Nazgul #1 New Officer/New Purpose

Posted on Thu Mar 28th, 2024 @ 2:29am by Captain Taavis & Captain Tore Bjorgo
Edited on on Wed Apr 3rd, 2024 @ 5:27pm

Mission: NAZGUL: {CD&MISSION} Reflections of Shadows
Location: M-69
Timeline: current

ON:

Captain Bjorgo, finally able to get some time alone after seeing to his ship and the docking, casually walked along the Promenade, along the upper level. He like the highest level of the Promenade because it provided a spectacular view of the lagoon nebula all around them, and everything else in-between. The large, panoramic windows did wonders for the view, providing this wonderous sight for all to enjoy. Coming to a stop, Tore crossed his arms over his chest and stood staring out into the vast abyss of space, contemplating various thoughts as he did so, absently playing with his whiskers and rubbing his chin occasionally as he did so.

"An ounce of latinum for your thoughts?"

Bjorgo, his ears and mind coming to the conclusion that the female voice had spoken to him, turned his face slightly to the right to see the woman behind the tone. A tone he recognized the moment she had spoken. He gave a friendly nod in greeting. "Captain Taavis."

"Captain Bjorgo," she said in return. Standing to Taavis's right was a stunning woman, equal in height to the intrepid Captain.

Being who he was, Bjorgo turned to face the two, dropping his hands to his sides. "As for the latinum, no thanks. With some of the things I've seen in my life there isn't enough latinum in the galaxy that would justify giving someone else PTSD over telling them about it." He chuckled. His eyes went back to the face of the beautiful woman accompanying Captain Taavis. Her eyes were like emeralds. A deep, vibrant green that seemed to draw one in, with a casual set that made her seem like nothing could shake her. Confidence, but not arrogant. Assured, but not overbearing. Her skin was a light olive complexion and appeared to have no blemishes anywhere, her face full but thin with a strong jawline. Her lips were full and he found himself wondering for a brief moment what it would feel like to kiss them. Of course, as fast as that thought came into his head, he shoved it right back out the other side. He gave the stranger a nod, seeing her Lieutenant JG pips, before his eyes went back to Taavis. Just before his eyes left her face after nodding he caught a surreptitious, lascivious look in her eyes, backed by a slight grin and the ever-so-slight raising of the eyebrows. A one-time eyebrow wag that said 'you interest me'. However, above all that, was her hair. Her hair was black. So dark that it seemed it would blot out the light of a sun with how thick it looked, yet flowed effortlessly along her shoulders. Along with the depth of darkness to her locks, she seemed to have applied a light dusting of glitter to it, evenly distributed so that it was not too much and not all in one spot. But, with his Augment eyes, it looked as though the glitter substance was a part of her hair, not an addition to it.

With all that running through his mind, Bjorgo continued to address the Fleet Captain. "Is there something I can do for you, Taavis?"

"As a matter of fact, there is." Taavis stepped in, with her subordinate doing the same. After the initial greetings they could now stand as a group and speak on a more casual basis. "This is Lieutenant Qeritas, newly arrived to M-69. She has been slotted to serve aboard the Nazgul as per your request."

"My request?" Tore gave her a questioning look as he took the PADD from her and spun it around to read for himself.

Taavis continued as she held her hands behind her back. "Yes, Captain. You requested an officer specialized in communications, and Lieutenant Qeritas is that officer."

Bjorgo, having done some speed reading on the woman's file, and seeing she was El-Aurian, handed the PADD back to Taavis as his eyes met those emerald orbs of hers. "Lieutenant Qeritas, a pleasure." He shook her hand and as his hand went to pull back he felt the slightest tightening of his flesh, another brief moment where this woman showed her interest in the Captain for more than just a CO, allowing their flesh to linger together more so than a mere, friendly handshake. That piqued his curiosity, therefore he did not call her out on it. Since she was assigned to him that conversation could wait until he had her in his domain, in his Ready Room, and could relay to her what was expected. For now, another lieutenant survives the day. "Have you moved your belongings to the Nazgul?"

"Not yet, Captain." Qeritas said. Her face was now set in a subordinate-to-superior expression. All hints of teasing or playfulness were now gone. "The Captain said we should find you first before I begin to move. Something about you not liking surprises?"

Taavis gave Tore a psuedo-innocent grin, as if such a thing had never been said. "You tend to not like it when Starfleet makes changes to your ship without consultation. So, here is your consultation."

"Look," said Qeritas, holding up a hand briefly. "I'll go stand over there and let you two work this out. Captains." She gave a nod of respect, locking her own hands behind her back, and strode away to stand in front of another large window a few meters away.

The two Captains remained where they were, with Tore watching the junior officer move around them to provide them some privacy. Not that it was necessary. "Interesting officer. A bit...casual, but nothing that can't be managed."

Taavis agreed, showing through body language that she had some agreement with that statement. "I believe you can quell that bit of her, Captain. Upon our first meeting I had the same observation. Logically, it should be expected. There is no record of her age since she refused to give an age when she entered Starfleet. So, let us assume she is at least a century old, and has seen far more than you and I. That kind of wandering, living different lives for hundreds of years, would leave an indelible mark on an individual and affect their character. Nothing that cannot be overcome with time."

Bjorgo gave a smiling shrug. "True enough. Alright, Captain, get her paperwork together and send it to Nazgul. Also, she is a comm officer, but she is wearing a red shirt. Is she trained in the Command Division?"

"She is," Taavis said. "Her initial training is in strategic operations, and due to her species and the number of languages she speaks, she cross-trained in communications. It is an excellent choice since such skills are paramount in strategic operations, and made her quite effective as a code breaker and interpreter. It is in her file, but Starfleet has counted, so far, 37 languages she can speak, read, write, and understand. This is why I sent for her upon your request to reinstitute the communications post on your Bridge, leaving tactical to deal with tactical. Out here, on the edge of the unknown, she may prove useful."

"All my officers are useful, Captain." Bjorgo said. It was not said lightly, and there was no hint of dissatisfaction with what she had said. As a Commanding Officer Captain Bjorgo was a man who believed that every crew member was essential until they proved otherwise. If that day came then he would transfer them and pick up another. He did not play games when it came to his ship and how it was commanded. To use an old expression; they were all in the same boat. A tin can zooming through space at faster-than-light speeds, with dangers aplenty that could end them all in but a moment. If the Nazgul were to blow up, with all hands on board, then no amount of Eugenics within his body could save him. It was not just a ship and crew. It was a home and a family. "I trust your judgement, Taavis. As I said, I'm glad to have her. Send her transfer orders to the Security kiosk at the gangway, and they will have someone there to escort her to her new quarters and show her around."

Taavis tapped her PADD for a few moments and then looked passed Tore. "Lieutenant?"

Qeritas turned her head and looked over, seeing both the Captains looking at her. Of course, she had heard every word they had had to say to each other, and internally found it all quite amusing. But, one had to be patient, so she waited for the simpletons to conclude...whatever. So, as her rank was called out, and after turning her head, she then made her way back over. "So, Captains, am I hired, or do you need a molar and urine sample?"

Bjorgo arched an eyebrow, gave a crooked smile with tongue in cheek, suddenly liking this woman and her unique style and approach. Yes, he would work on her subtle disdain for authority figures, but her cynical attitude would be welcome on Nazgul since it was an unwritten pre-requisite to being assigned that one had to have a certain amount of sarcasm, cynicism, and a belly for humor. "Those are required, yes." Bjorgo answered, his smile still there as his eyes got that mirthful sparkle. "Doctor Sheyla will be performing the molar removal, and if you can't handle it yourself, she'll even hold the cup for you."

Without missing a beat this Lieutenant Qeritas fired right back. "What? No wooden bucket for me to squat on? Captain, I'm disappointed."

Taavis remained stoic, observing the two. At this point she gave up all pretense of controlling her emotions and grinned at the sparring match.

Tore gave a chuckle, once again shaking hands with Qeritas. "Welcome aboard, Lieutenant. I may live to regret this but we'll know soon enough won't we?"

"Captain," Qeritas said with all seriousness. "You will get nothing but the best from me, Sir. You have my word. I tend to be more liberal in my attitude when it comes to rank. Please, do not misunderstand. All officers I meet, I judge. I have met morons who should not be in positions of power, and I have met geniuses that are being kept in low positions because the officer above them either knows the right people or, is the progeny of some uppity asshat who got to be a flag officer by kissing ass, not kissing babies."

"Whoa!" Taavis said in a low tone, this time sporting a big smile. "Not many officers have the chutzpah to speak so plainly. Looks like you have your hands full, Tore."

"Chutzpah?" Bjorgo asked, chuckling. "Are you a Jewish Vulcan now, Taavis?"

Before Taavis could answer, Qeritas raised her right hand and wiggled it to get their attention. "Hello? Remember me?" The waving hand turned into a lazy pointer as she motioned back and forth at the two of them casually. "If you two need to have a discussion could I be dismissed? I do have quarters to arrange."

Once again Bjorgo grinned, nodding at his newest officer. "Of course, Lieutenant. My apologies. Please, feel free to depart and report aboard." Qeritas thanked him and walked away. "She's unique that's for sure. I appreciate you sending her my way, Taavis."

"I fulfilled a request for one of my captains, nothing more." Taavis said, her own grins and smiles now back under more control. "Also, one does not have to be Jewish to understand Yiddish." She then reached out and got him walking, stepping in beside him as they went. "This is coming at a bad time, I know, but it has to be addressed."

"I'm not going to like this, am I?" He asked.

"That remains to be seen," Taavis answered honestly. "While you were out dealing with the Gola, which Peel is dealing with now, you came upon the other species. These Duran Folk. You aided them, saw to their illnesses and injuries, and Nazgul provided Starfleet Medical with a full rundown of their physiology. The Federation has heard rumors of these Halflings, as you nicknamed them, and their appearance on the galactic trade routes is becoming more commonplace. And, according to your own logs and reports by ship and crew, their home world is not too far within the unknown regions. Is that a fair assessment of the situation?"

"It is," Bjorgo said, looking over at her. "We've been home for a week now, with Nazgul just now getting buttoned up after the maintenance cycle. If you're trying to prepare me for another mission, Captain, the build-up is unnecessary. What do you and the higher ups require?"

Taavis gave a few nods of agreement as he had been speaking. "Fair enough, Tore. We need friends out here. As many as can be had. Therefore, Starfleet Command and the Federation Council would like for you to go out and find the Duran Folk. Discover their location, their star system, all that. This is not something that we just suddenly decided, either. After you sent them back to their ship and headed home, the Federation was contacted by the Duran Folk. It seems that you and the crew of the USS Nazgul left an impression on Captain Janell and her people. They would very much like to discuss, as they put it, friendship." She paused a moment, tilting her head as a memory corrected itself. "Wait, not the right word. The word used was; fellowship. Not friendship."

Bjorgo got them to stop and face each other, presenting that ingratiating grin of his. "Taavis, I will gladly meet with them. Our first meeting was quite enjoyable, and my crew felt the same. They are a pleasant people, full of life and laughter. Not something we find much of out here. Who's the diplomat being assigned?"

Taavis gave a slight tilt to her head, an eyebrow arching slightly. "That would be you, Captain. You and your entire crew. The Duran Folk asked that your ship be the one to come and visit, and asked for you specifically to speak with in regards to diplomacy."

"Wow, I'm touched," Bjorgo responded, meaning it. "I didn't realize we had made that much of an impression by just being ourselves. We'll depart as soon as everyone is aboard and our supplies are stowed. Give us, say, 24 hours."

"No rush, Tore." Taavis said. "Leave when you're ready. I'll send word to the Diplomatic Corps that you will be attending the meeting with the Duran Folk. The coordinates for their star system will be sent to your ship, encoded. They were very specific in their request that their home system remain off of all star charts. We have yet to determine why, and another reason why we need you to go out there and partake in fellowship."

"I'll use good judgement, Taavis." Tore assured her.

Taavis gave him an even gaze. "I have no doubts. Anyway, I have an office to get back to. After you are free and clear from docking I'll contact you. Until then, have a good day."

Bjorgo watched her walk away then dropped his chin to his chest in thought, grinning to himself. The Duran Folk were nothing like any other species he had met before. Like Resch had said upon first meeting them; the Nazgul was the first Federation starship to have ever hosted a Hobbit congregation. That made Tore grin to himself again. Shaking his head with those fond memories within, the Captain of the USS Nazgul began to make his way through M-69 and back to his ship.

OFF: