Lines of Authority

Posted on 04 Jan 2026 @ 2:54am by Captain Bane Plase & Lieutenant Commander Temerant Bast

1,227 words; about a 6 minute read

Mission: Shakedown
Location: Ready Room
Timeline: Immediately following Chasing at Ghosts

ON
Ready Room, USS Cygnus

'Fury' would be the term that best described Bast's state of mind immediately after the briefing. That Romulan harpie was doing everything to get under Bast's skin, and undermine his authority. That, in and of itself, wasn't entirely unexpected from a Romulan. But her latest tactic had gained the support of the Captain. And that was simply unacceptable, and completely delegitimized Bast's standing with the crew.

The Trill now stood before the door to the Captain's ready room. He waited one second for the door chime to announce his presence, then walked in without waiting for the Captain's reply.

"Captain," he said determinedly, after making sure his commanding officer was alone in the room. "Should I start looking for a transfer?" he asked without preamble.

The Captain, who had just picked up his cup of Darjeeling tea from his replicator and was mid-blow on the steaming liquid contained therein, looked back to his Executive Officer in surprise. "Uh, I'm fine, thank you for asking, Commander," Bane quipped, never having taken a sip of his favorite beverage. "Are you looking for a transfer, because I thought you and I worked well together." There was genuine concern in his voice.

"So did I," said Bast. "Until that..." He bit back the word that had almost come out of his mouth. "Until this person completely overstepped her role as systems specialist, and undermined my authority on this ship, and you signed off on it."

Captain Bane was genuinely surprised at the anger pouring off his Executive Officer, his best friend, at him. Plase needed to tread carefully here. "Ok," he began slowly, sitting down on the couch and offering the cozy armchair to Temerant. "I hear you, Commander. Please know that I hold your counsel, your advice, even your feelings, in the highest regard. I understand you are, in a word, pissed. I'm hearing you say that I undermined your authority on this ship. What did I sign off on that did this to you?"

"Rh'Vareth's mission parameters are very clear and explicit. She is here to advise on the new Cygnus's systems, and to take notes on the shakedown tests. Modifications to the duty roster or personnel management is beyond the scope of her assignment. This is clearly the First Officer's prerogative. If she had any suggestions to make in that regard, she should have done it to me, or to the two of us, in private. Not present it to the senior staff as a done deal!"

Captain Bane did not interrupt. He listened, fully, his expression settling into something thoughtful rather than defensive. When Bast finished, Bane exhaled slowly and set the untouched cup of tea aside. “Alright,” he said quietly. “That helps. And you’re not wrong about the scope of her assignment.” He leaned forward slightly, forearms resting on his knees, his tone firm but measured. “Let me be very clear about something, Commander. I did not, and will not, delegate personnel authority away from my First Officer. Not to a systems specialist, not to an advisor, not to anyone who doesn’t wear your rank and hold your position.” Bane held Bast’s gaze. “What I signed off on was a temporary technical trial tied to the shakedown. Limited, reversible, and explicitly contingent on your oversight. I should have consulted you in front of the senior staff, to remind everyone, including me, of your absolute authority when it comes to crew matters. I didn’t. That’s on me.”

There was no humor in his voice now. “What should have happened,” he continued, “is that Commander Rh’Vareth brought her concerns to you. Or to me, and then to you. Certainly not the way it happened. Presenting it as a foregone conclusion in front of the department heads was inappropriate, and I understand why that put you in an impossible position.” He sat back slightly, but his voice hardened just a fraction. “No one aboard this ship outranks the First Officer in matters of duty rosters and personnel management except the Captain. And I do not intend to make a habit of doing that over your head." Bane paused a beat, then continued. “If your authority took a hit in that room,” Bane said, pointing in the general direction of the Observation lounge, “then we fix that openly, and immediately. I will make it clear to the senior staff where that line is, and I will make it clear to Commander Rh’Vareth how this ship operates.”

Then, more quietly: “You’re not looking for a transfer. You’re angry because you care about this command, and because you were blindsided. And that’s fair.” He met Bast’s eyes again. “Now tell me how you want to handle it, because whatever we do next, we do it together. You are the Executive Officer on this ship, and that matters significantly to the smooth operation of this ship and command."

Bast let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. The Captain's arguments made sense - whereas his siding with the Romulan commander did not. He was angry, angrier than he'd been in a very long time. Rh'Vareth's constant picking and critiquing had gotten under his skin, and this afternoon's affront had simply been the last straw. Over the past few years, he'd been the one to earn the Captain's trust, and that trust truly did go both ways. For some reason he'd believed he had lost the Captain's trust, and that was just inexplicable.

"Commander Rh'Vareth needs to be brought back in line," he said at last. "She needs to be reminded of the parameters of her assignment, which is technical in nature - not managerial. She may outrank me, but I do have privileges and responsibilities on this ship that she can't usurp."

While the anger Bast had exhibited certainly surprised Bane, as well as the apparent dismissing of his authority in front of Bast's immediate subordinates, another thing surprised Bane. Bast mentioned how Rh'Vareth had outranked Bast. It was true, of course, but Bane had not thought of Rh'Vareth being a full Commander to Bast's Lieutenant Commander. Bast was the Executive Officer, and Bane had all but forgotten he wasn't a full commander. He let that nugget percolate in the back of his mind. "You do indeed, Temerant. You are second in command of this ship, and in command in my absence, whether it be I am off ship, or just off the deck. I will talk to her and let her know to respect your position." He paused, then added, "And your authority."

Bast nodded. He felt there was nothing more to say, and the matter was resolved. "Thank you, Captain," he said simply, before turning and walking out, not wanting to drag this confrontation any further.

The door closed behind the Trill Executive Officer. "Dismissed," Bane said to the closed door. He would have to make this blunder up to him as soon as possible. For now, he had a lot of reports to go over from all of the systems issues aboard. And to drink his now-cold cup of tea.


OFF

A JP by

Lieutenant Commander Temerant Bast
Executive Officer
USS Cygnus

and

Bane Plase, Captain
USS Cygnus, Commanding

 

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