PHD #313: Law and Order
PHD #214: Law and Order
Summary: Rose meets with Lt. Corrath to discuss matters of vegetable theft and civilian law.
Date: 05 Jan 2042 AE
Related Logs: Elpis Five-Oh, Who Is Robert Warner?
Players:
Corrath Rose 
S2's Office - Security Hub - Battlestar Cerberus
This smallish styled office is typically made use of by the Master-at-Arms to conduct his business and oversee the MP's. As of late, with the lack of an MaA, the S2 has been making use of it, as is evident by the stacks of paperwork that seem to be accumulating on the desk. To the side, a secured cabinet can be see and a table with the never-ending Marine Coffee Pot <tm>. Across from the desk, two simple chairs are present for those who visit, while behind the desk, a much larger and more comfortable chair can be seen.
Post-Holocaust Day: #313

With the Cerberus still at Condition 2, the MP's have certainly had their hands full with the extra patrols and security sweeps that they've been forced to do. And like everything, the extra 'shifts' have generated extra paperwork, something that Corrath seems to be trying to work through at this moment. Folders and tablets litter his desk in some unrecognizable filing system and as he looks through a document, it's signed and sealed before being set in the now open filing cabinet behind him.

There's a faint knock at the door, and a Marine Private sticks his head in. "Miss Ibbhanas to see you, sir," is all he says. Presuming Corrath acknowledges and lets the woman enter, Rose steps into the office wearing an amiable smile, with a battered but mended leather attache case, carried by its handle straps in her left hand. She sticks out her right hand when it's at an appropriate distance, approaching Corrath's desk. "Lieutenant, thank you for seeing me. I do apologize about the chain of command thing, but you'll have to forgive me - I'm still very new to military procedures."

The knock at the door has Corrath lifting his attention from the documents, only to offer a slight nod of his head to the Private. When Rose enters and moves towards his desk, only to extend a hand, he's rising from his seat to offer his own for a brief hand shake. Then, he's simply motioning towards a seat before lowering back down into his own, "My pleasure, Ms Ibbhanas. As for the issue of communication, that is understandable for yourself, not so much for Lieutenant Vandenberg, though." Hands shift to his lap, coming to clasp together for the moment, "I do apologize in the delay in getting this meeting underway. As you can imagine, things have been .. busy."

It's a light but firm handshake, business-professional appropriate for a woman of her size. She slips into the seat offered, setting the battered briefcase on the floor beside her. "Lieutenant Vandenberg has come to me in the past regarding a certain issue that I am pursuing on my own. I don't want you and your department to think I'm trying to go around your back, you see." Crossing her legs and resting her hands in her lap, she changes topic. "I've two matters for you, as you know. I'm thinking that, perhaps, we should talk about the matter of security, first? Or, we can talk about matters of law and order. Your choice." She maintains a small but sincere smile.

Nothing further is said on the topic of Vandenberg and when the topic is changed, Corrath is simply offering a slight nod of his head as she speaks. Unclasping his hands, he's leaning forward to claim a notebook and pen from his desk before settling back into the cushion of his seat, "Why don't we start with the matter of security, first. It will be a much smoother and simplier conversation then that of law and order." Only the slightest of smiles touches upon his lips at this point.

"Of course," Rose says. Reaching down and into her case, she produces a file. They appear to be paper copies of record sheets, recording quantities of produce planted, reaching maturity, and harvested, with figures for "usable produce" and "unusable produce." "If you see these sheets here, they indicate our ongoing attempts at record keeping for the hydroponics effort. We've only really just begun so our process isn't perfect, but I had already detected a discrepancy in the numbers. We set a level for acceptable and unacceptable waste, and curiously we were exceeding our levels in only one area." With her index finger, she points to a particular section on one of the sheets, indicating 'B5-6'.

When the files are produced and settled, Corrath takes a moment to look them over, offering another quick nod of his head as Rose offers up an explaination of things. When that final section is pointed out, he's offering a faint 'hmm' before lifting his eyes to settle them back on her, "And, per your note to Lieutenant Vandenberg, you believe this to be theft. And tied to an individual named .." He searches her memory for a moment before continuing, ".. Mister Wagner? Warner? Something of that nature."

Rose nods slightly. "Robert, or Bobby, Warner. The individual that I first interviewed, an Aerilon rescuee, explained that he was 'short' and 'towheaded' - which I realized later meant that he had blonde hair. This young man, tall, lanky, and red-headed, identified himself only as 'Greg' and came across as a little slow." She shakes her head, smiling, a hint of embarassment on her face. "It didn't dawn on me until after I interviewed a few of the woman in the B5 row, and beyond - they all describe Robert Warner as tall, red-headed, and something of a letch. The description, I might add, not matching young Mr. Greg's information… but very much matching his appearance." Straightening up in her seat a little, as if suddenly uncomfortable, she states, "I tried raising a Robert or Bobby Warner on the PA system several times, and only got more complaints from various women that he was aggressive with his advances. I've yet again to run into Robert, or Greg, or whatever his name might actually be."

Listening once more, Corrath gives a slight nod of his head as he jots a couple of things down on the notepad. "Interesting enough. With the size of the Elpis, though, it shouldn't be too hard to find this man. Considering I've got MP's over there already, I can pass along a description to them, to keep an eye out. Secondary to that, I can send a couple others over, in 'plain' clothes to look around for him." Pause. Another note taken. "I'd also recommend that we station a couple of MP's to help keep an eye on hydroponics area, at least until we get the Elpis settled with it's own security."

"Well, normally the MPs brush in and out on their usual patrols, but I'm sure you knew that already," Rose offers, smile fleeting, replaced with taught lips in an attempt not to frown. "I don't want to alarm anyone or make them feel like they're untrusted. Morale has improved, with the christening of the Elpis, and everyone is glad to be doing something other than lazing about. But at the same time, well…" Rose uncrosses and re-crosses her legs as she scoots forward to the edge of her chair, leaning forward. "You've heard of this manifesto floating around, haven't you?"

There's a the faintest of chuckles as Corrath gives another nod of his head, "Aye, I'm aware they pass through. It might be good, though, to have a couple stationed there. Simply to discourage future attempts at theft. As for alarming people? I don't think we'll have much of an issue there, to be honest. I don't want my MP's searching through things, but it can't hurt to have them on the watch for this man." The mention of the manifesto has him offering a slightly larger smile, "Oh, yes. I've heard a fair bit about that, to be honest."

Rose can't help but frown a little, now. She's a worryer. "Well, things never get easier, I'm afraid. People just can't be content with what they have, be grateful that they're not dead in a nuclear holocaust or at the muzzle of a Cylon." She shakes her head. "And the timing is just… perfect, don't you agree?"

The hand with the pen motions to the paperwork that litters his desk as another chuckle slips past Corrath's lips, "Nope, people are never just happy to be alive, I'm afraid. I deal with petty things that, with everything that's gone on, shouldn't even be something people think about. Unfortunately, it's the human nature, it would seem." Lowering the hand, there's another note to the notepad, lips remaining curved into that smile now, "Can't say I fault the content of that 'manifesto', to be honest. I can understand the need for Civilians to want to govern and police themselves. Unfortunately, they just need to realize that it's not something that can simply happy over night."

Rose nods slowly. "Yes, I know. Which is why I've been doing some research on my own." Smiling again, she produces a paper-clipped sheaf of documents, hand-written, that appear to examine common Caprican law as it applies to the Twelve Colonies as a whole. "Now, I'm not a lawyer. This is bound to have errors, contradictions, and loopholes. But what I was endeavoring to do before the Condition Two lockd… er, I mean, the security restrictions," she hastily clears her throat, blushing a little. It's clear what the civilians consider a loss of freedoms, and even someone like Rose can get trapped in the words. "Was to provide some framework of a legal and judicial system to base a new civilian government off of. It's only the barest of bones, but you need a foundation to build anything bigger." She nods to Corrath. "The goal, of course, is to provide the first layer of separation between the military's governance, and a system for the people, by the people."

There's a soft laugh at the wording of Condition Two, but Corrath merely brushes it aside with a slight wave of his hand, "While, establishing a Civilian Government is going to be an entirely different can of worms, so to speak, then establishing a security force. While I can certainly deal with the issue of a security force and assistance in establishing it and suggesting the necessary laws that the security or police force would have to follow, the establishment of a government is .. much larger. And -far- out of my league as the S2." Pause. "As a qualified lawyer, though, I can help from a legal perspective, for the formation of a civilian government, but the ultimate approval for that that is going to reside with Fleet Command."

"You can't have a security force without laws, and a civilian-run security force just following military protocols is no different than having MPs themselves," Rose counters. Then, her tone softens. "I'm sorry. I've been wrapped up with rhetoric, lately… I'm finding that I'm being thrust into a political position, deeper and deeper, without any desire to be in politics. But the point remains: If there are no civilian laws, what does a civilian security force, enforce?"

Now, Corrath can't help but offer a faint smirk as he offers a slight shake of his head, "While I can appreciate that sentiment, Ms. Ibbhanas, it's actually rather false. 'Military Protocols', otherwise known as Military Law, is just a bridging of laws from all the Colonies into a standard format. Essentially, that's really what you're going to want for civilian law. It covers everything from theft to assault to murder. Based on those laws, a security force can easily police themselves and enforce the laws. Punishments can be adjusted to be suitable for the Elpis without much hassle." Now, the notebook is settled down on the desk, along with the pen, so that his hands can clasp in his lap once more, "Don't need a government to do that. Just need people who know the law. Of course, if the security force is going to be anything more then 'brute force', they'll need to be trained in how to do investigations, how to interpret evidence and all of that."

"Oh." Rose is clearly not cut out to be a politician, because a good politician would just keep shouting spin. "I see. Well, I suppose, then, Lieutenant, then we need to sufficiently dress up existing military law such that it's done in the appearance of universal, Colonial-equal law, like is enforced on Caprica and through Colonial space. Dress it up such that it looks nothing like military law. Because I can imagine exactly what the Sagittarons would do if I handed them something that looked anything like it came from a military office." She nods again. "MP-trained police officers, I think is the way to sum up that last bit. And, what, with all that police equipment you found in one of your salvage runs…" She allows herself to smile coyly. "It'd be a shame for it to sit in a locker somewhere, of course."

Corrath's lips quirk back into a smile as he gives a quick nod of his head, "Exactly. You're right, though, the Sagittarons would have a -fit-. Dressing it up so that it looks more civilian-esque shouldn't be an issue, so long as it covers what it's intended to cover. Aside from that, I have no issues with that." Another nod is given, one that's accompanied by a faint chuckle, "True enough. I'll see about getting authorization to get the gear transferred to the Civilians once we have everything in place. There are a couple of things to consider, though. First, the Elpis is going to need a place to keep 'Prisoners' who -need- to be in a brig or jail. The second is that someone is going to need to be in charge of this security force."

Rose nods solemnly. "None of this I have power over. I'm going to need your expertise on this matter. Naturally, it can wait until the current crisis abates, but… will you help me?"

There's a flash of a warmer smile as Corrath gives another nod of his head, "Most certainly will, Ms. Ibbhanas. I'm all for the Civilians managing themselves, so I'll be happy to help out where I can, to make this 'dream' a reality. Some of it we can do more quickly then other parts, but if you stick with it, we should be able to get it all approved and the like. I'll get with Command and get everything 'ok'd' for us to move things over to the civilians for security details, so that when things are in place, we'll already have the authorization to cut over."

Rose clasps her hands together and looks as if Corrath were one of the Lords himself. "Thank you, thank you very much, Lieutenant Corrath. And if there's anything I can do for you, please… let me know. I can be reached most hours in the hydroponics bay, and I'll be quick to answer any PA requests." She rises to stand, sticking her hand out again. "Thank you so much! You've lifted a ton of stress from my shoulders."

There's a soft laugh as Corrath gives a shake of his head, "No need for thanks, Ms. Ibbhanas. Happy to help and it'll be a nice change of pace for myself to be honest." Her extended hand is taken after he rises from his seat and he's once more offering that firm, brief hand shake, "Please, don't hesitate to reach out to me if you have any other questions on this or if something else arises. Any of the MP's can pass along a memo to me."

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