Re: Appeal for Ssegorath Esskor

[Veloxi]

Special Operations Officer Padraig Callahan:

I want to thank you for taking the time to contact me regarding the appeal of Ssegorath Esskor.

You say that you have all of the information you need regarding the incident involving Ssegorath Esskor and Mariya Sankinov. Given the rather public nature of the incident and the several news feeds that were later censored, this is not surprising. So, I shall not recount the details of the incident itself, but rather address your two main concerns.

On the first concern, if I believe the decision to terminate Ssegorath Esskor was made in haste or error, I will answer in the negative.

Unfortunately, the incident took place in a very public manner. What may have been an argument between two friends that spiraled out of control, took on an order of magnitude more concern when the stories hit the newscasters. Ssegorath Esskor himself was defamed in these news articles, which had suggested he was guilty of sexual assault. Just to be 100% clear, at no time, did I receive any evidence whatsoever, that a sexual assault took place. I sincerely believe that no misconduct of that nature occurred. However, it did not stop the people on the station from sending messages to Ssegorath Esskor declaring him to be a rapist and demanding his resignation.

The conduct that did occur justified at least a temporary suspension. This would have allowed time for a psych evaluation of both Ssegorath Esskor and Mariya Sankinov to determine if the incident was a one off, or was a serious and troubling pattern of behavior. When the incident itself became public, many of the crew had assembled at the bridge and the mood was very tense. I sincerely believe that a public termination prevented a riot from occurring. Even if the riot hadn't occurred, the public relations fallout would have been disastrous for both the station and Nanotrasen as a whole. As it stood, the entire leadership of the security force was occupied in this incident. Fortunately, the security department did not have to deal with any major threats during the shift, or the consequences may have been absolutely disastrous.

I would have preferred to handle it in private, and ironically counseled Ssegorath Esskor to do just that; apologize directly to Mariya Sankinov for his behavior and make it right by her. He refused to do so, believing that because she had done something similar to him in the past, that it was acceptable for him to do it. To wit, there are some things a Warden can do to her boss, who has the power to fire her if he seriously disapproves of her behavior. That same behavior perpetrated by the boss against a subordinate, who has no recourse is an entirely different matter. I don't believe that he took into consideration the power difference between a Warden and a Head of Security in this regard.

So, no, I do not believe the decision to terminate Ssegorath Esskor was made in haste or error. I believe it was the correct decision to make, and if anything, not made soon enough.

On the second concern, if I believe that Ssegorath Esskor should be reinstated as Head of Security on the NSS Cyberiad, I will answer in the affirmative, with reservations.

Ssegorath Esskor is one of the best crew members who has ever served me as a Head of Security. During a crisis, he has a direct and no-nonsense approach that is surprisingly effective. Given that Head of Security is the very hardest job on the NSS Cyberiad, it makes his track record of commendations even more impressive. Beyond this, he also exhibits a direct and no-nonsense approach to his subordinates. He values communication and gives clear and unambiguous direction. Subordinates who do not communicate or follow directions properly are swiftly weeded out of the security force. In the end, the security team under Ssegorath Esskor is a well oiled machine for keeping order and combating threats.

To this day, there are shifts where I wish that I hadn't needed to terminate Ssegorath Esskor. So the chance to have him back aboard the NSS Cyberiad and serving in capacity of Head of Security is very appealing to me. It is well known, documented in my file, that I am a Captain of second chances. I believe those who make mistakes have learned valuable lessons; lessons that we paid the price for them to learn. If their attitude is aligned with doing the right thing in the future, I believe it is best to utilize that experience, even and especially when acquired under painful circumstances and outcomes.

However, I have three areas of reservation. I recommend ALL of these areas be covered before reinstatement should occur.

Reservation one is that Mariya Sankinov write a letter stating her position on the reinstatement of Ssegorath Esskor. As I understand it, the two have since worked out the differences over the incident that occurred. I consider it vital that she request his reinstatement, and provide a statement that she would like to serve in the security department under his leadership again. You can imagine the news stories, 'Warden Sankinov forced by Nanotrasen to work for boss who ...'; it behooves us to ensure that her desires are made plain and clear on this matter. If she would not serve under Ssegorath Esskor again, then I recommend that we DO NOT reinstate him in this capacity.

Reservation two is that Ssegorath Esskor be given leadership training to understand the difference in power between superior and subordinate. Understanding that the same behavior is not equal behavior when performed on a power gradient is crucial to preventing incidents such as this from occurring in the future. A successful score ranking in this leadership training should go a long way toward quantifying his commitment to serving the interests of his department and Nanotrasen as a whole.

Reservation three is that Ssegorath Esskor be given security training to understand that Space Law is the source his power. Things that are appropriate to do with suspects, criminals, and enemies of the corporation are not necessarily appropriate to do with subordinates or crew members with whom he may have a personal disagreement. Ultimately, his termination stemmed from a violation of 301 Kidnapping of an Officer charge that was dropped in lieu of termination. His training must emphasize that exercise of security authority must be done under the code of Space Law and for absolutely no other reason.

If all three reservations can be met, then I would be delighted to endorse Ssegorath Esskor for reinstatement as Head of Security aboard the NSS Cyberiad. I am a Captain of second chances, and I think Ssegorath Esskor deserves one. I hope that he believes the same about himself.

If you have any further questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me at any time.

Yours faithfully,

Katlyn Hudson

Katlyn Hudson
Captain, NSS Cyberiad

 

[EvadableMoxie]

Captain Hudson,

As I stated when I replied to your fax during the shift in question, the firing of Heads of staff is at the discretion of the Captain, providing there is a legitimate reason for demotion. Further, the actions as described would certainly be a legitimate reason for demotion.  Therefore, there was no reason to question the legitimacy of your decision to demote Head of Security.

As to the long term consequences for their behavior, the incident has been noted in the appropriate personnel files. A decision regarding punishment, if any, will be determined by Human Resources.  I will add your recommendations to the incident report. Although I have no direct authority in this incident, I can say that in general isolated incidents like this usually are not held against the employee in question, unless there is a clear pattern of misconduct.  That should not be taken as an authoritative answer, merely my personal opinion based on my experience with such matters.

Respectfully,

Padraig Callahan

Special Operations Officer, NAS Trurl, Epsilon Eridani