Surprise Ejection

Posted on Thu Apr 13th, 2023 @ 11:36am by Lieutenant Commander Diane Doctrine

Mission: Starship Side Quest
Location: Runabout Cuyahoga en route to Resolution
Timeline: After Part 7 of the Finchley Adventure

Diane sat in the pilots seat looking a mix of bewildered and angry.

The runabout was on autopilot of the time being as she sat staring out the front viewport with an uncharacteristic scowl on her face.

Tale, Diane, and Geiger had been unceremoniously booted from the Kerr family mission they’d embarked on with Finchley, his colleagues Karadis and Kilbane, and his uncle, the Admiral Kerr.

The discussion had happened so fast there was barely time to process it. Diane, Tale, and Geiger were told since they were “outsiders” they shouldn’t be there. Diane remembered Kilbane saying as much during the planning session. At that point Diane had a fleeting suspicion that this might happen but was largely surprise when it actually did.

After a long silence she finally said to Tale, who was in the co pilot’s chair, “I apologize for dragging out on this ‘non’ adventure and taking you away from your other important work.”

"Gave me an excuse to get out of sessions with those ensigns for a while," Tale replied. At this point, I'd phaser myself in the foot to get out of the twins sessions. The Doctor stowed her bag into the storage compartment and took her place beside Diane. Deftly, she pulled her hair into a ponytail revealing an olive metallic angular device that swept from behind her ears. So subtly, one would barely notice it. "Honestly, it's great to have any change of pace," Tale continued. "Even if it was bossing around their medical bay for all of 10 minutes."

Diane chuckled and tried to smile but didn’t quite pull it off. She spun her chair around to face Tale with some witty retort when she noticed the device now revealed by Tale’s pulled back hair. She tilted her head curiously and asked, “What’s that, if you don’t mind me asking,” while indicated with her own hand on her own head the location of the mysterious ‘thing’.

"For seizures," the Orion replied. "It's so uncommon in my species that they didn't know what to do with me that they strapped metal to my skull. But it's terribly mysterious."

Diane’s head tilted as she examined the device leaning forward a little. “Have you thought about seeking a second opinion? Starfleet has some amazing doctors. They may be able help in ways Orion doctors could not,” she offered with concern filling her voice.

Tale thought about it quietly. "Starfleet did what they did when they saw me. Oogled me like some creature to be marveled at because there's still so few of us in the fleet, took my data, and passed the notes on to someone more qualified," she exhaled. "I'll hear back in 20 years I'm sure."

Diane frowned sympathetically, "Unfortunately, Starfleet has a way of doing that, the oogling, poking, and prodding, in their effort to explore all of the unknown. For an organization that believe in the highest ethics they sure don't seem to follow them one hundred percent of time."

Tale felt this way about this mission. All the effort she saw her friend put into it, to get the plug pulled and the ship to sail past them in their peripheral vision. "I'm managing fine for now," Tale smiled. "But what about this. (She gestured) Space, the frontier. Are we really going back empty handed?"

Diane sighed a disgusted sigh. "I'm afraid this time, yes, but the next time I see Finchley Kerr I'm kicking him right in the dick."

"Oh, I'll hold him by his elbows. So he can't struggle."

Diane grinned, “You won’t need to but the thought is appreciated.” The console beeped. They were nearing their destination. “Well, we’re almost home. I wonder how things went while we were away…”

"Considering how things were going when I left," Tale shuddered from the co-pilot's chair.