Posted by Captain Sidney Parker (Commanding Officer) in SB 257 Senior Officers Lounge

Posted by Commander Jason Harn (Executive Officer) in SB 257 Senior Officers Lounge

Posted by Captain Sidney Parker (Commanding Officer) in SB 257 Senior Officers Lounge
Posted by… suppressed (8) by the Post Ghost! 👻
SNIP

OOC: Lets move to the SB Lounge where Harn and Parker have met up.
IC:

Sid was at a bar table already. The ones where you stand more than sit. He had the advantage on Harn since he was already on the base. He just messaged him to come and join him. He wanted a drink with the man who had taken his ship out and successfully brought it back in better shape than he had usually returned with it. His drink of choice was an old whiskey called Jim Beam. He sipped it as he waited.

Parker

Jason walked in, his impressive height made him easy to spot. He paused step aside to let a couple move past him and exit before smiling and striding over to Sidney to stand next to him at the bar. Sidney’s XO was in his uniform. In the age of interstellar travel fashion was defined as much by space as well as time. What was out of fashion in one solar system could be still be in style in another, or just be coming back into fashion for that matter. With a uniform one didn’t have to keep track all that, and a starbase was a place one could wear a uniform without getting stares.

“Hi boss,” Jason grinned as arrived. “Got the ship back in the same condition you left it in.”

Jason Harn, XO

“If not better.” Sid answered. “Good work Jason. Get a drink and lets talk.”

Sid had wanted to get to know the man, who in reality was much older than he, better. He said older but that was true and not true. Just because Harn was born in a certain century did not necessarily older than anyone in this one.

“How did the crew perform? I hear we lost the good Dr Doolittle.” He asked and stated.

Parker CO

“They performed admirably, and that is really something when someone could paralyze them and take over their physical actions at any moment,” Jason replied wryly. “I don’t know if anybody from my… erm… from history could have carried on as professionally.”

Jason preferred to be an open book, but he was still struggling. Even though Captain Parker knew about his past it was still hard for Jason to open up about it, particularly in public. The problem was that as long as he kept his past a secret, he could never really get close to anyone, and Jason was by nature a social animal and not a thoughtful introvert. The internal struggle made social interactions needlessly difficult and it didn’t take a ship’s counselor to see that Jason was holding himself back.

Jason Harn, XO

“Tell me Jason. Are we really that much more different or advanced than the time you come from? I mean I have always believed we are not. We are just one good crisis away from reverting to our original nature. Not that your from prehistoric earth or anything but many imagine this century makes the previous look archaic and I’m not in that camp.”

Parker CO

“Not that you could tell by going to the holodeck,” Jason shrugged, “but yeah, there’s so much that is different, you wouldn’t believe it! Most of it is good; kids today don’t know definition of the word ‘homophobia’ and have a hard time understanding how people could judge someone of their own species by their birth or the color of their skin. A interstellar voyage that that took months now takes hours or days. Money is all but eliminated and you can prepare a restaurant quality meal in less than a minute just by talking to the wall!” Jason stopped himself when he realized that the volume of his voice had been steadily rising. He glanced around at the other patrons self consciously before continuing. “I could go on forever, but…” he stopped, uncomfortable and his vulnerable, concerned manner was replaced by his mask of casual cheeriness. “So how much has changed since you were a kid sir?”

Jason Harn, trying to keep a lid on it

“Honestly probably not a lot but it seems as it has. I mean SF seemed to be held in higher regard when I was young. Now its not about sacrifice to the cause but many of the young officer are more interested in themselves and how SF should mold to them and not them to it. Listen to me. I sound like an old man.” He said as he too had gotten up in arms about the question.

“I imagine you still pine for many things in that day though?” He continued not believing it had been all bad and outdated.

Parker CO

“Oh yeah,” Jason nodded. “That was back when you could still go to Draylax, before the Vulcans discovered that the whales were intelligent and telepathic. I looked it up and found out we had to give up the entire colony when the United Federation of Planets was founded. Some of my best memories were on that planet. Now the only way to visit is by using the holodeck.”

It didn’t take much to send Jason’s mind back to Draylax colony. Named after the company that discovered it, the planet Draylax was an ocean world with the only land above sea level a never ending chain of volcanic islands along the equator. To the humans who colonized it in the early 22nd century it was an island paradise, a never ending Hawaii or a Caribbean. The Van Allen belt surrounding the planet was so powerful that it was almost impossible to get a tan but at the same time skin cancer wasn’t a risk. Before humanity had to leave, the planet was known for having the largest number of nudist colonies in known space before humanity encountered the Risans.

OOC: Draylax was mentioned in the pilot episode of “Enterprise”. The only thing we were told about it was that the women on Draylax had three… I’m assuming they had three rules. The reason why you never hear about Draylax anymore is because the whales there were the native intelligent species and mankind were the interlopers, just like on Janus VI with the Horta. Humanity had to give up their colony on Draylax when the UFP was formed in order to prove that they had outgrown the “take, exploit, and subjugate” mentality that had plagued their history before first contact.

Jason Harn, XO

OOC: Love that you took the time to do all that research into it. Great stuff.
IC:

“I’m going to have to be one of those ignorant Earthers I am afraid on the history of Drylax. Though all of that is faintly in my memory. I have to tell you. I see the holo movies of my home in Texas before the war and I sometimes wish to have been born then. However there were no starships and the hardships were much more. We all wish for the thing we imagine but its rarely the same if you get it.” Sid said probably revealing more than a simple story about the old days.

“Harn when am I going to lose you to the Captain’s chair?” He asked straight forwardly.

Parker CO

The response was so automatic that it was out of Jason’s mouth before he knew it. “As soon as Starfleet comes to its senses and give me a command,” was his stock answer. But Sidney’s question was a good one. When was he going to get his own command? And after all of this time, was he still up to it? “Of course starships are a lot bigger than in my day,” he admitted sheepishly. “The Challenger was just a little frigate. Nothing like the carriers and explorers they’ve got these days.”

Jason Harn, XO

Sid did not want to come off as a know it all but he did feel a responsibility to Harn to be honest.

“Jason its still the same old story. Nobody gives you anything. You want a command then go and get one. Your qualified you just need to decide how badly you want to get one.”

“As for the size yea they have grown. You know the Olinski used to be a Nimitz Class. Now that was a beast.” He added.

Parker CO

“You’re right, I’m making excuses,” Jason nodded. “I guess I was spoiled aboard the Challenger. The ship was so small and the department heads were the same age as me. Now when I get a promotion it seems like my circle of intimates is shrinking, but that’s probably age rather than rank. Even without time travel, I’m old enough to be everybody’s parent.”

Jason Harn, XO