<SNIP>

James entered the Parthenon after finishing up his shift, the allure of food and drink never seemed to fail him. Looking around he noticed that it was filling up. He moved to the refreshment station and got himself a collection of the assorted goods before making his way to a table at one side of the room. He flagged down a server and ordered and Old Fashioned and simply took a moment to people watch.

Rowe

Stone stood facing the viewports, a glass of champagne or something resembling it perched but forgotten between her fingers. She’d been standing there fro who knew how long. It was good to be back at Starbase 157. Better to have cracked the ring responsible for the disappearance of so many. It was exactly the kind of thing that she’d joined up for. More than that, they’d rescued others in need.

It was completely hollow. Well, maybe not completely. But it was a struggle to maintain a silver lining.

They hadn’t lost anybody on this most recent operation. Miraculously. Though they’d come close. And this time it had been her. That wasn’t new. As a career security officer, it was her job to be the shield. To take the hit. But… she was XO of the Athena, lead ship of the third fleet. And this time, it had been the very skills an instincts she’d developed over a long career that had almost gotten her killed. Would have, were it not for the skills of the Athena’s medical team, and a floating tier one trauma center.

The aches were almost gone. Almost. And did nothing for the aches behind her eyes, across her soul.

And worse, the two anchors she ha aboard the Athena were gone. Janna, who’d been an lifesaver in stormy seas. An Faye, a friend and mentee. They, perhaps more than anyone else, helped her feel anchored to ship and crew. and helped her find a center. With their departure....

She drained the glass but barely tasted the amber liquid or felt the carbonation. Idly she sat the glass on a table nearby and tugged the sleeve of her white dress uniform into place. Time to put all that away for now.

Clearing her throat, she straightened her shoulders, drawing herself to attention. A physical trigger, a call t order, she carefully sat those matters aside. There were things to attend to. For now, relying on military bearing would have to suffice. Turning sharply, Serena scanned the room. Some where already here, some were slow to arrive.

Catching eyes with Orvos, she gave him a nod. Steady as she goes.

Lt. Cmdr. Stone, Executive Officer

Harrison stepped into the Parthenon after freshening up. He had spent most of the day settling into his quarters finally. He had arrived on the Athena during their last mission and had been thrown straight into the action. He had met a number of the crew during the mission , but others not yet. Probably the most important being the ship’s XO, Lt. Cmdr. Stone. She had been injured earlier on and out of commission.

He searched the lounge and his eyes finally landed on the XO’s red hair. Moving through the room, he slipped two champagne glasses from a waiters tray and continued until he stood next to her at the viewport.

“Lt. Cmdr. Stone? I don’t believe we’ve had a chance to meet yet.” He offered one of the glasses. “I’m Lt. Cmdr. Callahan, ship’s Chief Tactical—sorry, I WAS the ship’s Tactical Officer. I’ve just been transferred to the CIO position with Cmdr. Calloway’s exit. Pleasure to meet you.”

Lt. Cmdr. Harrison Callahan
CIO-USS Athena

As she turned her attention from Orvos, and toward the rest of the Parthenon and the growing gathering, she almost ran into Callahan and found herself looking slightly up at him. Not surprising, as she was slightly taller than most human women, and only maybe two centimeters shorter than the man. When he offered the glass, she took it. The name Calloway took a second to register. Most of the time last names were the norm, but the previous CIO had been Faye to her. Another squirt of lemon on the papercut.

Sizing him up, she tilted her head. “Big shoes to fill,” she said politely as she could, and sipped at her champagne to buy time. Name, rank, face match, she pulled up the mental file she had. “Linguistic and communications specialties, correct? Especially around the Dominion War?” Night. Explosions. Ships flashing overhead. Jem’hadar voices nearby. Huddling in a cave. The flash came and went so fast it barely registered as an eye flutter. Like her, he’d been only a child during the war, and had pursued a similar track. But he studied it from afar. She’d lived a front-row, boots-on-the-ground reality.

But there was also the Cairo. He’d lost innocence as a kid as well. The set line of her jaw softened and her shoulders dropped a couple notches.

Lt. Cmdr. Stone, Executive Officer

Harrison noticed a very slight reaction when he mentioned Faye’s name. He was aware that the two women had been very close friends.

“Definitely, big shoes to fill. Cmdr. Calloway is somewhat of a legend in intelligence circles. But, I do have significant training and experience in Intel, along with Tactical. I have done extensive study in linguistics and how linguistic miscommunication can play a role in conflict, but, my father was the specialist.”

He took a sip of his drink. “You appear to have healed well from your injuries. Have you noticed any lingering effects?”

Lt. Cmdr. Harrison Callahan
CIO-USS Athena

Talia entered the Parthenon with some curiosity. It would be nice to see most of the crew gathered to recognize the achievements of others. From what she’d heard, there had been a lot of changes in the command structure of the ship during the last mission. She expected to understand more about that once the ceremony was over. (OOC: is everyone in their dress whites?)

Lieutenant Junior Grade Talia Ren
Doctor USS Athena

Khiryn wandered around the Parthenon, sipping from a mojito and making small talk. The mojito was similar to a drink from his homeworld and served as a stand in since he didn’t like the way replicators mangled Akaali mint.

Ensign Donivas saw James and was about to walk over… but then he saw Talia and held back. Lt Rowe had told him the intrusion the other night had been no big deal, but Khiryn still felt bad about it. He found himself walking over to her before he even realized he’d made the decision.

“Lt Ren…” his words were hesitant at first, but then his jaw set and his voice steadied. “I wanted to apologize in person for the other night. I was overly excited about a side project James and I have been working on… and I’m afraid I completely missed all the social cues that indicated you two were enjoying a private discussion in your off time.”

The scientist before had a mop of dark brown hair that almost hid the Akaali crests on either side of his forehead. He wore a pair of glasses on a prominent nose and had dark greenish blue eyes.

Ensign Khiryn Donivas - Science Officer - U.S.S. Athena

Talia smiled at the Ensign and leaned in to squeeze his arm. “Don’t you worry about it. I wasn’t bothered at all. It’s actually really nice that you get so excited about your work. I know from hearing James talk that he is enjoying solving the mystery with you. I told him the three of us really do need to have dinner together. One can’t have too many friends when they live in space, right?”

Lieutenant Junior Grade Talia Ren
Doctor USS Athena

Khiryn gave a lopsided smile. Much like James, Talia was being very gracious about his interruption the other night. Or maybe I’m just overly sensitive because I’m new and don’t want a lack of social intelligence to by my first impression. “Having more friends is rarely a bad thing in my experience.”

He glanced around the room and saw James was still at the table from earlier. “I can do dinner, as long as I don’t have to cook.” The Akalli chuckled. “Trust me… nobody wants to eat my cooking. I can mix a damn fine drink though. When you get down to it, mixology is little more than an easily imbibable application of chemistry.”

Ensign Donivas gestured toward James’ table with his drink. “Our good friend Rowe is over there looking lonely… or perhaps he simply planned ahead and secured a good table before the crowd arrived. Shall we join him?”

Ensign Khiryn Donivas - Science Officer - U.S.S. Athena

“Sounds like a great idea, but first I want a drink and something to nosh on. I missed lunch today.” She gave Donivas another smile as she headed for the buffet. To a small plate she added bite sized meat sticks covered in a sweet sauce, and some chunks of fruit. After gathering up a napkin and a 3 inch skewer, Talia grabbed an iced tea and turned to see if Khiryn was right behind her.

Together they made their way over to where James was sitting. “Hello there, do you mind if we join you?”

Lieutenant Junior Grade Talia Ren
Doctor USS Athena

The crowd continued to grow as everyone entered the room looking to partake or simply to catch their breath from what had sounded like a tense deployment. James noticed Talia enter the room. Only a moment later Khiryn followed. He watched with mild curiosity as the younger scientist approached the doctor, but had no intention of eavesdropping. Returning his attention to the Old Fashioned, James let the conversation remain their own. Rowe looked up as the two approached and a broad smile crossed his face. “I suppose I can accommodate my two favorite people. He said indicating the open seats.”

Glancing at Talia’s plate he said, “That looks pretty good, I must have missed that station. Might have to check it out after I finish this round.”

Khiryn chuckled. “I’m a little peckish myself… that does look good.” The stood from the table. “I need a refill anyway… I’ll grab enough food for communal snacking. Any requests?”

• Rowe

Elaine stepped into the Parthenon, hoping that she wasn’t too late. Despite setting herself an alarm reminder she had decided that she could finish the report she’d only just pulled out and still make it to the event. She’d gotten it done in the end but had had to rush to get herself dressed properly and walk very quickly to the Parthenon. The evidence of which could be seen in the flush on her face and the slightly askew pin in her hair. A soft green that brought out the flecks of green in her otherwise grey eyes.

She breathed deeply and let out a soft sigh. It seemed presentation and speeches hadn’t begun yet. She wasn’t late like she thought. Perhaps she had had enough time to get an early start on her staff reports. She probably didn’t have enough time to go back and try now. The Counselor was right it is probably good for me to take a break she thought to herself. Ever since she had come aboard the Athena, she’d spent most of her time either in Sickbay or her Office, treating patients, writing reports, reading reports before going back to her quarters, curling up on the couch with a coffee in hand and reading through each officer’s medical records. It hadn’t left her much time for socialising and the only people she really knew were from Sickbay.

Feeling a little uncomfortable and more awkward by the minute. She was acutely aware that she didn’t really know anyone and not bold enough to interrupt any conversations of the few staff she did know. Sickbay she always felt at ease but in a social situation, with so many people she didn’t know around it was like being a fish out of water. Put your big girl pants and chin up as her grandmother used to say. She smiled softly, wondering how her grandmother was doing and reminding herself she should check in with May.

First, she had this to get through.

Trying to look like as natural as she could, she followed an officer to grab herself a champagne and then over to the buffet table to see what she could find there.

Lieutenant Elaine Janvier, CMO

The Akaali scientist approached the buffet line and saw Elaine head that way after grabbing a glass of champagne. He adjusted course slightly to angle in her direction. She was one of the few people he’d met so far, but his circle was growing slowly but surely. And that’s without even trying. Imagine how many people I’d meet if I didn’t spend all my time working.

“So, is this what they mean by, what was the term? ‘Ah… fashionably late.’” Khiryn smiled as he drew close. “Or perhaps you’re still working on those ‘millions’ of things the new Chief Medical officer has to deal with.” He fell into the buffet line behind her, picking up a plate and looking for some choice morsels to share with the table.”

IC: Rado wasn’t feeling so good. The news that his wife T’Han was expecting made him feel physically unwell. As such, the second he entered the Parthenon, he made a beeline for the waste disposal and vomited heavily into it.

At least, he thought it was the waste disposal.

OOC: Sorry if this was too gross.

Lieutenant Junior Grade Rado Gainn
Security Lieutenant

Ensign Khiryn Donivas - Science Officer - U.S.S. Athena

Talia continued to sit next to James while Donivas went back to the buffet. “I think Khiryn feels better about the other night. I told him it wasn’t a problem and that I really did mean the three of us should get together for dinner whenever it was convenient.” She skewered one of the saucy, meat bites and held it out to James. “Care for a taste?”

Lieutenant Junior Grade Talia Ren
Doctor USS Athena

James took one of the offered bites and said “Thanks.” Before eating it. The flavor was more succulent than he’d expected from the appetizer. “That’s good.”

Chris stepped into the Parthenon wearing his gold-trimmed Security dress uniform, taking a moment to take in the atmosphere. The lounge was alive with conversation, laughter, and the gentle clink of glasses as officers relaxed following the mission.

His gaze drifted around the room, recognising several familiar faces from Security, Sickbay, and the bridge. Talia was already chatting with James Rowe and Khiryn Donivas, while senior officers mingled nearby. Seeing they were already engaged in conversation, Chris decided not to interrupt.

Making his way to the refreshments, he selected a small plate of food before requesting a single measure of Scotch from the bartender. Swirling the amber liquid gently in the glass, he took a measured sip, appreciating the warmth before finding a comfortable place to observe the gathering.

Social events weren’t something he naturally sought out, but he understood their value. The people sharing stories and laughter around him were the same people he might one day rely on—or be relied upon by—when things went wrong.

As Captain Legen stepped onto the dais, Chris instinctively straightened, his attention shifting fully to the Commanding Officer as the conversations around the room gradually fell silent.

Ensign Chris Taylor
Security
Uss Athena

It was at this moment that Orvos had taken note of the multitude of people who had been there. He had given a brief nod to his first officer from a distance before noting his new CIO approaching her. Good.

Orvos slowly stood, grabbed the small box on his table, and proceeded to the center dais set up in the Parthenon for this event. He set his mind on the crew now, hoping to convey what needed to be said, and leave in peace.

He stepped up to the provided podium and placed the small box on it with an audible click that seemed to make its way through the speakers. The volume of the people began to dwindle and he spoke. “Gooood evening, Athena! I hope everyone here is enjoying themselves. Be sure to thank the Parthenon staff for their tireless work here. Couldn’t have such fine food and drink without them.”

Orvos nodded towards the kitchen as several people clapped their hands. He paused for a moment and simply looked out to the people congregated before him. His eyes scanning the people all throughout the lounge. “In the words of Captain Ghubari Koraia, the Athena has always felt like a family. And it has, really. We all spend so much time here on the ship. Can’t help it really. Bumping into people you care about. Perhaps some you’d like to avoid. All part of life and being part of a family.

“Our family has gone through a lot of changes,” he remarked with a light laugh. “We’ve seen new faces! Long lost cousins perhaps? And we’ve seen close members have to leave. Brothers and sisters.

“Change. That’s what it is. Changes are inevitable. It’s part of growth. It’s not always pleasant, but it’s also a good thing. Many of you have come from other ships. And you’re integrating into the new here! We love it and you’re absolutely welcome. Some here are seeing themselves moving into different positions. New territory. New responsibilities. You’ve earned it, believe me. And we’ve seen some familiar faces go.” With that he paused, trying to keep himself on the right track.

He was quick on the pick up though. “You see, change isn’t bad. It’s good when you think about it. We meet different people and become different people all through our lives. That’s ok. In the end, you’ve got to keep moving. So long as we remember all the people that we used to be. You know, I’m over 900 years old. I’ve seen more change than…well…than just about any of you. Some good. Some I wish I hadn’t had to endure. I’ll take it all anyway, because I want to remember the people…the people who were there. That’s part of being a family, right? You remember it all.” He paused, allowing his words to sit for a moment.

After that moment, Orvos spoke up once more. “So, embrace the change now, and remember what has been. Because we’re moving forward! With that being said, I’d like to ask my first officer, Lt. Commander Serena Stone to come up to the platform with me.”

-Captain Orvos Legen, CO

The redhead finished the champaigne flute, sparing Callahan a glance. “Do you mind,” she murmured, having nowhere to set the empty glass.

Harrison took Serena’s glass and smiled at her. He stepped aside to allow her to pass to the podium . . .

Lt. Cmdr. Harrison Callahan
CIO-USS Athena

It seemed she wasn’t the only one feeling the stings of change, based on Orvos’ speech. And perhaps it stung deeper for him. It had been hard to stay put but at his request she drifted forward, making her way over to him. She stopped at his side, coming to crisp attention. While a gathering such as this was more relaxed in general decorum, this moment, whatever it was, required more reliance on the rituals and bearing of service. “Sir.”

Lt. Cmdr. Stone, Executive Officer

James had gone silent when the click had gone through the speaker. He watched with interest as the faces of officers he recognized because of their position, took the stage. He hadn’t had the pleasure of interacting with the senior staff.

Rowe

Orvos grinned as he eyed her a bit of a twinkle in his eye. “As captain, it is my absolute privilege to oversee the entire crew. I especially am thankful that I get to work closely with you. You lead by example, not just by word. Who you are, your story, resonates to others in what you choose to do. On our last mission, you led our initial away team into potentially hostile territory. Unfortunately, you took the brunt of their ulterior motives. You were there on the bridge. You knew the risk. And you followed through. You assembled a suitable team, and down you went. Time and time again, you have proven yourself to be reliable, stalwart, and an anchor to any team you find yourself to be a part of. I’ve seen others look to your leadership. The crew…well…they pay attention. As do I. It is why, it brings me great honor, to promote you to the rank of Commander with all the rights and privileges therein.”

Orvos moved away from the mic, took the box, and opened it in front of Serena to reveal the new pip. He took the old one off and quickly pinned the new one to her collar. He smiled, his eyes meeting hers. Still at attention. Quietly, so only she could hear him on stage, he added, “Ah yes! Change is definitely good. At ease, Commander.”

Serena gave a quiet “Than you, sir” low enough so only the closest would hear. At his command, the newly minted Commander shifted her left foot back, pivoted sharply, right foot coming forward to join the left, before shifting to the right from a tight attention to something more relaxed. Her face was a stone mask at that point, and stormy eyes given to a thousand yard stare.

He then turned to the assembled crew once more. “I present to you all, Commander Serena Stone! Be sure to congratulate her on the promotion. Enjoy this time. And remember to make ‘now’ important.”

Gesturing to the entire lounge, he concluded his speech. “As you were, Athena.”

-Captain Orvos Legen, CO

Khiryn’s attempted conversation with Elain was interrupted by the CO’s speech.

Once it concluded, he joined the applause to congratulate their XO on her promotion. He had not had much interaction with the Commander, but it was always good to see a fellow officer succeed. Ensign Donivas got the impression that the last mission had been hard on a number of the veteran members of the crew. It was nice to see something positive come out of it.

His own time onboard had largely been consumed by routine duty shifts, during which he had worked on a review of geological scans and later helped quantum date samples from the same planet. There was also his side project with James… which remained pleasantly confounding.

The Akaali looked forward to the Athena’s first mission. Khiryn’s limited experience told him that being in the thick of things, without the time to conduct painstaking studies and validate results, was both challenging and rewarding.

Starfleet offered the opportunity to combine discovery with purpose. For years, Khiryn had studied the universe to better understand it. Now he had the chance to use that understanding when it mattered.

Talia clapped along with everyone else, congratulating the Cmdr on her promotion. “…as you were Athena…” She looked at James, her brows drawn down in question. “Wait…all of this,” she gestured to the room around them with the food, drink and dress uniforms. “All of this for one promotion?” Granted, it was very nice to be celebrated for any reason, but this was Star Fleet and she thought they only went that big for a host of promotions. “Hmm, maybe if I ever get promoted I’ll have a gathering like this. What do you think?”

Lieutenant Junior Grade Talia Ren
Doctor USS Athena

“If and when you get that promotion, you’ll deserve all of the pomp and circumstance.” James said with a wry grin.

“Personally, I hope they just stop me in the corridor and shake my hand. I’m not really one for the limelight.”

-Rowe

As the applause faded, she turned hr attention back to the Captain. They’d discussed other promotions or commendations, but hadn’t heard anything final. In truth, the ones most deserving.. were now lightyears away. And as her mind turned to them, for a moment the stony expression slipped, and her chin dipped with fallen gaze but then she seemed to re-focus.

Cmdr. Stone, Executive Officer

Ensign Khiryn Donivas - Science Officer - U.S.S. Athena

Elaine applauded enthusiastically along with everyone. She’d seen how strong Stone had been in Sickbay and the damage that she had suffered during that mission. Despite not knowing the First Officer very well she felt, based off of the damage she had seen, that she had deserved it.

As the applause died down and conversation resumed Elaine turned back to Donivas, “I think I like the fashionably late option,” she laughed, picking up a tart and adding it to her plate. “It sounds a lot nicer than saying I’m late because I chose to do an extra report.”

“How much did I miss?”

Lt. Elaine Janvier, Chief Medical Officer

Khiryn laughed. “And that is probably the true origin of the phrase… a thinly veiled but socially acceptable excuse for being late.” He loaded up his plate with enough snacks to share with the table.

“I think your timing was great… all you missed was some awkward standing around and figuring out what to do while we waited for the presentation to start. Now that that’s out of the way, we can just relax and enjoy ourselves.” He paused, then gave the Doctor a sly look. “And for what it’s worth, you do not look like you just got finished with a bunch of reports. Anything but.”

“Call it experience, I’ve never been known for being on time to anything unless it’s a medical emergency.” She hoped the warm flush on her face was still from her mad dash to the Parthenon.

Khiryn gestured toward one of the tables near the viewports. “I’m over there with Talia and James, if you’d care to join us.”

When Rado had finished barfing into what turned out to be a rare plant from Beta III, he saw his wife T’Han standing a few feet away, looking at him. ‘I cannot believe she’s pregnant’, Rado thought to himself before feeling a second wave.

“I see you are coping with the revelation of my pregnancy by ejecting previous chewed foods into the bartender’s favorite plant.” T’Han noted, placing a hand on his shoulder.

“It’s her favorite? Amoran.” Rado cussed in Bajoran.

Lieutenant Junior Grade Rado Gainn
Security Lieutenant

Ensign Khiryn Donivas - Science Officer - U.S.S. Athena

“That would be nice,” Elaine smiled softly, “I’ll just finish my plate and then I’ll come over and join you. It would be nice to have some company,” Outside of Sickbay it was rare for her to socialise. She spent most of her time off duty either in her office or her quarters constantly studying and reading up on the latest medical papers, often so absorbed in her works she wasn’t aware of anything around her or the time slipping away. Sometimes even forgetting to eat or drink anything but coffee. It meant that she had missed many social gatherings and when she did attend one, she always felt awkward on her own, unsure how to mix and mingle properly.

Small talk in particular was definitely not her strong suit. Anyone who she had tried to small talk with would be hard pressed to believe she had any intelligence at all. On Earth she had been able to happily stay silent while her extravagant cousin May did all the talking for the both of them. On her first event without May, she had quickly learnt that most people did not want to discuss random factions about various humanoid bodies, nor did they particularly want to talk about their own health. Then on the Dresden she had had Clinton with her and had made many other friends there it had been easy. A sad feeling came with the thought and she pushed it down. Now wasn’t the time to riminess.

Now she was alone on a new ship, with people she was still beginning to get to know and distinctively feeling out of place. So, when Donivas made his offer she was beyond grateful that she had somewhere to go.

Unsure of how long it had been since she had last had a meal that wasn’t coffee, she stacked up her plate wish as much food as she possibly could. As she turned to leave, she noticed the junior Lieutenant who looked decidedly very green, more than just green she noted. She was relieved to see the Vulcan by his side, happy to know there was someone looking after him. Even so her doctor instincts refused to let her walk past. So quietly she set down her plate of food and pressed a warm cup of tea into Rado’s hand. “Ginger and Syara tea” she said, “It’s a fusion tea of Syara berry from Risa and Ginger from Earth. It has wonderful properties for settling stomachs”

Leaving the couple to it she slipped away again to grab her plate and joined Talia, James and Khiryn.

Dr Elaine Janvier, Chief Medical Officer

Khiryn returned to the table with a heaping plate of food to share… and another drink for himself, of course. “I bring tribute for the table… an offering of delicacies from around the Galaxy.”

He set the plate down and then flashed a smile at Rowe and Talia. “I also bring reinforcements. A fellow Blue Shirt seeking to weather the storm of a quasi-mandatory social event.” He glanced over as Elaine approached. “Though now that the official promotion part is over, I imagine most people will relax a bit more.”

Khiryn cast his gaze around the room to assess the validity of his theory. “I see a few people eyeing the exit as if they’re trying to calculate the earliest possible departure that won’t constitute a social faux pas.”

Ensign Khiryn Donivas - Science Officer - U.S.S. Athena

Talia was happy to see Janvier joining their table. “Hello, Sir! Sit, sit, there’s plenty of room.” Actually, there was not, but there was just enough for four people to squeeze around it. “I’m glad you decided to come. It’s a little less fanfare than I was expecting, but a party is a party, right?” Her smile was brilliant as she looked across the table at her boss.

Lieutenant Junior Grade Talia Ren
Doctor USS Athena

“This is a social event, please it’s just Elaine,” the doctor said with a soft smile and she put her food down on the table, “Unless you would prefer that I call you Lieutenant? And you look stunning.”

James eyed the plate of refreshments that Donivas returned with, but exercised restraint as they were joined by someone he hadn’t met yet. Looking to Janvier, Rowe said “Welcome! I don’t believe I’ve had the pleasure of meeting you yet. I’m James Rowe.”
- Rowe

OOC: Elaine did his boarding physical.

IC: Elaine blushed. Had people become so accustomed to seeing her only in Sickbay that James wasn’t the first to recognise her outside of it. Or perhaps it was the dress she was wearing. Did she really look that altered? Don’t be so vain she thought to herself, it was his first day. Most officers forget the names and faces of half the crew they meet on their first day on a new ship.

“Elaine, I work with Ren Sickbay,” she introduced herself in her soft voice. “I hope I’m not

Dr Elaine Janvier, Chief Medical Officer

OOC: Facepalm Sorry, I’m a little sunbaked…

James rubbed the back of his neck as the face registered an he realized his mistake. “It’s good to see you again Elaine, please forgive my denseness… I should blame the size of the ship… but that would abdicate responsibility for a personal lapse.”

Rowe