JP: Commander Karrod Niac & Vice Admiral Makisig Corcino: Old Warhorses (Part 1)
Karrod Niac
((OOC: This was originally posted on the Arrow's list but as it contains some mission context and a character we're going to be seeing around it belongs here as well. Time wise you can assume this happened a few days before the ceremony sim that was just sent out. Enjoy!))
((Corridor, USS Valley Forge, docked at Deep Space Thirty Three))
Karrod was in a profoundly foul mood as he made his way through the corridors of the USS Valley Forge, so much so that a terrified Ensign had all but dived into an open jefferies tube to get out of his way after a single look at the expression on his face. He tried to calm himself but even Niac was being carried along by the furious tide of emotion pouring through him. As he neared the Admiral’s office he forced himself to slow in an attempt to collect himself before stepping inside, one part of him concerned that if he didn’t he’d be leaving the room in restraints and under armed guard.
The Arrow’s urgent summons to DS33 had been cryptic but that was nothing new for a life in Starfleet and the same could be said for the terse communique they’d received shortly after dropping out of warp, ordering Karrod to beam aboard the docked Valley Forge before the Arrow had even cleared the stations outer nav marker. The source of his current volcanic rage was the name that had been attached to that communique and its mere mention had ripped open a wound Karrod thought had scarred over years ago.
Vice Admiral Makisig Corcino.
((Admiral’s Office, USS Valley Forge))
Makisig sat in his office reviewing the latest updates from his colleague Vice Admiral Joseph Washington, who had his own hands full monitoring the worsening situation in the Menthar Corridor. In the post-Dominion War Starfleet, the issue wasn’t one of technological inferiority but simply numbers. The Valley Forge herself was one of Starfleet’s new Excelsior II-class starships, a replacement for the venerable class of workhorse that had served the Federation for over a century. But with threats encroaching from seemingly all sides of the Federation since the collapse of the Romulan Star Empire, tough choices were being made of which worlds and regions to prioritize.
When the door chime rang, Makisig cleared his throat and sat up, having prepared for this unpleasant reunion.
Corcino: Enter.
The cool detached clip in the Admiral’s voice itched Karrod’s memories of the man and he had to force his expression towards something like professional neutrality as he stepped through the door and came to attention in front of the Admiral’s desk.
Niac: Commander Karrod Niac, reporting as ordered Admiral.
It had been nearly a decade since Makisig had seen Karrod in person, and that had just been briefly at a ceremonial gathering for the opening of Astrofori One, a grand experiment of former Federation President Nan Bacco and then-Ambassador Lily Ventu to create an interstellar forum with factions beyond the Federation like the Romulans and Breen. The experiment was short-lived, though, as the station was destroyed in 2395 by the Tholian Assembly. Thanks to the sacrifices of two Stafleet vessels, all of those on Astrofori One, including Karrod, had been able to evacuate.
Karrod fell back on years of experience and found a point on the far bulkhead to focus his attention on, partially concerned that his glare would immolate his former friend and commanding officer on the spot.
The last time Karrod and Makisig had actually had a conversation was in 2385, at the tenth anniversary of the Dominion War’s end. A reunion had been arranged by the USS Albright Veterans Association. And even that conversation had been brief, terse, hostile and ultimately ended when they were physically separated by concerned onlookers.
Makisig’s voice was distinctly smoother than that cool summer evening.
Corcino: At ease, Commander.
He put down the PADD he’d been holding on his desk and sat back.
Corcino: What’s the status of Arrow and her command crew? Has Captain Shayne selected your replacement yet?
Karrod’s voice was direct, professional and sharp enough to cut duranium.
Niac: Sir. The Arrow’s in fine shape sir. Captain Shayne runs a tight ship, sir. He and I have discussed my replacement and I strongly support his candidate. Sir.
He wasn’t entirely successful in keeping the venom out of his tone.
Makisig rolled his eyes slightly.
Corcino: Does this candidate have a name?
Karrod’s attention remained fixed on the bulkhead.
Niac: Yes sir they do, sir.
The admiral looked up at the Trill’s face for a moment, focusing on his eyes still staring straight ahead.
Corcino: Unless you want to go down in Starfleet history as having the shortest command tenure on record, I suggest you drop this little act, Commander.
Fighting the very real desire to snarl, Karrod took a breath and barely managed to hang on to his composure.
Niac: Permission to speak freely, Admiral?
Corcino: Not yet. ::beat:: Have a seat.
Karrod glanced at the seat as if checking for a hidden knife and, without relaxing his posture even minutely, sat. For the first time since entering the room he locked eyes with the Admiral and let unrestrained emotion into his glare. To his eternal disappointment the Admiral did not burst into flame.
Once they were sitting across from each other eye-to-eye, Makisig gestured towards Karrod. With his grizzled beard and weathered face, this was hardly the freshly enlisted crewman that he’d first met as a young lieutenant on the Albright nearly three decades ago.
Corcino: Well… go on. I can see it’s eating away at you, Kar.
A hundred memories of a man who’d been his friend, his mentor and, ultimately, greatest disappointment tried and failed to form into words all at once. Karrod took a long breath, unclenched his jaw and got straight to the core of something that had happened twenty-six years earlier on the Albright.
Niac: McKitrick. T’lar. Mok. Talis. O’Shea. They were our friends, Maki.
Corcino: You think I need the reminder? That I don’t have their names and faces etched forever within me.
Makisig let out a sick chuckle to himself.
Corcino: You know, some of our other old friends told me that the symbiont’s changed you, but I don’t see it. I see the same self-righteous, arrogant son-of-a-bitch sitting across from me, just grayer and with a few more spots on that ugly mug of yours.
Niac flared within him and offered six separate lifetimes worth of invective options for a response.
Niac: I’ll take that over being a smug self-aggrandizing padd pusher, Maki.
Makisig returned an amused look back. If Karrod needed to make some sort of statement, Makisig wouldn’t stop him. There were more pressing matters now than their broken relationship.
Corcino: You feel better now? Can we get back to work?
His expression was rapidly darkening but in the interests of not spending the rest of the year in a penal colony, Karrod disregarded a suggestion from within Niac about what type of kitchen implements would be best to shove into the Admiral’s eyes.
Niac: It’ll do for the moment, Admiral. Let’s get this over with. You come all this way just to reassign me to some subspace relay station?
Makisig stood up, grabbing another PADD he’d prepared for the meeting and began walking around his desk.
Corcino: Rest assured, Kar, I’d have been quite content to sign the orders back in San Francisco to have them delivered to you, but you’ve been here long enough to know if I’m here delivering them personally, there’s more to it.
Letting out a slow breath Karrod nodded, his eyes still searching the room for the inevitable tiger hiding in the tall grass.
Niac: Anything important enough to get you out of your office must be pretty serious. What’s the situation?
Corcino: You’ve been dealing with the Sheliak on the Arrow now for what, the better part of a year now? And Captain Shayne even longer than that. What’s your impression of them?
[TBC!]
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Commander Karrod Niac
Commanding Officer
USS Ronin - NCC-34523
V239509GT0
&
Vice Admiral Makisig Corcino
Starfleet Command
I238705TZ0