Commodore Taybrim - Resting
Jamie LeBlanc
((Hallways – USS Narendra – Saucer Section))
The clean-up had gone… remarkably well, all things considered.
Both the saucer section and the stardrive were temporarily docked at Miranda VII to go through a hot reattachment process. It would be enough to get them together enough to get back to StarBase 118 at warp two. It would be a stately trip. That was more than fine. Once at StarBase 118 they would fully attached the Narendra again and quadruple check everything before the ship’s next launch.
Miranda VII was a mess, but the evacuation was a success and they had cleaned out enough of one of the docking bays to ensure a successful reattachment. It also let Sal move from the stardrive back to the saucer section while this process went forward.
Besides, they had plenty of help and support. Once the Farussi was commandeered and all of the Terra Prime insurgents were safely stowed in a brig that was on full lockdown, the USS Avalon-A and the Trinity Serellian defense force was called in from their defensive positions at Utopa colony and other prime targets and they swarmed in to help relieve the Narendra and Rahuba of refugees and prisoners alike.
Next there was a focused effort to clean up Miranda VII. Intel had to be involved and Sal wanted Solaris in charge. Because he didn’t trust everyone in Intel, but he did trust Sol.
He would go over the details soon.
Soon.
But first…
Sleep.
He found his mind was wandering. He was thinking about Utopa colony. About how many had died there.
About Merryl and her sons who would never grow up.
About how the Farussi had a planned trajectory there. If they had been successful, Naystrim would have attack Utopa again. More death. More misery. More lost children and grieving mothers.
That was the unfunny truth of the matter. If they were successful no one even knew and life went on. And when they failed everyone suffered and people were rightfully angry. And here he stood, knowing more about the machinations in the Trinity Sector than anyone but the highest masterminds and the top brass. It was a strange place to be, knowing how close they had been to a new round of death and misery.
And yet once again they saved the sector from war and loss.
His mind drifted again and he started to pick up errant telepathic impressions.
Telepathic impressions.
Telepathy.
That was still such an odd feeling. One he was so unused to after well over a decade of letting that sense lay fallow.
He followed it, to a conference room door, and when he touched the control panel it compliantly opened before he had the chance to knock.
Of course it did. He was the Commodore and this was his ship. He hadn’t even thought of that. But he was thinking so there was a knock of some sort. A telepathic one.
Aristren: Sal.
Shields pulled up and back and he remembered then that, oh yes, that was what he was supposed to be doing, too. He used to be so good at this, only a few slim weeks ago. Shielding his mind.
He drew in a breath and gave a diplomatic nod.
Taybrim: Nestira.
Aristren: I did not expect you here.
Here in this corridor? In the saucer section? In this conversation?
Taybrim: I’m sorry, are you busy?
He didn’t mean to interrupt, he really didn’t. he had been…
Wandering.
Aristren: No, I was.... ::she paused, then shook her head with a tired smile:: trying to get some peace of mind.
That made sense. So much had gone on recently, especially with Nestira Aristren – especially where Miranda VII was concerned.
Taybrim: Very fair. I suppose I was, too. But my feet, like my mind were… wandering.
It was such an odd feeling, like he was floating freely, and yet wholly contained.
Usually he was structured. Fully contained. Calculated and focused.
Now he felt disconnected and disjointed. And yet oddly free.
Aristren: I suppose it is a valid route to take on your way to your quarters for some rest.
He offered a soft smile.
Taybrim: I think we both need some rest.
But he would not and could not deny that yes, he needed rest. He had come to the limit of his energy on the battle bridge, and after the Farussi was contained and the threat was neutralized, he had meted out just enough extra energy to do all the low-power things like hail the Avalon-A and the Trinity Serellian defense fleet and get backup in to help them clean up.
He had stayed on the battle bridge for two hours after the fight, and had stood up from his chair exactly once, just to get his blood moving. In order to coax himself out of his chair to move to the saucer section he needed a good dose of orange cider for the gluscose and the hit of focused energy. It worked.
And now it was waning, mind and body wandering.
Aristren: ?
Taybrim: We will stay here for another eighteen to twenty-four hours before heading home. I want to ensure that we get the right intelligence team to clean out Miranda VII.
He had a list of things to do tomorrow morning when his energy was high again.
Aristren: ?
Taybrim: The flight home will be… stately. Warp two limit. I suppose if anyone has a hot date on StarBase 118, they could beam over the Rahuba
He chuckled very gently at that joke.
Aristren: ?
Taybrim: Me? I’m staying here and just… resting.
It was almost painful how accustomed he had gotten to his quarters on the Narendra. That was where he had lived for the height of the assassination attempts – that or in his office. So he had one of the only truly personalized sets of quarters on the ship.
But he could take a nice slow trip back to StarBase 118 and enjoy being on slow mode for a while.
Aristren: ?
~*~
tags/tbc
~*~
Commodore Sal Taybrim
Commanding officer
~Julian Beck
E239010ST0