned just how much politicking he could even do. Compared to Tyra, his list of high-up associates was rather thin. No, Damian realized the best thing he could do was to make sure that everything stayed copasetic.

"You all are capable and accomplished but you also have an amazing ability as individuals to do absolutely knuckleheaded things. And if I start to see that, I damn well will make changes if it's going to save the whole. Understood?"

Coleman bit his cheek to avoid the words that were just waiting to swan dive off the tip of his tongue. There wasn’t even an acknowledging nod that was ever present in his repertoire of responses either. Damian simply sat there, trying not to infect the room with his own feelings. Cass was not the enemy, that much he knew. And if she worked for the enemy, she likely didn’t even realize it.

"Alright… I think that's enough Q&A for the time being…”

At that, Damian did respond, sitting up just a little in his chair. Considering everything the crew had been through on the last mission, it had been a hell of a fight to get them the recognition they deserved. Thankfully, Cassandra had agreed to doling out the medals. It felt like it would serve a two-fold function. For the crew to see that Givens was recognizing efforts that had been incredible, and for the new Captain to also see just how truly talented a crew she had. It wouldn’t take the sting away from everything that had happened. However, he hoped it might be the beginning of efforts to build bridges.

Taking the two boxes that Givens had set aside for him to dole out, Coleman stood up from his chair and approached Grant. Handing one of the boxes over to Miles, Damian also extended his hand out too. Grant’s box had been slightly larger than the others, in order to accommodate its dual contents.

“Congratulations Lieutenant Grant,” Coleman smiled genuinely, making note that the solid pip would certainly fit him better for his current and continuing role, and the medal would look nice on a mantle.

“We wanted to personally make sure you got your recognition.”

When Damian had said ‘we’, he hadn’t been referring to Cass. It had been something that he and Tyra had discussed before she’d been placed on leave. It was that part, that he wanted Miles to know more than anything else.

With intentions conveyed, he moved on. Making his way over to Star, he handed her the smaller box, within which was also another solid pip. The same handshake and smile was also offered to her as he spoke.

“Good work Ensign Star.”

“Yeah. Welcome.”

He had heard Mara’s voice just as he finished up with Emily, and saw Calleja rising from her chair.

“Wish it was under better circumstances.”

Thankfully, Damian was near enough that it only took a solid couple strides to clear the distance. Putting himself directly in Mara’s way, he blocked the exit to the door. There was no smile on his face now as he looked at her. She’d been doing so well, had been so understanding up until that point, and now he realized the folly of his own mistake. It was the medals. Of course they were overly bitter, boldly the result of what had come before. And they were a reminder of why everything had been shaken up. Damian would worry about his misjudgement later, and instead stood before the amazonian woman.

“Have a seat Lieutenant Calleja,” Coleman's tone hinted at understanding, even though his face spoke without words that there’d be no discussion about the command, and it was a command.

“The meeting isn’t done yet.”

Coleman had worded it so it seemed like it was only a misunderstanding on Mara's part. He only hoped that she would listen to him without creating more of a scene, or being a knucklehead, as Cass had referenced. Everything was still very fluid, and it wouldn’t take much for even more things to change. That was something he didn’t want.

== tag Grant, Emily, and especially Mara ==

[Eun Ju Han]

There were some officers, including Damian, who received a Gold Star. The shining stars glistened against the overhead lighting as the case lay open on the table in the center of the room. It seemed as though everyone in the room, many at least, were included in the Gold Star Awards. Ju had not received a medal but she hadn’t done anything for one either. Everything that had gone down on the Philly had really hurt her chances of having any recognition at all for her first mission, even just a kind word. Maybe.. this is a fresh start for me. Starting over. This could be my first mission, scrapping the last one… Ju thought to herself, hoping at she would at least be able to show her worth this time.

Damian stood up and walked over to Grant, who she was still standing next to. He opened the box and officially promoted Grant to a Lieutenant stating he wanted to do such a thing in person. When Damian turned she nudged Grant with her elbow slightly. “Congrats, Lieutenant.” She whispered to him with a genuine smile on her face. Damian had headed off to the quiet Medical officer, who he then promoted to Ensign.

Ju liked the way that it was done in front of everyone, she knew that some people didn’t like that kind of thing but she had been promoted on the fly, in the middle of a mutinous bridge, before she had even gotten her feet wet. It had been such a cast away comment, but it had been a promotion, just not the kind he had expected. Ju knew that every Captain did their own thing and built their own practice, but promotions were earned and she felt like many of them deserved their own moment.

There was quick movement suddenly, Ju looked over to see Damian stepping carefully in front of Mara after he had given the newly minted Ensign her pip. Mara had been headed out the door, the look on her face said it was anger or perhaps disappointment in the situation here that led to it, but Ju couldn’t be sure. Unlike Damian, she hadn’t spent enough tie around the other shipmates to gauge their emotions easily and there were a lot of people here.

Ju had no idea what was going on, but she imagined that Mara wasn’t going to take kindly to being blocked by Damian and knowing her personality a little bit the way she did, she figured it wasn’t going to go well for him. The last thing anyone needed was for her to knee him in the balls or something publicly. Ju was not far from the door, leaning against the wall still next to Grant.

“Lieutenant,” Ju said stepping forward and placing her hands gently on Mara’s arm. “I was hoping to speak with you after the meeting, you can’t dodge me like this.” She teased with a smile on her face hoping that Mara would stay calm. She tugged very slightly on the woman’s arm. “I’m over here.” She whispered giving a nod in the direction where Miles still stood and she planned to return to.

==Tag Grant & Mara==

[Carol Harriman]

Carol continued to stay quiet, her mind wondering where they were headed to next without Crawford or Elias. She wasn't entirely ready to accept someone new in Tyra's place, but she didn't have any way to fight it. As their supposed new captain explained there wree some individuals who thought the crew had been corrupted from the top down, Carol gritted her teeth. She worked to keep her face neutral. She wasn't as skilled as some, but she could fake it for a little anyway. Her hands were in her lap, now in a tight fist. Then Givens went on to explain she would make changes if people do dumb ****.

Well that won't take long. Carol felt her eyes start to roll upwards, though she caught them and quickly closed her eyes. She took a few breaths while her eyes were closed, trying to keep from being the first one disciplined by their new chief.

****

She kept her eyes shut until she heard something slide on the table. When she opened her eyes, she saw small boxes in front of people... that is, except two. She felt her right eyebrow raise as she was curious why they didn't... and why she, or anyone, would be getting one.

What the ****?  We're getting ******* medals while two of our crew are getting **** on?  

Carol felt hot and really wanted to leave. She had no business being in this room, receiving some stupid award. She knew she probably wasn't faking it well now, but just continued to clamp her mouth shut. There was nothing she could say that wouldn't end her *** in the brig... or worse.  Her eyes roamed the room, stalling on their first officer. Her eyes wanting to talk to him, though he was busy continuing awards for the lone two. 

Is this really happening? Wait...  It's got to be a ******* test. Tyra was always good at trying to test us to see if we were ready. Who the hell is this Givens person anyway? **** **** **** Where's the damn cameras? Please let there be a test... I don't even care if I fail it... 

[Mara Calleja]

== Some slight crossed wires with Cdr Coleman, so just tweaking a little! ==

With her decidedly half-hearted ‘welcome’ still in the air, Mara went to get up. She didn’t get the chance to go as Damian had a speech of his own ready, and he was soon into special mentions for Miles and Emily. The Bandaran didn’t have the heart to disrupt their moment, so she stayed quiet.

I can’t deal with this. Tyra is gone, the brass is up our collective arses, and we’re supposed to be sat here celebratin’ the absolute clusterfuck of our last time out. Is the next thing out of that fuckin’ box in front of Givens some bastard party poppers and sashes?

We fucked up so hard our Captain got fired and our Chief Engineer is in jail. Go us! Gold stars for everyone!

The carefully benign expression on the Chief of Security’s face was starting to slip as she gripped the arms of her chair. She was not OK. The meeting room was starting to feel claustrophobic and she wanted to be as far away from people as possible until she could get her head straight.

As soon as Star had received her pip and enjoyed her moment, Calleja was up and bearing down on the door. Coleman was straight across to intercept her, and he physically put himself between her and the exit.

“Have a seat Lieutenant Calleja. The meeting isn’t done yet.”

Oh you picked a really bad fuckin’ time to try and reel off the contents of an assertiveness trainin’ manual…

At point blank range, Damian was able to see the turmoil behind Mara’s dark eyes. She was hanging on to her self-control by a thread, her hands flexing loosely by her side. Without thinking about it she found herself calculating the quickest way to put him down so she could get out. She was close enough to launching the headbutt that she could almost hear the organic crunch of his nose breaking under the force of the blow, the familiar feeling of blood spattering across her face…

What the fuck am I doin’. 

The realisation of what she was about to do was like a bucket of cold water to the face. It jerked her out of her reverie and she took half a step back.

If I beat his arse, I’m in the next cell along from Elias. And right now if I let go, I don’t know if I’d be able to stop whilst there was anythin’ left of him to send back home.

“Lieutenant,” Ju said stepping forward and placing her hands gently on Mara’s arm. “I was hoping to speak with you after the meeting, you can’t dodge me like this.” She tugged very slightly on the woman’s arm. “I’m over here.”

“Sorry. I got distracted and thought we were done,” Mara said as she pulled her arm free with a warning frown at Damian and Ju. She had been working on not being so overtly spiky, but the ex-ganger was still extremely uncomfortable at being touched. “Let’s get it over with, shall we?”

Her words were stilted but she took her seat again. She couldn’t focus on anyone, her eyes going from the box to the wall to the door to the cracked glass in front of her. Mara needed to be somewhere else to work through the emotions she was so poorly equipped to handle. The last few seconds could quite easily have ended up with both halves of Coju in neighboring biobeds but the Bandaran’s willpower had held. Barely, but it had held.

Why couldn’t that prick have just let me go… What’s so fuckin’ important that he was willin’ to risk bein’ worked over? ‘Cause if I didn’t catch myself he was goin’ down.

The thought sent Calleja’s mind back down a violent path and she had to take another deep breath to drag herself back again. She needed something to focus on and quickly.

[Robin Mayfair]

What the hell?

Robin had been a bit surprised as Mara rose and headed for the door. Coleman had stopped her, and the Security chief was responding like she was about ready to cut loose on him. Her hands flexed and her look was intense enough that even the decidedly non-warrior nurse could spot it. And if she could see it then it was likely sending up flares to Coleman, a former Security chief himself and an expert boxer.

Is she really going to start a brawl in the conference room in front of the new Captain? For that matter, does she think she could take Coleman? She's behaving like a gang member, not a Starfleet officer.

Ensign Eun Ju Han foolishly stepped up to the Bandaran and tried to calm her down. Another bad idea. It worked, but barely. Mara was struggling with self-control. For her part Robin felt irritation at the Security chief. She'd felt it before, on the Callisto, but that had been a situation where everyone had been under extreme stress and she'd decided to ignore all of the raw nerves that everyone (including herself) had had. This was a meeting.

Way to make a great first impression, Mara. You're not just embarrassing yourself, you're embarrassing the whole crew. Maybe Starfleet is right about us. Maybe this crew is corrupted. Broken. At the very least we have people who are acting like a bunch of teenagers, not like trained and disciplined officers.

She said nothing, instead watching the new Captain's reaction.

== Tags ==

[Cassandra Givens]

When Cassandra had first begun her position with the committee, she had struggled to understand and empathize with the crews she evaluated. She'd mistaken crew devotion for a blind loyalty that she just hadn't been able to understand; then again, her career had been built upon short stays with little opportunity to develop such devotion or loyalty to a supervisor. That wasn't to say she hadn't appreciated some of her leaders and even considered some of them as mentors, who she still spoke to. However, their transfer or replacement would not have invoked a deep reaction from her, not like she witnessed here and not like she'd witnessed countless times by now.

In fact, there was only one time she could think of where the crew had reacted positively to their commanding officer's removal but they'd baulked when the first officer hadn't been named the new commanding officer immediately. Fortunately, Commander Bav'lit had excelled and earned his fourth pip, allowing her to escape with her head attached. That actually had probably been her worst experience to date, though it seemed Artemis wanted a shot at the top spot.

While she didn't think the Liberty was in any way comparable to the Artemis' situation, she couldn't forget the analogy the Liberty's Chief Medical Officer had used during a meeting. The young man, wise beyond his years, had likened her position to that of a step-parent. While she had the responsibility and the authority, sometimes it was just better to let the "real" parent handle the issues instead of coming in like an authoritative wrecking ball with none of the respect or experience needed to be effective.

And that was why Cass remained utterly silent as the scene in front of her unfolded. She'd taken the half step backwards to place her shoulder blades against the wall, her arms crossing as she leaned back. Her right ankle crossed over her left in a position that likely came off as laxed but was truthfully a preparation for if she had to step forward. Her expression was impassive as she watched Coleman step in, using his size to try to put a stop to the tantrum in progress.

For a moment, she thought she was going to witness the knuckleheaded decision that would bring the house of cards down in a record breaking 10 minutes. It seemed almost inevitable as she ticked off each pre-attack indicator that Calleja could send up and the security officer in her wanted to step in and defuse it. However, the realist in Cass understood that her intervention would likely be a match lighting a powder keg so she stayed immobile, merely watching as the young engineer attempted to intervene as well.

She was already silently dictating her message to Anderson in which she changed her consensus about the capabilities of this crew to functioning under their current mental states when someone found the pressure valve and that just enough air out to keep the tank from blowing apart in spectacular form.

“Sorry. I got distracted and thought we were done,” the chief of security explained, though it was the weakest excuse Cass had ever heard. In fact, she'd liken the entire tantrum to a child trying to test boundaries and she was certain there was a psychologist out there willing to compare a command change to the breakdown of a parent-child relationship. Unfortunately, as someone who didn't have children and didn't have a healthy relationship with her parents, she wasn't exactly the best person to take that analogy and find the right solution.

“Let’s get it over with, shall we?”

"Well, if we can keep the theatrics to a minimum from here on out, maybe we can eventually 'get it over with' but that's up to y'all," Cass stated, the dry sarcasm mixing seamlessly into her normal tone. Her dark eyes found Coleman's for a moment before she pushed off the wall.

"Here's the deal: we have a mission to brief and I am not repeating this briefing because people were too deep in their feelings to pay attention. We have two options: we can continue on and get this over with so that y'all can go decompress for a few hours and come back in the morning with better attitudes and a smidge more professionalism or we call it for the night but y'all are here bright and early tomorrow morning for the briefing."

"Personally, I'd rather get this over with and rip this band aid off but I need y'all focused and I need you paying attention. If that can't happen tonight, say as much and we'll handle this after you guys have your heads on straight."

== Tag! ==

[Aeryn Miller]

Regardless of the mixed emotions that Aeryn was now experiencing due to receiving the medal, the CSO knew she had to focus on the meeting, which meant shelving her feelings until later. It was a trick that had helped Aeryn out on many an occasion, and she didn't think that would change anytime soon, as she realised who had been missed off the list of names mentioned by Givens. However, rather than be concerned, Aeryn decided to trust the process, and soon enough, Miles received not only his medal but also a promotion to full Lieutenant.

Coleman had been given the honour of presenting Grant with this and handling Emily's promotion to Ensign. Aeryn offered both officers a warm smile, genuinely happy for them, before Mara got up and attempted to leave. Concern was etched on her former superior's face as Coleman and Ju spoke to her. If they hadn't already approached the Bandaran, then Aeryn would have done the same.

The redhead liked to think she knew Mara better than most, watching and supporting her progress since becoming her Chief. Yet there was still that vulnerability underneath, how she didn't particularly like being touched, but the potential situation soon resolved itself as Mara apologised and sat down again.

Aeryn was also a fan of getting this over and done with, but of course, that now depended on how their new Captain would react to what they had just witnessed. Emotions were powerful, and the presentation of the medals had left a bad taste in Mara's mouth, and likely others too, but this wasn't the time to talk it out.

All they could do was await the response from Givens and, sure enough, detecting the sarcasm in her tone. The group was then presented with two options on how they would proceed before the CO told them how she wanted to get this done now rather than wait, and if anyone couldn't focus or pay attention, then they had to say so.

Aeryn knew what her decision would be, and so she remained silent because she was ready to have the proverbial bandaid ripped off, rather than have to come back the following day.

== Tags ==

[Lucy Devereaux]

Lucy was amused by Mara’s blatant lie. This was a mission briefing with trimmings and bad feelings. She got what Mara saw in that medal. Lucy saw it differently. Someone had acknowledged what the crew had attempted and accomplished. It hurt that both Tyra and Ben had been casualties of political manoeuvring. Lucy was happy to receive the medal and ribbon, she would remember it as a thumb in the eye of the backstabbing ********.

Let’s get it over with, shall we?

This reminded Lucy of the briefing prior to the last ***********. It wasn’t the Captain’s fault that the crew felt raw. Cass was certainly not in the mood for softly softly. Definitely a worthy soul to fill Tyra’s shoes. Leaving it for tomorrow wasn’t an option, at least for Lucy. She hadn’t got to know Captain Crawford properly, but there was a vibe, especially during the last “mission”.

“Both barrels would be appreciated. You’ve got my undivided attention. Can process later in the Officers Lounge. If I’m not speaking out of turn.”

The worst thing was that there would be no more of Ben’s special brew. Bloodwine just wasn’t the same after a container of that concoction. Maybe a glass or two of somaek. Lucy got her mind back on the briefing. Whatever they were being put on next the crew needed to be able to show that they could work with Cass in command. Of course, if it was something politically sensitive the crew was ******.

== tag ==

[Omdor Jaein]

Jaein regretted his earlier thoughts. Just as he entertained the thought of being amused at the way the meeting was going, the chief of security stood up.  “Yeah. Welcome,” she said. “Wish it was under better circumstances.” She started walking to the door, and he couldn't help but notice that she left the medal on the table as she went.

Jaein couldn't help but be a little perplexed. He knew that this crew was fiercely loyal; his encounters with them so far had been enough to make him realize that. But Givens, despite taking over for the old captain, hadn't been part of that. Everything he'd seen from her so far was that she was as in the dark as everyone else, and that she was just trying to make the best of the situation that she could. Granted, he'd had at least one more meeting with her than everyone else had, but he still wasn't prepared for just how angry everyone seemed to be.

There's always changes that happen in the service, he thought. For this crew to have stayed together so long is a rarity they should be glad about having happened, not mad that it's ended.

He just sighed as Coleman confronted the woman at the doorway, ordering her to return to her seat. For half a second, it looked like she was going to deck him anyway, and Jaein watched to see what he needed to do. Fortunately, that half-second passed, and she backed down, realizing what she was about to do. Ensign Han chose that moment to approach and attempt to defuse the situation, trying to get her to come and speak to her. He saw the security officer shrug her off brusquely, but then return to her seat. She was breathing slowly, very controlled, the marks of someone trying their best to keep themselves reined in. Jaein made a note to keep an eye out whenever she was around.

Givens called the meeting back to order with a choice - either call it now and meet back here extremely early in the morning to do the actual mission brief, or do the mission brief now as originally planned. He considered saying something, but the junior science officer spoke first:  “Both barrels would be appreciated. You’ve got my undivided attention. Can process later in the Officers Lounge. If I’m not speaking out of turn.”

Jaein fought down a chuckle, but just nodded and straightened his padd, ready to make whatever notes he needed.

==Waiting on you, Captain==

[Mara Calleja]

Mara was all too aware of the target she’d painted on her own forehead as she sat in the chair. The room was full of silent judgment. That in itself wasn’t a new experience. It hadn’t bothered her before and it wasn’t going to now either, although she had at least learned she wasn’t as close to some as she’d thought.

I’m glad everyone else in here is in full, perfect control of their emotions the whole time.

The Security chief took a moment to rally, cramming her emotions back into the bottle and burying it as deep down as she could. Once this was in the rear view mirror there would need to be a conversation between her and the First Officer about what had happened and how close they’d come. But right here right now, it was all about damage limitation.

So much just changed, and I can’t process that sat here. The last few weeks were all about fuckin’ change. I came to terms with it. I was ready. And now here we go again. Whole new set of circumstances and rules of engagement. I hadn’t even had time to learn the last ones.

When Givens spoke, it seemed the CO wasn’t willing to take her own advice as she took the opportunity to put the boot in. Mara had wrestled her expression back to carefully neutral and she didn’t so much as flicker. She stared straight ahead as every barb moved the newcomer further away from innocent party and head-on towards enemy combatant.

"Personally, I'd rather get this over with and rip this band aid off but I need y'all focused and I need you paying attention. If that can't happen tonight, say as much and we'll handle this after you guys have your heads on straight."

It was Devereaux who spoke first.

“Both barrels would be appreciated. You’ve got my undivided attention. Can process later in the Officers Lounge. If I’m not speaking out of turn.”

“Don’t hold fire on my account,” Mara said, looking up at Cass coolly. “If you want to crack on, crack on. I’ll deal with it.”

There were so many angry retorts that were fighting to leap from the Bandaran’s mouth but she kept a lid on them all. Once this meeting was over, Calleja would have to find a way to safely vent what felt like a warp core breach bubbling away inside her. Until then, nobody was more disappointed in her than she was, and she used that to mentally brace for the briefing to come.

[Robin Mayfair]

As someone who'd asked the bandaid question to numerous patients Robin was amused. "Band aid off, Captain. I'd like to hear about our next mission."

And that was the truth. When she'd been posted to the Artemis as a naive middie Robin's head had been filled with ideas of exploration and adventure. There had been some of that, but there had been all too many other missions that the crew of a starship had no business undertaking. She was eager to get out there, go somewhere unknown and unfamiliar, and let all of the recent drama fall away. And if the mission took them away from Cardassian space that would be a definite bonus.

[Cassandra Givens]

There seemed to be a consensus among the staff, some good natured and some more sullen, but all seemingly willing to continue the briefing to the end. And for that, Cass was grateful. With Coleman retaking his chair, Cass felt it best to soldier on.

"Without further ado, may I introduce everyone to the Hugora Nebula." With a flick of her finger, she sent the image on her PADD to the central holoprojector in the middle of the briefing room's long table.

Despite not being a scientifically minded person of any sorts, Cass had to admit the nebula was pretty to look at but that's where her appreciation ended, all things considered. However, she gave everyone a moment to study the nebula's colors as she glanced at the message Morgan had just sent her, which only stated 'Done'. Which part of Bill's rather laborious to-do list from the most recent call she had gotten done was anyone's guess but it just re-sparked Cass' own annoyance at the way Bill seemed to be trickle out orders as if he didn't trust her.

I wish I could see his chess board…

With another flick of her finger, the image of the Hugora Nebula zoomed out to show its placement riding both sides of the Federation/Cardassian border. "The Hugora Nebula sits in a very strategic location given current tensions. It's composition blocks all but the shortest of short range sensors, making it an excellent hiding spot for all manners of activity that one would hide from the light of day."

"It was frequently used by the Maquis to their tactical advantage against both sides but in recent years, it's become more popular with smugglers. We've regularly had to devote resources to anti-smuggling operations in the sector," Cass informed the group, though she omitted that she'd been on her fair share of those patrols.

"Command is exceptionally concerned about our inability to monitor activity within the nebula and obviously, given our deteriorating relationship with Cardassia, there's concerns they might eventually turn their attention to the --"

The sound of the door along the wall behind her swishing open caused Cass to pause, her body turning ever so slightly to assess the interruption. When Morgan stepped through with a look that almost seemed self-satisfied, Cass couldn't help the slight frown, her mind trying to recall what all Morgan had been working on.

The VIP…

The VIP had been the most frustrating piece of information contained within Bill's last instructions, dropped in as if it wasn't a huge inconvenience and his lack of forthcoming information very frustrating. The passenger, a scientist, had been traveling on the Al-Batani and should have arrived prior to the mission issuance but the Al-Batani had suffered catastrophic engine issues and had been delayed. Bill had instructed her to continue launch even if the scientist had failed to arrive by official launch, which seemed odd if they were that important to the mission. Cass had to assume they were related to the sensor buoy, maybe even the designer.

However, the person that entered a few steps behind Morgan wasn't a bright eyed scientist or even someone that looked particularly happy to be there. The woman, duffel bag slung haphazardly over her shoulder, looked exhausted, confused but with a coiling frustration seeping through her that seemed to manifest in her white knuckles and her tensed shoulders. With her messy ponytail, rumpled t-shirt and plaid combo, hiking pants and half-tied boots, Tyra Crawford looked more like a tussled tourist stumbling back from an ill-fated vacation than she did the poised and collected captain Cassandra had seen at last year's Christmas party.

And that was when it all clicked into place. Bill really had been playing 3-D chess when the rest of the admirals and herself had been looking at the board like it was checkers. Unless…. he was far crueler than she could ever have imagined and based on the look on Crawford's face, that was a possibility. Either she was a much better actress than any officer had any business being or she had no more idea what was going on than Cass did.

"You're late, Captain," Cass stated after a moment's pause, pulling her own poker face out of the closet. This wasn't the first surprise to be dropped in her lap and she doubted it would be the last; her current position put a new meaning to rolling with the punches.

There was no hesitation as she picked up the second PADD she had carried in -- the one Bill had her download -- and offered it to the silent former commanding officer. "I believe this is yours."

For her part, the redhead hadn't moved beyond the initial three steps into the room, her blue eyes shifting around the room with a discomfort that was obvious. She almost looked ready to make a fight or flight decision, not quite to the point of a caged animal though, and considering how overwhelming this seemed to be, Cassandra couldn't blame her. In her shoes, she wasn't sure what she'd have made of this development with what appeared to be no warning and the PADD offered to her was regarded as if it might bite her before she seemed to gather some form of control and took it.

Cass had no idea what was on the PADD, though not for a lack of trying. It was biometrically locked and she had assumed it was sensitive data related to the sensor buoy. Then again, she had also assumed the VIP was a scientist, when, in hindsight, Bill had confirmed no such thing.

Cassandra never got a glimpse at what was on the PADD she had handed over but there was no missing the utter confusion on the Crawford's face as the PADD unlocked and revealed its contents. The only hint that Cassandra received as to the contents was the notification that flickered across the top of her own PADD, notifying her that her command codes had been moved to the third position. Back to being a mission advisor….

"I don't understand…" the redhead ran a hand over her forehead before she tangled it in her ponytail. "I have literally spent a week… over a week… being pulled from one ship to another with no explanation for the scavenger hunt for orders but 'trust me'. And I get sent here for what?"

The frustration seeped through the words with seemingly no attempt to hide it and despite whatever motive might have existed, Cass could only assume that it felt like just another instance of being jerked around. She'd read the post mission debriefs, she knew that had been Crawford's chief complaint among other things, and she wondered if Bill had weighed that against the ends.

All Cass could do was give a tiny shrug of the shoulders because what could she honestly say? She could explain that Bill had expertly executed a Castling maneuver but she couldn't give any insight into why. She could express her emphatic relief at not having to take on this mantle and yet, she was certain her salvation had come at a great cost. There was no relief to be noted and she could only hope that as the confusion and shock wore off, the other Captain wouldn't view Bill's actions and their consequences as some sort of sentence in themselves.

== I heard someone thought we didn't have enough drama…. ==

[Aeryn Miller]

Some remained silent like Aeryn while others specifically Lucy, Mara, and Robin spoke up, forming a consensus that they all wanted to proceed and not cause further delay. If anything the Science Chief hoped it would give her something else to focus on and stop this emotional rollercoaster until she could fully compress once the briefing ended.

There would be a lot to pick through and compartmentalise when the Captain introduced them to the Hugora Nebula, Aeryn's attention was immediately captured by the colours as the holoprojector brought the image to life. The scientist within Aeryn marvelled at such beauty, imagining what it would look like up close, not to mention being able to scan it and learn everything about it. She might be romanticising over something so simple as a nebula, but it spoke right to her heart before remembering that there would be more to this briefing.

It didn't stop the redhead from paying attention, as the image zoomed out to reveal where it was placed, sending a prickle through her spine at the thought of going anywhere near Cardassian territory. Instead, Aeryn mentally shrugged it off, as she listened to Givens's explanation, understanding the nebula's importance. However, there was more to this than its location, particularly when it came to smuggler activity as well as the concerns from Command.

While justified, there was still residual bitterness from their previous missions and what they had cost them, but once again Aeryn had to bite back those thoughts, as the briefing was interrupted by the arrival of Cera. But that wasn't completely out of the ordinary until another familiar face entered and Aeryn couldn't quite believe what was unfolding in front of them.

This drama multiplied and then some, wondering if this had just been some kind of prank but no one was laughing and Captain Crawford appeared to be none the wiser either as to why she was suddenly back on Artemis. Now this was going to be interesting and yet she didn't quite know what to say, at least not at first because seeing Tyra again was as if everything was as it should be.

" I don't know what's going on, but welcome back Captain Crawford".

== Tags ==

[Damien Coleman]

It would’ve taken someone with absolutely no senses to miss the energy that Mara was giving off, especially at the distance that Damian was to her. He’d seen it before, many, many times. Not just as a security officer, but as a boxer too. It was primal, something usually hidden deep beneath the masks that everyone wore, and sometimes required specific circumstances to bring them to the surface. For Calleja though it seemed her primal nature lived much closer to the surface, which really wasn’t a surprise at all. The incredible violence she’d unleashed on the Callisto had made her baser instincts public knowledge.

Coleman’s training in the ring, and in security, made it so that he was almost always prepared for a fight. Blocking Mara’s exit was definitely a situation that warranted a stance that would allow him movement should the need arise. If she did try to lay hands, or otherwise, then a bob or a weave would be simple reflexive muscle memory for him.

There wasn’t any anger at her though, despite the fact that Damian thought he should have been mad at her for her overreaction. It took an incredible amount of insolence to react the way that she did. That led him to the next emotion that he could have had, which was disappointment. Was it too early to put her in the department head seat? Had both he and Tyra misread the signs that Mara would be a good fit for the position? Whatever the case was, it wasn’t that emotion or a myriad of others that Coleman felt either. Instead, it was singularly one of worry. All it would take was for Mara to put hands on Damian, and all of the work he’d done to reassure Givens would be undone. It wouldn’t just be Calleja’s ass on the line either. It would give Cass grounds to reconsider staying the many other choices that he and Tyra had made in recent weeks.

When Mara took a step back, Coleman’s scowl that he didn’t know he was wearing softened. Ju had come to Calleja’s side too, attempting to help de-escalate things. The gesture was smart and kind, though it had for the tiniest of moments brought worry back into the fold of Coleman’s brain. As much as Ju had connected with Mara, she wasn’t entirely aware of what the rough-and-tumble Security Chief was fully capable of; the display of warning in Mara’s face after being touched showed that disturbingly.

“Sorry. I got distracted and thought we were done…”

Defused for the time being, Calleja went back to her seat without further incident. Though it was more than apparent to Damian that she was still fighting demons within. The crisis had been averted, but not unnoticed. As Coleman returned to his seat, he did catch Cass assessing the whole show with the discerning look of someone who very well knew what just transpired. And Givens didn’t hide that she knew either, with her next words proving she’d taken in every moment of Mara’s foul bate.

Sitting down, Damian reached for a PADD. The rest of the room was conferring on whether or not they could all behave long enough for Givens to get through the meeting. There was only one person in the room who held the real answer for that Damian knew. Even as Lucy spoke up first, Coleman was already entering information into the PADD, sending messages and making notes.

“Don’t hold fire on my account… If you want to crack on, crack on. I’ll deal with it.”

It was Coleman’s turn to hold back, not wanting to further stoke the fire that obviously still raged on inside Mara. There would be time to discuss everything, though it would have to be after Calleja found a way to release everything that had built up in the last couple of minutes. Knowing Givens as he did, Damian knew he’d have to rope in others too. It wouldn’t be enough for him to just have a sit down sort of chat with Mara. That ship had sailed. Instead, he was in the midst of making arrangements for a counseling session on Mara’s behalf as the briefing started. All the bases had just been covered when he heard the briefing room swishing open.

Cera stepped through, which wasn’t incredibly odd in itself, though Damian did suddenly wonder why the Quartermaster hadn’t been in the room already. With the ship preparing to leave her moorings and begin their mission, Morgan had plenty left to do, so Coleman did suppose that she might have been too busy for the briefing. Whatever the case was, Cera was entering with purpose and a rather pleased air about her; like a cat, her prize was in tow.

Looking stunned was probably not the reaction that Coleman should have had upon seeing Tyra again, though that is exactly what his face wore as she came in. The last conversation he’d had with her made it seem like Command was putting her through the wringer and making her jump through hoops, though he was sure that she didn’t even tell him the half of it. Seeing her disheveled and vexed brought a nefariously mirthful grin to his face; misery did so love company. If Tyra really was miserable, she would certainly find good company in Damian, especially after the most recent theatrics.

Now, the only thing that could be read on his face was relief. Coleman wasn’t sure that Tyra would feel the same way. By all accounts, he had assumed that Starfleet Command was going to drag her through the mud for her penance. As he thought about it, and considered the intervening moments since her departure, perhaps someone on high thought coming back would be penance. Damian had to stifle a chuckle as he considered it.

Still your circus, still your monkeys… Damian grinned at, and nodded to, Tyra as his restrained laugh echoed in the muscles around his eyes.

== well well well, look what the cat dragged back in   ==

[Mara Calleja]

Broad shoulders rose and fell as Mara kept up the deep breathing exercises. The hot-blooded Bandaran was doing everything she could to stay calm, but the meeting had her so riled up that her self-control was being sorely taxed.

How can they all just sit there? Crawford was more than just another CO. She put everythin’ on the line for this crew. And nothin’. Not one of them is showin’ the slightest hint of concern.

The holoprojector gave Mara something constructive to focus on. She didn’t see the beautiful colours in the same way as everyone else. Her appraising eye took in which parts looked capable of concealing ships and where combat between vessels might be impacted by unstable pockets of gas. The Security chief was well-drilled in combat in hostile environments and it looked like her expertise might be called on.

Assumin’ I get through this briefin’ without gettin’ myself fired.

Givens started the briefing, outlining what she had about the Hugora Nebula. Calleja’s brow furrowed as it looked like Cardassians were the enemy. They had proven themselves capable of some well-orchestrated dirty tricks and thundering incompetence, usually as part of the same conversation. Fighting them again meant the Artemis could expect some pain in unexpected places.

The door slid open in the middle of the sentence and Mara looked over. Cera Morgan looking pleased with herself wasn’t new or unexpected. But the woman that came in after her…

Mara’s dark eyes damn near popped out of her head at the sight of Tyra Crawford. The Captain looked tired and fed up, and judging by the exchange with Givens, no more in the loop than the rest of the crew.

The Bandaran was on her feet again, and she was straight to Crawford’s side.

“Cap’n. You OK?” she asked. There was concern in her voice, tightly interlaced with a barely repressed anger. “We were just told that you were on indefinite leave and sittin’ this one out. And now, well, here you are…”

The Bandaran’s hostile glare picked out Givens as the Amazonian woman turned to face the table.

“Can someone please start explainin’ what’s goin’ on here? And no more of this 4D chess bullshit.” Mara imbued that one word with all the venom she could muster. “I saw the look on your face when Tyra came back in here. You were just as surprised as we were. What are you? Some kinda plant, just playin’ at bein’ a CO so some arsehole with square pips can get his rocks off?”

Calleja’s anger was bubbling over as her frustrations mounted. She despised political machinations and had no patience for the Admiralty’s games. Most of all she deeply resented being toyed with like this. Being told that Crawford wasn’t going to be there had really hurt. But that had been a lie. And it was only the fact that Givens might not have knowingly told the lie that was keeping the Security chief’s fury in check.

[Miles Grant]

Miles didn't have long to mull on thoughts of being 'left out' before he noticed the approach of Commander Coleman with another box that was slightly larger than the others. Coleman offered the box to Miles, while giving a thanks and mentioning a 'we' that Miles could indicate meant Coleman and someone else that was not Captain Givens. Which could only mean it was more geared from Captain Crawford before her...exit.

Miles took the box with a thanks. Opening it, it revealed two items. The first being the same Gold Star the others present had received. The other was a solid pip. The emphasis Coleman had given to Miles' rank made much more sense as it was an indication of Miles' promotion to full Lieutenant. And if the other underlying words meant anything, his title of 'Acting' had also been dropped.

He noted the Star had also been promoted to Ensign, and he sent her congratulations to her. Miles did notice how Calleja appeared to believe the meeting was over and got up to take her leave. However, they had not been dismissed, and it became quickly obvious that the meeting was not, in fact, over. There was also a palpable tension due to Calleja's actions, and they lingered in the room, even as Calleja ceased to continue her process of leaving.

It didn't take long for Givens to get things back to focus and start a briefing. A hologram appeared in the middle of the table showing the Hugora Nebula. Miles studied everything displayed. The information they had was, as it always seemed to be, incomplete. Tensions with Cardassia were high after last mission, and the nebula proved to be a spot of concern. Putting two and two together, it looked like the Artemis was going to be heading further exploration. Making sure there wasn't anything suspicious going on in it.

Givens was continuing to explain the briefing when she was interrupted by the doors opening to reveal Cera Morgan. However, it wasn't Morgan that had truly gotten everyone's attention, but rather the person who followed behind her.

Miles had hoped he would see Captain Crawford back on the Artemis, but he definitely did not figure it to be this soon after what they had heard. Regardless of the reason she was back, Miles could already tell this next mission would be interesting.

[Carol Harriman]

Carol smirked a little as their new security chief looked like she was ready to punch everyone in the room. Not that Carol didn’t blame her though. What was happening was **** as far as she was concerned. She would keep quiet though, knowing it wouldn’t do any good. Carol figured the new acting captain was as much to blame as the other **** heads that took her and their engineer away. The acting captain pulled them back together to begin their mission briefing.

Hugora Nebula… hmmm…

Carol brought her PADD out and began jotting down what the acting captain was saying. Not really to use as it would be available after, but to do something productive. Her fists had been clenched so tightly she needed to get them open before her nails dug in for blood.  As she was writing, she missed the initial entrance of their former captain. As Carol’s head raised, her eyes first to Givens and then to…

“What the ****?” Carol abruptly muttered.  She immediately grimaced as her hand raised. She mouthed the word ‘Sorry’ to both captains.

What is going on now?  Carol felt her fist clinch again as the earlier annoyance returned. Yea, you want us to move on. Just like that… and then this?  What other flipping surprises are we in for?

== Now what?   ==

[Eun Ju Han]

Mara was unhappy with her, or perhaps, it wasn’t so much at her but it was that she had stepped in on this situation. However, she had only sought to help her friend if at all possible, Mara was one of the first people that made her feel welcome here outside of Damian and so she had a soft spot in her heart for the Security officer. Perhaps she didn’t know everything about her friend but there was nothing she could do about the decisions she had made up until this point. Mara headed back to her seat and Damian seeming to head back to his own Ju headed back to stand by Miles as she had been before. Everyone was on alert, there was a lot of change here, and a lot of emotions and feelings which were charging up the atmosphere. Ju felt a slight pounding with the charged emotions hitting her psyche, and her right hand massaged her temple for a moment though it offered very little relief.

The Stand-In Captain asked if everyone wanted to sleep on their feelings and brief tomorrow or know what was going on now and sleep on that. Ju preferred to know before hand but then she had very little stake in the decision there were people here with far more pips on their collar than her who would speak much louder. With the consensus in line with her own Ju shifted her attention to the screen once the new Captain sent the picture of a beautiful nebula to the screen. That was the thing about space, it was truly beautiful, there were times she surprised herself for having not gone into Science but honestly she had always enjoyed pushing the envelope with mechanical things instead.

The beautiful nebula was half in Federation and half in Cardassi space which meant it was probably a hot zone. The composition o the Nebula made it hard to keep an eye on the smuggling and other nefarious activities that likely took place in this border area. Ju was jarred out of her soaking of the information when the bell at the door rang. Do people ring the bell here…? she wondered at the oddity of such a thing. Everyone on the ship was likely assigned to it so it surprised her that anyone should feel the need to ring the bell but perhaps there was a civilian or something on board she didn’t know about.

The door opened and Crawford walked in as though she wasn’t about to head out on mission but instead had just come in from some natural adventure. The relief in the room was palpable to the young half-Betazoid, and it eased some of the aching behind her temple where it had been thrumming in time with her heartbeat. Crawford looked shocked to be here. Or perhaps she was shocked that they were all here with a mission briefing and a new red head in the main seat. Ju’s eyes sought out Damian, not because they were dating but instead because she was gauging his reaction so that she could see if this was expected. But, while she was still learning some of his facial features and things but she knew enough to know that he was as shocked at seeing Crawford as the rest of them. Mara seemed excited, shooting out of her seat to check on the Captain almost immediately. Except in moment, Mara entered Attack Protocol. Ju watched as her friend turned on the new-ish Captain.. chair warmer… stand in? and began to accuse her of being a plant or something else because she was just as surprised as the rest of them when Crawford walked through the door.

This time, Ju did not step in, to try to calm her friend, instead she waited for the explanation that was certain to come. maybe all missions are just a mess, Ju thought. My first started with a mutiny and my second started with.. well I’m not sure yet…

[Omdor Jaein]

And the hits just keep on coming, Jaein thought.

The briefing had been carrying on fairly normally. They were being sent to a nebula on the border, one he was familiar with from back in the Dominion War but had honestly forgotten about, to search for smugglers. Left unsaid was the fact that if smugglers were going through, then it was quite possible that Cardassians, either spies or more serious armed forces, were there as well. He wasn't exactly sanguine about it, but it was definitely something that needed doing.

For a moment, he was glad of the assignment. Barring a catastrophic discovery, it would give him some time to work with his engineers and get a grip on what exactly he'd walked into. Maybe I can do some damage control drills, he thought, or we can do some cross-training. He made some notes in his padd, nodding as they reached the end of the briefing itself.

His thoughts were interrupted, however, when the door opened. He turned to look and saw the diminutive quartermaster, followed by a red-headed woman in rumpled, travel-worn civilian clothes. He recognized her, but couldn't place her until Givens spoke up and called her captain. Crawford, he filled in, placing her face with his studies of the Artemis' record. He wondered what she was doing here, though most of the old guard seemed quite happy to see her.

To see her, yes, but it appeared not everyone was remotely happy. “Can someone please start explainin’ what’s goin’ on here?" the chief of security exploded. "And no more of this 4D chess bullshit. I saw the look on your face when Tyra came back in here. You were just as surprised as we were. What are you? Some kinda plant, just playin’ at bein’ a CO so some arsehole with square pips can get his rocks off?”

Jaein couldn't help but cover his face in his hands. He'd seen some overblown reactions before, but this was particularly over-the-top. Prophets, but he'd met some Zaldans who were more diplomatic than she was, and the Zaldans didn't even have a word for diplomacy; it was just another particularly codified form of lying to them.

But Jaein sighed and leaned back in his chair, trying to stay on the bright side. At least this was proving to be the most entertaining briefing he'd ever been part of. "I almost wish I had some candy," he said under his breath, making sure that only someone right next to him, such as Han, could have heard him, and staying out of the security chief's line of fire.

[Beka Sydesh]

Beka had given the back of Mara's head a dirty look when the COS had put her back in her box, but she'd taken the hint and kept quiet.

As Givens had introduced herself and outlined why she was there, the redhead hadn't known what to say. Sydesh wasn't senior staff so her contact time with Crawford had been minimal compared to some of the others in the room. But she still felt the Captain's loss. Granted, not to the same extent Calleja apparently did as the brunette tried to leave before the meeting had been dismissed, but enough to at least understand the Lieutenant’s response.

Artemis without Tyra Crawford. How does that even work?

With the Bandaran herded back to her seat, the briefing proper got started.

So it's Cardassians again. I better start reading up on antivenom. They have really really inventive minds when it comes to injecting substances designed to inflict pain…

When the door opened and Cera Morgan entered, bringing proceedings to a halt, Beka took the opportunity to sneak to the replicator for another coffee. She watched the drama unfold and when Mara again got up, the redhead keyed in for a snack as well.

Slipping quietly back to her seat, the doctor munched a handful of the popcorn from the small bowl and watched on.

[Tyra Crawford]

>> Docking Ring >>

Cera's fingers had remained wrapped around her wrist as they moved deeper into Artemis until it seemed the blonde was satisfied that Tyra would neither bolt nor fight their progress. Oddly enough, the loss of contact was jarring as if the touch had offered just a little anchor in what was otherwise a raging storm of confusion, frustration and simmering anger.

And suddenly unanchored, she felt lost at sea.

There were very few times in her life that she could truly say her brain had failed her. And usually, those moments had involved such extreme loss that it was only expected. Oh, there had been times when she'd been overwhelmed and it had been a battle to rise above the waves but instinct and training had always given her the time to catch up. And when those failed, sheer will had gotten her far. However, neither instinct nor training seemed capable of offering her any assistance at the moment and sheer will had absolutely abandoned her.

It was like the moment her first foot had hit Artemis' deck plating, her brain had lost its ability to reason through the situation. At least competently. Maybe even the moment she'd seen Cera. She honestly didn't know where the short circuit had occured but she needed to fix it before Cera dragged her to their destination.

What she knew was that Bill wasn't a cruel man, her near four decades of experience with him told her that. He could be calculating as a tactician, meticulous and levelheaded with the forethought to think moves and moves ahead, but maybe he hadn't foreseen this possibility. She was suppose to have met the Sally Ride, not Artemis, but the Al-Batani's issues had prevented that. Maybe this was just an unfortunate turn of events for her, nothing intended as cruel by anyone other than Fate.

Or maybe, Bill was giving her closure he felt she needed, though she didn't think she could stomach someone in her seat, even if only for the few days it took to drop her at her destination. Then again, he'd know that and she didn't think he'd do that to her. Unless... Unless it was Damian. She could handle him taking her chair and seeing that might soothe that last ache she hadn't been able to shake.

When Cera's steps had veered towards the briefing room instead of the back entrance to the ready room, she'd wanted to balk, dig her heels in and demand an explanation of some sort but neither her legs nor her tongue bent to her desire. Instead, her steps had continued obediently, even as her shoulders tensed. Her fingers had itched to dig an ear pod out of her pocket so that she had something for her mind to latch onto that wasn't a swirling vortex of jumbled thoughts but the briefing door looming ahead told her there was no time.

She almost missed the tiny smile Cera offered her over her shoulder as she reached the edge of the door's sensor. She'd almost forgotten that the blonde no doubt could feel every bit of tempestuous emotion cycling through her head and maybe that was why the smile reminded her of the smile Cera had always used with Evie, gentle and encouraging.

However, no amount of encouragement was going to save the redhead or so she determined within a step of entering the briefing room behind Cera. There was the briefest flicker of relief as she registered that nearly all of the faces were familiar, just where she'd left them, but it was short lived. By the time, her blue eyes had reached Damian and then, the woman at the front of the room, her heart was pounding in her ears.

She didn't need to ask who the woman was, she knew her. Her father had referred to the younger captain as Bill's pet project but having met her a handful of times at different functions, she'd stated that was unfair and unnecessarily derisive. Now though, she was willing to possibly change her opinion of Givens and possibly her feelings regarding Bill as well.

As Givens commented on her tardiness, Tyra fought the urge to bolt from the room. Her fingers curled tightly, nails digging into the flesh of her palms as she considered her options. There was a moment where her fingers found purchase on the side of her thigh, pinching ever so slightly with the hope that she'd wake up still safely tucked away in the Al-Batani's guest quarters, but there was no such luck. Instead, she was looking at a PADD being offered to her as if this was just a normal sequence of events.

The PADD felt heavy in her hand as she slowly took it, remembering another PADD that had felt inexplicably heavy in her hands. This one unlocked to her thumbprint and then, shifted to a familiar screen. And all she could do was stare at it, her forehead crinkling in confusion.

Her command codes sat there, her biometrics activating them automatically. Underneath the codes read words that set heavier than expected: Transferred from Captain Cassandra Givens, Acting Commanding Officer, USS Artemis to Captain Tyra Crawford, Commanding Officer, USS Artemis, Effective: 24408.08. Signed by Vice Admiral Bill Anderson and there was a short note under it that screamed Bill: Iacta alea esto.

It was an admission. He'd known exactly what he was doing, exactly what choice he was taking from her. Illusion of choice, truthfully. Maybe, there would never be a choice as long as she wore the uniform and it left a bitter taste in the back of her throat. However, the bitterness gave way to frustration quickly as the missing puzzle pieces became more obvious. Bill had never been a "knows best" type, not like her father, and he wouldn't have pulled strings on his behalf either.

"I don't understand…" She didn't actually mean to say anything as her free hand found its way into her hair but the words came out anyway, not that she expected an answer. "I have literally spent a week… over a week… being pulled from one ship to another with no explanation for the scavenger hunt for orders but 'trust me'. And I get sent here for what?"

She didn't expect Bill's proxy to actually answer, though the wry grin made Tyra want to physically wipe it off her face, but the tiny half shrug, evident relief, and her continued silence told her that Givens had been no more trusted with this plan than she had. In fact, Tyra had a sinking suspicion that her guide into her own personal Hell knew more than Givens did but this wasn't the venue for digging secrets out of Cera.

And she couldn't very well knock the relief off Givens' face without adding Damian to the list because he looked almost gleefully relieved. Actually, she might have to add a few names to the list but Damian wasn't even trying to hide his happiness at her arrival. Maybe, once she found a silent, dark corner to get herself together, she'd appreciate that but right that moment, she wanted to knock him down a couple pegs.

However, she didn't have a time to start assessing who needed to be added to that particular list or consider that she needed to work on a more useful list when Mara was at her elbow with evident concern. “Cap’n. You OK?” she asked. “We were just told that you were on indefinite leave and sittin’ this one out. And now, well, here you are…”

"Well, I can assure you--" she started dryly, appreciating Mara's concern but not exactly having an answer, but Mara had already turned her sights onto another target, Givens.

“Can someone please start explainin’ what’s goin’ on here? And no more of this 4D chess bullshit.” Mara imbued that one word with all the venom she could muster. “I saw the look on your face when Tyra came back in here. You were just as surprised as we were. What are you? Some kinda plant, just playin’ at bein’ a CO so some arsehole with square pips can get his rocks off?”

It was without much conscious thought that her hand shot out, her fingers wrapping around Mara's bicep as much as possible. It wasn't a particularly harsh or brutal grasp but it was firm and authoritative, probably resembling that of an exasperated parent to their unruly child. In fact, anyone that had seen Crawford with her own child had likely seen this particular maneuver in the moments before Evie surged into an ill fated idea.

"Stop," her words were quiet and were close to a hiss. They didn't carry anger per se but they held a sharp warning. Maybe Mara didn't see the danger looming but Tyra certainly did. For all the ease of underestimating her, Givens held the balance of power in the palm of her hands. "This isn't--"

However, her words never finished finding their way off her lips before the target of Calleja's anger finally seemed to have had enough. From what Tyra knew of Givens, she expected an explosion of anger or harsh words but instead, she watched the smaller woman lean forward on the front chair ever so slightly as her dark eyes bored into Calleja as if she was the only one in the room.

"I have been in your presence for less than thirty minutes and I have personally witnessed two tantrums that I wouldn't even find acceptable from a midshipman, much less a Lieutenant and much less my Chief. I can appreciate loyalty and I can appreciate this situation is difficult but I can't appreciate how someone with the emotional control of a tantruming three year old is wearing that jacket on this ship. If you can’t handle yourself in this controlled environment, you will be the knucklehead that brings this house of cards down at the first sign of adversity and there is nothing she," she waved at Tyra, "will be able to do for you. Is that what you want?"

The words rang cold and clinical, nearly surgical, to Tyra's ears and that surprised her. She knew what the rumor was regarding Givens' first command and how her hotheadedness had resulted in disaster. She'd expected to see that eruption in action; instead, she suspected she was witnessing proof of the following rumor that Givens had been forced into counseling that involved Vulcan techniques following the incident. Her expression was just as impassive and as unimpressed as if she had.

And without the context of what Givens was alluding to by referencing two incidents, Tyra found her gaze shifting to Coleman for some sign of how serious this was and how much catch up she needed to do.

== Tag! ==

[Lucy Devereaux]

Lucy didn’t know whether to feel frustrated or upset. Sending the Artemis to do a border check on a tricky nebula within spitting distance of the Cardassians. Were they being set up to fail or was this an epic show of trust in the fractious crew? She had questions about whether the nebula was the goal of their mission or there was something they weren’t being told. Cera returned with an extremely unexpected guest, Captain Tyra Crawford.

Cass didn’t seem to be thrown by the additional arrival with the exception that she was a surprised as the rest of the crew that it was Tyra. Mara beat Lucy to the metaphorical punch with an outburst in her own inimitable style. Somebody had been playing Find The Lady with Tyra as the queen in order to hide that she was on the Artemis for some unknown reason. To cap it all off she was equally in the dark.

Tyra was about comment about said outburst when Cass gave Mara a nuclear level put down worthy of any captain. Asskicking definitely equalled authority. Lucy suddenly had no questions to ask. Cass was definitely the right person to take over command of the Artemis. The odd thing was whatever this mission was intended to be the political levels were very much not in her wheelhouse.

Damn, I’m going to need something a lot stronger after this briefing is over. Glad I started with water.

Lucy took a breath and noted down the Hugora Nebula on her PADD along with the notation that the Maquis had used it before. Like the Badlands the Maquis seemed to have an affinity for awkward parts of space around Cardassian space. Monitoring a nebula was a pain and the restricted scanning range didn’t help. Could use a group of probes in formation, but how far they could go before losing contact wasn’t far.

[Aeryn Miller]

As happy as Aeryn was to see Captain Crawford back where she belonged, the CSO hadn't forgotten what had transpired previously or what this would mean for the crew going forward. While she had initially believed this to be some kind of elaborate prank, no one was laughing or revealing as much as those in the room reacted to the unexpected arrival. Mara immediately got up from her seat and went over to Tyra, checking to see if she was okay. Aeryn heard the concern in her friend's voice before she turned her attention to Givens.

The COS didn't hold back either, as her demeanour changed from one of concern to one of hostility, and despite the anger spewing from the Bandaran, some of the questions asked weren't far off the mark, so to speak. Something was going on, and whoever was pulling the strings would no doubt be rubbing their hands with glee, over what was transpiring.

Aeryn disliked this person already, judging by what she was witnessing, how they could mess about with Tyra, taking away her command only for her to be brought back to the ship she had been pulled away from. As for Givens, she also seemed to be a pawn in all of this, as Carol audibly muttered something, while their new CE sighed and leaned back in his chair.

It was like they were spectators watching a tennis match, and Beka had somehow managed to replicate popcorn, which brought a wry grin underneath the surface of Aeryn's lips as Tyra spoke to Mara, before Givens cut her off.

Givens didn't hold her tongue either, her words almost like venom as she told Mara exactly what she thought of her, and how she would be the one to bring everything down around them. The way she spoke, and mentioned that Tyra wouldn't be able to do anything about it, left Aeryn gripping the edges of the PADD in front of her, noticing that Lucy was concentrating on making mission notes, as Crawford looked in Damian's direction.

She didn't know what was going to happen next, or how this would all turn out as Givens awaited a response.

== Tags ==

[Mara Calleja]

“Stop. This isn’t…”

The words were softly spoken but they rang in Mara’s ears loud as church bells. The Bandaran felt the hand on her bicep and she stopped, turning back to look at Tyra as the redhead looked to someone else.

I’m not helpin’ her. I’m makin’ it worse.

The realisation was far more effective at cooling Calleja’s temper than the stream of invective that poured out of Captain Givens. The Security chief pretty much ignored the newcomer, letting the words just rush past her, knowing that if she paid any attention it would only touch off her own short fuse again.

“I’m only backin’ down ‘cause ya told me to,” Mara said softly to Tyra. Her accent was that little bit stronger as she found herself fighting to choke down her own emotions again. “I didn’t mean to make things worse for ya. Sorry ‘bout that. Someone somewhere is playin’ with us all and it really gets under my skin. ‘Specially after what just happened to us on that last mission.”

Calleja nodded to Crawford in a gesture of deference and swivelled her chair round for the Captain to take a seat, as she retreated to a different seat further back. She made no attempt to apologise to or even acknowledge Givens. Trying to build bridges seemed futile when both women had already dynamited the foundations.

I couldn’t process this absolute catastrofuck before. And now Tyra’s back… There are so many fuckin’ games goin’ on here and I am no bastard’s toy to be played with. And neither should anyone else be. Command aren’t even showin’ us basic fuckin’ respect, but I’m still supposed to bow to whatever they send out here. Fuck that and fuck them.

Without knowing it, Mara found herself joining the list of people considering whether she was suitable for her current senior position. She had made her name leading Security teams into combat and she was very very good at that. But she was ill-suited to politics. She spoke her mind and she spoke honestly. If she was going to make it as a department head, she was going to have to learn to tone that down and deal with the fact that almost nobody was as straight down the line as she was.

Goin’ home has never been more temptin’. And home is a toxic hellhole. But at least I could make a difference there without havin’ to spend every minute of every day bitin’ my tongue.

[Robin Mayfair]

What is going on here?

Tyra was the last person Robin expected to walk through the door. The distraction of Mara's behavior had seemed to be calming before it lit off again.

“Can someone please start explainin’ what’s goin’ on here? And no more of this 4D chess bullshit.” Her tone of voice was pure poison. “I saw the look on your face when Tyra came back in here. You were just as surprised as we were. What are you? Some kinda plant, just playin’ at bein’ a CO so some arsehole with square pips can get his rocks off?”

What? Seriously?

The CMO could only stare as her friend came closer and closer to wrecking her career. This was beyond unacceptable, and if one of her own people had talked to her like that they would have been scrubbing bedpans for the next month... if they were lucky. Givens had already made clear that the crew was skating on thin ice. The Security Chief was now accusing her of being a plant?

That doesn't even make sense. I don't know what's happening, but accusing someone of that.. accusing a Captain of that is beyond the pale.

For her part Captain Crawford was confused, and tried to stop Mara... but it was too late. Givens had had enough.

"I have been in your presence for less than thirty minutes and I have personally witnessed two tantrums that I wouldn't even find acceptable from a midshipman, much less a Lieutenant and much less my Chief. I can appreciate loyalty and I can appreciate this situation is difficult but I can't appreciate how someone with the emotional control of a tantruming three year old is wearing that jacket on this ship. If you can’t handle yourself in this controlled environment, you will be the knucklehead that brings this house of cards down at the first sign of adversity and there is nothing she," she waved at Tyra, "will be able to do for you. Is that what you want?"

The words at least seemed to have an effect. Robin's enhanced hearing easily picked up Mara's next words, though... and she could only hope Givens hadn't heard, because they didn't show the slightest remorse.

In the meantime Robin had her own (thankfully lesser) problem. She felt the full weight of a long, long day. "Beka," she said, not loud but enough so her friend could hear, her voice cold with a hint of exasperation. "This is a briefing. Coffee is one thing, but you look like you're enjoying some free entertainment. Throw the popcorn away."

I'm not going to have my department dig the hole further. What the hell is wrong with everyone? She put her head in her hand for a moment and centered herself. I just want to hear what the mission is, and then I want to go to bed. The command issues can sort themselves out later.

She took out her PADD and began to type, her fingers flying over the virtual keys with all the speed her enhancements granted her.

[From: Lieutenant Commander Mayfair. To: Lieutenant Mara Calleja. Under my authority as Chief Medical Officer I am ordering you to immediately make an appointment with the Chief Counselor and attend therapy sessions as he deems fit until he determines that you are able to control your outbursts.]

She signed it with her finger but didn't hit "send," instead saving the draft copy as a file where it could be pulled up if needed. How the next few minutes played out would determine whether the purple-haired CMO would send the order to the Security Chief. She hated doing so, but Mara's clear inability to control her anger was proving to be a real problem. And she had no doubt that such a blunt instrument would pour fuel on a raging fire, pissing the Security Chief off further. But this was going into insubordination, not just irritation at a new Captain... and the root of it was her struggle to control her own emotions.

The insubordination was a matter for the First Officer and Captain, but the lack of emotional control was under her umbrella as Chief Medical Officer. Only a minute before Mara had looked like she was going to deck the First Officer and possibly a small woman she outweighed by nearly a hundred pounds. She'd mouthed off to a senior officer in the middle of a briefing. Loyalty was something Robin understood (especially to Tyra Crawford), but this wasn't about loyalty. Could Mara even follow orders if she was angered? Would she flat-out refuse to comply with an order she disagreed with from Coleman? Or if Givens stayed on, from her? Robin wasn't even sure therapy would make a bit of difference. Mara had been through a hell of a lot, seen things (and done things) that the nurse couldn't imagine. She was sympathetic... but that didn't change the fact that the outbursts had to stop.

She put the PADD away and say, hoping against hope that things would calm down and they could find out what was going on.

I have been working since 0500. Enough. Everybody calm the hell down before I sedate the lot of you and ask for a transfer to somewhere calmer... like the Klingon border.

== Tags ==

[Damien Coleman]

Watching Mara approach Tyra, and the initial conversation that went with it, tracked in Damian’s mind. The Bandaran had always been particularly protective of Tyra, which was something that Coleman not only appreciated, but also relied upon; even more so since the Brittany. Though it was what came next that surprised him. Perhaps it shouldn’t have, but it did.

The explosion from Mara’s mouth, especially after her comforting move to Crawford, was vehement. Aimed directly at Givens, it was like a phaser blast, intended to be cutting as much as it was blistering; the tone in Calleja’s voice sold that. Mara wasn’t entirely wrong though in her assessment. There certainly was some 4D chess bullshit happening, particularly from the higher ups. Many on the Artemis had been jerked around ever since they’d come back from the mission. Skeletons unearthed. Stills confiscated. And careers ended. Despite all of that though, none of it needed to be said. Everyone at the table knew there was something more going on. Worse was how Calleja had said it all, tossing a hefty amount of insubordinate attitude and vocabulary at a Captain, their current CO.

Givens was done with it all, and her return volley sizzled. It was enough for Coleman to plant his face into his palms, both hands, as his elbows rested on the table; a rare expression for him. He’d been to heated meetings before, but never quite so high strung was a briefing before they’d even left the dock! Allowing himself only a moment, his head popped up and met Tyra’s gaze at him. She’d no doubt read a lot from his particular gesture, but it wouldn’t be the whole story. The worrisome aspect of the whole debacle was the decision making that had happened just after the last mission, and the questioning of it was brought quickly into focus with every word from Mara.

Grabbing his PADD, Damian started writing up the events that had transpired as succinctly as possible, but with enough detail that Tyra could make an informed decision. Context meant a lot, and so Coleman put in observations and the lead up, including his potential mistake of encouraging Givens to hand out the medals at the briefing; it might not have been the whole reason for the powder keg to explode, but it probably was a factor.

By the time he’d finished, Calleja had said something softly to Tyra and looked to be on the retreat. It made Damian think of several unfavorable comparisons he could make about Mara, though he didn’t linger on those thoughts. Instead, he sent the message directly to the PADD that Tyra was still holding. It’d give her all the updating she needed without having to ask the room, or him, directly.

Then he let his eyes wander for a moment. Plenty else was going on it seemed, though it was on Ju that his gaze lingered. The briefing was not the best showing the Artemis could give. Thankfully, Ju had come aboard well before they had to launch for a mission. She’d been able to meet with and enjoy the better aspects that the Artemis had to offer. Part of him wanted to tell her, to say aloud that briefings weren’t always like this, and this was the outlier. He would, Damian decided, though it’d be later when they had some time for themselves.

Returning to looking around the room, he finally saw Mayfair, whose look seemed to mirror exactly what he was feeling right down to her stashing her PADD away. It seemed they both were taking notes, and it likely wasn’t about them going to some nebula. That made Damian smile for half a second, and he appreciated that there was someone else in the room who seemed to be on the same page as him. Whatever mission they were about to be sent on, and however dangerous it might be, the stakes within the hull had already been substantially raised.

== tags ==

[Eun Ju Han]

Everything had changed, the room was so emotionally charged at this point all the Half-Betazoid could do was sit back and let the emotions brush over her brain trying to ignore them. Anger, shock, intrigue, some entitlement, and more. The whole quilt of emotions was thick and heady. Ju was glad that her Halmoni had put her and her brothers through classes and trainings with people of their own kind so they could learn to harness and feel the emotions without them being overwhelming. Ju remembered when she was young school would be hard for her especially when someone was feeling an emotion particularly strongly. This training had helped her and her brothers be more successful in life but the class had been more than just about control it had also been about Betazed heritage and more. All three Han children had mostly just delved into being Korean and human because it was easier that way being surrounded and inundated with it all the time. It wasn’t that she hated or disliked the other side of her being it just never felt that important.

Ju had only seen her actual parents a grand total of three times in her life and one of those times she couldn’t remember because it was when they dropped her off to her brothers and Halmoni when she was just a baby. Her parents had been busy being Starfleet officers in deep space and there were many times Ju and her brothers wondered why bother even having children if you weren’t around to experience them. Halmoni had raised her own children and then her grandchildren before she had passed away. The kind hearted but stern Korean woman was someone that they accidentally called Oma too often and that earned them a quick slap to the shoulder, but inwardly, they knew she understood why it slipped.

While all the sparks, fireworks, floodworks, etc were going around her in a maelstrom, Ju was peacefully thinking about her past and waiting for them to either decide which Captain they were going to actually follow and what mission they were going to end up doing. Is every Starfleet mission just a clusterf*ck? Ju wasn’t the cursing sort, but her experience with briefings, missions, and Starfleet in general was really declining. The pomp and circumstance they sold the newbies at Academy had disappeared like it was written in invisible ink the moment you got the pin on your collar for graduation. I need to ask Dame if this is how it goes… or if this is unusual. Because, I need to know if the danger of whiplash and utter stupidity is the norm…

Through Hurricane Artemis, came a voice of calm and reason. The man sitting next to her, the current acting Chief of Engineering, mentioning that he wished he had candy. For a moment, the hairs on the back of Ju’s neck stood up because she wasn’t quite sure she had heard him correctly. The only person on the ship thus far that understood the depths of Ju’s sweet tooth was Damian. After being admonished harshly on the Philly for her bad habit she was a little gun shy when it came to this situation. Ju reached up and rubbed the lobe of her ear warring with herself if she should expose herself or if she should keep her candy horde to herself.

If he was serious, she wondered what candy did he like. She didn’t carry chocolate in her pocket because nothing was worse than having half your chocolate stuck to the wrapper and more than that.. being caught licking the wrapper was embarrassing, she knew this first hand. She did have a few different other options though. Because she had come from her Quarters she had a full inventory at the moment. Small lollipops, some Jolly Ranchers, some Starburst, Taffy (the ones with jokes of course), and she had some her favorite cinnamon candy. So the question was, what was the best treat for the new Chief. They were in a large room filled with people who may or may not be open to people chewing on candy while at a briefing that was slowly becoming a battleground. So a lollipop was out. Taffy was hard to chew so it would be noisy, so that was out. Starburst were great but there was a lot of chewing involved there too. Going though the various ideas in her head Ju decided that they could both use a Jolly Rancher.

Ju shifted in her seat, sliding her hand in her pocket. Finding two of the rectangular candies she pulled them out. Warm but not even remotely melted, she slid her hand over towards the Chief and opened her hand beneath the table. “Take one if you want.” She whispered to him and her dark eyes made eye contact with his and gave him a smile.

==Tag Chief!==

[Beka Sydesh]

Sitting back and watching dispassionately, Beka didn’t really have a side she was backing in the argument. She owed Calleja a massive debt, that was certainly true, but the woman was going up against 2 Captains.

Or is she? the redhead mused. She’s not even remotely bothered what Givens seems to think of her. None of that telling-off has hit home. Is she even listening? Or is she pretending just to annoy Givens more? She took another mouthful of popcorn. No, it’s not the latter. She’s only interested in Crawford. Givens really went for her and if Mara had heard any of that, we’d be seconds out for the next round.

"Beka." Robin was sat nearby and her sharp hiss was barely loud enough for the doctor to hear, but she turned her head. "This is a briefing. Coffee is one thing, but you look like you're enjoying some free entertainment. Throw the popcorn away."

The CMO sounded exasperated, and Sydesh decided not to pick the fight. She’d made her point in snack form - Calleja had glared daggers at her - so the small bowl was discretely disposed of into a thigh pocket with a nod that could just about be described as apologetic.

From another thigh pocket, Beka drew out a PADD. She’d treated Mara a few times and knew the Bandaran’s file well. There was a notation on it that the Security chief needed to be kept in contact with the counsellors given some previous issues with stress management. There was enough going on in this meeting that she felt like that note needed to be invoked.

Using the text to speech, the doctor opened a comm channel to LtJG Kuik. The words she typed came through on Kuik’s commbadge as speech, and when Kuik replied it came through as text on the PADD, allowing Beka to have the conversation without making a sound.

[Sydesh to Kuik. Hey Rach. I need a favour please.]

[Kuik here. What can I do for you?] Kuik was one of the Artemis’ counsellors. She was known for having an adaptive approach and finding a way to connect with patients, and that’s what Beka was counting on.

[Are you familiar with Mara Calleja’s file?] she typed.

[The Chief of Security? Yes, I’ve seen it a couple of times. She’s the one with the note in there about us staying in touch with her to monitor stress levels, right?]

Beka smiled faintly as the words scrolled across the data slate’s screen.

[That’s her. I need you to go grab her for a session ASAP please. Commander Mayfair and I are in a briefing with her here, and there are so many red flags waving the base must think we’re sending them a message in semaphore.]

There was a moment’s pause.

[Are you sure you want me to do it? She’s intimidating enough normally, and now you’re telling me she’s about to blow her top.] Kuik’s caution was plain even in text.

[Yes. Sorry, but you’re the one for this job. Calleja is no threat to you. That one has a strict code. And I need someone who can reach her before she talks her way out of her job. Not everyone adapts straight away to a new position and I think she’s struggling.]

[OK. Because it’s you, and you did me that favour when you fixed my husband’s knee. Can you ping me when the meeting is over, and I’ll go and find her.]

[Thanks Rach. We’re even now!]

[Hopefully you don’t end up owing me by the time I’m done. Kuik out.]

Beka looked up to see Mara had taken a different seat at the other end of the table. The redhead sighed and sent Robin a copy of the conversation she’d just had with Kuik, with a covering note that read [I think this is overdue? And if Calleja asks, tell her I did it. You need some plausible deniability. B]

Looking around the room, Sydesh watched to see what would come next. Givens had shown her hand with a volcanic surge of anger, but as of yet Crawford hadn’t. And that was what was going to dictate how this briefing finished.

[Omdor Jaein]

==My hero!==

Jaein continued to watch the fireworks popping off, but remained silent. This wasn't his fight, these weren't his people as of yet. As much as he might be tempted to try and intervene, as of this instant he wasn't welcome, and he knew it.

Unfortunately for Givens, as much as that was true for her as well, she had no choice but to intervene, because it was her job. She was the captain - for the moment, at least; the presence of Crawford cast doubt on that, particularly with the almost palpable relief that the old-timers on the crew displayed - and so Givens had to step in. The words were scathing, and at another time, another context, they would have been devastating.

Calleja, however, wasn't cowed by them. He saw her eyes locking on the redheaded captain, and wilt like a jumja tree at the height of summer at her soft words. Regardless, it did get her to sit back down, though she also managed to make that dramatic.

He started to turn back to the head of the table when he got distracted by a hand under the table. He looked down and saw the young Ensign Han reveal a pair of candies.  “Take one if you want,” she whispered with a smile.

He gave a smile back and took one, a reddish hard candy he hadn't seen before. He opened it and popped it in his mouth before quietly disposing of the wrapper in a pocket. "Thank you," he said just as quietly, and resumed an attentive air as he waited for whatever happened next. Hopefully some more information about the mission, he thought, remembering that he still had another meeting after this and still hadn't had dinner, though the sweetness of the candy was welcome.

[Tyra Crawford]

Tyra could feel the tension in the muscles under her fingers but she also felt it give just a fraction in the seconds leading up to Calleja's retreat, which was the only thing that kept Tyra from shifting between the Chief of Security and Givens.

“I’m only backin’ down ‘cause ya told me to,” Mara said softly to Tyra. “I didn’t mean to make things worse for ya. Sorry ‘bout that. Someone somewhere is playin’ with us all and it really gets under my skin. ‘Specially after what just happened to us on that last mission.”

For a moment, Tyra considered what she might have done in Mara's shoes when she was a younger, less experienced officer, especially if it had been Derrick. Because there had been a time when her loyalty to him had run as deep as it could, where she would have done anything for him and she wouldn't have been the only one. And yet, she didn't think that, even at her angriest, she would have called out another captain with such vitriol, probably because he wouldn't have stood for it even if he might have found it funny later on.

Still, her fingers curled ever so slightly before letting go of Mara. "I know, it's okay," she answered softly, her tone sympathetic even as she mentally admitted that she didn't actually know if any of this was okay because clearly things were off balance.

As Calleja retreated, Tyra took a quick stock of the room, trying to gauge exactly what the state of the procession was. There seemed to be a number of officers seemingly content to watch the fireworks without seeming overly concerned about the display or maybe, they were just that desensitized to the larger than life personalities that were housed on the Artemis. In contrast, Mayfair seemed suitably concerned by the outburst and Coleman looked how she felt, though he was busying himself with something on his PADD. She wondered if that was to avoid getting in the way of the possible heavyweight match between the present captains, though Tyra had no intention of fighting Givens. It was more than likely that the other captain was as much of a puppet on a string as she apparently was and taking the ire of that realization out on her was petty.

Not even five minutes here and the circus is already in fully swing… she thought dryly as she looked from the seat Calleja had left for her to the one at the head of the table that Givens had indicated earlier.

Truthfully, Tyra didn't want either chair. The part of her that wanted to lean into her petulant desire to sulk over this turn of events wanted to forego both chairs in favor of holding up the far wall until she could find a quiet corner to collect herself. Or a bottle to drink herself into. However, that wasn't very becoming of a commanding officer and while she would have loved to have said "**** this ****", she was well aware that how she proceeded mattered. She didn't need to actually be okay with this turn events but she damn well needed to act like she was or else, it was very likely this was going to go even further off the rails than it already was.

She felt the PADD in her hand vibrate as she made a show of tossing her duffel bag into the nearest corner and approaching the seat Calleja had vacated for her. She could feel Givens' eyes on her as she did so and a glance up showed her that the other captain seemed to be waiting and weighing, watching her with a pointed curiosity that suggested she felt the next move was entirely in Tyra's court.

There were things she wanted to ask, things she needed to confirm in order to get her equilibrium back in order, and yet this wasn't the place nor the audience for that conversation. Not when it had the potential to spiral out with frustration.

After a few moments of silence, it was Givens who broke it, her tone back having settled back into a slightly warmer hue but her expression no less pointed. "How we proceed is entirely up to you, Captain. This is your ship. I'm just the advisor now," Givens stated.

In truth, Tyra wanted to call the meeting, give herself time to wrap her head around the situation and demand answers, but there was a nagging feeling that such a luxury was beyond her grasp. What she wouldn't give for some coffee or an Irish coffee. In fact, she deeply regretted not accepting John's offer of a bottle to go before she had left the Cairo, even if it had been an inside joke.

"We're short on time, aren't we? We have to make the launch window..." It was the one question she decided to allow herself, the one that seemed crucial.

"I don't believe delays would be wise all things considered. It's much harder to walk back a launch than it is to delay one so the sooner the Artemis departs, the better. We're scheduled for an 0700 launch as of now," Givens answered after a moment of consideration.

Tyra didn't need to be told the silent part; it was late at HQ and if they took off on time the next morning, there was a very likely chance that they would be out of dock before anyone who would care might see the command change. And they were unlikely to risk the embarrassment of recalling the Artemis, not with two captains aboard. She wondered what was so important that Bill had risked the likely tongue lashing to come to get her back here.

"Then, continue with the briefing so we can stay on schedule," Tyra answered, her hand waving slightly even as her attention turned to the PADD in her hand with the update from Coleman.

Givens, for her part, started over from the beginning, though Tyra would be honest in admitting she hardly paid attention to the opening lines regarding the nebula at hand. It wasn't until Cera dropped a steaming cup of coffee in front of her before retreating that Tyra was even confident that she was actually understanding the words on her PADD.

"As I explained previously, Command is concerned about possible Cardassians incursions into the nebula but I must stress that no patrols or examinations of the nebula by our ships or independent survey vessels have turned up any evidence to suggest that had occurred yet. We would be remiss to not consider it a possibility though."

At the mention of Cardassians, Tyra's head came up for a moment, her lips pressing together in obvious distaste before the expression smoothed back out. She couldn't say she was overly pleased to be venturing close to Cardassians space once more and she hoped that it wasn't their looming shadow that had required her presence once more.

== Captain Cassandra Givens ==

With the decision made, Cass merely nodded her head, her dark eyes skimming over the table once more as she took in the tense atmosphere. She was well aware that she had not helped defuse the situation at all but she also didn't regret what she had said. Lieutenant Calleja was clearly the wild card in the group and she seemed to be the most likely to let her emotions run so hot that she was incapable of functioning as an officer needed. It was a shame that the woman was such a hothead and likely so self-assured that she was unwilling to heed or listen to a warning when given but as Cassandra knew personally, pride came before a fall and Calleja had a long fall ahead of her.

However, there was no sense in Cassandra dwelling on an issue that would not be hers, not in the long term at least.

"Okay… second, no, third time's the charm. I hope," Cass offered wryly. "Prior to having this command dumped into my lap for the shortest captaincy ever at just over 8 hours, I was assigned to act as an observer and advisor for your upcoming mission. That is the role I will maintain with Captain Crawford resuming her previous employment," Cass explained, briefly glancing at Crawford who was focused on the PADD in her hand. Cass made a mental note not to take offense at her lack of interest.

"Now, back to the Hugora Nebula. Hard to scan, sits right on the border with the Cardassians and is in no way secured."

"As I explained previously, Command is concerned about possible Cardassians incursions into the nebula but I must stress that no patrols or examinations of the nebula by our ships or independent survey vessels have turned up any evidence to suggest that has occurred yet. We would be remiss to not consider it a possibility though."

"Artemis has been tasked with a dual-purpose assignment of both patrolling the area as a deterrent but also surveying the nebula. The hope is that we will be able to effectively map it in ways that we have not been able to before. Artemis has both the firepower to defend itself if needed but also the robust sensor suite needed for mapping," Cassandra explained before flicking her finger across her PADD once more, the Hugora Nebula disappearing from the center of the conference room and a schematic replacing it.

"This is the schematic for an experimental sensor buoy that Science HQ would like deployed in the nebula as a test. The hope is that, if they work as expected, we can deploy them throughout the Nebula to minimize the blind spots. Unfortunately, they do not come pre-assembled, though we have been stocked with a surplus of the needed probes."

That seemed to get Crawford's attention once more as the redhead looked up from the PADD in her hand. "Lieutenant Miller and Commander…" Crawford seemed to falter as her blue eyes fell on Omdor; whether it was due to not knowing his name or what his presence represented, Cass wasn't certain.

"Commander Omdor, your acting Chief," Cass offered with a nod and a small smile to the Bajoran.

"Right… Commander Omdor. Well then, Miller and Omdor, your departments get to make sense of this schematic and get the prototypes up and running prior to testing them in the Nebula. If we can get them linked into the tactical systems to assist in our own navigation of the Nebula, that would be an added bonus," Crawford ordered rather flatly, her gaze shifting between the two before she seemed satisfied.

Cass paused just a moment longer to see if Crawford's renewed interest was going to hold but when she said nothing further, Cass charged on ahead. "To recap: patrol, survey and deploy. Those are our objectives. Any questions, comments or concerns about the mission specifically?"

== Tag! ==

[Aeryn Miller]

Mara appeared to heed the words from Captain Crawford as the security chief spoke to her before retreating to a different chair at the table, to allow Tyra to take the one she had not long vacated. It also wasn't difficult to notice how both Robin and Damian consulted their padds whilst this was transpiring, as did Beka, who was hopefully aware of what was stipulated in the Bandaran's file. If Aeryn was still Mara's superior then she would have made a similar recommendation, but all she could do was trust those responsible for helping her friend.

Tyra then took the proffered seat after throwing her duffel bag into the nearest corner, before everything fell silent until Givens spoke in a more normal tone, and stated that she was just an advisor now. While Aeryn was still keen to finish this briefing, the redhead also appreciated how Tyra might feel about it, considering what she had gone through to get here, and having her command returned to her. It was quite frankly all messed up, however, they were just going to have to get on with it all and not give Cassandra any more ammunition.

A decision was then reached due to the timeframe that was left available and how Artemis needed to launch at a specific time. Aeryn then gave Givens her attention once more as she explained a little about what her role would now be, then continued with the briefing. When the image of the nebula changed to one of a schematic, Aeryn's interest equally increased in how she had felt upon seeing the nebula, particularly at the part about how these experimental sensor buoys would have to be built.

Tyra then spoke to Aeryn and their new acting CE once Givens had confirmed who he was, not even giving a second thought about how she had been addressed, as they were given specific orders relating to the dual-purpose mission. The addition of getting them linked to the tactical systems was also something to consider and hopefully aim for.

This would be a test of sorts for Aeryn but the task that had been asked of them didn't scare her, as Givens gave a recap of the crew's objectives. Aeryn couldn't think of any questions, but she did speak up.

" No questions, but if it's agreeable with you, Commander Omdor, I'd like for us to get together as soon as the ship departs, so we can start working on the new probes".

Not knowing the specific travel time as yet, it made sense to Aeryn to get started as soon as possible so they could work on a plan of action.

== Tags specifically Omdor ==

[Mara Calleja]

Sat at the back of the table, Mara was grateful for Tyra's discretion. The Security chief had been expecting to get unceremoniously kicked out of the briefing and once she'd calmed down, she liked to think she would have understood and accepted the reasoning.

I'm only here ‘cause there's no time to find someone else in Security to replace me. And that ain't a great look.

Mara had seen Beka and the popcorn, and at some point the doctor was going to pay dearly for that poorly timed cheap shot. But otherwise, the Bandaran’s expression didn't flicker, even if she was massively relieved to hear that Crawford was back in command.

It's still gonna be awkward between me an’ Givens. Whatever happens, just gotta hope she and I are on different teams to keep the peace.

As the briefing started again, Calleja ignoring the jibe about 3rd time lucky, she was oddly content about this being a principally a scientific mission. Putting the focus onto other departments would hopefully give her the chance to start organising Security her way without the spotlight that came with being on the front line.

That's the theory. In practice… We probably still get in a fight ‘cause it's us and the universe likes a good laugh at our expense.

Several parts of the briefing stuck out to Mara. As of yet they hadn't identified Cardassians crossing the nebula, but there were apparently ships using it. There had also been some scans done in the past, so maybe they had identified some potential problem areas already.

“To recap: patrol, survey and deploy. Those are our objectives. Any questions, comments or concerns about the mission specifically?”

Aeryn was first to speak, reaching out to the new engineer, and once the CSO had finished, Mara took her turn.

“I got a couple of questions,” she said, dark eyes flicking between the Captains, trying her best to keep her voice even. Her accent was still noticeably thicker than usual, a telling sign that she wasn't as calm as she looked, but she was trying to stay focused on the job at hand.

“You mentioned we've not identified Cardassian ships in this nebula yet. How recently were the last smugglers detected? Do we know what routes they were usin’, an’ whether we're talkin’ ‘bout a few knackered old shuttles or Orion level firepower? An’ how good are the scans already taken? Do they give us any information on known blind spots, so maybe Engineerin’ an’ Science can start workin’ to counter them whilst we're travellin’?”

Mara wanted to know how to approach the security operation whilst Artemis was in the nebula. If Orion cartels were using it to operate, then that could potentially necessitate a large scale deployment to capture bigger vessels and repel large scale boarding actions if they were attacked. But if it was mostly smaller vessels then that would mean a focus on smaller teams.

Her question on the previous scans was more to get an idea on how long ago previous survey attempts had been. Federation technology advanced quickly so maybe gases and radiation that blocked previous sweeps wouldn't stop Artemis. Equally, if those scans had identified parts of the nebula that would still be problematic, then the crew had a chance to try and find a way around that as they went.

== Tags! ==

[Damien Coleman]

Watching Ju, it brought a grin to Damian’s face to see that despite the raging sea of tension in the room, there was still some normalcy to be had. It almost seemed like Ju and Jaein were conspiring about something together. Though it was how Ju moved and then offered something surreptitiously under the table to Omdor that painted the real picture. It didn’t take long for the interim Chief to find something he liked from the likely assortment of sweets that Ju always carried, and popped into his mouth.

That wasn’t the only thing happening in the room though. There was plenty going on, and he could just imagine how a producer of a reality show might try and film it all. Of course, the PADDs were out in full force, as Coleman also saw Beka using hers, likely having a conversation with someone considering the delays in her typing. He wasn’t exactly sure who she might be conversing with, but the elephant in the room was the likely subject he guessed. Beka and Mara were an interesting duo, though it often was the case that Beka knew more than she should about a myriad of subjects, and people. However, the present situation was well within her wheelhouse.

As the briefing continued Damian was half-listening, having already gone through it with Cass, and instead continued to survey the room. Reactions to the information being presented was what he was mostly looking for. Aeryn seemed to be paying the most attention, which was a good thing. The mission leaned heavily on her and Omdor’s departments. Once more, she’d be thrown into the deep end, though Coleman was confident she’d be up for the task. In the recent weeks since she’d moved over to science, he’d seen her much happier in general. Not because Aeryn detested her previous role, but because she seemed excited to explore interests that had been somewhat dormant.

Hmmmm. I wonder if I shouldn’t help science and engineering with the buoys? I haven’t really done much engineering since the Apgar. I’ve been so focused on security and command. Though, I don’t know if Omdor would appreciate that. Being an interim Chief, he might think I’m evaluating him. Or, the rest of engineering might see it as me stepping in for Ju. Even though that is far from the case.

Sighing quietly to himself, Damian decided against that course of action. There’d be another time where he might be able to indulge himself in areas that intrigued him but rarely got to do. Plus, he also had a duty to Tyra too. Whatever she’d been through, it had seemed that she’d been through the wringer. Then her welcome back to the ship had been less than perfect too, with all the drama in the briefing. Still, it relieved him to know that she was back in the big seat. While he would have worked with Givens, it would have been out of a sense of duty and not out of a well established bond like he had with Crawford. Plus with Cass, there would have always been an underlying amount of resentment. Everything now made sense though. The Admiral who had restored Tyra to her rightful place as CO of the Artemis had done Damian a kindness in a weird way; not making Damian an Acting Captain before pulling the rug out from under him.

" No questions, but if it's agreeable with you, Commander Omdor, I'd like for us to get together as soon as the ship departs, so we can start working on the new probes.”

Coleman appreciated Lieutenant Commander Miller’s response, quickly building the bridge that was going to be needed for the mission. That was one of Aeryn’s greatest strengths, and it made him glad to see it being put to use so quickly. It was also a pleasant realization that at least one of his and Tyra’s decisions, at Aeryn’s request, had been a good choice.

“I got a couple of questions…”

Reacting to the voice, Damian’s gaze immediately darted to the chestnut haired security chief. Already Coleman was girding himself for yet another potential outburst, or something that was soaked in venomous subtext. If there was supposed to be something behind the questions beyond Mara’s obvious previous vexations though, Damian was hard pressed to find it. The questions were standard fare, even if he felt that some were technically answered by the briefing itself. Still, clarifying never hurt, especially when it came to mission prepping.

“The last scans of the nebula were taken within the last few weeks by a passing patrol. To that end, no ships were detected directly, but there was evidence of eroded warp trails in the area.”

Coleman punched in a couple of commands into the terminal built into the desk, and the image of the nebula was updated with the most recent scan information. In all reality, it didn’t really clarify much compared to what was already shown.

“Most of the smugglers that were caught operated freighters only. So no real weapon systems to speak of. Though that’s only the ones the anti-smuggling taskforce actually managed to find; they are slow, clumsy, and stand out on sensors. That is why we are being sent, because we have the firepower to deal with the larger threats, should there be any. ”

Putting in another couple of commands into the terminal shifted the nebula perspective to the stellar cartography of the area; these maps highlighted the many gaps that the nebula hid from prying eyes.

“We are also being sent because previous scans of the nebula have not painted a clearer picture. There was a partial survey completed quite a long while ago, and it was partial because the interference within the nebula prevented it from being properly completed. With the new experimental sensor buoys, combined with our state-of-the-art sensor suite, we should be able to do a much better job of getting a clearer picture. And, also, ongoing surveillance of any smuggling or potential incursions from the Cardassians.”

== tags ==

[Mara Calleja]

Mara tilted her head as Coleman was the one to answer her questions.

Actually, makes sense. He had the briefin’ early. He’s looked at this with the same eyes I do.

She listened carefully as he spoke. It was harder to focus with everything that had taken place but she made a real effort to keep up. When the FO finished, she nodded.

“OK. I’ll work with that,” the Security chief replied. “I’ll get some small teams ready to go in case we run into a freighter or two, an’ have contingencies for anythin’ bigger. Thanks.”

Calleja nodded and leant back in her chair in case anyone else had anything.

[Lucy Devereaux]

Lucy considered the information being given. The mission must have been on the books before the crew were erroneously sent out on their last mission. Givens would have been present as an advisor and Tyra would have been in charge. She couldn’t be certain if that was still the plan. There were other elements to the mission. Primarily an experimental probe for navigating the nebula. Useful if it worked.

According to Damian in response to Mara’s question the reason they were being sent out was that the previous attempt to map the nebula had failed. The Maquis often opted for small, maneuverable vessels. The smugglers might be trying for the same thing, but the crew wouldn’t know until they got there.

Lucy noticed Ju passing Omdor a hard candy. It reminded her of the first time she’d seen the young officer. It was an idea, but she’d have to float it.

“I don’t have a question. More a highly indavisable suggestion. If I’m remembering correctly Ensign Han knows a drinking game involving soju and candy. If there’s time and if Lieutenant Commander Mayfair is willing to provide medical assistance after the event, we could get through a few rounds.

“Kind of a pre-mission icebreaker, something to clear the air, and an opportunity for bragging rights. If there is an agreement.”

Lucy knew she wouldn’t stand a chance as things went, but it could be fun. Cass was a wild card, but there were a few capable of being last person upright. She liked the idea, but if it didn’t float it’d be an early night. Departure was 07:00, if Robin was onboard it could be achievable.

== tag ==

[Omdor Jaein]

Jaein was glad to have Captain Givens resume the briefing, as everyone else began to pay attention once more. She did start off by officially passing the captaincy back to Captain Crawford, but as the redhead didn’t seem to have any of the materials – and apparently seeming distracted still, a situation he couldn’t blame her for – Givens continued the briefing as a mission advisor.
 
“Artemis has been tasked with a dual-purpose assignment,” she continued, “of both patrolling the area as a deterrent but also surveying the nebula. The hope is that we will be able to effectively map it in ways that we have not been able to before. Artemis has both the firepower to defend itself if needed, but also the robust sensor suite needed for mapping.” She flicked a finger across her padd, and the map of the Hugora Nebula disappeared to be replaced with a technical schematic.
 
“This is the schematic for an experimental sensor buoy that Science HQ would like deployed in the nebula as a test,” she said, and Jaein started analyzing the structure as she continued talking. “Unfortunately,” she said, “the do not come pre-assembled, though we have been stocked with a surplus of the needed probes.”
 
Of course, he thought, they didn’t say we’ve got plenty of the rest of the parts. He made a note to request the quartermaster do a count of the needed supplies as soon as he could get the list – preferably before his next meeting ended.
 
While he was making his note, Captain Crawford was seemingly back in the room, looking up around the room. “Lieutenant Miller and Commander…” She was looking right at him, but obviously had no idea who he was beyond rank and department.
 
“Commander Omdor, your acting Chief,” Givens offered helpfully with a nod. He returned it with a brief grin before attending to Crawford again.
 
“Right… Commander Omdor.” She seemed almost hurt, as if his being here was a blow. He made another note to seek her out as soon as possible, though that could wait until after launch. “Well then, Miller and Omdor, your departments get to make sense of this schematic and get the prototypes up and running prior to testing them in the Nebula.” She finished by wanting them tied in to Artemis’ sensors – not likely an issue, but a worthwhile order – but her tone was flatter than a Vulcan’s as she gave the order, and then asked for questions.
 
Miller spoke up first. “No questions,” she said, “but if it’s agreeable with you, Commander Omdor, I’d like for us to get together as soon as the ship departs, so we can start working on the new probes.”
 
“Not a problem on my end,” he told her quickly. “If I can’t be there personally – I’ve been in this job for less time than Captain Givens was CO, after all – I’ll make sure we’ve got someone available.” He looked briefly at Han before looking between the two captains. “If I can get the schematics ASAP, hopefully we can be ready for them by then.”
 
He’d been finished for approximately half a second before the Chief of Security spoke up, asking a short half-dozen questions, which Commander Coleman deftly answered. The gist was mostly immaterial to him: the nebula was a soupy mess, as they already knew, and there wasn’t much information to go on other than what they already had.
 
The other scientist then spoke up, suggesting a drinking game as an icebreaker before the mission started. “I can’t speak for everyone,” he said, “but I’ve got another meeting after this one with my shift leads that I still haven’t met, plus dinner with my wife, and I still don’t know where my quarters are. I won’t be able to make it.”
 
==Tags to those who feel they need to reply==

[Tyra Crawford]

Tyra's blue eyes had remained on Omdor a fraction of a second longer than necessary before dropping back to the PADD in her hand. She tried to ignore that aching feeling under her breastbone, tried to not associate it with the Artemis' acting Chief Engineer and failed utterly. Of course, they would need to replace Elias and of course, it would need to be before the next outing but she hadn't had any desire to witness it occur. No, that was one consequence of her decision that she hadn't quite wanted to face and yet, here it was in all its nauseating glory.

None of this is how it was suppose to be…

She felt that stinging feeling in the back of her throat as if she could actually taste the guilt and tried to drown it with a mouthful of coffee. And when that failed, she forced herself to pay attention to the questions being asked, anything other than that tiny seed of self-pity that always accompanied the guilt. She'd paved this road after all; there was no sense in pitying herself for it.

Fortunately, despite her earlier outburst, Mara managed to keep her questions on point and directed. Coleman, clearly having been briefed earlier, easily answering each of her questions with ease. Calleja seemed to accept the answers as they were, indicating her willingness to be prepared.

Givens spoke up to add a point of clarification, "Truthfully, no one has paid the Hugora Nebula much attention since the fall of the Maquis. Not until the Cardassians became a sore subject again. Hence the lack of recent surveys."

The mention of Cardassians caused another crinkle of her nose, though it was masked by her coffee cup traveling to her mouth this time. She'd never particularly been fond of the Cardassians, not when she'd grown up in the shadows of their war, but recent memory had turned distaste into something much closer to hate than she wanted to admit to anyone.

“I don’t have a question. More a highly indavisable suggestion. If I’m remembering correctly Ensign Han knows a drinking game involving soju and candy. If there’s time and if Lieutenant Commander Mayfair is willing to provide medical assistance after the event, we could get through a few rounds. Kind of a pre-mission icebreaker, something to clear the air, and an opportunity for bragging rights. If there is an agreement.”

Tyra didn't need to look down the table to know who had spoken up and it took everything in her power not to look at Coleman. Instead, she found herself looking at Givens, who was clearly waiting for some sign from Tyra on who exactly needed to address that particular idea. It was the slightest twitch of Tyra's free hand that seemed to settle the matter, the younger captain making a motion that seemed to say 'your problem, not mine'.

And yet, Tyra couldn't think of a place in existence that she wanted to be less than where she was currently sitting. In fact, she was tempted to confiscate whatever alcohol Devereaux planned to use for her little icebreaker and find a dark corner to escape to. Because even the worst hangover ever had to be an improvement on what was turning into her own personal Hell.

They didn't cover this in that command refresher. Shocking.

Tyra set her coffee mug down with a little more force than was needed before leaning back in her chair, her now free hand tapping on her crossed knee.

"I don't know what has happened here in the weeks since I left and quite frankly, I don't have the emotional capacity right now to care. I also understand that I am not the strictest of commanding officers; I have let a lot of things ride over the years and quite frankly, that is probably a large part of why we're in the situation that we are in," Tyra stated dryly, the last part with more than a healthy dose of self-incrimination.

"However, the level of circus in this room in just the five minutes I have been back is through the ******* roof, even by our standards. We have petulant tantrums, we’ve got freaking popcorn like it's an afternoon matinee, and now we have drinking games…. And that's not even counting what was going on before I walked in." She dropped the padd from her other hand, letting it clatter loudly to the table in her exasperation. "There are cadet cruises that begin and end with less non-sense and y'all are suppose to be our best and brightest."

"Get your shit together or get out. I don't care what you do in your free time or how much you drink but when you wear that uniform, act like adults. If you want me to run this ship like I ran my security department, I will and not a damn one of you will enjoy it. Understood?"

== Tag! ==

[Lucy Devereaux]

Lucy tried to take the Captain’s response as it was intended. The crew was on duty, so processing the consequences of the last mission were something for off-duty. Their current mission had a lot of moving parts and they hadn’t left Deep Space Nine, yet. From Tyra’s perspective it looked like a lot of immaturity and a lack of stoic professionalism from Lucy. Also the mention of alcohol probably reminded her of the previous Chief Engineer.

“Understood, Captain Crawford.”

I really need to stop thinking out loud. Wrong time and definitely wrong place.

There was a small core of resentment, but Lucy knew her own reasoning processes weren’t perfect. There was no point in speaking her mind as all it seemed to do was get her shouted at. A formal meeting wasn’t the place for whatever was going on in her head. Starfleet was a serious place where you should think before you acted and do as you were told. Something was wrong and maybe she’d been chasing the wrong…

Gotta see where this one ends and then decide if I’m doing this for the right reasons.

[GM-02]

==Please allow me to reintroduce myself...==

Lieutenant Commander K’mtarr Virsshannik wasn’t the type of Caitian who typically got to enjoy his job. As a Starfleet Security officer, particularly one attached to the local JAG office rather than to the actual post here at Deep Space Nine, he didn’t get a lot of camaraderie from anyone else, and since he didn’t particularly like a lot of the general recreation areas on the Promenade, he didn’t get to socialize with the civilians, either.

K’mtarr liked it that way.

Of course, the obverse of that was that, as a Starfleet Security officer attached to the local JAG office, there wasn’t a lot of actual work for him to do, other than overseeing the movement of prisoners from the local brig to any courts martial or out to a transport if they’re being moved elsewhere. So he didn’t often get to do a lot.

But when he did…

K’mtarr led his detachment of well-trained and armed officers down the corridors of the USS Artemis, and didn’t even break stride as they entered the briefing room which the computer said was the location of his quarry. A quick survey of the room showed it as rather crowded and the mood was tense, but he located the target easily, or at least thought he did. Seeing two captains momentarily wrong-footed the Caitian, but he recovered with a swish of his tail, and continued towards the table.

“Captain Givens,” he said, addressing the person his records showed was in command, but adding a polite “Captain Crawford,” to the redhead he recognized from reputation. “Apologies for interrupting, but I have important business.” He handed Givens one of the two padds he carried, before turning and waving in his three officers.

They took up positions on either side of Commander Damian Coleman and one behind him, while K’mtarr read off of his remaining padd. “Commander Coleman, you are hereby under arrest. You are charged with conspiracy to commit murder of one Midshipman Alexandra Munroe, late of the USS Atlanta;  criminal conspiracy to cover up evidence of a crime, namely the murder of Midshipman Munroe; violation of personal privacy, re: hacking into personal logs during the mutiny aboard the Atlanta; perjury before a criminal court, re: the courts martial regarding the failed mutiny aboard the USS Atlanta; and conduct unbecoming an officer of Starfleet.

“You will accompany us back to Deep Space Nine for arraignment. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney; one will be assigned to you, but you may request your own if you wish. Do you understand these rights as I have read them to you?”

==Tag Coleman and the Captains==

[Aeryn Miller]

Aeryn might not have asked any questions, but the CSO wanted to read through all of the available data as soon as she could, before meeting with Omdor and his engineers. The CE then replied to her suggestion, and Aeryn offered Omdor a smile, understanding exactly where he was coming from, and she appreciated that there would be someone available if he couldn't be present. She also was hopeful that they could get access to the schematics sooner rather than later, as it would be equally beneficial when forming a plan of action.

" Thank you, I look forward to working with your team".

It was Mara who spoke next, with some questions of her own, and Aeryn couldn't help but fall back on her security background, more out of habit than anything, as Damian responded and brought up the recent scan information, before highlighting the gaps in the nebula where it would be easy to hide from prying eyes. That spoke to her from both sides of the proverbial coin, as she committed that information to memory, along with what had already been provided.

There was nothing quite like a bit of light reading before bed, although knowing Aeryn she would likely write down some ideas at the same time, as Mara replied, and began to shape what she intended to do from a security standpoint. But then for some unknown reason, Lucy decided to bring up the idea of a drinking game, which immediately irked her DH. Not only did it have no relevance to the discussion, but she couldn't fathom what had possessed the scientist to suggest it. A pre-mission icebreaker was something you did on shore-leave if so inclined, and Aeryn had to stop herself from rolling her eyes or knocking Lucy down a peg or two.

No, this would be dealt with once the briefing was over, and Aeryn would have no issue giving her a dressing down, as well as a reminder of how she expected her officers to act appropriately.

Captain Crawford had enough at this point, and when she spoke, you listened and Aeryn could feel the embarrassment welling up inside of her, for she might not have been directly involved, but that didn't matter. Lucy managed to respond, however, the words had barely started to form on Aeryn's lips when the door opened and Fleet Security walked in. Four of them, to be exact, and Aeryn looked at them, to the Captains, and then finally at Damian.

Her friend and mentor, the man who had quite literally saved her from walking away, was being arrested, and the charges left her shaken and speechless. None of it seemed to make sense in her head because surely this wasn't right. They had to be making a mistake as her throat tightened with emotion, and her stomach sank in disbelief.

Then she thought of Ju, and all those who respected the FO as the redhead pinched herself to make sure that this wasn't a nightmare, yet the pain was meaningless, waiting for someone to tell these people that they had gotten the wrong man.

== Tags ==

[Miles Grant]

More chaos ensued shortly after Captain Crawford's appearance, not surprisingly originating from Calleja. Her words and actions, though deemed unprofessional, were not without merit. Her approach was not the best, Miles believed, but she wasn't necessarily wrong, especially after the snafu of last mission and how the higher ups had treated things as if they weren't responsible.

Miles wasn't overly fond of the "popcorn" scene going on among some of the others at the table. He had remained in place, observing things, but not enjoying the circus. He had thoughts of intervening, but was not entirely sure what he would accomplish, if anything, especially given the Chain of Command present, which had shortly taken the reigns of the situation, starting with Givens speaking, followed by Crawford.

Givens' words definitely rubbed Miles the wrong way, and almost lent credence to the thought process of her being a mouthpiece for the same types of higher ups that had thrown the Artemis into the situation they had found themselves in, but then put blame solely on the crew. He would have to keep an eye on how she handled herself during the actual mission.

Crawford was none too happy with how everyone was reacting, and Miles did not blame her. He also felt cowed for his inaction. He was supposed to be a leader, someone who could be trusted to maintain order. He couldn't always allow rank or the ideal of "not my place to intervene" get in the way. But he also needed to practice a sound judgement when it came to it.

After everything was settling down, they returned to the briefing at hand, and more detail was given. Some more questions were fielded, including from Calleja. When she had spoken, there was a noticeable tension on what she would say, but she kept her words mission-oriented this time around.

Then came another shocker, as more people entered the room, being lead by a Caitian Lieutenant Commander. After addressing Givens and Crawford, he made indications, and the three that were with him took positions around Commander Coleman....

Who was promptly placed under arrest. The shock was palpable. And Miles had no idea what to expect next.

[Robin Mayfair]

Robin didn't have any questions, at least that needed to be asked to the two captains. She could look up the information herself, later.

Just want to make sure there are no odd radiations we need to be prepared for in the nebula. Unlikely since the Maquis used it, but it's best to take nothing for granted.

At least things were getting back to a middling level of professionalism. Mara asked a few good questions which Coleman only had limited answers for, but the nurse was relieved to get back to business. It lasted exactly 124 seconds. Lucy brought things to a grinding halt.

“I don’t have a question. More a highly indavisable suggestion. If I’m remembering correctly Ensign Han knows a drinking game involving soju and candy. If there’s time and if Lieutenant Commander Mayfair is willing to provide medical assistance after the event, we could get through a few rounds. Kind of a pre-mission icebreaker, something to clear the air, and an opportunity for bragging rights. If there is an agreement.”

Robin was speechless. She just glared at the science officer.

Are you kidding me? I have been working since 0500. The bags under my eyes have bags under their eyes. I have to get up early enough to make sure my team is ready for launch tomorrow morning... and you want me to help out in a DRINKING GAME? And the night before launch?

She restrained herself from saying anything rude or dressing down the redhead. "I am not willing." Her words were soft, filled with fatigue and exasperation.

Crawford had had enough and lit into everyone. The CMO said nothing. If anything she felt grateful, but otherwise she felt dead inside, like she just had nothing left. She recognized the symptoms of exhaustion. Working a lengthy shift was nothing new, but there were limits and her enhancements didn't include endurance. She needed to sleep just as much as anyone. But maybe they could wrap this up soon.

No. Of course they couldn't. The Caitian entered the room with a small security detail, all business.

What now?

The security officer placed Coleman under arrest, reading out a list of charges in front of the whole command crew that included conspiracy to commit murder and attempts to cover up the crime. Robin was beyond shocked. Damian was was one of the most straight-laced and upright people she had ever known. The idea that he would be involved in any of those crimes was beyond ridiculous in her eyes.

Stunned, she could only wait and see what happened next.

[Mara Calleja]

Mara’s face remained impassive as Devereaux lived up to her word and made a highly inadvisable suggestion. If ever there was a time not to deviate from the norm without good reason, it was now. The Artemis had a reputation as a ship that revolved around alcohol but to come out and say it with another Captain watching… Especially one who had said she was reviewing the crew for how they conducted themselves…

I know it’s my fuckin’ fault everythin’ in here is so tense. And she just lit the fuse. One o’ those captains is gonna go bang any minute.

The silent mental countdown in Calleja’s head got to 3 when Crawford blew. It wasn’t a volcanic eruption like Givens, but the relatively soft tone to the redhead’s voice was no less deadly.

It took a real effort for Mara not to bite at the phrase ‘petulant tantrum’. The anger blazed in her eyes for a split second before she managed to mentally snuff it out. It felt like she was being baited but she wasn’t going to let herself rise to it. Tyra was angry too, and likely frustrated and tired to go with it. It was a combustible mix, as the Security chief knew all too well and had demonstrated in the last few minutes.

A repentant Devereaux acknowledged Crawford first, but before anyone else had the chance to add anything, the briefing room door slid open with yet another surprise entrance.

Calleja’s hand flew to the holstered phaser at her hip at the sight of an armed team and she tensed, but when she realised they were Star Fleet she put both hands back on the table. A Caitian led the team of 4 and she watched as he handed a PADD to Givens before reading out a list of charges against Damian Coleman.

The Security chief wanted dearly to interpose herself between her crewmate and the intruders but she knew full well she couldn’t. She wanted to demand to view the charges herself but she couldn’t, as that paperwork had been handed to Givens and any attempt to intervene on her part could easily be seen as yet another challenge to the woman’s authority. And with Tyra in the mood she was, that was likely fatal to Mara’s position if not her place on Artemis.

Instead she quietly rose and moved to where Ju sat, dropping into a crouch at the young engineer’s side.

“You had my back, now let me have yours,” Mara said to her, resting a hand gently on the Korean’s shoulder. “We can’t intervene, and it don’t matter how much we want to. The law gonna run its course. But until he comes back, I’m gonna make sure you’re OK. I promise you that.”

As she spoke, she made eye contact with Damian and knew he could hear her. There was nothing she could do to prevent what was about to happen to him, and her pain at that realisation and that Artemis was about to lose one of the best FOs in the fleet was plain on her face as her mask slipped. But she could at least make sure Ju was looked after. And she was going to.

== Tags Damian and Ju! So much drama… ==

[Tyra Crawford]

It seemed that her words had hit their mark as Devereaux acknowledged the rebuke and it had the added bonus of seemingly hitting a sore spot with Calleja. Not that Tyra wanted to jab at the Chief of Security but it felt like they were on a very slippery slope that would get wildly out of control if she didn't get a handle on it.

And yet, it seemed she wasn't destined to get a handle on anything. Possibly ever again, it felt like as the ground under her feet tilted once more with little warning.

The sound of the doors opening once more caught Tyra's attention, her blue eyes immediately flicking upwards with the expectation that it would be Cera stepping through once more. Instead, it was an unfamiliar Caitian security Lieutenant Commander leading a very familiar march that stepped inside the room with three more security officers in tow.

Tyra felt her stomach drop immediately, eyes shifting towards Givens who looked just as taken aback by their appearance. It seemed like Bill had vastly underestimated how much time they had before someone realized what he was up to and very likely overestimated his own influence it seemed. She gathered that was the same conclusion Givens had reached based on the slightest of glances thrown her way in the seconds before the feline thrusted a PADD into the brunette's hands.

“Captain Givens,” the interloper said, addressing Givens before throwing a greeting in her direction. That just served to confuse Tyra slightly; one didn't often show respect to your future detainee. “Apologies for interrupting, but I have important business.”

Tyra had already shifted her hands to push herself out of her chair, not intending to make this powder keg of a situation anymore volatile than it already was, when she realized that the three accompany security officers hadn't moved towards her side of the table. Instead, they had positioned themselves directly behind Damian.

She didn't need to read the PADD that Givens tossed in front of her with a clatter, it landing on the one she had dropped moments earlier. She knew exactly what it said, what it likely laid out and by Givens' own actions, she knew there was no hole to pick in the orders. And she knew this was absolutely her doing, another piece of collateral damage dropping down like another strike of the guillotine. She had hoped Ben's fate and her own had been penance enough but clearly, it wasn't. She had survived somehow but she'd unwittingly sacrificed her Queen and her Bishop in the process.

If she'd been less jumbled with more clarity, she might have heard the clicking of pieces falling into place. She might have seen the bigger picture for what it was, able to see exactly what Bill's chess board had looked like when he made his decision, but the guilt seemed to claw itself up her throat with a viciousness that she couldn't control. Her already pale skin lost all of its color, her usually faint freckles across her nose and cheekbones standing out like little smudges against the pallor, and her eyes seeming wider than usual.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, though she wasn't sure if the words actually left her lips, as she looked at Coleman.

Givens, for her part, had remained quiet as Caitian had gone through the typical spiel in these situations. In fact, she probably could have recited most of it verbatim because it was the standard process. She even managed to keep her ire in check through the explanation of rights, allowing a long enough pause to let Coleman respond if he so chose, but that was about as long as her patience would last. It seemed Crawford wasn't going to say anything, judging from her expression she wasn't sure if the captain would find any words in the foreseeable future, and she felt like someone needed to.

"Lieutenant Commander, did I miss the notification of your impending arrival? I understand the position you're in but I believe it's still standard procedure to inform a commanding officer [b]before[\b] you board their vessel with the intent to arrest one of their officers. At minimum, it's bad manners, bordering on disrespectful, to board a vessel without permission but I suspect we're well past a case of bad manners, aren't we?" Despite the fact that her voice hadn't risen, there was a definite venom to the words.

== Tag! ==

[Carol Harriman]

Carol could feel the new chief of security's anger about the entire situation that had surprised everyone in the room. Catching people, especially security folks, off guard was never good. Carol was still puzzled, trying to catch up with what had happened behind the scenes.

Who the **** does she know?  And how the hell…. **** it doesn’t matter. She’s back…and that’s a good thing. We can’t lose now. We’re all back, ready to go…

Carol continued to listen through the awkwardness that was going on. She didn’t like the feeling of everything that had happened. It may have been just her, but she it felt extremely tense. Her neck and shoulders tensed up as people seemingly let things go so they could get the details of their next mission. Jotting a few things down while nodding, she felt this would be a pretty mundane mission.

Sadly, the surprises kept coming, this time surprising everyone with the arrest of their first officer.

Okay, seriously, what the **** is going on?

Carol looked around the room, her eyes settling on the Captain…and the other Captain.

Well ****. Now what? Are you going to let this crap happen?

No one said anything, that is, except the officer who had come to supposedly arrest Coleman.

What the ****?! This has got to be a joke. It can’t be… can it?  What the hell is going on now? Crawford isn’t going to let this **** happen, is she?  Say something damn it.

Carol’s eyes roamed the room, hoping to find some sort of hint that all of this was one big test.

Give me an F, hell, I don’t care. But this **** isn’t funny. You’re going to arrest someone just as we’re preparing for a mission? That gives no ******* time to get a replacement. Someone wants us to fail.

“****,” Carol mumbled.

[Lucy Devereaux]

Lucy started to realise that she had totally missed the mood of the room. Nobody was interested or amused. She knew she might be better off finding a deep dark hole to climb into. Alienating the whole senior staff and the junior staff present hurt, a lot. She held a birthday cake candle’s hope that there might be an opportunity at a later date, but not with most of the officers present if she’d manged to burn any bridges that might tenuously exist.

The next interruption was surprising. A little over twelve hours left before launch and JAG were looking to arrest the FO for a crime he couldn’t have committed in the last few years. Lucy didn’t study law, so for somebody to dig up what had to be a cold case now was the most bizarre of timing. To have not communicated with Cass was a very strong faux pas. Cass gave the Caitian a pretty fair response for the interruption.

What the **** is going on?

Lucy had burnt herself out emotionally and didn’t know how to process the latest unexpected speedbump. Couldn’t exactly leave without the FO, unless someone else could fill in, but the specter of this would sour the entire mission. How did you fight a cold case when somebody had dredged up the evidence required to pull this now?

[Omdor Jaein]

To say that Crawford - he was still trying to shift his brain into thinking of her as "the captain" rather than Givens - was displeased with the young scientist's suggestion was an understatement. Her frustration with the behavior the team had shown thus far, which included the COS' initial outburst showing that someone must have informed her via text, boiled over and out at the group. Jaein simply let it wash over him, feeling the heat without letting it sink in. He knew it wasn't personal - hell, she didn't even know his name, how could it be personal to him? - but that those that had served with her previously? He could see several of them cowed by her words. The science officer offered a succinct acknowledgement and subsided, and Jaein started finalizing his notes and prepared to send a final summons for his next meeting when the door opened again.

For the briefest of moments, he wondered just what could top what they'd already had happened before he regretted thinking it into existence. A Caitian security officer walked in, almost arrogantly, and barely broke stride before coming to the head of the table and waving in his three subordinates. Then, he arrested Commander Coleman, on charges related to a murder no less.

Jaein felt his stomach drop out. He hadn't encountered Coleman much, but the few times they had met, he had struck him as a man of integrity and almost foolhardy loyalty. For him to be a party to murder and a cover-up... he almost couldn't believe it.

As the COS moved around the table, Jaein tensed, afraid of what it might mean, but she came to stand next to Han, and spoke softly to the young ensign. He relaxed, glad that she hadn't done anything else stupid at this point, but there was still time for it to happen.

Unconsciously, he tried to edge a little bit down the table to make room for the COS, as well as to distance himself from the security officers in case something happened. He needed room to operate if it came to it, but he also simply didn't want to get involved unless he absolutely needed to. A quick look around the table showed confused and shocked faces; clearly, no one else had seen it coming, either.

[Damien Coleman]

Coleman acknowledged Calleja’s plan to prepare a couple of teams in case a boarding action was needed with a nod. Damian knew he wouldn’t be surprised if Mara ended up leading either or both of those teams. Though after her performance in the briefing, he made a note in his PADD to follow up with her. Whatever was eating at her had deeply affected her. Reacting the way she did during the briefing, among allies, was beyond concerning. If that carried over during an away mission?

“...If I’m remembering correctly Ensign Han knows a drinking game involving soju and candy…”

Freezing in place, he dared not look up to the rest of the room. That incident was still fresh in his mind, particularly the outcome of it when the Glitter Queen herself had to be escorted safely to DS9 medical. Slowly, Damian moved a hand up and placed his face into his palm. There was a time and a place for offering up such revelry, but during the most tense meeting ever aboard the Artemis wasn’t one of them. If it wasn’t for the serious tone in Lucy's voice, he would have thought it a joke intended to bring some levity to the room, to bring the out of the abyss it had sunk into. Post-mission, after a job well done, he could have seen. But in that moment, it only served to place the final straw upon the camel’s back.

"I don't know what has happened here in the weeks since I left…” Tyra somehow managed to sound even more exhausted than she had been when she first entered the room.

As she spoke, Damian took the chance to look back up and take in the room again. Besides Ju and Omdor, whom he felt bad for, the rest of them weren’t new to the Fleet. Most of them were veterans of dangerous missions. Tyra said it best when she mentioned that there were cadet cruises that had managed better than they had. Though in his heart, Coleman knew why things had suddenly devolved. It wasn’t because Tyra had let the slack out when it came to discipline. It wasn’t at all how the ship was run by himself, or her. It had everything to do with the last couple of missions, and the fallout from it all. Everyone was on edge because they were all tired of getting jerked around by the top brass. It was why Mara had jumped on Givens so easily; Cass was seen as Fleet Command’s will personified. He didn’t want to say it, but Damian felt like things would iron out once life returned to normal for the crew.

A quick trip to a nebula, hopefully encountering little to nothing, will normalize a lot. Give time for people to work out their stress, and get their shit back on the rails. I’ll work with them on that. Help them right themselves…

Head swiveling to lock onto the opening briefing room doors, a brow raised in response to the sudden entrance of a group of people. There was no one else scheduled to even be in the meeting, though the day had already been full of surprises. A sinking feeling coupled along with the blood draining out of his face. The officers were armed and led by a rather smug Caitian; like a cat who’d cornered a canary. If it was just a regular inquiry, they wouldn’t have sent an armed contingent. In fact, they probably wouldn’t have even sent anyone and just messaged him.

Suddenly surrounded, Damian maintained a stoic demeanor, despite knowing full well that this was beyond a breach of privacy charge. That would have been something a prosecutor might have come themselves to discuss with him. But a whole team?

“Commander Coleman, you are hereby under arrest.”

Damian titled his head to look directly at the damned cat.

“You are charged with conspiracy to commit murder of one Midshipman Alexandra Munroe…”

Immediately, Coleman’s mouth fell open. His muscles went rigid causing him to sit like a stiff board in his chair. Within, he could feel his heart suddenly beating like it was going to come right out of his chest. Damian felt cold, and somehow couldn’t find his breath at all as the officer continued his list of charges. As the muscles continued to tighten, Coleman’s head tilted back even further, jaw still agape.

“...criminal conspiracy to cover up evidence of a crime, namely the murder of Midshipman Munroe…”

Coleman didn’t realize it, but his hands were digging in hard to the arms of the chair. As the list went on, he found it harder to hear especially as a ringing in his ears got louder. Eyes squeezing shut, Damian focused on just trying to breathe. His head shook side to side while he mouthed just one word over and over,

No no no no no…

“...You will accompany us back to Deep Space Nine for arraignment…”

Suddenly, Damian could feel a heat rising up in his body. His nostrils flared and his eyes jumped open as his gaze sat firmly on the feline. Mouth closing, he suddenly started grinding his teeth as he pierced the security officer with a cold, hard, look. They’d really set him up for a spectacular fall. It wasn’t a kindness that the Admiralty had bestowed upon him by not making him an Acting CO for the span of however damn long Givens had been CO. Coleman’s glare turned upon Cass now. Had she known all along? Intended to embarrass him in front of his crew by arresting him during a briefing?

“...Do you understand these rights as I have read them to you?”

Suddenly Damian understood exactly what Mara must have felt, or had been thinking when he interposed himself between her and the exit. Because he wondered, as his gaze levelled at the cat, just how soft the little kitty’s bones were and how many he could break with a single right hook. As if she read his mind, Calleja had distracted him from the thought by moving over to Ju. Mara’s quiet words, just loud enough for him to hear and likely purposefully so, walked him back from his wrathful intent. 

There was a deep swallow as he turned to look at Ju, as a flush swept across his face. He winced. This was the very last thing he ever wanted to happen. When he’d told her about his past on the Atlanta, he’d made mention about the mutiny. Damian had even alluded that he’d done some things he wasn’t particularly proud of to put a stop to it too. But this was beyond anything that he thought would happen. If he’d known, he might not have even allowed himself to go forward in a relationship with her. To spare Ju from the situation they found themselves in. Damian’s gaze softened, wishing he could go and comfort her. His eyes blinked, and just a corner of his mouth moved to give Ju the smallest of disquiet smiles. After a moment, Damian shifted to look at Mara, locking eyes with her before giving an appreciative nod.

“Lieutenant Commander, did I miss the notification of your impending arrival?”

It was Givens speaking, and Coleman turned to face her again. Just off to the side he could see Tyra’s lips moving, making the shapes that would say ‘I’m sorry’, even if the air in her lungs didn’t set the sound free. Damian’s lips squished into themselves as his brows dipped a little. He wanted to tell her that it wasn’t her fault. Even if the folly of a mission hadn’t happened, there was always the chance that his actions on the Atlanta would have been brought up. Damian considered that if he had been smarter, he might have forced that past back into the light himself. Still, he lingered on Tyra, feeling bad for having to put her through the disgrace of having her First Officer arrested in front of her.

Slowly pushing himself out from the table, so as not to set off the armed escort, Damian took his time to methodically stand. With palms facing the ground, he pushed his hands downward a couple of times as he looked at Givens and Tyra. Finally, he found his voice.

“It’s alright,” he said to them both, before cautiously turning to the Catian.

“I understand all too well. Let’s get this over with.”

There was little emotion in his voice, all of it having been spent in the intervening moments. Coleman’s body language was now clearer than it had been moments ago, that he’d go willingly and without a fuss. Going with some decorum was the least that he could do, for Givens and Tyra, all things considered.

== tags to all. Feel free to remove Coleman from the room when you are ready GM… ==

[Eun Ju Han]

Why is my name coming up for- oh.

Ju did not make eye contact with anyone, whether she knew good drinking games or not she didn’t think this was the time or place for her talents. Even though she loved her culture and she was fine with showing people how to drink with gummy bears and enjoy themselves she didn’t want to bring that up here. Ju decidedly did not look up at her name, instead she found her lap extremely interesting and was glad for the blue jolly rancher in her mouth to keep things lubricated where they might have gone dry in another situation.

Crawford seemed to slip into mom mode with the tone of her voice. Even Ju had shivers run her spine as she lay out their disappointments. Ju was not in the drinking mood at the moment, but she might seek out a solid beverage when she was fully off shift. Maybe she could convince Mara to join her because she was pretty sure the two of them could make an intense night of ‘who drops first’. When Crawford asked if they could get their sh*t together, Ju nodded in affirmation, she had been pretty quiet overall but she understand why the Captain felt the need to address the entire room of insanity.

Before things could get going again, the door slid open once more. More surprises? This is getting to be a sick show of epic proportions, I would think this is some sort of variety show if I didn’t know better. This time however it was some sort of security officers, one was a Caitian and seemed to have an air about him which gave off an intense confidence and superiority. He acknowledged both the Captains in the room before continuing towards Damian and the people around him though they seemed closest to Damian. Pardoning the interruption he then turned to Damian and stated that he was under arrest.

Ju’s heart fell to her stomach, and she shifted in her seat as though she was about to get up. Not because she thought she could save him, not because she thought she could argue for his favor, but instead, because she was so surprised it was the only thing her body could react with. She was able to school herself though enough to stay in her seat but her body was right on the edge. She watched with surprise and horror in her eyes as his accusations were lain against him in front of his entire crew. This could have been done in private, now it’s just a spectacle…

Ju’s legs began to gather, she was going to stand, she didn’t know why but she felt like.. it was the only thing to do. She could stand or cry and she certainly didn’t want to do the latter. It wasn’t that she didn’t know some of the information, she did, she had told her things and confessed in her things. Ju could only count on Starfleet to do a solid thorough investigation to absolve him of the crimes he did not commit. Before Ju could stand, a strong warm hand clasped her shoulder keeping her in her seat but offering a strong support.

Ju knew that her eyes were wide with shock and surprise. She believed in Damian more than anyone else outside family. They were still working on their relationship and getting to know each other but she trusted him with her life and would stand beside him if needed. However, she could do nothing as they put the cuffs on him. Mara told her that Ju had been there for her and now she was paying it forward. Ju’s hand reached up and lay for a moment on top of Mara’s in a sign of appreciation of her friend’s calm demeanor. Mara promised nothing would happen to Ju while Damian was away.

This, and the kindness offered by her friend, made tears sting Ju’s eyes but she blinked them away. She would not cry. Damian met her eyes, and he gave her a soft look and a little quirk to his lips, she knew he was trying to disarm her worries and make it like it was no big deal. But, it was. Ju watched as the Captain turned to the interlopers and ask how they could just come on board and take her Commander without any forward knowledge or some sort of heads up.

Ju felt … almost numb. It was best to be numb at the moment because she was also very scared. Her boyfriend was under arrest, and not just being taken to the Brig where he could wait out the investigation he was being taken to Deep Space Nine. This was serious, if somehow was found guilty she might not ever see him again, this may be the last time she ever saw him, and her mind spiraled around that for a moment before she halted all emotion and just shut it off. It was best for now, she would deal with her emotions later in a much safer place and likely with some good drinks later. Again, her eyes went to Damian and she offered him a soft reassuring smile. She would be here when he came back, because he would come back, he had to come back, she believed that everything would work out in his favor and she would be in the docking bay as soon as he returned home from his journey.

“Be safe,” Ju did not say this outloud, she only mouthed it across the room to him, hoping he would gather the two words she said. He would have go with them, and he could be in danger, there were true murderers who had been arrested in the past that he would probably be housed with while awaiting his trial. The only thing she wanted for him in this moment was to be as safe as he could.

It was important that he came back.

Ju felt more than saw her new Chief scooting further away from her. She hoped it was not for her association with the accused but for another reason. Regardless, Ju was amazingly glad for Mara’s presence right now because she was keeping the young Korean grounded in such a hectic and harrowing time.

==Tag Coleman & Mara==

[GM-02]

There were, as anticipated, a myriad of reactions to K'mtarr's declaration. For most there, it was one of silent outrage, likely a belief that here, now, was no place for such an event. One coward among them even backed away from the arrest, as if the graying man didn't even want to be associated with the arrest.

The most interesting ones were from a young woman in engineering colors and another one in security. The latter moved around the table - the Caitian noticed sis subordinate track her but make no further moves towards their weapon with some pride at their training - and appeared to comfort the former, who appeared almost on the verge of tears. For a moment, K'mtarr wondered if there were some connection between them and the accused, but dismissed it. After all, they were the same crew; of course there were feelings involved, ones that he couldn't allow to interfere with his duties.

However, the captains in the room had the most intense reactions. Givens tossed the padd he had given her to the other one almost without reading it, cold fury radiating off of her. The second, Crawford, looked almost on the verge of a breakdown.

"Lieutenant Commander, did I miss the notification of your impending arrival? I understand the position you're in but I believe it's still standard procedure to inform a commanding officer before you board their vessel with the intent to arrest one of their officers. At minimum, it's bad manners, bordering on disrespectful, to board a vessel without permission but I suspect we're well past a case of bad manners, aren't we?

K'mtarr flicked his tail harder than intended, ears flicking in annoyance at her statement. "Apologies, Captain," he said smoothly, looking at her but keeping his eyes on Coleman, who had so seemed almost in shock, though he had failed to seem surprised at the charges themselves. "I was assured by those issuing the warrant that all protocol was being followed and I merely needed to come and make the arrest. Perhaps I should have questioned this, given those authorities were on Earth, but they seemed to be in some haste and brooked no debate. He debated for a moment the wisdom of further statements, but Coleman stood and ended any debate.

“It’s alright,” he said to them both, before cautiously turning to the Catian. “I understand all too well. Let’s get this over with.”

He signaled the other security officers, and they took formation around the accused and escorted him from the room. Once they were out, K'mtarr turned and gave his full attention to Captain Givens, with a momentary glance at Crawford. "Thank you for your cooperation, Captain," he said. "If you have any further issues, the padd you received contains the contact information for the prosecutor leading this case; I suggest you contact them. I'll let you resume your meeting." He gave a salute, and then stalked back out of the room, only turning to face the door at the last moment before he was gone.

[Aeryn Miller]

Aeryn was still struggling to comprehend why this was happening so publicly, or even at all while the wall she had tried to build to contain her emotions threatened to break down completely. Her stomach and insides continued to churn with the shock and disbelief of having one of her friends treated this way before a sudden movement gave the CSO something else to focus on. Mara went over to Ju to offer the Engineer some comfort and reassurance, and Aeryn knew then that she would also be there for Ju, to support her and anyone else who was close to the FO, because this was just incomprehensible.

She believed in Damian and while she wished that she could go with him and be there for him, it wasn't possible, but that didn't mean that she couldn't do it from afar. Givens then gave the interloper, her thoughts on the matter, while Captain Crawford seemed to struggle with the sudden turn of events, and understandably so, because Artemis was a family, and it had already suffered several blows, since returning from Cardassian Space.

Givens was right, proper procedure and protocol had been ignored, and even with such serious accusations, this wasn't the way to go about it. In fairness, the whole situation stunk, and if Damian had been a victim of whoever was pulling the strings, and causing all of this misery and upheaval, well it rankled the redhead. Looking around the room, it just felt worse seeing everyone's reactions until Aeryn's gaze settled on Damian, who found his voice and accepted his fate with minimum fuss.

Her heart ached for her friend, trying to offer him some comfort as he awaited the cuffs. Seeing the way the security officers took Damian into their custody, couldn't stop the wave of nausea that went through Aeryn, barely taking notice of the Caitian Commander's apology, which in her opinion wasn't sincere. Aeryn knew where the blame lay, and it was with those who had ordered this, but it was made clear that the subject wasn't up for debate, as Damian was escorted from the briefing room.

A final message was provided by the Caitian and Aeryn,didn't want to give him any more of her attention, and whether the meeting would continue now depended on the Captain, and the temptation to drink the whole bottle of whiskey grew even stronger.

== Tags ==

[Cassandra Givens]

There were certain things that someone in Cass' position came to expect with the same certainty that one placed in the laws of nature. The first was that her presence would almost never be welcomed. The second was that her presence would stir up drama befitting a soap opera. The third was that there was little she could do to mitigate either of the first two, much less placate the stronger personalities. However, today, the second certainty was overachieving at a level that even she couldn't have predicted.

Despite trying to keep tabs on all of the reactions occurring around her, her dark eyes stayed on the feline, even as he offered a less than satisfying apology.

"I was assured by those issuing the warrant that all protocol was being followed and I merely needed to come and make the arrest. Perhaps I should have questioned this, given those authorities were on Earth, but they seemed to be in some haste and brooked no debate."

Cass expected an eruption of massive proportions to come from her left. She knew the stories and legends; if Jeremy Crawford was known for his calculating iciness, his progeny was know for her flaring temper and her eviscerating tongue. And yet, the expected evisceration never came, not even when the Caitain pointed out where to file complaints as if that would fix anything.

"If you have any further issues, the padd you received contains the contact information for the prosecutor leading this case; I suggest you contact them. I'll let you resume your meeting."

"That's so very gracious of you," Cass remarked dryly, her own gaze suggesting her disdain for the cat and his handler might have been at an ultimate high. And a glance at Crawford did nothing to ease that feeling.

However, what she did know was that someone needed to do damage control and someone needed to bring things back to order and that someone did not look like it was going to be Crawford. While the redhead looked like she'd pulled herself back from the brink of a breakdown, she still looked shaken and distraught. Every bit of her body language screamed that this was the last place she wanted to be and despite not knowing her well, Cass felt obligated to give her that avenue of escape.

"Alright, while I can appreciate a ship living up to it's reputation for chaos and drama, I think we can all agree that this is enough for now. Everyone return to your departments and continue to prepare for launch. Any further updates will be passed along by Captain Crawford...or Lieutenant Commander Morgan," Cassandra ordered once the Caitain had left.

Her glance at Crawford had caused the addition of Morgan to the mix, understanding that Crawford might not be able to issue orders until she got her head back on straight and no one would appreciate the appearance that Cassandra was taking advantage of the lapse.

"And if I hear that anyone is impeding the Lieutenant Commander and his team's exit from this vessel, you can consider your career as you know it over. Now, dismissed," she stated with a finality that suggested she wanted the room cleared immediately.

And she did; it was about the only thing she could do to protect what little control and dignity her counterpart had without marching her across the bridge to her ready room. While she might not possess Bill's ability to see across a chess board, she understood the dynamics of command and there was something to be said for allowing captains to remain larger than life to the masses.

What a mess...

== Tag! ==

[Robin Mayfair]

"Alright, while I can appreciate a ship living up to it's reputation for chaos and drama, I think we can all agree that this is enough for now. Everyone return to your departments and continue to prepare for launch. Any further updates will be passed along by Captain Crawford...or Lieutenant Commander Morgan." With a dismissal and a threat that irritated the CMO the meeting was over.

Robin was done with all of it. As she stood up, she motioned to her two subordinates. "Lt. Sydesh? Ensign Star? A word outside before you head off?" She smiled at Beka wearily. "And no, it's not about the popcorn."

As the medical staff left the room she took both doctors to the side. "All right, you know how the rumor mill on this ship is, and Sickbay is the worst department in that regard. So please don't discuss Commander Coleman's arrest with anyone." The 'please' was polite, but it was clearly an order. Beka wasn't a gossip, but the nurse didn't know Emily well enough to know, so she figured a warning would suffice. "You can confirm the arrest if anyone asks, and they probably will, but don't give any details beyond that. If they push you tell them to ask me so I can tell them to shut up, or to Commander Morgan so she can put it in less gentle terms."

The last thing Coleman needs is the Artemis rumor mill suffering a warp core breach.

"The Captain will decide how much to tell the crew and how to proceed." She sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. "Lord knows what's going to happen next. All we can do is make sure our department is running smooth and not give the brass any excuses."

With that the nurse gave them both a wave. "I'm going to bed. See you both tomorrow morning. Assuming the ship doesn't explode or anything. 'Nite."

== ETL unless there's something anyone wants to go over ==

[Miles Grant]

Though there was definitely movement from the announcement of Coleman's arrest, no one actively prevented the other Star Fleet Personnel from apprehending the First Officer. This was understandable, given the precariousness of everything. Miles noted that Calleja, uncharacteristically, did not challenge the arrest, but instead moved over to Han for what appeared to be comfort. The one to speak out against the arrest was the new Captain, stating policy and procedure.

Of course, that was countered by the Caitian Lieutenant Commander that he had been informed protocol had been followed, and he just needed to make the arrest. Miles prevented himself from rolling his eyes that the arresting Officer should have confirmed first, but took the higher ups word. If that wasn't evidence enough of the kind of politics in play...

It was Coleman, however, that bypassed all of it by going without a fuss. Once that was over with, and the detail had left with their prisoner, there was a momentary pause. It was Givens who broke the silence by informing everyone to return to their departments to continue preparing for launch and they would receive any further updates. She also ended with the order not to impede the Security detail from leaving with Commander Coleman before dismissing the gathered group.

As everyone made their exit, Miles made his way over to Harriman.

"I'll oversee any last minute prep," he informed her. "You try to get some rest. I've got you on early rotation at the Helm just before and for launch." Miles words were fairly neutral, and were not meant as negative. That had been the rotation prior to everything going on, and he did not see a need to change it. As it was, there was very little else that needed to be done for preparation in his Department aside from some last minute rotation changes he had already planned to make.

>>Strategic Operations Complex>>

[Beka Sydesh]

Beka honestly wished she could have fished the popcorn bowl back out of her pocket as the Security team entered. They clearly weren’t Artemis officers - the doctor hadn’t missed Calleja going for a weapon before thinking better of it - but it was quite the unexpected development to have them surround Coleman and arrest him for activities on the USS Atlanta.

That one rattled Sydesh. She’d had a heated exchange about the Atlanta with Coleman a couple of years ago, back when he was COS. He had staunchly defended his actions and ultimately she’d ended up backing down and apologising.

I guess Command didn’t agree with his version of events…

She frowned and looked away as he was taken out of the room and back to DS9, still not sure what to make of it. It wasn’t entirely a surprise when the briefing was dismissed shortly afterwards, as it had already proven fractious and now there was little chance of making meaningful progress with the First Officer having been led away.

As she got up, Beka tapped her commbadge.

“Sydesh to Kuik. Class dismissed, can you intercept our troubled pupil please?” she said.

[Understood, I’ll get on the way. Kuik out.]

On the way out of the door, the redhead was intercepted by Robin.

"Lt. Sydesh? Ensign Star? A word outside before you head off?" She smiled at Beka wearily. "And no, it's not about the popcorn."

The one drew a guilty smile from the doctor, and she joined the impromptu Medical huddle in the corridor as Robin addressed them.

"All right, you know how the rumor mill on this ship is, and Sickbay is the worst department in that regard. So please don't discuss Commander Coleman's arrest with anyone. You can confirm the arrest if anyone asks, and they probably will, but don't give any details beyond that. If they push you tell them to ask me so I can tell them to shut up, or to Commander Morgan so she can put it in less gentle terms."

The purple-haired medic paused.

"The Captain will decide how much to tell the crew and how to proceed." She sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. "Lord knows what's going to happen next. All we can do is make sure our department is running smooth and not give the brass any excuses."

With that the nurse gave them both a wave. "I'm going to bed. See you both tomorrow morning. Assuming the ship doesn't explode or anything. 'Nite."

“Sleep well. I’ll go check in, and don’t worry. I’ll tell people to fuck off if they start pressing,” Beka replied.

She headed off to Sickbay. She had a couple of post-op check-ups to do before she went off shift, and apparently now some damage control.

Even if I’m not entirely sure where I sit on it all.

== ETL for Sydesh ==

[Omdor Jaein]

On the one hand, Jaein was glad that no one had given in to their baser instincts and tried for the Caitian as the whole situation wrapped up. The entire room felt on edge, and he was just as glad to see the back of the security team as they appeared to be to go.

On the other hand, as he listened to the man's response to Givens, he really just wanted to punch him himself. While the words were respectful, the glib smugness just rubbed the Bajoran raw. He made a note to stop by the Temple quickly before his dinner with Mary Ellen. It'd be his last chance before they finished this mission, anyway, though he wasn't sure that the prylar would be there still by the time he got out of his next meeting.

As the door slid shut, Captain Givens broke the meeting up. "Alright, while I can appreciate a ship living up to it's reputation for chaos and drama, I think we can all agree that this is enough for now," she said. "Everyone return to your departments and continue to prepare for launch. Any further updates will be passed along by Captain Crawford...or Lieutenant Commander Morgan."

He stood with a nod and gathered his padds. He turned quickly towards Han, however, trying to catch the young ensign before she - and presumably the COS, though he still wasn't sure of the woman's intentions beyond comforting his subordinate - left the room. "Take your time in the morning," he told her gently, "and meet up with the Science team after launch; we'll get started on those probes then." He gave her a smile, and with a nod to the COS, he stepped away from the table.

He tried to catch the CSO's eye, and caught up with her in the hall outside the door. Giving the medical team a wide berth, he smiled at her. "I can't stay long," he said, "but let's meet up first thing after launch and we'll figure out these probes. I'm running to another meeting, but I've got the parts list and I'll check with the quartermaster to make sure we've got plenty in stores. Anything you need from me before the morning, Lieutenant?"

==Tag Aeryn==
==If no questions, I'll consider this ETL for Jaein.==

[Aeryn Miller]

The door had barely closed on the retreating form of the Caitian Commander, before those who remained found out what was going to happen next. Aeryn was glad that Givens saw no reason to continue the briefing because even she would struggle trying to get through the rest of it. The whole experience had left an awful taste in the CSO's mouth, but as much as she would love to take it away with lots of whiskey, there was still some business to take care of, before she retreated to her quarters for the night.

People began to file out after receiving their final orders, as well as a warning regarding what would happen if someone tried to interfere with Commander Coleman's departure. A warning that Aeryn would adhere to because she knew that Damian wouldn't want anyone to get into trouble. So, with a little effort and the desire to focus on something else, despite it not being enjoyable, Aeryn got to her feet while addressing Lucy simultaneously.

" You're with me, Lucy".

She wasn't about to go into details but hoped that the scientist would understand the need for what was about to happen. Aeryn might appear friendly and laidback, but she was determined not to let others assume that she was a pushover or would tolerate certain behaviours, a lesson that Lucy was about to learn. Once outside, Commander Omdor caught up with her, and Aeryn listened as the CE spoke, deciding that now wasn't the time to correct him about her rank. Besides, she was still getting used to it as she answered him.

" Sounds good to me, Commander, and not that I can think of at the moment. I'll see you in the morning".

== Tag Lucy & Omdor ==

>> Science Complex >>

[Eun Ju Han]

This was insane. Ju watched as Damian took responsibility for the situation and while he didn’t fight, she knew he was concerned. As the security team left with him she could only watch and hope that he would be all right and they would take care of him where ever he was going. Again she felt the familiar sting of tears but again she blinked them away and let out a shuddering breath. Chaos was had been the name of today and now she just wanted to drown her sorrows and sleep. One would be necessary for the other anyway after a day like today.

Givens dismissed them stating they could get started the next morning because today had been enough. On this, Givens and Ju agreed. With people leaving and conversations going on around her Ju stood up trying to decide on her own next course of action. Before she could turn to go, her Chief caught her attention. His eyes were kind and that helped a lot because many would have put her to work instead he told her to take her time coming onto her shift in the morning. Ju offered a sad smile. “Thank you, Commander. See you tomorrow.”

Ju wasn’t sure how her night would go she may even show up early if she couldn’t sleep. It all depended. It wasn’t that Ju and Damian spent a lot of nights together it was just that she was worried for him. It was one thing to go to sleep in your own Quarters knowing your partner was asleep in theirs. It was another thing to know he was off the ship, arrested, with an uncertain future while you were in your Quarters with little to no information. Ju decided she would at least write to him, though she had no idea if he would be able to see or read her correspondence at least he would know he was not forgotten and often thought of.

Ju turned and made eye contact with Mara giving her a nod of thanks for being a comfort during such a stressful time. Without any further delay Ju headed out of the Briefing room. It was weird to go straight to her Quarters, Damian and Ju made a monumental effort to share at least one meal a day together depending on their shift schedules. Tonight she would be eating alone but she supposed that was all right because she didn’t find herself hungry, she found herself thirsty.

==ETL for Ju==
>>Ju’s Quarters,>>

[Lucy Devereaux]

Damian went willingly with the Caitian. There was something about protocol having been followed. Lucy doubted that protocol involved sufficient notification in the mind of whoever had orchestrated this gut punch to the crew. Captain Givens ended the meeting with instructions not to impede the departure of the arresting officer. Complicating matters further wasn’t on Lucy’s mind, then Aeryn spoke up.

“You’re with me, Lucy.”

Well, ****! A nice little epilogue to this *********** of a meeting. A small portion of that was my fault. Next time you think of something inadvisable, don’t bother.

Lucy’s options had been tend to the tomato plants, go hide in her quarters, or get blind drunk. The last option had the benefit of being cathartically self-destructive. Something with painstiks sounded a lot more fun than getting chewed out, again. Best thing would be to face yet another dressing down from a senior officer and get over any feeling that quitting would be the best option.

Lucy didn’t know why she hadn’t resigned her commission and gone back to Earth. She wasn’t a constructive part of the crew and she had been making just enough mistakes to feel like she needed to rethink her goals. She was tired of being part of the problem. She followed Aeryn out of the Briefing Room.

What exactly was the best way to process all that had transpired? New Captain, fine, she guessed. How it happened, not so fine. A mission on the edge of Cardassian space, technically necessary, but the timing sucked. Captain Crawford turning up, messy. Commander Coleman getting arrested for a cold case, not constructive.

We who are about to die…

>> Science Complex >>

[Tyra Crawford]

"****."

Tyra wasn't sure if everyone had departed the room but she was certain most of them had by the time she let her chair roll back enough to rest her forehead on the edge of the table.

If she had thought the swirl of emotional turmoil had been untameable when she'd been reinstated as commanding officer, the addition of a steady wave of nausea was not helping matters at all. She closed her eyes for a moment and willed the universe to slow for a few moments, just long enough to get her bearings. Or long enough to fake it.

The silence seemed to stretch out long enough that she thought she might be alone before it was broken. "What do you need?"

Givens had rested her hip on the table somewhere to Tyra's right and Tyra couldn't decide if the question was asked out of professional courtesy or some loyalty to Bill, and by default her.

Alcohol. Every last damn drop.

She swallowed, the motion almost painful as it worked around the seemingly permanent lump in her throat. It gave her time to answer but little clarity came with that moment.

On multiple occasions, multiple experts had commented on her uncanny ability to dissociate from her emotions in times of great crisis or trauma. While Tyra was certain that none had intended that insight as a compliment, it was still a trait that had served her well and had kept her alive through some of the worst moments imaginable.

And yet right that moment, she couldn't find it. Neither the wrath that so effectively smothered every other emotion in its wake to carry her through endless war or the numbness that quieted everything else into a low hum so that she could assess an impossible situation and marshal order from the madness made themselves known.

"Time. And a first officer, apparently..."

There was a tiny hum in response and the rustling of clothes as Givens seemed to shift back onto the table. "You've got ten hours on paper but realistically, probably eight. And you need sleep."

Her lips pressed together at the last comment, not because it wasn't true but because it was something Damian would have reminded her of, likely accompanied by a teasing poke at her tendency to put sleep at the bottom of her priority list.

"Cera. I'm sure she is well aware of this..." She stumbled over the right word for the level of mess she was now wading into. "Cluster. Tell her I need a list of FO candidates that are within six hours of here. Hell, tell her to look at recently retired and reserve options too. I can't imagine the list will be long and I'm not above begging."

This wouldn't be a problem if Ben was still here. If you had protected him, a little voice taunted.

"Do you want it to include internal options?"

She was slow to answer as she tried to assess the possibilities and once again, she just couldn't wrap her head around the variables or the options. "Yes."

She looked up when she felt the table move a little as Givens shifted off the table, the younger woman offering her a stiff smile. "I will handle this. Forward me anything else I am capable of handling; I don't think I'm the wisest choice to fill the vacancy but I can at least handle some of the tasks until you find someone who can."

Tyra offered a weak smile of her own and a tiny nod, though the smile faded almost as soon as the doors closed behind Givens.

She needed to make her way to the Ready Room, needed to make her feet work, but she'd savor a few moments of peace all the same.

>> Ready Room.... Eventually >>

[Mara Calleja]

There was a certain quiet dignity about the way Damian accepted what was going to happen. If he could deal with this without wiping that smirk off the Caitian’s face, then Mara felt like she had to match his calmness. Not for the first time she felt a real battle with her fight or flight reaction, and yet again it definitely was not the latter that she was leaning heavily towards.

As he left with his escort, Givens brought the briefing to a close. There was no following that. Ju gave Mara a nod of thanks before making her escape, and the Security chief followed rapidly.

This time nobody gonna stop me…

As she boarded the elevator, Calleja was trying to recall if the combat simulator she trained in had Caitians or Mirak opponents. If it did then there were going to be virtual cat people in for a really bad day.

>> Quarters >>