> "Sir, in a manner of an explaination, we were making use of down time
to shed some stress and tension. It was not our intention to embarass the
Federation, Starfleet, and certainly not you, Sir. We got carried away,
sir, and I promise you with all that I am that the behavior got us in the
brig will not happen again, Sir..." replied what looked to be the senior of
those in the pokey. He waited for the verbal lashing...
"'Shed' some strrress," she growled. "Is that supposed to be funny?"
She'd put on a good show so they understood she was serious.
(resp?)
"Listen up! I know you people lead strrressful lives. But I can think of
a hundrrred differrrent ways to rrrelax instead of boozing it up in frrront
of ourrr allies! We have an unknown enemy out therrre with plans to
destabilize the Federrration and the Klingon Empirrre and you'rrre
half-crrrocked!" That would get their attention. None of them knew why
they were here, other than it was a joint operation, and the magnitude of
the situation would hopefully sink in.
(resp?)
She looked at each of them carefully, her eyes critical. "All rrright,
listen. Frrrom now on, I don't want *any* alcohol used by any of you. I
have a sensitive nose, and I'll smell it on you, no matterrr what you use
to coverrr it. If you want to rrrelieve some strrress, and the trrraining
we'll be giving you isn't enough, you just let me know, and we can sparrr,
one-on-one, if you think you can take me, that is." She eyes them with a
challenging gaze. "Do you think you can manage that?"
(resp?)
"Good. I'll ask and see if Captain Black will overrrlook this incident and
let you go without charrrges, on my own honorrr that you won't do it again.
Any damages you might have done, howeverrr, will be coming out of yourrr
paychecks. Arrre we clearrr on all that?"
(resp?)
She walked over to the door and opened it, speaking loudly enough for them
to overhear. "Captain Black?"
(resp?)
"I've had a little discussion with my people, herrre, and they have
assurrred me that nothing like this will happen again, and they've even
offerrred to pay any damages the base might have sufferrred. In light of
this, I was hoping you might considerrr rrreleasing them underrr my
superrrvision and drrropping any charrrges. I will stake my perrrsonal
rrreputation on theirrr futurrre conduct, if that will help perrrsuade
you." Technically, Kitanya had no authority over him, since he was not in
her chain of command. The decision was his to make.
(resp?)
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"I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work."
- Thomas Alva Edison (1847-1931)
