The Captain's Table

Posted on Sun 18th Nov, 2012 @ 9:42pm by Colonel Horatio Drake & Lieutenant Adam Keller & Commander Brian Windsong & Lieutenant Colonel Tallus Karikkar & Lieutenant Colonel Cara Karikkar & Commander Jasmine Collins-Keller & Commander Paul Graves PsyD & Lieutenant Samantha O'Dell & Lieutenant JG Xavier Lee

2,853 words; about a 14 minute read

Mission: http://sb109.sim-station.net/index.php/sim/missions/id/3
Location: Senior Officer's Conference Room: Deck 14
Timeline: Day 1: 1200

ON:

The food had been brought in by various members of staff from Orchids & Jazz less than ten minutes ago. Drake wasn't in the least bit hungry but, after purveying the spread that Jade had laid on, he felt like eating just for the sake of it. It was during breakfast with Lieutenant Graves that he had decided to try something a bit different with the briefing today - they can so quickly become morose and boring. Food was the key and lunch was provide it.

He only knew Jade Lantz through the first briefing they had, had together... as if that wasn't enough, no one had anything to say about her but glowing reports and heartfelt praise. She was more than just the owner of a business. That was why she was in charge of all civilian affairs on the station.

His attention turned once again to the feast in front of him - burgers, cheeses, salmon, canapes, fish, chicken, lasagna and various others dishes, some of which he had no clue about. He took a plate and helped himself to some smoked salmon with salad. He was just putting some dill sauce on the top when the doors swooshed open.

Tallus walked in briskly. "What have I missed?" He asked smiling at the CO.

"Not a lot, Major" He replied as he took his seat at the head of the table. "Please, help yourself to some food."

Brian accompanied by Wicker walked in, wearing a small smile. He had been up most of the night and was still a bit sore from his encounter with Kale, a condition aggravated somewhat because of the previous night's activities, but he didn't seem to mind. What little sleep he had gotten had been nightmare free.

He normally had a good appetite anyway, but he was especially hungry now.

"Hello," he said warmly as he selected sausage and French Toast with syrup that looked like it was the genuine thing.

Walking in Cara smiled at the three men already there and sent Tallus a mental hug and a shy hi. Out loud she added, "Hi guys. You're looking better, Ash." She reached down and gave Wicker a pat. "Hey girl." Seeing the three of them grabbing food, she did the same grabbing a burger, fries and getting a chocolate milkshake.

Drake had never really paid much attention to how the XO addressed him before her promotion... but now, she seemed to really like calling him Ash... even in front of others. The old Drake would have had her reprimanded for that; indeed most current CO's still probably would. But to him now... this person that was seemingly without emotion... it just wasn't important.

Nodding to herself at his lack of response even in this situation she sent to Tallus ~Something is wrong with the Colonel ... he should have reacted to that even internally.~ She had actually done it by mistake but still ....

Jade stood back and watched the first few officers enjoying the buffet she'd had brought in. If there was one thing she found satisfying, it was seeing people eat, and enjoy what they ate. With a half-smile on her face, she walked down the table and took a seat. In her hands was a small cup of peppermint herbal tea and a freshly baked croissant, one of her favorite snacks. As she savored the first bite, she wondered what the new week would bring. The last few had been quite eventful, and she hoped for a little calm on the station.

Brian noticed the minor gaffe on Cara's part and Drake's reaction or lack of reaction to it. That didn't seem like the man that had jumped down his throat a week or two before, but a lot had happened during that time, but still he made a mental note to keep an eye out on the CO. He didn't want to have to deal a loose phaser cannon.

Seeing Brian take note Cara nodded to him as well surreptitiously.

Samantha walked into the room with Lt pips on and a new collared uniform. She looked around the table at the senior officers, as a newly ranked Lt Samantha felt oddly out of place and yet curious to be there. She saw Brian with that goofy smirk on his face and didn't say much of anything to anyone. She simply sat down.

Paul walked into the room next. "Hello," he said to everyone in general and set his PADD down at the spot he'd occupied during the previous senior staff meeting.

He turned to study the buffet laid out for them and gave the food an impressed look. "The food looks delicious, Jade. Thank you!"

He wasn't terribly hungry, as he'd eaten a full breakfast with Drake earlier that morning. But he never could resist interesting hors d'oeuvres, and Jade had brought a copious variety. He decided it wasn't too early for high tea (even if he wasn't strictly British) and filled his plate with salad and bits of finger-food. He filled a tall mug with the steaming peppermint tea he'd smelled wafting from Jade's cup and then sat down.

The people in the room seemed concerned for some reason, and their attention seemed focused on Drake. Paul glanced at him but saw little that he hadn't noticed at breakfast. To Paul's relief, Drake did seem a lot quieter than he had that morning, laughing while telling a story about a crewman from his old ship. Paul decided to wait and see if anything came of it.

Samantha sat there, seemingly glued to the report padd she'd brought in with her, but listening and watching the group around the table, how they sat, how they interacted, what they ate..

Devyn walked in with Nyx and the two each grabbed a plate before joining the others. Nyx chose a vegetarian breakfast of fresh fruits, a bagel with butter and cinnamon, and hot chai tea. Devyn grinned at her as he grabbed quite the opposite choosing bacon, sausage, scrambled eggs and black coffee.

Sitting down at the table, Nyx grabbed Devyn's hand out of sight of the others. Crowds tended to make her uncomfortable, especially when most outranked her.

Giving her hand a reassuring squeeze, Devyn looked around the table nodding and greeting the others. "Cara, how are you feeling today?" He asked knowing she'd been going through some things personally.

Smiling at him Cara nodded "Better ... A mutual acquaintance of ours has put a secondary shield on me till we sort out the reasons it's all happening." She flicked her eyes to Tallus and back.

Seeing the nod toward Tallus, Nyx just shook her head. She didn't say a word as she ate the brunch she'd chosen for herself.

As he ate Brian tried not to look in the direction of Sam. True he couldn't actually see her, but he could sense her presence. He didn't send her out any mental messages either, because he knew that with so many telepaths it was sure to be overheard even if no one was eavesdropping. He was doing his best to keep his face impassive, but even with all of his practice as a diplomat he wasn't quite he was pulling it off.

She caught him a few times with his head up looking as it were in her direction, it was probably the connection they'd experienced that made him well aware of where she was. She'd have given him a soft smile if it were possible and that boyish expression on his face was priceless at that. She wasn't a schoolgirl and didn't need to sit beside him but she definitely liked that he couldn't keep his eyes off her, so to speak.

~We will want to talk to him about that. But after the meeting.~ Tallus sent mentally to Cara. "How do you fare sir?" Tallus asked directing his question to the Colonel.

Sending a mental nod to Tallus Cara let herself relax further in the shielding trusting her family around her to keep her safe. ~Bri? .... I owe you and Sam a big thank you.~

Xavier was a little nervous about his first senior staff briefing. He had no idea what to expect and wasn't quite sure how to act. All the starships he'd served on were made up of a tight-knit group of senior officers and even though the Protector's crew were still finding their feet, he had no idea how he would fit into their already established dynamic. It almost felt like being the new kid in school half-way through the semester.

As he spotted the table of food, Xavier was a little taken by the informality of it all, not that he minded very much. He piled his plate with chicken and potato salad and took a seat next to Paul, who was one of the few people in the room he recognised.

"Hi," Paul said to Xavier with a quick grin. "How do you like being Chief of Ops?"

"It's going to take a while to find my feet," Xavier answered honestly.

"I doubt it'll take you too long," Paul said. "It's good to have you here."

Drake had almost been in a world of his own. Every now and again his thoughts would go back to yester-year and he would encapsulate himself in what was and what could have been. It was the story earlier with Graves that had triggered these memories off.

"Yes, very well, thank you Major" Drake smiled, warmly and stood.

"Before we get started I'd like to offer a huge thank you to Jade" he extended his arm to the other side of the table. "Not only for the amazing spread she's laid on for us today... but for also making Orchids & Jazz the place to go on the Promenade. A meeting place, restaurant, bar, venue, known and loved by all. It can only attract more business to the Promenade!"

He triggered off a round of applause.

"Now, on to business... before we get properly started... the Intrepid Class, USS Yorktown will be arriving at Protector in a few hours. They are to undergo minor works, which should take no longer than three days. The ship will be transporting Captain Dobbs."

He smiled as the room filled with talking for a few seconds, then quietened down again.

"Indeed, I know that a lot of people know the Captain but the reason for his visit is, as of yet, unclear. I do know that he served on Protector briefly, during the Dominion War, so it could be just to see the old place again."

Brian had many gifts, precognition was not one of them, but for some reason the little hairs on the back of his neck were standing up and it was not a good feeling.

Samantha didn't know the captain, hadn't heard of him. But she could tell by the way Brian ran his hand down the back of his neck that it wasn't a good idea to visit. She casually looked around the table, it wasn't as easy to read the reactions of others. So she listened to the concerns of others.

Brian got up for seconds, keeping his face impassive. took some biscuits with sausage gravy and sat back down. He was still in a good mood, but there was a subtle change and it bothered him because he still couldn't pinpoint what might be wrong.

Cara shivered slightly "How long is he here sir?"

"I'm not sure, Major... presumably he'll leave with the Yorktown. So, about three days. But until we know the purpose of his visit, we can't say for sure."

Xavier wasn't too sure who Captain Dobbs was but he seemed to be creating an interesting reaction amongst the senior officers sat at the table.

Nyx was unaware of any changes in the room save a few officers that seemed to be uptight about everything anyway. She listened to the conversations as they pertained to her and continued to eat the food on her plate.

Devyn was aware of Captain Dobbs but he wasn't sure why the name sounded familiar at all. Perhaps they'd met some time. He'd ask Cara later if she knew the man.

"Did Captain Dobbs command Protector during the Dominion War or serve here in a different capacity?" Paul asked Drake. He picked up a steamed pork dumpling from his plate and nibbled at it. Then he stopped eating, mid-bite. "Are you talking about Adrian Dobbs? I think I've read a couple of his papers."

"No, the station was in the hands of the Federation Civilian Defense Authority during the Dominion War... Captain Dobbs was one of only a handful of Starfleet personnel assigned on the station. He was Head of Biomechanical Research during the war. Having said that, he wasn't here all the time... if you've ever heard of the Captain, you'll know he enjoys combat just as much as any Marine!"

Cara was shaking inside in terror, she had already put two and two together in her own head about who 'Captain' Dobbs was and it wasn't good. In fact there was only one thing right now stopping her from bolting from the room and the base ... and it wasnt even the fact that she was XO, rather it was that Tallus had clamped down on her as soon he felt her abject terror.

Paul shot a glance at Cara. She looked to him almost as if she had turned to stone with fear, though her expression was too well-schooled to give anything away. We'll deal with things as they come, he sent to her mind, projecting calm, though he wasn't certain what had alarmed her.

Swallowing as her body was forced into calm by the combined efforts of Tallus and Paul she sent privately to them both ~It was him ... I ... I ... remember the name ... He was there when ....~

Bloody hell, Paul thought, stunned. This is bad.... He ate the rest of his pork dumpling to give himself time to think.

Her hands gripping the table with the need to run Cara tried to just focus on the calm that Paul and Tallus were projecting so that she could make it through the meeting. Her breath was catching softly at a pace like she was already running in terror and she hoped that no one could tell how badly it was affecting her.

"Biochemical," Xavier repeated. He remembered reading a few papers on the theory and was excited he'd have the opportunity to speak to Dobbs about his work in the field. "I assume my department will be required for the refit of the Yorktown" Xavier asked expectantly.

Drake simply nodded to the Chief Operations Officer, knowing they'd pick up on the details of it, at a later point.

The terror that Cara was feeling washed over him, quickly changing his mood. He too added a calming message to her.

~Major, stay calm.~ Tallus said putting more of a presence on Cara's mind. "Sir, I would like to request that either a security or marine detachment be kept on him at all times."

Closing her eyes Cara focused on calming her breathing and releasing her grip on the table even as she said to herself 'he can't hurt you now ... he won't even remember you ... you were just a subject number to him on his rounds through his experimental bases'.

"Biomechanical--So he conducted research into prosthetic limbs and organs?" Paul asked. "That would have been very useful during the Dominion War." It was conversation to distract people from noticing any unease that Cara might show, though she seemed to be hiding it well.

Research, Jade mused. From what she knew of many species, the term research covered a lot of sins. She wondered just what this Captain Dobbs had been developing and what kind of ... what was the term? She searched her memory and came up with it. What kind of lab rats had the man used? Did the end ever justify the means? She'd found that it rarely, if ever, did.

Samantha sat quietly listening.

Shaking her head slightly as she got control of herself Cara asked "Is this an official visit? Or more a holiday?" She wanted to know why he was here.

"Indeed, you're right Lieutenant" he addressed the comment that the Chief Counselor had made, first of all. "Dobbs was known throughout Starfleet, just after the Dominion War, for his assistance of injured officers... he became very well liked for it too."

"And we really don't know yet" his attention moved to the Executive Officer "from what I can tell, it's just a social visit... perhaps to see the old place again. I can't imagine what official business he might have here... we're barely operational as it is."

Silence fell over the room of officers - it was now time to move onto the more boring, administrative parts of any briefing. "OK, let's move onto the departmental reports... starting with Ops", he said wearily.

OFF:

 

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