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Posted by Lieutenant William Hampton (Chief Engineering Officer) in Side Sim- Holodeck- A rare moment of vulnerability

Posted by Captain Zachariah Cobb (Commanding Officer) in Side Sim- Holodeck- A rare moment of vulnerability

Hampton slammed his fist on the bar. “What am I doing?” He growled, the tears stopping. He looked up at the captain. “Sorry sir this is embarrassing, I have had a little too much to drink I think.” He nodded to Cobb as he poured another round. “I don’t have a habit of getting emotional cap’n, I guess our little conversation has brought it out of me.”
He wiped his eyes. “That’s won’t happen again sir.”

LT. William Hampton- CE

“Ah, it happens to the best of us, lad,” Zachariah shrugged, attempting to banish Hampton’s shame with a wave of his hand. “What is it they say? The problem with the world is that everyone else is a few drinks behind?” He chuckled, then picked at a frayed hem on the sleeve of his tunic, for a moment lost in the vast caverns of his own thoughts.

“What brought you to this ship, Will?” he asked after a few moments. “With your skill you could have been running some R&D facility planetside by now. Why space? And why anomalous space, of all bloody things?”

• Captain Zachariah Cobb

At Cobb’s question Hampton’s expression changed from one of embarrassed melancholy to deadly serious anger. “I did not have as many options as I deserve captain.” His voice returning to its normal stoic tone. “I have no home to go to, I have lived in space my whole life.” His voice lowered to a growl. “And people don’t appreciate me for the man I am.” His empty hand clenched into a fist. “People in this part of the galaxy like to think they are virtuous, enlightened, and most importantly,” he looked up at Cobb, “correct.” He took a sip. “People like me don’t fit in well with the society they have built on Earth or for the rest of Federation.” He took another sip.

Cobb shrugged. His entire existence thus far had seen him cast aside from society, demarcated into a no-mans land of suspicion and disgust, for no more heinous crime than doing things his own way. The trick, he had learned slightly too late, was to wear the mark as a badge of honour and to hell with all the rest.

“People around here tend to think that at their core the races of the galaxy deserve the benefit of the doubt. That most living creatures, are, at the end of the day, good. They believe this, because they want to see themselves as virtuous and noble.” His look turned to a glare. “They aren’t. They are just naive individuals who would rather stick their head in the sand then actually deal with the problems our galaxy has to offer.” He paused, “My existence reminds them of the reality they are so desperate to ignore. People like me point out that races like the Romulans are dangerous and should be put under the thumb of the Federation. To hell with treaties and negotiations, we are superior to them, the gall that race has to oppose us.” He shook his head. “And we let them do it. The Cardassians have the right idea, that’s how they became so powerful. They learned that in order to be strong, in order to ensure security, you must subjugate all that are weak and oppose you.”

For the first time that evening, Zachariah became acutely aware of the melancholia Hampton had weaved, tendrils reaching out to stab repeatedly at the old man’s heart. To hear such casual exultation of his former enemy was more than he had the strength to bear. But it seemed the eternal tragedy of the young that they should forsake the lessons of the past and forge their own road, no matter how many lives were demanded as sacrifice at the crossroads.

“You are mistaken, Mr Hampton,” he mumbled quietly.

He exhaled. “You all pretend your way is better, that somehow instead of destroying our enemies, we should hand out hugs like ration packs, and sign treaties to simply delay inevitable conflicts. But what you can’t stand, is the ever so rare person, like me, who comes along and points to history, who points to the inevitable result of interactions between civilizations, war. Instead of listening to people like me, Starfleet throws us away. Too many sensitive admirals and officers, who earned their stripes not through firing a phaser but rather signing their names on a document. ” His fist began to thump on the table. “They have no idea what suffering is like, they have no idea what real conflict is like. And the damning part of it all is, they don’t want to.” Hampton stared into this glass. “I don’t fit the federation mold, so I have to be dealt with in some way. I am labeled evil by some for my beliefs, I am not a “tolerant” or “open minded” man. I don’t believe in mercy and I damn sure don’t believe in diversity. Diversity gets everyone killed.” He held up his glass. “These beliefs make me a problem, because I remind everyone on Earth that they aren’t saints, that humanity is not a race of saints, and I will never be one in their eyes.” He shrugs. “So they put me out here, where I can be shuffled off, and never heard from again.”

He looked back to Cobb, “My existence is a reminder to the Federation that their organization is built off half truths and lies. For that reason, I must be swept away under the rug.” He chuckles. “So you see Captain, I didn’t have much choice at all.”

Lt. William Hampton- CE

He wept openly and without shame.

There had been a time when Zachariah might have marvelled at a soul far blacker than his, might have admired a life more saturated by hatred than his own. But now on the threshold, as he stared at the young man across from him, Cobb could summon no other response than devastating, omnipotent sadness.

“By the gods, Will,” he whispered, his voice hoarse. “What happened to make you like this?”

• Captain Zachariah Cobb