"Common Ground"
(continued from Tiffany's "Another Day, Another Story")
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Stardate: 60323.0935
Setting: USS ANUBIS, Sickbay
Susan was still concerned about Lea and she eyed her as she escorted
the new ensign to a biobed and began the physical. Susan knew that it might be
a good thing that Lea had something to think about other than her recent
experiences, but she still wanted to make sure that the CMO was alright
before returning to her office. What better way than to make conversation with her patient?
Susan sidled over to stand beside them as Lea shone a light into Eva's
eye and tested its responsiveness. "So, Eva. What brings you all the way out here to this asteroid in the middle of nowhere?"
Eva looked Susan up and down while Lea was testing the reflexes of her
knee. She wasn't sure if it was safe to say anything to the Cns without it
getting analyzed. Eventually she decided on a shrug, "I was given the
assignment as soon as I graduated."
Susan smiled, glad to have found a common ground so quickly, "Really?
Same with me!"
She realized she was probably making an idiot of herself, but it beat
standing in the shadows and monitoring the CMO from a distance... and
risking giving her another near heart-attack.
When Eva didn't say anything (perhaps due to the fact that she had a
light shining down her throat), Susan plunged on, "It was all very
mysterious. I went to my room at the Academy to get my things and I saw that I had a message. It was from Starfleet and it told me to report to
Headquarters. I went there and was told that I should choose whether to accept the assignment or not without even knowing what it was! I was given
absolutely no time to consider the offer. Was that how it was with you?"
Eva was gaping at her and Lea was smiling, "Susan. Have you been
spending a lot of time with Maya recently?" she asked casually.
"Well actually I did have breakfast with her yeste..." then Susan
realized what the CMO had been implying and grinned sheepishly.
"Maya, our CSciO, has a... how shall I say..." Lea explained to the
Sec/Tac officer, "a... 'way with words'."
Susan and Lea grinned at each other and Eva said with a smile of her
own, "Actually... I think I met her. Does she like to spend time in
Zoology?"
"That's her." Lea confirmed.
Susan took the opportunity to sit herself beside ensign Doretheva on
the biobed, "Sorry. I guess I'm just over-excited because you're the first
new face I've seen since I was assigned here."
"I take it you're also relatively new around here?" Eva asked, half
fearing another over-enthusiastic response.
Susan nodded, "TANGIERS ORBITAL was my first mission."
Too late Susan realized the mistake she'd made as Lea froze for half a
second - just half a second. Eva looked momentarily concerned at this
abrupt change in the manner of the CMO, but was wise enough not to point it
out.
"While I was having lunch with Cmdr. Rikar, the COO came and handed her
a report about that mission... apparently there was an extremely low
possibility of success."
Lea stiffened, but didn't say anything. Susan was torn. She should
change the subject... but that would only make the new ensign more concerned
and point out that there was something wrong with the CMO's emotional
state. Instead Susan nodded gravely, "we had no idea what we were getting
into. It was supposed to be a simple Intel-gathering mission... but no one
counted on Romulans and Cardassians who were intent on taking over the universe."
Susan glanced at Lea. She had tried to use the change in conversation
to make it clear to her that the outcome of the mission was in no way her
fault. She wasn't sure she had succeeded. Eva's eyes had grown wide,
"Are you serious?"
It was Lea who nodded, "Oh yes." she said slightly stiffly, "They were
*very* intent."
"What's going to happen now?" Eva asked, "Have they been arrested?"
Another sore spot. But for other reasons. Susan smiled in an apologetic
way and said, "They haven't been arrested. Which is incredibly frustrating"
**For some more than others** she thought, but elected not to go into
it. "However, I'm not exactly the person to ask about what happens now."
"What happens now." Lea gave a weak smile, "Is that we hope Koneki lets
us go after them."
Susan was slightly concerned by this all-to-familiar attitude, but
decided that now was *not* the time to start arguing.
---------- 2005 post #241
Tallulah Habib {thabib@eject.co.za}
Ensign Susan Mei
Head Counselor
USS ANUBIS
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"Life is mostly froth and bubble,
Two things stand like stone,
Kindness in another's trouble,
Courage in your own." - Adam Lindsay Gordon
