EXETERRPG: (2, 1630) ACADCO Vice Admiral Duke Williams, aCTO Ensign sg Jori

[Renee Bishop]

Mission: A New Day Dawns
Day: 2
Stardate: 2446.01.29

(Starfleet Academy - ACAD CO’s Office - ACADCO, Vice Admiral Duke Williams and aCTO, Ensign sg Jori -1630)

“Ensign, I’m kind of disappointed.”

Jori remained at attention, not knowing what to say. She knew she was in trouble, but she was more embarrassed to be standing in front of the admiral while wearing shorts and a torn shirt.

“You went through your entire academy career without having to be called into my office for a disciplinary matter, and yet here you are, as an officer, right in the thick of a brawl.”

“Yes, sir. I’m sorry.”

“Now then, I am trying to get to the bottom of all of this. Where were you when the brawl started?”

“I was the pitcher, sir,” said Jori. “I was on the mound.”

"Did you intentionally hit the cadet batting with the pitch?"

“Yes, sir, I did.” Jori’s stomach was doing flip-flops.

"What happened next?"

“Cadet Tucker was… unhappy that I hit him,” said Jori.

"Why did you hit him?"

Jori was being vague, but the admiral was surely too experienced to not see through that. She had caused an issue without thinking about the consequences, so it was time to just tell what happened.

“Sir, in one of the games last year, Cadet Tucker hit a homerun off me. When he saw me today, he taunted me. A lot. I felt hitting him with a pitch was appropriate, as it’s part of the tradition of baseball.” She hoped that angle would work.

Duke shook his head. "It’s still a retaliatory action. An officer should know better."

“Yes, sir.” Jori disagreed, as there were times retaliation was justified, but she kept that to herself.

“Who threw the first punch?"

“Well….” Jori’s voice trailed off. “If you mean the very first punch, I don’t know. Cadet Tucker charged the mound, so in self-defense, I tossed him to the ground.“ Jori almost smiled, but held it in. ”After that, things exploded, so I can’t say who threw the first actual punch, sir.”

"Witnesses testified that Cadet Tucker hurled racist comments your way. Is this true?"

Jori was stunned at this. Mulling it in her mind, the only thing she could recall, was when Tucker referred to her as Baldy. Was that what the admiral meant?

“Sir, Cadet Tucker did call me Baldy, but I didn’t take that as racist and I wasn’t offended. It was more like competitive poking fun.”

If racism was where this was going, she didn’t want to see Josh expelled. She remembered him from when she was in the academy. They didn’t socialize, but she knew he could be forward.

"The fact of the matter, Ensign, is that I can't have officers hitting cadets with anything, justified or not. You're a role model now and there is more scrutiny."

“Yes, sir.” Jori’s stomach felt sour. She was going to be kicked out of Starfleet the day after a nice promotion. How could she face her family after bringing shame to them?

"In previous interactions with Cadet Tucker, how did he address you? Has he called you, well you know, on multiple occasions?"

“Oh, no, sir! He never called me that before today,” said Jori. “In fact, we had little interaction during my time at the academy. He… well… he was just someone I felt was cocky in his abilities. If I’m allowed to say, sir, I sincerely believe it was just a competitive situation that got out of hand. If I wouldn’t have hit him with the pitch, we wouldn’t be here now. I know I let you down, sir, but this is on me.”

"I see." Duke sighed. "I have half a mind to cancel the games going forward."

“Please, sir, don’t do that! Future cadets shouldn’t be punished for something I did. The games mean a lot. I heard you played, too.” Jori’s passion was beginning to rise.

“I understand, Ensign, but I had cadets striking a Starfleet captain. I have officers striking cadets. This kind of behavior is not dignified and not worthy of Starfleet. There have been at least two expulsions and four cadets have been placed on probation. Not to mention Cadet Tucker is under a full investigation as to anger issues and whether or not he exhibited racist behavior. As much as I love the game, perhaps it should go away.”

"Sir, for a long time, baseball didn't exist on Earth anymore," said Jori. "It was revived by people that love the game and it's rich tradition and history. We should honor that and keep it going for future generations to enjoy." In her impassioned plea, she rocked back and forth.

“And whether or not the game lives on, this is the last year in which officers will be allowed to participate.”

“I understand, sir.” There was disappointment in Jori’s voice, though serving on a starship, it was probable today was her last game anyway.

“Ensign, I am placing a formal note of reprimand in your file,” Duke said taking a deep breath. His nose had been stuffed up due to allergies for the last week. “It won't affect you as far as promotions go, but it will be on your record.”

“Yes, sir.” She wasn’t going to be thrown out of Starfleet! Jori was barely able to hold in her relief and excitement.

“Lastly, I am ordering you to find a senior officer on board the Exeter to serve as a mentor. You have 72 hours to select a mentor, and I expect you to inform my office of who they are. You have too promising a career ahead of you to throw it away for something as trivial as sports grudges.”

A mentor? That sounded more like a babysitter. Jori knew she would look up to more experienced officers to learn, but a mentor?

"I will, sir." Jori wanted to protest, but things could have been much worse, so she stayed quiet.

Duke stood up. “There is one last punishment, Ensign, but I don’t think you will like it.”

Jori froze, holding her breath….

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(posted by Will & Renee)