You will find the positions of the three Fleets by accessing the encrypted OESA "Deployed Vessels" page on our site. Access to the DVpage requires entry of your OESA identification number and your security clearance number.
The three systems these Fleets are currently parked in are within close proximity to each other. I have ordered "Examiner" to a position central to them. Examiner departure from its current position will take place at eight hundred hours, this day. ETA at our destination will be five hundred fifteen hours, August 24, 2257. I have authorized velocity of thirty percent for the first leg of our mission. Our position will place us no more than three light years from each target; so, maximum travel time by shuttle will be fifteen hours or less. Communications lag between each location and the Examiner will be three hours. Good Luck to your teams.
Admiral Brubacher.
During the three and a half day trip to our position, I have scheduled three promotion ceremonies and one large cocktail party luncheon. We have acquired the last of our commissioned personnel; and, there are nearly one hundred promotions and assignments to do. This has been a source of a lot of work for me and the staff, over the past couple of months. With officers' promotions come the ceremonies and parties; and all the paperwork and notifications. Since, our people perform a service wide function, these notices require wide circulation. In the meantime, Helena and I have almost completed all our wedding plans. It is imperative to have them done by the end of this month. People need their invitations in time to adjust their schedules. It has been a busy time.
......................................................................
MEMO
From: Admiral Kurt Brubacher Inspector General
To: Vice Admiral Gigantean Commander Canis Minor Fleet
Re: Our examination of your fleet - warrant number IGB257-0805
Confidential
Date: August 31, 2257
Admiral,
The investigation noted above yielded no deficiencies in your Fleet operations worth citing in a report. To the contrary, the Canis Minor Fleet was cited as being a "model" of how a field operation of this size should be run. Since these investigations are multi-faceted, deep and thorough, you should be very proud of your operation.
However, my investigators did find an issue, I feel is worth bringing to your attention; since, a Fleet Commander cannot keep a personal eye on each of his thousands of subordinates and every piece of hardware in the operation. The young lieutenant responsible for the Asset Sheet within your Accounting Department seems to be in over his head. He is very socially interactive and is very well liked. Because of that, people both below and above his position seem to be protecting him.
My team found his work often piles up; requiring "all-nighters" to restore the records to a current state. He is also responsible for generating inaccuracies that are corrected by those previously mentioned. While this is a situation that has resulted in no harm to your operations, I felt you should be apprised of it; so, you could take whatever steps you feel are appropriate. I believe that, a Commander of a Fleet as efficient as Canis Minor would wish to know of such issues.
I would like to thank you for the warm welcome you gave our investigative team and for the cooperation you and your entire Command offered throughout the investigation
Admiral K. Brubacher Inspector General
I order the ESS Examiner to return to ESS Loki. We will need a week to plan our next operation; which will be a Theatre Command.
OESA INSPECTOR GENERAL BRANCH
WARRANT OF GENERAL INVESTIGATION AND AUDIT Order Number IGB257-0906
Theatre Nine Command
Att.: Admiral Stephen Nichols Commander Fifth Mobile RAC Theatre Nine Command
You are advised that, on this date, September 6, 2257 this warrant has been generated ordering the investigation of all aspects of Fifth Mobile RAC Theatre Nine Command. You are ordered and required to comply with all persons of the investigating team, as compelled 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 Sunday, September 6, 2257 by,
Admiral Kurt Brubacher
OESA Inspector General
Note: a copy of this order has been posted to the office of the OESA C&C
I call in Colonel Sparks. I show him the warrant.
"I chose Theatre Nine for a reason. Admiral Nichols and I are friends. This should give us a chance to establish a process for this size command. We should be welcomed at Nine. Or, I could lose a friend, I guess.
You are still in Command of the actual mission. I am going to spend time with Stephen. Hopefully, I can ease any pain he might feel." I explained I tapped my pad to send his orders.
MEMO
From: Adm. K. Brubacher Inspector General
To: Lt. Colonel C. Sparks Commander I.S.I.E. Department Inspector General Branch
C.C. Rear Admiral Rohkea Sielu Chief of Staff Inspector General Branch
Re: General Investigations and Audits
Date: September 6, 2257
Colonel Sparks,
You will find an Investigation Order attached. It is for the examination of Theatre Nine Command. You will need a team of six forensic personnel from each of, Accounting, Human Resources, Legal, Engineering, Communications, Weapons, Logistics disciplines and twenty-four armed infantry soldiers to support a squad comprised of nine criminal investigators, six intelligence agents and nine enforcment officers for this investigation. You are authorized to requisition the use of three thirty-five person shuttle crafts and their crews for this operation. 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.
The ESS Examiner will make the initial trip from the Loki to Zavijava, where Theatre Nine Command is currently parked. It has been ordered to depart immediately and will arrive at Theatre Nine Wednesday, September 9, 2257 at seventeen hundred hours. Shuttles will only be required for ship to ship on-site transfer. I will be accompanying your team, on this investigation.
Admiral Brubacher.
"Thanks for welcoming us so warmly, Stephen. We are not always received kindly by everyone." I offer as we sit down in his sumptuously spacious office.
"You're welcome, Kurt; and I know what you mean. I was at a seminar with Vice Admiral V.S. Bandera, last week. He says you killed his career. After I dug the facts out of him, I told him, he killed his own career. I'm glad you chose Nine as your first Theatre Command audit." He responds, with a smile.
"So, you understand?... I needed to start with someone who would give me a little slack. We use each first investigation to refine the process for the next ones. I knew that, Theatre Nine wouldn't have any serious issues; and, probably not many minor ones; so, I thought it would be the best place to learn. It also gives the impression of nonpartisanship. We could keep the heat on Quadrant One and Four; but, it not only wouldn't look fair; it wouldn't be fair. I would like to stay above board and even handed. I would like the Inspector General Branch to be a valuable, productive operational aid to the OESA." I say.
"And, it should be. When your department was conceived, I came back to Midgard and advised my people of its creation, purpose, responsibilities and authority. I made sure they knew that, when your people show up, they are to feel welcome.' Nichols explained. ' Why don't we head down to the club for a drink. You got a hundred people here to do the work for you; and, another eight thousand parked outside; if, you need more help. I hear the ESS Examiner is quite a vessel." He says.
"Yeah, in fact why don't we have that drink in its pub. Then I could show you the newest thing in floating headquarters." I reply with a smile.
Once in the pub, Lowry’s, aboard the
Examiner, Stephen orders a glass of chardonnay and I order a draught beer.
"Where did you come up with the name Lowry’s for this place? It’s pretty catchy." He inquires.
"It's sort of a theme. We are an investigative unit. The ship is the ESS Examiner; so, we decided to carry the investigation theme through the ship. Justin Lowry is a famous fictional detective created by an author named K. L. Davis in the late twenty-first century. Banerjee's outlet up the corridor is called Jake’s after another fictional detective; and, so on. We carry the theme throughout. The main mess hall is called Shamus’s and the officers' mess is called Devon’s Eatery for Charles Devon - just adds a little fun to our lives. Some of those stories were pretty badly written; but, they appealed to the masses. Those detectives are referred to regularly, by people." I explain.
"That is a good one. All the Commands should do it. We're a tactical military command. Based on that, we should rename our pub Paton's Place and officers' mess Eisenhower's Eatery. We could use old WW2 military leaders' names. I like the idea." Admiral Nichols says with a chuckle.
"You know, Stephen, I meant to ask you something when we were back in your office.' He leaned in as I spoke. 'I came across an interesting situation during our investigation of Canis Minor Fleet. They came through it with flying colors, by the way. We cited them with a positive recommendation for excellence. But, during the investigation we found a person in a senior accounting position who was way over his head. Other people had been covering for him. Since, I had the knowledge and I know a Commander of a large Command cannot possibly know every little thing going on with each and every officer and crewman, I advised Admiral Gigantean. I felt that, I would want the knowledge; if, I was in his shoes. Would you like us to do that for you? Even if there is nothing negative to cite - let you know personally and confidentially of any potential weakness?" I asked quietly.
"That would be most thoughtful. I'd accept that kind of information with thanks." He responded genuinely.
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MEMO
From: Admiral K. Brubacher Inspector General
To: Admiral Stephen Nichols Commander Fifth Mobile RAC Theatre Nine Command
Re: Investigative Audit GB257-0906 - Theatre Nine Command
CONFIDENTIAL
September 19, 2257
Admiral,
I would first like to thank you for the warm welcome and the fine hospitality you afforded our investigative team during our visit ending September 15, 2257. It can be most unnerving having a team of that size uprooting your command. Conditions can develop that make the process tense and uncomfortable for the investigation team, too. You and your people handled the situation with aplomb.
I must compliment you on the professional way Theatre Nine Command operates. We found no deficiencies of any type in any operation within the Command. It is a textbook example of how an operation of this size should be run. This opinion appears in the report forwarded to the OESA C&C and copied to your superior Admiral George Bryant Commander Fifth Mobile RAC.
I have attached a very short list and supporting reports on four members of your Command. Though, they have not managed to negatively impact any final outcomes within the operations, they appear to personally operate far below the standards of their peers and your expectations. Information in this paragraph and in the attachments is for your use only and has not been distributed to anyone else.
I congratulate you on the state of your command and thank you again for your warm hospitality.
Admiral K. Brubacher Inspector General
We are parked with the Loki, again; so, I have been able to spend considerable time with Helena. Daytime is packed with planning and arranging all the fine points of the wedding. The wedding party, their attire, the cake, the menu, the music, invitation lists, the bride's dress, dance music and dinner table layout have all been determined and are locked in. Location was a big issue. I wanted it aboard the Examiner. Helena wanted it aboard the Loki. But, Stephenson and Bryant convinced us it should be aboard the Midgard or the Valhalla. Their bridges and hangars allow for a much grander event. Considering the Midgard was already the site for Stephen and Olivia's wedding, we chose the Valhalla, with the Loki doing second duty for the dinner. The Phoenix Fleet would be parked at the Valhalla for the event; since, invitations were extended to all off-duty personnel who could attend. The wedding dress is something to behold. It is an original design by Helena, herself. The dress is various shades of white silk, satin and taffeta. The bodice is long and relatively sleek flaring from calf to the floor with only a two-foot train dragging behind. The snug waistline sports a white faux cummerbund that suggestively wraps around Helena's delicate waistline. A white / off-white Cavalry-styled two button single breasted over - jacket sporting wide lapels and epaulets give the whole ensemble a military flare. She went to great pains to make sure the creatively elegant design fit within uniform specifications in the Rules and Regulations of the OESA; then, went to a lot of trouble to get it approved by the Secretary of Defense and the Office of the OESA C&C, as official flag level dress attire for state functions. Along with the one for the wedding, she had a second version made and approved in more traditional service blacks and grays. As uniforms, both versions can now be worn fully garnished with rank insignia and service medals, ribbons and lanyards. Her maid of honor and handmaids, all officers from the service, will wear full military dress uniforms to accompany her. The military look and complementary colors of the bride and her handmaids is a striking picture to behold.
The whole thing created quite a sensation; when, the bride and her party were asked to model for press corps pictures released to the public. Since the bride would now be in uniform during the wedding, it's planned with much more military flare. For instance, all will be asked to rise for the Orion Empire anthem just before the actual ceremony begins. The groom, best man and ushers will be saluted by the wedding official, when they arrive at their stations. There will be a salute and present arms with ceremonial swords as the bride completes the wedding march to her groom and she too will be saluted by the official; when, she takes her place. The Emperor will present the married couple to the attendees at the end of the ceremony. These are not plans we just went along with for the Empire's official function. We planned it all together, over the months since the announcement; taking all the right steps to get every included military action approved. We also spent considerable time with the George and Marie Bryant discussing their experience. Being the first, they were the obvious people to go to for advice. We are luckier than them. The Valhalla hangar has handled big events already; and, it's calculated it can hold over nine thousand for dinner with serving stations and bars set up in fifteen different locations. The Loki hangar will be used the same way; but to scale. We will have a dinner seating at nineteen hundred hours and another at twenty-three hundred thirty hours; allowing for a total of thirty thousand to be served throughout the evening and night. But, we will only have to travel between two vessels instead of four like the Bryants did. Since, it is centered in the Valhalla, Moe took command of all the facility and dinner functions. All guest travel arrangements were being handled by Moe and my COS Rear Admiral Rohkea Sielu. Roh decided that since, the Examiner was built for nearly seven hundred more personnel than we currently have, it should go to Earth and Rigil to pick up all non-service wedding guests and bring them to the Valhalla; then, return them to their homes, when the event ends.
Meanwhile, business has to continue; so, I create a schedule for investigations and post dated warrants for all the Commands on that calendar; which was double encrypted and stored a copy for Colonel Sparks and one for me, on the system; so only, he and I could access those documents. I key the encryption for his file to his command codes and for my file to my codes. I call him in and advise him; explaining that investigations must continue; even through periods like my upcoming wedding; and, that he is essentially running that end of
the show, for now.
Sparks, Roh, the investigations batallion commander, the enforcement battalion commander, the intelligence commander, the commander of the forensics accounting group and I sit together refining processes and procedures from past experience. We agree that all future investigations will be in multiples of thirty-five; using the established team breakdown with the addition of additonal intelligence people inserted as investigators. Once all that is made clear, I adjourn the meeting; asking only Sparks and Roh to stay behind.
"Chris, do you remember the two questions I asked you before deciding to make you my marine Commander?' I paused and waited for a positive indication. 'You asked the same question of everyone you hired; so, your intelligence people should understand the order you will give them all. As they are roaming a command during an investigation, they are to view everything in the light of those two questions. If they discover something that seems to be contrary to the answers required, they are to dig in quietly and get all the details and report to you and me. The other thing they are to watch for is tactical orders without a link to the C&C. In other words a Fleet or Task Force Commander orders an action that does not seem to relate to orders from the superiors all the way up the chain of Command; or, responsibilities outlined in the Rules and Regulations. These actions could just be a Commander extrapolating; or, following Rules and Regulations, in a perceived emergency. Or, a link up the chain of command that is not obvious may exist. But, if they suspect a Commander is issuing unlawful orders, they should acquire all available facts and contact one or both of us. I must know of it, without delay. I have the means to investigate tactical orders up the chain of command. If they turn out to be unlawful, we will make arrests, immediately; even if, we have to turn a team around and go back to the Command and do it.
The schedule on the server is brisk. You have four thirty-five person long distance craft. We don't know where a Fleet will be a month from now; so, a lot of the investigations could involve long distances in shuttles. We will move the Examiner to centralized positions, when possible. But, we won't be able to do that in a lot of cases. The schedule is based on the size of the investigation. If you are examining a Quadrant or Theatre Command - it seeks to do only one other Fleet investigation at the same time, to mete out the shuttles properly. If your orders are for all Fleet examinations, it will schedule four at the same time. The schedule sets up four and a half days travel each way, six days for the investigation and two days after return for forensic wrap-up and reporting. So every seventeen days, from now on, your people are starting new investigations. Rotate your people regularly. You have enough people so each team should only have to hit the road once every three or four months. I need your results, late on the second day you are back to the Examiner, from a mission. Thirty percent velocity is authorized for travel to and from all missions. That means you can look at the schedule for current targets thirty-four light years or less from the Examiner. If we are too far from one, exchange a mission with another elsewhere on the calendar; but, do the maximum in each seventeen day period; and never exceed four and a half days travel time each way, at thirty percent. Always remember that, the shuttle crew must reset chronometers, after a jump. I cannot put the intelligence protocol I just laid out in writing. It would not be a very good intelligence operation if there was stuff left around for people to find or steal. The warrants lay out the scope of the investigations; except intelligence. But this intelligence protocol must be an understood part of each investigation. Are you okay with that?" I finished.
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