Commodore Taybrim - Progress
Jamie LeBlanc
((Docking Ring, Deck 87, Starbase 118))
Sal Taybrim was many things – calm, cool, collected, yes. Mysterious? Maybe. Being a Commodore gave him the ability to have more information than most people and he used it to move through life with an almost uncanny accuracy.
But moreover, he carried an internal delight at being at the right place at the right time. That emotional shift when someone appeared. He had a bit of impishness in him, doubtless from his place as the youngest of three brothers – the baby of the family who learned how to play tricks on his stuffy older brother at a young age.
Besides, he wouldn’t miss a trip back to his homeworld. His mother had been practically begging him to return for ages. And if there was one rule in Betazoid families – it was ‘do not anger your mother.’
Voss: Commodore! I… hello!
His dark eyes sparkled even as he offered a calm and casual smile.
Taybrim: And hello again Ensign Voss.
McLaren:: I hope you don't mind Lyra... I took the initiative to invite Sal along. I figured he might enjoy the trip.
Sylvax: Commodore. It seems Vestus is drawing a wider audience than expected.
Taybrim: Fortune conspired to give me some time and I would not miss it for the world.
Voss: ::nodding along:: No, no, of course! The more the merrier - isn’t that really the whole Vestus ethos anyway? And my family will just be excited that I… ::Nope. Stop. Revise:: They’ll be so excited to meet everyone.
That I have friends.
Sal didn’t flinch in the slightest. Though the ease at which he could hear Betazoid thoughts was still somewhat novel. There were not many Betazoids on Raskor II, and Sal had undergone an intensive surgical procedure to help improve his nerve damage shortly before Frontier Day. In the years that followed a portion of his damaged telepathy returned. Still not to the strength it had been before the accident, and he still relied on his incredibly fine tuned empathy more than his damaged telepathy – but he had gained some balance between the two, which was healthy for him.
But, back to Lyra Voss, he wondered what her upbringing had been like and what her parents were like. Well meaning? Over bearing? He could easily sense the complicated emotions coming from her, and it painted a blurry but intriguing tapestry of relationships he didn’t understand – yet.
Yet being a key word as he was intensely and openly curious about people.
McLaren: I'm sure it will be wonderful. I'm excited to see Betazed and meet your family.
Sylvax: I suspect between the festival and your family, we’ll have a rather... comprehensive introduction to Betazoid culture. Though I imagine each of us may come away with a slightly different interpretation.
Taybrim: I think it will be brilliant and lovely, and you will enjoy it very much.
Said with the confidence of a person who knew what he was getting into and a person who was willing to play the diplomat if needed to ensure everyone had a good time.
Voss: Well, we can go straight to the bonfires when we arrive. Or see what performances are happening around town - what are you guys thinking?
McLaren: I'm open to anything. See how we feel when we arrive?
Sylvax: That seems wise. ::a small beat:: Though I will admit, I’m curious about the bonfires. There’s something… intentionally symbolic about them. ::His gaze shifted to Voss.:: If Vestus is about renewal, it seems appropriate to begin at the point where people choose what to leave behind.
Taybrim: You might find this strange, but I am pleased to tag along and let someone else decide. I think too many decision in my day job and need a bit of a break.
He winked, dark eyes once again shining. There was humor behind his tone, humor and warmth mixed with sobriety.
Voss: ?
Sylvax: But I’m content to follow your leads ::looking to Lyra and Sal::. This is your homeworld, after all.
Taybrim: A dangerous prospect, I’ll find whatever seems the most thrill-seeking. And by find, I mean that I already know of a few potential options. That said, I do agree that the bonfires are brilliant and are a strong choice.
Voss/McLaren
Sylvax: Lead the way.
((Timeskip - In Orbit of Betazed))
The journey was quick. Despite the time it took, it seemed to fly by. Sal Taybrim loved to talk, even if he spent more time listening than talking. Leave it to a Betazoid to be able to drop the rank and sit down to converse like any other sentient humanoid, and then pick the rank back up as soon as the situation demanded official leadership.
He took some time to catch up with Sol, which was always lovely. He took some time to connect with Voss, trying to learn more about her and how she came into Starfleet. And he took some time with Ryden, to learn about how Kel became Sylvax and how that felt for him.
And Sal? They learned he enjoyed Klingon opera, and actually liked bloodwine. That he liked skydiving and other high adrenaline sports. That he had two older brothers, one was a civilian research scientist the other was a Starfleet medical officer. He had started his Starfleet career as a counselor, as a non-traditional student after a failed career as a civilian computer scientist. His civilian skills had him department hop into almost every collar color in Starfleet, until he was posted as the Executive Officer of StarBase 118 under Leo Handley-Page. One year later he was the commanding officer. Eleven years later and he was still there. StarBase 118 was his home, even if Raskor was beautiful.
And now the ship came in to orbit and the quartet was standing by the viewing ports, watching the beautiful blue orb of Betazed rotate slowly beneath them.
Sylvax: I’ve been here a few times. ::His voice was calm, thoughtful.:: When I was younger. My mother used to bring me to visit my grandparents. ::He folded his arms loosely, gaze fixed on the planet below.::I remember the trips. ::a small pause:: They just never felt like they belonged to me. It always felt more like… a destination. Somewhere we went for a while, and then left.
McLaren/Voss: ?
Taybrim: If this was your vacation destination, where was home?
There was an honest curiosity in the tone.
Sylvax: Trill was home. This... ::he gestured slightly toward the viewport::... was where we visited.
McLaren/Voss: ?
Taybrim: It sounds like you are reconsidering a bit.
Sylvax: I think I’d like to change that. Or at least understand why it never felt like it was mine to begin with.
McLaren/Voss: ?
Taybrim: I find that as we progress through life we end up shedding old identities so we can become stronger, better ones based on our experience and lessons learned. I don’t think it’s a bad thing to change your relationship with someone or something – even a planet.
McLaren/Voss/Sylvax: ?
He chuckled gently, warmly.
Taybrim: Goodness, I think I knew I wanted to get off the homeworld as early as my teenage years. I’m not saying my mother is overbearing… though I will say that distance lends enchantment to our relationship.
His middle brother was his mother’s favorite, and still lived in the hometown they grew up in. Sal had always chafed at the feeling of control and sought freedom and adventure. So he knew from a very early age that he would go out into the universe and explore.
His civilian postings brought him from Vulcan to Andromeda and everywhere in between. Starfleet brought him far further into the galaxy and he never regretted it.
McLaren/Voss/Sylvax: ?
Taybrim: That depends, what’s the first thing you want to do after arriving? Explore? Relax? Settle in?
McLaren/Voss/Sylvax: ?
~*~
tags/tbc
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Commodore Sal Taybrim
Sector Commander
Raskor II / StarBase 118
~Julian Beck
E239010ST0