<snip>

“Excuse me, Senator Belgrande,” Renveer interjected from over Molly’s shoulder with a disarming smile, “I hope you’ll pardon the interruption. I’m Lieutenant Commander Renveer, executive officer of the Dresden. I appreciate, as always, your vigilance in ensuring that the Federation is using its resources wisely and with good intent. I think we can at least assure you that this mission is indeed a special project in need of our immediate attention.” He hoped the emphasis he placed on the words would signal a desire to maintain a level of discretion while also allowing the senator to determine his meaning for herself through the double-speak she alluded to. Perhaps it wasn’t the straight answer she wanted, but maybe it explained why the straight answer wasn’t an easy one to give.

(Lt. Cmdr. Renveer, XO)

Belgrande opened her mouth to object, but something clicked in her expression and she stopped and paused, looking at both Dresden officers. Her head tilted slightly to the side and her eyes bore into Renveer.

“You don’t say, Commander… you don’t say.” she said thoughtfully and then her eyes snapped to Holloway. “Captain, is Tulo’t who I should be asking about this? Or did your orders come from elsewhere? That much you are free to answer, I would hope.”

GMT

“Uh…” For the first time in the conversation, there was a hint of nervousness in Holloway’s tone. Her pride was on the line now, as she had to admit to Senator Belgrande that she had been telling her to speak to the wrong person all along. Molly shot Renveer a quick yet menacing glare, before settling her gaze back on the Senator. “Our initial orders came from him, yes. And I am sure he would be able to direct you to the right person to brief you in more detail about the present situation, Ma’am.” She paused before working up the courage to ask what was on her mind. “What I don’t understand is why a Federation Senator is so interested on a mission that they would bypass the chain of command to gather information about it. Maybe you could tells us what is your particular interest in this mission? Because, as I mentioned before, I would not be doing my job if I was disclosing mission information to anyone who asks, including a Federation Senator.”

Holloway, CO

Belgrade’s lips twitched into a smile… a wholly unpleasant one, though. “My interest is in making sure precious resources aren’t being wasted on some Admiral’s pet project when they couod be put to better use elsewhere. And now that we ha e established that you are giving me the runaround and aren’t unknowingly obtuse or just plain dense, let’s drop the game of twenty questions. Who ordered the Dresden out, and why? One or both of you better start talking, or this will be the shortest mission in history.” The Senator looked away and said loud enough for both officers to hear “Get me the Star Fleet Inspector General’s office on the line.” and there was the sound of acknowledgment from off-screen. Belgrande looked back and said “Perk of being on the Sentae Budget Comittee, Captain. I can call for an IG audit any time I want. So I’ll leave it up to you: Tell me who ordered you out, or you are going to be docked again and swarmed with accountants and beaureucrats for the next three months. Your call.” the Senator added with a finality in her tone that left no doubt she was not joking.

GMT

And that was it. Just like that, things were starting to spiral out of control. Out of her control, anyway.

Molly’s lips opened into a smile. Although contrarily to Belgrande’s, hers was a polite one. Maybe even a little too polite. “You have made your position clear Ma’am. And if you’ll excuse me for a moment, I would like a few minutes to discuss this with my Executive Officer.” And before Belgrande could reply she placed the call on hold.

Breathing out she sat down on one of the chairs. “I’m not wrong in thinking that coercion is a crime, right?” She didn’t turn to Renveer, but it was clear that her words were directed at him. Instead she propped her elbows on the table and rubbed her eyes. “God, the Jem’Hadar were easier to deal with.” She muttered.

Renveer raised an eyebrow at the dark humor, wondering if he had heard Molly correctly.

Finally turning to Renveer, the frustration and despair behind Molly’s eyes were clearly visible. “I’m not tailored for this level of social interaction… that’s why I chose covert ops to begin with.” It was a little blurb about Molly’s time with Intel that the former Counselor might not know about. “I don’t know what to do… Do we even have a choice? I could potentially call Hallsley and let him know what’s happening… but do we even have the time for that? Or I can just tell her about him and throw him under the bus… or I can just let her audit us and hope Hallsley doesn’t like her accusation that he’s misusing resources…” Molly sighed and rubbed her forehead. “She’s bypassing the chain of command to know who we are working with… but why not going through the proper back channels? It gets me uneasy.” There was a pleading look in her face. “Am I just being paranoid? What do you reckon is the best course of action?” It was a rare feeling with Molly, but after the day they were having, she felt like she needed a drink.

Holloway, CO

Renveer immediately moved to sit beside Molly as he recognized the spiraling pattern of her thoughts. “Molly,” he said with a firm, yet gentle voice, “in any other circumstance I would agree about redirecting the senator. But this is a bit different. I apologize for the lack of communication on my part, I was reviewing the senator’s file as you spoke with her. I think this information is especially pertinent.” He scrolled to a portion of the report on his PaDD and placed it softly in front of Molly for her review. “Senator Belgrande is known for hounding almost all departments of Starfleet, like she was initially doing to us, except for the Special Projects division. Strangely enough, she has never called for an investigation into their spending or ethics, and it seems some of the cuts she’s advocated for in other areas of Starfleet have been used to redirect those resources to Special Projects.” Renveer paused for a breath. “I think it’s a safe bet to assume that she is a member of the senate committee that the Special Projects division reports to, and likely has seen the benefits of the division’s operations in the past. I’m almost tempted to say that it’s likely she has a personal relationship with Admiral Hallsley. Being honest with her now will hopefully get her off our backs and only slightly expedite the rate at which she gets all the information anyways. And, given her workings with the Special Projects division in the past, I think the risk of her not exercising the appropriate level of discretion is minimal.”

Renveer had maintained eye contact with Molly as he spoke, motioning to the PaDD intermittently. He spoke calmly and clearly, hoping to present his case in an efficient, logical fashion. He hoped his report would help ground the captain a bit and prevent the situation from imploding unnecessarily.

(Lt. Cmdr. Renveer, XO)

Molly looked at Renveer and then at the PaDD, as he explained his reasoning. “No. You had no way of telling me about this. Maybe I should have waited a little longer before opening the channel…” Now she understood why he had said what he had, when he interjected moments prior. Holloway chewed on her lip as she considered her Executive Officer’s words. “It still doesn’t justify her actions. She should have followed the proper back channels.” If there was something Molly was, was a stickler for the rules. And the rules dictated that the Senator should have not called the Dresden directly. It had always been that way with her, and when something was not according to what the rules should have been, Holloway often had trouble dealing with them.

Taking a deep breath, Molly nodded. “I guess you’re right. It’s worth the risk.” Still her mind kept pounding that the Senator should not be rewarded with what she wanted after the actions she had taken, but Holloway did her best to ignore it. “Thank you.” She finally said. Her tone meant business, but she shot a small smile to Renveer in acknowledgement of his insights.

“Let’s do this.” Holloway said, standing up and walking back to the comm console. “I don’t want to keep Belgrande waiting any longer.” Tapping the console, she brought back the call.

Holloway, CO