Vaccuming A Conscience

Posted on Sun Jan 29th, 2023 @ 4:28pm by Lieutenant Michael Amato & David Meddows MD-Ph.D.

0 words; about a 1 minute read

Mission: Mission 1: A Fool’s Errand
Location: Medical Division
Timeline: M1 MD14 (2268.29.05) 1400

The situation involving Dr. Meddows was weighing heavily on Dr. Amato. He paced through the corridors of the medical division. Eventhough he'd been told by the Captain that the psychiatrist had no interest in pressing charges he still felt like the matter was unresolved. Meddows deserved somesort of rebuke for going after him and Toby, but maybe the fist was too much. He found himself standing in front of the doctor's office. Maybe he was just in a soul searching mood. Maybe after clearing the air with Lt. Thraxina he felt he had to do the same with Meddows. He took a deep breath, stiffened up and ran the buzzer.

"Hello! Come in!" came Meddows' voice through the intercom, surprisingly chipper in the circumstances, but then, he wasn't one to wallow in self pity.

The scene inside Dave's office was one of impending departure: a couple of boxes on antigrav lifters were filled full of his possessions.

He looked up from his packing.

"Oh, hi Mike! Can you use an animatronic cat?" he asked, holding up the realistic toy that had so upset Toby during his Psychological examination. "Apparently I'm not allowed to take electronic devices where I'm going to."

"Ah, I'm sure I know someone who could," Mike responded, slightly taken aback, "What are you up to?"

"Oh, I've had the boot" he said, putting the cat to one side rather than in the box "This new 'Ship's Counselor' idea was always going to be a unpopular, I reckon. Or maybe it's just me. I was a civilian scientist for so long... I don't know, maybe you can't teach an old dog new tricks."

He looked at the animatronic toy cat thoughtfully: unless it was a sentient android dog he thought idly to himself.

"Wouldn't be so bad if they just let me go, but there's got to be some humiliating 'hearing' once we get to Starbase 10" he sighed. "Oh well, I know you'll stand up for me, as a character witness!" he smiled, optimistically.

"I'm sure the captain doesn't want to go through with this hearing," Mike responded, as he set the cat toy down onto the desk. "He's not one usually to make things difficult for people," he said and then sighed. "I feel responsible for the whole thing... I overreacted and then... Well you said something asinine and then I reacted. Opened up an entire can of worms."

"Well, we can't turn back the ship's chronometer, can we? What's done is done. Time has flowed on. The main thing is..." he putout his hand "No hard feelings, eh?"

"None on my end," Mike responded as he attempted to muster a reassuring smile, "You could head it off and resign your commission I guess, although you could just talk to the Captain. See if you can go back to being a scientist, even aboard this ship." He chuckled, "If anything since what's happened Mr. Dienstag and I have come to realise you're fairly innocuous... But we didn't know."

Dave gave a philosophical smile.

"Nahhh. I'll face what's coming. I don't think starships and uniforms are for me, I should have realised that. The discipline, having to bite your lip about senior officers, junior officers having to bite their lip about you, oh, and the artificial atmosphere! I won't miss that."

He toyed with a Feinberger - that would need to be returned to stores.

"There are just a few mysteries I wish I'd been able to solve before I ship out, which is a pity." He was referring to the theorised 'interphase anchor' that he had hoped to track down with Aze and Toby's help.

Mike sat down in one of the Burke chairs, "I'm sure you've already guess, but to solve one riddle for you, Toby and I are involved... Romantically."

"Really?!!" Dave frowned. His reaction was just exaggerated enough to hint that he had already guessed "And here's me thinking he was seeing Lieutenant Bernhardt"

This got him thinking about Girl #1.

"I can't say I haven't missed my girlfriend. She's going to be at Star Base 10, even though she won't be allowed into the hearing."

"Bernhardt is a dirtbag, glad he's being dumped on Starbase 10," Mike responded, "We've been seeing each other since the academy since he was a junior and I a medical student..." The young doctor nodded.

Dave frowned. "Bernhardt?" then realised his mistake. "Oh, Toby, right!"

"The hearing should be quick," he said, "And like I said I would try speaking to Dr. Kitchner and the Captain again... You don't need to go down in disgrace needlessly, despite our professional differences." He felt for the man, seeing his life shatter around him.

Meddows just smiled his little smile and shook his head "We all have to fall to rise, Doctor, fall to rise. I've been having a think about what I'm going to do after all this is over, and, well,.... I became quite friendly with a fellow inmate on Tantulus V, a criminally insane but incredibly rich Kzinti by the name of Chuft. I think I could persuade him to back me in building the Galaxy's first completely sustainable green powered warp capable space ship, with entirely natural environmental controls."

Dave waved his hand at the room around them "You know that the warp bubbles on these things are ripping the galaxy to shreds, don't you?!" That was a very new, and a very controversial theory (and therefore, right up Dave's Alley).

"Yes..." he sighed, getting that slightly mad glint in his eyes, "The SS Eden would roam the Galaxy, searching out new life, and new civilizations, in an entirely non-destructive way, who knows, we might even find.... Eden."

"Well, I suppose whatever is satisfying," Mike commented, "I for one am perfectly fine remaining here for awhile. Then we will see what happens next. I guess until we meet again, Doctor..." He attempted to do the triangle gesture as a sign of respect.

"I appreciate the gesture, but you don't have to do that!" Dave laughed "Besides, it's not like that, it's like that." he demonstrated, before seeing Mike out and sending him on his way with friendly pat on the shoulder, except this time, he remained upright and conscious.

 

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