GM Note: The Captain's Mast series of posts is written in reply to the events of "We're Both Brash And Violent. I Just Control It Better." by Flight Lieutenant Stawick and Sergeant Wind.
Captain Caius Auriga sat at the head of the war room's holotable. The emitter was powered down, the peripheral lighting setting a somber mood. Steam curled gently from the Captain's half-empty cup of caf. Unconsciously tugging at the tight collar of his dress uniform, Auriga trudged through the last of the report that scrolled across his datapad. Nodding approvingly as he concluded the final paragraph, the Captain removed his pocket chronometer and leaned back in his chair. The transparasteel face of his timepiece caught a few stray rays of light, reflecting them at angles across the shadowed room.
Auriga read his antique-style chrono, then made eye contact with his Marine guard.
"What time do you have, Dek?"
The Marine, clothed in his dress uniform, checked his regulation black wristchrono. "0900 on to the tick, sir."
Auriga nodded, then pressed the table's intercom key. "Corporal Wereling?"
"Yes, sir?"
"Bring Stawick."
"Aye aye, sir."
Auriga slid his eyeglasses from his face, letting them come to rest atop his datapad. Auriga regarded Dekoryeh once more, noting how the Marine private both maintained a rigid discipline while carefully following each movement he made.
As a result of the instability exhibited by Lieutenant Stawick and, less surprisingly, by Sergeant Wind, acting MARDET leader Corporal Wereling's first action was to assign a guard to the Captain. Auriga thought it rash, but he couldn't argue that Alwyn quickly took charge of the security situation...
For two hours after the two Liberator crewmen were apprehended in the brig, a strict security alert was maintained onboard the ship. Auriga smirked as he remembered Lance Corporal Maddyn and Private Black rushing into the Captain's Mess, searching the area and locking the door behind them.
"What the slag is going on?" he had asked, letting his fork come to rest on his plate.
"Security situation, sir," Maddyn answered matter-of-factly. "Something involving the brig and intruders."
"Intruders?" Auriga's eyes narrowed. "Why wasn't I informed?"
"Black and I sprinted here, sir. I'm sure Corporal Wereling should signal the alert any--"
"Wereling to Auriga. Sir, we've got a situation in the brig."
"--moment," Maddyn finished quickly.
Auriga shot a look to Maddyn, then stood, tossed his napkin to the tabletop, and pressed the wall intercom switch.
"So I've heard. Fill me in."
"Sir, I've got Lieutenant Stawick and Sergeant Wind in custody with me in the brig."
Kooroo, Auriga thought, his stomach suddenly tightning. "What happened?"
"I can't speak to what the slag happened, sir, but Dureya's a mess and so is his cell. He's on the table in medbay as we speak."
"SITHSPIT! You keep those two right where they are, I'll be down in a sec--"
"With all due respect, Captain, I'd recommend against making any movement. We're still trying to determine if this is a coordinated action--we've got a report from the hangar bay duty officer--something about the computer registering an unscheduled depressurization--and a medic swearing someone was in the bay with her when there shouldn't have been."
"Fine, fine... I won't tell you how to do your job, Corporal. Signal me as soon as you can report all decks secure."
Auriga cut the line, pressing another key to signal the Bridge.
"Bridge. Commander Arkwright, command duty officer."
"Flynn, sound general quarters. Secure duty stations and maintain security alert until further notice--no unauthorized movement. Take a head count of who's at what duty station, who's off duty, and who's on sick call, and give me a report on any unaccounted-for crewmen. Check all key duty stations and make sure who we think is there is who's really there. Have all deck officers report anything unusual directly to Corporal Wereling. Any questions?"
As his sentence ended, the alert klaxons sounded across the ship.
"Uh, yeah, sir, I do. Two, actually. One, what the slag is going on? And two, where are you and what's your situation?"
"I'm under armed guard in the Captain's Mess. Something's gone down in the brig--possibly a coordinated action with other conspirators at other locations onboard. Wereling is running a security sweep."
"If this is some kind of spook chase like last week..."
"No, Flynn... I think this is genuine--it involves Wind."
"Shit."
"Agreed. Let me know when you've called roll. Auriga out."
Auriga's train of thought derailed as Corporal Wereling brought Lieutenant Stawick inside the war room . . .