[2008: NOV-DEC] The Eagle's cry

[Daydan Taboo]

The Eagle’s Cry

The Eagle’s Nest was the chosen name given to the recreation area of the

Starship known as the USS Eagle, the eagles nest was a space set aside

for all the ships ranks and guests, it consisted of a well stocked bar, food and

drinks replicators, and a small kitchen area. Several well placed tables and

chairs in order to both give the best viewpoints of the view out of the viewing

windows and the other seating areas to help set a mood of calm relaxation.

There were one or two other blind spots that gave that little bit of extra privacy

for those occasions that needed it, this was the scene of the unfortunate but

necessary infighting that breaks out every once and a while under Captain

Taboo’s command, it is an occurrence that in the young Captain’s eyes, he

knows he must win.. It was a lesson that every young officer should learn at

some point in their careers, and for some a lesson that if not learnt would no

doubt cost them their lives..

The half Betazoid male sat against the wall of the eagles nest with his back

pressed hard against the firm bulkhead pillars, outside through the viewing

windows the cold vast expanse of space rolled away into timeless dark satin

sheets of emptiness… Stars that had once flashed past as the ship sailed

through this infinite cosmos of space at speeds of warp plus nine had seemed

like a life time away… The rush of exploration was now taken over by the rush

of battle.. His heart raced, his head spinning with the tactical training exercises

from as far back as his childhood.. Even with the very advantageous skills

of his telepathic and empathic abilities they were of little use to him now,

the sheer lust for Victory from his foes only metres away was without question…

Surely they could taste it, he was after all outnumbered, at least twenty were

on board but now they had been whittled away by his fallen command officers..

Carefully he popped his head around some cover quickly to assess the enemies

response, it took mere seconds for a shot to whistle past his ear and hit the

thick toughened plasteel glass of the viewing window behind him..

Not bad. He thought to himself…

The Betazoid half breed was still clearly out numbered, and closing his eyes

for a few seconds he could perfectly visualise their exact locations around the

room, a skill he had mastered over the years, and one that had seen him through

more than enough s[...]es in the past.. both of the exits were blocked by two

very keen officers, and another two of the young officers were slowly skirmishing

towards him in a series of leopard and monkey crawls. He had very little time to

think and act before they would be right on top of him… What a way to go, he

thought to himself, with all of his experience in the fleet he was going to be taken

down by officers who looked no older than first year cadets, was this what Starfleet

was coming to..? The complete lack of respect for authority, Daydan shook his

head, a wry smile formed on his lips.. and then a grin… He could not help but to

admire them for their earlier boldness, they were no different than he was at that

age, and most of his command team for that matter.. full of life and energy, full

of new idea’s… full of such great dreams. It was at times like this that he longed

for those early days again… No responsibility, just him in his small role on a starship

back in the Science department.. He could only imagine what his old co’s would

be thinking of him right now… It did not matter to much really, he was enjoying this,

the only way to truly learn is to experience these things for your self… Taking a

moment longer to get himself ready for n assault, he flopped down again looking

at the last two rounds in his hands at his disposal, four against one and with only

two shots left… Maybe he could surrender and end all of this needlessness, but

then again it was not the Eagle way to give up.. What lessons would be learned then?

His senior staff fought bravely that evening, just as he expected they would do,

he puffed his chest proudly as he made ready with what would most likely be his

last chance to regain some kind of honour… He readied himself, and once again

and peered cautiously around the corner of an upturned table to give some extra

added cover… Almost instantly a shot flew past his nose, a sweet smelling scent

wafted up his nostrils. With lightning like reflexes the half Betazoid half El-Aurian

Captain moved position and let rip with a perfectly aimed shot hitting a Klingon

Ensign right on the hard jagged ridges of his forehead, gunge dribbled slowly down

his face, and from behind the mess his sharp white teeth snarled back at him, for

a moment, his lips curled back angrily, a low guttural rumble of a growl erupted

softly and then faded as his shoulders slumped downwards and he headed for

the door, next to him a short beautiful young officer in medical blue burst into laughter,

her overly stretched arm shaking as the custard pie fell harmlessly to the floor..

she looked at her captain and blushed bashfully before coming to attention and

bowing her head politely still grinning like a Cheshire cat, offering to take the last

of the captains shots for her two remaining comrades…

Daydan also began to laugh, the large room was a mess, custard pie splatters

on the walls floor and tables as well as the windows showed that the evening

had been a great success with his new officers.. It was the perfect ice breaker

and a wonderful tradition.. As he stood up to his full height of 5ft 8inches two

very confused faces appeared from behind some cover, both had their hands

loaded with custard pies covered excessively in squirty cream… Their eyes

were full of life, sparkling happily like young children enjoying their very first

Christmas.. He looked between the three of them, there was not a single

feeling of hostility in the room, just the sweet smell of custard and cream, and

the slight odour of sweat.. There was however an unyielding sense of camaraderie

and friendship, a sense of trust and fellowship that would normally take many

years to build.

A calm looking Vulcan approached, his eyes clear with the taste of Victory, hair and

uniform perfectly presented and maintained.. “Captain, you are beaten, surrender..!”

Daydan cleared his throat, his own hazel eyes sparkling back, the glimpse of white

teeth between his lips gave away his pure unquenchable emotions.. He looked between

his newest young officers, the three of them knew that he could not take all of them,

victory was theirs.. From the doorways the other officers involved watched with excitement.

The annual Cry of the Eagle, where the senior officers of the ship would invite all of the

new officers for a presentation, simple rules were announced and then the fun would begin,

on the Captains word the fighting would begin and all of the officers in the room would begin.

the room was well stocked with custard pies… It was nothing less than a war between

friends, Civil, and friendly, but with a clear lesson… It was a brilliant ice breaker, and

a tradition that had lived on in Daydan’s heart since his first posting several years ago...

“Bring it on.” he yelled with pride and a big smile throwing his last custard pie..