Posted by Fleet Captain Ghubari Koraia (Captain) in Captain’s ready room

Posted by Lieutenant Julien Smith (Doctor) in Captain’s ready room

Posted by Fleet Captain Ghubari Koraia (Captain) in Captain’s ready room
Posted by… suppressed (1) by the Post Ghost! 👻

(snip)

He caught the fear between the words and inwardly came to alert, raising his eyebrows. “I know that feeling so well. My son stayed on the ship as a baby before La’kia left with him and when there was a life-and-death situation on the bridge, it took all I had to not loose it with the fear for him. Loosing crew is bad enough but children is even worse. To be honest, when she left one part of me was devastated and another part happy. Again something nobody can really fully understand. So… you do believe that somebody has painted a target on the Athena, don’t you? The Conclave? It would help me to assimilate those mission logs, becuase I have a suspicion…” he said.

• Julien

“I will have to see. I think under the circumstances it shouldn’t be a problem, since that’s what you’re here about, even if I’ve been told to handle it as I see fit. What that really means is, ‘We’re going to turn a blind eye and let you pursue this, but don’t complain to us if things go wrong,” she said a bit bitterly. She wasn’t given oversight and restrictions, but she also had to find her own resources. This was, after all, not an officially sanctioned operation.

Julien nodded. He had already suspected as much after reading the reports that existed in Starfleet Command about the Athena and her mission orders - those that were unclassified even for Fleet Captains. Not all that she had just hinted at.

Rising to her feet, Ghubari moved away from the sofa in a motion that clearly suggested she wanted to pace. “It’s not just the Conclave. There’s been a perpetual target on my ship from the day I took Command. The Borg and Species 8472, the Romulans, an unknown agent working for a group experimenting on my entire crew, the Romulans again, then The Conclave and then just recently, Time itself.” She rubbed her face. The last years had taken their toll and she had fought hard to find and claim her joy, even if it came to her in small doses sprinkled sparingly. After all, no one would want her to get used to it or anything.

“Do you have any idea why? I mean, the involvement in time anomalies adds a whole new level to this investigation. Some factions could have a target on your ship for something that hasn’t even happened yet.” he mused. He got up as well, with the impulse to offer her a hug. But then he remembered that she was married now and therefore had somebody for emotional support, so he suddenly felt like maybe she didn’t want that from him and just casped his hands behind his back as he usually did.

Turning back fully to face Julien, Koraia looked determined. “Right now though, you have the opportunity to help me dig deeper. Kallen Reese died in an altercation that shouldn’t have happened, because The Conclave was messing about in things they shouldn’t have. Just like they did back on the Venture. Is it a coincidence that it’s my ship and crew that have gotten involved in their messes? I don’t know. Maybe, maybe not. I’m not so egotistical to think they sought me out for some unknown reason. It’s not like I was moving against them all those years ago. Hell, I helped them, Julien. Unwittingly, but I did. But I do know that Israel Price accidentally killed Kallen Reese because she got too close to finding out he was with The Conclave and likely compromised as a Starfleet Officer. And Israel’s sister is the one who fed me the information on the Venture during the War that saved a situation but still led to the death of a man that never had the opportunity to face justice for his crimes. It’s all weaving too closely and I’m in danger of getting lost in it. I need a fresh perspective, Julien. That’s why you are here. I need your help. Help me get justice for Kallen, please.” Her pale amber bore into him, desperation so clearly evident.

Fl. Captain Koraia, CO

He caught her glance and held it, hiding nothing in the way he looked at her and putting all his resolve into it. “I will Ghubari, you can rely on me. I do need a few more information though. Namely the details of the mission that brought him on your ship in the first place and anything he said to you that stuck to your memory.” he said. By now it was easy to put one and one together and even though the mission had been classified, he knew that wouldn’t stop her when it came to avenging Kallen. Because that’s what it really was that drove her, and he understood the feeling all too well, and the need to voice it in a way that was acceptable for a Starfleet Captain.

“Ghubari, I’ve had not one but two missions with the Genesis in the last five years that involved time travel and my CSO is …was actually a time traveller from the future. There is nothing more vague and complex at the same time… well the mirror universe maybe … but I know very well how it can mess with your head and there was nothing that made me doubt my own decisions as a Captain more than the danger of messing with the timeline or creating a paradoxon. And that is the real headache, when you are expected to make decisions in the blink of an eye, but at the same time you know that whatever you decide is a shot into the blue, because it’s impossible to look at a decision from all angles, when one angle is the future!” he took a deep breath. “It took my counselor quite some time to help me understand that. We are Captains, not the Q. Do you understand that?”

• Julien

“Of course I do!” she said, trying to not sound too exasperated. “I’ve known that for a long time. My issues is that others seem to play fast and loose with controlling events and have been dragging us into it. Sometimes it’s an order and a good one, but just hard. Other times though, I’m just doing my best to get us through whatever situation we find ourselves in.”

Koraia moved back to the sofa and sat down. “But let’s not get things confused here. Our last assignment was not related to The Conclave. It was sanctioned and ordered by the Department of Temporal Investigations. That’s all I can say. Time travel is not really the factor here we need to worry about. What we do need to focus on is finding Israel Price and making sure he is brought to justice for Kallen’s death. It was more than a random accident and he’s still the only one who knows exactly what happened down there. I believe his version of events, but his connection to the Conclave means that nothing is ever exactly what it seems. We also have to keep in mind that they aren’t just going to let things go. We’ve ruffled feathers, Julien. I’m not naive enough to think they’ll just let us be. At some point, they will show their hand and we need to be ready when they do.”

Fl. Captain Koraia, CO

He nodded. “I understand that, but currently I have nothing concrete to go on. Are there any recordings, anything at all that I can start with? Also, do you also think that there might be a Conclave spy on the ship? I mean how else would they be so well informed about your moves. It’s easier to smuggle a spy among your large crew, than into our Admiralcy where our mission orders come from.” he reasoned.

• Julien