Star Trek Sim/ Star Trek RPG
USS Eagle, NCC 2185
Captain Nouristao Kematsopoulos, CO & Commander James
Alan Cline, XO
CAPTAIN'S LOGS
Title: A Matter of Time, Part Two
Stardate: 200605.11
Location: USS Eagle
Setting: Briefing Room
(From a mini sim with Juliet)
"Thank you," the man says entering the briefing room. He walks forward looking
for the Captain's chair. As he does this he listens for doors to shut. He
has some private matters to discuss and does not want anyone else to hear.
"So, how are things going with Yeoman Perky?" the XO asks, taking his customary
seat.
SWISH! The doors shut.
The man exhales, hearing the door shut. "A bit strained. It's hard to live
with her about what feels like all the time. She means well, but she makes
more of the blindness than she should," he says.
"I am very sorry I ruffled her feathers earlier. I guess I thought she had
a sense of humor," the XO explains.
"She does, but she's having a very stressful time with her new job as 'seeing
eye yeoman' as you put it. She's doing too much and putting stress on herself
she should not. Even so, I am also surprised she reacted as she did. Maybe
she was setting you up for a later zinger?" he thinks out loud.
The XO shakes his head and says, "I don't know, sir, but it wasn't my plan
to hurt her feelings."
"I think she'll be OK. Just explain it to her later. She has been very sensitive
lately. I think part of it is lack of sleep," he replies.
"I can steal her from time to time when you need a break. Sir, I'm here to
serve. And on that note, what's on your mind? You seem very worried," Jim
asks.
"Yes, I need to speak with you privately. This time is very dangerous.
As you know every group out there is after our mysterious passenger - Romulans,
Klingons, Orions, Galadons, Gorn, etc., and for different reasons.
Some to sell to the highest bidder. Some to capture and interrogate. Others
to kill. We need to make our rendezvous in one, safe piece. The security
of many peoples rides on this lone person.
Since not all of these groups want this person alive, our ship becomes nothing
more to them than a bigger shooting target. We need to be sure that we and
the spy are not walking into a trap. You'll need to be on guard and suspicious
of everything and true to the mission. Semper vigilo, paratus, et fidelis.
No active communication or scans until we get shields back. That's a strict
order. I don't want anyone finding us in this condition. I'd prefer to stay
this way until we reach our destination, if possible," he explains.
"I understand, sir. How fully do you believe the computers or the message
from Starfleet could have been...sabotaged?" the XO asks.
"I do not know yet. You need to make that a priority for Hanson and the others.
When you do you need to have a good long talk to Hanson. He needs help knowing
what a priority is. You should talk to him gently about what he did wrong
or CENG will talk not so gently.
You need to explain that the ship was at risk and that knowing one piece
of information over another was critical and that after he knew about the
protocols being compromised that he should have told us that first. We could
have all been killed, as you know. So run a few scenarios by him until he
gets the idea. He is a fragile sort. A proper dressing down, which he does
deserve, done by his department head, CDR Tsiolkovsky, will not be so beneficial
to him or to the Eagle. A gentler approach is needed with some amount of
finesse for his personality type. I know there are problems with Hanson,
but feel that it is possible for him to be a good officer one day. It will
take some hard work and not just from Hanson, unfortunately," he explains.
"I think Hanson made an error in judgment. And I will make sure he understands
that the security of the Eagle ALWAYS comes before anything and everything
else. I will see to it I talk to him face to face. Today," the XO says.
"Thank you. Please drive the point home with him," he replies.
"I will definitely make sure Hanson sees all the possible angles and pitfalls
surrounding his duties to our ship and its peoples and the larger picture
of our place in Starfleet, " the XO reassures.
"Thank you. If you do it first as an intellectual exercise or puzzle that
might help him bridge the gap," the man suggests."That is the challenge you
and I have running the ship. Getting all the personalities and cultures to
work out together and create rewarding opportunities and chances for growth.
There is strength and weakness in all. The greatest weakness is perhaps in
the forging of the links between the strengths."
"I think back in the 20th century when people lived on farms and had large
families people learned to live with different personalities and temperaments
and even found they could love and trust somebody who is different in mind
than them. That's kind of how I feel about the Eagle, sir," the XO comments.
"It is a large family of a sort. I feel that way too," he replies. ~
Even though I feel as if I have been here a short time. It will be hard to
leave it, ~ he thinks as he sits down in the Captain's chair. He pauses reflecting
more upon those thoughts, feels around and reaches into a compartment. He
takes out a portable file and some medicinal leaves and pops three
in his mouth. ~I hope this works soon on the nausea, ~ he thinks and prays.
~I am not going to be so lucky getting out of Sickbay if I go right back.~
"The whole rest of the conversation with you is entirely off the record,"
he says grimacing at the taste and what he had to say. ~This is not going
to be easy. But it needs to be done as much as I have an unjustifiable feeling
that I should tell no one,~ he thinks.
"I canceled the surgery today because I was worried about the ship. There
are a lot of disturbing pieces of this puzzle we have and the timing for
this is all wrong. I believe that there is something larger going on here
and well..." he says, taking a deep breath.
The XO interjects, "Captain, I am as interested in your regaining your eyesight
as the next guy, but I fully agree with you for two reasons that now is not
the time. One, you are our faithful leader and right now we need your insight
desperately. And two, it is becoming the time where all things will turn
against us and I would rather see it through as number two than in the big
boy chair all alone."
"Thank you for your understanding and confidence. You'll make a fine CO one
day and depending on how things go I may recommend you for that job right
here on the Eagle," the man says not meaning to hint at a decision he was
grappling with. If he did not get his memory back he was thinking of working
with Dr. Porter for a time.
"And, Sir? It has never been my desire to rise to Captain. If that makes
me a poor candidate for the XO position as I'm taking the place of a Captain
in training, well sir. I think I'm worth it. Seriously," Jim confides.
Nouri smiles. "You are a good XO. You will be a good Captain too one
day," he reassures his friend. The conversation they had a few days ago had
seemed to reappear. The two had talked long and hard about the qualities
that make a good leader and captain.
"My goal was a career in Starfleet where I felt I was making a difference
and where I was satisfied and this is it. I would step aside if you think
it is better for the Eagle or Starfleet but I believe this is the exact spot
in the Universe where I am supposed to be."
Nouri smiles reassuringly. "You are making a difference. I am glad you are
here. None of this stepping aside talk. It is I who may have to do that,"
he speculates.
"What else can I do? I know with all of this on your shoulders on a good
day it would be tough but with your health compromised: it must be harder,"
he says sensing there is something more to talk about than Hanson.
"I have a list of priorities I need you to take care of. My time to go back
to full duties may be longer than anticipated. So please be prepared for
that," he warns.
"I'll get right on the list, sir. Is it in order of importance? " the XO
asks.
"Yes, the order is in the list," he replies and pulls out file. "I need you
to do these things, keep the file safe, don't let anyone see it, no copies,
destroy this when you are done, etc. Don't ask why. We can talk about the
file after I talk to you about the item that is most difficult for me to
talk about first... Remember before, when you came to visit me early after
the accident? Well, there was something I needed to tell you, but was hoping
I didn't have to but it is important, " he says, setting up for the news
he doesn't feel he can or should hide anymore from the XO and his friend.
"Yes, Sir? " Jim leans in closer to him as in confidence.
"This may be my last chance to tell you before surgery. I still hope to wait
on that until a few more things get settled and the timing is right. I do
not want anyone to know the extent of the matter," he begins the lead in
to what he really needed to talk to Jim in private about.
"I understand, sir," Jim says.
"When LTjg Richards came to visit she brought me a present - an arnwahk from
the anomaly. To make a long story short, I have no recollection of arnwahks,
except from childhood. I can't remember any time during or after the anomaly
until I wake up in Sickbay. This is what I told the lieutenant. This is all
she knows," he explains.
The XO thinks hard about this but doesn't say anything. ~Is this the what
else I sensed is going on with him? ~ he wonders. Jim knows something is
wrong and that his friend had not acted like his old self since the cargo
bay accident.
"If she (Richards) asks, you can tell her I told you. I don't want to tell
the CMO yet. It is hard to explain. I was hoping it would come back to me
in a few days but it hasn't. I can't explain it but I don't want this gap
recorded or anyone to else to know. The CMO thinks the memory loss
is 36 hours with some memory fragments and nothing at all for 12 hours prior.
This is what the CMO has guessed so far. I need this to stay like this
for now. If she finds out it is more than that, she'll run all sorts of tests
and the word will get quickly out on such a small ship. She'll probably contact
my grandmother also to see what happened with that climbing accident I had
as a teen," he explains.
"Wow. I mean, I knew your were understandably, upset, it showed, but you
hid this so well. It must have been terribly hard on you to have to cover
for it," the XO says surprised at this revelation.
"Yes, trying to learn enough to pass off that I remembered everything and
study enough to make it work was harder than cramming any interstellar history
exam by Dr. Xavier Rhonos at the Academy. I've also tried to stay away from
Val and others who might guess it more quickly," he continues. ( The science
courses were easier for the Captain.)
"I'm curious, Sir. Why confide in LTjg Richards?" Jim asks.
"It wasn't so much really a choice to take her into my confidence. She brought
me the arnwahk as a gift, or pet, and told me it was from the anomaly. When
I examined it I learned it wasn't one of those toys I had as a child, but
the real, deadly thing. Even blind, without any of the fancy gadgets from
engineering, the difference was easy to spot. Since I could not remember
any of the anomaly, I did not know if I had reprogrammed that particular
one or if the explosive material had been removed. So, it's much more that
she guessed than I told her. There was no choice though. If I had not taken
care of it properly in the anomaly or it was not one of the ones that I altered,
it could have gone off and killed her, possibly taking out a few near by
rooms and their occupants. I think she will keep her word not tell.
The good side to this was that I needed someone not close to me to tell me
what happened there. With the secret out, I could easily ask," he explains.
Jim's mind runs in several directions at once. "And if you don't remember
anything from before the anomaly or after the anomaly how can you remember
your childhood?" he asks.
"I do not know. I seem to remember that fine and my time at the Academy fine
and my time on the Enterprise," he replies. ~But little else,~ he thinks.
"I guess if your having trouble with your memory, it's hard to remember what
you did know that you might not know now," the XO postulates.
The man chuckles, "Yes. I thought of that paradox too. From what I can guess,
it's fine for earlier events, just not recent ones. But you are correct.
How could I know what was missing, if I forgot it?" he replies.
"So...you don't remember that I'm the greatest XO in Starfleet's history?
A perfect flying record and never a fender bender..." he says this jokingly
knowing that although the Captain could not see the smile on his face he
would be able to hear it in his voice.
The man stiffens. "Don't even try that. There are a few things you need to
work on. And keeping my ship in one piece is an important one," he says somewhat
sternly. He had heard the smile in the voice, but did not find the joke funny.
He had listened to all the reports of damage to the ship that happened mysteriously
when Jim was in command.
"Yes, Sir. I was just trying to lighten the mood. I'm actually kinda freaked
about all that's going on and that was before you added this newest layer,"
the XO explains.
"Glad to help you feel better," he said making a joke. "Hmmm some more things
for your layers..."
"I'm listening" he says wondering what new disturbing thing the Captain had
to tell him. Now it was Jim's turn to not appreciate a joke.
"I don't think I will return to duties too quickly after surgery. I have
a bad feeling about this. (https://usseagle2185.tripod.com/badfeeling.wav)
I want you to be prepared to take over for a while even if the surgery goes
smoothly. After our mission is over, I want everyone to get a good shore
leave. That is very important to me. Everyone has been though a lot and needs
a break," he explains.
"I can do it, sir, you know I can. But I welcome you back soonest as always,"
the XO says.
"I may be a liability when it comes to knowing things that have happened
on the Eagle. That lack of continuity could cause some problems, serious
problems. I'll need you to look out for where these problems could be and
compensate. This includes our destination. I don't know the coordinates to
drop off our spy. I am prepared to step down on my own if I feel this will
jeopardize the ship," he explains.
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