You Are Relieved

Posted on Thu Jun 6th, 2024 @ 11:33pm by Commodore Tyler Malbrooke & Lieutenant Junior Grade Rachel Sinclair & Sergeant Major Lachlan Barr
Edited on on Sat Jun 8th, 2024 @ 7:50pm

0 words; about a 1 minute read

Mission: Episode 15 - The Evil That Lies Beneath
Location: Bridge - Deck 1 - USS Pioneer
Timeline: MD006 0800 hrs

"Why do they make jeffries tubes so fucking hard to move around quickly in?" Lachlan asked rhetorically as he climbed towards the ready room of the Pioneer. Behind him climbed the assistant security chief Ensign Sinclair.

He groaned some more as they came close to the hatch.

Crawling along just behind Lachlan, Rachel shrugged, "I'm not sure Sergeant, Surely the engineers would prefer to be comfortable while working"

The computer chimed. "Commodore the Shuttle Bay has been depressurized."

"Engage emergency forcefields and lockout launch control. Authorization Malbrook-pi-420." Tyler sat alone on the bridge. He had a level one security lockdown on the bridge. No one would take the bridge or the ship from him. Not while he drew breath. If worst came to worst he had the order that he placed in the computer.

As the pair got closer to the bridge, Rachel paused for a moment, "Sergeant, I've just thought of something, we could push out one of the wall consoles behind either the operations or tactical stations as our means of entrance, it would be quiet and might be something Captain Malbrooke may not expect"

"Tactical would be closer to the ready room." Lachlan replied. "Would be better I think if I came out at tactical and you came out at the operations station. That way we can flank from both sides and hopefully surprise him and distract him. More so you, and I can move down close to him. What do you think?" he asked.

Giving it a quick moment of thought, Rachel nodded, “let’s do it.”

The two of them split as Lachlan headed to the rear of the tactical station and waited for Rachel to signal him saying she was behind the operations one. A small chirp gave him that signal and he pressed it back as they both began to push out the consoles so they could slide out.

Once free from the confines in the interior of the ship he looked over to the operations console and saw Rachel was ready. He gave her a signal to stay low at the moment. Him standing up would draw Tyler's attention. She would eventually move to cover him once his view was fixed on Lachlan.

Rising from behind the console he cleared his throat as Tyler turned. "You are a hard man to get a hold of sir." he said moving around slowly and with his hand up slightly and open palmed.

Staying crouched behind the operations console, Rachel held her phaser in both hand close to her chest as she listened to the exchange. Although she didn't want to have to do it, she knew that as the senior most security officer, she would have to stun Tyler if things got physical.

The sound of a voice on what should have been his peaceful and silent bridge drew Tyler to his feet. His uniform was unzipped and he appeared haggard. Sweat matted his hair down, the sweat dripped down his face as his eyes darted around the room. Tyler searched for anyone who would come take his bridge from him. He spun on his heel and saw that Lachlan was behind the Security console. He had not extended his forcefields to include the Jefferies Tubes, a mistake he would rectify shortly. "Indeed I am and I intend to keep it that way. I ordered this Bridge cleared. But of course you have no interest in following orders."

The computer interrupted Tyler just as he was getting started. "Unauthorized launch in progress. Shuttle bay doors have been damaged." Tyler smiled it was crooked, the smile of a deranged man who thought he had the upper hand. "I knew you would try this. Mutiny then! This will be the end of all your careers. Computer, execute order sixty-six." A chime from the computer acknowledged Tyler's order. The USS Pioneer began to unleash proverbial hell on the Serenity. Phasers fired on all arcs and spreads of torpedoes fired in various patterns.

"There you see we will blast your mutineers out of space." Tyler addressed Barr again. His statement was followed by no small amount of maniacal laughter.

Lachlan sighed and shook his head as if to prove that Tyler had gone too far. This needed to be handled calmly. "Ensign Sinclair." he called over to the Ops console and waved her to rise and approach him. The Serenity was now in danger and they needed assistance as much as this situation needed to be rectified. Moving from the tactical console he indicated Sinclair to move into. "See what you can do about disabling the captain's security measure. Here's my command code." he gave her to use as he moved down the stairs and approached raised central reservation that held the command chairs.

Carefully standing up from her position behind the ops console, Rachel paused for a moment before slowly moving between the two consoles all the while keeping an eye on Tyler. While she wasn’t sure exactly where to start with overriding the CO’s command codes, Rachel was sure there had to be a way.

"You think this is mutiny sir." Lachlan shook his head as he approached. "It's not. It's doing you a favour before you do something you truly do regret. You looking fucking awful Tyler." he said seeing if he could appeal on a personal level before adding "sir." As he just couldn't shake the marine in him.

Tyler's head darted to the tactical console as Sinclair reached that area. "Ensign Sinclair you will belay that order. You will stand down and await further orders from me. This is my command to do otherwise would be mutiny. Your career would be over, the stockade would be your destiny. Is that what you want? Now stand down." He practically shouted the words in Rachel's direction. The being within Tyler knew that he could instill fear in those of lower rank than Tyler and that was what it attempted to do right now.

Freezing in place just as she reached the tactical console, Rachel hesitated for a moment as she looked over at Tyler, an expression of fear starting to spread across her face. Swallowing her nerves, she stepped into the tactical alcove, “no Sir”, she said firmly before turning her attention to the weapons. If this was to be her final actions as a Starfleet officer, it would be in the action of protecting lives. Now she just needed to get her hands to stop shaking.

"Disobeying your superior officer is mutiny no matter which way you swing it..." Tyler began and turned his attention back to Lachlan. The viewscreen showed the impacts of the weapons on the Serenity. The flames and bright flashes served to illuminate things periodically on the dimmed bridge. "Now Chief I am only going to tell you once. Stand down or be charged with mutiny."

“It’ll be your word against ours Sir, and with the strange way you have been acting lately, we have a rather strong case. Firing on another Starfleet Vessel for example is a violation of protocol” Rachel said without looking away from the weapons controls. Phasers were firing in a standard attack pattern but the torpedoes hadn’t reloaded yet. Maybe that could be a good place to start, though the computer wasn’t going to make it easy.

"Sergeant Major." Lachlan corrected Tyler. Maybe it wasn't the smartest idea but he wasn't a chief, and nor would he ever settle for that title when he'd worked hard for the rank he had. "You have never called me chief, that even more so shows me how far you've slipped into this madness. Ensign Sinclair is right..." he said moving closer to him. "you would never fire on your own people no matter what they were doing." he gestured to the viewscreen. "And yet here you are using the force you can wield like some mad Emperor paranoid that the galaxy is against him."

For the moment Tyler disregarded what Lachlan had said and instead turned to Rachel. "Yes, Ensign when that inquiry comes who do you think they will believe. Me, a decorated Starfleet Commodore or you an Ensign who can barely hold on to that rank. Who has been investigated on more than one occasion. I say again lower your phaser and stand down before you get into even more trouble." He then turned to Lachlan. "As for you... You enjoy your rank, position and privilege because I allow it, and this is how you thank me. With mutiny, your own Commanding Officer has deserted his post because of the disgrace you bring him. Since you won't stand down I will have to remove you from my Bridge." Tyler saw the slightest hesitation in Lachlan's forward momentum. This hesitation could have been because Lachlan did not want a fight, whatever it was Tyler took advantage of it. A solid right hook landed on Lachlan's jaw and sent him spinning to his right and off balance.

Starring in shock at what she’d just saw happen, Rachel quickly levelled her phaser at Tyler, “stand down Commodore!” She demanded, raising her voice a little more than what she’d intended, but she was hoping to calm the situation down a little by showing some backbone, although the phaser that was shaking in her hands defiantly showed how shaken up she was. Every bit of Starfleet training she had was yelling at her to obey Tyler’s orders, but her own conscience told her what he was doing was wrong and he had to be taken down.

Tyler laughed maniacally as he saw the phaser levelled at him. "Stand down or what. You will shoot me and end your career. Well then do it..." He said as stepped toward her. "Do it and complete what you started..." He took two more steps toward her. "Do it and show everyone that you have the courage of your convictions. DO IT DAMN YOU SHOOT ME!" Tyler shouted as he continued to approach Sinclair.

Lachlan righted himself and raised a hand to indicate to not fire on the Commodore whilst using his other hand to wipe his mouth. There was a little blood but nothing serious. He'd been hit harder before. "I enjoy my rank because it is hard earned and done so by being loyal to ideals that you seem to be forgetting. You don't 'allow' it, it is not yours and the marines don't truly answer to you but to Major Tremble. I serve at his pleasure, and I am doing this in service of this ship and all of her crew, marine and naval alike." he had closed the distance now as Tyler took an instinctive step back.

Lachlan put both hands up and continued his move forward. "Sir, you are not well. You are under the influence of something and you need medical care." he said and placed a hand on Tyler's upper arm as he had relaxed a little but his eyes darted to the noise of a clip attaching itself to his uniform.

"You are relieved sir. I'll take over watch from here." Lachlan said as Tyler opened his mouth as the shimmering light of the transporter removed him from the bridge.

"A stockade it will be then. MUTIN...." Tyler's shout was cut off as the transporter effect took hold of him and he was gone. Within his head the being that had taken control was thrown off proverbial balance. What had just transpired was not something it had expected. Now, it had to to regroup and push forward.

There was now a deathly quiet on deck as Lachlan turned to looked at the command chair, and uneasy tension about the vacancy that needed filling.

Taking a deep quivering breath in, Rachel held it for a moment before quickly releasing it and turning her attention back to the tactical console. Using the Chief of the Boat's codes, Rachel was able to quickly bypass Captain Malbrooke's program by changing the number of officers required to activate the program from one to two.

As soon as she confirmed that the weapons systems were powering down, Rachel took one step back from the tactical console and immediately collapsed as he legs gave out from underneath her. Was her career truly over?

Lachlan sighed as he watched Rachel drop to her knees. "Get up ensign. This is not the time to feel sorry for yourself." he said as he turned away from her and looked at the viewscreen. "Computer, I am taking command of the Pioneer under Starfleet Regulation 619. Captain Malbrooke has been emotionally compromised and is unable to fulfil his duties, as such he has been relieved of command pending medical review. Authorisation Barr-Delta-Sierra-Two-One-Three-One-Eight. Please note the time and date in the log."

There was a slight chime and then the computer spoke. "Recognize Barr, Lachlan Sergeant Major. Does a second bridge officer concur with this change in command?"

Taking a deep breath in to re-center herself, Rachel picked herself up from the floor before responding, “Yes I concur, Ensign Sinclair, acting Chief Security Officer, authorisation code Sinclair-Zero-Four-Zero-Bravo-Sigma.”

Once again the computer spoke. "Recognize Sinclair, Rachel Ensign. USS Pioneer now under the command of Sergeant Major Lachlan Barr as of this time and date."

Lachlan now turned to face the command chair and reluctantly sat down. Soon he shifted position, and then again. He just couldn't get comfortable. "I don't like this chair." he commented and sniffed. "And we may need to burn it. The captain sat in this for far too long." he smirked before unlocking the bridge lockout so other officers could return.

Looking down at the armchair panel he opened a channel to the ship. "This is Sergeant Major Barr, Captain Malbrooke has been medically relieved of command and I am now in command of the Pioneer. We will work hard now to find our missing senior staff and return them to us, as well as see that the captain is well taken care for his return to the centre chair. Please have those that are on bridge duty return and report all stations, all decks. We will move forward. Barr out."

A Joint Post By

Commodore Tyler Malbrooke
Commanding Officer, USS Pioneer

Ensign Rachel Sinclair
Assistant Chief Security/Tactical Officer, USS Pioneer

Sergeant Major Lachlan Barr
Chief of The Boat, USS Pioneer
First Sergeant, The Cure

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