JL | Fleet Admiral Blyx & Captain Jorgun | "Left in the Cold"

Posted on 241707.26 @ 3:11am by Fleet Admiral Blyx Red & Commodore Jorgun

Mission: Reconciliation & Reconstruction [Fleet Plot]

=/\= Captain's Ready Room, USS Constance NCC-28774-C =/\=

Jorgun sat at his desk going over his transfer orders as he made preparations to disembark once the ship arrived at Cold Station Theta. His first officer, Commander William Stinson would be taking temporary command of Constance for her return trip to Earth where she would be re-crewed and sent to Utopia Planetia for a massive refit. Jorgun's first officer was a capable commander and Jorgun had recommended him for promotion and a command of his own last month during the officer's annual review. All that could be done from this desk in this ready room had been and Jorgun was ready when the Conn alerted him of their arrival at Cold Station Theta.

The station was large, an outpost at the edge of Federation space catering to the mandate of exploration. It reminded Jorgun of Deep Space 9 in many ways. This island amongst the stars housed the offices of the Cheydinhall Sector Commander. Jorgun had been ordered to report directly to Fleet Admiral Blyx Red upon docking for reassignment. He had never met the Admiral, nor had he spent any time in the Cheydinhall Sector. To Jorgun it seemed like he was being put out to pasture in the black hole of Starfleet. Prior to his last mission, he had thought he would be a career captain retaining command of the Constance for the foreseeable future. Now his future was uncertain and if he was honest with himself, it scared the shit out of him.

“Docking protocol, Commander Stinson.” Jorgun said as he sat down in the Captain’s chair for possibly the last time.

“Cold Station Theta, this is USS Constance requesting permission to dock.” Said Commander Stinson.

“USS Constance, you are cleared to dock. Please proceed to docking ring six.” The computerized female voice of the station computer responded.

The whole maneuver took less than fifteen minutes. When the docking clamps engaged and the airlock hissed open, Jorgun stood. “Commander Stinson, I am ready to be relieved.” Jorgun felt twinges of sadness ripple through his mind, pulling at him.

Commander Stinson walked up to his commanding officer and friend. “Sir, I am ready to relieve you.” Stinson offered a salute.

Jorgun returned the salute then dropped it and held out his hand to shake Stinson’s. “I stand relieved, Commander.” The two men shook hands wishing each other well.

Jorgun made a quick trip to his quarters, gathered his few personal effects and made haste to the deck eight air lock. He was piped off as he stepped into the air lock and chills ran down his spine. Six years ago, when he had taken this command, he thought of it as a temporary assignment. Now, leaving it for the last time he felt he was leaving home again. The doors into Cold Station Theta hissed as Jorgun approached them, sliding effortlessly open.

=/\= Cold Station Theta =/\=

Docking ring six opened into a passageway leading around the outer ring of the station. Jorgun's destination was at its heart. He made his way to the turbo lift and said, "Sector Commander’s Office." The lift whirred to life as it made its way toward its destination.

Change. It was six letters that should have somehow been able to be whittled on down to four with the way it left such a rancid taste in the woman's mouth. Blyx wasn't a fan of it, to say the least, having long ago found pleasure with the status quo that had come along with fixing the station. It was comfortable, though comfortable wasn't an adjective she'd ever thought she'd use when describing the old Cardassian inspired fixture in space. Sure. It would still be hers in the grand scheme of things, and her agenda would continue to be fulfilled - albeit from an entirely new perspective. "I expect Versailles' status report on my desk by noon," the raven maned woman sighed, her lips pursing in displeasure as she sat deeper into the confines of her chair. The Yeoman, a young female Telerite tasked with keeping her on schedule, merely nodded. Some things just weren't worth fighting over, some battles not meant to be waged, lost, or won. In this kind of mood, Blyx Red was a dangerously snappish little... Thing. "Oh. One more thing," The Telerite's swine-like snout twitched as she paused at the sound of the human woman's voice, "Vindicator. I need to know when Vindicator will be launching to return to our sector. I'm not pleased with how long this has gone on. That is all."

Jorgun stepped into the Fleet Admiral's outer-office just as a smallish Telerite woman closed the door to the inner office. Jorgun waited for her to notice him but when she did not, he cleared his throat and said, "Captain Jorgun, here to see Fleet Admiral Red." His voice was deep and rhythmic but possessed an undeniable air of command. His uniform was perfectly tailored and pressed. It fit him like a glove and highlighted every bulbous muscle in his chest.

"You picked a fine time to arrive," The Telerite tutted her tongue at him with a shake of her head. The sound of PADDs being rifled through until she found the two she was hunting for was all that would hang in the air for another two or three minutes, though she'd occasionally sneak a peek at the emerald skinned man. "I'd ask if someone sent you up here for other reasons, but I read your dossier this morning." She grunted and rounded her desk to thrust the two PADDs into Jorgun's massive chest, "You bring these to her. Let them be your peace offering. She's been waiting for you all morning." With that, she smiled and patted the man on the shoulder. It was rare to see an Orion male in this sector, let alone at all, big beasts that they were. With a little luck, he'd survive the wrath of the Shrike he'd find stargazing on the other side of those doors.

Having left the confines of her desk, Blyx had once more found herself drawn to the view outside of her office windows. Somewhere out there was the Vindicator and with it her son and niece. Aine, her daughter, would be far far away, teaching at the Academy back in San Francisco. In effect, Blyx had been left in the cold to save and preserve Starfleet's finest asset; the unknown. It would continue that way, but with a bit of a roadblock. One that she could feel materialize behind her, heralded by the sound of her office door opening and closing. "Safe travels?" she asked from over her shoulder, catching sight of the Orion behind her.

After entering, Jorgun snapped to attention and saluted with professional ease. The admiral addressed him without even turning around. "Yes, Ma'am. The trip was uneventful." Jorgun studied the small dark haired woman from across her office. He couldn't shake the feeling that something was coming, and right now it felt like it was coming from her.

"The Yeoman asked me to bring you these reports, Ma'am Jorgun said as he dropped his salute. He did not want to move toward her because he could tell from this distance he would tower over her and the last thing he wanted was to put her on her guard from the get go. "My orders are rather vague, Ma'am. Starfleet said I was to report to you for reassignment?" Jorgun had no doubt the assignment would be less than career advancing. How could it be anything else in the dark depths of the quadrant?

"At ease, Captain. I'm glad that your journey was... comfortable." Blyx chose her word with a slight sigh. Turning to study him head on, she couldn't help but admire his physique. "They can find their way to my desk all the same." She replied, gesturing to the aforementioned piece of furniture with the gentle wiggle of fingers and quick dart of her eyes in its direction. They would have to wait until she was done with whatever it was, this was. As of yet, she'd still not been ready or able to define it and truly doubted she ever would.

Drawing breath she spoke again, this time well aware that the Orion was sizing her up and studying her much in the same way she was doing him. Would he be capable? Passionate? Caring? Would he choose to immerse himself fully in the black or would he seek every opportunity to escape back towards the light? They were all questions that ran a muck in her mind. "You are being brought here to replace me," the words burned, "though that may not be the most accurate way of putting it." She offered a contrite little smile, "I'll remain here as my chosen post, but as the Beta Quadrant's Commanding Officer while you will become the Sector Commander as a newly minted Commodore." Blyx paused, torn between resetting the hardware on his collar herself or allowing him to fumble with it, "Sorry there's no party, though I'm sure you'll find a way to celebrate. There's an oak box with your name on it... Top drawer."

Jorgun's head swam. He wasn't sure he had heard her right at first. He opened his mouth to say something and then snapped it shut again unable to transmute his thoughts to words. He had the foresight to compose himself before he made his way to the desk and opened the top drawer. As stated there was a wooden box with his name on a gold plaque. He stared at it for a long few seconds.

"Admiral, I don't know what to say." If he read her right she would be just as happy for him to say nothing at all. He settled for, "Thank you, Ma'am." He retrieved the item and opened the small box. Putting a rank pip on while dressed was not an easy task for someone with fingers as thick as Jorgun's. Since she had made no move to pin him, he snapped the lid closed in his hand. Once he had been assigned quarters he would get into proper uniform. "I assume there will be a debrief scheduled soon?" Jorgun asked as he grasped his situation more carefully.

Charcoal lashes fell over the Admiral's eyes for a brief moment in time. Her head shook as she watched the bull Orion test the waters of his new pips and ultimately close the box without adjusting his rank. It had never occurred to her that it would have been a problem for him to accomplish, and she sighed, feeling her body drift into motion across the empty deck plates between them. "Thanking me is something you may want to hold off on doing, Commodore. At least until after the debriefing." Taking the box from his positively massive hand, Blyx stood tip toe to be able to reach his neck, and even then it was a stretch. Deftly she rolled his collar, plucking from the body warmed fabric the insignia she aimed to replace. "Our priority is the USS Vindicator and her missions. She's the only one, aside from Enterprise, that has been in contact with the Stenellian Ascendancy and it's absolutely imperative that they remain friendly." The Admiral continued, holding a pin back in her teeth as she worked to place things correctly. Her brow furrowed as she studied the way the backless pip held to the fabric, and she used her free fingers to rest on his chin, pressing to force him to bare his throat to her as she worked. It would be another second before she determined that she was pleased, for now, with her handiwork and clipped the backing into place, unrolling the tunic neck and allowing the new adornment to lay against the skin of its wearer. The old pieces of brass were just as quickly deposited into the oak box, and it found itself being pressed back against the Orion's palm.

Jorgun was somewhat unaccustomed to being handled by a woman. To many males of his species, there was no other way of life, but Jorgun had been born defective. He was unable to perceive pheromones due to a genetic quirk affecting his olfactory senses. This rendered him able to resist the allure of an Orion woman and in their matriarchal society that did not bode well for Jorgun. By the time he was sexually mature he was ostracized from his people and that is when he found Starfleet.

His size, and early on his temper, had kept most women away and like many men in Starfleet, he adapted to a marriage of convenience with his career. He flushed slightly as she pressed the pip box back into his palm. "Thank you, again. The Vindicator...Was she not attacked while dealing with the Ascendancy? Destroyed in fact as I recall from the non-redacted reports. I have heard of her Captain." Jorgun had done his homework on the Fleet Admiral and knew of the familial connection.

Stepping back and away from the Orion, Blyx nodded slowly, "She was destroyed by a Romulan faction that has been a thorn in our side for a number of years now. The Empress of the Ascendancy has stated that this was not her wish, that she holds no ties with Ssiebb Tr'Bak, but one can't help but wonder given the fact that she wed the Praetor's nephew." she shrugged gently. It was blatantly obvious to any who cared to ask that Blyx didn't trust the political playing field where the Ascendancy and the Vindicator remained concerned. Some had accused her of favoritism, showing fortune to her niece over the choice of other Captains and ships that littered the sector like grains of rice. None, however, held a candle to the zeal and prowess the young Commodore had shown during her career. None had come face to face with Vrith Tr'Bak, stood their ground, and come away with their lives and the lives of the majority of their crew. Blyx knew that Rochelle held alliance with the Vanguard knew that the fiery little woman would break every and any rule if it meant ending Tr'Bak, and simply turned the other cheek. 'Why?' had been a question asked many a time, and the answer was never easy even though it was the truth. It was because she herself would do the exact same thing... had done the exact same thing. The names and places were different, but the circumstances eerily similar. The outcome? The Admiral now stood in front of yet another successor as she moved back up the political food chain that was Starfleet and the Federation.

This time she smiled, albeit softly, "I don't think there's a soul in the Federation that hasn't heard of Commodore Rochelle Andreevna Irelle-Ivanova. Her's is a name that will not soon be forgotten, either." Pride was often a disastrous thing, but in this case, it was so very warranted. Her niece had conquered, and in many cases, changed the stars. It hadn't always been that way, but that was a story best left for another time when Jorgun wasn't nearly as new to the scene.

Jorgun nodded as he watched the small woman before him speak highly of her kin and her accomplishments. He knew most of what she had said to be true. There were even a few courses at the Academy that employed tactics used and made popular by the young Commodore Ivanova. Jorgun had no family to proclaim as they had long ago disowned him.

"Ma'am, will you be retaining this office for your work as Beta Quadrant Commander or is there a better view and bigger desk with your name on it?" Jorgun knew his next weeks would be full of briefings and meetings with superiors and subordinates and was eager to get settled before the encroaching storm overtook him.

It was yet another one of those somethings she knew was coming, "You're stuck sharing with me until my new office is completed. Theta has been a work in progress, Commodore, and that progress was best made in areas that expanded the habitat for those who used her," She explained with a quiet, almost awkward, chuckle and shake of her head, "not my expanding empire."

"Admiral, I will share with the Yeoman in the outer office until you are ready and able to relocate. There is, no doubt more than a few spare cubical walls floating around this station. I will make due." Jorgun was so pleased with having arrived not to end his career but to bolster it that he would have worked from a broom closet at this point.

Jorgun's mind raced ahead to the next thing on his rapidly expanding list. "What are the station's current capabilities? We have a very good engineering team aboard the Constance if there are things she could help with? "I know her Captain would be glad to lend a hand."

"No no, not necessary, Commodore. It wouldn't be proper for you to share with the yeoman. There's entirely way too much in the way of sensitive information that will pass over your desk." Blyx halted that train of thought before it could leave the station. His sense of propriety would have to disembark on the next train, leaving him to grow and blossom into the role he'd been hand picked to fulfill. "You have much to learn." She added, shaking her head slowly, "Lucky for you, you have perhaps the finest teacher one could hope for when it comes to this job. As for your offer... Consider it accepted. We're more than operational, though construction still persists on the promenade and parts of the habitat ring. I'd like to see it completed before year's end."

Jorgun nodded, "I will inform Commander Stinson that he can delay his return to Earth for a few weeks. He wasn't looking forward to turning over the ship for refit. The Constance is small but full of good people. She'll have the station fully completed and operational or as close to it as possible in no time." Jorgun felt useful for the first time since he stepped into this office.

"Is there anything else, Ma'am? I would like to get settled and wash the road dust off. If that's okay?" Jorgun was sure there were days of briefings ahead of him but for now, he felt he needed to decompress before his head exploded.

"Thank you." She nodded to him appreciatively, "Take your time in getting acquainted with the station. Should you need something, you know where to find me."

"Yes, Ma'am." Jorgun saluted his new commanding officer then spun on his heel and walked out of their office. He smiled at the little Telerite Yeoman as he made his way toward the promenade facing exit. His career was looking up, even if he was stationed in the Cold.

---

Fleet Admiral Blyx O. Red
Commander, Beta Quadrant
Cold Station Thea

&

Commodore Jorgun
Commander, Cheydinhall Sector
Cold Station Theta