You got a friend in Thux

Posted on Mon Sep 19th, 2016 @ 5:47pm by Captain Elijah Michaels & Commander Cor Cordale

Mission: Do Not Follow
Location: Main Engineering

With Victory undergoing repairs following their 'encounter' with the unknown Aliens, those not experiencing down time were overseeing repairs. The Captain himself had been checking in on every Department on the Ship. And one such place he needed to go to was the Engine Room.

He entered Engineering as the Engineers were working double time to get the Victory back in working order. It was going to tale more than a fresh lick of paint and a body wax to sort this out.

He glanced round for his Thux Engineer.

Engineering was a beehive of activity. Everyone had a job... three actually... and everyone was doing those jobs. A pair of pawed feet that could only belong to Cordale stuck out of a ground level access hatch. One of the engineering crew on hand noticed the Captain's glancing around, and figured he was looking for the Chief. "Sir." he called to get Elijah's attention, then motioned to the feet.

"Hey Chief..." the engineer ducked down to address said paws, "It's the Captain. Looks like he's looking for someone. Odds are it's you." he muttered to the Thux in the hatchway, who extradited himself and smoothed his uniform over a touch before he gave the Captain a full nod, "Sir... we're making excellent time on the repairs, we're good for Warp seven at no issue though I can't promise you Eight without a shake."

He paused, "My office? You promised me a talk, I feel I still earned it."

"After you." He said to Cor as he followed the Weaseloid Cheif Engineer into his Office whilst the other Engineeers got to work.

Cor gave a nod to the Engineer who was next to him, who returned to the task he was handling. Cor walked with the Captain to his office, and motioned to the rather complicated looking array of tubes and heating elements. "Help yourself to some coffee if you need some." though rather then go completely around the desk to put it between himself and the Captain like some form of barrier, Cordale sat on the edge of the desk.

"I kinda blew up there. No, I actually did. I was pissed off beyond measure, and the worst part was when neither of you told them to go suck a nebula or something." he started, "And I know NOW why you didn't, cause you had to entertain them or something captain'y but at the time oh all I saw was this little narrow tunnel with a big fight at the end. I won't say I'm sorry, because I don't regret what I said. No no no, you don't say stuff like that to me, to ANYONE..." he took a moment to reel himself back in.

"You don't dangle chains in front of me, sir. Actual or otherwise."

Elijah knew the history of Cor Cordale, the times in the Mine in servitude of the Ferengi. It would have broken most men but not him. "I remember when they offered me Command of Victory, the ill disciplined Commander with a knack for a relaxed Command Style but with the ability to do what is best for the Ship and Crew."

He chuckled. "They gave me free reign to pick my Staff, I had a motley Crew on my list." The Captain paused for a second at the thought. "A Betazoid with a Prosthetic, a Rabbit with a Brain bigger than a Star System, an XO who was offered her own Command and then turned it down." He then looked at Cor. "Then I came across a Thux, the only one of his kind in Starfleet."

Said Thux gave a nod, "Hey, I don't want Bert to feel like he's being singled out." and Cor raised up his own prosthetic to show. "But, I'm going to presume you didn't come here to tell me how great I am and how dash handsome I am. I mean, it helps that you pretty much went to bat for each of your crew when it came time to pick them, which means that when it comes time to bring the hammer down we're all adults." he paused, "Just tell me you told those pompous asshats where to shove their manifest destiny, and I'll sit confined to quarters with no regrets."

Elijah shook his head. "The threat that they pose is real, and we are giving the Manifest to the relevant bodies." He knew it wasn't the exact answer but it was the best he could offer. "I could have vaporised it as soon as they left but had I been wrong I could have been the man that condemned the Federation to destruction."

He knew that it was a rock and a hard place scenario.

"But I promise you Cor, you will never be a Slave again." Elijah said. "You are my friend and if we have to face judgment for our sins then I want you by my side."

That last part meant a lot more than that first part. "No one's putting me in chains again. As many folks out there in the black may want to do that, it's good to know someone here's got my back." he gave a smirk, careful not to show teeth. He knew there were a lot more folks behind him than just Elijah. Just... Elijah was the only one here so...

"You stand with me, I stand with you. That's part of the law of the Thux." he quoted the book he was seemingly perpetually writing. "I guess we can't just up and dismiss these guys, so you tell me what you need done and I'll build you two of them."

"With the XO in Sickbay, Bertrand is acting XO until she gets better." Elijah leaned on the desk next to Cor with his arms folded. "I know you're an Engineer first but I need you to be the Second Officer for a while."

Cor thought for a moment and then gave a nod. "She's alright, right? I mean, she's in sickbay so it's more than just a bump on the head but, she'll pull through, right?" he paused, and then came to a conclusion. "So, I mean I know I lost my cool. I know that now that I've had half a batch of Birch to cool me down."

"I'll accept whatever you throw at me, unless you've decided against disciplinary action. In which case I'll accept that too, sir." he said with a smirk. "This is part of the Captain's handbook, isn't it? Making people admit their wrong, and then just torture them by making them think the hammer's about to drop..."

"She'll be fine after a little rest." Elijah said trying to reassure Cor. "I'm not going to discipline you Cor, you're a guy who has passion for what he does." Elijah extended his hand to the Thux. "We all good Commander?"

"Good. Good, I'll ... I'll bring a mug of coffee down to Sickbay if she doesn't get better soon. Kinda entice her to get better." the Thux said with a chuckle as he took the Captain's hand into a firm shake, "We're good boss."

With a smile and a nod to Captain stood up and straightened his Uniform. "Carry on Commander." He said before leaving the Thux to fix his Ship.