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Topic: Star Trek: the Edge of Duty
Subject: The briefing... briefly...
Stardate 2365.02.07
USS Peregrine; Captain's Ready Room - 0805
He had reached the door, now, and, just before cueing it to open, he turned back and regarded the Captain, once again. "For the record, sir," he said, "If it does come to a court martial, I will be there, front and center, as your friend above all else.
If you'll excuse me," he smiled, "I've got reports to gather from Science and Engineering. See you at the briefing, sir."
"Understood," Silas replied. "0930 it is. Oh, and Tochi?" he queried.
Drake paused for a long moment and cleared his throat.
"Thank you."
"Not necessary, Captain," Tochi replied with a faint nod, "but you are welcome."
Feeling better, himself, about the Captain's state of mind, the Trill stepped out of the office, then, and resumed his post on the bridge where he continued monitoring the input from Science and Engineering where they regarded the Hekaran lifeboat. There wasn't a lot coming across the screens in the short time between having left Silas in his Ready Room and preparing to report to the mission briefing, but, at least, it was something to occupy his mind.
Captain's Mess - 0930
Lt Zai had arrived at the meeting some minutes before the designated time, greeted those already in attendance, and taken his customary seat to the Captain's right. Shortly thereafter, the meeting commenced with all the efficiency he had become accustomed to under Drake's command and, as the Captain relayed the details of the Peregrine's new mission, Tochi paid close attention to even the minutest detail and, on occasion, entered notes into his PADD for reference at a later time.
A milk run type of mission, Zai smiled faintly at Drake's assessment of the orders and silently concurred with the man's extended "be prepared for anything" analysis. Milk runs were, typically, uneventful by definition but, at least, there was a possibility of that milk being spilled at some point, thereby making them somewhat more enjoyable than the "fly around in circles" patrol tours like the one they were currently leaving in their wake.
Having laid out the mission in broad strokes, the Captain then went on with his standard briefing routine of addressing the department heads, in turn. He started with Rock; requesting a tactical assessment of both the Kuldar and Rytains and, of course, ordering that ordnance stockpiles were such that, in a worst case scenario, the Peregrine would be duly prepared. Then,
"Lt Zai," Drake said, turning his eyes to Tochi, "I know that you are still shorthanded. I have asked Starfleet Command for another helmsman; in the meantime, what is the status on Petty Officer Owen?"
"Much appreciated, sir," Tochi acknowledged. Another helmsman would go a long way towards lightening the load on P'Tammah and the rest of his department, not to mention the other departments who had contributed outside of their typical realms to contribute to the manning of the CONN.
"Petty Officer Owen is doing very well," he added, then, "Her unit scores are commendable and, I believe, we can expect her to take and pass her final certification exam within the week."
Drake nodded. "I wonder if we can accelerate her progress any. Perhaps allow her to sit a helm watch or two when you have the Big Chair? Assuming, of course, that you felt she was ready enough in terms of piloting. I obviously do not want us sacrificing our standards, but if her impact skills - such as actually flying the ship - are ready, but she's working on supporting coursework... well, perhaps some on the job training is in order. As it stands now, we're running Tactical and Operations shorthanded, and I'd like to have relief where we can get it."
"Agreed, sir," Tochi said with a grin, "We think the Petty Officer would appreciate that as much as the rest of us. Her piloting skills are such that I wouldn't hesitate to put her at the CONN - she's taken the approach that it's not altogether different from flying a shuttle, just on a much larger scale. She has seemed to struggle a bit with Advanced Navigation, from what we understand, but I believe that some shifts at the helm would help to clarify things for her."
The Trill entered some additional notes and sent a couple of notifications to the Flight Control staff via his PADD as the Captain moved on to Lt Chell. Tochi's satisfied grin evolved into a full-fledged smile of amusement as he imagined Megan's squeals of delight at having finally being added to the CONN rotation, Probably climbing right to the top of Chief Kukkonen's head and dancing, now, he chuckled inwardly.
He continued listening and taking notes as Drake verbally made his way, from officer to officer, around the table. He nodded when the Captain made it known that Hekaran pod would be offloaded to the Serapis during the layover at Starbase 118. Good, Zai thought, something about that whole thing makes us itch. The sooner it's in someone else's hands, the better.
The Captain sat back in his chair, and the holographs dissolved. "All, right, then. Are there any questions regarding our new orders?"
Following Horatio's input, then, Tochi interjected his own,
"Lt Chell," he turned to the Bolian Ops Chief, "If I could get our new helmsman's dossier sent to us before we reach the starbase, please? We'd like to get a read on quals and certs before just hard-jacking him or her into the rotation."
((OOC: positive acknowledgement assumed))
"Thank you, Korvin," Tochi nodded to Chell before regarding the Captain, again. "That's all we have, sir."
((OOC: any other staff input before Thorson's update here))
"Very well. Now then... who wants to get me up to speed on this escape pod?" Drake asked.
"Well, Captain, from an engineering standpoint, we're starting from scratch,"
Tochi's gaze flicked to the screen displaying Commander Thorson's face.
"These Herakans are apparently pretty insular; there is nothing in Federation records regarding their technology. For only a couple of hours, though, we've made decent progress. We have a basic handle on the foundations of the technology. We still have to get through identifying what everything does and making sure we can recreate all of the technological functions, and then we have to effect repairs to the canisters' containment. While we've confirmed that the lifeforms are indeed cybernetic, that's about all we've confirmed. I can't tell you if they're dangerous yet, but there has to be a reason they're under containment. On the bright side, we haven't found anything outside of our own capabilities yet, so once we've gotten the research done, I'm fairly confident that we can shore up the canisters,"
Zai scowled a bit at Thorson's report. He trusted the man's analysis and skill, of course, but the fact that the pod had appeared, seemingly from nowhere, and contained, not just a Hekaran corpse but also some sort of microscopic, cybernetic organism, Well, it just made him all the more anxious to have the thing off the Peregrine. He couldn't define exactly what it was about that pod or it's contents that did it, but, deep inside his mind and his gut, something about it was very unsettling.
Posted on 2016-03-08 at 08:54:40.
Edited on 2016-03-08 at 09:42:07 by Eol Fefalas
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Topic: Gladiator QnA
Subject: Will read...
...and post ASAP.
Have a snafu at work, this morning, that's keeping me distracted and frying my brain.
Posted on 2016-03-07 at 09:00:49.
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Topic: Star Trek: the Edge of Duty Recruitment
Subject: Not sure about the rank...
...but I'd imagine a nurse we pick up at SB 118 could be imminently doable.
Olan (t_cat11) has the final say, of course... he's the boss, I'm just an overly enthusiastic pitch-man. 
He may ask for a concept from you (which is basically just a brief introduction to your proposed character... Name, Species, Gender, description (Ht, Wt, eyes, hair, etc) and a little bit of history)... You can review the Roster for our game, if you want to get an idea. 
Posted on 2016-03-05 at 15:34:15.
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Topic: Star Trek: the Edge of Duty Recruitment
Subject: Okay...
...the shuttle pilot spots are both currently in NPC status and one of them (PO2 Megan Owen) has been somewhat established with some posts I've written up for her. The other (SCPO Kukkonen aka Kook) has only just been introduced. If you want to take over either of those roles, I'm cool with it... or, I could be convinced to free up Kook's spot for a character of your own design if you prefer (I'd really like to keep Megan around NPC or otherwise). Medical has some NPCs stubbed in but I don't think any of them have been used in game, yet, so it might be easier to free up a slot there.
Your choice, though... 
Posted on 2016-03-05 at 08:37:32.
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Topic: Star Trek: the Edge of Duty Q&A
Subject: :'(
Sorry to see you go, Red.
Good night, Irene! Look at all the posts that popped up over night!  Good stuff, folks! Looks like I'll be busy with some logbook updates at some point today! 
Posted on 2016-03-05 at 07:49:04.
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Topic: Star Trek: the Edge of Duty Recruitment
Subject: Hi there, Arcani
I'll bet we can fit you in, somewhere! Did you have an existing character in mind to take over (i.e. one of the many NPCs on the roster) or were you thinking a totally new entry?
Let us know and we'll see where we can pop you into the crew.
Posted on 2016-03-05 at 07:45:47.
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Topic: Star Trek: the Edge of Duty
Subject: Brain-fried and buggered!
Stardate 2365.02.07
USS Peregrine, Shuttle Bay 1 - 0733
PO2 Owen stepped off the turbolift and into Shuttle Bay 1, her eyes still firmly locked to the PADD in her hand, chewing absently on her lip as she tried to absorb the concepts behind the formulae she was looking at. She scarcely looked up once in the time it took her to get from the lift to the door of the Flight Control office and, when she did, it was only to cue the door of that office open and, even then, she was trying to puzzle out the equations,
"Hyvää huomenta, Megan," SCPO Kukkonen offered cheerily, as his tiny counterpart entered the room.
"Uh-huh," Megan's response was a bit less exuberant, and her eyes were firmly fixed back on the PADD, but she did manage to lift a hand in some semblance of a wave, "G'mornin', Kook."
Kook watched, still grinning, as the waifish Petty Officer took a seat at the office's small table, and laid the PADD out in front of her. She rested her elbows on either side of the device and cradled her head in her hands as she continued glowering at the thing. "Trouble with your studies," he asked after a long moment of watching her mouth move as she read.
"Wha," Megan looked up, then, blinked at Kook as if just now realizing he was there. "Oh," she sighed, shaking her head a little and offering a smile, "Sorry, Chief; what'd ya say?"
"I asked if you were having troubles with your studies," Kook chuckled, set aside the Work Bee schematics he had been pouring over when Megan arrived, and moved to take the seat opposite her, "Or is it that you've braided your hair too tightly? Either way, you look to have a headache."
Megan laughed, too; "Yeah, and you look like you've a badger sleepin' on your face!" She reached out and tugged on his beard, then, at the same time, absently checking the plait into which she'd woven her hair to make sure that, in her rush, she hadn't made the braid too tight. Her eyes dipped to the PADD again and, with an exasperated sigh, she spun the thing around and slid it across the table to him. "It's this," she said, "What the bloody hell is this?"
Kook reached out a beefy paw and dragged the PADD closer and, then, let his eyes fall to the display,
- w^(10/3)+(10-w)^(-11/3)
- w=^(3/10)
, "This is maths," he grinned through his beard.
She swatted at him across the table; "I bloody well know it's maths, Kook! And I know I should know it but, when I try to get my head ‘round it, it's gettin' all wibbly-wobbly with the rest o' the bloody maths I've been eatin', o' late!"
SCPO Kukkonen nodded, remembering well all of the frustrations he'd experienced when studying for his own bridge certification, and spun the PADD back around. "Relax, Megan," he said as he slid the device toward her, "This is from a unit exam for the Advanced Navigation class, yes?"
Megan nodded, and let her eyes fall to the PADD where Kook's finger hovered just about the equations.
"These are for basic Warp-Time-Distance, Warp-Distance-Time, and Time-Warp-Time calculations," he said, "Not even so much for navigational purposes as they are for,"
Megan's eyes widened and a bright smile of recollection spread across her elfin face. ",For estimating travel times or distances based on warp variables," she squeaked over him. "Bugger, I did know that!"
"Exactly," Kook nodded, tapping the PADD before leaning back in his chair and offering a proud grin. "You've been studying too hard, Megan," he offered, then, "Perhaps put away your studies for a time, give your mind a break, yes?"
Megan offered a brain-weary little smirk and shrugged; "Lt Zai says we really need another body for the CONN rotations, though. I need to get this out of the way and get that cert,"
Kook hauled himself from his seat, then, and came around the table. "Yes, pieni," he chuckled, laying one massive hand on the woman's shoulder and giving her a friendly shake, "but what would he do with your certification if your brain melted from getting it, hm? Studying too much can be just as bad as not studying at all. Come! Let's go run the checklists on the Type 10s, eh? Maybe do an in-flight check on Work Bee 2?"
Megan nodded and smiled. "Brills," she said, closing the screen on her PADD, and climbing out of her own seat, then. "Thanks, Kook!"
"Ole hyvä, pieni."
Posted on 2016-03-04 at 16:02:04.
Edited on 2016-03-04 at 16:05:56 by Eol Fefalas
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Topic: Star Trek: the Edge of Duty Q&A
Subject: Good stuff, Dox.
I'm liking the updates for Dalia... purple eyes, eh? Yum!
Also, glad you're having so much fun with this. It's nice to see folks enjoy themselves, here, and just makes everyone else enjoy it that much more when there's this level of enthusiasm. I'm constantly refreshing my screen, myself, these days, hoping for a new post to magically appear where there was none an nano-second ago.
Anyhooo... if you're really bored and looking for something to fill those long gaps between posts, you do have several more NPC slots that you could create bodies to fill. Total breakdown of the Peregrine's SCI personnel amounts to 8 people (2 officers and 6 enlisted); you've got your two officers in Horatio (CSO) and Dalia (ASO)... feel free to stub out (or completely fill out) roster entries for the remaining 6 "Sciences Specialist" NCOs as you see fit. 
Edit: Speaking of posts... just tacked up some fluffiness re: the continuing academic adventures of Megan Owen.
Posted on 2016-03-04 at 15:47:08.
Edited on 2016-03-04 at 16:03:50 by Eol Fefalas
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Topic: Peeking around the cupboard door
Subject: Ooooh! Tea cozies! Those make great hats!!!
*climbs to the top of the text wall... streeeeeettttttches (cuz it's been a minute or seven thousand since I've done this, donchaknow?)... aaaaaaand... ka-jingle-pounceskadivebomb!!!*
Good to have you about, Dehoffren! Here's hoping you find what you're looking for here in our delirious domain... I'm sure you will... you just might have to poke it with a stick or something from time to time.
If there's anything any of us can help with, just give a squeak! We'll come a-runnin'!
Posted on 2016-03-04 at 15:39:02.
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Topic: Gladiator QnA
Subject: Huh...
...so, no peg-legged halflings in tanks, then, either, right?
Posted on 2016-03-04 at 10:57:18.
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Topic: Star Trek: the Edge of Duty Q&A
Subject: How's that, ya bugger?!?!
Gosh but yer gettin' crotchety in your old age!
Much love to you, brother!
Posted on 2016-03-04 at 10:55:31.
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Topic: Corrupt a wish
Subject: Granted...
...Unfortunately "the world" is little more than a 900 square foot room with a subway turnstile in the middle. Here's fifty cents, just in case you want to check out the far wall.
I wish I could come up with an uncorruptable wish!
Posted on 2016-03-04 at 07:22:05.
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Topic: Star Trek: the Edge of Duty Q&A
Subject: Indeed...
...great rounds of posting, folks. As Olan, said, it definitely harkens back to the original Discovery run and I'm LOVING it! Kudos all around!
Also... Happiest of Happy Birthdays, Dunkelzahn! 
Posted on 2016-03-04 at 06:23:14.
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Topic: Star Trek: the Edge of Duty Q&A
Subject: Nicely done...
...buddy bear!
Posted on 2016-03-03 at 21:18:28.
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Topic: Star Trek: the Edge of Duty Q&A
Subject: And...
...there's some more of Captain Emo Meets Counselor Slugbelly.
Good posts, all around, folks!
Duncan - I don't even think you need me to hit you with that PM regarding the pod! You've got it all in spades, brother!
Red - What crap posts? I've not seen anything remotely nearing a crap post from you. Pleased to have you aboard and looking very forward to seeing Blackmon shine when she gets to interact more.
Posted on 2016-03-03 at 20:03:35.
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Topic: Star Trek: the Edge of Duty
Subject: Self doubt and self discovery aren't far apart
Stardate 2365.02.07
USS Peregrine, Captain's Ready Room - 0800
"Tochi," Drake grinned faintly in reply to the Trill's counsel, "if you ever decide that this whole 'flying starships' gig isn't for you anymore, you should consider a career in counseling. Apparently, a couple of hundred years of shared experiences help to bestow a shocking amount of wisdom and insight."
Zai chuckled; "Kasru was an ambassador for a good many years,and married twice in that time," He offered a shrug to go along with the quiet laughter. "Not exactly a counselor," he speculated, "but much the same approach to understanding people, given the experience. If I get another chance, perhaps we'll give that a try."
Falling back into receptive silence, then, Tochi watched as the Captain focused, momentarily, on the back of his left hand and the scars that graced the skin there; letting the senior officer reflect on them and, of course, taking note of the darkening expression as Silas did so. The Captain was notably calmer, now, and Tochi felt that true nature of the man's torment was closer to the surface, now. Best to let him find his way to it, the Trill decided, maintaining his silence.
"The fact of the matter, though," Silas continued, speaking almost more to those scars than to Tochi in that moment, but still continuing on the path the Trill had hoped for, "is that it's more than a question of someone doubting me. After all, what sort of officer would I be if a few words were enough to rattle me? I won't deny that the conversation left me angry, but there is more to it..."
And here it comes, Tochi said to himself as Silas seemed to become lost in the contemplation of his scars.
"What if they are right?" the Captain asked, his eyes only meeting Zai's, again, after the query had been lofted.
It wasn't a rhetorical question, but Tochi felt that the man wasn't looking for an answer, just yet, and, so, let his "They're not" go unspoken, as well.
"My very first real command led to the death of several people, Tochi. Including Michelle's," Drake continued, holding up a hand to forestall an interruption which Zai had already chosen not to impose on him. "I know what you are going to say. The matter was investigated, it was concluded that I did everything possible, that I chose the correct course of action. I know what they say; they gave me a frilling medal for it."
Tochi heard the unvoiced sigh in the shaking of Silas' head, just then, and almost physically felt the underlying pain in his next words,
"You know what haunts me about that day? If I was put in the same situation, knowing what I know now... I would still make the same choice," Drake admitted, "In my mind, I know that it was the only course of action. That doesn't help me sleep at night, though. It doesn't make the ache go away."
,And it shouldn't, Tochi answered, but, not aloud. The man was getting very close. He was reliving that moment, in all the explicit, unedited detail that only he had access to. Reviewing the moment, almost in the same way that Tochi, himself, had learned to cope with the memories and experiences of the others who had come before him,
",at some point, my actions will almost certainly lead to the deaths of more people," Silas was saying, now, as he stared off into space, "Operating on the sorts of missions that we draw, it's likely only a matter of time. I've come to peace with that fact, as much as I can. But again... what if they are right?"
The Captain's eyes detached from that nether-point and met Zai's, again. "I believe that I make the best choices that I can. But what if I'm not fit to make those choices to begin with? Who's to say that someone more qualified than me might not have made things different aboard the Alexander? Would more lives have been saved?
That's the rub, isn't it," Drake chuckled dolefully, "No matter how hard you train, no matter how much you study... so much of what we do comes down to gut calls. One must possess conviction in their decisions; else you open yourself to second guessing and ineffective command. But that same conviction can blind you to other options if you aren't terribly careful."
"That is the rub, as you say," Tochi acknowledged with an insightful smile, "It all comes back to the fact that, even in retrospect, here, in this moment, you would still remain true to who you are, Silas. If you could do it all again, you would do what you expected of yourself, not what someone else might have expected of you after reading the reports or, even, witnessing the events first hand." He spread his hands again and offered yet another probing shrug; "Isn't that what makes a true leader? Isn't that the trait that any of us in Starfleet, or any of us in the service of any federation, for that matter, look for in those tasked to guide us?
What if," the Trill proposed, "someone else had been in your position aboard that ship, Captain? And what if they had made decisions that were radically different to those you made? Would it have saved more lives or, perhaps, would it have cost more lives?" He shrugged in answer to his own question. "We don't know," he said, "and neither does anyone else."
"What happened, happened, Silas," he continued, "and regardless of what anyone thinks of it or, in hindsight, suggests that it could have gone differently, nothing changes that. You did what you thought to be the right thing, then, and, now, all these years later, as you look back, you still know that your actions would be the same and that you would still feel right in pursuing that course of action."
Tochi rose from the seat, then, reached across the desk, and clasped the Captain's shoulder. "Who can question that? Who can claim that, in a moment that they didn't experience, that they would have done differently?
I'd sooner lose my life under the command of someone like you," Zai said sincerely, "than sit down to dinner with any number of those administrators who only see things by looking backwards but learning nothing from it."
He removed his hand, then, and, straightening his uniform, took a couple of steps away from the desk. "From all I've read," the Trill grinned, gesturing to the model of The Golden Hind, "Your ancestor had a very similar mindset to yours. In the grand scheme of things, when all was said and done, he was quite successful, wasn't he?" Tochi moved for the door, then, saying; "Sir Francis Drake, I imagine, put very little stock in what ifs; perhaps, Captain Silas Drake should emulate that, as well, hm?"
He had reached the door, now, and, just before cueing it to open, he turned back and regarded the Captain, once again. "For the record, sir," he said, "If it does come to a court martial, I will be there, front and center, as your friend above all else.
If you'll excuse me," he smiled, "I've got reports to gather from Science and Engineering. See you at the briefing, sir."
((OOC: And, with that, Tochi will leave the Captain to contemplate... as always, plenty of room for interjections and such, if you like... Edits as needed.))
Posted on 2016-03-03 at 19:58:53.
Edited on 2016-03-03 at 20:08:17 by Eol Fefalas
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Topic: Gladiator QnA
Subject: Yes sir!
Human female.
Posted on 2016-03-03 at 17:18:13.
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Topic: Star Trek: the Edge of Duty Q&A
Subject: I like Captain Emo!
Good solid RP stuff, there! Even if, somehow, it does lead to Tochi being the "unofficial counselor" aboard Peregrine.
Got at least one more post to add to that particular convo... since it's writing itself much like that last one did, I expect I'll have it tacked up soon.
Posted on 2016-03-03 at 17:16:31.
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Topic: Gladiator QnA
Subject: You know what?
In the interest of a more diverse play test (since I notice both Tann and Olan are going with light armor and long weapons) how about i switch things up a bit with Frella?
Let's put her in medium armor (which I'm guessing is the equivalent of chain, correct?) and a heavy weapon (like a warhammer?)... Same description and background. Doable?
Posted on 2016-03-03 at 17:02:52.
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Topic: Gladiator QnA
Subject: No worries...
...wasn't 100% sure the net would be allowed but figured I'd throw it out there just to be sure. Long weapon/light armor it is.
Posted on 2016-03-03 at 16:28:11.
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Topic: Gladiator QnA
Subject: So, just did a google search for "female retiarius"...
...and found the following image http://lanista8.deviantart.com/art/Retiarius-Character-Test-116001917
(not actually embedding the image due to very mild nudity, but very much what I envision given Frella's description)
Posted on 2016-03-03 at 16:12:40.
Edited on 2016-03-04 at 11:39:15 by Bromern Sal
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Topic: Star Trek: the Edge of Duty Q&A
Subject: Hey, DOX!!!
Beautiful post!
Just perfect!
Posted on 2016-03-03 at 15:58:21.
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Topic: Gladiator QnA
Subject: Yeah...
... I have no idea why, but that jumped in my head almost immediately. I couldn't NOT go with it!
Posted on 2016-03-03 at 15:49:53.
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Topic: Gladiator QnA
Subject: Hmmm...
...for some reason, right off the top of my head, I'm coming up with:
"Frella the Fishwife"
Human, female. Dark, roughly-chopped hair; sea-green eyes, and deeply tanned skin. Fights with a trident and net (a la a Retiarius-type gladiator).
Frella was, in fact, a fish wife in her previous life on the shores of some far flung island. When her village was raided and destroyed, however, she was taken as a "prize" and eventually found her way into the arena when her captors original plans for her didn't quite pan out the way they had hoped. Frella is an angry, vengeful woman, and she fights like it.
Edit: Same type of armor common to the Retiarius, as well, please - a loincloth held in place by a wide belt and a larger arm guard extending to the shoulder and left side of the chest; fights without the protection of a helmet.
Posted on 2016-03-03 at 15:32:28.
Edited on 2016-03-03 at 15:43:38 by Eol Fefalas
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Topic: Star Trek: the Edge of Duty
Subject: Frill 'em, Captain!
Stardate 2365.02.07
USS Peregrine; Captain's Ready Room - 0755
"Come in."
Tochi stepped into the Ready Room and allowed his gaze to sweep over the various models displayed there before regarding the Captain who, quite possibly, looked even angrier than he had on the bridge. "Are you alright, Captain?"
A mirthless grin played at Drake's lips; "Doing that poor of a job hiding it, am I?"
Zai responded with a conciliating grin of his own and a marginal shrug. "If anyone but us noticed, sir," he said, "they said nothing of it. I think most of them were so excited about, at last, having something different to do that they paid attention to little else."
"Please," Drake gestured to the chair across from his desk, "have a seat."
"Thank you," Zai nodded settling comfortably into the proffered seat. His gaze flitted, momentarily, to the model of an ancient, Terran sea-fairing vessel christened The Golden Hind, then returned to Drake just as the man shook his head.
"Tochi," Drake said, "You better than most probably already realize this, but your past is never truly behind you. Everything you do, everything you say... it always remains a part of you. You can grow and learn as a person, but some will never let that old you go."
Tochi smiled and nodded at Silas' allusion... Although the Trill had been known to the Federation for quite some time, it still wasn't common knowledge that some small percentage of them existed as a joined species. Some were aware, of course (as was Silas), but, by and large, most were not; thus, neither was it widely known that a joined Trill typically had experienced more than one "past." As the most recent host of the Zai symbiont, Tochi had singular access to a total of five, including his own, and Silas had, early on in their relationship, been made aware of each of them, at least in passing, but he said nothing. Instead, he waited out Drake's momentary pause, allowing the man time to relax, even if just a little into his own seat.
"I spoke to Starfleet Command this morning, as you surely already know," Silas said, finally, "An Admiral Harding, to be exact... to my knowledge, I've never had any contact with her in the past. And yet, she seemed to know ME... or seemed to believe that she did."
As people are wont to do, Tochi mused without giving voice to the thought, just yet, without realizing that their so-called knowledge is little more than a single, often skewed, interpretation. The Trill simply nodded his empathy for and understanding of the Captain's statement. Right now, it was best to simply let the man speak, uninterrupted, in order for him to find the path he truly wanted to travel. Tochi followed Silas' gaze as it floated around the room, then, pausing on various models before, once more returning to meet Zai's.
"I honestly don't know that I should tell you this;" the Captain said, "it's likely the sort of thing one should keep to themselves, or within the confidence of a Counselor."
"We haven't known one another long, Silas," Tochi smiled reassuringly, "but I think you're familiar enough with us to know that I can guarantee you that same confidence. I'm your Executive Officer, after all, it's part of my job."
Drake paused a long moment, seeming to consider the Trill's words along with everything else that was going on in his head, before deciding to continue; "During the briefing, it was made clear to me that some within Starfleet Command are less than confident in my judgment. I have long known - and accepted - that some view me as a bit of a loose cannon, but this is the first time that I have had an admiral communicate to me that there is doubt as to how fit I am for this duty."
The Captain's eyes flashed with anger, and it touched his voice. "Damn it, if that's the way that they feel, then why was I given a command in the first place? Was it in the hope that, given enough rope, I would hang myself? Why not leave me in an XO's chair, or transfer me permanently to Tactical?"
Again, Drake forced himself to slowly exhale. "At any rate," he continued, "there's the source of the current bee in my bonnet. Clearly, the only real answer for me - seeing as how I'm likely not yet well-adjusted enough to utterly ignore this sort of noise - will be to take petty pleasure in proving these sorts of people wrong."
A smirk played at the right corner of the Captain's mouth. "Either that, or you'll likely have a front row seat at my eventual court martial, no?"
Tochi grinned; "If it comes to that; I suppose so."
The Trill helmsman leaned forward, then, resting his elbows on his knees and lacing his fingers together as he regarded the Captain. "In our experience, Silas," he began, "we have come to understand that what others think they know about us is probably as far from true knowledge as this ship is from the Delta Quadrant. Most of what they think they know is based on little more than their own interpretation of tiny parts of another's larger, over-all existence. Those interpretations, too, are often based on the elucidations of others who related them, second or third hand, from some initial interpretation which was likely born of the same flawed logic.
I've known you long enough to form my own opinions, for example - I ‘know' you to be an honorable and honest man; I ‘know' that you are a capable and reliable starship Captain and an excellent Starfleet Officer;" Tochi had been ticking these observations off on his fingers as he went but, as he very carefully broached the next point, he folded his hands together, again, and leaned back into his chair, "And I also ‘know' why you refused regenerative treatment for those scars you bear. Yet, despite all of these things that I ‘know,' I can't honestly say that I truly know Silas James Drake, and no one else can, either."
The Trill arched a brow, then, and offered a knowing smile. "The only beings in the whole of the universe that truly know us, Captain, are ourselves. Every last bright spot and every dark corner of who you really are is archived, in it's original and unedited form, inside of you and nowhere else. Not in here," Tochi pressed a finger to his head, "not out there," that same finger swept toward the door indicating the crew on the other side of it, "and certainly not in the mind of some frilling, stick-in-her-sphincter, Admiral who's never even met you in person and bases what she ‘knows' on redacted documentation and hearsay,"
He spread his hands, then, offered a smile, and shrugged; ",So, yes, take your petty pleasure in proving them wrong, and then, take expansive pleasure when they've been forced to admit it."
((OOC: Room for interjections and such, throughout, of course.))
Posted on 2016-03-03 at 15:20:38.
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