Posted by Captain Zachariah Cobb (Commanding Officer) in Reporting for Duty

Posted by Lieutenant Casela Synthi-er (Counsellor) in Reporting for Duty

Posted by Captain Zachariah Cobb (Commanding Officer) in Reporting for Duty
Posted by… suppressed (4) by the Post Ghost! 👻
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Posted by… suppressed (3) by the Post Ghost! 👻

This man was going to be their captain. She’d seen his record, she knew why they picked him, at least on paper. And it was obvious he did not want to be here. Gods she hated this job. She’d have to help him or he could get them all killed, faster than they should. They were all going to die on this mission anyway. Looking around she ensured no one else was in the command center. Casela took his hand and shook it firmly, and not letting it go. She stepped in towards him discretely whispering to him. “Cpt. might I suggest you either go to your quarters or your ready room and detox yourself before any more crew come aboard? And though the stories of some of things we are going after makes me want to drink, perhaps now is not the right time? Certainly not to the point you pass out in the command chair. You can go clean up on your own, I can walk you there, or if you prefer I can have the CMO and XO come down and we can arrange for a different posting. Lives depend on your decisions. The crew needs you clear headed.” The choice was his, and she’d have him declared unfit, but he could choose to help himself or not. If she had to do it for him it would not be pleasant.

Lt. Synthi-er, CNS/KAI9 Handler

“Eh, pass out is a little strong there, Miss. I was just…” he trailed off. What was it Roebuck had said at the conclusion of, so far, the worst meeting of his life? “Remember, as a Starfleet captain you are always on duty.” It was nothing Zachariah didn’t already know, but he knew also that the last time he had allowed command to consume him so utterly it had damn near killed him. Perhaps this time it would finish the job once and for all.

But this woman before him, why she might be putting on a display that would make a Klingon warrior quake in their boots, yet he sensed that somewhere, beneath all of the confidence, she was afraid. Or possibly nervous. Whatever it was, she seemed no more happy to be assigned to this mission than Cobb himself. Was she also a recent recruit into the almost incomprehensible world of the ARU? Or on the other end of the scale, was her irritation and impatience the kind that only a seasoned veteran of such an organisation could muster?

Casela listened. Oh she had been thrust here, because her skill set made her too good to just let her go, but she was a thorn that SFI wanted gone, hence her placement on this suicide mission. She knew it for what it was. But she’d spent her lengthy career protecting those that needed it, and she wouldn’t regret it.

Releasing her hand, Cobb made no effort to increase the distance between them and instead leaned in to murmur in her ear, “I have a feeling we’re not in Kansas any more, Lt Synthi-er. Now what say we go find ourselves some decent coffee and allow me the chance to get the lay of this munchkinland, eh?”

• Captain Zachariah Cobb

Casela of course had no qualms listening to Cobb’s thoughts and though he had drunk to much her respect for him increased. He didn’t want to be there, who did, but he was capable and willing to pull it together. Good! “I believe that would be best, Cpt Cobb.” This time when she used his rank there was sarcasim. She stepped into the ready room and came back with two cups of strong black coffee. She had no idea how he took it but this was best. “Shall we begin your tour?”
Lt. Synthi-er, CNS

“Ah, that’s the stuff right there,” Cobb groaned with delight as he took the offered coffee and drained a quarter of the mug’s contents in one swallow. He was about to wipe at his mouth with a sleeve but remembered the counselor beside him at the last and instead dabbed gently at his lips with his pinky.

Casela chuckled a bit seeing him stop himself from using his sleeve, “I don’t know about you, Sir, but I find sleeves are good for a great many purposes, one being as a napkin. I don’t stand on politeness. You’ll see that in my record, I prefer to judge by actions or inactions as the situation calls for.” Casela was offering an Olive branch of sorts. They both had vices, and she expected them to work on it.

For a brief moment, he considered doing the gentlemanly thing and offering her his arm, but then considered that he might be rewarded with a slap in the face for such an outdated notion. So instead he simply cradled the remainder of his coffee in one hand and motioned towards the door with the other.

“Please, Lieutenant, lead the way.”

• Captain Zachariah Cobb

Cobb was an old soul. Once upon a time, Casela would have appreciated the gesture, but now....well lots of things had changed since she was a child, one of them giving up on fantasies. She lead the way to the turbo lift and picked a random deck. She put on her counselor face and reminded herself of what her job was. This wasn’t a small team mission this was…well, she couldn’t drop a member off for a little vacation and do it all herself this time. “Tell me, Cobb, what you think about this suicide mission command has sent us on?”
Lt. Synthi-er, CNS

Well now, that there was a fully loaded question and no mistake! Still, despite their initial wrong-footed meeting, Zachariah was beginning to warm slightly to this Counselor. Not that he trusted her to leave him be when all he wanted was a nice, warm jefferies tube to curl up for a nap. But still, he figured either he could risk opening up to her a little now, or she’d probably outrank him in the ARU somehow and go read it on his bloody file anyway!

“I’m as new as a babe to this whole world of anomalies and recovery missions, Lieutenant. And I don’t mind admitting that the last few days have left me feeling pretty much wrung out and left to dry. Seventy-two hours ago and I’d never even heard of the ARU and now I’m in command of one of their starships.” He chuckled gently, although Casela might struggle to find a drop of humour within.

“This ship, this crew, it’s like…like some grotesque and gargantuan pantomime. And I can’t quite shake the feeling that I’ve been cast as the arse-end of the horse. But still, if I know nothing else in this creaking old brain of mine then I do know how to captain a ship. No matter how peculiar its crew may be. So you might consider it a suicide mission, lass. I, on the other hand, still believe that if I could survive the bloody war then I can survive anything. Only time will tell whether I’m right, or whether I really am just a donkey’s ass.”

He shrugged and allowed his body to sag against the left wall of the turbolift. His head felt heavy and stuffed full of grating, wire wool. Dammit he needed a drink! But there was no time right now for slacking. And perhaps there would never be again on his stormy horizon.

Exhaling a breath that came from the very depths of his soul, Zachariah ran a hand over his weary face, then, with a wry smile, added, “I don’t know. What do you reckon of our chances of survival, eh?”

• Captain Zachariah Cobb

Casela swore to herself, in a good way. She was starting to like Cobb. She was starting to get a glimpse of who the man used to be, but the question was could he or would he be that again. “I think that we will surprise command. I’ve met most of the crew, except your XO. None of us are what we seem. ” She decided to be frank with him. If he could do it then so could she. “I’m not a normal counselor. I’ve never done the job. When I was 14 I was part of the resistance force that over threw the Dominion on Betazed.” She let that sink in. He should know what the Betazoids had done. They had turned desperate and going against their peaceful nature, used their telepathic powers to over throw the Dominion. Some survived the use of their talents, like she did, and others did not. It had been a hard lesson to learn and it had changed her at a young age. She could never go back to that ‘peaceful’ society that Betazed had been. “I spent many years in section 31 Intelligence. Psychological and Psychic warfare part of my skill set, as well as profiling and interrogation. Not to mention my fighting and covert skills. I was on my way out, and they sent me here. Your chief engineer is brilliant, you should go meet him. He’s got his own code that governs how he thinks. Same for your Science officer. I believe that if we can find a way to work together we’ll all survive. If we can’t. Well there are several of us on this ship that command would like to cut loose. I would suggest you take the time to meet each of your deparment heads and ARU personnel. We all have strengths, skills, and weaknesses to bring to the table. Put together you could be leading a very formidable force,” and the she added putting a little stress on the word and a tad of respect, “Captain.”
Lt. Synthi-er, CNS

He respected her honesty about the war. Of course there had been rumours, even then, of the tactics some Betazoids were employing, but as long as they remained on the side of the Federation, nobody really dug too deeply on the ethics of the matter. It was different, however, out of combat and suddenly the thought of a psychic digging around in his dusty and positively unwholesome thoughts was terrifying. Cobb’s eyes narrowed as he looked over at Synthi-er.

“You…ah…you’re not using your telepathy right now are you, Miss? I mean…I’d be able to tell, right? A man deserves some privacy to his thoughts, after all.” His cheeks burned crimson from the silent improprieties she might, even now, be uncovering and, unable to bear the imagined scrutiny any longer, Cobb straightened his posture and turned to face the turbolift doors.

“No, Sir. I don’t do that. You aren’t a threat and I don’t delve into people’s personal lives. The whole take down of the dominion was distasteful to say the least. I would have rathered never been a part of that but I was, and I’d do it again to save my planet, but I don’t have to like what we did.”

But her advice on the meeting of his other senior officers had been sound and the captain made a mental note to facilitate it that very afternoon. Or was she making it for him?

• Captain Zachariah Cobb

Casela sighed and let it go. The Cpt was obviously disturbed by her and once again she kicked herself for her honesty.
Lt Synthi-er, CNS

He’d upset her. It had not been his intention and he felt ashamed at himself for doing so. Who the hell was he to pass judgement on anyone else’s conduct in the war. He was hardly a hero either. Every individual who had endured the miseries of that conflict would carry it with them for the rest of time, like shrapnel lodged too close to the heart. Some days it was almost possible to ignore, but on others it would cut into that still-beating organ with every single breath.

Turning to her once again, Zachariah dared to raise his hands gently onto her shoulders. “None of us like what we did in the war, Lieutenant. But we did what was needed to survive. And I will never fault another soul for that.”

• Captain Zachariah Cobb

Casela appreciated the gesture even if she wasn’t great at people being in her personal space. She nodded firmly at his words. “I don’t work well with others. I know that. I also know I am not an ideal choice for ship’s counselor. One of those responsibilities is to advise and counsel the CO. I will do my best to do that, but I can’t promise it won’t be blunt and that at times I can be brutal. But it will be honest and fair.” Casela made a mental note to add ‘fairness’ to her working skills and 2 to never tell the CO how many weapons she carried on her person at all times.
Lt. Synthi-er, CNS