A new CMO already? The last one isn't even cold yet...

Posted on Wed Mar 25th, 2015 @ 12:39pm by Lieutenant K’a’mirh’un Tenm & Captain Enalia Telvan & Lieutenant Commander Aelyn Radt

Mission: Temporal Kickback
Location: Captain's Ready Room
Timeline: Before the Singularity

*** USS Bacon ***

Cameron Tenm had spent the last five years of his Starfleet career on Earth, working in Starfleet Medical. While there was no doubt in his mind that he enjoyed living in San Francisco while simultaneously pursuing his surgical fellowship, there was nothing that could compare to the feeling of experiencing open space.

Most people preferred the former; gravity plating on a starship never quite provided a consistent 1G of gravitational force, and the inertial dampeners tended to be a few micro-seconds behind any course adjustment or speed change. And until someone was properly acclimated to the effects of interstellar space travel, they’d experience nausea and disorientation, confusion, sleeplessness – all symptoms of what medical professionals like him regarded as “space sickness.”

But even when he’d been a mere child, Cameron had never experienced such a thing. He felt more comfortable – more alive – living under the imitation of gravity as could only be provided by a Starship. Which was why he’d been tremendously pleased once he beamed aboard the USS Bacon for its three-week journey to rendezvous with the USS Hera.

And now, the Klingon-Trill hybrid was standing on the Bacon’s transport platform waiting to have everything he was pulled apart, particle by particle, until carefully reassembled back aboard the Hera.

With a small duffel bag hoisted over his shoulder and kept in place with one hand at the strap, Cameron glanced down and to his right where his faithful companion waited with considerably less sureness. The brindle coated boxer-lab mix whimpered even as it sat restlessly on the transport pad next to Cameron.

“Don’t worry, Cairo,” the Klingon-Trill-Human hybrid said as he knelt down and gave the animal a quick pet across the head. “You’ll be fine.”

Cairo yawned and resumed his panting.
The transporter room officer at the controls cleared his throat, catching Cameron’s attention. “Uh, sir. They’re ready for you aboard the Hera.”

Cameron nodded and stood back up to his full height of 6’2, straightened his uniform and made sure that Cairo’s hair hadn’t gotten on it. “Very good. Energize, Chief.”

***

Enalia was still shaken up from the last mission, what with having lost so many people, the CMO among the dead. She had no choice but to select a replacement and it seemed Starfleet had sent her a spare one just on principle with the rest of her crew aboard the USS Bacon. There were now a full 783 souls aboard her ship and she just hoped she wasn't going to lose any more of them - especially the contingent of civilian scientists that had just come aboard.

Sighing heavily, she typed up a message for the computer to deliver to Lt Temn so she could give him the news of his greater responsibilities in person.

***

Cameron found himself rematerializing onto the Hera. As soon as the audible shimmer faded completely, he dared to move. Cairo was already off the pad, eagerly exploring around the new transporter room; the transporter chief looked less than pleased to have a dog running around in his area of control. Cameron shifted the weight of his duffel and then looked to third person in the room, a wry smirk crossing his lips. "Lieutenant Cameron Tenm, requesting permission to come aboard."

"Permission granted," Aelyn said, the fur on her tail bristling at the sight of the dog. The half-Caitian Executive Officer we definitely not a dog person and regarded the canine with more than just a hint of disdain, but otherwise remained cool and composed despite the agitated state of her calico tail. "You are aware that you are required to request permission to keep a pet?"

To Cameron's chagrin, Cairo chose that particular moment to sniff the largest feline in the room - the Caitian. For a moment, he was worried whether Cairo would let certain instincts regarding the Dog vs. Cat world to assume control, but as soon as he was finished, he moved on without another care in the world. "I wasn't, ma'am." Cameron began as he walked and leashed his canine friend. Cairo seemed less than joyous all of the sudden. "And you're free to consider this my request to keep my pet, a dog which I've had for..." he stopped and counted the days, months, and years in his head. "Around four years now."

"Starfleet policy, you should know this," Aelyn said with a sigh. Well at least the dog wasn't aggressive... "But since you've had the dog for some time, consider your request approved. I'll make sure your quarters are assigned near the arboretum so you won't have to go far to walk him."

"I appreciate it," Cameron added. "Ma'am..." he threw in at the end.

Aelyn nodded. "I believe the Captain wishes to have a word with you," Aelyn said in a somewhat aloof manner. "I can have a crewman take your dog and your belongings to your quarters."

Cameron nodded back. "Uh- I'd appreciate that, ma'am." He said, sliding his duffel out of its pocket against his shoulder and resting it on the floor.

"Chief, call someone to see to his belongings, and keep an eye on his dog," Aelyn said the transporter chief manning the room.

"Yes ma'am," he said, taking the dog's leash from Cameron and leaning down to give the dog an affectionate pat. "I'll take good care of him," he assured Cameron.

"Thank you, Chief." Cameron said, returning his attention to Aelyn. Until now, he'd never met a Caitian in person, and it was only at that moment that he realized that she had something else... too. Spots? How a Caitian and a Trill managed to make that work might as well have been a medical mystery. He gestured for the doorway. "After you, ma'am."

Aelyn did not indulge in idle conversation as she led Cameron to the lift. After recent events, she wasn't much in talking mood, and since she had nothing of merit relevant to their duties to speak of, it was a silent walk

For most of the deck, Cameron and Aelyn failed to say so much as a word to one another. If there was one thing that Cameron was slowly coming to realize, it was that the atmosphere on board the Hera was heavy. Even the transporter chief seemed as though he were being weighed down with some sort of emotional toll. But as much as Cameron could wish that he was properly apprised of recent events, his transfer had some so hastily that he wasn't.

They stepped into the turbolift, and gave the command to the computer to bring them to the bridge. This being a Nebula-class starship, that would take a while. "Is everything alright, Commander?" Cameron asked, peeking sideways at the Caitian. He figured that out of everything he could say, that was probably the least likely to be adverse.

"No, not in the slightest," Aelyn replied, hear ears drooping slightly. "We had a mission go badly, several officers died..." Aelyn sighed, then looked at Cameron with a tired expression. "I suspect that's why the Captain wished to speak with you as soon as you boarded."

Cameron felt much less jovial now. Suddenly it made a lot more sense as to why he was so assigned to the Hera so hastily. Wordlessly, he waited until the turbolift came to a halt on the bridge.

Enalia had left her ready room momentarily to confirm something at one of the science stations during their trip from the transporter room. Having just finished, she nodded to Aelyn and Cameron as they stepped out of the turbolift. "Lieutenant Tenm, I presume," she said grimly. "Welcome aboard. Please step into my office." Not waiting for a reply, she turned and headed straight back to her ready room.

Aelyn strode over to the Command pit to relieve the on duty officer while the Captain had a talk with the good doctor...

Cameron nodded and followed Telvan into her ready room. His first instinct was to make a joke or comment hoping to lighten the mood, but after what the Hera had been through, he didn't consider doing so a good choice. "I'm sorry for your recent losses," he said instead. "At first I didn't understand why my orders got pushed through so quickly. Now I do."

"You think you know," Enalia said sourly as she sat in her own seat behind the desk and motioned to the seat across from her. "You've already been reassigned from Chief Surgeon to Chief Medical Officer. We've lost 2 CMOs in as many weeks and we almost lost our new Assistant Chief as well."

"If you don't mind my asking, ma'am. I don't really have a solid idea of what happened here." Cameron asked, hating the fact that he didn't have a good idea of what took place to have caused so much death and damage. But his transfer to the Hera had been fast. And now he was the CMO? That was something he'd need to process later.

Enalia sighed lightly before starting in. "In summary, our first CMO went back to prison, then our replacement CMO was just killed and became undead Romulan chow. Our ACMO we got with our CMO replacement was kidnapped, tortured, and lost an arm. Then I was kidnapped, escaped, and rescued him. We also have a lobotomized patient we rescued from a Reman prison converted from a mining facility whose care you'll have to now oversee. Unless you'd like the EMH to take over, that is."

Fuck, Cameron thought, and even managed to let the look of surprise slip onto his face. From the sound of it, if things were to remain consistent, he would not have a very long life span ahead of him. As ridiculous as the offer was, Cameron was momentarily tempted to put his hands in the air and admit surrender prematurely. "Of course not, Captain. I'm up to the task."

"Excellent!" Enalia exclaimed, clapping her hands together in mock glee. "Live at least a month on this ship and who knows, you might get promoted."

Somehow, Cameron couldn't mimic the false satisfaction he was seeing. In fact, he felt like something very heavy had just been saddled onto his shoulders. Nevertheless, he wasn't exactly mortified, either. "Time to see if my Klingon genes pay off, I suppose." He managed with a wry smile.

"In that case, you might get to go on an away mission eventually. A nice safe zombie free away mission." Enalia said, relaxing and leaning back into her chair.

"Zombies?" Cameron asked, but then decided he didn't want to know after all. "Never mind. It's probably best I don't know. I'm ready to handle whatever you or anybody else throws at me, ma'am."

"Good. Get to work then. And just ignore my overdue physical." Enalia said, busying herself with a few PaDDs. "Do you have anything for me?"

There were probably no fewer than half a dozen questions that came to Cameron's mind. But they were all questions he could gain answers from by asking anybody else but the Commanding Officer of the Hera. And somehow, Captain Telvan seemed like the sort of person who, for the moment, needed some space for herself. "No ma'am. At least nothing at this time," Cameron answered.

"Excellent. If you need anything, I have an open door policy unless it's locked. Dismissed." Enalia flashed a polite smile to her new CMO before focussing fully on the PaDDs before her.

"Aye aye, ma'am." Cameron said, turning towards the door and exiting.