Omnia mors aequat
Posted on 15 Nov 2018 @ 9:47pm by Lieutenant Colonel Cassandra Blackburn & Captain Gabriel Barron M.D.
1,650 words; about a 8 minute read
Mission:
Empty Creche
Location: Captain's Ready Room
Timeline: ED1 1800
ON:
Barron had been informed that a couple enjoying a romantic getaway on the holodeck had been kicked out by an irate woman that matched the description of the newly minted Lieutenant Colonel. After having spoken to PALLAS he came to the only conclusion he could, she had gotten bad news. He looked over at a quarter full bottle of Pappy Van Winkle whiskey and made a decision.
"PALLAS, please summon the good Colonel to my ready room."
Blackburn had returned to her quarters and was about to change to get into the sonic shower when PALLAS appeared in front of her.
"What do you want?" She asked the AI sharply.
"The Captain has asked to see you immediately." PALLAS replied. Blackburn grunted and rubbed at the recently repaired wound on her arm. The medic hadn't done a particularly tidy job; she would get Afton or Kolmak to fix it later.
"Fine." Blackburn said, deciding to forgo the shower and remain in her dirty, bloodied training gear. "And for the last time PALLAS, you could appear as anything. Put some clothes on."
"At least they are clean clothes, Colonel." PALLAS said.
"Computer has an attitude." Blackburn mumbled, leaving for the bridge.
"As does the Colonel." PALLAS quipped before disappearing.
---Captains ready room
Gabe grunted as he moved to the wall where his small bar had been placed. He pulled two glasses and the rare bottle of bourbon placing all three on the desk and he waited.
Blackburn entered the large, busy bridge and made her way over to the ready room. The duty officer turned in the center chair to glance at her, before turning slowly back towards the viewscreen. He knew better than to challenge her.
"Captain." She said, entering the room having failed to knock.
"Colonel." He said pouring the glasses of the bourbon and handing one to her. He didn't say anything else, no matter how he felt about her command of the marines she was a soldier who had lost someone. That was a bond that transcended animus.
She eyed the glass suspiciously before giving the contents a sniff. "Pappy Van Winkle Bourbon, from Kentucky. Rare as an honest man in Parliament." She said, placing the full glass back onto the table. "Starfleet medical did something to me last year that causes my body to reject ethanol. My reward for any form of tipple is a migraine - even smelling it has given me a mild headache. Something else Starfleet decided to take from me, Captain."
He grunted "Hell ofa thing to do to a devil dog." His eyes narrowed as he took in her arm. He moved to look down at her arm and scowled before grabbing a med kit from his desk and flipping open a medical tricorder.
"Who did such a poor job stitching you up?" He rumbled.
She stepped back suddenly, cautious of his intentions. "Training injury. Doesn't matter." She said, rubbing the offending limb.
"Calm down Colonel, the MD at the end of my name isn't for show. Sit and let me fix the arm. If you like I can produce my diplomas and continuing education licensing through SF medical."
"SF Medical and I don't have an amicable history, Captain." She said firmly. "What do you want?" She asked, attempting to change the subject. She was unable to read the situation, not knowing him well enough, and had decided that retreat at the earliest opportunity was her best tactical option.
"Originally I had invited you here to share a drink for those we've lost. Now I wish to fix that arm, seriously who did such a crummy job? Were you fidgeting?" He asked producing a medical tricorder.
"Captain. The arm is fine." She said again, not wanting to relent.
He growled at her "Very well Colonel, but when the arm ceases up and stops working due to the shoddy patchwork that will leave deep scar tissue don't come to me. Jesus, did you even hold still long enough for them to get one pass done with a dermal regenerator? Which makes me wonder if the underlying muscle tissue properly affixed?" He shook his head and raised an eyebrow "Do you have your bridge officer certification?"
She suppressed a sudden laugh of surprise which instead came out as a cough, whilst also pleased that the arm was no longer the subject of discussion. "A long time ago. Mostly simulations. A few watches here and there." She explained, intentionally downplaying the fact.
He grunted "I see, odd that a Marine would take the time to go through specialized fleet training." A certain amount of grudging respect apparent in his voice.
"You did, Captain." She replied, before sighing. "The truth is I was on the accelerated promotion scheme, which meant that I had to complete a set of training modules on starship operations. Also, I had originally applied to be a line officer but was talked into the Marines by my recruitment officer." She paused for moment, lost in brief reflection on her life as it could have been. "The bastard." She added quietly as an afterthought. "Why do you ask?"
"I'm a slightly different character when I was in the corps I didn't do much with the fleet. I didn't start doing this till after I changed uniforms. To answer your question, Commander Rhyan has been reassigned and you were on the short list he gave me of people who could step in for him." Barron said simply downing the liquid in his glass and sighing as he enjoyed the burn.
She scoffed. Ashcart was gone, she thought, so Rhyan had lost his top cover and had bailed. "Running off, is he?" She asked.
Barron shrugged "I doubt it was his decision, orders came in from Star Fleet HQ, something about being attached to SF Medical on special assignment."
"Of course it is." She sighed again. "Captain, I don't know why Rhyan thinks I can step in for him. You know as well as I that I'm probably the worst person to do that job. Anyway, I thought my mission is to go after Fursman. That's the only reason why I've stayed."
He shrugged "I would agree that your not the one for the post but you do have experience on the ship and it's crew. I would prefer someone who's been on the Redemption since her madien voyage but I dont know if I want to pull Dr. Afton out of sickbay." he sighed "Very well then, your dismissed if you have nothing else."
She turned to leave but stopped as she got to the door. After a moment she turned around and approached the Captain's desk again. "How do you know I've lost someone?" She asked, her voice low but sincere.
He nodded to her shoulder "I've been there before. Going to the holodeck to get your ass kicked in to just feel something, anything other than rage."
She pursed her lips into a frown in reflection. Someone had given her away, PALLAS probably. "Your partially clothed artificial intelligence is very astute, Captain." She suddenly snatched the still full glass from the table. "Lest, we forget." She said, raising the glass to him, before downing the entire contents. She suppressed the both the burning in her throat and the sudden agonizing pain in her head, grimacing as she did so.
"PALLAS only told me you kicked out a couple who were enjoying their holodeck time. At first, I didn't know what to think other than the newly minted Lieutenant Colonel had gone off her rocker. I didn't know you had lost someone until I saw you." he raised an eyebrow in a very Vulcan way as he watched her down the whisky.
"Well, life is just one short slippery slope into the grave, I guess." She said, her headache thumping away. Without saying anything further she plumped herself down on the chair in his desk, and slowly rolled her sleeve up to present the injury to him.
He eyed her and nodded pulling the tricorder back out and scanning the arm nodding to hiimself. He grabbed a hypo dialed in a medication and pressed it to her neck. "This wont reverse what they did to you but it should dull the pain. Now lets fix the arm." He dropped the hypo and pickedup a regenerator and begain to make slow passes over the wounded area controlling to the instrument and setting it to heal the subdermal muscles that had been ignored earlier. After he was done he nodded "Take it easy, that arm will be stiff for a few days while the muscles get used to being reconnected." as he placed the tools down he stepped back and eyed her "What changed your mind?"
"I need to be fit to fight." She said flatly, standing up to leave.
He nodded "Fit to lead as well."
She smiled, but only for a moment before shaking her head. "Once, perhaps." She replied, her headache fading.
He snorted "And again." He pointed at her collar "Those pretty silver oak leaves put the lie to your non leadership position."
'Just bits of metal' she thought to herself, but deciding against saying it out loud. She wasn't going to get what she wanted - vengence on Fursman - by arguing with the Captain. Instead, she resigned herself to a simple answer. "Yes, sir." She said, not altogether convincingly.
He could tell from the way she held herself that she didn't agree with him. He grinned and nodded "Very well Colonel, I guess only time will tell who is right, you, Ashcart or myself."
"I guess it will." She replied, flexing the arm. "Captain." She nodded in acknowledgement, walking out of the ready room and back onto the bridge.
OFF
Gabriel Barron
Captain
Commanding Officer
USS Redemption
&
Cassandra Blackburn
Lieutenant Colonel
Officer Commanding Marine Detachment
USS Redemption
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