Those who stay behind... Part II

Posted on Wed Jan 26th, 2011 @ 10:14am by Captain Nathan Cowell MD & Lieutenant Colonel Anastasia DeVries

Mission: Hippocratic Hijacking
Location: Crew Lounge, Deck 5, USS Arizona

Captain Nathan Cowell was not much for struggling with personnel issues, that was what he had a Yeoman for. With Sweeney conveniently left behind on the planet in a not so subtle attempt to get him the hell off his ass for a while, it left Nathan in a very uncomfortable position of having to sort out two separate manifests alone. Science was easy, anyone not specializing in medical science stayed, everyone else got shipped off. Even the medical department was a piece of cake, he knew who would provide the most help based on their experiences and specialties and left those who might be better suited for the pending mission on board to tend to the Romulan woman he'd found as well as any casualties if and when they happened. Security, by far, was the worst, because either way he went, everyone in Major DeVries' section could be useful for either task. In a moment of utter brilliance on his part, he decided to delegate.

The computer had indicated that the Major was in the lounge, a rather odd place to be during duty hours. Rather than take the chance of never finding out what she was doing there, he made the short trek from the Bridge to Deck 5 personally. Upon entering the compartment, his eyes moved instantly from full forward to off to the left a little, where the bar was situated. Perched on a stool, with several empty glasses in front of her, the embodiment of what his ship's discipline should have reflected was currently drowning herself in booze. And it wasn't even five o'clock yet...

"Major," Cowell said as he walked over and sat on the stool directly to her left.

Lifting her head away from the glass she was currently holding, Stace S. DeVries eyed the newcomer with an amused look. "Why Captain... I wasn't expecting to see you down here... though I suspect it was something to do with personnel for the planet... am I right?"

"Yes, actually," Nathan nodded slightly as he took a closer survey of the glasses before her and the contents of the one she held, "Isn't it a bit early to be binge drinking like the booze is going out of style?"

It was an incredulous question for the Major and therefore took her several seconds before she realized the strange man was being quite serious. "I'm sorry... I didn't realize... er... well... the answer is no. No, it's not. Would you care for one?"

Doc Cowell took a second to mull it over before shrugging, "One can't hurt. Bar keep, one of whatever she's having. Now, back to business. I have a stack full of PADDs on my desk and I hate damn clutter. Your department is is giving me fits trying to doll out the right amount of people to the planet while not screwing us over in the long run with this pirate adventure. Since the kid and that creepy little man Sweeney aren't here to take on the bitch work, I need you to do the personnel figurin' yourself."

"You want me to be your secretary?" the woman asked with a raised brow as she finished off the amber colored contents of her glass. "Have you actually considered the ramifications of that?"

"No, not my secretary, girl... I need you to manage your own department, that's all. Having no real experience with security types, I don't actually know what any of that jargon in their personnel files really means to the two missions. If it ain't Infantry slang or some medical terminology, it doesn't mean squat to me. Does that clarify things a bit?" Nathan explained.

The redhead sighed as she adjusted herself on her stool. "So... you're basically asking me to do something I'm already doing. Sorry Cap... but sometimes I wonder if you're not suffering from some sort of dementia. Never fear though... I have the who's and where's already sorted. Lieutenant Lischka and myself will be staying behind with some of the less trained men while Petty Officer Ruiz takes the more experienced of the bunch with him to the planet. Though we haven't really had much time to run practice drills I believe we're in a good position for the moment."

Cowell frowned at being called senile, "It's not dementia, it's covering my ass with higher headquarters. Can you imagine the inquisition if I didn't forward a comprehensive list to our superiors detailing who's where? Lord knows I don't need them calling for an Amber Alert thinking that kid is missing... let along half the crew. It's all that damned paperwork that I can't delegate right now, not my mind going on me."

"Seems to me you need a few more drinks to help settle down the nerves. It's not that complex... really... I mean, half the time StarFleet doesn't even notice when people go missing!" Stace explained with a reminiscent look in her eyes. "Besides, I said I'd help you didn't I? No need to go working yourself up to a heart attack over the... Amber Alert."

"Thanks," Nathan said in a sarcastic manner as he downed the amber liquid that had been brought to him. Cowell let out a brief cough as he registered the intensity of the Scotch she was downing with impunity. For being so far away from Earth, his ship had a good vintage of Scotch aboard.

"Good hooch," Nathan muttered as he set the glass down, "Alright Mrs. DeVries, I'll leave you to do what you claim you're doing anyway. How you're doing it with a belly full of Scotch is a mystery to me... but if it works, don't change it."

Stace smirked. "You'd be surprised at what I'm capable of... scotch or no scotch Captain. Let's just hope you don't need to bare witness to it just yet."

"As long as you don't get naked on the bridge while that kid is up there, I think we'll be ok," Cowell commented with a smirk.

The Major seemed to contemplate the idea for a short bit before shaking her head sadly. "As fun as that sounds... and trust me... it does sound fun... I just don't think he'd appreciate it as one should. And such refinement should never go to waste!"

"Very true..." Nathan agreed, "Maybe we'll save that little bit of fun for some other time. Thanks for the nice mental image though..."

With that, the Captain headed back out of the lounge, off to harass others...