WP:EPA PsychWard Interview 7 Transcript

Supervising Doctor: Snr Lt. Jordan

Patient Condition at start: Stable and coherent

Start: S142.191 13:01 hrs

* Hello Michael. How are you today?

* Fine thanks, a lot better. But still a little tired.

* That’s only to be expected. I’m glad you are feeling better though.

* Michael, I’d like you to tell me about before you came to West Point. What is your most vivid memory of that time?

* I know what this is about. You want to know what happened in my last shift don’t you.

* Well, I do think it might be relevant

[AUTONOTE: Patient makes an exasperated breathy murmur ]

* Yea, ok, sure. I’m not sure where I should start though.

* You decide, what seems to be the right place to you?

* My first memory of that day was me standing outside the bridge on board the DSV Implacable. I had Off-Watch duty as Helmsman.

* That’s quite an important role for a rating isn’t it?

* Not really, it’s a skilled job and I was already qualified as a pilot. We had to learn to fly young on my homeworld as there were no roads to speak. It hadn’t long been colonized.

[AUTONOTE: Patient POB: MR230-340-193 ‘Next Haven’ Colony; “Jamestown Settlement”. EST. S101.023. Patient DOB: S139.261 09:51 hrs. ]

* Am I right that you are older than most of your classmates?

* Only by a couple of years – nothing to speak of. Is that relevant?

* No I was just curious, do you want to continue?

* So there I was about to step onto the bridge for the last time before I went off to academy. It was a big deal for me at the time and I was so nervous, and the uniform I had just extruded was scratchy as heck.

* Were you nervous about leaving?

* No… well not really… I had it in my head to make some stupid speech for the rest of the watch – to thank them for everything. They helped get me the appointment. I was nervous about it and wasn’t sure whether I was about to make a fool of myself or not.

* I see.

* I went through the usual routine of announcing my presence to Commander Q'Laren, the Duty Officer at the time and, once he had a chance to acknowledge me, I moved over to my post.

* Jones’ey, sorry, Petty Officer Jones, was just finishing up. It was nice as he saluted me before he left. That wasn’t protocol, just his way of saying good luck.

* Did you made a lot of friends on board the DSV Implacable?

* Yes quite a few.

* I miss them.

* Was Commander Q’Laren one of them?

* Well, sort of. He was an officer so we didn’t really mix.

* Did the fact that he was Q’Elar affect your view of him?

* No! My Homeworld was established post-Corporate. And it was mixed species. That plus Q’Laren was more approachable than most Q’Elar I knew when I was growing up. He had this talent for speaking in a way which meant he was relatively easy to understand. You know what I mean? Oh! And don’t assume that the ‘unable to lie’ thing is the issue, anyone who’s spent a lot of time with Q’Elar knows that’s not as big a deal as most people believe, it’s just a small quirk, a side-effect of their whole way of thinking. They are just different from us and its integral to their language and culture.

* You seem to have spent a lot of time thinking about that.

* Look - when I was young, one of my Q’Elar friends was bullied. I don’t appreciate you making out that I’m like those people.

* I’m not here to judge you. I just want you to be honest with me. To be honest with yourself.

* Look, you are barking up the wrong tree and it’s quite annoying. I know some people don’t like the way Q’Elar bio-augments look all wrapped around, in and out of their flesh – but to me it’s no different from other people’s grafts or implants. I don’t judge people because they have a few odd bumps or quirks. The Q’Elar come from a low-gravity world and need help dealing with the gravity; it’s that simple.

* Xeno-species aren’t easy to pigeon-hole you know; it’s not like 20th Century science fiction.

[AUTONOTE: Patient makes a disgruntled expression ]

* So do you read a lot of 20th Century fiction?

* I used to download Ancient Classics from the Sub-Net.

* Like what?

* You wouldn’t have heard of them.

* What makes you so sure? Do you mean people like Asimov? Banks? Dick?

* I love that they try to talk about what’s was thought possible at the time. You know. It tells you so much about people’s aspirations. I know they are laughable if you focus on the tech side, but it’s not about that, it’s about possibilities; and what was happening in their own society.

* I don’t read as much as I used to.

* Really? Why not?

* I’ve not seen that much to be hopeful about.

[AUTONOTE: Patient wiped his face at this point. Clearly emotional. Perhaps some kind of breakthough here. ]

* Are you Ok? Shall we go back to talking about the DSV Implacable?

[AUTONOTE: Patient nods ]

* Ok then. Can I ask, was there anyone you didn’t get along with on the ship?

* Well not really… unless you count Lieutenant Lee-Xan.

* Michael, what was it about her that you didn’t like?

* Oh I liked her well enough, and she was gorgeous, but she didn’t seem to like me. Kept picking on me, telling people I was clumsy, pointing out my mistakes to everyone.

* Do you think she was attracted to you?

* Not a chance.

* But you were attracted to her?

* I guess, but it wasn’t something which was going to happen. And I didn’t like her Politics, she was too Centralist for my liking.

* I see.

* So moving on, what happened next?

* .. mm... I was making the standard checks, you know, ensuring that the navigation systems were reporting correctly and that we had the right vectors and velocity in Harmonic, when the bulkhead doors opened and the Captain was announced on the bridge.

* Captain Granger, arriving on Off-watch. That must have been a surprise.

* Sure was! I would have thought he would have been asleep. It was more than I could have hoped for. You see he had taken me under his wing when I joined. He gave me the chance to train in all the sections on board, and then it was him who suggested I take the entrance exam.

* So he was an important person in your life.

* Very much so.

* It’s funny, I didn’t really think about it at the time, but I remember how he came in wearing an old, crumpled dress uniform, the type which is slash-cut from top right down to the left, three broad braided strips.

* You’re looking at me blank.

* Ok? You know what a Captain’s formal jacket looks like?

* Well his was standard grey, but with burgundy shoulders… and his ribbons. But despite the materials and colours he made it look shabby, ordinary.

* And more important because he wasn’t trying too hard. Does that make sense?

* Yes, but what kind of man was he?

* He was a... well... an unassuming guy. Kinda short, cropped hair. And had this tight almost over-trimmed beard. It somehow that made his face look smaller, pinched even. But he had this commanding voice and a confidence that was infectious. And, hehe, he didn’t leave you in any doubt when he was annoyed.

*  

* I liked him a lot and if I ever get my own command I hope I’m half the leader he was.

* That’s really good to hear Michael. I think that’s the first time I heard you talk about your aspirations since we started these sessions.

* What do you mean?

* Just that you are looking forward. That’s really good.

[AUTONOTE: Patient made a low moaning sound – perhaps mild exasperation or disbelief. Almost certainly emotional masking. ]

* So what happened next?

* Q’Laren relinquished command straight away and the Captain settled into his Chair. He then gave me the order to lock in new co-ordinates for where the MSV Thayer would intercept.

* He then looked right at me and smiled, telling me that this would be the ship to take me to Earth and the Academy.

* How did that make you feel?

* Nervous. But I also knew that this was my chance.

* Chance for what?

* Chance to say that stupid speech I had prepared.

* I still remember it word for word.

* “Thank you Sir, may I say that I have enjoyed my term on the DSV Implacable; Thank you for the opportunity to pursue my career at West Point. Without your recommendation I am certain that I would never have gained my appointment at the UFR's most prestigious Military Academy; and I intend to do my utmost to live up to the qualities expected from a member of this crew. I won't let you down sir.”

* Very nice, what did he say?

* Actually, it was Tarren Shay, our chief engineer. So stubborn he refused to have his nose fixed after a fight at Academy apparently. Or so I heard.

* Anyway Shay said, “You had better stop there Michael or you'll have us all blushing”.

* I was horrified at first, almost instantly felt sick. But Granger laughed. They all did. It was nice. You know. It reminded me that I belonged here and they would miss me too.

* It’s hard thinking about them like that now.

* It’s ok Michael.

* You need to remember good times.

* I know. Everyone was laughing, except Lee Xan. She was on the Console to my right, she was busy on something which had come up on her screen and immediately afterwards announced that there was an emergency call from Research Station Gamma.

* What did you know about the Research Station at the time?

* At the time. Nothing much. It was a scientific base observing the Gamma Singularity, you know a black hole. I do remember that this was supposed to be one of the first few predicted and observed from Earth during the early Information Age, I think, by someone called Hawkins, I think or was that Dawkins? Not sure. Anyway the Research Station was spatial-stationary at 67% Certainty of the singularity…

* Sorry what does that mean?

* Certainty? That’s a measure we use to estimate the point where it’s impossible for light to escape a black-hole. It’s measured from the nearest LaGrange Point.

[AUTONOTE: CERTAINTY(Term): Logarithmic measure of the gravitational force, usually expressed as a percentage, against distance from the nearest LaGrange point. LAGRANGE POINT(Term): Any point in a Solar System where relative gravity is effectively cancelled out by opposing masses. [CLICK HERE FOR MORE>]

* God I must sound like a text book. We measure from the point in the system where the gravity is balanced out to nothing up to the point where the gravitational force is at its strongest. But we measure it as a percentage. Does that make more sense?

* Good

* The DSV Implacable was calibrated to 83% certainty which is considerably higher than most ships, but fairly typical for an Interceptor Class.

* I see. And why is that important now?

* I dunno. I guess it’s not really. But when I was on Helm it was important that I knew that stuff. Still is I guess, here at the Academy.

* What else do you remember?

* Not much more to say that we knew about at the time. There were 14 people onboard, apparently the normal complement. They were all MSSOs. You know about Multi-Skilled Specialists?

[AUTONOTE: MSSO or Multi-Skilled Specialist Officers are DEF officers commonly employed on specialist research establishments such as Research Stations or Exploration Vessels. They have responsibilities as part of the normal Ship’s Complement as well as their Research Duties. MSSOs are required to have completed normal Fleet basic training, Science Service Arm training (including their own specialisation) and at least 3 months secondment to either Command or Service Arms. ]

* No, but don’t worry, continue.

* Nothing much more to say really. Although I do remember Captain Granger winking at me and saying

* "Time for once last adventure, eh, Michael?” then he turned to Lee-Xan and asked her to hail them.

* She put it through to the HTD

* What is that?

* It’s the Holographic Tactical Display. It gives us a full 3D image in the centre of the bridge which allows all the crew to have a different perspective on what’s going on.

[AUTONOTE: Holographic Tactical Displays are advanced versions of domestic holo-displays but provide a significantly higher resolution through the use of charged nanoparticles which are suspended in mid-air using AMR (Attuned Magnetic Repulsion). The particles adjust their reflective properties as needed for the items being displayed and can reproduce apparently full-bodied object which are almost indistinguishable from the real-thing. Only static retinal-injection-based devices are known to be able to provide a higher level of image quality. ]

Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

* I’ve never seen them in action. Are they as impressive as they say?

* Ha! Yes. For all intents and purposes it was if the guy had been teleported onto our ship. That he was really standing on the bridge of the DSV Implacable. Obviously, that would be impossible, but the detail was incredible, even down to freckled flesh and the way his hair moved. And when he spoke there was virtually no delay between the voice and the body movements even though we must have been a few light years away.

[AUTONOTE: Normal Radio communication between vessels at interstellar distances would be significantly affected by the time-lag implicit in Relativity, i.e. a minute delay for each light minute of distance. However, most interstellar coms use Quantum–Cloned J-particles which allow for secure, near-instant communication at almost any distance. ]

* What did he say?

* He introduced himself as Commander Powell, Chief Officer of Research Station Gamma. Granger replied and asked what the nature of the emergency was.

* At first Powell’s image didn’t respond. He was so robotic in the way he stood it was almost like looking at an AI, but it was soon obvious it was some kinda Coms glitch, probably a problem with the sync or the buffer.

* Then suddenly Powell sparked back to life, which is always a bit comical as the display tries to catch-up with what it’s missed.

* He then said something like "Implacable, we have suffered a catastrophic accident in the command centre which has left us drifting towards the Gamma Singularity. We will reach the event horizon with 98% certainty in approximately 35 minutes."

* It was all very business-like. Hardly any emotions. Like he was describing his laundry list, rather than a life threatening situation.

* Did that bother you?

* No… well... actually it did. In hindsight I guess it must have been some kind of coping strategy for him, but I found difficult to understand.

* Was that all he said?

* He said that in order to protect the station’s research data from the fire they were forced to eject their primary Computer Core.

* And this is the part that really bothered me. He then said that recovering the data was more important than saving his crew’s lives.

* That’s quite dramatic. Isn’t that Captain Granger’s call as the commanding officer in the sector?

* That’s what I thought, but all Granger would say is that he knew what his priorities where. He sounded more than a little annoyed at Powell’s tone as well.

* You know, Granger didn’t mess about, but, Powell didn’t leave it there. He then said ‘See that you do Captain.’ At the time I thought it was quite appalling to see a Commander talk to a captain like that – especially one who was on route to rescue him.

* And now?

* I don’t know what I think now. Look, I thought we weren’t going to talk about that today?

* Ok – sorry. Please go on.

* The holographic projection collapsed back into inert dust leaving only a small image of a padlocked envelope floating in the air - clearly the marker of secure document intended for the Captain's eyes only.

* Granger took his datapad from a pocket inside his left sleeve. It was one of those ultra-slim AXS-1. You know the type? Then with a slide of his thumb, that virtual envelope dissolved back down to dust.

[AUTONOTE: The ASX-1 personal datapad offers a complete range of communication, data and storage services, including a full Sub-Net Suite, Secure wallet, retinal and full twin-surface display as well as touch, voice and air gesture support. Measuring 105x148x2mm, it is the most popular smart device available in the UFR. ] 

* So you didn’t get to see what was in that message?

* And I didn’t have much time to think about it. I guess Granger already knew what it contained and anyway he asked me to report almost immediately.

* What on?

* He wanted to understand that time left for us to intercept Gamma Station and what our options were.

* I looked at the data on my screen and told him that we were about half a light year from the Gamma Singularity. That the closest we could get under Harmonic would be up to approximately 17% Certainty of the Black-hole. And that we would have to rely on momentum and thrusters to take us the rest of the way. That would mean that in 25 minutes time we would intercept the station at 78% Certainty.

* Of course I missed one key detail.

* What was that?

* I forgot about the force of the expulsion of the computer core. Shay beat me to it and explained to the Captain. You know. That it would take a different path because of its independent momentum from the Station.

* Sorry you look baffled again. The force used to eject the computer core would push it and the Station away from each other, and there is little to no friction that was going to be quite some distance by the time we got there.

* So you couldn’t capture both.

* Not in time. And trying would be way too risky. Even if we could pick up one instantly, it would take a further 5 minutes journey time to recoup the other, and that would take us to 89% certainty. Effectively suicide.

* Well that’s not good. But I guess your orders were clear.

* Oh yeah! That’s alright then!

* Think about it from my perspective at the time.

* We were being told that it was ok for fourteen people to die because we had to save a lousy collection of silicon and carbon based crystals which had some poxy scientific observations from the decay of a Black Hole! It was a Singularity that had probably been around for millions of years; and which would still be there in millions more, spewing out the same data.

* I see. You found it difficult to obey the orders.

* Difficult? I’m not a Martian Colony Supremacists or one of those Corporate Military Auditors after the war.

* Sorry if I’m not comfortable with that as my defence.

* Of course. It’s ok. I understand.

* So what happened next?

* Shay pointed out what was obvious to everyone and I was told to lock in the optimum course for the interception.

* There were several options, but I went for one which left us as long as possible to make the final decision.

* Did you think that something might change in the circumstances?

* No, but I wanted to plan for the possibility, to give the Captain the best options available. I told him that there will be a critical decision point in 18 minutes, after that time it would not be possible to alter our destination."

* He thanked me with no real enthusiasm and was sat there playing with his stubble. He always did that when something bothered him. Then he looked at me, raised a wry smile, and said "Seems that your last shift will be a little more entertaining than expected."

* I think I understand why you liked him.

* Never mind. So what happened next?

* Well things got a lot busier at that point. We all had our duties to prepare.

* There is no time for distraction when your are responsible for a 25k cubic meter, multi-billion dollar vessel, travelling at 25% lightspeed in a Shortened-Light-Time Harmonic with 157 people on board.

* We had to displace out of Harmonic; reinitialise and set a new Harmonic Conduit towards the Research Station. And given the proximity of an extreme gravity source that is not an easy task. The next bombshell came about 8 minutes after we had corrected our course.

* I had to watch Tarren closely, keeping track with the power system shifts he was setting up. Its routine, but that doesn’t mean it’s easy and if you get it wrong you can really impact the journey time; or get it badly wrong and you trip up in some gravity well and rip the ship apart.

* I’m just glad I don’t have to manage the inertial stabilisers, without them properly pre-programmed, we would end up like jam-stains on the bulkhead walls.

* Ok, that’s a bit of an exaggeration as the safeties would kick in; but it has happened before.

* That’s a lot of responsibility for a young man.

* I guess, but I’d signed up for it. Volunteered.

* Do you want to talk about why you volunteered?

* Didn’t we cover that last week?

* True, but if you want to talk more.

* I think we’ve done that one. I have a shitty father who didn’t tell me he loved me enough. I get it.

* I don’t agree, but I’ll let it pass for now.

* Like I said if you want to talk more about that please do.

* I don’t.

* Where was I.

* Oh yeah. Well, we had practiced this kind of course correction almost daily and I still think this was the best one we ever did.

* But there was no chance to celebrate and I gradually stepped up the acceleration as soon as the Harmonic conduit was back-up; connecting us to the Gamma system.

* When it was all done, that’s when my doubts started nagging at me. I just had to ask Granger.

* What did you have to ask?

* I had to know why we weren’t trying to save the Researchers.

* What did he say?

* "Yes, it’s troubling isn't it..."

* That’s what he said.

* He said that it was about our Mandate.

* What do you mean?

* You know.

* I get it. I’ll explain.

* The DEF was set-up before the Corporate War kicked off properly. It was the first multi-civilisation taskforce. When the UFR set this up they decided to make a statement of intent, something which the Corporate forces couldn’t oppose. Integrity if you like. This was presented though the Mandates which are the basic rules of engagement for the prototype hybrid of military and exploration resources. They had to take this peculiar form to avoid the long established Corporatists patents against the set-up of a Space-based Government military unit of the time. It’s interesting how they still define the scope of how the DEF operates.

* Ok, which Mandates were you assigned?

* Well, we were working under Mandates 1, 2 and 5 which is pretty standard for a Patrol like ours, but as I said earlier the data on that damn computer was class 7. That meant it was about as high a priority as you are likely to be assigned – short of an order to invade a world.

[AUTONOTE: The following are summaries for UFR Defence Expeditionary Force Mandates 1, 2, 5 and 7. Additionally, the definition of Class 7.

Mandate 1:  Basic authorisation for DEF Officers to conduct normal relations with Citizens of Member States only;

Mandate 2: Permits DEF Officers to conduct Non-Interventionist actions according to current treaties with Contacted Civilisations. They may not act on behalf of a non-UFR citizen without permission of their civilisations Government;

Mandate 5: This allows DRF Officers to oversee commercial intervention with Contacted Individual Civilisation. This includes enforcement of Trade Treaties;

Mandate 7: This allows DEF Officers to implement Military Interventions with independent Contacted Civilisations under precisely defined terms of engagement;

Class 7: Slang used on DEF vessels to refer to the authorisation equivalence needed to perform a specific task. Class 7 requires Mandate 7 to be assigned to that individual or team. ]

* But then Granger said something and for some reason I thought it sounded a bit odd.

* So Michael, do you remember what he said?

* Yes, exactly as he said it. It was, "The most important thing to know is that only if we couldn't save the data would we be able to attempt to save the crew - anything else would be a dereliction of duty."

* He then asked me if I understood.

* I couldn’t help feeling he was trying to tell me something.

* What do you think he was trying to tell you?

* Not sure. But at the time I thought it was to let me know he didn’t like the orders either.

* I see. Did you think he was asking you to do anything about it? At the time that is?

* Not exactly. But now I’m not entirely sure. But then he went on about the various interpretations of the Mandates; I think it relaxed him to pretend he was teaching in a Simulator. He was like it with all the young ratings.

* Did you feel patronised? After all, you had just passed the West Point entrance exam with flying colours.

* Not even the slightest. It was nice. You know reassuring. I miss it. He made even the most dangerous situations feel like tests.

* Lee Xan interrupted again to say that she had picked up a new signal coming from the Station. It was audio-only so Granger got them to pipe it through the Bridge Coms system so we could all hear it properly.

* Turned out to be a Mayday from some make shift transmitter. We tried to signal back to it, but instead all we got was that freak Powell again.

* You mean Commander Powell of the Research Station.

* Of course. He claimed to have no idea about the other signal and let slip that he could only account for 10 of his crew and the other four had been marked down as ‘Lost’ after the fire that caused all of the trouble. He seemed genuinely surprised that they might still be alive and didn’t seem particularly happy about it.

* What makes you think that?

* .. Just a feeling. I didn’t trust that guy.

* But you had no reason to suspect foul play.

* I guess not. No... no obvious reasons.

* Why didn’t you trust him?

* Partly because as soon as we told him about the other crew on the Research Station Coms went dead and at the same time we lost 4 life-signs off the scanners.

* You mean they died?

* You can’t know that – but there was no movement, and we should be able to pick-up even breathing. And there are ways to fake that.

* I see. However, that doesn’t answer my question. Why didn’t you trust him before that happened? Or is it possible that your later experience is affecting your recollection of the experience?

* I can’t explain, but there really was something in the way he moved, when he talked. It’s really hard to explain as I don’t have any proof. Look, that’s why we use the HTD, it gives us those nuances you don’t get except in person. He was just wrong... He was up to something.

* I can’t explain how I knew.

* Then how do you explain that he let himself die, along with the rest of his crew to save data which your superiors had also designated as so vital that they had the same level of importance as the orders to start a planetary invasion?

* Michael please don’t shut down. We need to address these questions if you are going to make progress.

* I don’t have the answers, only you have that, but we need to challenge the assumptions which lead you here in the first place.

* Do you understand?

* Ok if you aren’t ready to talk about that – try telling me what happened next.

* In your own time.

* Yes.

* When we hit 12 minutes to the critical decision point I informed Granger and asked him to confirm which our target should be.

* Do you mean either the Computer Core or the people?

* That’s right. Its procedure in a situation like this to get confirmation of the orders – but for me it felt more important than just a process. Personally, I couldn’t see the point in saving that Core.

* Granger didn’t respond straight away. He took his time and mulled on it, but his conclusion was the same. Powell was the legitimate officer on the bridge and the data had the priority. But he was clearly unhappy and had asked us to investigate if the problem we were having with the Coms was genuine or not. Unless we got really lucky or we were facing a perpetrator who was truly stupid, there was no way that would work.

* Sorry – Which Coms problems are you referring to?

* All of them, the stuttering of the HTD, the automated message and the loss of contact.

* Wouldn’t Granger have known that was a long-shot?

* Oh yes – but it kept us busy and gave him time to think. By the time we had exhausted that option it was only nine minutes to the critical decision point.

* Is that when he made his final decision?

* At that point he decided to get some help.

* You mean when he decided to call the Admiral?

* Wasn’t that unusual?

* I had never seen him do that before.

* He had Lee Xan message WayStation 128 where the Admiral was posted and request an emergency Conference. From the transcript I could see that Lee Xan was getting the run-around from the Admiral’s staff, who weren’t very keen to disturb her breakfast meeting with the sector governors.

* But the Admiral answered the call?

* Oh yes. But it took longer than it should have. I really don’t get what motivates those people.

* What do you mean?

* There were lives on the line. And they were worried about disturbing her coffee morning.

* Do you think that’s fair?

* Yes I do! Bunch of bloody bureaucrats. But that’s not the point.

* So what was the point?

* That the Admiral came on as soon as she had been made aware.

* And you respected her for that?

* I guess.

* In the end we only had five minutes left to us to decide what to do.

* She came on the HTD, stepping forward to the edge of the dust-pool and offering her hand to the Captain. He stood-up and shook the virtual hand. I’d never seen that before. The whole idea of shaking hands over 14 light-years with less than a second delay still amazes me.

* What happened then?

* Granger said "Ma'am, I understand that you are responsible for the Mandate of Research Station Gamma."

* He then explained the problem to her. She didn’t respond at first, then promptly passed the buck back to Granger. Reminding him that he was the Officer on the ground. Reminding him that he was the officer on board.

* We only had 3 minutes left.

* Were you feeling the pressure?

* At the time? No, not really. I felt sure she would come back in favour of rescuing the people left on board.

* Granger, told her about the other Com signal and that this left him wanting clarification of the Mandates we were working under.

* So he was asking her to decide for him?

* Well I don’t think so. I think he wanted to be sure.

* Like I said I’d not seen him do this before but then we had have this kind of situation.

* I mean we had been in some scrapes, but in my time there hadn’t been such ambiguity before.

* Ambiguity? What do you mean by that?

* Well, things didn’t add up. They couldn’t add up. Someone knew more about what was going on than us. That Commander Powell was acting peculiarly, but there was no smoking gun. We needed to know if he was on the level and more to the point we didn’t want to have their deaths on our hands.

* The deaths of the scientists?

* You felt that pressure then?

* Of course. That was the whole point. We were supposed to be there to help people. To protect Citizens of the UFR.

* And time was running out.

*  

* How did that make you feel.

* I wanted to scream out loud of course. But we had to wait as the Admiral went to consult with her officials. With less than two minutes to go we had to wait for her to come back with a decision.

* That’s when it struck me. What Granger had meant earlier.

* What do you mean?

* When he said "The most important thing to know is that only if we couldn't save the data would we be able to attempt to save the crew - anything else would be a dereliction of duty."

* When he said that.

* What is it you think it meant?

* It meant that in the end it wouldn’t be his choice.

* It would be down to his crew, to put the order into action. Ultimately, it would be down to the Helmsman.

* It would be down to me.

*  

* And we had less than a minute to go and Admiral Arjula still hadn’t reappeared.

* How did you react?

* What could I do? I had to wait.

* And?

* And waited. It seemed like a life-time, the time limit to make the choice becoming ever closer.

* Forty seconds to go and still nothing.

* At 28 seconds she came back on.

* Said “I’m sorry Captain. But the Mandate still stands. Please give my condolences to you crew.”

* Are you ok?

* You’ve gone quite quiet.

* I guess.

* So what did that mean?

* Isn’t it obvious?

* Tell me.

* That it was down to me!

* So you felt that in the end you were left to make the final decision?

*  

* But isn’t that the point of orders? That you aren’t responsible. Even Granger wasn’t. That even the Admiral had consulted before making that call.

* Really? You really believe that shit?

* You don’t have a fucking clue!

* This wasn’t some stupid bloody simulation... real people’s lives were on the line. Literally!

* I press one button and they are dead, I press the other and they live, but my career is over and whatever top secret shit they are protecting goes with it.

* It wasn’t those mutherfuckers who would have to press the button was it?

* No Michael, it wasn’t.

* Do you want a tissue?

* .. Thanks.

* Ok, that’s enough for today I think. You made some great progress today Michael. I know it probably doesn’t feel like it, but that’s the first time you’ve really let yourself express your anger about this.

* Let’s pick it up again tomorrow shall we?

Patient Condition at end: Emotional and Sullen

End: S142.191 14:26 hrs