[snip]

Once the CNS was at rest Drudoc meanwhile remained in her chair. “..I would not ask you to go into details on your patients needs counselor. I am sure you can understand that, unlike many other ships you are not the sole person in your department so trained. You have junior staff to take up the slack when mission briefings like this are called and your junior staff could handle in most cases the issues you have highlighted for those in need.” She said. “..when mission briefings are called these are a high priority. If situations arise where you are in a meeting dealing with a patient like you just said, then you need to communicate this to me or the XO that you will be a few minutes late, or if unable to attend then you need to send a designated junior counselor in your stead. Do you have any comments to this or questions?” she asked.

Drudoc Andone CO

Mar nodded. “No, Captain. I’ll make sure it doesn’t happen again. And I’ll heed your advice about sending someone else in my stead in dire circumstances.”

Something had to be bothering the Captain to go to the depths of reprimand when she hadn’t in the past. Taking a breath, Mar relaxed a touch and cocked her head slightly. “Captain, what is it? This is more than me walking into the meeting a minute or two late. You know you’re welcome to take your irritation out on me any time. But it’s my duty as Counselor to ask what’s troubling you.”

She then slid slowly into the chair across from the Captain. “And I find it is my nature, as your friend, to ask how I can help. Is there something about this mission that bothers you?”

Mar CNS

The Romulan woman looked at Mar for a moment, her expression well schooled at not giving away her internal feelings or thoughts. Finally after about a 5 second period of thought she spoke again clasping her hands together on the table. “..To be clear counselor, no one thing is troubling me, either in my duties to commanding this ship, our mission ahead, or my personal or family life..” She said, now whether that was true, or simply well schooled evasion of experience in covering up the actual truth was anyone’s guess.

Without skipping a beat though Drudoc continued, “..I do not know if you have dug too far into my public record with Starfleet and the Federation since being given an official commission in 2384, or prior to that in the Star Empire’s Imperial Navy just before and during the Dominion War. But regardless I have always carried out my duty to either force to the upmost of my ability and I expect the same of those under my command..” She said pausing to consider her next words, “…however, that said. This ‘mission’ to me personally feels almost like an insult from Starfleet both to myself and this ship her crew. To use a ship and crew of this nature to make a simple ‘mail delivery’ to some quite internally situated Federation colony is to me a gross waste of time, resources, and assignment where a larger cargo ship would more then suffice.” She explained.

Letting out a slow controlled breath that might be a muffled ‘sigh’, she then went on, “..It was such this fact I explained to Admiral Stevens at Starfleet HQ for the core world of the Federation. He explained that I ‘did not see the bigger purpose’ in response. When I asked for clarification he told me to ‘shut up and carry our our orders’.” she said.

Turning to pull over a PADD Drudoc again pulled up all information given about the Losa system from before, that she tapped at to read to herself again while she spoke, “..I checked both all normal sources of information on the region, supplies, pirates, safety, internal colonial politics, and even those I am connected with regarding classified intelligence. Nothing about our mission is concerning other then there is nothing to justify using the Ark Angel in this manner vs say a large cargo ship. Nor is there anything that could be assigned us per our mission orders once completed that once we finish delivery we return to Sol for further orders afterwards..” She said, “..This either means there is nothing concerning for Losa and as such is simply Admiral Stevens horribly mismanaging Fleet resources for some reason, or it is an attempt to misdirect any foreign parties of why the Ark Angel is being pulled off the frontier to be given something else at a later time which is above my clearance levels in Starfleet Intelligence which is.....rare..” She said indicating without saying that she probably had very high level clearances and so if something wasn’t able to be cleared for her it was very concerning likely in some way. “..Given Admiral Stevens is not connected to any intelligence branches and is nothing more then an internal colonial administrator for the Federation’s core worlds, I am, given the evidence considering it is him doing the former rather then the latter.”

Drudoc Andone CO