Judgement – In Nulla Sint...
by Arrival Augustus Cyphadrus & Ambassador Cala Lurn
Post Details
ON:
The turbolift opened to a pristine corridor filled with regal looking characters scurrying across the halls from room to room, appearing busy. Augustus had been on this station for barely a day and already the Diplomatic Corps insisted he pay them a visit.
An crowd of people began to scurry into the turbolift. Before he could make his way to the front, the doors had closed. He wasn't used to these overpopulated space stations. He shouted over the cacophony of voices towards the lift controls, "Open the doors, this is my stop!" Someone he couldn't see heard his plea and obliged him. He quickly squeezed his way out and onto the fifty-ninth deck.
Looking back and forth at the labels on the doors, none of them hinted to his destination. He attempted to catch the attention of passersby, but nobody allowed him to interrupt their rhythm. He gave up and gently grabbed a small Efrosian woman's arm, stopping her in her tracks as if someone just held a phaser to her back.
"Can I help you?" She inquired.
Augustus replied with a quizzical expression dominating his face, "I'm looking for the office of the Federation Envoy."
"It's the last door on your left before the turbolift. The secretary will be able to help you further." She then disappeared through one of the doors.
His powers of observation had been noticeably stunted since he arrived on Deep Space Five. All the stress of the past few months combined with the total lack of privacy on this station had him on edge.
As soon as he entered the lobby of the office the secretary looked up and asked, "Are you Ambassador Lurn's eleven thirty?"
He only nodded in affirmation.
"You're two minutes late. She is waiting for you in her office." Augustus looked left and right down the short hallway for any signs that hinted to the correct door.
"Last office down the hall." He looked at her with a mild look of relief and proceeded down the hallway.
As he entered the office, a pair of dark brown eyes diverted gaze from a monitor to his. The massive desk behind which this woman sat left a lot to the imagination. What he could see though was easy on the eyes. His attention immediately returned to her face when she spoke up.
Cala stood up from her desk as a man entered her office without knocking. "You must be Captain Augustus Cyphadrus," she stated kindly. She had received recent news about his circumstances, "Please Captain take a seat." Then she pointed out a seat for him to take. Once he took his seat, judging by his posture she knew he wasn't all that happy for the situation at hand.
She sat back down in her seat and folded her hands as she leaned forward on her desk. "I'm going to be frank with you Captain," she sighed before continuing, "I regret that I was ordered to tell you that you're temporarily relieved of duty until you are considered mentally fit for command again."
Augustus was extremely confused. He was speaking to a diplomat, not a senior officer. These orders must've been passed down from high up the chain of command, probably someone at Starfleet Medical that hated dealing with the brass. Still, it didn't change the fact this whole situation was ridiculous.
"What? Are you telling me that a textbook case of survivor's guilt makes me unfit for command? Lesser men than I have come back from the brink, why coddle me?" He shifted in his chair as he tried to figure out exactly what was happening. "Who gave this order?"
Cala could sense his frustration and she didn't want to make the situation worse than it already was, "Please Captain, this is for the best."
"I don't need a damned ambassador to tell me what's best!"
Cala quickly closed her mouth. She could relate to his situation. Losing everyone you cared for to the Borg was nightmarish. She shared his hatred.
The man, defeated, sat back in his chair and sighed. "My apologies Ambassador..." He quickly looked at the gold encrusted nameplate on the woman's desk, "Lurn. I know you had nothing to do with this decision. I also know that there is nothing someone in your position could do to help me."
He sighed again and pulled on the restricting collar of his now inappropriate uniform. Before his hands found the armrests again, they began to remove the command pips that had hung there with distinction for almost a decade. "I was hoping to do this as a sign of defiance to a clearly out-of-his-mind superior, but surrendering them to a member of the diplomatic corps will have to do."
As they hit the desk, the pips carelessly rolled into PADDs and one was even so bold as to stop against Lurn's arm on the desk. Looking at nothing in particular, Augustus addressed the Ambassador, "You of all people should understand what it means to lose everything to the Borg." He then looked straight into her eyes, "The Federation needs people like you and me. It needs people that won't let their guard down to the Borg again."
Cala looked down at the pins and picked them up and held them in her hands. "Yes I know what it's like. Because of them my race is scarce. But there is no need to forget why we do what we do here in the Federation."
Augustus stood up and looked down at the small woman, "If their collective mind wandered from conquering the Federation, the assimilation of the Athena sure as hell reminded them they have unfinished business in Sector 001. DS5 will be their first stop."
Cala nodded her head towards him and replied, "It'll be the last if we have anything to say about it." She stood up from her seat and walked around her desk and faced him. He had beautiful green eyes and she could see the pain and loss in them. She then placed a hand on his shoulder and continued, "Some day the Borg will be eliminated from this universe and I hope we live to see that day." She then lowered her hand back to her side.
"Well I hope you're right, for all our sakes." He headed for the door, but stopped and turned back just as it opened, "Look, I'm sorry if I brought up a sensitive topic for you. I figured an El-Aurian would be good at listening. Lemme make it up to you and buy you a drink sometime." Silence befell the room. "Sleep on it." Augustus then left the office, the secretary giving him a slight glare as he made his way back to the turbolift.
Cala watched the man leave. Once he left sadness filled her spirit as she looked down at the pips in her hand. Deep within her, she wanted to seek justice for the deaths on the Athena as well as for her people.
Ambassador Cala Lurn
Envoy
DS5
&
Augustus Cyphadrus
Civilian
DS5
by Arrival Augustus Cyphadrus & Ambassador Cala Lurn
Post Details
| Title | In Nulla Sint... | |
| Mission | Judgement | |
| Author(s) | Arrival Augustus Cyphadrus & Ambassador Cala Lurn | |
| Posted | Mon Jul 11, 2011 @ 5:03am | |
| Location | Deck 59, Federation Representatives' Offices | |
| Timeline | Stardate 62525.4 |
The turbolift opened to a pristine corridor filled with regal looking characters scurrying across the halls from room to room, appearing busy. Augustus had been on this station for barely a day and already the Diplomatic Corps insisted he pay them a visit.
An crowd of people began to scurry into the turbolift. Before he could make his way to the front, the doors had closed. He wasn't used to these overpopulated space stations. He shouted over the cacophony of voices towards the lift controls, "Open the doors, this is my stop!" Someone he couldn't see heard his plea and obliged him. He quickly squeezed his way out and onto the fifty-ninth deck.
Looking back and forth at the labels on the doors, none of them hinted to his destination. He attempted to catch the attention of passersby, but nobody allowed him to interrupt their rhythm. He gave up and gently grabbed a small Efrosian woman's arm, stopping her in her tracks as if someone just held a phaser to her back.
"Can I help you?" She inquired.
Augustus replied with a quizzical expression dominating his face, "I'm looking for the office of the Federation Envoy."
"It's the last door on your left before the turbolift. The secretary will be able to help you further." She then disappeared through one of the doors.
His powers of observation had been noticeably stunted since he arrived on Deep Space Five. All the stress of the past few months combined with the total lack of privacy on this station had him on edge.
As soon as he entered the lobby of the office the secretary looked up and asked, "Are you Ambassador Lurn's eleven thirty?"
He only nodded in affirmation.
"You're two minutes late. She is waiting for you in her office." Augustus looked left and right down the short hallway for any signs that hinted to the correct door.
"Last office down the hall." He looked at her with a mild look of relief and proceeded down the hallway.
As he entered the office, a pair of dark brown eyes diverted gaze from a monitor to his. The massive desk behind which this woman sat left a lot to the imagination. What he could see though was easy on the eyes. His attention immediately returned to her face when she spoke up.
Cala stood up from her desk as a man entered her office without knocking. "You must be Captain Augustus Cyphadrus," she stated kindly. She had received recent news about his circumstances, "Please Captain take a seat." Then she pointed out a seat for him to take. Once he took his seat, judging by his posture she knew he wasn't all that happy for the situation at hand.
She sat back down in her seat and folded her hands as she leaned forward on her desk. "I'm going to be frank with you Captain," she sighed before continuing, "I regret that I was ordered to tell you that you're temporarily relieved of duty until you are considered mentally fit for command again."
Augustus was extremely confused. He was speaking to a diplomat, not a senior officer. These orders must've been passed down from high up the chain of command, probably someone at Starfleet Medical that hated dealing with the brass. Still, it didn't change the fact this whole situation was ridiculous.
"What? Are you telling me that a textbook case of survivor's guilt makes me unfit for command? Lesser men than I have come back from the brink, why coddle me?" He shifted in his chair as he tried to figure out exactly what was happening. "Who gave this order?"
Cala could sense his frustration and she didn't want to make the situation worse than it already was, "Please Captain, this is for the best."
"I don't need a damned ambassador to tell me what's best!"
Cala quickly closed her mouth. She could relate to his situation. Losing everyone you cared for to the Borg was nightmarish. She shared his hatred.
The man, defeated, sat back in his chair and sighed. "My apologies Ambassador..." He quickly looked at the gold encrusted nameplate on the woman's desk, "Lurn. I know you had nothing to do with this decision. I also know that there is nothing someone in your position could do to help me."
He sighed again and pulled on the restricting collar of his now inappropriate uniform. Before his hands found the armrests again, they began to remove the command pips that had hung there with distinction for almost a decade. "I was hoping to do this as a sign of defiance to a clearly out-of-his-mind superior, but surrendering them to a member of the diplomatic corps will have to do."
As they hit the desk, the pips carelessly rolled into PADDs and one was even so bold as to stop against Lurn's arm on the desk. Looking at nothing in particular, Augustus addressed the Ambassador, "You of all people should understand what it means to lose everything to the Borg." He then looked straight into her eyes, "The Federation needs people like you and me. It needs people that won't let their guard down to the Borg again."
Cala looked down at the pins and picked them up and held them in her hands. "Yes I know what it's like. Because of them my race is scarce. But there is no need to forget why we do what we do here in the Federation."
Augustus stood up and looked down at the small woman, "If their collective mind wandered from conquering the Federation, the assimilation of the Athena sure as hell reminded them they have unfinished business in Sector 001. DS5 will be their first stop."
Cala nodded her head towards him and replied, "It'll be the last if we have anything to say about it." She stood up from her seat and walked around her desk and faced him. He had beautiful green eyes and she could see the pain and loss in them. She then placed a hand on his shoulder and continued, "Some day the Borg will be eliminated from this universe and I hope we live to see that day." She then lowered her hand back to her side.
"Well I hope you're right, for all our sakes." He headed for the door, but stopped and turned back just as it opened, "Look, I'm sorry if I brought up a sensitive topic for you. I figured an El-Aurian would be good at listening. Lemme make it up to you and buy you a drink sometime." Silence befell the room. "Sleep on it." Augustus then left the office, the secretary giving him a slight glare as he made his way back to the turbolift.
Cala watched the man leave. Once he left sadness filled her spirit as she looked down at the pips in her hand. Deep within her, she wanted to seek justice for the deaths on the Athena as well as for her people.
Ambassador Cala Lurn
Envoy
DS5
&
Augustus Cyphadrus
Civilian
DS5