**Action** "Executive decision pt 2"

***Action** "Executive decision pt 2"
Jupiter Mining corporation HQ building
Grimsby, England
Earth
 
As usual, the former popular fishing town of Grimsby looked utterly depressing. Niples should have been pleased, he was about to go to the tribunal in which the decision would be made (if all went well) that would kick Cannon out of the Captains chair of the Blue Dwarf for ever, leaving him to fill the position. With him as Captain he could make the Blue Dwarf crew proud to be a member, they would go on exciting missions, save beautiful women in distress and hopefully save the lives of....anyone.
 
The sudden downpour of grey rain melted his dream away for the moment. Seymour was sat on a grassy hill starting thoughtfully into the see. Well, in fact he couldn't find any place like that in Grimsby so instead he sat on a guge pile of waste rubber tyres and stared down at the old rusted docks.
 
He heard a rustling of feet on the sheet covering the tyres he was sat on, then he heard a stumbling sound and Zack Jarvis landed next to him. Niples turned to look at him laying on the ground pretending he meant to do that.
"The rest of the crew are here sir." he said.
Niples looked back to the grey/brown sky and felt the rain on his face.
 
***Tribunal room***
The crew of the Blue Dwarf sat around the room on an uncomfortable bench. The room was fairly large and surprisingly clean for the mining corporation. it was a cemi-circular room with the crewmembers from the Blue Dwarf (the ones who could be bothered to turn up) seated around the curved wall, focusing on the main seats in the centre. Cmdr. Niples and Cpt. Cannon sat in separate cubicles raised slightly higher than the crew, the top brass of the JMC and the Space core sat like judges, raised above everyone else behind a solid oak desk. (or cheap reproduction chipboard from MFI as Kayn pointed out after seeing the joins where it was glued together)
 
As usual, Captain Cannon had been the last to enter the room. All eyes had watched him take up his seat and adjust the height of the chair with annoyance. Niples noticed the Captain and Chairman Eckerslike exchange friendly looks. Niples caught the eye of General Anders who gave him a look as if to say 'lets get on with it then'. Anders wanted justice as much as Seymour and even seemed more anxious than Niples to see Cannon sent down.
 
The tribunal started, to prevent taking any longer than necessary Anders stood and turned to the Captain, who was seemed as layed back in his chair as possible, exchanging confident glances with his old pal chairman Eckerslike.
"Captain William David Cannon, you have been accused of negligence of duty and being unfit for command." The General's intense booming voice didn't seem to make Cannon the least bit worried.
 
Anders turned to Commander Niples. "Would you describe this man as being unfit for command?" he boomed.
Seymour slowly nodded and started to feel very uncomfortable as Cannon stared daggers at him.
"And what would you base that on?" asked Anders.
 
Niples started explaining the past events of the last ten months serving under Cannon on the Blue Dwarf. Every wrong command decision and mistake Cannon made was included, including on the first mission when Cannon put the lives of the senior officers at risk by ordering them to a planet inhabited by giant snakes and a huge killer mechanoid. Another bad decision on Cannon's part was a few weeks ago when a virus infected the ship, but the Captain didn't order an epidemic alert and quarentine until the virus had full hold.
Niples felt better for getting it all off his chest. He even started wondering what it would be like to be Captain, of his own ship. The Blue Dwarf...would be HIS ship.
 
Chief Engineer Smegg was called up to the stand next.
"Lieutenant Commander jason Smegg.." started Anders, Smegg beamed back, loving his title and rank being said by such a figure of authority. "Captain Cannon also made an engineering decision which endangered the lives of the crew is this correct?"
 
Jason nodded. "We had been severely damaged by an alternate Blue Dwarf and we were in definate need of a full engine repair, but Captain Cannon would not let us stop to fix it ourselves, he just wanted to carry on to the nearest space repair station."
 
"And what would have happened if you continued to a station?" asked Anders, thoroughly enjoying picking faults with the inferior Captain.
 
"We would all be in little tiny pieces now...sir" finished off Smegg. Cannon was giving him a menacing look, making Smegg's paranoid mind go crazy thinking about what Cannon would do to him if they ever met in a darkened alley.
 
The next witness was Frank Harris who gave Cannon a stare back which was just as scary and a lot more ugly. Harris didn't wait to be prompted before he verbally attacked the man sitting on the opposite side of the room to him.
"This man is a manice to my security officers!" he growled. He used them as cannon fodder, sending us all into dangerous situations that are not worth it! I have lost many good people because of this idiot's orders!"
 
Chairman Eckerslike stood up to defend Cannon. "Objection!" he called. "Security officers are supposed to go into dangerous situations, it's in their job description!"
 
Anders beckoned Eckerslike to sit down, he did so and straightened his green woolen tank-top.
"Major Harris" said Anders. "Has Cannon 'killed' any crewmembers when the situation could have been avoided?"
 
The answer was something along the lines as "hell yes". Harris then went on to describe the events a few weeks ago when Cannon's rage was solidified (thanks to a strange virus) into a huge beast which killed crewmen Cauty, Banshee, and Dr. Ventrite."
 
"That wasn't me!" shouted Cannon, standing up enraged. "It was a hallucination...."
"Which you created!" shouted Niples from somewhere on the back row. The crowd of Blue Dwarf crewmembers started shouting and throwing paper cups, they probably just wanted the opportunity.
 
Anders noticed that this subject was a sore spot for all concerned, it was the only example that changed Cannon's smug uncaring expression to one of worry, worry that he might loose his ship over it perhaps? He turned to Harris and pursued.
 
"And why was he so angry?"
"Because his wife and daughter were killed by some gelfs..." Harris trailed off, uncaring for the details.
Anders considered this and asked Dr. Keto to come up to the stand.
 
"Do you think that Cannon is unfit for the command of a starship because of the events which happened to his family.
Harris, who had not yet taken his seat quickly shot back to the stand, it was such an obvious question. Of course Cannon was unfit, he was a nutter. Frank "nutter" Harris called out abuse to the Captain and had to be physically restrained and removed from the room.
 
Keto and a few other crewmembers including Katarine Swete, Phil Febuggure, Steev MAckEnzyyyy and Whitewolf gave their views and soon it was time for Eckerslike to defend his 'client' and friend. He pointed out the best parts of the Blue Dwarfs mission so far, stating thet they had sucessfully proven new technologies, explored some distant star systems and generally havn't completely wasted their time out in space. Aside from finding the Red Dwarf though, but even Niples admitted he would not have been able to do that in the time allowed.
Eckerslike also pointed out that if not Cannon, then his pet rat 'Bobo' had save the ship from the manace known as 'Bob Harris' who had attempted to take over the Blue Dwarf.
 
The tribunal drew to a close, everyone knew who deserved to win. After all their lives were at stake, Seymour Niples was less likely to get the crew killed on pointless away mission like Cannon would do. It seemed an easy defeat.
 
After a 10 minute break both General Anders and Chairman Eckerslike returned into the tribunal room. The crew sat and waited eagerly, having already thrown rubbish all over the floor, tipped coke over each other and were now in the process of ripping the chair arms off.
 
"We have come to a......decision" said the General, glancing at Eckerslike who looked back with a burning fire in his eyes.
 
Niples was oblivious to the dirty looks in the tribunal room, he was in his thoughts- sitting in the Captains office, relaxing in the easy chair, leaving the paperwork to a petty officer.
 
"The decision is....."
 
The imagenary Captain Niples was barking orders to people, the crew needed him...needed their captain...Captain Seymour Niples.
 
"We are going to reinstate William Cannon as Captain of the Blue Dwarf" said Chairman Eckerslike of the JMC, proudly.
 
Niples' dream shattered.
 
Cannon's poker-face expression didn't change.
 
"What?!!!" shouted Niples, other Blue Dwarf crew members echoed his query.
 
Eckerslike continued. "We have found no reason to believe that Cannon is a bad captain, he will continue to serve aboard the Blue Dwarf. General Anders remained silent and didn't show any emotion. Niples looked over the crowd of Blue Dwarf crew, who were now starting a riot, he couldn't tell what the General was thinking at all. Surely there was enough evidence for the clearly incompetant Cannon to get sent down. But the burning question in Niples mind was why didn't Alders do it?
 
**2 minutes later**
 
Niples pulled General Alders into an office and asked him the exact same question. Alders seemed calm about the entire thing, he took a cigar out of his top pocket and lit it silently. Taking a few puffs before speaking.
 
"In the ten minutes we had to come to the conclusion, Chairman Eckerslike turned to me and said quietly 'I have many friends high up in the Space-core.' I didn't want to risk my job on one measly Captain."
 
"But that isn't justice!" whined Niples. "That's unfair, that's blackmail!"
 
"Don't worry about justice," Alders calmly said, blowing out the smoke from his cigar. "Cannon will get what's coming to him, and I have a feeling it will be very soon....."
 
Niples didn't understand what Alders was talking about, but the thought of Cannon feeling the cold hand of justice was enough to make him smile.
 
He was starting to wonder when this 'Justice' would ever be, especially the next day when General Alders gave them the Blue Dwarf's new mission.
 
 
 
<<OOC- Ok guys and gals, you can all post about the tribunal if you wish, add things you character may say to testify against Cannon. Don't change the outcome though! The Blue Dwarf's next mission will be explained in the next action post- which I will send no later than saturday (hopefully). The Blue Dwarf will then be departing the Jupiter station so don't miss the transport or you'll be left behind!>>
 
==================================Lt. David "Onion" BallAssistant Helm officer/ Pilot  USS Endeavour-ACommander Seymour Niples  JMC Blue DwarfWWW.Home.JMCBlueDwarf.com==================================