S6: E2 - Truth and Consequences

[Nira Said]

[Admiral's Quarters - Starbase 185]

Ian knew better than reply while Gillespie was talking. Regardless of the uniqueness of the Landser situation, how things broke was very much up to interpretation and he wasn't about to give Command anything to hang him with. He was a little baffled by reference to modify the outer hull of the Challenger, but again, in this situation, the junior officer's role was to nod and say 'yes sir' which he did.

"Aye Sir."

[Present | Conference Room | Starbase 185]

James didn't have much time to let his thoughts dwell on the tragedy of Frontier Day before Gillespie and Galloway arrived. He stood to greet them as they entered the doorway, his mind quickly getting back on task. "Ah. It's good to see you both. Please have a seat Captain." Carter said, motioning to the seat directly across the table from him.

[Conference Room - Starbase 185]

Ian took the indicated seat and replied with a simple.

"Thank you Admiral."

The then sat exactly as he had been taught, back straight, arms running along the tops of his legs, his fingers straight, both feet flat on the floor and facing directly ahead. He then waited to be addressed, because was one did in a situation like this.

[{NPC} Admiral Hamish Gillespie | VIP Suite | Starbase 185]

Gillespie and Ruzal followed Galloway to meet Admiral Carter. "Right, since I presume you didn't get the information and your father did, regardless of his condition," said Gillespie, "Captain Galloway here, and his crew have committed a violation of the Prime Directive. But here's the odd part: The people they encountered were advanced in technology, with temporal-based technology, more advanced than we are, and yet they have a twenty-first century mindset, and in particular, aren't warp-capable. Now, whether or not I got some facts incorrect - and trust me, James, I might feel that way from being so gobsmacked, this has made me so flummoxed and gobsmacked - so I'll let Captain Galloway here explain himself."

He then sat back and gestured for Galloway to explain to James Carter.

[James Carter]

[Conference Room - Starbase 185]

Ian took the indicated seat and replied with a simple.

"Thank you Admiral."

The then sat exactly as he had been taught, back straight, arms running along the tops of his legs, his fingers straight, both feet flat on the floor and facing directly ahead. He then waited to be addressed, because was one did in a situation like this.

[Conference Room - Starbase 185]

James eyed the mans posture closely and studied him up and down. Carter quietly sat, allowing his posture to relax to relieve some tension in the room as Gillespie spoke.

[{NPC} Admiral Hamish Gillespie | VIP Suite | Starbase 185]

Gillespie and Ruzal followed Galloway to meet Admiral Carter. "Right, since I presume you didn't get the information and your father did, regardless of his condition," said Gillespie, "Captain Galloway here, and his crew have committed a violation of the Prime Directive. But here's the odd part: The people they encountered were advanced in technology, with temporal-based technology, more advanced than we are, and yet they have a twenty-first century mindset, and in particular, aren't warp-capable. Now, whether or not I got some facts incorrect - and trust me, James, I might feel that way from being so gobsmacked, this has made me so flummoxed and gobsmacked - so I'll let Captain Galloway here explain himself."

He then sat back and gestured for Galloway to explain to James Carter.

Carter paused. The truth was that he didn't quite know how to reply to the mention of his father in this situation. A small involuntary sigh left him as his head inclined slightly. "Ah. I see where the mix up might have been then. You must not have gotten the news. My father was lost on Frontier Day, if a report was sent to him it's likely lost on a pile somewhere. I appreciate the quick catch up, I had only read the broad strokes up to this point." Carter replied softly, trying to not let his tone waver from the authoritative tone he began the meeting with. After a brief second to refocus on the topic at hand his eyes met Ian's. "Captain, in your own words I want you communicate the thoughts and decisions that lead to not only the violation of the directive but also left your own first officer in a coma temporarily. I'm happy to hear Mr. Mackenzie has recovered." His voice had shifted tones now from warm and somewhat sentimental to now being incredibly cold and calculated.

[ShranLahr ch'Verret]

CPO ShranLahr ch'Verret

[Starbase 185 | Sickbay]

Savyn nodded, looking through his PADD for a brief moment to find the reports he needed before pulling out his supplies.

"Understood," he nodded, preparing his supplies. "Please roll up your sleeve or remove your shirt, whichever is simpler. Have you eaten in the past twelve hours? It is ideal that you have not."

Lahr attempted to pull up his sleeve but his uniform wasn't designed for that.   He shucked off his jacket and then his long sleeve tunic afterwards to reveal a blue bare chest that looked on the verge of anorexia.   The thing with ketotic hypoglycemia - the official designation for his condition - is that over an extended time it uses up the body's own fat reserves, of which Lahr had very little to begin with, before breaking down muscle tissue to maintain core functions - like thinking and breathing.

It was very evident by his condition that Lahr hadn't been taking care of himself properly for a while.

"Guess you're in luck. I forgot breakfast this morning," he commented.  Despite the Dr. Omajali's warnings, the Andorian rarely had an appetite first thing in the morning.  With Ruth missing, his PTSD night mares had returned which left him with no desire for food at all.

"Then I was stuck in interrogations throughout lunch... so yeah.. it's been over 12 hours since I last ate."

[Ch'e N'ok Savyn]

CPO ShranLahr ch'Verret

Lahr attempted to pull up his sleeve but his uniform wasn't designed for that.   He shucked off his jacket and then his long sleeve tunic afterwards to reveal a blue bare chest that looked on the verge of anorexia.   The thing with ketotic hypoglycemia - the official designation for his condition - is that over an extended time it uses up the body's own fat reserves, of which Lahr had very little to begin with, before breaking down muscle tissue to maintain core functions - like thinking and breathing.

It was very evident by his condition that Lahr hadn't been taking care of himself properly for a while.

"Guess you're in luck. I forgot breakfast this morning," he commented.  Despite the Dr. Omajali's warnings, the Andorian rarely had an appetite first thing in the morning.  With Ruth missing, his PTSD night mares had returned which left him with no desire for food at all.

"Then I was stuck in interrogations throughout lunch... so yeah.. it's been over 12 hours since I last ate."

[Starbase 185 | Sickbay]

Savyn frowned deeply, looking over Lahr with an element of concern (which is pretty ironic, coming from him).

"Though that does place our procedure into preferred circumstances, I would not suggest you allow skipping meals to become a habit, crewman," he started to wrap an elastic band, prodding at the blue skin carefully to find a vein. "It is important to maintain a healthy diet."

His tremors suddenly increased, and he grimaced just slightly, removing his hands from the other man's arm to flex the muscles in his hands slightly, trying to make the shaking cease. Something had felt odd today... A high symptom day, he supposed.

Once his hands had gone back to a useable point, he got out his needles. "I've used the elastic to find a vein, and will now insert this needle into your circulatory system in order to extract approximately 2.7 Millimeters of blood. Prepare yourself."

[Ian Galloway]

[Conference Room - Starbase 185]

James eyed the mans posture closely and studied him up and down. Carter quietly sat, allowing his posture to relax to relieve some tension in the room as Gillespie spoke.

Carter paused. The truth was that he didn't quite know how to reply to the mention of his father in this situation. A small involuntary sigh left him as his head inclined slightly. "Ah. I see where the mix up might have been then. You must not have gotten the news. My father was lost on Frontier Day, if a report was sent to him it's likely lost on a pile somewhere. I appreciate the quick catch up, I had only read the broad strokes up to this point." Carter replied softly, trying to not let his tone waver from the authoritative tone he began the meeting with. After a brief second to refocus on the topic at hand his eyes met Ian's. "Captain, in your own words I want you communicate the thoughts and decisions that lead to not only the violation of the directive but also left your own first officer in a coma temporarily. I'm happy to hear Mr. Mackenzie has recovered." His voice had shifted tones now from warm and somewhat sentimental to now being incredibly cold and calculated.

[Conference Room - Starbase 185]

Ian took a deep breath and thought.

"Here it is. Either I can get these two ta understand and remain in command of Challenger or I can't and I'm off ta a penal colony."

Calming himself and he began the statement he'd been preparing since leaving the Land-Ta system.

"Sirs. On Stardate 79020.3, the Challenger was ordered ta investigate temporal disturbances originatin' in a system cataloged as L7-425977. The system has only been roughly charted by a probe some 86 years ago. This system lies some 50 light years from Starbase 185 and was completely unexplored..."

Ian talked for the better part of an hour of the discovery of the local sentient population; their seemingly impossible technological discovery of fold space drive; the impact of that technology on the Challenger's systems; the resulting discovery and capture of the away team as well as the ship's detection; the telepathic abilities of the Landsers; and finally the conference held with the leadership of the various nation-states of the planet.

"Yes, I understand that the Landsers are undeniably pre-warp, but they had faster than light technology superior to ours. The Prime Directive does nae cover such a situation. Given I was out of contact with Command, I had to interpret the spirit of the directive ta fit the situation.

"The Landsers were in mortal danger and were a mortal danger ta others. Given they clearly had advanced technological capabilities, I felt I was unable ta act in any other way ta save their lives and Federation citizens lives. That concludes my report. What are your questions Sir?"

[Nira Said]

[Conference Room - Starbase 185]

James eyed the mans posture closely and studied him up and down. Carter quietly sat, allowing his posture to relax to relieve some tension in the room as Gillespie spoke.

Carter paused. The truth was that he didn't quite know how to reply to the mention of his father in this situation. A small involuntary sigh left him as his head inclined slightly. "Ah. I see where the mix up might have been then. You must not have gotten the news. My father was lost on Frontier Day, if a report was sent to him it's likely lost on a pile somewhere. I appreciate the quick catch up, I had only read the broad strokes up to this point." Carter replied softly, trying to not let his tone waver from the authoritative tone he began the meeting with. After a brief second to refocus on the topic at hand his eyes met Ian's. "Captain, in your own words I want you communicate the thoughts and decisions that lead to not only the violation of the directive but also left your own first officer in a coma temporarily. I'm happy to hear Mr. Mackenzie has recovered." His voice had shifted tones now from warm and somewhat sentimental to now being incredibly cold and calculated.

[Conference Room - Starbase 185]

Ian took a deep breath and thought.

"Here it is. Either I can get these two ta understand and remain in command of Challenger or I can't and I'm off ta a penal colony."

Calming himself and he began the statement he'd been preparing since leaving the Land-Ta system.

"Sirs. On Stardate 79020.3, the Challenger was ordered ta investigate temporal disturbances originatin' in a system cataloged as L7-425977. The system has only been roughly charted by a probe some 86 years ago. This system lies some 50 light years from Starbase 185 and was completely unexplored..."

Ian talked for the better part of an hour of the discovery of the local sentient population; their seemingly impossible technological discovery of fold space drive; the impact of that technology on the Challenger's systems; the resulting discovery and capture of the away team as well as the ship's detection; the telepathic abilities of the Landsers; and finally the conference held with the leadership of the various nation-states of the planet.

"Yes, I understand that the Landsers are undeniably pre-warp, but they had faster than light technology superior to ours. The Prime Directive does nae cover such a situation. Given I was out of contact with Command, I had to interpret the spirit of the directive ta fit the situation.

"The Landsers were in mortal danger and were a mortal danger ta others. Given they clearly had advanced technological capabilities, I felt I was unable ta act in any other way ta save their lives and Federation citizens lives. That concludes my report. What are your questions Sir?"

[{NPC} Admiral Hamish Gillespie | VIP Suite | Starbase 185]

Gillespie blinked in surprise. He had kept sending reports to Carter's father, even when he was...he had presumed he was comatose and had chances to wake up, and his report on the Landsers made him assume the old man was gobsmacked as best as shown from his face...only to realize the poor man was well and truly dead.

"Oh, bugger. I'm sorry about that. But anyway...Galloway...Ian, go on." There would be time later for remembering the elder Carter later. He then sat back and allowed Captain Galloway to talk. He paid rapt attention for an hour, hoping to make more sense of it if it came from Galloway's words. Ruzal was just as rapt and gradually, her disdain for Galloway turned into equal befuddlement.

Once Galloway was finished, Gillespie spoke. "You certainly have a point, Ian. The faster than light capabilities in their pre-warp status is certainly gobsmacking, and you were correct in that the Prime Directive does not cover that. It would be no different if we encountered Iconians, if Iconians were still alive. I mean, look at their gateways, enabling them to jump about from one planet to another when they were in their prime. And, well...I understand if you had to take matters into your own hands if we weren't reachable. I'm certainly leaning towar...well, nae necessarily innocent, but more likely 'nae guilty,' but what do you think, James?" he asked, turning to Admiral Carter for his own views.

[Zhukdrashar Mrekrerhas]

[Ensign Tora Zalos|Function Room Mayflower|Starbase 185]

The party had only just begun - as much as it could be with the current somewhat less than desirable mood among the crew. The room itself had been simply decorated with brightly colored ornaments tastefully placed where possible, with comfortable lounge chairs placed strategically around to let partygoers sit and converse if they wanted to. Centerpiece of the room was a table with a small spread of various dishes that the organizer had thought people would like - finger foods, mostly, with drinks dispensed from small cambros placed around the room. Notably, alcohol was absent from the available selection. Perhaps the organizer had wanted everyone to have some good, clean fun that evening. A small elevated stage sat against the far wall, thus far only with empty chairs waiting to be filled.

Speaking of the organizer, Tora mingled with the crowd, chatting and laughing along with them. A palpable air of uncertainty had been hanging over everyone she'd met over the past few days, and, well, she'd felt obligated to do something about that. Someone had to bring up morale somehow, and instill some hope that, come what may, things would probably turn out fine. She'd reached out to everyone she could get to appealing for help between round after round of interviews and questioning, and after a few days had managed to put together a crack team of five people to help her with making her idea come to fruition. She'd done the bulk of the work herself, arranging the logistics and publicity together with Zhuk while the rest sourced food, drink and entertainment from around the starbase - the end product had been this small but simple party which she'd hoped would buoy her crewmates' moods. She'd put one hard rule in her invite: Dress comfy, dress cute, but no uniforms. What they all needed was a distraction from the big, kinda-sorta looming-over-them fear of the unknown hanging over them and, just for tonight and the next two days, just be people who needed to find comfort in each other.

"Is the music in order?" Tora said to her co-organizer as soon as she emerged from the crowd with her empty drinking glass. She'd opted for a tank top and jeans tonight, with a jacket to keep her warm. "I think we're set to get the first performance underway."

[Lieutenant Zhukdra'shar Mrekrerhas | Function Room Mayflower | Starbase 185]

The co-organizer, none other than Lieutenant Zhukdra'shar Mrekerhas, was currently inspecting his P.A.D.D. as he made sure that everything ran smoothly and according to schedule. His ear swished over when he overheard Tora ask him a question. He promptly settled down his device and smiled gently over at her. His outfit certainly was not a uniform, but it was cute. Some people may argue about the comfy part, however. A burgundy tuxedo, a cute little topknot of the same color, and a puffy, white dress shirt with sleeves.

Oh yes, Zhuk dressed elegantly, for the occasion called for it. Besides feeling good, it would allow people to recognize him if they needed anything unavailable, or had something they required catered to them. After all, with all the diversity the Federation had, maybe there was something that his fellow officers required he had not provisioned for. That would be easily fixed, though.

As for why he had accepted this position? Well, Tora certainly was charismatic, he had to admit. Though he was not too enthused by the idea of organizing a party, she quickly changed his opinion. Besides, it was a great opportunity to subtly show off his management skills, and continue to prove that he was more than fit for his duties as Chief of Security. It also served as a nice distraction, considering how obnoxious and time-consuming the interrogations by Starfleet intelligence had been thus far.

"Yes indeed,"

He answered, taking another look to inspect who was slated to play. It made him happy to see Lahr, or rather 'DJ Lahr', who was meant to participate later today. For now, though, the first act consisted of a band of Bolians, calling themselves Jei'BO:L. They played what was called 'Japanese popular music', or J-Pop for short, an ancient type of Earth music that Zhuk was rather unfamiliar with. Though it was popular, it seemed, considering the small investigation he ran concerning the genre,

"We have Jei'BO:L, it does seem. They shalt present themselves within the stage in five minutes, so mayhaps you are interested in presenting them beforehand, esteemed organizer Tora?"

Zhukdra'shar suggested, "Or would you want me to do so? Also... would you like to know whomst is next after this band?"

Suddenly, Zhuk furrowed his brow. He felt a pair of eyes gazing over at him with no small amount of inquisitiveness. His ear swished from the side, and then he turned his head to the direction he swore the gaze was coming from. Zhuk failed to notice anything, however, save for a swift shadow of black out of the corner of his eye. Strange.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

[As Maddy]

[Schoolrooms]

School was fun and all for Maddy, and she really liked learning stuff, but some days, it wasn't all that fun. She really liked reading stories and drawing, especially about spaceships and dinosaurs but there was other things that she had to do, like learning how to minus numbers that she didn't like.

It didn't help that she could tell that Mommy and Daddy were worried about something big.  Maybe they were even in trouble. She hoped not. It would be scary if something bad happened to them. But unfortunately, she couldn't go out and find them, as much as she wanted to go out to get them. She got in trouble the last time that happened.  So she'd have to wait until they picked her up.

[Little Mo | Schoolrooms | Starbase 185]

For Mo, adjusting to school had not been easy. But he did his best to make his sister happy. She liked it when he went to class and paid attention to the teacher. And then when Mo told her all about his day. He also enjoyed it when they painted with their fingers or played with his action figures. Also, he was fond of maths. To count numbers and write substractions made him feel like a big, ole important Ferengi businessman. At least, as far as he remembered his parent's stories to go about them.

While he was working on some additions, he noticed that his classmate, Maddy, seemed a little distracted. Tilting his head to the side, he waved his little hand in front of her to get her attention, "Hey Maddie, you okay? You schem to be thinking lots!"

[ShranLahr ch'Verret]

CPO ShranLahr ch'Verret
[Starbase 185 - Sickbay]

[Starbase 185 | Sickbay]

Savyn frowned deeply, looking over Lahr with an element of concern (which is pretty ironic, coming from him).

"Though that does place our procedure into preferred circumstances, I would not suggest you allow skipping meals to become a habit, crewman," he started to wrap an elastic band, prodding at the blue skin carefully to find a vein. "It is important to maintain a healthy diet."

His tremors suddenly increased, and he grimaced just slightly, removing his hands from the other man's arm to flex the muscles in his hands slightly, trying to make the shaking cease. Something had felt odd today... A high symptom day, he supposed.

Once his hands had gone back to a useable point, he got out his needles. "I've used the elastic to find a vein, and will now insert this needle into your circulatory system in order to extract approximately 2.7 Millimeters of blood. Prepare yourself."

Lahr gave a shrug at the Vulcan's ever so helpful recommendation about not skipping meals.   "Yeah.  I'll keep that in mind." he mumbled to himself sarcastically, knowing full well that the Vulcan could hear the quiet words but would interpret the mumble as the comment not being intended to be heard by others - though it totally was; because messing with Vulcans was one of Lahr's favorite things to do.

Bored, Lahr watched the Vulcan prep for the procedure.  The hand tremor was a little disconcerting especially if it were to happen while actually drawing the blood, but since the tech seemed to continue on as if it were normal, Lahr didn't comment on it.

Being told to prepare himself, Lahr chuckled.  "Just do it, already. I promise I won't cry." he teased.  Then to explain his rush, he added. "I'm running late and still need to set up my DJ mixer for my timeslot at the party."

There was a moment pause as the Andorian, looked over the Vulcan in amusement. "You should come over after your shift and check it out.  It's sure to be a fun event."

[James Carter]

[Conference Room - Starbase 185]

Ian took a deep breath and thought.

"Here it is. Either I can get these two ta understand and remain in command of Challenger or I can't and I'm off ta a penal colony."

Calming himself and he began the statement he'd been preparing since leaving the Land-Ta system.

"Sirs. On Stardate 79020.3, the Challenger was ordered ta investigate temporal disturbances originatin' in a system cataloged as L7-425977. The system has only been roughly charted by a probe some 86 years ago. This system lies some 50 light years from Starbase 185 and was completely unexplored..."

Ian talked for the better part of an hour of the discovery of the local sentient population; their seemingly impossible technological discovery of fold space drive; the impact of that technology on the Challenger's systems; the resulting discovery and capture of the away team as well as the ship's detection; the telepathic abilities of the Landsers; and finally the conference held with the leadership of the various nation-states of the planet.

"Yes, I understand that the Landsers are undeniably pre-warp, but they had faster than light technology superior to ours. The Prime Directive does nae cover such a situation. Given I was out of contact with Command, I had to interpret the spirit of the directive ta fit the situation.

"The Landsers were in mortal danger and were a mortal danger ta others. Given they clearly had advanced technological capabilities, I felt I was unable ta act in any other way ta save their lives and Federation citizens lives. That concludes my report. What are your questions Sir?"

[Conference Room | Starbase 185]

James leaned in, allowing a noticeable scowl to appear on his face. An audible disapproving "mmmm" rumbled from inside of him as he listened to Galloway speak. His eyes narrowed slightly as they buried into the captain across from him. "You took the decision upon yourself then?" Carter began rhetorically, thinking carefully on his words. His right hand met his forehead as his fingers grazed back and forth. "Do you know why it's called the Prime Directive captain?" He continued again, not waiting for an answer. "It's called that because it is a directive not to be violated above all others. Then you; a captain in the 25th century; feel as if you have the grounds to simply reinterpret the meaning of the directive. One so long standing it dates back to the Good Old Days of Robert April and Christopher Pike. Then at the same time - in the same mission - things go so poorly an away team is captured and your first officer ends up in a coma. I find that line of decision making somewhat troubling Captain." The admiral shook his head slightly and let out a sigh.

After letting his words linger for a moment he continued. "And yet..." Carter's eyes once again locked on to Ian's, his expression lightening some. "I now find myself questioning if I would have come to the same conclusion if I were in your situation. I don't know that I have the answer for that yet. Before we dismiss you, do you have anything else you'd like to express?"

[Ch'e N'ok Savyn]

CPO ShranLahr ch'Verret
[Starbase 185 - Sickbay]

Lahr gave a shrug at the Vulcan's ever so helpful recommendation about not skipping meals.   "Yeah.  I'll keep that in mind." he mumbled to himself sarcastically, knowing full well that the Vulcan could hear the quiet words but would interpret the mumble as the comment not being intended to be heard by others - though it totally was; because messing with Vulcans was one of Lahr's favorite things to do.

Bored, Lahr watched the Vulcan prep for the procedure.  The hand tremor was a little disconcerting especially if it were to happen while actually drawing the blood, but since the tech seemed to continue on as if it were normal, Lahr didn't comment on it.

Being told to prepare himself, Lahr chuckled.  "Just do it, already. I promise I won't cry." he teased.  Then to explain his rush, he added. "I'm running late and still need to set up my DJ mixer for my timeslot at the party."

There was a moment pause as the Andorian, looked over the Vulcan in amusement. "You should come over after your shift and check it out.  It's sure to be a fun event."

[Starbase 185 | Sickbay]

Savyn looked at the Andorian with a strange gaze, almost bordering on curiousity. His brow was raised slightly as he seemed to take in the offer, but after a moment, his eyes settled in resolve.

"I do not... 'party'" he said slowly. He'd never been the perfect follower of Surak's teachings, but... Such public displays of enjoyment were certainly off the table. As if to prove a point, he inserted the needle, drawing the blood he needed before quickly applying a gauze and beginning to wrap the wound.

[Ian Galloway]

[Conference Room | Starbase 185]

James leaned in, allowing a noticeable scowl to appear on his face. An audible disapproving "mmmm" rumbled from inside of him as he listened to Galloway speak. His eyes narrowed slightly as they buried into the captain across from him. "You took the decision upon yourself then?" Carter began rhetorically, thinking carefully on his words. His right hand met his forehead as his fingers grazed back and forth. "Do you know why it's called the Prime Directive captain?" He continued again, not waiting for an answer. "It's called that because it is a directive not to be violated above all others. Then you; a captain in the 25th century; feel as if you have the grounds to simply reinterpret the meaning of the directive. One so long standing it dates back to the Good Old Days of Robert April and Christopher Pike. Then at the same time - in the same mission - things go so poorly an away team is captured and your first officer ends up in a coma. I find that line of decision making somewhat troubling Captain." The admiral shook his head slightly and let out a sigh.

After letting his words linger for a moment he continued. "And yet..." Carter's eyes once again locked on to Ian's, his expression lightening some. "I now find myself questioning if I would have come to the same conclusion if I were in your situation. I don't know that I have the answer for that yet. Before we dismiss you, do you have anything else you'd like to express?"

[Conference Room - Starbase 185]

Ian bit back a hot retort as he knew he had to show restraint before this informal inquiry or there would be a court martial, something he was trying to avoid. Forcing himself to modify his tone he said.

"Sir, I took no decisions lightly. The Prime Directive itself says 'If said species has achieved the commensurate level of technological and/or societal development as described in Appendix 1, or has been exposed to the concepts listed in section 1, no Starfleet crew person will engage with said society or species without first gathering extensive information on the specific traditions, laws, and culture of that species civilization.' Given that the Landsers had, in fact, exceeded the technological requirements, but had not societally, I was in the process of gatherin' the information as required. Unfortunately, the away team insertion got buggered up on arrival, followed hard on it's heels by the Challenger bein' disabled. At that point, the Prime Directive had been rather buggered as well.

"I contend Sir that while you are standin' on the letter of the Prime Directive, I was actin' on the spirit of the Prime Directive, both in my actions before and after my ship was disabled by a technology that no one in Starfleet had encountered or has yet ta fully explain.

"Everything that happened on or near Land-Ta depends on the interpretation of star-farin'. The Landsers are star-farin' they just don't use warp ta do so. I contend that their fold space advances them ta the point that they would merit First Contact for that technological achievement alone."

Ian had made his point, all he could do now was wait to see of the admirals agreed.

[Neva Cordon]

[Starbase 185 -  Offices â†'  restaurant.]

It seemed like the Captain was getting called out again. She didn't blame him for skedaddling. He probably had the most interviews and paperwork to do out of the lot of them, and it seemed to be showing. "œGood luck."œ  she said as he almost seemed to be bolting off to his next appointment.

With that, Ardy was left again to her own devices. Though, she did remember one of her crewmates - Neva, if she remembered - wanted to hang out at some point. She could do with some company while she was waiting for something interesting to happen while everyone was on leave or getting asked a billion useless questions. Way better than being grilled for the umpteenth time or sitting on her hands doing nothing.

"œI'm down. Want to meet sometime for lunch? I've heard the pub down on the promenade has some good food. she asked.

[ACEO Lt.JG Neva Cordon|Starbase 185|Promenade Pub]

Neva grinned thoughtfully as she sat at a table in the Pub, taking a sip of the Aldebaran Whiskey. She'd meant to try it before, but never had a chance. She was duly impressed.

Despite the fact she was meeting Ardyn here, Neva turned her gaze to the PADD on the table before her. She'd been reading technical journals about possible refits her Iron Lady was getting, making notes and writing down questions to get answered the next time she was allowed access to her Lady. She shook her head and sighed. This Landser thing was dragging everything out way too long.

[Nira Said]

[Conference Room | Starbase 185]

James leaned in, allowing a noticeable scowl to appear on his face. An audible disapproving "mmmm" rumbled from inside of him as he listened to Galloway speak. His eyes narrowed slightly as they buried into the captain across from him. "You took the decision upon yourself then?" Carter began rhetorically, thinking carefully on his words. His right hand met his forehead as his fingers grazed back and forth. "Do you know why it's called the Prime Directive captain?" He continued again, not waiting for an answer. "It's called that because it is a directive not to be violated above all others. Then you; a captain in the 25th century; feel as if you have the grounds to simply reinterpret the meaning of the directive. One so long standing it dates back to the Good Old Days of Robert April and Christopher Pike. Then at the same time - in the same mission - things go so poorly an away team is captured and your first officer ends up in a coma. I find that line of decision making somewhat troubling Captain." The admiral shook his head slightly and let out a sigh.

After letting his words linger for a moment he continued. "And yet..." Carter's eyes once again locked on to Ian's, his expression lightening some. "I now find myself questioning if I would have come to the same conclusion if I were in your situation. I don't know that I have the answer for that yet. Before we dismiss you, do you have anything else you'd like to express?"

[Conference Room - Starbase 185]

Ian bit back a hot retort as he knew he had to show restraint before this informal inquiry or there would be a court martial, something he was trying to avoid. Forcing himself to modify his tone he said.

"Sir, I took no decisions lightly. The Prime Directive itself says 'If said species has achieved the commensurate level of technological and/or societal development as described in Appendix 1, or has been exposed to the concepts listed in section 1, no Starfleet crew person will engage with said society or species without first gathering extensive information on the specific traditions, laws, and culture of that species civilization.' Given that the Landsers had, in fact, exceeded the technological requirements, but had not societally, I was in the process of gatherin' the information as required. Unfortunately, the away team insertion got buggered up on arrival, followed hard on it's heels by the Challenger bein' disabled. At that point, the Prime Directive had been rather buggered as well.

"I contend Sir that while you are standin' on the letter of the Prime Directive, I was actin' on the spirit of the Prime Directive, both in my actions before and after my ship was disabled by a technology that no one in Starfleet had encountered or has yet ta fully explain.

"Everything that happened on or near Land-Ta depends on the interpretation of star-farin'. The Landsers are star-farin' they just don't use warp ta do so. I contend that their fold space advances them ta the point that they would merit First Contact for that technological achievement alone."

Ian had made his point, all he could do now was wait to see of the admirals agreed.

[{NPC} Admiral Hamish Gillespie | VIP Suite | Starbase 185]

Gillespie stared raptly as Galloway and Carter gave their pieces to each other. And reciting the written portion about the Prime Directive certainly brought Gillespie's attention further. He certainly reflected on how often it's easy to forget the details in the Prime Directive, the specifics.

"That's certainly some fine points, Captain," Gillespie said. "I guess we take warp technology so much for granted, we tend to forget that there are other means of traveling faster than light. Look at the Iconians, for example. And in any case, if the Iconians were still alive, how would we regard them? And there's also those peoples you encountered, Carter. The T'Sari and the T'Kori. They may have looked like they were technologically behind us, but possessed a unique technology, particularly when the T'Kori attacked Risa, you should remember, given the report about them.

"I feel that sometimes, there tends to be times when the letter may be inefficient," Gillespie concluded, "and so the spirit of the Prime Directive has to be more effective. I feel I'm inclined to agree with Captain Galloway, but in all honestly, we would need to exercise extreme caution in the future in regards to observing peoples when we take the Prime Directive into consideration. One may never know what they seem to have in regards to technology, they may likely catch us with our pants down."

[James Carter]

[Conference Room - Starbase 185]

Ian bit back a hot retort as he knew he had to show restraint before this informal inquiry or there would be a court martial, something he was trying to avoid. Forcing himself to modify his tone he said.

"Sir, I took no decisions lightly. The Prime Directive itself says 'If said species has achieved the commensurate level of technological and/or societal development as described in Appendix 1, or has been exposed to the concepts listed in section 1, no Starfleet crew person will engage with said society or species without first gathering extensive information on the specific traditions, laws, and culture of that species civilization.' Given that the Landsers had, in fact, exceeded the technological requirements, but had not societally, I was in the process of gatherin' the information as required. Unfortunately, the away team insertion got buggered up on arrival, followed hard on it's heels by the Challenger bein' disabled. At that point, the Prime Directive had been rather buggered as well.

"I contend Sir that while you are standin' on the letter of the Prime Directive, I was actin' on the spirit of the Prime Directive, both in my actions before and after my ship was disabled by a technology that no one in Starfleet had encountered or has yet ta fully explain.

"Everything that happened on or near Land-Ta depends on the interpretation of star-farin'. The Landsers are star-farin' they just don't use warp ta do so. I contend that their fold space advances them ta the point that they would merit First Contact for that technological achievement alone."

Ian had made his point, all he could do now was wait to see of the admirals agreed.

[{NPC} Admiral Hamish Gillespie | VIP Suite | Starbase 185]

Gillespie stared raptly as Galloway and Carter gave their pieces to each other. And reciting the written portion about the Prime Directive certainly brought Gillespie's attention further. He certainly reflected on how often it's easy to forget the details in the Prime Directive, the specifics.

"That's certainly some fine points, Captain," Gillespie said. "I guess we take warp technology so much for granted, we tend to forget that there are other means of traveling faster than light. Look at the Iconians, for example. And in any case, if the Iconians were still alive, how would we regard them? And there's also those peoples you encountered, Carter. The T'Sari and the T'Kori. They may have looked like they were technologically behind us, but possessed a unique technology, particularly when the T'Kori attacked Risa, you should remember, given the report about them.

"I feel that sometimes, there tends to be times when the letter may be inefficient," Gillespie concluded, "and so the spirit of the Prime Directive has to be more effective. I feel I'm inclined to agree with Captain Galloway, but in all honestly, we would need to exercise extreme caution in the future in regards to observing peoples when we take the Prime Directive into consideration. One may never know what they seem to have in regards to technology, they may likely catch us with our pants down."

[Conference Room | Starbase 185]

Carter glared at Gillepsie for a brief moment confused at the analogy. "Might I remind you that the first time we encountered the T'Kori was when they attacked their sister species at Beacon Point and we had already observed they were a warp capable species at that time." James replied dryly.

Then the admiral's attention quickly returned to the captain and the situation at hand. "I'll be frank captain, I remain undecided. It will take time and reflection to come to a conclusion on either side. Bluntly, it is a matter of fact that by the letter of the law you did violate the prime directive." Immediately following his last word Carter left out a frustrated sigh before continuing. "However...I'm not sure if I would have made a different call in your shoes. Hell, I don't know if that even makes it better or worse. As I said, it will take time and reflection. The only thing I can promise at this time captain is that consideration of the situation will not be taken lightly. Unless Admiral Gillespie has any further questions you are dismissed Captain." James leaned back in his seat and brought his hands clasped together in front of him.

[ShranLahr ch'Verret]

CPO ShranLahr ch'Verret
[Starbase 185 - Sickbay]

[Starbase 185 | Sickbay]

Savyn looked at the Andorian with a strange gaze, almost bordering on curiousity. His brow was raised slightly as he seemed to take in the offer, but after a moment, his eyes settled in resolve.

"I do not... 'party'" he said slowly. He'd never been the perfect follower of Surak's teachings, but... Such public displays of enjoyment were certainly off the table. As if to prove a point, he inserted the needle, drawing the blood he needed before quickly applying a gauze and beginning to wrap the wound.

For a moment Lahr thought the Vulcan was actually gonna accept but then it seemed the man had a change of mind.  The Andorian winced at the needle poke but wasn't quite willing to give up just yet.

"Well, you don't have to party to come to the event. You could... just observe.  Take notes.  Learn how to loosen up a little.