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Deck 4 Garden- A Picnic

Posted Sept. 2, 2022, 9:37 p.m. by Fleet Captain Alexander Cochrane (Commanding Officer) (James Sinclair)

Posted by Civilian Sair Songz (Counselor) in Deck 4 Garden- A Picnic

Posted by Fleet Captain Alexander Cochrane (Commanding Officer) in Deck 4 Garden- A Picnic

Posted by Civilian Sair Songz (Counselor) in Deck 4 Garden- A Picnic
Posted by… suppressed (1) by the Post Ghost! 👻

(snip(

Cochrane looked at Kel and adjusted himself to face her fully. “Madame… this life-” and he gestured about them at everything that was the Manhattan, “- is not without risk. And a great deal of risk. And it is not for everyone. In fact, it is for very few on the grand scale of things. Of the trillions of citizens of the Federation, less than one hundreth of one percent of us are selected to serve in this capacity. And it is not because we lack applicants. Its because we know what it takes to do this. To be selected to do this is a great honor… an earned honor. Now… add to that level of selection that everyone on this ship is selected through an even more rigorous process, well… I’m sure you can imagine the quality of personnel I have the great and unique privilege to command. We are the only crew, the only vessel that does this singular mission. Is it dangerous? Absolutely. Is it high risk? Again.. yes. Because we are the first into the unknown. This place, this entire region of space is unknown to both of our peoples. And we are the first of our respective cultures to see it, to explore it… to, as a famous Star Fleet Captaon once said, ‘boldly go where no one has gone before’.”

Cochrane looked down at Koro and then at Sair and Kel. “You say he is a miracle. I agree, but not for the reasons you say. I say he is a miracle because he is herenow… at this moment in time and history. And so are both of you. Danger exists, yes. It exists walking across a busy street. But here we have the opportunity to do great things… greater than any of our peoples or leaders can imagine. And we get to do that. Not because of chance… but because we are simply the very best at what we do. Every one of us. Sair was one of thousands of applicants for the role she has here. But she is here because she is the best of all of those. And when you have the very best around you? The odds of success and a safe return home are exponentially higher, now aren’t they?”

Cochrane, CO

Kel wished she could just nod her head and agree, but that is not how her heart felt. Yes, it was incredible. Yes she was proud of her daughter- unbelievably so. And yes, what they were doing out here was extraordinary. “I know that you are probably right,” she said, her eyes welling with tears. “But I can’t reconcile what you know with what I feel. Our time is so precious, Captain. There’s so little of it. There will never be enough of it.” She set her plate down and pushed herself to her feet. “I need a minute,” she said, and moved away to walk down the path that led further past the pond.

“Let her go,” Sair softly, her light brown eyes tracing her mother’s form. She could have stopped her but the psychologist she was understood that Kel Songz was facing a clashing of two vastly different realities. It was bound to get messy.

Done his food, Koro was up on his feet, hunting for his stick. “Eema, go?” he asked his mother.

“She’ll be back,” Sair said before taking a deep breath and gazing at Alex. She could be embarrassed by her mother’s outburst and what Cochrane must think of it all, but instead there was deep thoughtfulness in her expression. “Please don’t think too badly of her. My parents are so supportive of whatever I want to do, but they are also honest. They don’t like me being so far from home. They didn’t the first time, and this time it’s worse. What you said, about her staying too long and getting caught in things out here? Well, the same goes in reverse. My parents are considered elderly for my people, even though they are in their sixties. They are near the end of their life, but still able to contribute to society in the way that being a Kobliad demands. I think she fears something happening to her or my father and she knows how devastating it would be for me to be so far away. I think she fears that her being here right now is goodbye.” Even saying the words made her emotional and perhaps ordinarily she wouldn’t have shared something so personal in such a casual get-together, but the situation required understanding and that wouldn’t happen if she closed herself off to him.

~Sair Songz, CNS

Cochrane turned and looked at the retreating form of Kel. “You know I’m not a scientist. Never have been, never will be. But I just so happen to command the single most advanced science vessel in all of the Federation. And doing that, you pick up a few things.” He looked back at Sair.

“Regardless of what species we are, where we come from, and where we call home… we are all made if the same stuff. Kobliad… Human… Tholian… Romulan Delatan Ferengi Cardassian Klingon Vulcan Tellerite Anticancer and Andorian and all the rest and even those we don’t know yet. All made up of the same stuff. And that stuff has existed since before we were us… and it will be there long after we are not us anymore. It doesn’t change, it doesn’t go away… it always there. The energy that makes us is always there and will always be there. Because I have it on very good authority that energy can’t be created or destroyed… only changed. And change? Well… thats the only constant thing in the universe.” He looked back at Kel as she disappeared around the pond.

“Isn’t that the truth. Though my people are so used to the changes being negative ones, I got to be a part of the single greatest happy moment our society has experienced in generations. That means something.”

“Maybe me and the boy here can go poke things in the pond and you can go give your mother a science lesson.”

Cochrane, CO

Sair gave him a warm smile and rested her hand on his arm for a moment. “Thank you,” she said.

Moving over to Koro, Sair kissed him on the forward. “Stay with the captain, Koro. I’m going to go talk with Eema.

The toddler nodded as his mother walked off and he looked at the man left with him and raised the stick he found. “Stick!” Notably, he used the Federation Standard word, and not the Kobliad one.

~Sair & family

“Stick indeed!” Cochranensaid with a smile. He stood up and held out his hand. He slowly walked Koro around the pond area and started pointing out things and saying the names, and encouraged Koro to say it back. When they started moving past the same things, Alex would point and pretend to be confused until Koro shouted out the correct word.

Cochrane, CO


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