Posted by Captain Zachariah Cobb (Commanding Officer) in recurring side-sim: Sausage and Scuttlebutt

Posted by Lieutenant Casela Synthi-er (Counsellor / RTF) in recurring side-sim: Sausage and Scuttlebutt

Posted by Captain Zachariah Cobb (Commanding Officer) in recurring side-sim: Sausage and Scuttlebutt
Posted by… suppressed (1) by the Post Ghost! 👻
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OOC: August 1st, 2020 Update

IC: Casela appeared on the CIC and rang the chime. 2 hours before shift, AGAIN! She had two coffees in hand, both black and strong. It was time for breakfast with Zachariah. And if Casela was honest, despite having to get up early, she enjoyed it. Zachariah was a good companion for early morning contemplation. She nodded to the Gamma shift crew while she waited for him to answer.

Lt. Synthi-er, CNS

“Come,” came the call from inside the room.

Once inside, Synthi-er would find Cobb sitting at his desk, with nothing before him save for one small glass of water and an expression of near-desperation on his face.

“Ah, Cas,” he exhaled as he noticed the coffees, “my Yeoman tells me she’s bringing us something special for breakfast. I just hope she knows her way around a frying pan!”

• Captain Zachariah Cobb

Casela smiled. What was it with the command staff calling her ‘Cas?’ She took a seat across from Zachariah, as was her habit. She passed one coffee to him and kept the other for herself. “These early mornings are starting to get to me. Strong black coffee I heard is always the answer.” She drank while it was still hot. “Some how I have a feeling, that whatever it is, will be delicious, and even if it is not, we will be polite and eat it anyway. Then we’ll wash it down with more VERY hot VERY black coffee.” She smiled at the idea. “I’m going to need several more cups today.”
Lt. Synthi-er, CNS

“Polite. Aye,” Cobb murmured, as if trying the word against his tongue for the very first time. With no food to occupy his attention, or his hands, he found himself drumming a rhythmic pattern against the desktop. Morse code, perhaps, for feed me.

“Yes, Zachariah, polite. She’s making you a fresh cooked breakfast instead of replicator rations. Enjoy the privilege of being the CO,” Cas told him shaking her head. “And I will vicariously enjoy it through you.”

“So,” he made idle conversation in an attempt to distract from his hunger, “I hear our latest recruit, Mr Bog, has been causing a few waves down in engineering. I had the pleasure of escorting him to his quarters myself. Interesting lad,” he chuckled.

• Captain Zachariah Cobb

Casela nodded, “Yes he is. I like him, thought he carries more frustration than the average Tellerite. I sent a preliminary report to the Cmdr. I’m afraid it arrived a little too late. Lt. Hampton is brilliant, but set in his ways and he’s angry and frustrated as well. Tellerites often push politeness and regulations because they see them as a cover for people’s true feelings. But his record shows a mind that works at amazing speeds when under pressure. Hampton stands on rank, but also has similar feelings about others hiding how they really feel. If they can learn to work together, Hampton and Bog will rewrite the manuals for engineering on their own. We are very lucky to have both on board.”

Lt. Synthi-er, CNS

“I have no argument to make against that,” Cobb nodded. “I can spot a good engineer from thirty feet and we’ve got one of the best teams I’ve ever seen.”

He picked up his coffee and sniffed at it, the bitter aroma causing his stomach to growl in protest from the lack of food. Cobb took a sip, placed the cup down on the desk, sighed, reached for the cup again and gave it another sniff. Clearly a sentence was forming that he was desperate to wash away with the hot, caffeinated liquid. And yet it refused to release the hold on his lips.

“I need a woman, Cas,” the words fired into the surrounding space and began to form a large elephant in the corner of the room…

• Captain Zachariah Cobb

Casela almost…ALMOST spit out her coffee and then she was grinning like crazy. She knew Cobb knew about her and Ryder, though he’d never said anything. So she was pretty sure he wasn’t talking about her. And she liked Cobb too much to read his mind to just make sure. “Oh DO tell Zachariah. All. the. gossip. Anyone in mind?” Of course she had some one immediately in mind, and she thought it was perfect, but she wasn’t a match maker. She tried REALLY hard to hide the smile, but the corners of her lip twitched anyway. The fact that Zachariah wanted to find someone as a companion, or more, made heart soar. He was coming back to the living slowly, and you didn’t want a companion if you were still set on letting go of this life.

Of course if he DID mean her....nope she wouldn’t put that thought out there.
Lt. Synthi-er, CNS

“Well now,” Cobb reclined in his chair, those blue eyes dancing with the faintest hint of mischief, “someone pretty. Now I’m not asking for Venus herself here, you understand? But I don’t want our friend Mr Bog in a dress, either.”
He ran a hand along his beard, his mind recalling a list that clearly Zachariah had been expending significant thought on.
“And intelligent, too. Knows her intermix formulas from her quantum substitutions. But sensitive as well.”

The captain sighed and ran a hand through his hair, then looked the counselor in the eye.
“I don’t know. What kind of woman do you think would appeal to Mr Hampton, eh?”

• Captain Zachariah Cobb

Without thinking she says, “Crewman Jessie Polizzi. She increadibly smart, working on her doctorate, and she’ll throw him off his game and get his attention…” As realization dawns on her what Cobb had just asked Casela almost dropped her coffee. “You can NOT be serious. Nope forget what I just said. You want my opinion on Hampton?” Oh no after the other night in the lounge. NOPE she wasn’t touching it. Though....nope! She stopped that thought right there. “You do know if he finds out I helped you with…well whatever this is, he’ll be after you too. Seriously the man HATES me. I’m okay with that, better me than another member of the crew he needs to work with, but....but…” She looks around the room, confused, “You know what,” and her grin is just a bit wicked, “Ask Cmdr. Raauhl. I hear he’s very good with the ladies. Between the two of you I’m sure you can come up with something.”
Lt. Synthi-er, CNS/NOT a match maker

“Aye, I hear the same about my Number One,” Cobb nodded, then with a wink added, “but I’ll trust your own opinion over mine where he is concerned.”

Casela wouldn’t look at Cobb, but a non convincing neutral tone, “I have no idea what you are talking about.”

But at the mention of the engineering chief, the captain grew serious once more. “He doesn’t hate you, Cas,” he sighed, draining the final dregs of his coffee and ready to offer to the gods anything they could ask for in return for a hearty breakfast. “He is just confused. Afraid. In truth, he reminds me a lot of myself just after the war. And that scares me.”

Casela nodded, “He is that. And he’s brilliant and I have a lot of respect for him. He doesn’t believe me though. He…was in the lounge with me the other night. Hampton wants so desperately to prove he’s right about things, but when he finds out he is, he can’t…he can’t handle it. I haven’t spoken with him enough to really make any other evaluations other than that. And he does hate me. And it’s okay. He needs a focus for that anger. He hates that I am more than just a counselor, he hates that he wants to accept me, but he can’t. He hates that it doesn’t bother me, and he hates that I represent everything that he despises about Star Fleet and the Federation.” She shrugs, “Sometimes the best I can do is allow people a focus for their feelings.”

With no other sustenance on offer, Zachariah reached for his hipflask and enjoyed a small nip, before moving to offer it to his companion then, recalling her last dalliance with alcohol, retracting it to the safety of his pocket once again.

She laughs as he pulls it away. “It’s okay, I wouldn’t take it. 9 years between drinks wasn’t enough. I’m going for lifetime between this time.”

Cobb made a face. “Now then, there’s no need for such pessimism. Not this early in the morning at any rate,” he laughed.

“I tried to reach out to him, Cas. I tried to befriend him. But I made a fair mess of that and no mistake.” He exhaled deeply and ran long fingers through his silver-kissed hair. “In the end I fear I did more harm than good where Hampton is concerned.”

• Captain Zachariah Cobb

“Hmmmm....you need to find common ground. Ever heard of the Viking? It’s got a thunderdome. We need one! ” She grins, and it’s a little scary. “But instead of fists fights, well some people would benefit, but mental battles as well. I could stick you and Hampton in there with all kinds of engineering challenges. Battles of Wit, problem solving, let the RTF teams try to sneak up on each other. Really the possibilities are endless. We could even do it like a lottery. So random opponents. The ship could use an outlet like that, and maybe in the process earn some respect for each other.”

He sat back and considered the idea. In truth it carried a great deal of merit, something to engage and occupy the crew, keep their minds and their wits sharp.

“Aye,” he nodded eventually. “Aye, I think we’ll do that. It would be a great improvement on having certain members of my crew just beat the crap out of each other in the holodecks, at any rate.”

Casela rubbed her hands together looking particularly wicked. “Oh I’m going to have SO much fun with this.” Casela snickered and a little too innocently, “Crew members are beating each other up on the holodecks? Where on Earth did you hear that?”

“But as for Hampton. Try to talk to him. If he reached out once, you have an opening, you can either be sneaky about it, which probably won’t work with him, batter it down with brute strength, or Appeal to his ‘higher calling.’ Don’t give up.”
Lt. Synthi-er, CNS

“Maybe. But I’m no counselor, Cas. I…don’t have the words to comfort and console like you do,” Zachariah sighed, rubbing wearily at his face as his stomach roared in unison. “I will give things another try with the lad though. I promise.”

“No but sometimes what people need is a friend, a mentor, a companion, more than they need a counselor. If you are honest and give him the blunt truth, even if it rubs you the wrong way, he’ll at least listen to your words, even if it’s later, and make his own opinion.”

Then, keen to move on before he was moved to tears once again, he inquired with a smirk, “So, what about you, eh? Any news to give me? Or even some good, old fashioned rumours?”

• Captain Zachariah Cobb

Casela thought about it, “Well let’s see, Cooper is getting a new arm. Fey and GLaDOS are working on an idea for a prostetic arm. Fey is hoping to add different attachment to it, including specialized engineerig tools to help him. He’s asked to go back on duty, but he’s recovring. The other two injured crewman are going to be okay. The new security chief is impressive. Make sure you get to know her.” Casela thinks, “OH our new CIO Icarus Remmington.” She laughs. “We had quite the row in my office. He’s quite eager to prove himself. He actually has a desire to be here, and strong armed his way to Levi, by his own admission. He’s been behind a desk and has NO field experience. BUT if we can get him to look beyond the ‘official’ report, he’ll do well. ARU and RTF are way above his clearance rating, so he’s capable, but…” she sighs, “And I’m cynical. But he thinks if the report states it there is nothing more to it than that. He wants to believe it, maybe needs to. And we both know, Zachariah, that belief will keep the wool over his eyes.”

“Oh, I know all about how our friend Mr Remington got here,” Cobb replied. “He’s got some nerve and no mistake. But still, I think he’ll be a valuable asset in the end.” In desperation, the captain reached for water (water!!!) in an attempt to fill his stomach. “I’ve paired him with Mr McHarrie, think between them they might make quite the intelligence team.”

Casela nodded, “Oh I think they’ll do well together. Remington has a drive an ambition, and McHarrie is curious, cautious and has the experience. I’ve spoken at length with McHarrie. He’s outstanding in what he does. I’ll help them any way I can.” Because in the end she might be ship’s counselor but she was still a part of Intelligence and S31.

He motioned for Casela to lean in, as if his next sentence would impart some highly prized secret. “I went to his lab earlier today. The things he has inside there! Cas, you have no idea!” he marvelled like a small child at his first visit to a candy store.

“Really? I’ll have to make a visit some time soon. I would love to see him work.” She paused a moment, “I need to talk to him about Gen anyway. Dr. Fey took samples and gave them to McHarrie. If there anything about her health or her current state of being, I’d like to hear about it sooner rather than later.”

She sipped the last of the coffee and put the cup aside. “Now for the scuttlebutt, apparently you and Doc Fey have a thing, and Bog and Hampton are going to have a cage match. But their little scuffle in the brig would certainly qualify. Speaking of which those two are going to do amazing things in engineering if they can learn to work together. OH! And apparently Gen is my long lost love child. But no one, not even me, seems to know who the father is.” Casela laughed. The rumors on this ship were always comical.
Lt. Synthi-er, CNS

Zachariah spat water across his terminal screen. “Me and the Doctor? I mean, who…why…what kind of thing?”

Casela grinned and hid a laugh behind her hand. “A romantic one apparently. Doc Fey is erathral, like the beautiful fey of Earth’s legends. She’s also brilliant, and she keeps giving you sweets. Which as the old saying goes, ‘the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach,’ and apprently you are that man.” Casela found it funny, the rumors that flew around the ship.

In truth, he’d never really viewed Lt Kastil as anything other than a highly skilled member of his crew. Or to be more precise, once he’d dispensed with the idea that she’d been spat from some kind of twisted, Eldritch nightmare, he viewed her as a skilled member of his crew. But perhaps he should spend some time with her out of uniform, so to speak.

OOC: GO FOR IT!
IC:

“How the hell do these rumours even start, eh?” he attempted to make light of the matter. “And why do they so often seem to centre on us?”

• Captain Zachariah Cobb

“Oh Irida starts them. She’s got a mouth on her and it never stops running. She’s very observant and she seems to do it on purpose. She takes bits of information and creates these crazy stories. Honestly I think she’s brilliant. It’s never malicious and doesn’t cross any lines. And it gives a needed distraction to the crew. And I think she likes to make the senior staff sweat.”
Lt. Synthi-er, CNS