From the edge of the crowd, a sharp voice cut through the tension.
"Lieutenant Blake, I think you've made your point."
The speaker was Chief Petty Officer Angela Reeves, a propulsion specialist in her mid-30s, known for her no-nonsense attitude and fierce loyalty to the crew. She didn't like bullies, and she especially didn't like them targeting the quiet old man who baked cookies for the night shift.
Blake turned his contempt toward her. "Stay out of this, Chief. This is an administrative matter regarding food service standards."
"It looks like harassment to me, sir," Reeves countered, stepping forward just enough to block Blake's immediate path to Thomas. "The man offered to fix your order. Take the corrected burger and move on."
"I will not tolerate insubordination from a chief petty officer," Blake hissed.
His face was flushing now, his carefully maintained composure beginning to crack.
"And I certainly won't tolerate incompetence that damages crew morale. Return to your duty station."
Reeves didn't move. Instead, her eyes flicked away from Blake toward a wall-mounted phone near the beverage station.
She knew how this worked. Blake wouldn't stop until Thomas was humiliated or removed.
While Blake was occupied asserting his authority, Reeves moved quickly. She stepped to the phone, shielded the handset with her body, and dialed the three-digit code for the command duty officer.
"This is Chief Reeves, Engineering Department," she said quietly, her voice urgent but controlled. "I need an immediate call routed to the executive officer. We have a situation in the galley involving the civilian contractor, Thomas Brennan. Lieutenant Blake is attempting to remove him from service based on a cheese order. I believe this is about to escalate beyond his authority. Please inform the XO that Thomas Brennan's name needs to reach command-level awareness immediately."
She hung up and turned back to the scene.