* * *
A Board of Inquire convened the next day in the wardroom. At the head of the long wardroom table was the captain, flanked on either side by his senior officers - the XO, Commander Eddington; the ship’s engineer, Commander Sanchez; the Science Officer, Commander Jackson; the navigator, Lieutenant Commander Marshal; the Operations Officer, Lieutenant Mather; and the Weapons Officer, Lieutenant Stahl. Witnesses, Midshipman Neumann and Chief Howard, were seated along the side of the table.
At the foot of the table, stood Midshipman Gallant, his heavily bandaged hands were at his side. He actually looked, as pained, as he felt.
Captain Caine began, “The fire was started by a short in a faulty electro-pneumatic switch on the missile refueling tank. The workmen were quickly overcome from fumes, but they were not responsible for the fire. The automatic fire suppressant systems were of limited value initially, because the electrical panels were not isolated and shutdown quickly enough. Fighting the fire was hampered by the high heat and a large volume of smoke in the contained spaces. Two repairmen were serious injured due to smoke inhalation and three DC team members sustained minor injuries in fighting the fire. All have been treated and released.”
Captain Caine paused and looked directly at Gallant, “Mr. Gallant, why did it take you so long to find and isolate the source of the fire?”
“I had trouble locating the work site, sir.”
“Didn’t you look over the work site on your pre-watch walkthrough?”
“No sir.”
“Why didn’t you perform a walkthrough of that area before assuming the watch?” demanded Caine.
“No excuse, sir.”
“There certainly isn’t,” said Caine, his neck turning bright red.
Neumann shifted slightly in his seat, but remained silent.
Caine continued, “Also, you didn’t don protective gear and breathing apparatus before entering a smoke filled compartment. That is a violation of procedure and may have contributed to the delay. It definitively contributed to your swallowing a considerable amount of smoke and getting your hands burned." Caine waited a second and then asked, "How bad are they, anyway?”
“I’m okay, really sir. Just a little tender for a few days that’s all,” said Gallant hiding a wince.
Gallant was asked to wait outside the wardroom while Captain Caine conferred with the XO and the department heads.
When they reconvened, Gallant returned to his position at the foot of the table. Captain Caine said, “Mr. Gallant for failure to perform an adequate pre-watch walkthrough and for procedure violations as DC leader, you will receive a Letter of Reprimand in your jacket. In addition, you will be required to undergo additional fire and damage control training.”
“Yes, sir.”
“By the way, both of the repairmen are doing better and are expected to make a full recovery. Good job pulling them to safety. That’s all.”
Gallant left the wardroom unhappy about the letter, but feeling greatly relieved about the injured men.
Midshipman Henry Gallant in Space Page 13