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Posted by Lazol (Chief Science Officer) in Summoning the Captain

Posted by Captain Zachariah Cobb (Commanding Officer) in Summoning the Captain

The term ‘Mr’ might annoy him at any other time. It was DaiMon and Cobb well knew it but a perceived slight or a perceived slight seemed appropriate. He sat down and grabbed his pot of tea and poured himself a glass as he said, “Captain this I’m sure will surprise you but the only request I have is understanding and, perhaps, some grace. Because Captain what I’m about to tell you is deeply personal and exposes me in a very vulnerable way.” He took a deep breath and a long sip of his tea before exhaling.

Cobb sipped at his whiskey with an air of trepidation. Of all the things he might have dared to predict for this meeting, having Lazol reveal some personal secret to him was absolutely the furthest thing from his mind. But after a moment he gathered his senses and, straightening his posture a little, he nodded his consent to the Ferengi.
“Nothing discussed tonight shall leave this room,” he attempted to reassure his CSO. “Please. Go ahead.”

“I contacted the ARU many years ago about hiring them to go after the anomaly that destroyed my family and they instead put me in charge of a ship. They told me that I was ‘just the man they were looking for’ and ‘I had a motive that made me strong and would make a difference for others’. They used my research to develop the materials and policies that are now used on this very ship and summarily fired me from that post and blacklisted me from communications. It was only during the change of leadership I thought to try again. They used me Captain, they used my time, resources, research, and advancements and decided they were done with me. They waited for me to ‘slip up’ they waited for me to make one mistake and used that as the pretext to rid themselves of me. It’s taken a lot to get back here, and all I want to do is make sure no one else is affected by the anomaly that affect me or any other anomaly. I act callous because I’m always looking over my shoulder. The believable ‘greedy Ferengi’ is an easier mask to wear than one who wants to change because the last time I tried to show any soft side it got me blacklisted. I tell you this Captain because I want you to know why I do what I do. Why I tend to push scientific advancement over the ‘Starfleet’ safety concerns. Do I seek profit? You’ve seen my quarters, you know my record, I have enough gold pressed latinum to buy a fleet and that’s exactly how I got here.”

Lazol was working himself up but not in a bad way, he was getting all of this off his chest for the first time in a long time and it felt good, it felt right.

Lazol, CSO

Zachariah nodded slowly. He had believed, with every fibre of his being, that there was a financial angle to anomaly research being followed by the CSO. But now, he had to admit that he was regarding the Ferengi in a slightly shifted light.
“They use each of us in one way or another,” he replied after a time, the ease with which he found empathy for Lazol’s tale surprising even him. “The anomalies that we capture are unique, priceless, irreplaceable. The crew who risk their lives to contain and to study them? Not so much.”

He shrugged and shook his head.
“I do not command an ARU vessel for glory. I do not command it for prestige or for power or even for recognition. I agreed to be the captain of the Leviathan for one reason only, DaiMon Lazol. So that I could do everything in my power to keep the rest of the universe safe. So if you have concerns on this anomaly that you seek, if you have reasons to suspect it still capable of destruction or harm, then I am all ears for the details.”

• Captain Zachariah Cobb

Now to be fair to Cobb, there was a financial angle but to a Ferengi it was a very different set of words in their native tongue that didn’t translate well. To be fair when a Ferengi says they ‘seek profit’ they mean to rip off the customer and squeeze out as much latinum as possible. When they say they ‘dont seek profit’ they don’t mean to rip someone off but they will still earn a little something whenever possible. This though was a fine line that was seldom seen as a distinction outside of the Ferengi.

“Captain I appreciate your candor and fully appreciate your willingness to listen and understand. I also ask for your discretion, as there is only one other person onboard who knows my true reasons for what I do.” Lazol shifted a little as he said, “I don’t know much besides that it takes the form of what one desires and regresses a person biologically till nothingness.” There was more, what had happened to his brother of course, but he wasn’t fully trusting of Cobb just yet.

Lazol, CSO

“I see,” the captain replied, still somewhat unsure of why Lazol was sharing this information with him. Or what he wanted of Cobb once the tale had been told. “I presume you have already searched the ARU database for similar anomalous behaviour? Are you requesting that the Leviathan be engaged in hunting this thing down?”

• Captain Zachariah Cobb

OOC: Bump

OOC: Sorry! Totally spaced. And dear lord I need to figure out a cool name for this thing…

“Captain” Lazol said, clicking his tongue gently as he said, “I am indeed asking you to authorize the Leviathian to go after what I haven’t even named. I have searched and everything I’ve found has either been captured or neutralized. And I know as Chief Science Officer I could order you to go pursue it. However I like to think for some things we’re beyond that. Now don’t get me wrong I’m not trying to be friends or something, I’m trying to be honest and have you understand that I do have a modicum of respect for you and your position.” Lazol replied, probably sounding like a right jerk but he was, true to his word, being honest.

Lazol

Cobb’s eyebrows rose to his hairline as let out an amused chuckle. “Well, you’re honest, Mr Lazol. I’ll give you that. And in truth I appreciate it. There is far too much doublespeak on this ship for my liking at times.”
Whiskey glass now drained, it was settled onto the tabletop with a thud. A signal for the final verdict about to be made.

“I take it you have a target location in mind? If so then I am willing to agree to our passage towards it. So long as there is no impediment to ARU-issued orders.”

A pause as he glanced around the room, as if confirming that the walls themselves were devoid of ears.
“I don’t think either of us is foolish enough to cross central command.”

• Captain Zachariah Cobb