Queen of Hearts

Posted on Tue Nov 22, 2016 @ 4:27am by Captain Madelina Weisz & Commodore Michael Aravan

Mission: An Orion to Die For
Location: Executive Officer's Office
Timeline: MD 3 || 1000 Hours

Commander Madelina Weisz sat in her office going over reports that started to make their way down from the various departments. She was used to this kind of thing after spending well over a year in her current position. Still, she was a bit distracted by the information they'd been given about Raimus. If it panned out, none of this was going to be easy. There would be a battle, which meant people would lose their lives, and that was if it was true.

She didn't trust the Orion woman... whatever her name was. Hell... she didn't trust anyone that came off of the freighter. Only a fool would after finding the device attached to the computer. She'd need to have a meeting with the Captain to figure out what they were going to do, not to mention the likelihood there would need to be a senior staff briefing regarding Raimus. There was no Command could leave them in the dark about something as major as that. When she went to finally talk to the Captain as they did multiple times throughout a normal day, she'd bring that up.

Maddy had a headache. Powering down the PADD in her hand and setting it down on the top of her holographic desk, she leaned back in her chair and gripped the bridge of her nose. She was going to take a few minutes to close her eyes, clear her head and have herself a woosah moment before she jumped into the thick of it once more.

A second after she powered down the PADD, her terminal beeped to indicate an incoming message from the Security Investigation section of the massive Security and Tactical department.

The Commander's eyes snapped open when her terminal beeped. There was obviously no rest for the wicked, and considering her position, she didn't really expect there to be. With a sigh, she turned to her terminal and accessed the message with an arched brow. It wasn't every day she received a message from Security Investigation, which meant it was likely something that would take priority. The reports and PADD would need to wait. What is this all about? she mused.

The face of Petty Officer Delrio came up on the holographic interface. "I'm sorry to bother you, Commander Weisz, but per your instructions for Security to allow no males to enter the area where the Orion prisoner is kept, I was to notify you if this happened." The woman pressed something off view and an image of Chief Barnes entering the brig and then going into the cell with the Orion woman replaced her.

The second the image popped up on the screen Maddy's blood began to boil. She felt an immediate spike in her blood pressure and found herself grateful she didn't have to wear a biomonitor for any reason. Sickbay would be going crazy. Her reaction had very little to do with the fact that Senior Chief Barnes was there, but the fact that a male was there at all after she'd given express orders that NO male be given access to that section of the brig.

"Thank you for bringing this to my attention, Miss Delrio. I need you to send me the entire feed," she ordered, saving the image so it could be brought back up when she needed it, and she would. "I also need the names of the officers on duty when this happened."

"Yes, Commander," Delrio said and sent the full video as she was ordered and the names of Petty Officer Sophi and Crewman Third Class Vintmore. "It appears that a request was sent to Operations due to a complaint about the replicator and something about dietary needs."

"Thank you, Miss Delrio. I'll handle it from here. If I need anything else, I'll be in touch," the redhead woman stated, tapping her commbadge as she closed the video conference with the Investigations officer. =^=Commander Weisz to Petty Officer Sophi and Crewman Vintmore... report to my office immediately.=^= Her tone left no room for argument, nor did she wait for a response from either woman. She tapped her commbadge once again to end the link and pulled the saved image up while she waited for her guests.

A few minutes later two female Security officers entered the room and Petty Officer Sophi came to attention with Crewman Vintmore a second behind. "Reporting as ordered, Commander," Sophi said while the female crewman wondered why she was there and looked around in wonder at the huge office.

"You're in the presence of a senior officer, Miss Vintmore. At attention." Maddy snapped as she rose to her feet and gestured to the monitor displaying the image of Senior Chief Barnes. It was clear by the look on her face that she was all business right now, and the fact she wasn't going to let them stand at ease spoke volumes. "I called you both here because my orders were blatantly ignored. What part of 'no males in that particular section of the brig' did the two of you not understand?"

Vintmore snapped to attention at the tone of the Commander's voice, but couldn't keep a tremor from going through her and didn't trust herself to speak without stuttering.

Sophi blinked at the fiery redheaded Commander's last question and took a moment to compose her thoughts. "Commander, we received no such orders restricting anyone from seeing the prisoner when we came on duty this morning," she said. "We were only told to report if we had any headaches and that only female Security personnel were to be assigned to her."

"That didn't give you some kind of inkling?" Maddy asked, placing her hands on top of her desk as she leaned forward. "All male Security officers were removed from brig rotation for that section. Didn't either of you find that odd? A good Security officer would have questioned that... found out why the male officers who are normally on brig duty suddenly weren't. Or perhaps... the fact that the two of you were pulled from your normal duties to cover what was lost didn't clue you in?"

Vintmore looked more confused than anything at the Commander's questioning. "We're Brig officers, Commander Weisz," she said. "That is our normal duties."

"She's correct, Commander," Sophi said as she defended the hapless crewman beside of her. "We were only told that female personnel only were to be watching the prisoner. As for questioning orders, Commander, that's a good way to get relieved of duty."

"Yes... you are both brig officers, but this isn't your normal section," the redhead stated, looking between the two women. "You may not have been made aware of my orders, and because of that, you're both getting off with a warning. Let this be a lesson for the both of you. You're dismissed."

With that, the two Security officers turned and headed out with Sophi giving the other woman a pat on the shoulder. "Time to pass the word," she said. "I pity the person who didn't pass that order on."

Maddy didn't. She looked at the duty roster for Security even though she didn't really need to. The Commander already knew the names of the two people who were on duty when she gave the order. Without further hesitation, she tapped her commbadge and called the two of them in. Her anger at these two women would be unrivaled. Now to wait.

A few minutes later, Ensign Müller, a short stocky brunette and Petty Officer Wright, a tall willowy blonde approached the Executive Officer's office and pressed the chime.

"Come!" Maddy ordered.

Müller entered the office first with Wright coming in behind her and both of them came to attention side by side. "Ensign Müller and Petty Officer Wright reporting," Müller said.

Blue eyes narrowed on the two women standing in front of her. Heads were about to roll in the proverbial sense, and she was the executioner. She hadn't earned the moniker 'Queen of Hearts' for nothing. Moving from around her desk, she approached the two Security officers and decided to jump right into it. "It's come to my attention that the two of you have failed to pass my direct orders on to those who relieved you of duty. Did either of you have problems comprehending 'no males' were allowed in that section of the brig? Not just male Security officers, but ALL males."

Instead of giving either of them the chance to answer her, she chose to continue. "As a result of your negligence, a male officer was granted entry not only into the brig itself, but into the cell of the Orion woman." Now... she planned to allow them the chance to defend themselves, but it wouldn't do any good. Failure to pass on orders was a punishable offense.

Müller met the Commander's eyes while still standing at attention. "Forgive me, Commander," she said. "The original order did not seem to include excluding department heads or anyone outside of Security in relation to males."

Wright paled and started shaking her head. "I told you we should have..."

"That is enough, Petty Officer Wright," Müller snapped at the taller blonde woman as she turned to face her. "You tell officers nothing!"

"The original order said no males. You choose to interpret it the way you did!" Commander Weisz shouted at Müller. "I'm the ranking officer here, and you will only speak when you're spoken to! Do I make myself clear?" She was beyond livid now, and her accent was growing so thick, she had to speak slower just so she could be understood.

"I understand," Müller said, but she didn't flinch at all. "I was given the understanding that the prisoner had been given an inhibitor shot which would neutralize the pheromones, which is the only thing that would affect a male."

The blonde Petty Officer beside of her looked more afraid of the stocky Security officer beside of her than she was of the Commander, but she didn't say a word.

"Questioning the direct orders of a superior now? You are hereby relieved of duty until further notice," the redhead woman snapped, her blue eyes darkening as her anger began to rise inside of her. It was taking every single ounce of her self control not to slam her head into the bulkhead across the room. "The next time you decide you want to attempt to grow a spine, watch who you're attempting to do it in front of. Get the hell out of my office and report to your quarters immediately. Defy these orders, and you'll find yourself tossed out of Starfleet so fast your mother's head will spin."

"I did not question your orders, Commander," Müller said defiantly. "I elaborated on what I was given to understand. How did I question your orders?"

If it were possible to move without moving, Petty Officer Wright appeared to be halfway to the door at the Commander's orders despiting having said nothing other than an attempt to say what she was going to before Müller cut her off.

"Wright... you can come back. I wasn't speaking to you," Maddy said, keeping her eyes locked on Müller. She took a step forward until the two women were nearly nose to nose. "You have been dismissed, Warrant Officer Müller. That means get the fuck out. Now."

"That's Ensign Müller, Kommandant Weisz," Müller sneered before she turned and left the office.

Write looked like a deer in the headlights and swallowed as she waited for the Commander to tear her head off.

The Commander turned her gaze to Wright. "What were you going to say earlier before you were cut off?"

"I...I was trying to tell you that I believed we should have passed along your exact orders, Commander," Wright said. "She's a bully and always threatens and orders anyone around her if they disagree with her for any reason. There's a number of Enlisted who want to file complaints against her, but no one has been willing because she finds a way to get back at them."

"She's been relieved of duty and can do nothing without building more of a case against her. If she thinks I'm done with her, she's sadly mistaken. I want you to give me a list of names of those wishing to file a formal report against her. Encourage them to come to me to file them," she said. "It's people like Muller that cause unsafe working environments, and that's just not okay. I'm not relieving you of duty. You wanted to do the right thing." She wasn't a total monster.

"Thank you, Commander," Wright said. "I'll talk and see who is willing to come forward, Ma'am. There's a history between the enlisted and officers as you're probably aware of, but I'm not one of the people with a problem. I knew that when I walked into the recruiting office instead of applying for Starfleet Academy."

"Do you wish to file a complaint against her? Based on what you've just told me, you have suffered her bullying long time," Maddy said.

"I do, Commander, but there would be more weight behind it if more than one person who has a complaint against her signs as a group," Wright said.

"You're correct. Make sure they understand that they won't suffer any repercussions for coming forward. I'll see to that," Maddy stated. "I look forward to speaking with you all. You're dismissed, Miss Wright, and make sure they know I'm on their side."

"I will," Wright said. "I'll let you know as soon as I get something." With that, the young woman turned and walked out.

Once Wright left her office, Maddy moved back over to her desk and settled down once again. First order of business... writing up the formal report against Muller. What she really wanted to do was show her the same courtesy she seemed to want to show everyone else, but that would make her a horrible Executive Officer. No, she was going to handle this the right way, and she was fairly certain it would end in a Captain's Mast. That was exactly what she was going to lobby for.

After sending that report to the Captain for review, she turned toward the monitor to watch the video. If her blood was boiling before, that was nothing compared to now. The only difference this time.... her vision began to bleed red by the end of it.