Posted by Commander Akorem Nevin (Executive Officer) in Ready Room -Nakuto goes in search of Akorem

Posted by Civilian Kara Nakuto (Civilian, Former CO) in Ready Room -Nakuto goes in search of Akorem

Posted by Commander Akorem Nevin (Executive Officer) in Ready Room -Nakuto goes in search of Akorem
Posted by… suppressed (3) by the Post Ghost! 👻
Almost a week had passed since the darkness had receded, depositing its former captive, wounded and confused, at the heart of the USS Viking. The days since her return had passed in a frenzy of food, bloodwine, healing, catching up with old friends…and avoiding Commander Akorem.

She was no longer in charge here. Captain Kara Nakuto had been stripped of her command and her vessel and left as empty and barren as the DuHoH Desert. They had allowed her to keep her title as a final mockery. A captain without a ship. Without a post or remit or singular reason to continue her existence.

And yet still she was trapped on this godsforsaken ship. A spectator. A silent observer, impotent and irrelevant, doomed to watch another at the helm of her ship, at the head of her crew.

And he had allowed it to happen. Akorem Nevin. Her second in command. Her right hand. Her ally. He had stepped back and waved another into her seat. Had he relished the opportunity to be rid of her? Had he been involved in the planning of such a mutiny? It was a conversation that Kara had no desire and yet an all-consuming need for it to take place. And now, finally, she felt her strength sufficiently restored to take on the task.

Marching towards the ready room, her body still shaking off the weakness but her confidence almost fully returned, Nakuto attacked the doorchime with such vigour as to almost leave a dent.

“Commander Akorem,” she roared through the metal barrier blocking her entrance. “Are you in there?”

Kara Nakuto

“Enter,” Nevin said. The last week had been strange. Not only was he temporarily in command due to Ravenfall’s medical condition, but he had heared talk that Nakuto was back. The Viking did strange things to people, and Nevin had initially dismissed the reports as halloucinations. It wouldn’t have been the first time this had happened. When he heard her voice booming at the door, he considerred if he had dropped asleep at the desk.

He rose from the seat at the Captain’s side. “Enter,” he said and waited for the doors to part and the doors parted allowing light to spill into the dimly lit room.

The decor of the room was different to how Nakuto had it, but it most definately wasn’t Nevin’s style. Because of his once again temporary residence, Nevin had not changed anything. Even Captain Ravenfall’s name plate was still on the desk. The only addition was a set of two of Nevin’s family photos. One showing Antos, Nevin along with Nevin’s Cardassian foster parents and the other was of Nevin & Tara - a copy of which Antos had taken with him to the counsellor.

Seeing Nakuto’s sillouhette at the door, Nevin was beginning to think he truly was goiong mad…

-Akorem

OOC: Amanda, would you like to provide a description of ravenfall’s ready room?

-Jim

As the door to the ready room hissed open, the sight of the once-familiar space sent a tsunami of memories crashing down onto its former occupant. So many nights she had sat at the worn and creaking desk, adding to the pile of empty bloodwine bottles at her feet as she scoured engineering reports, composed futile and always-ignored requests to Starfleet Command for more medical supplies, a healthier warp core or simply more people. And there, on the barren window seat had she oft chosen to sleep when the chorus of unseen voices in her quarters swelled to a cacophony too powerful to block out.

Of course, gone were her tapestries from Qo’nos, her bat’leth disguised as art but ready to serve her with the reach of a hand, her collection of books and trinkets from all over the four quadrants. Her face betrayed her dissaproval of the changes even before she had stepped fully into the room.

And then there was him. Commander Akorem. His arrival on the ship had been a difficult one for Kara to accept, still pining as she was for Harrington. In fact so powerful had her initial animosity been that Nakuto still marvelled at his decision to stay. But from these fractious beginnings, the pair had worked hard to overcome the distance between them and, just prior to her disappearance, she had begun to regard the Viking’s Bajoran XO as not merely a competent officer but also a friend.

Was the feeling still mutual? Or had Akorem rejoiced at the news she was gone? And now that she was returned, was he even a little glad to see her? Or with the vessel’s new commanding officer at his side, could he find no purpose for a rash, temperamental half-Klingon amongst his crew?

Fixing her eyes on his, Nakuto exerted great effort to pull her weary body up to its full, once-intimidating height.

“Surprised to see me, Commander?” she asked, her tone a contradicting mix of anger and hope and fear and amusement all poured into one, gruffly spoken sentence.

Kara Nakuto

“You could say that,” Nevin replied, “Last time I occupied this office, I had the solomn duty of informing your next of kin that you were missing, presumed dead. We searched for you for weeks.”

“My family,” Kara gasped. So focussed had she been on her own experience at this most disorienting turn of events, it had not even occured to her that they were aware of her disappearance…and presumed demise. “I…I should contact them.”

It felt like several lifetimes ago now, that bleakest of nights when she was pulled back from a literal precipice by the hands of her sister, Mirai. Back then, the shame of losing her command position had been unbearable. But now that situation was playing on repeat and Kara was not decidedly sure how she felt about it.

He indicated to a bottle on the table. “Kanar?” he offered, “I still don’t trust the replicators to produce a drink worthy of toasting that you are infact alive.”

-Akorem

She nodded her agreement to his choice of liquor, the rare, Cardassian beverage a little sweet in comparison to her customary bloodwine. But still, there was amusement to be found in seeing a Bajoran enjoy the nectar of their enemy.

“Uncle Boorvall brews this in his distillary, but Cardassia’s export duties are stupidly high. It’s cheaper for him to export to Fernginar and re-sell from there,” Nevin said as he began to pour. Nevin was not referring to his biological uncle, but to his Cardassian foster-mother’s brother.

But Akorem Nevin was not the first native of Bajor to offer her such a Cardassian-fuelled toast on this ship. There had been another…a man she had not thought of in a long time. Akirel Ros. In her formative days as the commander of this vessel, the engineering chief had been her best friend, her lover and soulmate. Until the darkness had proved to powerful for him to resist. The last time Kara had lain eyes on him, it had been in the very same tunnel-system that eventually consumed her as its captive. Had Ros been responsible, even in part, for the agonising torture of the past year? Or was he, like Maj, simply another victim?

“Am I…the only one who made it out?” she dared to finally ask the question, although her fear for the answer refused to dissipate. “Have you…found any traces of the others?”

Kara Nakuto

“We found a young einsign running around asking for ‘Ensign McHarrie’ She had been missing a couple of years by my guess,” Nevin said, “But no-one else.”

-Akorem

“McHarrie,” Kara echoed, sadly. She’d been fond of the young medic and angry when he’d been torn away by the nefarious workings of Section 31. Back then it had often felt like the Viking could not get a single break. No sooner had a decent crewmember landed than they were being ripped away again by the triple-curse of desertion, disappearance or death. At least half of the current roster were strangers to her now, her old, familiar friends scattered across the four quadrants.

“I see,” she replied. “Perhaps we should consider assembling a search party for those who remain lost?” Although with the portal now seemingly vanished from the ship, Nakuto knew they had no singular thread to follow.

Sipping at the kanar, the half-Klingon settled herself wearily into a vacant chair. Strange to be on the opposite side of the desk. Unnatural, almost.

“It will take me some time to become re-aquainted with the ship and its crew,” she stated. “Not to mention my current position amongst them.”
Piercing brown eyes were fixed on the Bajoran as she continued.
“I am aware that Starfleet has replaced me as Commanding Officer.” The statement was delivered without a trace of emotion, although were Nevin watching closely he might detect a slight ripple of anger momentarily crossing her features.
“Not that I blame them. A starship can not afford to drift for a year without a commander. Not even one that is in full working order. Although I am surprised that you did not take up the mantle yourself.”

A sharp laugh filled the space before her next sentence. “But then I understand not wishing to be laden with an albatross like the Viking around your neck!”

Relaxing back into the worn chair, Kara swallowed the rest of her kanar before continuing, the warmth of the cerulean liquid spreading to her face and enticing a genuine, if somewhat weary, smile across her lips.

“So, how have you been, Commander? How have you all been?”

Kara Nakuto