Insanity... Or is it?

Posted on Mon Jun 6th, 2011 @ 12:49pm by Lieutenant Commander Aral Aix & Captain Nathan Cowell MD
Edited on on Wed Jun 22nd, 2011 @ 2:21pm

Mission: Shore Leave 2; Picking Up the Pieces
Location: Replimat, Starbase 900
Timeline: Following

"... and that's why you should endeavor to avoid spending time in a Klingon prison." The Trill attended to his omelette while the young Ensign before him searched for a response amidst his astonished silence.

"I'll try to remember that, sir." The Ensign glanced at a non-existant PADD in his hand, "Oh my, I'm overdue for a meeting with Lieutenant Hunter... if you would excuse me sir..." The Ensign politely extracted himself from the conversation and the table. The Trill, Lieutenant Commander Aral Aix, seemed perfectly accustomed to this sort of response, nodded at the Ensign and watched him walk away. He himself was due to report to his superior officer, having arrived at the station the evening before en route to a new assignment.

=Ready Room, Deck 1, USS Arizona=

Aix sounded the door chime. He closed his eyes and swallowed, suppressing a nervous flutter of anticipation that he had felt every time he reported aboard.

Given the man's nervousness, the sound of the rather loud, rather annoyed sounding "Come!" most likely did nothing to ease the nerves. The door to the Ready Room parted promptly, as if it feared the repercussions of a delay in its operation. Once inside, the Trill could plainly see a rather elderly Commodore sitting behind his desk, several PADDs scattered about casually without much thought to their arrangement.

The old man looked up at the newcomer, a frown gracing his face. It wasn't immediately clear exactly why the Commodore was frowning as he hadn't said another word.

"Come in and sit down..." Nathan began, snapping his fingers for a moment before he realized he had no clue who the Trill was and so continued with, "I take it you're new because I haven't a damn clue who you are. Where you heading? Medical, Science, nut house?"

Aral, who had previously stood to attention upon entering, relaxed and approached the Commodore's desk. It was clear he was already expected to be at ease. His initial shock had subsided into an amused confusion which he hid behind a half smile. "Science, sir... Lieutenant Commander Aral Aix reporting for duty sir." He seated himself, folding his hands together on his lap.

"Aix... doesn't ring a bell. So, what brings you to the Arizona, other than the obvious 'I was told to come here' drivel," Nathan asked, leaning back in his chair.

Aral broke into a full smile, "I requested the transfer..." that much was obvious. "I liked the idea of exploring the great unknown, expanding the boundaries of science." Aral scanned the old man's face and read a mixture of incredulity and condescension, "... and I heard the Az has the best coffee in the quadrant."

"Yeah, it probably does... but I don't much drink the shit anymore. Getting too old for the jitters it gives me. Gone back to Sweet Tea, damn good stuff we have on board too," the Commodore explained in a half-distracted manner, "Anyhow, don't get too comfortable being here, son. If we can't make these Archadians warm back up to the idea of having us around, we might be tossed back where we come from."

Aral suppressed the hysterical laughter that was building inside of him and maintained a straight face. "I am sure you will find a way to charm them sir." He looked away and took a breath, "Perhaps a gift or human sacrifice?"

Nathan gave the man a skeptical look for a moment before he rubbed his chin, "You know, I like the sound of the human sacrifice thing... You think they'd take Chet?"

While Nathan knew the man wouldn't know who Chet was, it would give him an excuse to shift blame if need be...

"Well I'm not about to volunteer." He emphasized his words with his hands. "Although my first host, Kerras nearly found himself in a sacrificial position when he mistook the high priestess of Vulcan for the evening's entertainment." Aral thoughtfully tapped the desk with his right hand, "It wasn't the best first contact for the Trill..." Realizing he had strayed from the point, and that his interlocutor's time in this world was precious, Aral tried to return to the point. "Do you have any specific orders for me Commodore... odd jobs perhaps?"

"Yeah, get your ass geared up for an away mission. Maybe you can sleep with someone's daughter and distract people so I can sneak in their office and snoop," Nathan smirked evilly.

"Are you sure you wouldn't rather do the seduction Commodore? It's been a staple of the Commanding Officer's job description since Kirk and you don't strike me as the type to delegate," Aix replied pleasantly, ignoring the Commodore's jibe.

"I'm too old to fornicate like that... I'll leave the playboy ways to the boys who can still play. I'll just handle all the bitch slapping and ass kicking... more age appropriate," the Commodore remarked offhandedly.

"Two hundred and eighty six... not a bad age to still be a playboy," Aix smirked to himself.

"Still a baby... come talk to me when you hit six hundred, then you'll know how I feel," the old man smirked in reply.

"Will do sir... but one question: am I to make a distraction and sleep with somebody's daughter or distract people while sleeping with somebody's daughter? I imagine that's probably frowned upon in Archadian culture, but I am willing to find out... exploration and all that..."

"Hell, you can do the dirty right in the middle of their most public place for all I care... Just make sure we're all in a good position to take advantage of the commotion..." Nathan said, "Don't want you to have to get your winkie wet for nothing."

It was then, with a sudden drop in the pit of his stomach, that Aral realized that the old man might actually be serious.

"I'll keep you posted on who you need to deflower. Pack some protection just in case... lord knows what kind of VD these critters have. Anything else?" Nathan asked.

"No sir." Aix replied politely, having concluded that his new Commanding Officer was indeed insane.

"Good deal. Get settled in and meet us in the Shuttle Bay in about an hour," Nathan said in a dismissive tone.