Commander Taybrim - Inquiry Requires Direction (Tag: Harrington)

[Jamie LeBlanc]

((CO's Office - StarBase 118))

::Sal Taybrim gazed at the older man on the viewscreen before him. The telltale circles of interrupted sleep hung under his eyes and yet his expression was bright and alert.

Sal himself was looking a little haggard. Not completely haggard yet - though it might be coming if the train of bad news didn't end any time soon.::

Taybrim: =/\= Yes, I did receive your message. =/\= ::a darkened pause:: =/\= The Gorkon... =/\=

Harrington: =/\= Yes. Let me nutshell what I know of it. They went on a mission that was supposedly routine survey. They were investigating it, and somehow got pulled into the quantum fissure. Official story is that Starfleet declared them missing 239302.16. Since then, there have been two more FNS articles and expended resources that led to nothing. Our... ::He paused for a moment, and remembered he was now retired.:: ...Your evil overlords in the brass with the pips in the box have called off the search. They have yet to declare all hands lost to death. I, for one, refuse to believe this. I get the feeling from reading both your service record and CD's that you refuse to believe this either.

::Evil overlords in the brass pips. Well, that was one way of putting it. A year ago Sal might had scoffed at that - dismissed it. But in that year he had dealt with some strange things involving Starfleet Command.

There were good fleet command officers out there, make no mistake. Great ones, even. But for every Wolf or Turner or Egan Manno there was an Arrhimen or a Kinney.

He leaned forward towards the viewscreen, carefully watching Harrington as he spoke.::

Taybrim: =/\= Starfleet reports indicate that no evidence can be found that confirms anything but all hands lost. =/\= ::He paused carefully:: =/\= At least no evidence that can be released. I admit that my position is not allowed the choicest in classified information. =/\=

::This was true. Sal's three pips put him at the bottom of the information tree, even with the Tower above him.::

Taybrim: =/\= Though knowing Starfleet they loathe to admit losing ships. To come out and say the Gorkon is gone means it is likely true. =/\= ::he admitted darkly.::

Harrington: =/\= I...had a similar situation just after the Hobus supernova. I refused to give up on his mother either, and had to find something on her death. I wound up pulling every string I could through non-conventional channels. You spent time as a diplomat, so you understand my meaning. ::He paused and took a breath.:: I hope. As a result, I was court-martialed and offered retirement or spend eternity in undignified maintenance. =/\=

::That made Sal's ginger brows raise. A conspiracy involving CD's mother? That would cost a man his Starfleet career?

Sal was generally a trusting person. Even with strong evidence against Merek he still wanted to believe the best of the man. And he was loathe to accuse Commodore Kinney of anything until he had solid evidence. And yet he had seen things that were contrary to the safety and duty of Starfleet officers before. He was aware that even in the best of organizations corruption could take hold and it required vigilance and hard work from dedicated people to make sure it was stopped before it could grow.::

Taybrim: =/\= I was unaware that you used to hold a command role, Mr. Harrington... =/\= ::He started carefully, plumbing for more information.::

Harrington: =/\= No. I was a comm officer aboard the USS Zilog. Rank of Ensign. Now I run a quaint little coffee shop in Seattle when I'm not on a quest to fulfill my stubborn curiosity and refusal to believe a family member is dead.

Taybrim: =/\= I see. =/\= ::Sal paused, carefully considering his next words. As a command officer he had limits on what he could and could not say in situations like this. Fortunately for him he knew just as little as he professed to know. There was no lie there. And he did have more influence and ability to make inquiries than others. It was one of the perks of his position.:: =/\= I always like to believe that those I care about have the ability to pull through and come back safely. Though in a case like this it takes more than mere foolish hope to believe that they are OK. Tell me, Mr. Harrington, do you have anything else to go on? =/\=

Harrington: =/\= ?

::Sal canted his head to one side, considering it.

The Gorkon was a massive ship. Top of the line, one of the biggest, newest and brightest vessels in the fleet. She would not go down without a fight, but then again it was likely that a ship that big could get some word out before heading to new frontiers - a probe, a subspace call. And according to the official reports nothing of the sort had filtered back to Starfleet.::

Taybrim: =/\= That's hardly conclusive... =/\= ::He protested lightly.::

Harrington: =/\= ?

Taybrim: ::He clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth:: =/\= I haven't stopped listening yet. =/\= ::he reminded the older man gently.::

Harrington: =/\= ?

::For a moment his mind flashed back to his time on the Excalibur. There was a point where there was a rift in time and space. A rift that Fleet Captain Kalianna Nicholotti flew into - and promptly died. They had put then Lieutenant Vitor Silvera on trial for her death in a trumped up affair to try to cover up the fact that Nicholotti had suicidally flew into said rift with little explanation yet completely under her own volition.

That was supposed to be the end of it. Some white haired alien named Cascadia Rainier took the Excalibur and Sal headed to greener pastures on the Columbia under the command of Commander Livingston. And yet he heard that months later Nicholotti returned from the dead. They even gave her command of the Excalibur - and later the Apollo - again.

Anything was technically possible.::

Taybrim: =/\= I cannot promise anything, but I can inquire. But inquiry requires direction. =/\=

Harrington: =/\= ?

~*~
tags/tbc
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Commander 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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