The Last Moments of Before
Posted on Thu Feb 6th, 2025 @ 1:50am by Captain M'Raz
1,013 words; about a 5 minute read
Mission:
Resistance is Necessary
Location: Captain's Private Dining Room | Deck 2 | USS Jane Addams
Timeline: MD001 - 0700
Home. The word that seemed to be on everyone's lips, whispered and shouted, bringing with each utterance, laughter and jokes and plans. Impromptu meetups and making amends to family members for missed events. Impossible ideas and quiet get-togethers. For the captain of the USS Jane Addams, his sole hope at the moment was for a singularly long nap because a year patrolling the Cardassian border hadn't gifted him much time for sleep.
M'Raz, known throughout Starfleet as 'Raz', was Caitian, one of the few in command of a starship, was distinctive even among his own kind. Short white hair, soft and some would say, silky, with light brown markings, a mane of shoulder-length white hair, and light gray eyes. In his first months at the Academy, the only Caitian in his year, Raz had fielded a lot of questions about his people with the most offensive being the ones about wardrobe. So, yes, he wore a uniform, he wore boots, and honestly, if anyone even suggested a collar, he would have to be restrained from tossing said individual out the nearest airlock. He tried to be gracious but ignorance, well, it tested his limits back then.
After some investigation because curiosity and an inability to let things go, he discovered that people who grew up on Earth had cats and somehow, he was being equated with these creatures who possessed limited intelligence and weren't even bipedal. Cute though, he had to give the species that, which was why, when his friends gifted him one a while back, he had accepted with more grace than he would have that first year at the Academy. A black cat with bright green eyes, Lugosi, named for his penchant for waking Raz up with a sharp bite, required a great many things to be content such as a self-cleaning litter box, because toilets were beyond them, and his own gymnasium which, in his case, was a series of shelves and cubby holes, so that he could leap and climb along the upper section of every wall in his quarters. And those idiots equated the proud history of his people with them. Ridiculous. Still, they were cute and snuggly, at least, Lugosi was.
At the moment, Raz was heading to breakfast with a PADD tucked under one arm. His private dining room, mercifully, not far from his quarters, was good for both him and for the crew because no one wanted to face the captain before he had his morning cup of coffee. They'd be arriving in Sol System this morning but that didn't stop the flow of reports that crossed his desk; ordinarily, that's what he would be reading, but, with a good two weeks shore leave for the crew, there was time for all of that. And so, he was carrying his portable library instead, the one that held every book he wanted to read and all the ones he already had.
He entered to find the steward filling his coffee cup. Jackson looked up, smiling, as he saw the captain enter. "Good morning, Sir," he said. "Breakfast will be along shortly."
"One day," Raz said, "you'll have to let me know how you manage it."
"Manage what, Sir," Jackson said, adopting a look of innocence, as he placed the carafe at the center of the table. "I'm sure I don't know what you're talking about."
"Mmm," Raz said which, sounded somewhere between a word and a growl, "you know exactly what I'm speaking about. How you manage to get the coffee on the table just as I'm entering. I'm this close to asking security to figure it out."
"Now that," Jackson said, laughing, "would be cheating, Sir." He straightened, a grin on his face, "we did have a bet, you and I. And we are in the home system ..." He let his voice trail off, looking at the captain expectantly.
"My yeoman will have it waiting for you," Raz said. "You can pick it up any time."
"Thank you, Sir," Jackson said. "If you'll excuse me, I'll just go see about your breakfast."
Raz nodded his agreement as he pulled his mug of coffee close. He preferred darker roasts, without milk or sugar though he seldom gave specific instructions, preferring to allow the galley staff some freedom in their choices. And they did well for the most part; well, except for the cold coffee with whipped cream and some dreadful flavor early on. He was reading what was considered classic literature on Romulus which meant that it was heavily into political intrigues with almost no one chose love over duty. Balancing the classics with Starfleet briefings on the Romulans, he gained in understanding.
Now, reading them in the original Romulan, well, that had taken longer. Understanding the language was one thing, understanding their idioms and cultural references, was something else entirely. He found it oddly restful, a pursuit that satisfied his curiosity, his need to know and understand, minuses the stresses that came along with being a Starfleet officer and now, the commanding officer of a starship.
He sank into the book, barely registering when his meal was brought to him, until he heard the four words he was waiting for, "Captain to the Bridge."
His meal half-finished, Raz left the PADD on the table and headed toward the turbolift, his tail swinging easily, side to side, his step light and almost springy. Report to the Admiral, he thought, and then it was on to Risa for two weeks of sleep and relaxation with nary a uniform in sight. He might even stir himself enough to do something ... active. Might. Mostly, he just wanted to sleep.
By the time he stepped out onto the Bridge, he was composed again, the spring more contained. "How long till we reach Sol System," he asked as he found his way to his chair. Tail curled, he sat down, his light gray gaze going to the view screen by force of habit. And about then was when all hell broke loose.
Captain M'Raz
Commanding Officer
USS Jane Addams
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