"Yes sir. I'll make it happen." Chris responds.
"Okay, your promotion and assignment will take place at eleven hundred hours, in the Amphitheatre. I want everyone to know who my Chief of Investigations and Enforcement is. There will be a small cocktail party and luncheon in the lounge, after it. When you receive the public notification of your promotion, you need to go to Commodore Hurst and be assigned appropriate accommodations and office space, immediately. You need to start right in, immediately after the cocktail party and luncheon. Your dismissed... Colonel." I say with a smile as Malcolm and Sielu chuckle.
"I just love your two questions. The hypotheticals were a great way to gauge the way someone leans." Malcolm says.
"I'm satisfied; but, I really like the way that man thinks things out; before, he opens his mouth.' I observe. 'I think we're done here, General. I'll see you at the ceremony, on the dais." I say; as, we all rise and Roh and I turn to exit. I put out the announcement.
MEMO
To: OESA - all Commands & all Personnel
From: Admiral K. Brubacher Commander OESA Inspector General Branch
Re: Commander I.S.I.E. Department OESA Inspector General Branch
Date: June 6, 2257
All,
Pleased by advised that, effective this day at eleven hundred hours Captain Christopher Sparks of Fifth Mobile Marine Army Command will be elevated in rank to the Level of Lt.Colonel and transferred to the OESA Inspector General Branch; where, he will assume the role of Commander I.S.I.E. Department of the Inspector General Branch.
For purposes of general information, I.S.I.E. is the Intelligence, Security, Investigative and Enforcement active field personnel of the Branch. This will be a Regiment sized command staffed by a projected eleven hundred forty-three warrented personnel engaged in investigative and enforcement activities. The personnel of this entire regiment wil be vetted and approved for the highest level of security in the Empire; and will have the full force of the Empire to enforce its laws, investigate potential criminal activities and detain and charge citizens if criminal probable cause exists as described in enacted statues and embedded in the OESA regulations. The protocols for receiving this investigative force; bearing a legal order of the Inspector General, have been outlined in a previous announcement by the C&C and are imbedded in those regulations. Congratulations Captain Sparks.
Admiral Kurt Brubacher Inspector General
Chapter 16 Opened for Business
Monday July 13, 2257
“Efforts and courage are not enough without purpose and direction.” John F. Kennedy
It's been a tough six weeks. I'm just glad I had that quiet three-month period before all this hit the fan. Helena and I did the basic planning for the wedding back in June; setting the wedding date at Saturday November 28 which is exactly four weeks after Stephen Nichols and Olivia Hurst. When we made the announcement, the press went wild. It got the same coverage as theirs; then, everything went crazy with speculation and exclusive reports on the two weddings. Bryant was right. It has become a real distraction throughout the Empire.
We're at operational level, now. We have the full marine contingent and about sixty percent of all the other staff we will need. But, one thing has become apparent.
MEMO
To: Fleet Admiral David Williamson C&C OESA
Fleet Admiral William Stephenson C&C OESA
From: Admiral K. Brubacher OESA Inspector General
C.C. Admiral G. T. Bryant Commander Mobile Fifth RAC
Re: Facilities
Date: July 13, 2257 08:00 hours OESA time
Sirs,
We have reached a staff level of forty-three hundred personnel and are operational, as of this morning. However, to be fully functional we will be at a staff level of around eighty-five hundred.
One thing that has become very apparent is that, Valhalla does not have the facilities or space to accommodate such a large addition. My search for another facility that would accommodate our needs was fruitless; and, the strain on everyone aboard the Valhalla is creating insufferable conditions.
To alleviate this situation, I would like to point out that former ESS Orion, OESA registry number CCFS3472 is sitting in the bone yard at Rigil, after recent decommissioning under the lifetime program. I would like to propose that, she be reconditioned, refitted and proofed for assignment to the Inspector General Branch. Refitting would involve removing all offensive weaponry systems from her body. Without worry of battle, she could be manned by a four shift crew of twenty-eight hundred eighty; and, a great deal of her hangar space could be recovered for additional quarters and supply storage space. Refitting her in such a manner would allow her to house our projected staff of nearly eighty-five hundred and her crew of twenty-eight hundred eighty personnel. I understand the combined staff of over eleven thousand exceeds the projection for the Inspector General Branch; but, it is a relatively inexpensive way to house the operation, while maintaining our necessary mobility. It also removes the need to keep a Group at our disposal.
Please respond at your earliest convenience.
Admiral K Brubacher
Right now, I am looking over potential targets. It's too early to target the Quadrant One and Four Commands; so, I am deciding how to determine where else to go, now. After some thought, I've decided we should start smaller. It will give us the data we need to refine our procedures. So, in the end, I have decided to initiate two Fleet level general investigations, at the same time. We have not developed an official order, yet. This will be my chance to work it all out.
OESA INSPECTOR GENERAL BRANCH
ORDER OF GENERAL INVESTIGATION AND AUDIT Order Number IGB257-0701
Antlia Fleet
Att.: Vice Admiral V.S. Bandera Commander Antlia Fleet
You are advised that, on this date, July 13, 2257 this warrant has been generated ordering the investigation of all aspects of the Antlia Fleet. You are ordered and required to comply with all persons of the investigating team, as required by statute and described in OESA Rules and Regulations. Further you are ordered and required to avail all facilities, information systems and data storage devices and make available all personnel that are part of your Command and / or any of its sub-commands.
This order was generated July 13, 2257 by,
Admiral Kurt Brubacher
OESA Inspector General
OESA INSPECTOR GENERAL BRANCH
ORDER OF GENERAL INVESTIGATION AND AUDIT Order Number IGB257-0702
Lacerta Fleet
Att.: Vice Admiral D. Coreora Commander Lacerta Fleet
You are advised that, on this date, July 13, 2257 this warrant has been generated ordering the investigation of all aspects of the Antlia Fleet. You are ordered and required to comply with all persons of the investigating team, as required by statute and described in OESA Rules and Regulations. Further you are ordered and required to avail all facilities, information systems and data storage devices and make available all personnel that are part of your Command and / or any of its sub-commands.
This order was generated July 13, 2257 by,
Admiral Kurt Brubacher
OESA Inspector General
MEMO
From: Adm. K. Brubacher Inspector General
To: Lt. Colonel C. Sparks Commander I.S.I.E. Department Inspector General Branch
C.C. Admiral G.Bryant Commander Fifth Mobile RAC, Rear Admiral Rohkea Sielu Chief of Staff Inspector General Branch
Re: General Investigations and Audits
Date: July 13, 2257
Colonel Sparks,
You will find two Investigation Orders attached. One is for Anlia Fleet. The other is for Lacerta Fleet. You will need a team of two forensic personnel from each of, Accounting, Human Resource, Legal, Engineering, Communications, Weapons, Logistics disciplines and eight armed infantry soldiers to support a squad comprised of three criminal investigators, two intelligence agents and three enforcment officers for each investigation. You are authorized to re
quisition the use of a thirty person shuttle craft and their crew for each of these operations. Handheld Conventional / lasar weapons are authorized; but, should employ rubber bullets for the conventional and minimum setting for the lasar operations. Use of deadly force is not authorized; except in defense of your teams.
You will find the positions of both Fleets by accessing the encrypted OESA "Deployed Vessels" page on our site. Access to this the DVpage requires entry of your OESA identification number and your security clearance number. Good Luck to your teams.
Admiral Brubacher.
Durning the period since Chris Sparks came aboard, he and I spent many sessions working on the design of badges and warrant cards. Badges are mostly symbolic; but, do indicate instantlly the authority of the wearer. Warrant cards are the real identification that carry the authority of the OESA; so, they are critical. They have to be impossible to counterfeight and must carry data that confirms the identity of the wearer. A nice characteristic on the wish side of our list would to make both theft-proof. What we have developed is a card that contains enough holography to make it nearly impossible to fake. In addition, it contains a hidden RFID chip that ties to another one in the badge and a sub-dermal one in the investigator. If any of the three parts are separated by more than ten meters, they trigger an alarm. The card and the badge have an additional data unit in them that notifies any nearby OESA data systems the identification has been compromised. The same device immediately confirms identity with systems in proximity to the warrant card if all three parts of the system are together.
Chris stops in my doorway.
"I've got my two teams. Our stuff is aboard the shuttles. Did you want to speak to them?" He asks.
"Yeah, sure." I answer as I rise. We head through the corridors to the shuttle bay. Teams of thirty men and women are in formation beside each shuttle.
"Group!" some one hollars as we enter the bay. Everyone snaps to attention and salutes. I return it.
"Stand easy.' I snap as I near them. 'You all know the mission. You've all helped develop the protocols and the systems were using. But, these are first missions. Try not to make too many waves; but, don't be afraid to assert your authority, if needed. Don't forget, your warrant card supercedes even an Admirals rank, in the matter of this investigation. Don't be intimidated. If any of you encounter resistance, report to your local commander. The commander will deal with it. If it can't be dealt with, I need to know, quickly. We will bring additonal support to you - a Fleet, if necessary. So, stay positive and try to stay relaxed. A service cheer!" I called as I raised my fisted right arm.
"Rah." Came the loud chorus.
They all climb aboard their shuttles. I wave to the faces in the portals; then, turn and leave the shuttle bay; so, it can be depressurized. I watch through the viewing window as they depart; then, Chris and I go on to our offices. I call a meeting with the COS, her Deputy, Colonel Sparks and his four majors and the department heads from accounting and human resources in my office.
"Welcome everyone. I wanted to tell you that, you've all done a great job. We are operational; and, have just launched our first two investigations. That's a considerable feat in the six weeks from the birth of the Inspector General Branch. I must congratulate you all. Team one is two days out at Antlia Fleet and team two is three days out at Lacerta Fleet; so, we won't begin to get feedbacck for that long. In our offices we will need two forensic teams set up to receive and analyze the data from the remote teams. They are not likely to discover anything but the most obvious; but, the forensics teams here will be able to sit in the quiet of their offices and really tear apart the information they receive. We need to do it quickly. We are not just looking for criminal activity. We also seek to ensure these commands are following regulations and protocol. So, you will be looking for breaches on those two fronts, too. Everyone else in your departments has to continue on with there jobs. We need internal accounting, payroll and human resources to stay up to date. We need our own security investigations to move on quickly so we can continue our growth.
Growth is a problem, though. I know we are becoming cramped. And quite frankly, we're becoming a pain in the ass for Mobile Fifth Command. But, I have taken steps to alleviate the situation. I have asked that the Inspector General Branch be assigned its own modified Carrier permitting us to house our entire staff and offices in one mobile station. I proposed a plan that would achieve this with relative cost efficiency. I am awaiting a reply. So, there is hope; but, even if that plan is approved, we will not get relief for four to six weeks.
Anyway, I wanted to thank you all for your hard work. Does anyone have any observations, comments or questions to present?' There was a long pause with negative head shakes. 'Dimissed." I barked. Everyone rose and left my office.
..............................................................................
I finally got a report from the team at Antlia Fleet, this morning. They inform me that, they were refused permission to board any ship by the Fleet Commander. They advised him they had a legal investigation order; and, he would be charged with a felony and arrested; if, he didn't comply. After some back and forth, the mission commander reminded Vice Admiral V.S. Bandera that he could request a Fleet or two to the location to enforce the order. Bandera relented.
My enunciator sounded. It was mail from the C&C.
MEMO
From: Fleet Admiral David Williamson C&C OESA
Fleet Admiral William Stephenson C&C OESA
To: Admiral K Brubacher OESA Inspector General
C.C. Admiral George Bryant Commander Mobile Fifth RAC
Re: Inspector General Branch - Facilities
Date: July 15, 2257 16:00 hours OESA time
Admiral Brubacher,
We are sorry we took a little longer to reply to you; but, we quickly investigated any other alternatives to your facility problem that may be available; since, your option seemed a little expensive.
First, I would like to congratulate you on going operational, on time. This is an incredible feat considering the daunting task and the limited timeline. You have proven once again that, our faith in you is justified.
As far as your facility issues go, we have found the following alternative which is more cost effective; but, follows the line of thought you were working on.
The ESS Kalamazoo Registry number SCS3589 is a supply vessel, in good condition and not due to be retired under the lifetime program, for nearly five years. She would require no systems reconditioning and no testing and shakedown phase. Her last full reconditioning was five years ago. This move would be a simple transfer of assets. We can advance her replacement in her current Fleet with a new unit that is yard ready and has already been proofed for service. This will affect that Fleet by the cost of the new ship; but, your unit will only need to handle the used ship's write-down value; which is twenty-five percent of the vessels original value, plus the refit. Refitting the vessel for your service would involve reconfiguring three-and-a-half storage decks, for additional quarters and offices. She would sport a slightly larger operating crew; since, engineering operations would have to be enlarged to handle increased recycling and environmental needs. The housekeeping crew, galley teams and ships compliment of stewards would also be increased to reflect the increased personnel. She would undergo a cosmetic refinishing. The remaining cargo decks would remain as they are. This storage space is needed supply of your crew and the vessel itself. The benefits of this action are:
1) The yard would drop all other work – on hand, pre-constructed modules are a good fit for the extra living quarters, dining facilities and other infrastructure needs - refit time is estimated at two weeks.
2) The vessel is already configured in a defensive only mode; so, no weapons refit would be necessary.
3) Value of this vessel is much lower, refit is much less costly and it will be crewed by about six hundred which falls well within your maximum budget.
4) Testing and proofing shakedow
n of the enlarged recycling and environmental systems would be done on route to you.
5) The vessel would be in your hands and ready to move in, in far less time - alleviating yours and Admiral Bryant's concerns in a much more favorable timeframe.
The vessel would have separate quarters (slightly increased by removal of existing mess halls) for its operating crew, Quarters for up to eight staff and guest Flag officers, quarters for two hundred twenty-five senior commissioned officers, quarters for 1300 commissioned officers of other rank and quarters for seventy-eight hundred enlisted and noncommissioned officers. When the existing mess halls are removed some space not devoted to quarters would be used for a small amphitheater. A new, small flag mess hall, a six hundred seat officers mess and a twenty-eight hundred seat non-com / enlisted mess would fill nearly half of one deck. There would be a very large multipurpose room that could be used for large gatherings and promotions. This room would be finished with a stage and a chandelier at its midpoint. Medical would be increased in size. The half deck would include a mall, gymnasium and swimming pool. The vessel would also have a Commander's Office, the COS office, eight senior administrative offices, twenty-five administrative offices and separate office spaces for nineteen departments staffed by eight thousand. Former weapons storage areas not included in the accommodation and office refit would be reconfigured as a shuttle bays for four large long distance shuttles. The rest of this space would store large stocks of Marine Corps’ weapons and ammunitions. A separate dock would be added for your Admiral's Craft; so, it can ride on the bottom of the ship. The shuttles are new and available, now. They would be charged to your asset ledger and would require testing and shakedown.
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