Evan Delano Posted December 7, 2016 Share Posted December 7, 2016 ((Sky Blake’s Quarters, USS Veritas)) ::Getting into contact with Veritas had been easy when the news spread like wildfire. Rosa Carrero had been killed in an altercation involving an unknown group in the governor’s “luxury” apartment. Not only had this happened when the Veritas was away - meaning Carrero probably would have found it pointless to even try to call for help - but the assailants had completely disappeared from colonial security.:: ::So understandably, the First Officer of the Veritas had been less than happy about the entire thing. The crew’s morale had dropped considerably - the trip back to Shadow’s Edge probably hadn’t been filled with any sort of joy, and the minute Sky stepped aboard, it was like being hit with a tidal wave of grief. Because the Veritas was the only Starfleet vessel out here, and communications and letters had sketchy and delayed timing at best, the crew had long ago dealt with any potential problems and meshed well as a family - a cliche description, but nonetheless accurate. Losing one of their own had been incredibly hard on them. The fact that they’d lost their commanding officer had only made it worse.:: ::Despite the problems in communication, Starfleet had been suspiciously swift in delivering a new command verdict. And when all doors had closed, and they’d ended their duty shift, the human had begun pacing her small living area, and now he was hurtling every last curse word at Admiral sh’Hiel, some of which she’d never even heard before.:: ::Zhou Tai-Sheng had throughout his career cultivated a reputation for being laid back among those who worked with him and later under him once he became a security chief and later a first officer.:: ::But today, he didn’t hold back. His anger was raw, and it had been looking for someone to strike. First it was of course the assailants responsible for the captain’s death. But next was the governor’s security detail and then the governor himself. The latest person to find themselves in his cross-hairs was the Starfleet admiral who’d recalled Veritas back to Esperance--to receive a new commanding officer.:: Zhou: We’ve been out here for how long now, put up with how much grief trying to get what she wants done no matter how unrealistic, and now she’s just going to swap in someone else who’s never even set foot in this region? Blake: The only way Starfleet want this to go down is by the book. That way the colonies are confident that the Veritas won’t be dead-set on simply hunting down Carrero’s killers and ignoring the other priorities we have. ::She hated being the middleman, trying to be the voice of both comfort and reason when in reality, she was just as ready to start a riot as he was. But someone had to maintain as much calm to keep things together - and given that the rest of the crew were having a hard time with that, and that she generally avoided being emotionally aggressive, the role seemed to have fallen to her.:: ::The first officer turned abruptly to glare back at Sky.:: Zhou: You’re damn right we’re going to hunt down the [...]s who did this! What other priorities supersede that?! ::Every time he got louder, she only got softer. She leaned against the table, putting her glass down and clasping her hands together as she kept eye contact with him.:: Blake: Do you know what Lieutenant Sands and I did today? ::Her sudden question, seemingly out of nowhere, finally made him take a breath.:: Zhou: Really? Blake: Really. ::He huffed, letting his shoulders relax, the tension having been building for the past several minutes.:: Zhou: Fine. What? Blake: Cheshire’s Run was attacked by four people with EM pistols, intent on harming innocent bystanders going about their night. While I pulled two Romulan refugees out of the line of fire, Sands took down three armed men in the span of five minutes as well as prompted the fourth to go down. ::He should have been impressed, and on any other day, he would. But now he just put his hands up in the air in frustration.:: Zhou: So now we’re the local police? Is that it? They can’t even take care of petty crime--and this is after Elis has been supposedly training the deputies for the past two months! Blake: That’s not the point, Tai. If we weren’t there, people would have died at the hands of Starfleet weaponry. That would have been pinned on us, ancient weapons or not. And saving the lives of a handful of people, no matter how we expect it to not impact anything, is better than wasting time chasing cold leads of murders. Carrero would want you to do the right thing - and the right thing here, is to continue with the job we’ve been given. Like it or not, but until such time we get a captain, you’re in charge, and I’ll be damned if I let you send us on a witch hunt. ::Of all the people, Sky Blake was the one now reminding him of his duty. He shook his head and sighed, rubbing his forehead. She was right of course. He had a duty, and it wasn’t to avenge the captain but to take care of the crew left behind in the wake of her death.:: Zhou: Do you think the attack is in anyway related to the captain’s death? Blake: It wouldn’t have mattered. Even if she called for help, there’s no way of knowing if any one of us could have gotten there in time. Not without the Veritas transporters. Zhou: No, I mean… do you think there’s a connection between the assailants? Blake: If I thought so, you’d have been first to know. But there’s no pattern - there wasn’t even a leadup. No tell-tale signs for me to go on. ::She shook her head.:: It’s too clean. ::He curled his fingers into fists, bringing them to his temples. And then he released the tension once more, taking another breath.:: Zhou: We have to leave now if we’re to get to Esperance in time, but some part of me feels like if we go now, we may never find who did this. You and I both know how many cases go unsolved here. Their clearance rate is a joke. Blake: When Command finally pulls strings and allows us to be involved, we’ll start looking. But right now, forcing our way into this will only create tension we don’t need. ::He nodded and then finally tapped his combadge.:: Zhou: =/\= Zhou to bridge. =/\= Bridge: =/\= Yes, sir? =/\= Zhou: =/\= Set course for Esperance and proceed at best possible speed. =/\= ::There was a slight pause as no doubt everyone on the bridge realized that they really were leaving, no answers in sight.:: Bridge: =/\= ...aye, sir. =/\= ::Once the com closed, Zhou looked back at Sky.:: Zhou: We should make arrangements for a service in the meantime. ::He shook his head again, looking down.:: Zhou: We don’t even have a body… ::Not until the colony’s morgue released it anyway.:: Blake: Do you really think she’d have wanted people to stare at her corpse? ::He looked back up at her, slightly annoyed.:: Zhou: That’s not the point, Sky. Sometimes… seeing the body can help bring closure for those mourning... ::His voice trailed off though as he realized Sky of course was no stranger to death, having lost her husband.:: Zhou: ...well, you know what I mean. Blake: For the sake of avoiding tears, I’ll pretend I don’t. ::She gave a weak smile.:: But I’ll see to the arrangements. ::Seeing that sliver of vulnerability from Sky made him realize that he was being selfish. The crew needed a captain now, and whether or not he was going to remain their captain once they got to Esperance, he’d step up until then.:: Zhou: Thank you. ::He reached out to touch her arm.:: They’ll get through this. We all will, I know. It’s a good crew… I just. I can’t let myself forget how I feel right now. I’m not going to let the captain became just one more statistic. Blake: Then don’t. No one is expecting you to have a typical Vulcan calm, no one is expecting you not to care. Every step we’ve taken here has been one fight after another - there’s nothing Command can throw at us that we break down to. We just . . . need time. To recover. By the time we get to Esperance, we’re all going to be yelling. ::He nodded. And so they would mourn and recover as one. And they would find those responsible.:: ::But for now, he had a eulogy to prepare.:: TBC… Commander Zhou Tai-Sheng First Officer, USS Veritas I238705TZ0 & Lt. Cmdr. Sky Blake Strategic Operations Officer, USS Veritas C238803SB0 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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