EXETERRPG: (3, 0800) CO, Captain Trip Williams [Flashback to FSCO, Lt. JG Trip Williams and FSXCO, Ens. JG Ravok]

[Will Banowsky]

Mission: A new day dawns

Day: 3

Stardate: 2446.01.30


(Earth- Home of Trip and Ashlyn Williams  – CO Cpt Trip Williams -0800)

As Trip returned from his morning jog, he wanted to chastise himself for
not sleeping in. However even though he didn't set an alarm clock his body
had woken up early so he left to go run, to clear his mind, to just sort of
refresh himself. He knew he needed to head over and pick up Ronnie, but he
thought he would wait for another hour, give her more time with her
grandparents. There was one thing that was bothering him. It was something
Tyrek had said, the Shadow Hand Syndicate. He felt like he had heard that
name before. He couldn't place it. His heart was breaking for his friend.
Ravok's father had died in an attack by Pirates, and now so too the son. It
just...didn't sit right with him. Still the name Shadow Hand Syndicate...it
sounded so familiar.

(Flashback to 2444.07.24)
(Mars Base - 1st Fighter Wing of Mars, CO’s office - FSCO, Lt. JG Trip
Williams and FSXO, Ens. SG Ravok Shara - 1300)

Trip was busy putting together a squadron roster when he heard the door
open, looking up he saw Ravok enter. Things on Mars were a bit hectic. A
week had past since the Gul Dulon incident, since a conspiracy was
uncovered within the Admiralty, and new Admirals (including Trip’s parents)
were raced to high ranking positions. It seemed like a new renaissance was
on its way. But with all that it meant that he had even more work to do to
get the 1st fighter wing of Mars up to its peak and began laying the
groundwork for a second fighter wing to be established within the next five
years. A lot of work for a 22 year old newbie.

“Hey bud, what can I do for you?”

Ravok walked over to Trips desk and laid down a PADD

" Just spent 11 hours on this report. No offense , but these new
regulations and deadlines  being enforced by the admiralty are driving me
up the wall. " He exclaimed as his hand gestured to the PADD " I'm finally
off duty."

“Want a drink? I’ve got beer.”

Ravok looked at Trip with a twisted expression.

" Do I want a beer ?" He asked, pointing to himself.

" Hell yes I want a beer." He smiled and walked over to Trips refrigeration
unit and pulled two beers out, then paused.

" Did you want one ?"

“Well I was only offering because I was gonna drink one.” Trip said with a
smile.

Ravok turned and brought the second beer over to Trip. Ravok flopped down
in a chair and cracked open his beer.

Trip sighed and took a drink from the bottle. “You know, part of the work
is vetting. After the kerfuffle the Admiralty wants to make sure that the
personnel coming in doesn’t have ties to what’s his name, old boy who
tortured Remae. So as we expand and grow, personnel transfers are gonna be
a pain in the ass. That’s Starfleet for ya.”

" Gotta love it." Ravok replied as he took a drink of the beer.

“How’s your friend by the way, the counselor, Karen, Sharon.///” Trip
paused, he had looked at so many names that he couldn’t keep them straight.
“Erin! Yeah that  its, Billy’s girlfriend. You guys are close right?”


" Ensign Cortez and I are close, yes. She's like a sister to me. She's been
through alot, hopefully she gets through this Dulon experience." Ravok
replied.
" How's Billy ? He has avoided me ever since they got together."

“Truth, kinda trapped.” He said with a sigh, “I think he was planning on
breaking up with her, but how do you do that after the girl you want to
break up with had her mind taken over, you know.”

" I've made it a point to stay out of her relationships. She is after all
her own person, isn't like Billy could hurt her like her abusive ex did.
Billy doesn't have that kind of evil inside of him.  If he feels trapped I
can only hope he finds the nerve to tell her the truth. It's the best
option for both of them." Ravok stated, he was fond of Billy and always
thought he was a good guy.

“You gonna go visit Erin? I can arrange some leave time. Send you with a
shuttle, might have you make a beer run while you’re out.”

" No, Erin needs her space. She's the type of person that if she gets
constant attention about her bad experiences she lets them weigh her down.
She knows her struggles better than anyone. After half the stuff she's been
through , she'll find away. She always does, but if she needs me I'll be
there in a heartbeat. " Ravok said with a smile.
" But I'll make a beer run faster." He laughed and took another drink.

“Hell I might join you just for the company, and to make sure you get the
good stuff.”

" You know your human alcohol, can't argue with you on that."

“How are you holding up. We haven’t really had a time to chat since things
went catawampus. First full blooded Romulan in Starfleet and you’re already
making waves. People treating you ok?”

Ravok laughed slightly and sighed.

" No one cares anymore. I think I've proven that I'm just like everyone
else. Or if they do have an opinion they simply just keep it to themselves.
I get more looks from the Romulan civilians living on mars than I do from
anyone in a starfleet uniform, but to answer your question I'm holding up
good. Baker just had his son 3 days ago, and asked me to be the child's
Godfather. I understand it's a tremendous honor. How about you and all of
this ?" Ravok asked, motioning his hand around the room.

“Honestly, dude, I feel like I’m just here to do the grunt work and
eventually they’ll send the competent guy and shuffle me over to a
Starship. I kinda, I feel like a phony sometimes.”

" No way. You've done so much here. Throw rank to the side. You're 22 and
you've achieved more than most would in your situation."

“Like, I dunno, like I’m just a pretender. But oh well, guess I’ll keep
doing my best, right.”

Ravok smiled.

" Who knows, you may even get your command someday. Might be a small ship,
or maybe you'll get assigned to lead the flight crews of one of those new
ships they're currently building. "

“Who knows, I just….I need to keep moving I guess. Just am afraid I’ll lose
myself to it all. They’re asking a lot of us newbies. I mean look at you,
you’re the FSXO, I mean that ain't nothing. Who knows, you might be the one
getting your ship first.”

Ravok laughed and shook his head.

" No way man, I may have been in the top 5 percent of our graduating class,
but you were number 2 behind a Vulcan, and my grades were better than the
valedictorian of the previous class and you even smoked me. You have
something the rest of us simply don't have or if we do I haven't seen it
yet."


“I’m no different or better than you. We don’t know what it was that gave
me this job. Hell, could have been that I arrived on Mars first, could be
that I have the right last name, or the right combination of species. But
you and I, we’re different, because all beings are different, but that
doesn’t mean I’m some super soldier or better than you.”

Ravok took another drink.

" Well the admiral certainly saw something in you before the battle of the
kaiser belt. Something he didn't see in me."

“You’ll get your chance to show everyone who you are.”

Ravok thought for a moment.

" The thing about that is I don't even know who I am. I battle everyday
with ups and downs. Fear, sadness, happiness, and worst of all anger. Don't
even get me started on that." He laughed.

“Don’t worry, I’m not here to poke the bear.” Trip said with a smile.

" I never got to know my birth mother and everything I asked my father
about her he would just tell me not to mention her and if I wanted to spend
time with him , he sent me to go find my step mother and no offense to her
but that last thing an angry child vying for attention needs is a klingon
warrior teaching him how to deal with those emotions." Ravok recalled.

“How did you cope?”

Ravok looked down and rubbed his forehead, smiling slightly then glanced
back up at Trip.
" I never really have, I mean I kinda did in a way. I basically developed
the "I'll show him" mentality. The first chance I got I sent my application
into starfleet academy and then told him once I got accepted. He was pissed
and for some reason that made me feel better about my decision, but the
euphoria didn't last long…I always thought that one day he'd see that I
made something of myself, but fate had other plans when those pirates
murdered him.  Now I'm left with this feeling of unresolved tension with a
man who never treated me like a son , but more like a burden. I don't
know…" Ravok explained and took another sip of his beer.

“Well I hope you didn’t follow through with graduating and becoming an
officer just to piss him off.” Trip said with a laugh.

Ravok laughed.

" No , he was actually happy at my graduation,  but I think that was
because Erin gave him alcohol , Dad was a happy drunk ."

“How are you doing with his death. I know you found out he died, and then
the next day we had to go fight a different group of pirates. Then off to
Trill. Then Gul Dulon. Have you had time to process. I know I gave you a
day off but I can give you more time.”

Ravok shook his head and shrugged his shoulders.
" I dealt with it at his funeral service. No amount of time off or
counseling sessions will allow me to speak my peace with a dead man. It's
something I have to live with. Keira...Ensign Merek told me to take it one
day at a time and approaching it that way has helped. So that's what I'm
doing. She's been amazing so far. All of you have."

“Good. I’ll admit that when we left for the Kuiper belt you might take some
of those frustrations out on the pirates. Even though from the intel we’ve
gotten looks, like different groups. Intel I got said the Pirates who
attacked your family call themselves the Shadowed Hand Syndicate.”

Ravok took a big gulp of his beer.
" Well if I get the chance to cross them again , I'll make sure to take my
remaining frustration out on them. " Ravok smiled a half heartedly smile.
" I did some crazy stuff in that battle. We all did , but I went into it
with no fear. It's like the anger gave me the focus I needed. Like that
battle was where I was supposed to be. The getting stabbed part sucked, but
I saved Baker.  And now he has a new child. That kid doesn’t have to grow
up without a parent. I guess good things can come from tragedy."

“Yeah. I ummm, stopped by to visit Petrova while I was on Earth. See how
she was. She doesn’t blame me for her injury. But she was pretty pissed
that within a month or so of her accident I had begun dating someone else.
But I mean we only spent one night together, but….well Ash is special.”

" How is Petrova? Is she coming back ?"

“It looks like Petrova isn't coming back to Mars any time in the near
future. Which is a shame, she deserves to be here and built this with us.”

" I don't think she would have fit the dynamic we have now. Things would be
entirely different with her here. I mean the woman carried around a stick
and always wore leather gloves. Greta is hot headed but atleast I don't
have to worry about getting hit with a stick, " Ravok laughed.

"thoughts on my new copilot Ronnie. She's nice, seems kinda awkward at
times. Always asking about things between Ash and me."

Ravok laughed.

" Umm " He rubbed the back of his head.
" Well she's.." He took a deep breath.
" She's a fine officer, but she looks at you with puppy dog eyes and always
finds an excuse to be where you are. I wouldn't be surprised if she jumped
out of the floor right now." He laughed.

"I don't think she's that bad." Trip said with a smile.

Ravok smiled.

"seriously though,  you should go visit Sharon Cortez."

" Erin, but I understand the mistake." Ravok said , correcting him.

"Right, my bad, Erin." Trip said, "I'll get it eventually."

" You have enough to worry about here. Knowing the name of some counselor
isn't and shouldn't be at the top of your priority list, but about going to
see her. I don't think that's a good idea. "

"She's your sister, man."

" Look, keep this between us but she keeps begging me to perform the Zhal
Makh ritual on her. I love her to death, but I'm doing that to her head
again. "

"Well the good news is right now you'd need a doctor to sign off on it, and
they won't."

" I know I know. "

"if you were in the hospital, would she visit you?"

Ravok sat up in his chair.
" Yes but her visiting me wouldn't cause a detriment to my mental health.
Erin is relentless on her quest to dig into her own mind. I had the doctors
arrange to send me updates on her progress , I think for now she just needs
her time. "

"Ravok, just go. You may regret it later. That's just me. But I think your
face will do more good than harm. But that's just me."

" You are just as relentless as her, I swear." Ravok laughed and rubbed
hisbhand on his face.
" I'll go tomorrow. Ensign Merek and I have a date tonight and she promised
to wear her little black dress and I don't care , I'm not gonna pass that
up. " Ravoks face turned green as blood flushed his cheeks.

"get some." Trip said with a smile.

Ravok laughed.
" What about you and Ash? What are you guys doing tonight ?

'Going to go out with my sister actually. A little sibling bonding time. If
I finish my paperwork that is."

" That will be nice. I know you guys share a mind link or whatever you call
it. Do you two ever just not talk and just let your minds do the work ?  I
only ask out of sheer fascination and envy of people with your gifts."

"Depends. It's helpful for gossip." Trip smiled. "Anyways, I need to get
back to work. Take care bud."

Ravok stood up and finished his beer.

"And Ravok, go visit Erin."

" I will tomorrow, I promise. Oh and if you need help with your work our
friend Ire is currently up in orbit drifting around and doing his zero-g
thing. I think a little paperwork for him is fair...plus it lowers the risk
of another crash. " Ravok laughed.
" I'm kidding."

"I'll keep that in mind."

" Take care and thank you for the beer and...well everything. " Ravok said
with a smile.

(End Flashback)

As Trip entered the kitchen and took his bottle of water out of the fridge,
it hit him. He remembered. An offhand moment in a conversation, a name
written on an intel report. The Shadow Hand Syndicate, they were the Pirate
fleet that killed Ravok's father. Ravok had always struggled to keep his
anger in check, but it seemed that the academy had helped him cope, to help
him build that support network. Yet with that gone, in his state, with his
inhibitions twisted, that anger had returned.

~That was it, wasn't old friend. The dam holding back your anger finally
broke. They didn't go after you, you went after them, you wanted vengeance,
and you.....you paid the price.~

(reply none)
(posted by Will and Rob)
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