Heartfelt Commiserations

Posted on Fri Feb 28th, 2025 @ 4:34am by Captain Rovak & Commander Alex Flynn

883 words; about a 4 minute read

Mission: The Serpent's Tooth [3]
Location: Captain's Cabin, USS Excalibur / XO's Office, DS13
Timeline: 1800 - MD04

"Captain, good evening. How goes the extraction?" Alex asked, snapping her zippo lighter shut as the channel opened.

"Well. The mineral is quite prolific. Atna has reported that the mineral has prodigious energy generation properties, and is projected to have a vast array of technological uses. Projections suggest it is likely found in planets the same way throughout the wider galaxy." Rovak responded.

"We've had a fatality." Alex said without pretext.

"Who?" Rovak responded, raising an eyebrow.

"Lieutenant Kakistos, communications."

"The Betazoid? What happened?"

"He tried to probe Volsunga. Pulled rank on Gaz."

"How did he die?" Rovak asked.

"Investigations are thinking it was some kind of psychic booby trap. His head just kind of... exploded. There weren't pieces, just mist. Unyo and Xa are looking into it, but the working theory is some kind of explosive cellular cascade failure."

"I see. I will need to contact his family." Rovak noted.

"I was going to take care of that. Unless you'd prefer I leave it for you?" Alex asked.

"No. Better it be done sooner than later. If you could see to it, I would be grateful." Rovak said.

"Sure. Just gotta figure out a nice way of saying 'sorry your loved one fucked up so badly his head exploded.'" Alex responded, exhaling a cloud of smoke.

"Perhaps less detail would be preferable to more." Rovak suggested. "Are there any special requirements for the funeral?"

"Near as I can tell he didn't want one. I've asked around, and he wasn't well-liked. If not for his interpretive skills he'd probably be working to better himself in some language-based educational institute on a borderworld." Alex relayed, kicking her feet up onto the desk.

"Perhaps it would be appropriate to discuss the matter with Chaplain Palu, I understand he came aboard with the last shipment. He may have some suggestions." Rovak suggested.

"Oh yeah. I forgot Starfleet still had Chaplains. Haven't seen one since I was a kid." Alex responded, bringing up the man's profile.

"It is still something maintained in the interest of supporting large populations. He is... knowledgable." Rovak said after a moment's consideration of the appropriate adjective.

"You know him?" Alex asked, sensing more to it.

"Shurlok recommended him. He was a colleague aboard the Fawkes." Rovak said, recalling the freighter his son had served on once he'd run away from his mother at the age of 17. Everyone aboard had been arrested in the end, including Drusilla Creon.

"Oh. Criminal?" Alex asked, suddenly fascinated by the priest. She'd read the Fawkes reports dozens of times, it was quite a saga.

"He has not been accused of any specific crimes that I am aware of, though it would not surprise me. He seems however to represent a net positive presence."

"Anything I should keep an eye on?" Alex asked.

"You may find a kindred spirit. I understand you share a few interests." Rovak said, being deliberately coy.

"Getting shited at the pub?" Alex guessed.

"Among other things." Rovak told her.

"Crunchy." Alex said, her tone suggesting the idiom was a pleased one. "I'll have to finally set foot in a church, then. Grandma will lose her nut when I tell her."

"My regards to grandma." Rovak responded.

"How's the ship going? No weird endless hallways that throw you into bizarre personal situations from your past?" Alex asked, recalling the defences she and her away team had encountered when they first came aboard the Excalibur.

"Saa has her suspicions, but nothing bad to say about any functions. The Commander continues to respond positively, even when contacted unprompted by junior staff. Nothing unusual has happened, except how well the ship works." Rovak recounted.

"Tell him I say hi." She said of the Commander. She liked him, even if she did understand the suspicion the others held. She felt a deep gratitude to him for breaking his own rules to allow them to save DS13 after the Dalek destroyed it in an abandoned timeline.

"I would expect he knows. One matter I have found to be of concern is that he seems entirely unaware of the concept of data privacy. There are Romulan database entries that could only have been lifted from encrypted embassy computers. I have enclosed an encrypted log for you to review and discuss with Lieutenant Onda. He will need to disclose this to Ambassador Creon."

"Alright, well, don't let good intelligence go to waste. What would Admiral Reardon say?" Alex said, evoking their marine-turned-test-pilot former CO who had gone on to be Commander in Chief of Starfleet.

"Indeed. Good evening, Flynn."

"Night." Alex said, closing the channel.

Rovak switched off the little screen in the Captain's cabin. He could picture men like Kirk and Pike pulling all-night strategy sessions, pacing back and forth the small but efficient room, listening to subspace radio. It felt not unlike sleeping in a museum. He was accustomed to his holographic home, the sauna-pool, the mountains. T'Shan seemed to be thriving there. No room for family on a constitution-class.

He could not see himself living here, even if he did admire the efficiency and comfort of its design. Besides, this was the Commander's boat. For all the benefits and complications that brought. Rovak lay down for the first time in at least 24 hours, and was quickly asleep.

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