|
((F.O's Office, right after the Briefing – USS Columbia))
::As he sat there, in his brand new office, Brek reflected on the mission briefing they had just been through. On the surface it had been a run-of-the-mill affair, with a lot of information to digest and preparations to make. And yet something special had also happened.::
::Old friendships or acquaintances had not been forgotten in the midst of this official briefing. Silveira was still Sil, and Taybrim was Sal. There had also been one little incident where one Ensign Kizito had arrived late at the meeting, but everyone had taken the interruption well.::
::After this late arrival Brek had found himself quite mesmerized by Kizito's hairstyle. It was truly phenomenal, and more than once he caught himself looking at it, wondering at the vanity behind this display. He made a note to ask the Ensign about that later. There was obviously a cultural trait behind this hairstyle, and it was exactly the sort of thing he liked to discover.:::
::Another unusual event, at least for him, had been when Washburn had addressed him.::
((Flashback) – Briefing Room)
::Brek had been literally lost in the reading of a PADD, catching up on all things Romulans, something he hadn't done in months, so when Washburn had interrupted him, he had almost jumped on his seat.::
Washburn:: :: sidleing quietly to the first officer:: Commander, the helm is fully operational and synced to Astrometrics. We are fully ready to go when the word is given.
Brek: ::Also talking quietly.:: Th... thank you, Lt Washburn. It's good to know. I guess it will sound all weird, but I'm actually looking forward to returning to Romulan space.
Washburn:::smiling:: no problem sir, I'm just glad we didn't have to get out and push.
::Brek grinned, and as he looked at their pilot, he realized that although he had seen Washburn's neck countless times on the Bridge, either here or on the Excalibur, it was probably the first time that he actually got to see the Terran face to face.::
Brek: ::In a whisper.:: I'm not too keen on low tech solutions either...
((End Flashback))
::Absentmindedly, wondering what the future would hold for him, Brek placed what few belonging he had, back in the exact same place that they had occupied in his office on the Excalibur.::
::First, there was his collection of white elephants, five of them, in various sizes, that he placed in two drawers. These beautiful items served as a warning that possessions can be burdensome and that he should always be careful what he decided to acquire. He liked to keep them out of sight, just for his own edification.::
::Then with great care, he placed the state picture of Senator Vreeya back in its usual position, slightly to the left, so that it would never be hidden by any pile of junk he would no doubt bring in here. An office, it needed to reflect the personality of its occupant, otherwise it gave the impression that said occupant was never there, and couldn't care less what the place looked like.::
::A few more trinkets went to the drawers, and Brek finally fetched a pile of PADDs. Then he cracked his knuckles and set out to work. Being a nosy Ferengi had his advantages and, if there was a presence around Avronis V, then he would discover it..::
::So he search, and searched, contacting Ferengis he hadn't spoken to in ages, and in the end, he stared, baffled, at the picture on his desk.::
Brek: I'll be damned. Avronis is a real garbage planet, 4212 miles of it. Why? They might have at least made an effort to mine its quartzite... Now here is a multi-purpose rock that would have attracted some trade...
::It was a futile comment of course, since, due to the high level of pollution on Avronis, the cost of exploiting anything from it would have been exorbitant. Still, in though he persisted with his idea.::
oO Now the whole area is dead, and it's no surprise that you won't find a Ferengi over there. The only thing they're gonna gain on Avronis is radiation poisoning. Oo
oO Yet Bob the Romulan he went there, didn't he? And you don't do tourism on Avronis, that's for sure... Or was he trying to escape from something? Bob could have ended up on Avronis, unaware that the planet was lethal Oo
::He mulled that over.::
oO Yet again, there might be something precious under all that garbage... Oo
::The concept stuck to his mind: Precious... And the Empire, it could do with a bit of wealth, and luck, going its way for a change...::
tbc
Lt. Cmdr Brek
F.O.
USS Columbia, NCC-85279
With Tag from Lt. JG Washburn, Helm officer, USS Columbia, NCC-85279
|