Posted by Captain Zachariah Cobb (Commanding Officer) in Test Flight - Valkyrja
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Posted by Lieutenant Casela Synthi-er (Counsellor / RTF) in Test Flight - Valkyrja

Posted by Ensign Tellek Bog (Engineer) in Test Flight - Valkyrja
Posted by… suppressed (1) by the Post Ghost! 👻

Casela was smiling slightly as she stepped off the ramp for Valkyrja. Half smiling because they were back on Leviathan in one piece, and the release of adrenaline from the near run-in with a Breen ship. In times of high stress and dangerous situations she’d always appeared to be laughing and lighthearted. It had scared her fellow section members. It how ever was just her reaction to the situation. The release of tension. Back then though she’d made a point of over exaggerating the habit just to drive home the attitude and persona she was creating. Here though, it was simple relief. AAAAANNNNDDDD her thoughts of what she was going to do to McReady when she found him.

But the second she stepped off the ramp she could feel the anger radiating off of Cobb. Casela straghtened her stance and schooled her expression VERY quickly. She was very tempted to throw Bog under the bus in a joking manner, but Cobb was likely to confine her to quarters this time. Well she’d been through worse things than a dressing down by a CO. She made her way over towards him wondering where Quinn was with one of her pastires to soothe the savage beast. And then of course she led her back to the fact that Quinn LIKED Cobb and she wondered what Quinn would make of the man, standing there, arms crossed, looking like an avenging god of war. And that thought, instead of being humorous made her cringe, she hoped no one told Ryder about this. Crap!

As she approached Cobb would hear her mutter under her breath, “Why am I always blamed for the trouble. I didn’t do anything THIS time.” She came to a stop in front of him, and in acknowledgement of how much trouble she knew she was in, she actually came to attention in front of him. “I blame McReady, he said the sector was clear.”
Lt. Synthi-er, CNS/Feeling like wayward teenager

“Because, Lieutenant Synthi-er,” Cobb replied as one eyebrow rose to his hairline, “you always seem to be in close proximity to the trouble. As for you, Mr Bog,” his eyes shifted downwards to the Tellarite at her side, “I wonder whether there is a single tool in your kit that isn’t laden with an additional helping of mischief and bother.”

Casela, for once, kept her mouth shut. Wouldn’t they rather the trouble find her and not someone else? She could take, not everyone on this ship was as resilient as she was. But she clamped down on that thought, and then her mouth got away from her again as she whispered her thought to Cobb’s assessment of Bog’s tool bag, “Maybe Bog is the Gremlin and not Durheim?” The smirk on her face probably didn’t help her chances of getting out of trouble. But features softened noticably as she looked back at the captain. She understood only too well.

The captain shook his head and, briefly, his demeanour softened, as if his anger was about to be dissipated by a hearty laugh. But when he focused on the pair again, the moisture in his eyes was caught by the harsh, overhead lighting and glistened like a thousand dying stars.
“Breen,” he whispered, almost to himself, “Why the bloody hell did it have to be Breen?!”

• Captain Zachariah Cobb

An elderly figure in black appeared at the captain’s right elbow with a silver tray with a lovely crystal decanter and a single cut tumbler. Pouring a two finger measure of the amber liquid, the Butler offers the glass to the Captain. “Sir, Perhaps this will help.”
Huey

“Who the hell are…” Zachariah launched a startled protest at the appearance of the holographic butler. But he was quickly placated by the offering of a drink.
“Thank you…ah…” he shrugged at the lack of a name with which to address the good gentleman, his eyes quickly finding Bog and firing off a silent warning that the Tellarite might not always find his captain so easily won over.

Casela raised a brow at the hologram coming up behind Cobb in the middle of the shuttle bay. She wasn’t even going to ask how Bog got Huey out of the shuttle and into the main computer system, but she applauded Alfred’s ability to recognize the need for a strong drink at the moment.

“Don’t blame McReady. The Breen use high density tritaniam , just as Orion pirates and indeed your own shuttle. It makes scanning particularly difficult. “ turning to Captain Cobb, the short Tellarite spoke.” I believe the Gods have decided your time wallowing in self pity should come to an end, Captain, it’s time to seize your demons buy their horns and make them dance to your tune.”

Bog, the self destructive…

“I know what the Breen use,” Cobb replied quietly, as if his obsessively-gathered knowledge had been called to question. “What I do not know, however, is how the hell a bunch of immature miscreants managed to commandeer one of their vessels and bring it to bear on my own bloody ship!”

Casela didn’t disagree with Bog. He had a point and as far as psychological assessments went, Cobb was probably ready, or as ready as he was ever going to be. She glanced at Bog with a slight nod. And true to fashion broke protocol not caring one iota if she had been dismissed. “Come see the marvel of a shuttle that Bog has created Captain. I think it’s brilliant, but I’m not an engineer. Tell me what you think.” She put one hand lightly on his shoulder and with the other waved towards Valkyrja. Her voice dropping to a whisper, “I think it’s time for another campfire, Zachariah.” She had a totally different fire in mind though. This one would be MUCH bigger.
Lt. Synthi-er, CNS

He allowed himself to be led towards the shuttle, his eyes superficially scanning the vessel’s outer lines and curves and making quick note of its most obvious, and undeniably impressive, features. But it was a shell of a man that performed this initial inspection, the true, inner consciousness of Zachariah Cobb approximately fifty-two light years and a couple of decades removed from this current place and time. Remaining in contemplative silence for a circular pass of the shuttle’s exterior, only once he had again returned to the others, did the old man offer a comment.

“I mean…how the hell did someone get the Breen to surrender the vessel in the first place? How did they master the controls and the operation? Is it still fully equipped? Is it armed?” he fired off what felt like a hundred consecutive questions to Synthi-er and Bog.

• Captain Zachariah Cobb

“It was indeed armed, Sir. A worthy prize to take back I think. An intact Breen ship is a rare thing to get to examine. As to how they came into possession? The Gods often favor fools and children, but I imagine we have have the specialists aboard to find those answers, either from the ship or her ‘Crew’.” Bog himself was impressed with how well the space frame had withstood the pounding. Granted a Breen crew would likely have slagged them, but out classed in every way the ship held up well. The major systems would need overhauled as running them overclocked was not something the manuals recommended…

Bog, proud papa…