[Graduating Class of 239410.29]

Thank you for welcome, all. It's great to be back.

[Mr. Bryant Asher - Solitary Window]

((USS Tiger-A, Deck 2, Jorey Personal Quarters))

::Asher sat down in his favourite chair. It was a rich, warm mahogany wing chair upholstered in a soft patchwork of velvet in blues and greens. The chair was set beside a small viewport. He liked to look out into the vastness of space as he sipped his sweet uttaberry tea. It made him feel insignificant. It was a humbling experience and Asher believed it was important for Betazoids to nurture their humility. Betazoids are not known for humility.::

Alena: ~Enjoy your tea, Bryant.~ She said draping a beautifully crafted sheer scarf over her shoulders. ~I'll be back in an hour or so.~

::Asher offered a warm parting smile before turning back to the viewport and his warm aromatic tea.::

oO That'd odd. Oo

::The stars seemed to be moving faster and in an erratic pattern. Asher stood up and stepped closer the viewport to get a better view. He could see a large planet. It looked like a giant drop of water. It was beautiful. As the ship got closer, Asher could see more detail in the water. Complex patterns in a pallet of blues. The movement of the ship was blurring the colours like the impassioned bush strokes of painter caught up in his work.::

::It reminded him of a painting of the Opal sea Jorey had once painted for him as a gift when he was younger. It was one of his favourite possessions. Jorey was a rough and aggressive child and had little interest in the arts. However, Asher was able to teach him the joys of expression and the importance of clarity and eloquence and on very rare occasions Jorey would become overwhelmed by inspiration and take to a brush. It gave Asher a great sense of pride that he was able to have a hand in making a brutish boy into a well-rounded young man.::

oO How big is this planet? Oo

::Asher was no longer able to see the black of space. The viewport was now completely filled by the deep blue ocean of the unknown planet. The floor seemed to give way underneath his feet and he fell clumsily into his favourite chair splattering the remains of his tea against the wall behind.::

oO What a mess! Oo

::The ship shook violently. Asher clung to the chair even as it tipped over and started to slide forward toward the far wall. Asher could sense terror, panic, and confusion from all over the ship. He was not confused. He had felt this once before when he was with Jorey and his parents aboard the USS Helios. The ship was going to crash.::

oO By the Gods! Oo

::The ship's momentum stopped suddenly slamming the chair backward sending Asher head first into the uttaberry stained wall. For the moment the ship was still. Asher stood up slowly and looked out the viewport. The hot deep red light from a nearby sun was almost blinding. It took a few moments for Asher to realize that he was looking at the planet's sky underneath shallow waters. He could feel his body getting weaker as he watched the sun's light slowly fade to black as the ship sunk further into the seemingly endless ocean depths.::

oO Such divine and inspiring darkness. Oo

::Asher tried to look out the viewport for as long as he could before succumbing to his injuries and losing consciousness. The midnight waters were made more haunting by the deep groans of the Tiger's hull under the intense pressure of the vast waters. The experience seemed to transcend reality and Asher felt the loving hands of Karawatti upon his shoulders, the spirit of Betazed herself was reaching out across space and time to assure him that he would see her again. He struggled to stay on his feet and failed. He collapsed over the headrest of the wingchair, his back arched awkwardly, and he continued to bleed out from the cut on his forehead.::

Mr. Bryant Asher

Civillian

as simmed by

Lt. JG Brayden Jorey

USS Tiger-A

Chief Helm Officer & CAG

[LtCmdr Alex Blair: What Have I Done?]

((Communications Room, Deck 10, USS Tiger-A))

::Standing outside the small communication control room, Alex paused and tapped his combadge. He did not have a chance to speak with Ensign Dirsye after the briefing so Alex decided to do so before starting his task.::

Blair: =/\= LtCmdr Blair to Ensign Dirsye. =/\=

Dirsye: =/\=Tya here, how can I be of assistance Sir?=/\=

Blair: =/\= I was hoping to catch you before you left the conference room. I know you volunteered to work on the Mauls, and I wanted to thank you. =/\=

Dirsye: =/\=You’re welcome, you know it’s a bit of a self perseverance thing. I’m going out in that and I’d like to check and prepare it to be sure everything’s in perfect order.=/\=

Blair: =/\= Your work there frees me up to fully focus on the COMM system and for that I am grateful. While I am completely confident in your skills and knowledge I expect be notified before any of the Mauls leave the ship. =/\=

Dirsye: =/\=Of course=/\=

::Alex picked up on the tone of Dirsye’s voice and decided to press on. Alex trusted his staff to keep him appraised of all developments, but after the day he was having, Alex was not about to leave anything to chance and that included making sure he personally inspected the auxiliary craft before they left the ship.::

Blair: =/\= It’s not that I have a lack of faith in your work, I would just feel better about sending our people out there if a second set of eyes reviews the work. There are too many lives counting on those Mauls to survive their mission. =/\=

Dirsye: =/\=Sir, do we have a problem?=/\=

Blair: =/\=There is no problem Ensign. I would have the same expectations if it were Ensign Furvan or Turner doing the task.=/\=

Dirsye: =/\=Maybe you should send Furvan or Turner to oversee my work!=/\=

Blair: =/\=You are all capable and competent engineers in whom I trust. How would sending one of them help things?=/\=

Dirsye: =/\=I don’t know. That’s why I’m asking you. I always reported my work. Is it because I didn’t tell you that when the thing with shields didn’t work I used standard forcefields? I’m sorry, but that was standard procedure and since you were busy and I thought I don’t have to report every change in plan, especially if instead of something new and different I chose standard procedure.=/\=

::Hearing Dirsye’s tone and the fact that she began to repeat herself, it hit Alex. He had offended her and inadvertently questioned her ability as an engineer. Once the realization was made, Alex began to feel remorse.::

oOYou idiot! In your desire to protect everyone, you called one of your own people into question. You practically told her that you had no faith in her! How would have felt if Commander Atimen did that to you? Get your act together MARINE!Oo

::As he composed himself to respond, Alex paused and before he could speak, the ensign started again.::

Dirsye: =/\=I’m in a sickbay, waiting for ensign McColsen to end her medical and join me and Lieutenant T’Mihn in working on Maul. Since they have nothing much to do before the team leaves and send them some information and T’Mihn proved very capable I asked her to help me.=/\=

Blair: =/\=That’s a sound idea Ensign. =/\=

::Again, Alex took a moment to compose what he was about to say when the Ensign started before he could speak.::

Dirsye: =/\=Yes Sir, just one more thing. Should I report when we arrive there, when we start scanning, when start removing plates from shuttles and where am I planning to put any of those before we start work or you want to come and check just when we finish? That may be wrong decision. I may choose to enhance wrong places on the Maul and endanger whole mission. What if I forget to report to you?=/\=

::If he wasn’t sure before, Alex was completely sure now that he had upset Dirsye. Without planning his words this time, Alex began to speak in the most sincere tone he could come up with.::

Blair: =/\=Ensign, I owe you an apology and an explanation. I am sorry that I called your engineering prowess into question. It was never my intention to do so, but I did it and I am truly sorry. There is something deep within me that says it’s my job to protect everyone around me. I know it’s irrational but I can’t help it. That deep seeded compulsion combined with the stress of us being on the ocean floor in a severely crippled starship is what caused me to contact you. =/\=

::Alex paused for a moment before he continued.::

Blair: =/\=With that being said, I have complete faith in you and your ability to do your job. The very short time you have been here, you have been a tremendous asset and I am grateful for your efforts. ::Alex paused before continuing:: I would like to give you a few words of caution though. Despite the fact that I offended you, the way that you have been speaking to me the past few minutes is borderline insolent and you should be careful. Many superior officers are not as tolerant or forgiving as I am. Maybe your reaction was the result of the action over the past twenty four hours and you’re just tired. =/\=

Dirsye: =/\=No, I don't need to rest. I need some trust from people around me. Trust I never had at home what was the reason I run away from them and joined Starfleet. If you think I’m not capable of finishing my job then just remove me from the project and assign it to somebody you can trust. =/\=

Blair: =/\=Once again, I am truly sorry for questing you Tya. In a short time you have proven yourself and more than earned the respect of everyone aboard this ship. From this point forward, I will make every effort show that I have complete trust in you. ::break:: I think it might be best if we forget this conversation ever happened and we start over again.=/\=

::There was a long silence which made Alex a little uncomfortable.::

oO Ok, let’s try again. Oo

Blair: =/\=I know I can trust you to complete the Maul overhaul in short order Ensign Dirsye.=/\=

Dirsye: =/\=Yes Sir. I’ll be on my way soon.=/\=

Blair: =/\=Thank you Ensign, let me know if I can be of any help.=/\=

Dirsye: =/\=I need just a moment and will go and check on McColsen and T’Mihn.=/\=

Blair: =/\= Ok Ensign, Blair out. =/\=

::Once the channel closed, Alex took in a deep breath.::

oOA LtCmdr for less than an hour and you already crushed a member of your team. Way to lead your department! Maybe next time you can offend the first officer or the Captain? Oo

::When he was done mentally chastising himself, Alex decided to move on. Hopefully his apology was a good enough start and he could prove his trust in Dirsye soon, but first he had a communications system to repair.::

---------------------------------------------------

Lieutenant Commander Alex Blair

Chief Engineer

USS Tiger-A

[Graduating Class of 239009.17]

Welcome to the new graduates and welcome to Granimore to Tiger.

[Graduating Class of 239008.13]

Thank you for congratulations and welcomes.

Thank you Commander Frost so much for everything, I have been taught much by you, Academy was great experience because of you and Lieutenant Tagren.