The Long Arm

Posted on 28 Jan 2013 @ 5:35pm by Captain Jonathan Holliday & Lieutenant Jared Nicholas

2,402 words; about a 12 minute read

Mission: Episode 03 - Frontier
Location: USS Galileo - Deck 3, Security office, various
Timeline: MD -02, 1330

[ON]

"Computer, locate Ensign Jared Nicholas," Jeremy said.

He listened to the response and nodded. "On my way," he said unnecessarily. Along the way he contacted the security office to have certain arrangements made.

As he expected, it didn't take long to find Ensign Nicholas. He recognized the man from the bar the other night, as well as the file he'd gone over several times since then.

"Ensign Jared Nicholas," Jeremy said, standing in front of him and unmindful of his coworkers. Jeremy liked it better that there were people around to see what was happening. This way word of it would spread through the ship. An example would be set. "You are to come with me to the Brig. If you fail to comply with this order, any and all force necessary to affect this resolution will be used." Please run he thought to himself. Sidi would really love to chase after someone. He frowned only slightly. I want to chase after someone. he realized.

He stood, loose and ready for an attack or to finally release Sidi and see what he could do in a chase after someone.

Jared slowly stood to his feet keeping his hands in plain sight and making no sudden or hostile movements. "I was wondering what took you so long, Lieutenant. I'm not going to offer any resistance. Are you going to let me walk out of here like a gentleman, or are you going to put me in restraints?"

Jeremy glared at the young man. "Nicholas, there is nothing about you that is a gentleman and we both know it. Place your hands on the wall over there." Jeremy waited to see if he would comply or not.

"You're seriously going to make me go through this?" he asked with an arched brow. I know what I did was... stupid, but I'm hardly a hardened criminal."

Jeremy moved quickly, grabbing his arm and spinning Nicholas before slamming him against the wall. He kicked one of Nicholas's feet out, spreading his legs wide and forcing Nicholas off balance. "Now you move without being told and this encounter is going to stop being friendly. You understand me?" Jeremy asked while still pushing the younger man into the wall.

It was the most difficult thing the young linguist specialist had done in a long time. Despite Stone's being in a superior position, he was a pretty decent martial artist and stood a good chance if he chose to fight back.

His face being slammed into the wall, causing his nose to bleed and his teeth to clamp down on his gum almost pushed him into retaliating. But he stopped himself and allowed the larger man to do whatever he was going to do.

"You have anything on you I should know about? Weapons? Drugs?" Jeremy asked as he started the pat search.

"Nothing like that at all," he replied, "And for the record, I didn't resist and there are plenty of witnesses that will attest to that. I think you may have broken my nose."

"They are more than welcome to file a witness statement should they feel so inclined," Jeremy said as he applied the restraint Nicholas's right wrist and pulled behind his arm behind his back, the did the same for the left arm.

"You may want to consider that when you're given an order by the Chief of Security, you need to follow it. I'll decide what constitutes resisting." He pulled Nicholas from the wall and turned him to move him out of the science offices. "Remember that you're no longer a juvenile and I'm not a pushover. Try something on the way to the brig and it'll be more than your nose you think I broke."

"You didn't give me a chance to comply... sir. And you intend to file charges against me, go right ahead, but I'm filing a complaint against you for your tactics."

"Of course you are, that's what your kind always does," Jeremy said as he placed Nicholas against the wall while waiting for the turbolift. " Cast blame on others to obfuscate your own guilt." After the doors opened, "Face the back wall."

Jeremy made sure Sidi was in before he gave the command to take them to deck two.

Jared did as he was told, "That's not what I'm doing sir. I'm not hiding from what I did nor am I trying to obfuscate anything, but what you're doing for the charges I'm faced with is over the top. You're not enforcing the law, you're acting as judge and jury.

I have rights and you're violating those rights."

"Right on schedule, the declaration of a violation of rights and over dramatization of my position. You really have done this before haven't you." He waited for the doors to open before stepping out and then ordering Nicholas out.

Jared counted to ten, very slowly in Romulan, "No I haven't actually. If you had bothered to check my record you would find I have no complaints, no accusations and no charges have ever been filed against me up until now. In fact if you check back to the Academy, you'll see I didn't even get a single demerit my junior and senior year.

You're taking a minor infraction, one that I am taking responsibility for and blowing it way out of proportion."

"I did check on you, Nicholas, but I went much further back than the Academy." Jeremy opened the security door and took Nicholas to cell two. After placing him inside, still restrained, he activated the security field.

He then locked Sidi into his office before returning to the cell.

==^== Stone to Commander Holliday. Nicholas is in custody and in the brig now.==^==

"Computer, seal security office for all but Commander Holliday." He disengaged the force field. "Come out so I can process you into the system."

Jared stepped out, "I want to know what I'm being charged with Lieutenant, or is that a secret?"

"Fortunately for you, Ensign, this isn't one of the proletariat courts you are so find of advocating for. You get to be in a system that doesn't do secret charges. You well be told the nature of your charges, after you're processed into the system."

"Well once you have me processed, and you've read off those charge of mine. I want counsel here and I want some medical attention. Until both of those things take place I'm reserving my right to silence. I'm not going to answer any of your questions."

"That is your choice, Nicholas," Jeremy shrugged. "Doesn't affect me in any way as I'm not the one sitting in thus brig for the next two days and then transferred to the brig on the starbase when we arrive there. Their may be a JAG counselor on that base, but I don't know. Now, I'll just process you through the system and let you get comfortable in what will be your new home for awhile."

True to his word Jared simply nodded.

Jeremy took him to a small room and had him change from his uniform into a jumpsuit marking him as a prisoner then began working on the process of entering him into the record as an inmate aboard ship while waiting for Holliday to arrive. He also sent a request to Medical to have a corpsman or nurse sent down to do a medical evaluation. He was sure there was nothing more wrong with Nicholas than his perversions and a nosebleed, but he had to have a medical evaluation done anyway.

Jared wasn't sure whether he should be fuming or remorseful. Had he made a mistake, there was no doubt about, was he going to throw Ansen under the bus? No way.

Nonetheless he felt he had a rather strong defense and if Stone wanted to make a Federal case over something relatively minor, then he would deal with it.

With the call from Stone, John had virtually leapt over his desk and begun his journey to the security office. He was already beginning to formulate a plan to get the information he wanted, and at the same time calculate an appropriate punishment for a member of his crew who had violated quite so many regulations all in one fell swoop.
The trip on the turbolift, albeit only one deck, felt as if he had traversed the entire length of a Sovereign class starship. Stepping out onto the plating outside the security office, Holliday took a deep breath and stepped inside.

"Mr Stone.....good work. I trust the Ensign has been processed and secured?"

"Affirmative, Commander. You should understand he is not happy about the arrest and treatment. I have medical sending someone to do a prelim exam, but he's claiming a broken nose. And he's invoked right to counsel. On the plus side for me, he made a spontaneous confession." Jeremy wanted to make sure the Commander was as fully informed as he could be before he started to engage the prisoner.

"Whilst we're waiting for Medical to send someone down I'm going to see the Ensign myself. If you could show me to his cell?"

John knew that any officer who was up to date on their Federation legal code would know exactly how to get around the various legislation that Starfleet put in place for internal issues. That said, the XO was well trained at dealing with lower ranking crew, and he was hoping that simply a change of face from the Security chief to the XO would be enough to conduct an effective interview.

Jeremy blinked at the Commander's request then pointed behind him to cell two where Nicholas sat. He instructed the computer to drop the security field while the office remained locked. Nicholas seemed liked he knew three consequences of trying to run. If he attacked three Commander, well, Jeremy's day would get much more interesting.

Tag

Jared's nose had stopped bleeding at least but it was swollen. Whether or not it was broken would be up to medical to determine. The pain had been reduced to a dull throb that he was pretty much able to put out of his mind.

He looked up to see the XO standing there and he wasn't sure if that was a good or bad thing. He quickly determined it was probably a good thing, at least the XO, who looked rather pissed, would be fair and possibly listen to his side of the story.

"Ensign Nicholas. At what part of your courses at the Academy did you start thinking that it was ok to perform...private acts...with another member of this ship's crew in a public environment? I must admit I missed that particular course myself, would you care to explain?"

John was in no mood to discuss anything more than he had to - the fact that he had been forced to lock one of his own crewmembers up for something that should never have happened in the first place was enough to make his blood boil. Whereas he might have been interested in a more detailed explanation for more minor offences, in this case there was simply no defence.


"Sir," he replied, the blood rushing to his face. "That course is not taught. What I did was... a major error of judgment sir. It didn't start out to be anything like that, I just went there to get something to eat. That is no excuse, I realize that, I was thinking with the wrong, well I wasn't thinking at all to be honest.

The only potential mitigating factor, and I do say mitigating, there is no excuse for what happened, is that the kitchen was locked at the time or at least I was lead to believe it was locked and I didn't think there would be anyone coming in.

I didn't think of the security cameras until it was too late.

I've never done anything so... completely and utterly stupid before in my life. Whatever punishment that is decided on, it should fall on me alone sir. I'm the officer, or at least I WAS the officer. Ansen is a civilian. I take full responsibility. I could have said no and I didn't. He should not have to suffer the consequences for my actions.

All of that being said sir, I was coming along willingly and without resisting whatsoever. I stood, I told him I would come along and only asked that he not handcuff me and allow me to walk out with him, without making a spectacle. Without provocation he slammed me against the wall and did this to my face.

Regardless of the seriousness of the charges against me his actions were, well I'll just say they were a bit much."

"Those are somethings that I will look into a much later date. For now I have to contend with the fact that a member of my crew is unable to act appropriately aboard this vessel."

"Yes sir," he replied sitting down again.

John sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose as he attempted to gather his thoughts into one coherant string. On one hand, he wanted to kick this individual off of his vessel, but on the other, with Galileo preparing for her next mission, the XO really didn't want to have to deal with diverting crewmembers at this late stage.

"I'll be taking this up with the captain. For now you are confined to the Brig pending her decision on how to proceed."

Jeremy frowned as he worked on the console. Had he heard right? Holliday not only asked him to take care of this issue - authorized it to be 'callous' and is now leaving the crewman in the brig for his actions? He looked down at Sidi, as if somehow this was the dog's doing. Either way, it was gratifying to have some time go by without getting into an argument with his superior. Perhaps things were turning around.

Jeremy watched Holliday leave the security office. He sighed as he sent another message to medical inquiring about having a nurse or corpsman come down to do a check on the inmate.


[OFF]

Cmdr Jonathan Holliday
Executive Officer
USS Galileo

LTjg Jeremy Stone
Chief Security/Tactical Officer/K9
USS Galileo

Ensign(for now) Jared Nicholas
Language Specialist
USS Galileo

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