Just in Time [Back Post]
Posted on Tue May 9th, 2023 @ 1:46pm by Fleet Captain Maxwell Culver & Lieutenant Commander Frasier Greene
2,777 words; about a 14 minute read
Mission:
Good Will Tour: Mountain Home [Part Two]
Location: Triton Seabase: Transporter Room
Timeline: MD23: 1100 hours
Max entered the transporter room and looked at the chief on duty. “Chief Aeliss energize.” Max was glad to have his permanent Chief Medical Officer aboard just before they reached Mountain Home. He was worried about the way Killik might react to sudden change, even if it was easily explained away.
Always glad the transporter had re-sequenced his atoms into the correct order after using the unpleasant contraptions the newly arrived Doctor blinked his eyes open and took stock of his new surroundings.
Instantly, his grey eyes fell upon the ranking officer in the room waiting no doubt for his arrival. A sweeping glance of his neatly arranged pips and customary uniform stood the big cheese himself - Captain Maxwell Culver.
"Good morning Captain," Frasier acknowledged his presence. "Permission to come aboard?" he asked.
“Permission granted, Doctor. It’s good to finally have you aboard as our full time Chief Medical Officer aboard,” Max answered and extended his hand to welcome the arrival.
Stepping down Frasier took the offered hand and grasped it briefly but firmly. "Thank you for having me, sir. I figured you must have been in some urgent need as its been a whirlwind journey out here."
Max nodded in agreement as he briefly shook the newcomer’s hand. “We supplemented with the EMH for the first month, which bridged the gap. Doctor Gocx came in as our short-term, locum doctor. I’m sure, as a Klingon, he’ll be happy to get out of Romulan territory. So, yes, it will be nice to have someone here who is ready to serve the crew,” Max explained evenly.
"A Klingon doctor and the EMH," Frasier visibly winced. "I bet they kept your Counsellor's busy, neither are known for their bedside manner or empathy."
Max gave a chuckle. “Actually, because we’re a small crew, we only have one counselor aboard, so yes, she’s run ragged. Though I do have to admit the Mark XV has gotten much better than the old Mark I’s.”
"Almost anything is better than the early Mark I," Frasier remarked drily. "I'd like to catch up with Counsellor Campbell and Doctor Gocx as soon possible to bring me up to speed with the status of the crew and anything out of the ordinary."
Max had to stifle the explosion of laughter that nearly erupted from his mouth. After a few moments of breathing and literal silence, Max had enough together to reply, “Please do. It might help if you schedule more than an hour or two. They might have some suggestions for you regarding timing on that subject.” He was still suppressing his own laughter.
Greene's brow crinkled as the Captain fought to contain himself and curb his pending laughter. The Doctor watched him mutely unsure if he felt insulted or to join him in sharing the mirth.
Electing to go with the look of distain Frasier crossed his arms: "I see," he replied drily. "Would you care to elaborate?"
“It’s just that, with a few exceptions, nothing has been “normal” on this base, Doctor Greene…do you mind if I call you Frasier?” Max asked.
Nodding slowly as the Captain began to explain what had transpired previously Frasier retraced slightly: "Of course. I do not object you or the senior staff using my name instead of rank or title."
With the doctor’s reply, Max continued, “Between you, me and the holodoc, I was poisoned within the first few hours before launch of the base. This was a neural toxin that caused Doctor Graham to have to do some immense neural rewiring, causing me to come into my El-Aurian gifts a lot later in life than expected. In fact, El-Aurians my age without the gifts are expected to never develop them.”
The Doctor's arms loosened at the confession with surprise and horror. "That's as equally fascinating as is it frightening," he responded making mental notes to go through Graham's notes with a tooth comb afterwards. "Was the culprit apprehended?"
“He was captured and held by a joint Romulan/Starfleet patrol for a very short time,” Max answered. “As a member of the Romulan Free State, he took his own life both violently and willingly,” Max answered. “Despite having been examined, before being handcuffed. He knew he could have been made better, rehabilitated. Instead, he tried to kill Commander Paxidor just before taking his own life. Some kind of hydrochloric acid, very graphic and such a waste of life.
Frasier nodded as Max explained and winced hearing the outcome of the individual. "What about yourself?" he asked. "How have you managed with your new found abilities?"
Max took a deep breath and blew it out, expressing a lot of emotions with that single breath. “I’d be lying if I said it was fun or easy, but it hasn’t been either. I’ve got Commander Paxidor to help and Counselor Campbell. Both are my age and both have similar abilities, but they’ve had theirs longer…I’m approaching it as I always do, jump in head first and trust the Gods will save me.” Max laughed aloud.
"Not the advice I'd recommend," Frasier sighed. "I'm glad to hear you have support of others - I couldn't comprehend how difficult it must have been for you having these enormous changes especially after what you'd experienced."
“Just like this place, Doctor Greene. It’s a whole new world. It’s exciting and strange. It’s full of people you think you know, but the surface is just the that. An image which hides depths of knowledge, stories, truths and lies. The people are colored auras, If I spend enough time talking with them, I can get them. Some, like the Romulans are gray, both simple and difficult to read.”
Max laughed. “Back when I wasn’t trying to read an aura, they came easily. Now that I try, it becomes more difficult. I suppose it’s like art and imagination in children. It’s easy to make up games and play them as children, but as we age, it gets more difficult, even more difficult to remember the games you had once made up…do you know what I mean?” Max asked, his words spilled out unwarranted as they were unwelcome.
Frasier nodded as the Captain spoke invertibility opening himself more than he had intended to. His psyche had been radically changed after the incident leaving him vulnerable and potentially prone to making more errors than he would normally be comfortable with. In other circumstances Frasier would have recommended the Captain be temporary relieved in order to come to terms with the changes he was now experiencing and seek additional support from other like minded individuals. That, however was a luxury Culver couldn't afford given his unique position: as the base Commander in a distant location attempting to keep the delicate peace treaty with their neighbours intact. It was a marvel Max was able to keep all the plates spinning and not melt into mess in the process.
"I do," the Doctor replied. "The brain despite much medical advancements is a mystery with some elements we still cannot explain in full. Or why, as you say certain tasks become more challenging as we age. Though, I must confess I'm not overly familiar with the inner workings of the El-Aurian I stand ready to assist in whatever way possible on your journey."
“With the destruction of our homeworld, much of our information has been lost. Thousands of years of personal memoirs, thousands of years of medical studies and the changes in science over time, thousands of years of patient care,” Max paused. “And that’s just things I can think of medically.”
“There would be so many more subjects lost; horticulture, sociology, space and temporal studies, dimensionality, theatre, great works and terrible works…” Max paused on his pontificating.
"Damn Borg," Frasier growled lowly.
“Damned Borg, indeed. I wonder, after not hearing from them for so long, if they’ve truly reached their end?” Max wondered almost to himself. “I wonder how much of my world still exists? The Borg have never had any interest the written word?” Max asked, this time mumbling under his breath.
"I certainly hope they're gone and remain so," Frasier responded at the question. "I wouldn't wish the Borg on our enemies or anyone else in all honestly. I'm sure scattered among the cosmos are elements of the of El-Aurian culture yet to be discovered. We just haven't found them yet," he wanted to reassure the Captain in his musings.
Max chuckled to himself. No doubt the doctor would soon learn about his own Borg modification. “I’m sure in our great El-Aurian wisdom, we will ask the Federation for assistance to return to our old homeworld to seek out that which was ours. The Borg haven’t been heard from for nearly thirty years now, you’d think we might send in one of those super-fast, new starships.”
"One day maybe," Frasier sighed. "For now I'm happy to let sleeping dogs lie on that one."
“I’m afraid you’re right there. Re-exploration of space lost to the Borg seems likely in my lifetime. I can only hope about whether it might happen in your lifetime. We need good, compassionate people when we start to recover the Borg that are left.”
"I'm sure they'll be plenty," the Doctor smiled. "For now however, we have relations to stabilize here. How has that been progressing?"
“Probably about as good as seeing the Borg would be right now,” Max joked, not knowing what the future held.
Frasier winced: "Surely not that bad?"
“Well, while I do think they’d prefer we were Romulan, they’ll just have to get over that shit. Starfleet is going way out of its way to load the crew with some of the newest aliens to enter Starfleet. That means a S’ti’ach, a Pakwha-thahn, an Aquadian/Klingon hybrid, two El-Aurians - unusual, maybe even unheard of, a Romulan XO who won’t wear the Federation uniform…need I go on?
“I think it’s a cruel joke about the Orion yeoman who behaves as though this is her personal five year beach vacation and I can’t get a report response from anyone in Starfleet.”
Max paused and breathed. Rena said it would help, but he still wanted to grab a PaDD, break it over his knee and start chewing on the components.
For a moment he had a terrible thought that this might be the Borg implant trying to activate a bit more than as a personal shield. A sudden calm down was needed almost immediately.
Frasier stood mutely with an arched eyebrow at the Captain's outburst. He was tempted to interrupt but thought better of it, this was a man under pressure set up to fail before he'd even taken command of the station and that was without taking in consideration his own personal journey. There was bound to be few bumps along the way.
“Okay!” Max exclaimed, dropping those thoughts into a box for later exploration. “Things going right, so far…we’ve survived not one, but two Senatorial meetings. The first with nearly all of them planetside - unusual I’m told, something about a Terran idiom about all ones eggs in a single basket? The second on the City State of Golden Towers. All primp and pretty, very little upstairs, if you catch my meaning.”
Max flicked at himself obviously. “So many flies of the walls of this station, Doctor Greene. May I call you Frasier? I expect a level of…informality the rest of the crew find…distasteful…for lack of a better word. Of course, off duty, you can call me Max.”
The Doctor nodded: "I'll try to remember, however old habits die hard."
Overhead, three swimmers in tanks seemed to break up the formality of the entire base. Max waved with a smile. One of them pulled out his rebreather and pointed at himself while smiling brightly. He suddenly realized he needed the rebreather and replaced it, signalling okay with two thumbs up.
Just over two weeks, was it possible to be in love with a fool? Deciding to broach the subject, Max asked, “Frasier, you were in love…are in love?” he wondered still, despite the outcome. “Did you ever think she was foolish? Or Gods forbid, did she find you foolish? Don’t worry, I have a counsellor, I’m just curious from someone who has been through the course of infatuation to love and beyond.”
Max hoped that wasn’t too personal or rude.
"Ah," Greene half smiled as the Captain changed the topic realizing he'd read his file. "Perhaps, though looking back on our early days we were both foolish to be honest. We simply wanted to spend time with one another, enjoy the intimacy, the thrills it brought and gave into lust."
“What changed all that?” Max wondered now that Pandora’s box opened. “The spending time together, the intimacy, the thrills and the lust?
“I imagine time, of course. It weighs heavily on mine as I will outlive him nine hundred times over, easily. For me, time is endless and I would turn in my command today, if he asked, just for fleeting hours with him, but he won’t ask.” Max smiled wistfully.
“The intimacy is there, the thrills, the surprises, the lust…well they couldn’t be higher,” Max ended with an actual laugh. “He’s bunking with our S’ti’ach, for lack of anywhere else to place him without causing troubles I’d rather not talk about right now, but…
“To enter the almost three story quarters not to find him in a bed, but to barely see his hand in a treesac, as the S’ti’ach call them, asleep with the little blue beast two floors above the carpeted ground. That’s a surprise.
“To be invited in as a member of the family group meant losing all my clothes and allowing the living treesac to plant me as part of the family unit was thrilling intimacy of a non-sexual type. It’s a moment that El-Aurians can slow time as though to last forever and I did. A strange family of three, well four as the tree is alive s well.”
“I suppose it’s what I get for forcing part of my family experience on him. Earth has another saying, “Payback is a bitch.”
"An experience you'd never forget I'm sure," Frasier’s smile deepened, trying to envision how he'd handle the unusual scene Max had described. "Remain truthful and attentive to one another and I'm sure you're be fine," the Doctor continued while quashing down his bubbling emotions regarding the separation he'd endure a few years previous.
Max offered his own gentle smile. “The “family sensation” is wonderful, but the sexual relation is only between myself and Dani. Kaydren wants none of it and when he has his quarters to himself and his tree, he is most happy.
“Dani and I have limited our time with Ren and tree to once a week unless otherwise invited,” Max assured the Chief Medical Officer.
“And a winding, seemingly endless tour of the base, here we are at Sickbay. Your reception desk, monitored twenty four hours a day by your ever eloquent medical reception hologram. Shall I leave you with him…or her, or any gender you prefer, Doctor?”
The reveal that Frasier had is own receptionist was unexpected mostly due to the factor he'd been giving the Captain his full attention as he spoke: "I'm not sure I hadn't expected such a luxury. I'll work something out," he replied hastily.
“Well, then Doctor, I leave you with your staff. Doctor Gocx is the only full Klingon we have aboard the base and he’ll be the man to go to regarding medical assessments, current treatments and any other thing you may need done. He’ll be staying on staff as one of your senior doctors.
“Counselor Rowena Campbell, or Rena as most of us call her, has been pulling triple duty as she calls it, to keep things in order. And lastly, the EMH will be transferring to science as we’ve just lost our science chief unexpectedly and, as you know, her programming has been updated to control the medical and science based departments.”
Max looked around the very white medical department and loved how clean it looked compared to the darker medbays on starships and older bases. “I leave it in your hands, Frasier.”
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