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Posted by Lieutenant Ta’lahali Akera Beveres (Counsellor) in Mess Hall - Nakuto Looks for a Friendly Face

Posted by Civilian Kara Nakuto (Civilian, Former CO) in Mess Hall - Nakuto Looks for a Friendly Face

Posted by Lieutenant Ta’lahali Akera Beveres (Counsellor) in Mess Hall - Nakuto Looks for a Friendly Face

Kara considered the question, her mind retreating to those initial weeks onboard the Viking. The alarm as she took stock of the lot she had been given, the confusion at how a Starship could be allowed to deteriorate to such a level. And the fear, of everyone and everything around her.

Ultimately she was able to offer the Counselor little more than a shrug in response.
“I am…not sure. About a month after I came onboard there was a…” her hands grasped at the empty space around her, as if from it she could pluck words adequate to describe the event, “…mass exodus of crew. No official report was ever made but I suspect someone had bartered with a nearby merchant ship for safe passage. Then when it arrived it felt like half of my entire crew spied their chance and fled.”

Had it been the ship they were running from or…its Captain? Kara would never know the truth so had decided not to question it too thoroughly, lest she be unsettled even further by what she found out.

“But then there was Denny,” she continued, an almost imperceptible shudder rippling through her body at the mention of his name. “He had been from the Terran continent of Africa, like yourself.”
She smiled as she studied the woman at her side. The similarities between Beveres and the Viking’s first counselor under Nakuto’s watch began and ended with that shared place of birth. In all other aspects they were lightyears apart.

”He…” the half-Klingon attempted to explain, “…there was…something. A shadow. To this day I don’t know if it found him on the ship or if he had brought it with him. But it…pursued him, hunted him down. The last I ever saw of him, which had also been the first I ever saw of him,” she laughed at the irony of it all, “he was chasing the thing around the lower decks. And then…” Another shrug, her energy to search for a resolution depleted, “…he was gone.”

It was almost chilling to hear of what had occurred to the man who was far prior to her own assignment upon the ship. She pondered whether or not there was more to this shadow than met the eye, but it didn’t matter much, its ending ultimately the same tedious albeit forlorn tale of a man or woman upon this unnatural ship. It always ended the same, in death. She had yet to hear of any alternative consequences.

Death. It was the ultimate player of this game of chess, in constant standstill with its opponent: Life. Many might pain them in the air of wretchedness, dark eyes flowing red with the sinister expression of a limitless evil. And others view Death as the child who had been denied a position in the house of Life’s grand play, where they turned cold and grew hateful towards the creature who denied them their happiness. It was a fascinating concept, that of Death, the faithless magician in charge of every sting snapped to end another’s life. Greedy. Malevolent. Eldritch. Many deemed their name to mean. Wise. Fair. Damned. Did their colors truly show.

Yet even in the debate over what Death meant or what Death did, it did not eliminate the shiver running up her spine at the thought of the Counselor’s impending death from the shadow so cruel. Whatever had happened to the poor African shrink? Whatever had he done? Had he been able to survive? She pondered these questions with a face so solemn, yet eyes perplexed without an indication of a solution to her ravaging questions.

“Unfortunate..” The woman remarked, unsure of what else she could possibly say. What was there to say to such a horrific tale? Nothing, she determined. Nothing at all.

Once more she joined hands with her friend. “But you…I knew the moment you came onboard that there was something…special about you. Oh, I could see that you were scared…just like the rest of us. But still, the calm and tranquility and the hope that you managed to project was…unlike anything I had ever felt before. And right then and there I knew that you would stay. And that, as long as you did, my crew would be okay.”

“It takes a village to keep a crew like this together, to make sure they are ‘okay.’ Unfortunately, that village boils down to a fell officers who have the insane hope they can make a difference of at least assist in the lives of those around them.” She spoke of the command and counseling team, which topped at, generally, three officers- not including the DHs, should they step up to that heinous podium. “For right now, it might be safe to say, we’re okay.”

“Well that I am very glad to hear,” Nakuto stated emphatically. “You…all of you, are invaluable to this crew for the service you provide.”

“A service any counselor could attempt to provide,” She determined.

She smiled then, her brown eyes shining with deep admiration, boundless respect and…sadness, that this hellhole was where fate had decided to throw them together.

“Ta’lahali Beveres,” she declared, “You are the bravest and most noble warrior that I know. Do not ever change. And don’t ever be afraid to seek out your own support, should you ever need it.”

“You certainly have a way with words- perhaps peculiar, but nevertheless effectual.” Tal gripped the hand enveloping her own, a sense of reality in this endless storm of supernatural hell.

Consideration crossed the eyes that almost mirrored the colour of her old friend’s. Kara had been amongst those who had kept her sane, in those beginning days. She was a guiding force, strong, but not in a way that would force Tal to cower to her knees, begging for remorse from the Klingon warrior, not that such dreams had not crossed her mind, humorously, in the dead of the night. Yet, beyond those dreams, Kara was perhaps one of the most human people she knew. No, not by her appearance nor her DNA, but by her mannerisms and mind.

She had that Klingon tenacity, but that human humility. An even balance between two species of great anthesis. Tal couldn’t say she knew how Nakuto managed it, these two competing sides. She did not envy whatever struggles she faced, but she did not wish any damnation upon her, for whatever she had done to escape them. She found weakness in Kara, but she also found strength.. a strength in every flaw she held. And in some odd way, that simple observation screamed: “human.”

“At least, in all of this, they chose a competent woman to continue your legacy, on Viking.”

Tal

Impossible not to bristle at the Counselor’s final words. In her primal core there grew a sense of gratitude for the woman who had taken command in her absence, had steered the ship and tended to the crew when their former CO was no longer present to perform the task. And if the latest engineering reports were any measure then indeed it seemed that Captain Ravenfall had done an outstanding job.

But still, to see another in her seat on the bridge, to defer to another when discussing matters on the ship, to be preparing to beg another for a position, any position on a crew she used to lead…it was simply too much for Kara to face directly just yet.

“Good,” she murmured in reply, staring sullenly into her coffee. “I am glad.”

Kara Nakuto

IC: Tal muled over her response to the simple indication of content towards the placement of the new captain, finding a sense of a sympathy for Kara, and everything she had lost in these damning months at sea. A sea of tumultuous waves, composed of frigid lies and inescapable truths. For a moment, she grew silent, debating any remark to Kara, regarding her sullen response.

“She didn’t replace you, you know.” Tal offered to her, a faint smile breaching her solemn features. “Nobody could ever replace you,” She added, thinking for a moment. “This ship, the day you left, was never the same. We struggled, for awhile, trying to find our feet again. We stumbled. We fell. But you, and everyone on your team can agree, you taught us how to stand back up, even when the most gruesome of events forced us down to our knees, when we thought our legs had been broken.

“You, even after your departure, were always a guiding principle in our lives, even if we did not recognize it. Yes, we changed, we grew, we became different people, but I don’t think any of us ever forgot the abrasive albet fascinating Captain Kara Nakuto.” A slight chuckled escaped her lips, “I cannot imagine what you’re going through, now that you have come home.. nor what you have been through, all of those months. However, if it means anything, you always have a home of the Viking. After all, she is still, in a sense, your ship- just as she is Captain Ravenfall’s.”

Lt. Beveres
CNS

Impossible to restrain fully the waves of emotion that washed over her. For an entire year, while trapped in that dark place, Nakuto had replayed and examined and questioned every single decision she had made as the head of this crew; every action and statement scrutinised and torn apart in an attempt to answer that most vital and fundamental of questions. Had she been good enough?
But to hear now, and from the lips of one she valued so highly, was a gift far greater than she had earned. But the Klingon in her rejoiced at it all the same.

“Thank you, Tal,” she whispered. “You have no idea how much that means to me.”

Reclining into her seat, Nakuto looked down at her worn and threadbare uniform, still bearing the colours of a captain but with the insignia to signify the rank now gone.
“Honestly, I have no idea what I shall do now that I am back,” she admitted. “I am currently…unemployed. I have no position on this ship. No remit to work towards, no assigned duties to perform.”

She drained the remainder of her raktajino in an attempt to ward off the probing tendrils of sleep.
“I…have not contacted Starfleet since my return.”
A sheepish grin teased across her lips, the unspoken confession of one who knew they were disobeying the rules but had no intentions of correcting it.
“I am not sure I wish to learn of their future plans for me. Not yet. For if they take me away from this vessel then…I don’t know what I would do. You are right, Tal, this ship and I, we are…destined to be together. And I would rather be a janitor on this ship than a captain on any other.”

Nakuto removed the helmet from her head and ran fingers through her long, midnight hair.
“But I do need a job. I must speak with Captain Ravenfall and find out where she could use me. Surely a beat-up, battle-worn former captain can still have uses around here?”

Kara Nakuto

“A lowlife in a pleasant society is better than the king of a corrupt one.” Tal mused, shaking her head towards the woman she considered so dear to her. A part of her felt almost at home, knowing Kara was alive, tangible and across from her. She had not felt so content, since her departure. Perhaps it was the lack of a true friend, beyond the woman who sat adjacent from her. Why had it suddenly become so hard, coping without a friend? She had not even noticed the difference in herself, until that rock had returned to her life. Funny, how things didn’t show until their solution came.

“Where you stay on this ship or move to another, I will support your decision.” Tal remarked, “This ship is yours, she always will be, but she is old and I’m not sure she has too many miles left on her. However, should you ever need a place, Viking will always be here for you. Where she is your command, or your home, she is a peculiar ship with a cracked albeit large heart for those daring enough to place themselves into such a position.”

The half-Klingon’s laughter at this was positively thunderous. Slapping the heavy oak table with an open palm, she replied, “Not too many miles? Ta’lahali Beveres, do not mistake this ship’s apparent fragility for true weakness. It is true that her heart remains sick and her temperament peverted. But as long as there remain crew who can survive this continual battle of wills then she will continue to fly. And I will continue to travel with her.”

“Have you spoken with the Captain about anything? Does she even know you are here?” Tal wondering, knowing how daring of person Kara could be.

Beveres
CNS

Again that mischevious expression illuminated her features. Locking eyes with her friend, Nakuto shook her head.
“I have not yet announced my return in person. Although I am sure the ship’s scuttlebutt has relayed the information by now. And in truth I am eager to exchange information and experiences with one who has viewed this ship from the same vantage point as I. But…”

Her sigh was eons-deep and carried on its breath the whole, tumultuous weight of the past year.

”…it is not an easy thing to meet your successor. For a Klingon it is…”
She shrugged as she attempted to explain. “There is great shame to be found in being…replaced. I expected nothing less but still. It will take me some time to come to terms with the situation and my new position onboard this ship. Whatever that position may turn out to be.”

“But still,” Kara concluded with a smile. “Still I am here, living and breathing and…surviving. I must take care not to lose sight of that amongst everything else.”

Kara Nakuto