Posted by Captain Kastarak (Commanding Officer) in Main Sim: The Bridge

Posted by Commander William B. Grey (Chief Science Officer / 2nd Officer) in Main Sim: The Bridge

Posted by Captain Kastarak (Commanding Officer) in Main Sim: The Bridge
Snip!

Sixteen days at warp had achieved their objective of arriving close to the Rift. The Chernov had arrived on schedule but the psychological effects of uninterrupted transit were harder to measure. To Kastarak, it seemed that crew interactions had become flatter. People passed in the corridors like particles in low energy states, as if colliding only when duty so required. Mess hall was quieter, as was the gym.

None of this surprised him. The absence of a permanent commanding officer, in combination the gravity of this high-priority mission, constituted a form of permanent uncertainty. The crew needed resolution, but the crew had not received it. Not had he.

Captain Maddox remained in neurostasis. His physiological functions were preserved. His neural architecture was intact, but his consciousness had yet to return. Kastarak had taken command, but Starfleet had not confirmed it. The silence from Command was becoming ethically untenable. The longer this ambiguity persisted, the greater the cognitive load on the crew. Chain of command was not simply protocol. It was containment. It was narrative cohesion.

Kastarak stood from the command chair.

“Mr Forster,” he said, without turning, “you have the conn.”

Kastarak walked to the ready room to be alone.

Kastarak, Lt Cdr
Acting Commanding Officer; First Officer and Navigations Officer

After passing all the data to the officer who was relieving him He walked over to the center command chair and took a seat and said “ all stations status checks”

Lt. John Forster (CWO)

William stepped on the bridge just as Kastarak moved to the ready room. He was always surprised by the similarities between the two of them and the odd differences; they were the same age and had made similar career advances since being assigned to the Chernov. Kastarak was a far more sociable creature compared to Will’s reclusive nature. The closest thing William had had to friends on the ship was an abrasive medic who vehemently disliked William, and his large Galdori friend, the two of whom had been Captain Taggart’s closest friends until their untimely deaths some years back. From William’s perspective, he’d mostly risen through the ranks on account of chance, being the only senior officer available at times of trouble.

He’d been relieved when Taggart had shifted his focus to Kastarak, grooming the Vulcan for command. William had been uneasy with the idea of a more permanent leadership position, especially considering how his personal issue had been growing recently, and his growing suspicions that his issues were not entirely psycological in nature.

William shook his head, dismissing unnecessary thoughts and quietly stepped across the bridge and sat down at the Science Console.

CSO, 2O

OOC: Hey Hjortur, good to have you back. Be sure to read the Science section of the Departmental Brief post here: https://www.star-fleet.com/core/stf5/chernov/posts/283105/:)

Nosferatu
Your Darkest Nightmare

Kastarak returned from the ready room, where had been speaking with Vice Admiral Thalor Ren. This time, he wore the captain’s pips, discreetly placed along his collar. As the doors closed behind him with a hiss, he stepped out to the centre. He looked around, seeing his loyal and good colleagues all around him, he took a deep breath, and spoke loudly so everyone could hear:

“May I have your attention please?”

At the same time, he ensured that what he would say next would be communicated across the ship.

“All hands, this is the captain speaking. I have just spoken with Vice Admiral Thalor Ren with regard to the situation on this ship.Effective immediately, I, Kastarak, have been confirmed as captain and commanding officer of the Chernov. Commander T’Aria has been assigned as first officer. She’s en route and will arrive soon, along with personnel to assist with Captain Maddox’s transfer away from this ship and to further treatment elsewhere.”

He looked around.

“The mission stands. But the chain of command is no longer in question. You’ve served admirably through ambiguity. That is no small thing. Thank you. Kastarak out.”

Kastarak, Cpt
Commanding Officer

William had stood up when Kastarak began his announcement, then, as it went on, he started standing at attention. When the Vulcan finished, William took a step forward and entoned in a clear voice “Captain on Deck”

Kastarak hadn’t expected Grey’s call – though he should probably have. Rituals and ceremonies bound people together (even Vulcans). Marking the captaincy in this way was logical – it would help cement the authority that had only minutes ago been bestowed upon this young Vulcan refugee.

–

After the Bridge crew finished their greetings or congratulations, the lanky Science officer moved to stand by Kastarak, as always his hands were clasped behind his back. “Congratulations, sir” William spoke in a quiet voice giving the Vulcan Captain a slight nod “You’ll do well” He said, looking at the viewscreen “And at least they’re giving you an experienced first officer” There was a wryness in his tone. “I’ve run out of excuses to avoid command” Although there was humor in his words there was a certain relief in his tone.

“With thanks for your congratulations,” Kastarak said. “I would like you to stay on as Second Officer. If I remember correctly, you’ve served on the Chernov for seven years and eight months without interruption. Commander T’Aria joined earlier, over a year earlier, but her record includes breaks in service. You, however, have been here through it all, the overwhelming majority of this time as second officer under Captain Taggart. While you were there, several first officers passed. Stovik. Keali. Sideman. T’Aria. And I.”

William blinked in mild surprise but nodded his head in acquiescence. The specificity had momentarily surprised him, but of course, he had come to expect such detailed memory from Vulcans. Being capable of remembering almost anything seemed at times convenient… also dreadful on the other hand.

“With Captain Taggart gone, that continuity matters. I will need you to remind me of the ship’s past to keep me grounded in what this crew has already lived through. I am the fifteenth captain of this ship in its fifteen-year history.... “

Kastarak stopped his line of thought there, and changed the trajectory of his argument.

“Although I have heard some of the crew call you ‘a Vulcan in human’s clothing’, I think they misjudge you. You may be reserved and unusually introverted for a human, but you understand people with clarity and accuracy. Like I have relied on your advice before, I should like to continue to have that privilege.”

Again, Kastarak made William blink in surprise. He had on occasion considered what the Vulcan thought of him, but he had honestly not expected to hear those words “Of course, sir” He favoured the man with a half smile “It would be my honour”

William looked at Kastarak “Have you spoken with T’Aria at all since she went to New Vulcan?” He asked out of genuine curiosity; he was tangentially aware that the two had been somewhat close. He’d only ever had a cordial relationship with the Former first officer himself, ever the recluse, William hadn’t spent much time socialising, something he was coming to regret, with so many colleagues leaving. T’Aria was already CMO when he was first assigned to the Chernov. Something in the back of his mind tingled at the thought, distorted memories of a more cheerful William, twenty-two years old and far more sociable than he had become, more open and far more emotional. Something about that thought unnerved him. Was it just seven years of active duty on a battleship that made him as he was, or was it the other thing.

Kastarak was quiet for a second.

“No, I have not.” He said simply, his tone falling like his gaze for a moment. He had missed her – she had been a sister to him, and one day, she had to leave. He had intended to message her, just as he was sure she had intended to message him. But as the busy worlds went by, never hushed enough for them to have the peace to engage with the uncertainty of communication with another, so different from the old days when they would metaphorically knock on each others’ offices, it simply had not happened. Now, soon, they would be reunited – in a different dynamic. After all, two years had passed. How had those years changed her? How had they changed him?

He looked at Grey once again. Grey was stable. He seemed to be the same today as he was yesterday, as the first day Kastarak stepped on the Chernov. That was safety, a necessary anchor for this ship. He only hoped his request to Grey to stay on would not hold his career back.

Kastarak, Cpt
Commanding Officer

William gave the fresh Captain a nod, “Sir” He said simply and took a step back “I’ll ensure a new uniform is sent up” He said, looking at the Commander’s sleeves on Kastarak’s uniform. He paused “I would like to point out that you are likely the second youngest person in the history of Starfleet to be promoted to Captain” There was no chance that anyone would beat James Kirk’s record of Captain at 25, but becoming Captain before thirty was very impressive; William was very aware having risen through the ranks fairly fast himself.

CSO, 2O