BACKSIM: Captain Taybrim - Live on In Legend (NT)

[Jamie LeBlanc]

((Bridge - USS Albion))

::Sal Taybrim nodded solemnly, musing at the viewscreen. This was his final goodbye to a ship that carried him from a keen Lt Commander to a focused Captain. He wanted to linger here, save one of the stoic Excelsior classes from the graveyard, save a ship that was as much of his responsibility as the lives onboard from her final breath.

But therein lay the problem. Sal Taybrim valued life. He valued life beyond steel and circuits and believed that a future could be built no matter where life remained. Of all the collar colors Sal had worn in the fleet (which had been nearly all of them) the main hole in his collection was the gold or engineering and operations. The Albion was a good ship. But in the end she was a ship and Sal had bargained her life for the safety of the souls within.

Still his words about the ship were soft and poetic.::

Taybrim: She will burn brightly once more; flying onward in memory and legend.

::Dempok nodded, clapping him on the shoulder although not as firmly as he would one of his own officers. Human bones tended to be more fragile from his experience::

Dempok: I'll see how our evacuation is progressing.

::Sal offered Dempok a silent nod of thanks. He didn't waste words where ones were not needed.

He was caught up in considering all the Albion meant to Ops and wondering to himself if he had ever really thought of the Albion as "his" ship - was the guilt he felt at the inevitable task of blowing her up because he was feeling terrible at losing the ship he commanded, or was it because he was feeling terrible at betraying Leo for the Albion had been his vessel.

That much was true, Leo Handley-Page, Sal's predecessor and mentor had selected the Albion from a roster of available support vessels. He had waxed philosophically about all the wonderful advantages of the Excelsior class - things Sal had never disagreed with him about. Actually they were things Sal had never thought about at the time. The first time Leo took leave to tend his family affairs he had specifically told Sal to keep his ship safe.

His ship... not his Starbase. Sal had always wondered if Leo would have settled better into his command role if he had been out among the stars exploring in the Albion, not tied to a palace in the depths of space. Sal on the other hand loved StarBase 118 and fell so naturally into the role of protector of the base when Leo was away. And the Albion was always a tool to protect the base.

So yes, there was guilt in his jumbled feelings - guilt that he had bartered the Albion not only for the lives of the crew onboard but for the continued protection of StarBase 118 and the people of the trinity sector. Leo had resigned his commission to retire and tend the political affairs of his planet and family. He was never coming back, and yet Sal felt a tiny need to apologize to him even in absentia.::

Taelon: Nuq'nuh, Ambassador. This, um, this may interest you also.

::Taelon's voice broke him from his reverie and he looked upwards to witness the interaction. Taelon didn;t know it, but he would make a good diplomat in Sal's mind.::

Dempok: Go ahead, please.

Taybrim: What did you find, Lieutenant?

Taelon: Captain, before we scuttle the Albion, perhaps we should try to salvage some of the drone wreckage? ::He looked between the officers, suddenly quite aware he was probably the lowest-ranked officer left on the ship. He tried to hold the flush back and failed, and finished in a hurried tone.:: That sort of tech isn’t standard to the D'deridex class. It’s either a new Romulan system or something Arrhimen obtained somehow.

::Interesting. A ginger brow perked to hear it as he nodded understanding. If Sal had to bet, knowing how old the Sienov was with its military duty of routine patrol in a not-particularly high profile area it was likely something that had been modified.::

Dempok: We knew of them, but we've never been able to take one apart.

::Hmmm. It could be a perfect opportunity to learn something about these drones.::

Taybrim: There is one lodged in the Albion's hull?

Taelon: It’ll likely be destroyed when the Albion...when it goes, sir, yes.

Taybrim: Then we'll wait until a full sample can be taken.

Dempok: =/\= Tekal, ensure to bring those wrecked drones aboard.

Tekal =/\= Sir.

::Silence. The Klingons and his crew were on the same page. The drones were dangerous, and if they were a combination between Romulan design and outside technology it put them into the hands of all the most dangerous fringe elements in the trinity sector: The Jenatris Confederation and their parent the Orion Syndicate as well as the vicious terror organization the Ralaaram Ocala.

More silence. This has been a decisive victory in many ways. If only the cost was not so great.::

Taelon: I’m sorry, sir. The Albion was a beautiful ship.

Taybrim: She's not quite dead yet. ::he reminded gently. For this Sal was thankful, for it meant those assembled on the bridge were still breathing.::

Taelon: Sorry, I ju -

::Dempok chuckled as the young officer was whirled away in a transporter haze::

Dempok: He seems a good sort Captain.

Taybrim: He is ::Sal nodded an assent. Taelon was earnest and focused. And young and timid - but those last two could be tempered and forged.:: And he is right, we can glean much valuable information from that drone. ::A deep breath in::: I'll be interested in knowing more about it... later. ::admission that he would think about it when he didn't have so much on his mind.::

Dempok: I'll leave you to your final, grim task Captain.

::As Dempok faded, Sal and Flynn were alone, joined quickly by Theo. They did what had to be done, with one final farewell to the ship which had forged so many of the crew of the Starbase into the officers they were now. She would live on in legend, he would make sure of it.::

~*~
~fin~
~*~

Captain Sal Taybrim
Commanding Officer
StarBase 118 Ops




"Why do we fly? Because we have dreamt of it for so long that we must"

~Julian Beck
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