Check-up

Posted on Tue Oct 10th, 2023 @ 1:37am by Lieutenant Xex Wang

Mission: On the Road Again
Location: CMO's Quarters
Timeline: Mission Day 3 at 0749

[CMO's Quarters]
[Deck 2]
[0749]

“...never tells me anything. Honestly Xex, I don't know how he withstands my wiles-- well, he doesn't exactly withstand them-- but likewise I never do get any juicy details out of him. And him in specops! Wasted potential for excellent stories if you ask me.”

A silvery skinned man's face filled the screen, his fine features animated with his mock-complaint. Xex snorted at his mannerisms and selected another bloom from the large vase to his right, trimming the end of its stem carefully, and then placing it precisely against its neighbor, green against white in the growing arrangement on the table before him. “Nobody does ask you for your stories, Jex, but that never stops you,” Xex commented good-naturedly into solitude of his room.

“Anyway,” Jex was saying on the screen, “I'd best get these reports finished up-- the ambassador will want them when she wakes up, and stars know no one else is going to get them done.” His mobile features sobered and he stared intently out of the screen as he said, “Now it's you out there at the ass end of nowhere, Xex. You take care of yourself. I want you to meet this flyboy of mine and you can't do that if you've been... eaten or dissected or whatever it is they do out there in the Delta Quadrant. And in any case, I refuse to be the only subject of my mothers' meddling. Send me a message and let me know you at least made it aboard ok. Ok? Love.”

And with that, the face winked off, replaced by the ubiquitous Starfleet logo. “I don't blame you for wanting to share the load of your mothers. I don't know how you do it,” Xex said to the blank screen, fond amusement curling at the corners of his mouth as he turned the arrangement and added a few light, feathery sprigs to its edges. He turned the whole of his attention to the piece, frowning as he rotated it a few times. He made a few minute adjustments, placed one more enormous green bloom right through the middle, and finally sat back, surveying his handiwork. With a nod of satisfaction, he carefully lifted the entire arrangement and carried it through to the suite's common room where he found a place for it on the small side table.

Xex returned to his room then and touched the screen awake. “Begin video message to Lieutenant Windler, care of the Federation Embassy, Mirial, Tenebra VII.” The computer chimed its acquiescence and a little information packet with the destination details appeared in the top corner of the screen.

“Jex!” he began, his own features lighting up with his customary excitement. “So very glad to hear from you. Before I go any further though, I have to tell you that you're sounding more and more like your mother Jaamra. Only Auntie Jaamra would think I'd already been vivisected. So far so intact in the Delta Quadrant. At least, most of us are intact,” his face sobered as his voice dropped, “but we did lose a crewman on the moon. I'd never even had a chance to meet him, but the loss hit my assistant hard. He's still young,” Xex added, and his features abruptly animated, shooting a wink into the camera, “But I suppose you wouldn't know anything about that.” Taking a deep breath, he continued, “There will be a memorial for Booth-- the crewman-- later today. Like I said, I never met him, but I intend to attend. If Gwenwyn-- that's my assistant chief-- goes, he will need support, I suspect.”

Xex shifted in his chair, folding and refolding his hands as though unsure what to do with them now they had no task. “The rest of the crew returned mostly intact, and those that aren't will be soon.” He held up a finger as though to forestall an outburst, “And no, it wasn't me. Mostly it was a rogue Kazon woman who almost literally fell into our laps, but also the moon tried to eat the science team, and tried to collapse on a cadet and a security officer. And we all breathed more of it than was healthy.” His face screwed up with distaste. Respiratory ailments were some of the worst. “But we're back on board now, safe and sound, and so far as I know, we are not currently being pursued by pissed-off Kazon. Although...” his eyes got a faraway look, “I guess that's never entirely out of the question in the dee cue...”

Xex's gaze sharpened and he sat forward again, apparently not realizing he'd started using the slang for the quadrant. “Anyway, the ship is lovely as I said in my last message-- not too large, not too small-- and the crew seems tight-knit, as it would have to be way out here in the back of beyond. Still, there was a substantial change-over when I came aboard-- can't help but wonder how quickly folk burn out, out here-- and there are some growing pains as newcomers try to fit in and veterans adjust their well-worn habits to help us do so. Same song, different ship. Nevertheless, the captain seems genuinely invested in crew morale, and it turns out the XO is an empath, so I'm sure we shall settle in alright. There are some curious crewmembers as well-- an Al-Aurian, if you can believe it, a couple Orions (no, I will not be careful, Jex Windler, if you get to swan about with a SpecOps pilot, I shall happily fall prey to any Orion I wish), a Gorn, and we even have an Antican on the engineering team.”

Huffing out a sigh of air, Xex leaned back in his chair. He weaved his fingers together into a complicated shape, lips twitching to the side. “In short: It's Starfleet, if a slightly more remote Starfleet. Nothing specifically to write home about-- that's why I'm writing you. Take care, will you? I know you won't,” the halfsmile bloomed into a grin, “But Auntie Ika would never forgive me if I didn't at least make the attempt at cautioning you. Say hi to the ambassador for me. Peace and ease, cousin.”

Xex untwined his fingers and wiggled them at the screen, then ended the transmission. “Computer, hold delivery,” he said, as his face took on a faraway look. Then, apparently coming to some decision, he added, “Computer, send.”

The computer chimed its acquiescence and the screen scrolled a list of delivery points for the subspace transmission, but Xex was already pushing up from the chair and turning away. He really did hope Jex was being careful out there at the edge of Romulan space, but he strongly suspected his young cousin was doing nothing of the sort.

With another smirk at the thought, he glanced at the chrono. It glowed accusingly at him and the smirk faded to a grimace. As usual, he'd lost track of time. Hooking his jacket off the chair, he didn't even spare a second glance for the terminal screen as he made for the door. Hopefully Doctor Bracco would forgive him. He was fairly confident he could at least make her smile with some of Jex's exploits, so maybe, just maybe, he had a fighting chance at such forgiveness.

At least, he would if he hurried...

A Post By:

Lieutenant Xex Wang, MD
Chief Medical Officer