On the bridge, Captain Lataro sat in the command chair. It had taken him a little time to retake the command chair, but he finally did. Commodore Wallace was resting in his quarters and Lataro was trying to make this assignment work for him. Wallace was at one time his subordinate, but somehow he was now a Commodore and Lataro was just a Captain. It was all the same to Lataro though. Emotionally, he couldn't deal with the thought of really having to take any more responsibility. After all, the last time he really was responsible for someone, it left him a widower and T'lan motherless. However was he to explain it to T'lan when he comes of age? How was he going to be able to explain to his toddler son what happened to his mother?
He sat in the chair rubbing the bridge of his nose. It was a long night already and very little was happening. Thank God for that but he didn't care anymore about anything. The bridge was relatively quiet. The other senior officers in the sleek command center included David McAllister and Dreke all who were minding their stations. From behind, Lataro heard the turbolift doors open and he turned toward the sound. There he noticed Counselor Zirana Liaji coming out of the turbolift and immediately heading towards the science station. The sparkle in eyes that he once had no longer shone. He stared at Liaji and tried to muster a smile, but his cheeks felt like stone and there was nothing that was going to break the facade. Somehow though, there was something about Liaji that he recognized -- a walk, an aura, maybe just her presence -- Lataro couldn't put his hand on it, but there was something....
She smiled slightly as she walked by him. It wasn't a flirtatious smile, but a solemn 'hello'.
He nodded slowly to acknowledge her presence, "Counselor."
She stopped, "Captain." With the return, she continued to the science station.
I can't put my finger on it, but there is something really familiar about her.