Station Post#25. A Misconceived Insult

Posted on Fri Jan 26th, 2024 @ 1:44am by Captain Taavis & Lieutenant JG Gavin Lasso
Edited on on Sat Jan 27th, 2024 @ 12:44pm

Mission: Character Development 2023
Location: promenade
Timeline: current

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Taavis had invited Lieutenant Gavin Lasso to lunch. Seeing as how she needed to speak to him anyway she figured that doing so over a meal would make it less formal, and stressful, on the man. She was sitting along the rail overlooking the Promenade below, in a small au fresco set-up for patrons who did not want to sit within the establishment and deal with the confining atmosphere. Plus, this was more private since it was just before the lunch hour and the other tables out on the 'veranda' were still empty. Lasso showed up and sat down, the two of them exchanging pleasantries as he got settled and they both perused the menu, deciding on their dishes and beverages.

Before the food arrived, Taavis spoke up. "Thank you, Lieutenant, for agreeing to meet. I know my methods are-unorthodox."

"Gavin, Captain." Lasso said. "Professional meal or not, my name is Gavin when I sit down to eat-with anyone." He gave a crooked grin.

"I'll consider it, Mister Lasso," Taavis responded. "but, since I don't know you well enough to feel comfortable with addressing you common, I will maintain my professionalism until I decide you have earned a more informal discussion. This is not a meal among friends, this is a meal to discuss Starfleet business and to fuel my body."

Lasso raised both hands off the table in a pseudo-submissive way. "Alright, alright. We'll start there. Just promise me, Captain, that if you develop a liking for a new friend then I be given the honor of being addressed as one."

Taavis looked across the table at him, her face stoic, her eyes bland. But, being as long-lived as Gavin was with having a parent who was El-Aurian, he saw a bit of the ice melt from her expression. ~Yep, she is starting to like me~ He thought.

"I make no promises, Lieutenant. However, your persistence does you credit." Before he could say anything else the good Captain pressed on. "The reason I wanted to speak with you is your position on M-69. As the Flight Control Chief you are in charge of all small craft this base uses. Your people work with others to maintain the docking rings, repair schedules for Starfleet and civilians alike, and you can call up a squadron of small craft to do your bidding at a moment's notice."

"All true," Lasso agreed with a grin, leaning his back into the chair to relax even as he thought to himself; ~what is she after?~

Taavis matched his poise, keeping her back straight but leaning back into her own chair. "So, after talking with our command officers, you will be on-call for my office. We have a limited starship presence out this way and your small craft, especially the runabouts, need to be maintained at the highest level. If you are needed and I call for you to go and support our starships, you will drop what you are doing and act on those orders."

Despite himself, Lasso found that appealing. His people did do a lot of maintenance and flight simulators, seemingly bored most days despite the workload in aiding the merchant vessels that came through. "I run a tight crew, Captain. We are always ready, I assure you. You call, we'll be ready." Just as he said that a talented waitress came out holding a large serving tray up with one hand, depositing their meals before them. She dropped the tray to her side and stepped aside as another server brought in their beverages. Asking if that was all, with both responding in the affirmative, the servers left and the two began to spice their foods with condiments and began to eat, talking between bites and chewing.

"I had no doubts of your capabilities, Mister Lasso. I was just informing you of what myself and the higher-ups were going to need from you and your department. I am glad to see that Security is a secondary for you, it could prove useful." Taavis took another bite of her food while he contemplated what had been said. Taavis watched him curiously, if somewhat surreptitiously. His record showed that he kept in contact with both of his parents, showing that there was no 'bad blood' between a Human and an El-Aurian when it came to being a family and accepted.

Taavis doubted that she would be able to say the same of herself. She knew her mother, and had apologized to her for many years through various means simply due to her existence. After years of doing so her mother had finally accepted her as a daughter, she and her twin, and they had formed a relationship. Her mother acknowledged her and had insisted that all other Vulcans do the same, using logic and common sense to assuage their reticence. However, if she ever encountered the Romulan who had caused her to be born...Taavis knew all too well the depths of violence she was capable of. If she ever met that creature she would give herself to the madness willingly.

"As I said, Captain..."

"Taavis," came out, causing him to stutter in his response.

"Very well," Gavin said with a slight grin. "As I said, Taavis, we will be ready."

"Thank you, Gavin." The two of them discussed particulars as they finished eating what portions satisfied the body. After the servers came and took the discarded plates away the two of them sat and continued to talk. Taavis noted that he kept staring a hole through her and it caused a bit of irritation. His gaze seemed to be focused on her chest. "What are you looking at?"

Gavin had been staring without realizing it. He had always been fascinated by Vulcans. If Gavin had to be civil to another Starfleet officer he much preferred a logical, grounded being such as a Vulcan.

Funny he had not noticed before how beautiful Taavis was. Beautiful and exotic. She did not seem as cold as most Vulcans, either. "I-" He stopped. The query left him a tad confused. "I don't know," he said.Taavis dropped her eyes to her glass, taking it up to have a sip, the eye set showing that his response was less than satisfactory in her opinion. Damn, Gavin thought, I insulted her or hurt her feelings or something. He quickly tried to reopen the conversation even as Taavis set her glass back down on the table.

"I bet I know who I'm looking at," Lasso said. "Commodore Sureth's daughter, right?"

Taavis brought her gaze back to his eyes, a penetrating stare that made his blood run cold, her fists clenched on the table top. He flinched back despite himself. He thought she was going to leap over the table and belt him one. But she straightened up and gradually relaxed her hands. "If I thought you knew what you were saying I would kill you!" It was said with vehemence, but in a quiet tone so as not to attract attention from others.

"WHAT?!" He said. "Hell, trust a Starfleet Captain to react like that. Try to give someone a compliment, and look what you get."

"A compliment!?" She said with the rasp of anger.

"Yeah." Lasso said. "Look, there aren't that many Vulcans in Starfleet; I figured you were following in your father's footsteps or something."

"Hardly," Taavis said, her voice and expression chill. "You could not offer Commodore Sureth a worse insult than to imply that he is, or ever could be, my father."

"Why?"

"I do not care to discuss it." Taavis said with a bit of finality, but he pressed on.

"Why not?" Lasso asked. "What's so awful about you?"

"One of my parents was Romulan!" she said angrily.

"Really? That's interesting. I thought you were a Vulcan."

"No." She replied.

"You look like a Vulcan to me," Lasso pressed on.

"I neither look like a Vulcan nor behave like a Vulcan, as far as other Vulcans are concerned." Taavis explained. "I do not even have a proper Vulcan name."

"I still don't see why the Commodore would be insulted because I thought you were his daughter."

Taavis tilted her head slightly. "Are you at all familiar with Vulcan sexual physiology?"

"Sure," said Lasso. "What difference does that make? They still have to reproduce, even if they only do it every seven years," Gavin grinned. "Sounds pretty boring to me."

Taavis took in what he said, a part of her brain realizing that he did, in fact, know very little about Vulcan sexuality. Ponn Far came every seven years, but couples engaged in sex with each other more frequently than other species thought. "Many Romulans find Vulcans sexually attractive. Under normal conditions, a Vulcan would not respond. But, Romulans practice both piracy and abduction, and they have chemical means of forcing prisoners to obey."

She paused, with Gavin noting that this was difficult for her, but he was fascinated.

"To lose control of of one's own mind and body-this is the ultimate humiliation," Taavis said. Most Vulcans prefer death to capture by Romulans and seldom survive if they are driven to act in a way so alien to their natures. The chance of any Vulcans surviving this ordeal is vanishingly small."

"Oh," Lasso offered.

"Romulans make a game of their cruelty. A few take the game so far as to father or conceive a child from their coercion, then compel the Vulcan woman to live long enough to bear it, or the Vulcan man to live long enough to witness its birth. That completes the humiliation and confers great social status on the Romulan." Taavis finished with her in-depth explanation, even if it was quick and to the point.

"Hey, look, my apologies," Gavin said with sincerity. I honestly meant no insult to you or the Commodore. Or, to hurt your feelings."

"You cannot hurt me, Mister Lasso," Taavis said. "But as I am not entirely Vulcan, it would be possible for me to hurt you. I would advise you to take care."

Taavis got up and walked away.

After leaving Mister Lasso, Taavis paced through the corridors, wondering what had possessed her to tell Gavin Lasso so much about her background. She had never, in all her years of service, volunteered that information to anyone else. She seldom spoke about it even with her mother. The obvious explanation, that she had wanted to make sure Lasso would never speak in a completely offensive manner about Sureth, failed to satisfy her. But, she could think of no other. Deciding she needed some meditation and organic surroundings, Taavis changed her course and headed for the arboretum.

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