Post by Captain_Quintus on Apr 4, 2016 6:57:00 GMT
Postby FSF Eris » Wed Aug 10, 2011 8:08 pm
Julia watched as the rest of the senior staff funneled out of the conference room. "Sorry," she said, stacking the padds and pulling off the presentation from the main viewer. "I hope I'm not keeping you from your shore leave."
"No, actually, I have time scheduled for Atton's rehabilitation," Jocelyn replied, still seated. She eyed the wall chrono. "A half-hour ago, but the sudden appearance of free credits to spend derailed him a bit."
"Oh." She decided not to draw attention to who was responsible for said credits. "Well, it was actually Atton I wanted to talk to you about." She frowned, debating how to phrase what was on her mind. "He seems fairly critically injured, Doctor. And, well, I'm worried about how he's taking it. Whether or not he's really all that fit for duty. He's my tactical officer now," Julia continued, tiredly. "He has to be so sharp for this mission."
"If he were unfit for duty, I would have removed him from such. His body is injured, but there is nothing wrong with his mind. His telepathy is under control and he is as keen as ever. There are some psychological repercussions brought on by his condition, of course, but that is no different from any other crewman that has ever been injured while on duty. He is working through that and seems well adjusted. I have done what I can to help him understand while his body heals."
"I don't doubt your judgment. But I read the reports about what put him into that condition," she admitted, a little hesitantly. "It would be a shame if he fell prey to irony here -- if he was trying too hard to be fit for duty while his health -- and the safety of the ship -- suffered because of it. Believe me, Doctor," Julia added, more gently, "the last thing I want is to have been back on the ship for three days and be accusing our crippled war hero of incompetency. But I have to be sure. The well-being of Aquarius -- and his own -- is all I have in mind."
"He does push himself. He is anxious to walk again, but you cannot fault him for that. His health is not in any danger. His condition was stabilized after the first set of surgeries. Now, it is up to his body to heal itself with the help of neuro-stimulation and physical rehabilitation. His condition grows better every day. Already some feeling has returned to his legs." She tiled her head to regard the other woman. "What, specifically, are your concerns?"
Julia shrugged. "He seems to be doing all right, from the little I've seen of him. I just would not want for the stress to get to him when we all least need it. I have never had a problem with him as an officer." She gave her a faint smile. "I do not want that opinion to change. But that is good. I am glad to hear he is making progress. Perhaps I must make it an order that he go to therapy. Or turn off his credits until he has done so."
"If you make it an order, it will only compel him to resist. He is afraid, I think. Most in his situation are afraid, mostly that they will never walk again and that the treatments will do nothing for them. As soon as we leave here, I am taking him back to the station for his appointment. He'll listen to me."
Julia smirked, just slightly, but said nothing. "I'm glad to hear that. But as his treatment progresses, he'll be more comfortable, I should think." She sighed, pulling aside one of the chairs and perching on the edge of the long table. "It's hard coming back. I almost want everything to be exactly the same as when I left, even though of course I know it won't be. And so much has changed..."
"Yes, quite a bit, actually. I assumed that the Captain has gotten you up to speed already on all that has happened after you were reassigned?"
"That's a lot of time," she admitted. "Mission-wise, yes. But that's not what I mean." She looked at the medical officer, her eyes nearly bulging. "I mean... Doctor, I called a meeting and my chief science officer, who was an assistant when I left... I don't walk normally walk into a meeting and expect to find a little blue baby in there, too!" I mean I don't mind, but..."
Jocelyn actually laughed aloud. "Ah, that... yes. The staff meeting was short-noticed and Janelle hadn't the time to find proper sitting arrangements. Sometime ago, one of her antennae was injured and I inadvertently stimulated certain receptors during treatment, causing her body to prematurely undergo the mating cycle. Fortunately, I was able to reach the Andorian Planetary government and their solution was to send there others to Aquarius. All of them were in their cycle, so Janelle joined with them to conceive a child. Risa was the first time she had ever seen the baby. The other female Andorian involved in the ritual is undergoing medical treatment and needed Janelle to keep the child for a while. It is risky, taking a baby to war, but she has no other choice. And as we still have other families on board, she is not the only one taking that same risk."
Julia stared at her like she had grown a pair of antennae of her own throughout the explanation. "Oh," she finally managed. "Well. That is certainly..." She nodded slowly, blinking while she considered a response. "Well. Very complicated to say the least." She paused. "My gods. I can't imagine needing a four-person relationship. I mean.... it's complicated enough with two people..." she finally said, trying hard to fight the hint of a giggle slipping through. "But four..."
"I could send you the medical texts outlining the process, if you like," Jocelyn smirked. "It is primarly for the transfer of genetic material rather than a typical relationship, but you would have to ask Janelle if the process is... satisfying."
"I don't think I want to know," she dismissed quickly, covering a slightly nervous-sounding giggle behind her hand. "And the rest of the crew? How have they been? And how have they been handling the return to combat?"
"As well as can be expected, I think. I'm no counselor, so I can't tell you what they are feeling, but I have had very few come in needing treatment for nervous conditions. Everyone is tired of the war, of course. It always seems as though we're being thrust into another helpless situation after we've only gotten ourselves out of the last one. The trip to Risa was a welcome relief, though people were still waiting for the bad news to fall." She shrugged. "That's the way it is during these times, I suppose."
"It could be worse," she pointed out. "The raids may be hazardous, but we should not be encountering many large ships. And we will have backup as well." She sighed. "And Le-Gran certainly seems to have taken to Command. Or maybe it's the other way around."
"He puts himself into harm's way more than I would like, but that is also the nature of the job. Anyway, how are things with you? The last time I saw you, life was conspiring against you. Are you well?"
Hmm, that was interesting. Well, now that he had an XO who was not chained to a mobility-chair, Julia would see that a stop was put to "captain going on dangerous away teams". Not that she had ever insisted on taking on such missions herself when she had been in command. Ever.
"I am... well enough," she said, rubbing the back of her neck. "Not counting the recurring headache that has plagued me for, oh, the last few months or so. After everything, I cannot truly complain, can I? Any problems I could have seem... insignificant." Her face fell a little, and she shrugged. "But no," she said, stronger. "I am fine, Doctor."
Jocelyn quirked an eyebrow. "I am pleased to hear that, though not necessarily convinced. You understand that you can talk to me about anything, right? I would hope that you hadn't forgotten. If you need anything, I'm at your disposal. Command won't often take care of themselves, so I must sometimes force the issue. Please don't make me do that with you."
"I appreciate that, Doctor," she said easily, "but I am fine. I'd rather," she added soberly, "that you put your energies towards the people who need it than a former CO who not only has the luck of surviving things," Julia pointed out, "but also then manages to get reassigned to her old ship." She slid off the table, softening a little. "But I appreciate the offer, Doctor. It is good to know that you are a willing ear."
"Of course. As always, I'm here to help. Was there anything else in particular that you wanted to know before I headed back to the station? Things have changed, I know, but you'll get back into the swing of things soon. We're not all that different, really. Just older, hopefully wiser, and a lot more wary of cat-lizards."
"I think that goes for all of us," she agreed with a quiet laugh. "No, though I hope you will keep me informed of how the crew handles everything as we go into this mission. And keep me in the gossip loop, of course." She grinned.
"Plenty of that comes through sickbay, I assure you. I'll see what I can do." She nodded slightly. "Well, I should get back to the station before Atton finds his way into the casino again to spend free credits. With luck, we'll have him walking before too long and things will be back to normal." She hesitated, then smirked. "Normal for Atton, I mean."
Julia nodded, stacking the padds she had for the meeting and heading towards the door with the doctor. "You can let me know if he resists his treatment. I can assure you -- and you can assure him -- that if I have to get involved, it will not be pleasant for him. And that I will never, ever lobby for him to get another ion cannon."
"Yes, when in doubt, threaten to keep them from their toys. It works well with children and men that refuse to behave like men." Jocelyn chuckled.
Julia smirked, nodding in agreement "Universal truth."
Julia watched as the rest of the senior staff funneled out of the conference room. "Sorry," she said, stacking the padds and pulling off the presentation from the main viewer. "I hope I'm not keeping you from your shore leave."
"No, actually, I have time scheduled for Atton's rehabilitation," Jocelyn replied, still seated. She eyed the wall chrono. "A half-hour ago, but the sudden appearance of free credits to spend derailed him a bit."
"Oh." She decided not to draw attention to who was responsible for said credits. "Well, it was actually Atton I wanted to talk to you about." She frowned, debating how to phrase what was on her mind. "He seems fairly critically injured, Doctor. And, well, I'm worried about how he's taking it. Whether or not he's really all that fit for duty. He's my tactical officer now," Julia continued, tiredly. "He has to be so sharp for this mission."
"If he were unfit for duty, I would have removed him from such. His body is injured, but there is nothing wrong with his mind. His telepathy is under control and he is as keen as ever. There are some psychological repercussions brought on by his condition, of course, but that is no different from any other crewman that has ever been injured while on duty. He is working through that and seems well adjusted. I have done what I can to help him understand while his body heals."
"I don't doubt your judgment. But I read the reports about what put him into that condition," she admitted, a little hesitantly. "It would be a shame if he fell prey to irony here -- if he was trying too hard to be fit for duty while his health -- and the safety of the ship -- suffered because of it. Believe me, Doctor," Julia added, more gently, "the last thing I want is to have been back on the ship for three days and be accusing our crippled war hero of incompetency. But I have to be sure. The well-being of Aquarius -- and his own -- is all I have in mind."
"He does push himself. He is anxious to walk again, but you cannot fault him for that. His health is not in any danger. His condition was stabilized after the first set of surgeries. Now, it is up to his body to heal itself with the help of neuro-stimulation and physical rehabilitation. His condition grows better every day. Already some feeling has returned to his legs." She tiled her head to regard the other woman. "What, specifically, are your concerns?"
Julia shrugged. "He seems to be doing all right, from the little I've seen of him. I just would not want for the stress to get to him when we all least need it. I have never had a problem with him as an officer." She gave her a faint smile. "I do not want that opinion to change. But that is good. I am glad to hear he is making progress. Perhaps I must make it an order that he go to therapy. Or turn off his credits until he has done so."
"If you make it an order, it will only compel him to resist. He is afraid, I think. Most in his situation are afraid, mostly that they will never walk again and that the treatments will do nothing for them. As soon as we leave here, I am taking him back to the station for his appointment. He'll listen to me."
Julia smirked, just slightly, but said nothing. "I'm glad to hear that. But as his treatment progresses, he'll be more comfortable, I should think." She sighed, pulling aside one of the chairs and perching on the edge of the long table. "It's hard coming back. I almost want everything to be exactly the same as when I left, even though of course I know it won't be. And so much has changed..."
"Yes, quite a bit, actually. I assumed that the Captain has gotten you up to speed already on all that has happened after you were reassigned?"
"That's a lot of time," she admitted. "Mission-wise, yes. But that's not what I mean." She looked at the medical officer, her eyes nearly bulging. "I mean... Doctor, I called a meeting and my chief science officer, who was an assistant when I left... I don't walk normally walk into a meeting and expect to find a little blue baby in there, too!" I mean I don't mind, but..."
Jocelyn actually laughed aloud. "Ah, that... yes. The staff meeting was short-noticed and Janelle hadn't the time to find proper sitting arrangements. Sometime ago, one of her antennae was injured and I inadvertently stimulated certain receptors during treatment, causing her body to prematurely undergo the mating cycle. Fortunately, I was able to reach the Andorian Planetary government and their solution was to send there others to Aquarius. All of them were in their cycle, so Janelle joined with them to conceive a child. Risa was the first time she had ever seen the baby. The other female Andorian involved in the ritual is undergoing medical treatment and needed Janelle to keep the child for a while. It is risky, taking a baby to war, but she has no other choice. And as we still have other families on board, she is not the only one taking that same risk."
Julia stared at her like she had grown a pair of antennae of her own throughout the explanation. "Oh," she finally managed. "Well. That is certainly..." She nodded slowly, blinking while she considered a response. "Well. Very complicated to say the least." She paused. "My gods. I can't imagine needing a four-person relationship. I mean.... it's complicated enough with two people..." she finally said, trying hard to fight the hint of a giggle slipping through. "But four..."
"I could send you the medical texts outlining the process, if you like," Jocelyn smirked. "It is primarly for the transfer of genetic material rather than a typical relationship, but you would have to ask Janelle if the process is... satisfying."
"I don't think I want to know," she dismissed quickly, covering a slightly nervous-sounding giggle behind her hand. "And the rest of the crew? How have they been? And how have they been handling the return to combat?"
"As well as can be expected, I think. I'm no counselor, so I can't tell you what they are feeling, but I have had very few come in needing treatment for nervous conditions. Everyone is tired of the war, of course. It always seems as though we're being thrust into another helpless situation after we've only gotten ourselves out of the last one. The trip to Risa was a welcome relief, though people were still waiting for the bad news to fall." She shrugged. "That's the way it is during these times, I suppose."
"It could be worse," she pointed out. "The raids may be hazardous, but we should not be encountering many large ships. And we will have backup as well." She sighed. "And Le-Gran certainly seems to have taken to Command. Or maybe it's the other way around."
"He puts himself into harm's way more than I would like, but that is also the nature of the job. Anyway, how are things with you? The last time I saw you, life was conspiring against you. Are you well?"
Hmm, that was interesting. Well, now that he had an XO who was not chained to a mobility-chair, Julia would see that a stop was put to "captain going on dangerous away teams". Not that she had ever insisted on taking on such missions herself when she had been in command. Ever.
"I am... well enough," she said, rubbing the back of her neck. "Not counting the recurring headache that has plagued me for, oh, the last few months or so. After everything, I cannot truly complain, can I? Any problems I could have seem... insignificant." Her face fell a little, and she shrugged. "But no," she said, stronger. "I am fine, Doctor."
Jocelyn quirked an eyebrow. "I am pleased to hear that, though not necessarily convinced. You understand that you can talk to me about anything, right? I would hope that you hadn't forgotten. If you need anything, I'm at your disposal. Command won't often take care of themselves, so I must sometimes force the issue. Please don't make me do that with you."
"I appreciate that, Doctor," she said easily, "but I am fine. I'd rather," she added soberly, "that you put your energies towards the people who need it than a former CO who not only has the luck of surviving things," Julia pointed out, "but also then manages to get reassigned to her old ship." She slid off the table, softening a little. "But I appreciate the offer, Doctor. It is good to know that you are a willing ear."
"Of course. As always, I'm here to help. Was there anything else in particular that you wanted to know before I headed back to the station? Things have changed, I know, but you'll get back into the swing of things soon. We're not all that different, really. Just older, hopefully wiser, and a lot more wary of cat-lizards."
"I think that goes for all of us," she agreed with a quiet laugh. "No, though I hope you will keep me informed of how the crew handles everything as we go into this mission. And keep me in the gossip loop, of course." She grinned.
"Plenty of that comes through sickbay, I assure you. I'll see what I can do." She nodded slightly. "Well, I should get back to the station before Atton finds his way into the casino again to spend free credits. With luck, we'll have him walking before too long and things will be back to normal." She hesitated, then smirked. "Normal for Atton, I mean."
Julia nodded, stacking the padds she had for the meeting and heading towards the door with the doctor. "You can let me know if he resists his treatment. I can assure you -- and you can assure him -- that if I have to get involved, it will not be pleasant for him. And that I will never, ever lobby for him to get another ion cannon."
"Yes, when in doubt, threaten to keep them from their toys. It works well with children and men that refuse to behave like men." Jocelyn chuckled.
Julia smirked, nodding in agreement "Universal truth."