Old Friends

Posted on Sun Jun 11th, 2023 @ 8:35pm by Captain Lukas Fredricks & Commander Emily Knight

1,076 words; about a 5 minute read

Mission: Prelude: Getting Ready to Depart
Location: Ready Room, Deck 1
Timeline: MD5 - 0920 Hours

The staff had filtered out from the mission briefing back to their duty stations, Commander Emily Knight tailed the Senior Staff back out towards the bridge.

Given the incredibly short notice reassignment to the Britannic, she hadn't had the opportunity to meet any of the crew, let alone the Senior Staff. But there was one officer she knew, the Captain. She followed him into his ready room.

"What the hell Lukas? How did you manage to get the brass to pull my secondment to the FSR and reassigned to the Britannic with less than six hours notice?" She was jovial, playing with her old friend, "I mean, if this is a ruse to get me to go on a date with you again, it's extreme and unlikely to work."

Lukas rolled his eyes as he sat down behind his desk and offered the doctor one of the empty seats infront of it. "It's hardly a ruse for a date, Emily. I knew Oban would pull this type of stunt so pulled a few strings of my own. I won't have Britannic head out without a CMO. I nether like or trust the EMH. I want a real person in the role. I apologise for not contacting you about this personally."

"Yeah, well, luckily for you I can do my job organising the relief efforts for Cardassia Prime's Third Sector from the Britannic just as well as I could do from anywhere else. I was just looking forward to playing ball on actual dirt again and not that holographic muck you've got down on deck seven." She let out a sigh and plopped down into one of the chairs.

"So, the Admiral is up to some stunts, eh?" she looked at her new CO quizzically. "What the score?"

"Oban threw is under the bus for our last mission. Of course, I don't have definitive proof but I lost several good officers and almost lost my own life in the process too." Fredricks said quietly, as if the walls had ears. "She seems to want to ruin the good name of this ship and its crew or just wants to get rid of me."

“That bitch,” Emily said in a catty tone as she pointed towards the replicator as if to ask permission to use it, “I heard she was a proponent of annexing Cardassia.” The Doctor rolled her eyes at the thought.

"Probably, however I tend to stay away from anything political. Politics and Starfleet don't mix and never should in my opinion." Lukas replied.

She moved to the replicator and ordered an Andorian Ice Water, she flicked threw the menu and selected the Captain’s order also. Walking back to her previous chair, she took a long gulp of the refreshing water and placed the Captain's order in front of him.

As Knight slipped back into the chair, she looked around the ready room taking it in. She noted the various trinkets that the Captain had obtained during his years of service. Her office back on Earth had contained.

"If this assignment isn't ideal then I can arrange for you to transferred back again. As I said it was done under haste and I wasn't able to consult with you first. I try not to take liberties."

"No No, take all the liberties you need. Keeps me away from Peter..." she grimaced, "the divorce is getting messy." She threw out the comment rather nonchalantly between sips of the cloudy ice water. "The Britannic is a nice ship. I'll get you a report on the readiness of her Primary Medical department, and I noticed on the shuttle journey in... you've... we've" she quickly corrected herself, "... a medical pod attached."

"Messy from his side or yours?" Lukas asked with a hint of a smirk on his face. "Yes it is a medical pod, we'll be acting as an emergency hospital if needed while we're in Cardassian space. We've used it before with a good degree of success."

"His. Shacked up an Orion trader half his age." she said with a low growl, "That pod should double our ability to render medical aid. Has it come with it's own staff or are we going to be pulling double duty?"

"Having gone through a divorce myself, I know it's difficult. However, my ex wife and new husband were killed in an accident a couple of months ago so I have my children with me here on board. Did you ever pup down in the end?" Fredricks asked, it had been a while since he'd spoken to his friend and things can change quickly.

"As for the medical pod, it has a minimal crew. Starfleet just can't stretch to fully staff it when it's not needed all the time."

"I'll speak with Engineering about possibly running the EMH a little longer, or maybe even running additional instances of it." The Doctor didn't even know if that was possible, but she'd need the help one way or another.

"Are you okay Lukas?" she asked directly, with her Doctor's voice active, genuinely caring for her friend.

"This mission is playing on my mind a little. I don't want Britannic to be hung out to dry again. My trust in Oban has wanned." Lukas replied.

"If we do everything right, then we'll be fine. Keep a good record and Oban will literally be writing her own career obituary," Emily smirked and stood up from her seated position.

"I have an Engineer to chat with. Can I do anything else for you Captain? I'll see you for your medical in a few days, yes?" she nodded, returning their conversation to a more formal Captain to Doctor relationship.

"Of course, and again, thank you for being understanding with your last minute assignment to Britannic. I really do appreciate it." Lukas said with a warm smile.

The acting Chief Medical Officer gave her old friend, and her new Commanding Officer, a quick respectful nod before placing her cup on the Captain's desk and turning for the door. "Right, so where's my office?" she quipped jokingly before stepping through the Ready Room's aperture and onto the Main Bridge.

"Main sickbay, it should be in good working order." Fredricks replied with a small smirk. "Once we depart, perhaps a thank you dinner might be in order?"

"Sounds good Lukas." before the Captain could respond the doors closed behind her and she took a look around the bridge.

 

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