> "In the past several days I have heard of the plans that Admiral Lasiter has been
> developing for the reshaping of Starfleet. I must admit that while I think they need
> some work, those plans are more than reasonable. They cover many different needs,
> and were formed with input from officers in the field. I understand that Admiral
> Lasiter has even been talking with Admiral Jora and a few others about specific
> parts of his plan to fine tune and hone his proposal. I think that we need to
> investigate this plan before we go off and try to remove him from command. I also
> think that we need to determine who our leader is. While you talk plenty, Admiral,
> you are not
necessarily our leader. There are others that are perfectly qualified. I understand
that Vice Admiral Kitanya is interested. I for one would love to hear more from her
before we decided to just follow your lead by default."
Kitanya stood. "Captain Lasiterrr speaks well," she said, nodding to him politely, a
gesture of respect. "I agrrree with much of what he says. Admirrral Lasiterrr does
have a plan, one that can worrrk with time and cooperrration. I also agrrree that we
should allow morrre time forrr him to develop it. This fleet is a disgrrrace!" she
said, now raising her voice to a
slightly more thunderous level. "It has been a disgrrrace forrr some time!
Everrryone herrre knows it. But that is not Admirrrral Lasiterrr's fault. He
inherrrited shatterrred pieces, and now Admirrral Ketterrring would like to crrrucify
him forrr not rrreassembling them fast enough. But is
Admirrral Ketterrring's way betterrr? It may be fasterr, but I have doubts about what
it will accomplish. Beating the brrroken pieces of the fleet with a hammer will not
forrrge it anew.
"What we need is not supplies and weapons. What arrre we? Guerrrillas? NO! We
arrre Starrrfleet officerrrs! Each and everrry one of us sworrre an oath to serrrve
the United Federrration of Plants and to prrrotect herrr
frrrom all enemies forrreign orrr domestic." She looked right at Kettering when she
said that line, then turned back to the audience. "I will be damned if I take up
arrrms against my own goverrrnment that I am sworrrn to defend! Starrrfleet needs
leaderrrs to guide the way, not forrrce it down theirrr thrrroats.
"And the way we need to guide the fleet is back to it's herrritage, back to the
rrreasons it was founded. Starrrfleet has always had two missions, both equally
imporrrtant, each balancing the otherrr out. One was a militarrry mission, to defend
the Federrration and its citizens frrrom tyrrrany.
The otherrr was explorrration, to rrreach out to the starrrs and find new places and
peoples. Each was a check against the otherrr, each crrreated balance. Too much
explorrration, and we become decentrrralized and lose ourrr strrrength and ourrr
cohesiveness. Too much militarrry, and we become a
fascist state, a dictatorrrship. I don't think I have to tell you which way the
scales arrre tipping today. This debate tonight isn't about the CinC. It's about the
futurrre of Starrrfleet and the Federrration itself. We have the powerrr to shape
that futurrre. It's up to us to decide whetherrr
we go back to the foundations that supporrrted frrreedom and democrrracy, orrr if we
follow down the rrroad we'rrre alrrready on, one that the Rrromulans and the
Carrrdassians followed, to a militarrry dictatorrrship. I know which one I want, and
I thought, when I firrrst came to this grrroup, that was what you wanted. I hope I
was rrright."
She finally went silent, hoping that she had insipired at least a few people there.
However, she'd also thrown down the gauntlet at Kettering, and everyone there knew it.
She hadn't been as bold as she'd wanted to be, to accuse him of plotting mutiny, but
she thought she'd made her point clear.
There was an awkward silence. Her words moved the crowd, but no one there dared
respond before Kettering. That would have invited the wrath of a powerful man.
When Kettering finally spoke, he was polite, but some how unconvinced. "Admiral
Kitanya, you speak gracefully. What you said moved me greatly. Bringing Starfleet
back to it's roots.... Worthy ideas, but we need more than just ideas. We need
strong leadership. Decissive leadership that will do what it takes to bring about
meaningful change to Starfleet. Do you really see Samuel Lasiter as that man? The
same Samuel Lasiter that has been CinC for almost 9 months now, with little to nothing
to show for it. But I forget the police actions that continue to drain resources and
eat at very fiber of Starfleet. The fact that we are in half of these actions hints
of tyranny. But he does nothing. He has had time to do many things, but does
nothing. Why should we now decide to give him more time, when he has squandered what
he has had up to now?" Kettering asked, politely if mocking of the CinC.
{response}
*****
Chris
GM- SPD & JSOC
