Posted: Dec 25, 2017
Author's note: this story takes place after the 12th episode of the Orville, "Mad Idolatry."
The U.S.S. Orville docked with McCallister Station two weeks before Christmas. After some interesting recent adventures, including a trip through flattened two-dimensional space and encountering a planet whose timeline jumped roughly 700 years each time it reappeared in our universe, the crew were scheduled for some rest and relaxation aboard the station as the engineers did upkeep on the ship.
Captain Edwin Mercer and First Officer Kelly Grayson decided to meet up at the McCallister promenade to share a dinner together. Although they were previously married and recently considered rekindling their relationship, Kelly decided against it. She thought their relationship might be distraction and possibly interfere with Mercer's responsibilities as captain.
Before either of them reached the promenade, both were intercepted by Union special security officers the second they left their temporary assigned quarters.
"Captain Mercer, please come with me," said a muscular master-at-arms. He and two corporals had their hands on their pistols just in case they needed draw on the captain.
"What is this about?" asked Mercer.
"You'll receive an explanation from Admiral Blackbriar," said the chief petty officer.
Mercer stared at the young security officers for a few seconds. The thought crossed his mind that these were, perhaps, not actually Union security personnel. Although McCallister Station was a Union outpost, it orbited a third party neutral planet and members of many different species came and went. He wondered whether these three were Krill operatives disguised as Union humans in order to kidnap him. A few months ago, he and Lieutenant Malloy had disguised themselves as Krill officers in order to infiltrate a Krill ship. He wouldn't be surprised if the Krill tried the same trick against him. Karma could be a real kick in the pants sometimes.
After several seconds of hesitation, one of the guards appeared to be itching to pull his weapon and stun the captain. Mercer put his hands up in a sign of surrender.
"Lead the way, chief," said Mercer.
"Admiral Ozawa," said her chief-of-staff. "Captain Mercer has been taken into custody."
"Understood," said the admiral. "Let me know when the transport shuttle leaves McCallister."
"Aye, ma'am."
Ozawa shut off the commlink to her aide and opened a new one to her colleague, Admiral Halsey. His images blinked onto the screen on her desk.
"It's done," said Ozawa.
"Good," said Halsey.
Mercer was led to a waiting area where he saw Kelly already waiting. She was seated, but had two guards standing over her. The master-at-arms motioned for Mercer to take a seat next to Kelly.
As he said down, Mercer asked "what is this about?"
Kelly shrugged her shoulders.
Soon, both of them were escorted in to a large room that resembled a courtroom. Two older men were seated in the spot a judge would usually sit. Ed saw that one was a two-star admiral in the distinctive purple and gold uniform. He had met very few two-stars. It had seemed almost all admirals went from captain straight to five stars. He had always thought that was strange. Next to the admiral was a captain in a blue uniform.
"Mr. Mercer, Ms. Grayson, I'm Rear Admiral Blackbriar. I have the unfortunate task of informing you both that three days ago, an expedited court martial took place against you each. Mr. Mercer, you were charged with disobeying a direct order, omitting information from an official report, and conduct unbecoming a Union Fleet vessel captain. Ms. Grayson, you were charged with disobeying a direct order, and dereliction of duty. You were both found guilty."
Mercer and Kelly were both shocked. They stood silent for a few seconds but Mercer was soon enraged.
"What about my due process rights?" asked Mercer.
"So you're an expert at law now, Mr. Mercer?" asked Blackbriar. "Were you a lawyer in your former life or something?"
"I took a year of law at Union Point," said Kelly. "I know we have the right to present our side of the story to the tribunal."
"Your side of the story?" asked Blackbriar. "We've read the reports. There is no dispute over the underlying facts. You'll also note, Ms. Grayson, that an expedited court martial under article 45 provides you no protection of due process."
"We've already been reprimanded for the recent… mistakes regarding the contamination of the multi-phasic orbit planet."
"That may be so, but this was as serious breach on the chain of command. It required a Board of Inquiry. Your actions have been deemed serious enough removal from the Fleet Officer Corps. Mr. Mercer, you have been demoted to Lieutenant. Ms. Grayson, you have been demoted to Ensign. Both of you will serve one month at New Fort Leavenworth. After such time, you will be dishonorably discharged from the Union Fleet. Guards, take them away."
As Mercer and Kelly were being escorted out, Mercer yelled "But, sir!"
The two-star admiral was not in the mood to hear any appeals. Before Mercer was taken out of the room, he put his hand in the air and displayed his middle finger. Blackbriar sighed.
"We gotta get a better class of command officers," he whispered while shaking his head.
Mercer and Kelly were taken in handcuffs to their temporary quarters. From there, they could gather their personal effects and would be taken to McCallister Station's main shuttle port.
When Ed and Kelly next saw each other, they were both in unfamiliar uniforms. Ed wore an orange navigator's uniform with lieutenant bars on his shoulders. Kelly wore a green science uniform even though she had never been a science officer. She guessed that Admiral Blackbriar just wanted her out of the blue command uniform and did not care much for what she wound up in.
The five guards that had escorted Ed and Kelly to Admiral Blackbriar's makeshift courtroom continued to escort them through the station. They finally reached the main shuttle port when they saw one additional prisoner waiting for the prisoner transport. It was Lieutenant Alara Kitan, the now former chief of security onboard the Orville.
"Captain," said Alara in part a relief and in part surprise.
"It's Lieutenant now, Alara," said Mercer as he gestured to the rank insignia on his new orange uniform.
"I see…." said Alara, not entirely sure what else to say.
"Have you also been charged with something?" asked Kelly. "Was it related to the most recent mission?
"No, Commander," said Alara. She found it a little awkward that she now appeared to outrank her former superior. Alara was still wearing her normal red uniform and retained her rank of lieutenant. "I have been informed that I will soon be separated from the Fleet on the charge of disobeying a direct order. But the incident was from months ago when you and the captain were captured by the Calicon zookeepers. I'm not sure why the higher ups decided to charge me so late in the game. I guess Admiral Tucker doesn't forget these things."
"Tucker told me specifically that he would not pursue charges over that incident," said Mercer.
"I guess he changed his mind," said Alara in an annoyed tone.
The three former Orville officers were eventually taken aboard the prisoner shuttle. Next stop: New Fort Leavenworth.
"Are you sure this is a good idea?" asked a Union captain. He looked young; younger than Mercer.
"As good as any of these half-baked ideas from Admiral Blackbriar are," responded Admiral Ozawa.
"With all due respect, Blackbriar's an idiot. And an ass to boot," said the young man.
"Well, regardless of those character flaws, he seems to have significant sway with the Joint Chiefs. Let's just sit tight and see how this all turns out."
"Admiral, we've arrived," said the helmsman of the U.S.S. Olympia. "We're at all stop."
"Good. Captain, put us in condition Green."
"Set condition green, aye," said the captain of the Olympia.
An hour into the flight and Mercer was still fuming. An expedited court martial. Unheard of. He suddenly noticed a Union battle cruiser while he was staring out the forward viewscreen. The prisoner shuttle shifted its flightpath slightly to an intercept course.
After entering the battle cruiser's main shuttle bay, the prisoner transport powered down.
"Chief, you and your prisoners are cleared to disembark."
"Thank you, pilot," said the head of the security detail.
The prisoners were escorted through the ship and taken to the main conference room. The room wasn't dimly lit, but it wasn't well lit either.
"Lieutenant Mercer, Ensign Grayson, Lieutenant Kitan," said Admiral Ozawa. "Please, have a seat."
The three officers sat at a long conference table on one side directly across from the five-star admiral.
"This is Senior Analyst Xavier. He's from Fleet Intel. He's here to brief you on your new mission." Ozawa pronounced Xavier in the French way: "ex-ah-vee-ay."
"Ladies and gentleman," said Xavier. He pronounced gentleman with an emphasis on man so that it was clear he meant singular. He thought he was being funny. Mercer wasn't smiling. Xavier proceeded in a much more serious tone.
"As of ten minutes ago, all three of you have been declared dead. Your prisoner transport shuttle exploded on route to New Fort Leavenworth Disciplinary Barracks," said Xavier.
"But…. what?!" asked a confused Mercer.
Xavier slid a thin computer pad across the table to Mercer.
"This is your new mission," said Xavier. "The Olympia will be taking us to the fleet yard where we have been keeping the Krill ship that you've masterfully commandeered for us a while back. You will take the ship into Klinzek space and torpedo their orbiting shipyard."
"Klinzek?" asked Mercer. "But they're neutrals. They are no threat to us."
"Officially, no. This is why we need deniability on this mission. We need to make it appear that the Krill are the aggressors here," explained Xavier.
"But why attack them? Is this one of the 'if you're not my ally then you're my enemy' type petty nonsense?" asked Kelly.
Xavier looked annoyed. He was not accustomed to his mission operatives questioning him so strongly. At least, not right off the bat over the entire purpose of the mission. It did happen sometimes with minor technical aspects but he always welcomed critical thoughts to make improvements.
"Klinzeki Prime has been facing some internal turmoil. A new regime is poised to come into power and they are inclined to side with the Krill in their crusade against us. This is not to place blame on you, Lieutenant Mercer. However, one of the reasons the Klinzek have a new inclination to ally with the Krill is that they've heard the rumors of Union operatives boarding a Kill battleship and frying Krill officers to a crisp. There were also some wild rumors of quasi-cannibalism where the Union officers ate their prey. Although the Klinzek deem the rumors as wildly exaggerated, they do fear some truth in the underlying basis. Thus far, the Klinzek have not been receptive of Union explanations that no such thing happened."
"But… something similar did happen," said Mercer. "We boarded their ship with the purpose of understanding better through their religious texts. The frying thing was a last resort so that the ship wouldn't nuke a colony full of innocent farmers."
"If you had eliminated all the Krill, no rumors could have spread," said an annoyed Xavier.
"They were children!" insisted Mercer.
"And now they are children who are spreading wild rumors."
Admiral Ozawa interjected.
"Mr. Xavier," said Ozawa. "I think we can all agree that Union regulations and principles, not to mention simple morality, would dictate that we not "fry" innocent children."
"Tell me, Admiral. Would it not be the better alternative to eliminate a dozen or so children and prevent a new front to this war? We are now looking at opening a second front with the Krill and the Klinzeki surrounding us. Are your principles worth the additional thousands or tens of thousands of lives this imperils?"
"You're not worthy of the Union uniform. Otherwise, you would know the answer to that," said a disgusted Admiral Ozawa.
"I'm not a uniformed officer," said Xavier. "I function with significantly more…. liberal operating parameters. I'm Fleet Intel. Special Activities Section 13. And now, you are too. This comes from the highest powers that be. The Commander-in-Chief has authorized this. The Union Senate Standing Committee on Military Affairs has oversight and approved this. This is happening."
"Section 13. That doesn't exist," said Mercer.
"Yet, here I am," said Xavier. "And here you are. You have your orders. Admiral Halsey from Union Central Command has been informed."
"We should at least wait until we get a clearer picture of what the Klinzeki intentions are," said Mercer. "A pre-emptive first strike should be a last resort. Sometimes, the bravest thing to do is to do nothing at all and watch things unfold before you act."
Xavier scoffed.
"You are a Union officer. We need to be proactive against problems. You don't just sit back. Life isn't like the movie 'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,' though many people seem to abide by that philosophy. You sit back. Do nothing. Watch as the idiots around you screw up and voila, you're the winner. You now own a chocolate factory. This isn't how real life works."
"I should warn you," said Mercer. "Being proactive is what got me in my current situation. I proactively tried to fix the issues on the planet that believed in the Church of Kelly. And look, busted down to lieutenant."
"You disobeyed a direct order," said Ozawa. "My direct order."
"Which, ironically, gave us the perfect smokescreen to recruit you three into the fold," said Xavier. "Court martialed. Discharged from the service. And Mercer, you have a skillset we need. You've operated this exact Krill warship before. Your insubordination fell like manna from heaven."
"I'm glad you're amused," said Mercer.
Xavier smiled and appeared to be a in a better mood.
"Truth is," said Xavier, "I am, in fact, very amused by you, Lieutenant Mercer." He stressed the word lieutenant, which visibly irritated Mercer.
"I've been reading up on your adventures on the Orville. Your entire captaincy reads like a fiction novel of some sort. In fact, your latest after action report reads like an episode of an old-timey television show called Star Trek. An episode titled "Who Watches the Watchers?" A primitive native misunderstands advanced medical technology and mistakes the ship's captain for a deity."
"I'm sure something similar has happened before, hence the need for the directive to avoid contact with primitive cultures," said Kelly.
"No, Ms. Grayson," said Xavier. "Believe it or not, you are the first case of any primitive mistaking a Union officer for a god. Or goddess, in your case. Oh, there have been other contaminations with regard to technology and causing a culture to advance prematurely. But nothing like deity worship."
"It was an honest mistake. There were good intentions," said Mercer.
"And oh, look at this one," said a still smiling Xavier. "This mission involves your officer John LaMarr on the planet Sargas 4. His life or death turns into a popularity contest driven by up votes or down votes. It sounded familiar to me, and alas, I found a science fiction story titled "Nosedive." The description being: a woman living in a world where people rate each other from one stars to five stars on every interaction they have, seeing her social rating nosedive due to an unfortunate series of events. If I didn't know better, I would've thought you sat around on your ship all day, doing nothing but watching tv. Then, writing up false reports about the adventures you have. Based on your tv watching, of course."
"Then why have I been court-martialed?" asked Mercer. "If you don't think any of my missions actually took place."
"Oh, I think they happened. We do have a captured Krill battleship. That didn't materialize out of nowhere. Your entire life somehow resembles a sitcom. Or, at least, a tv show. Which is why your current assigned mission is even more appropriate. It's similar to another tv episode of a branch off of Star Trek. A Deep Space Nine episode where one hostile species gets framed for bombing the ship of a neutral empire in order to drag them into an inter-quadrant war."
"Can we stop the bickering?" demanded Admiral Ozawa. "Mercer, are you onboard?"
Mercer reviewed the mission specs and eventually reluctantly agreed.
"Good," said an exasperated Ozawa.
"But I need Gordon on this," said Mercer. "I don't need Kelly or Alara. Gordon is the only other one with operational knowledge of the Krill battleship."
"Unfortunately, we go with the people we have," said Xavier. "I couldn't manufacture a plausible explanation to get Gordon court martialed. As reckless and childish as he may be, he's still competent in his duties and has not committed any serious offense against regs. At least not recently. We go ahead with you, Lieutenant Mercer, as the pilot and with Lieutenant Kitan as the weapons officer. Ensign Grayson is there as a back-up pilot in case either of you go down."
"Why the ruse with the court martial?" asked Kelly. "We could have ordered us straight out."
"The Union Fleet needs deniability. Hopefully, things go as planned, but if you get captured, we deny all ties. Mercer, Grayson, and Kitan will be deemed as acting without Fleet knowledge. We'll have records that you were court martialed and that you faked your own deaths to avoid imprisonment. You decided to attack the Klinzeki shipyard on you own."
"That's ridiculous, who would believe that?" asked Mercer.
"A quirky American president once said that plausible deniability is best, but in an emergency implausible deniability will often suffice," said Xavier.
"Who would say such a thing?" asked Kelly.
"Donald somebody. I don't know, I'm not an expert at American history. But you understand the concept. We'll deny your orders.
"I presume we will be reinstated once we complete our covert mission?" asked Mercer.
"I believe so," said Ozawa. "But no promises. The good news is that the Orville is still in dock being retrofitted. As such, there is no captain necessary and you have not been replaced as of yet. The somewhat bad news is that the lieutenant commander who had been in line for promotion to command the Orville before Halsey moved you to the top of the list is still itching for the slot. She might get the chance."
"How is that fair?" asked Mercer. "I accomplish this very important mission and still get screwed?"
"You. Disobeyed. An. Order," said Ozawa forcefully. After she calmed down a little bit, she said "Life isn't always fair. But if you complete this mission, I will try my best to return the Orville to you. In the alternative, you will get the next ship available and the most prestigious posting as I can get you while waiting for your next command.:
Mercer looked defeated. He nodded his agreement.
After discussing the mission for a few more minutes, a chime indicated that Ozawa had a message from the bridge.
"Admiral, we're at the coordinates," said Captain Rohrbacher.
"Acknowledged."
Mercer, Kelly, and Alara changed clothing and met back with Ozawa and Xavier. The five of them then walked from the conference room to Olympia's bridge. Mercer stared at the Krill battleship on the main viewscreen.
"Mr. Mercer, there's your ship. The Redenbacher," said the captain.
"The Redenbacher?" asked Mercer.
"Yea, I thought it had a nice ring to it. Kind of suits you. Orville Redenbacher, Get it?"
Mercer chuckled slightly,
"You know, my ship was named after Orville Wright. Of the Wright Brothers. The first in flight. Not the popcorn magnate," said Mercer.
"Well, the Wilbur wouldn't have sounded as cool," said the captain.
"It also wouldn't have sounded like the captain's own name," added the Olympia's first officer, with a silly grin on her face.
"Krill shuttle is approaching," said the Olympia's weapons officer.
"Clear it for entry, main shuttlebay," said Captain Rohrbacher.
"On me," said Admiral Ozawa as she headed to the lifts that would take them to the shuttlebay.
"Oh, Captain Mercer, godspeed," said Rohrbacher.
"I'm a lieutenant now," said Mercer. He wasn't wearing his orange uniform with rank insignia. He, Kelly, and Alara had changed into all black clothing to "hide" their affiliation with the Union Fleet.
"I heard. But you are now in command of that vessel over there. As such, regardless of rank, you are a captain. It's naval tradition," said Rohrbacher with a smile.
Mercer smiled back. "Thanks."
Mercer took a seat in the Krill battleship's captain's chair. It was a weird feeling.
"Ms Grayson, take us into Klinzeki space," said Mercer.
"Hey, I'm just a back-up pilot," said Kelly in a light tone. "You're the official pilot."
Mercer made a face at Kelly. He then leapt from the captain's chair and punched a few commands into the navigators console.
"I think you can probably figure this out, right Kelly?" asked Mercer.
"I believe I'm your ship's medic, so it's not my job to figure any of this out," said Kelly. She smiled, but started playing with the navigation console to learn the controls. Next to her, Alara was also acquainting herself with the weapons system console.
Ed Mercer returned to his captain's chair. This was going to be a weird mission. He had one and a half days to think about whether he would perform the preemptive strike. He had warned Xavier that he had a penchant for disobeying orders. However, Xavier said he was confident that Ed Mercer would "do the right thing."
