Posted by Captain Johann Dvorak (CO) in Captain’s Office- New Beginnings

Posted by Lieutenant Commander Mathys Ducote (Chief Engineer) in Captain’s Office- New Beginnings

Posted by Captain Johann Dvorak (CO) in Captain’s Office- New Beginnings
Posted by… suppressed (1) by the Post Ghost! 👻

SNIP

“Yeah, this fellow didn’t look like he was part Borg.” Dvorak’s description confirmed what Mathys suspected. His past commanding officer and the one mentioned were different people.

“He sounds like an interesting person, would’ve loved to meet him. Never encountered any sort of Borg tech myself.”

Noticing the CO drifting off again, concern brushed Mathys’ expression. He instinctively leaned in and took a good look at the man.

“You sure you’re all right? You’re drifting off.”

-CE, Mathys Ducote

“Sorry,” he apologized. “I just…”

There was something about Mathys that just made Johann want to keep talking, even if he ordinarily wouldn’t. Probably it was his good nature and general sense of humor. Either way, Johann felt comfortable talking about himself, something he didn’t usually do in these meetings. Or in general.

“I just realized that I’ve been doing whole Captain thing for a long while. Even though I probably don’t look it, I’m the longest continuously serving CO in Black Fleet. And in command of this particular ship. Makes me feel old. Even though I’m not. I mean, not for a Captain.”

– Johann Dvorak, CO

Mathys felt his lungs inhale and relax. His grey eyes lingering on the CO. It was clear what the older man was getting at. In a practiced posture, the light haired man continued to rest his back against his chair and let a quiet draw out. His fingers rubbed the bottom of nose before he broke the pause.

“I understand that. From my experience, I think responsibility has a lot to do with our perception of time. When I was young and dumb, I thought my carefree times will never end.” He licked his lips briefly.

“Becoming an unexpected father and reflecting on the memories of it, I think is the best example of this. I feel older than dirt, but I’m still in my prime.” Mathys’s words echoed his mother’s familiar ones. A chuckle sprung to his lips as he let it ripple in his chest, gradually settling down.

“In this case, your ‘children’ are your crew. Does that make sense?” His face held his gaze with the CO.

-CE, Mathys Ducote

“Yes,” the Captain said. “Perhaps. I think so.” He seemed to still be thinking about it.

“I don’t exactly think of them as my ‘children.’ Especially because I’m marrying one of them. Who in fact has a child. Who I might… umm… well… I guess I didn’t actually talk to him about that part. It’s kind of a detail I should sort out this week. But… I think I agree with the broader point.” He was perhaps overthinking it. Maybe he actually had a bit to think about.

“Your child still on Earth?” Johann knew that Mathys was only here by himself, so that implied the mother and the child were somewhere else.

– Johann Dvorak, CO

Once the CO finished, Mathys considered the question.

“Yes. It was decided that Hayden would have a better life with his mother than me. A ship isn’t an ideal place to rise a child.” His eyes drifted to the wall, staring for a few moments.

“The relationship with her is complicated. Let’s say my vows were important to me, than her. It’s especially painful when you return home early and see her with another man.” A hiss escaped his lips with the last statement. He remembered the explosion swiftly followed and became a minor incident. Mathys couldn’t stay in the house after that.

“I thought that memory would stop hurting eventually.” The engineer’s voice regained its lighter tone, trying to shrug off the pain.

-CE, Mathys Ducote