447: Legal Advice

by TC Blane and Zander Blakeslee
80801.2200
Following Wish You Were Here


Zander materialized on the small transporter pad back on the Alchemy. He expected to be greeted by Commander Blane but the ship's second officer was nowhere to be found in the cramped room. The only other soul in the room was the transporter chief.

Zander stepped off the pad and looked at the chief questioningly.

"Commander Blane said he would meet you in the captain’s ready room." The chief explained.

Zander nodded. "OK, thanks chief."

He turned and started to leave then paused and glanced back at the chief. "You wouldn't happen to know what I am walking into, would you?" He asked.

The chief smiled and shook his head in the negative. "No sir, and I'm glad for that because it seems like a real nightmare."

Zander sighed as he once again turned to leave. "Great." He stepped out of the door.

“Thanks again.”

= Ready Room =

Zander walked into the ready room to find Commander Blane seated behind the Captain's desk with a less then pleased look on his face and a very dejected looking Ensign Christian seated on the small couch.

"What can I do for you Commander?" Zander asked as he slowly walked into the room. He looked at Dane who continued to stare at the floor.

TC glared up at Zander. "It seems that we have had a breach of security." He paused. "I think."

Zander frowned. "I don't understand."

TC leaned forward. "I guess I'll start this with a question. Can a high ranking officer order someone to breach security protocols, invade personal space of another ranking officer without notifying the first officer, second officer, or chief of security for any reason?"

Zander thought for a moment. "Not without probable cause of a crime. You need to have a reason to circumvent the command structure and the security of a ship at space. You would have to prove that all of the command staff was either a security risk or incapacitated in some way. Even then you would at least have to let the CMO know. In short they would have to let someone know what was going on." Zander rubbed his chin. "If they thought there was a possible security breach or something like that they still would need to communicate it with me, even if they wanted to bypass the local command structure.

"It is setup like this to protect individual rights. They are always in place regardless of whatever group or security clearance someone might have. In fact according to Federation law they trump command authority." He added.

TC slowly stood up. "So, in short, even if someone is accused of a crime or is thought to be a security risk even an admiral could not breach protocol to invade personal files or space?"

Zander nodded aggressively. "That is correct. Not legally."

TC sighed. "OK then."

Zander glanced at Dane then back to TC again. "Can I know what this is about?"

TC thought for a moment. "I'll have to consult with the Captain. But your advice has been paramount." TC smiled. "Sorry to pull you away. I'll handle this from here."

Zander waved his hand. "Not at all. I'm at your disposal." He turned to leave but paused at the door. "I hope to see you on the surface for a little bit Commander, at least for the wedding."

TC nodded. "I'll be there for the wedding."

Zander nodded and walked out the door and headed back to the transporter room.

TC sat back down at the desk and glowered at Dane.

"I do not know what you think you found out about the Captain, if she remembers anything or not." TC already knew the answer but he was not going to let Dane know that because he could not be trusted. That much was certain.

The Captain had already confided in him that she did indeed remember, and TC had been the one to give her the letter that O'Sullivan had left with him.

"I'll tell you what you found out. Nothing. You saw nothing, you know nothing." He glared at Dane. "You were caught before you were able to find anything out."

"We understand each other?" He asked.

Dane quickly nodded understanding that Blane was giving him an excuse to avoid being filleted by Vox. The problem was he did not know why. It did not matter to him much, though, because Blane was probably going to bring him up on charges anyway...

Commander TC Blane
Second Officer
USS Serendipity/Alchemy

And

Lt. Commander Zander Blakeslee
Chief of Security/Tactical
USS Serendipity/Alchemy