Commodore Taybrim - Enchanted Forest
Jamie LeBlanc
((Taybrim’s personal quarters – StarBase 118))
Sal took a moment to force himself to stop, and breathe.
He had been going constantly since the bomb was pulled off the Belladonna. Checking rosters, making sure everyone was evacuated, making sure there was room in the StarBase 118 shipyards for a full Gamma Radiation scrub.
Then he had rested for a medically recommended amount of time, had some breakfast and leapt back in to coordinating everything, getting the reports from Ivulos, reports from Hauke. He checked on Meryel, because he promised. He put that in his schedule to see her, face to face. Because he promised.
He checked the duty rosters, the Prophecy’s duty shifts, the injured. He got communication to the uninjured about how to book passage to their destination from StarBase 118 and facilitated those requests to be expedited and marked priority. He got medical and counseling on standby on 118, to be ready for the incoming evacuees. He prepped the engineers on the base to receive and fix the damage to the Belladonna.
He had lunch with Captain Leski. He wanted to talk to the Captain, reassure him, gauge how he was doing.
The rest of the trip home was a blur. Most of it spent on the bridge doing all the routine stuff that needed to be done and making some scheduled appointments and connections.
Then the transition to StarBase 118. The sector reports. The intel on Terra Prime.
And finally he decided to simply do something about something that was nagging him.
Haunting him.
Following him and hurting him for… months. Over a year now.
He sent a message to Alora, inviting her to his quarters for Betazoid ovallishe – a tart berry mixed with dark chocolate pastry that was delightfully flaky and delicate. And for a drink of her choice. He had a nice bar that catered to both alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks. He gave a faint smile towards said bar now. He barely used it anymore. He didn’t drink alone. Commodore Kinney’s top shelf alcohol stash… squandered by Sal Taybrim’s solitude.
That might have maddened Kinney more than anything else. But that was a conversation for another day. This was a conversation about pain, things unsaid, things he didn’t understand, but had to live through in a haze of empathy and confusion.
He wasn’t as wonderful as her. He didn’t cook the ovallishe himself. He ordered from the best Betazoid bakery on the StarBase (the one run by a Betazoid family whose matriarch was the only person on the entire StarBase who could get away with calling Commodore Taybim ‘Souffamin’ which was a Betazoid term of endearment roughly translating to ‘fiery son’ but more closely meaning ‘you warm my heart young one.’ He did plate it well and have it perfectly warmed. And he could mix drinks and make a variety of hot beverages properly. That was the bulk of his kitchen skills.
And he had even given her the directions to his unlisted, unlabeled personal quarters.
And now he stood, in the center of them, breathing in. Holding his breath. Breathing out any negative thoughts. Any lingering memories of the walls spattered with Romulan blood. That still hadn’t faded, though the anxiety spike that initially accompanied those intrusive thoughts had long since faded. Breath out the bad. Breathe in the good.
The chime rang.
Taybrim: Enter!
His voice was soft and light. He was dressed in casual clothing, out of uniform. The same light sandy browns he favored with soft pants and a semi-formal wrapped jacket.
DeVeau: ?
Taybrim: I’m glad you could join me. I wanted to have a moment to connect, not strictly talking mission related concerns.
Of course there were so many of those. Crew evaluations, mission follow up, medical follow up… a never ending pile of things to be focused upon.
But they weren’t in the hub and the weren’t in uniform. That was the best distinction he could make to emphasize that they had the chance to talk about things that weren’t just the Belladonna, Terra Prime, or the crew they worked with.
DeVeau: ?
Taybrim: you mentioned you liked Betazoid cuisine. I know it’s been a busy day, so I thought dessert would be welcomed.
DeVeau: ?
Taybrim: I do have a full bar. And a nice selection of non-alcoholic selections as well. ::he gestured to the honestly, quite stunning bar.:: Much of it I inherited from the previous Commodore.
There was a story there. Of course there was.
But there was also something else enticing about the Commodore quarters, beyond his impressive alcohol selection.
Behind the entryway the quarters opened up into a sweeping organic design with curved archways serving to section off the rooms and S-curve passages. And throughout the entire place, there were built in planters that were carefully filled with beautiful green plants. He had them separated by biosphere and they were all lovingly tended.
Her African violet had a place of honor, growing peacefully surrounded by blue-green Altarian miniature ferns, in a setting in the living room.
The entire quarters felt alive, like you were stepping into some sort of enchanted forest.
DeVeau: ?
Taybrim: Some people like pets… I like plants ::He shrugged, nonchalantly.::
DeVeau: ?
~*~
tags/tbc
~*~
Commodore Sal Taybrim
Commanding Officer
~Julian Beck
E239010ST0