Those who stay behind... Part IV

Posted on Fri Jan 28th, 2011 @ 5:09pm by Captain Nathan Cowell MD & Lieutenant Commander Aiden Roberts (KIA)

Mission: Hippocratic Hijacking
Location: Captain's Ready Room, USS Arizona

Things were moving smoothly aboard the ship as Captain Nathan Cowell continued the business of ensuring that the crew, while divided, would be able to conquer the tasks before them. One such obstacle to their success on the planet was the logistical aspect of trying to manage the supplies that were in short supply. To that end, Nathan decided he would approach his Chief Operations Officer with a job.

"Cowell to Roberts," the Captain said after tapping his commbadge, "Meet me in my Ready Room as soon as you can get here."

Aiden yawned before tapping the wallplate outside of the Ready Room. He was in the middle of picking out the dinner replicate in his head, having just finished his shift. Moments ago, he was no more than three steps towards the turbolift on the bridge, he found himself turning on heel towards to Captain's Ready Room. No rest for the weary....

"Come," Cowell ordered, watching as Lt. Roberts complied wearily to his request, "You look like hammered ass, Joker..."

"It's early still, and when the King summons the Jester to his throne room, you can't help but wonder how much longer this day is about to get..." Aiden replied, taking a few steps closer towards the desk, allowing the doors behind him to close. "Anyway, what's up boss..."

"I'm putting together the away team manifest, deciding who stays and who goes with the ship. Because of your colorful introduction, I thought I'd be magnanimous and offer you the choice of staying if you'd like to. Granted, you'd be no better rested keeping track of all the medicines and supplies on the surface than up here making sure the ship doesn't fall apart around our ears... But you wouldn't be on the ship," Nathan said in a moment of startling compassion.

"Don't get me wrong - I'm no coward. If we're gonna be flying through a brier patch towards something even worse, I have no qualms about that. But frankly Sir, this is my first assignment on a starship. I'm used to having my feet on solid ground or something that only moves to maintain a standard orbit. If you need someone to mind the boots going planetside, I'll do it. If you want me sitting four feet in front of you while the bridge is coming down around us, I'm there."

It was the most honest statement had made since coming aboard. It wasn't a phobia, or a debilitation. Just a change he was easing himself into, one toe into the water at a time.

"I'd rather have someone on the ground with some experience keeping things accounted for, if that's what you mean. I'm not calling you a coward by any stretch, but you don't strike me as the kind of person that will get too comfortable with the ship if you're forced into staying on it when there's a chance here and there not to be. It's up to you, but as I said, I would think you better suited to man the stores and keep the sticky fingers out of our baskets..." Nathan explained.

The Lieutenant bit his lower lip for a moment, contemplating. "Fair enough. What can I say, I have a soft spot for the ill. When do you need me down there?"

"Grab a nap and get down there before 0800 in the morning. No need to have you totally useless before you get slammed with the hard stuff," Nathan answered.

Aiden nodded, and turned to leave before stopping. "Thanks Captain."

"Don't mention it, Joker..." Nathan said in an uncharacteristically agreeable tone before returning to his mountain of PADDs.