I'll Come to You
Posted on Tue Aug 16th, 2022 @ 5:29pm by Captain Marc Kidd & Lieutenant Commander Viessa Kenobi
Edited on on Wed Aug 17th, 2022 @ 4:28am
2,682 words; about a 13 minute read
Mission:
The Hunt Begins
Location: Ready Room - Deck 3 - USS Artemis
Timeline: MD001 1030 hrs
As Viessa walked to the Captains Ready Room, a small medkit on her hip as always, she noticed Admiral Ford walking towards her. Quickly she stood at attention and he nodded to her as he passed, a small frown in recognition however as if he had seen her before.
Viessa smiled, he'd gotten older since last she saw him. The faint smell of alcohol on his breath, the meeting with the Captain must have been a liquid one. She knew it would only have been one or two mind you, he'd never get drunk on duty. He did still look as stoic and as he passed she quickly moved herself onwards to the Captain.
Ringing the bell at his quarters she hoped he was slightly more personable... or rather easier to warm up to. Admiral Ford, where as is a gentle soul, can be quite forthright with his opinions and attitudes, and Goddess help anyone that got in his way.
Marc sat rubbing his temples after the meeting that just transpired. He knew that his boss was a criminal, and yet he had no evidence at the moment. He would have to continue to play dumb as it were until he can bring Ford to the justice that he so deserves. The door chime made him realize that he was in charge and yet it did nothing to change his demeanor. "Come on in." Marc called to the closed door.
Viessa could feel the emotion from behind the doors. As they opened this washed over her, a feeling of duality. How he presented himself to the Admiral defied his face, she knew he had a dislike for his new boss. "Morning, Captain. "She opened with, there was no reason to talk about how he felt unless he chose to. "I am Doctor Kenobi, your new Chief Medical Officer and Medical Examiner. Just wanted to pop in and say hi... is this not a good time?" She asked hesitantly.
"No now is a great time. Please have a seat..." Marc hoped that meeting one of the senior staff would help take his mind off of what just transpired. He recognized Kenobi from her file and she was one of the few people on the staff that Ford and Kidd agreed on. That could be either for good or bad the jury was still out on that as it were. "I was just about to have a late breakfast. Can I get you anything from the replicator?" He asked as he walked over and ordered up a plate of corned beef hash and eggs with an orange juice and coffee.
Viessa nodded and took a seat as she noted his mood change drastically as she came in. It seemed he was quite good at adjusting to those in his company. "No, thank you sir. I had something light earlier this morning." She replied politely as she noted his meal of choice. She'd never liked corned beef hash, truth be told it made her feel a bit sick even having a thought about it. However, she had a strong stomach and a good poker face. "You should eat earlier Captain. You of all people need to keep your energy up." She spoke with a slight scold but meaning well.
Marc nodded and smiled. In an instant he knew that his new Chief Medical Officer was wise beyond her years. She came to him for the physical, so she would not have to chase him down, and already chided him for his habits. "Usually I do eat earlier. It is just that with getting the crew together and getting the ship ready for launch sometimes food gets pushed to the wayside. Once all of that is done I should be able to eat and act like a normal person." He laughed at his joke.
"Hmm." She frowned a little. She knew he was a busy man and that he'd be the center of attention before they launched but it was still important to keep fit, healthy and set yourself up for the day properly. "Just don't make a habit of it. I don't want to be the ships doctor who let her Captain fall to malnourishment." Viessa said with an innocent but somewhat serious smile.
"As you command..." Marc said with a smirk. He decided to take a moment to get to know the Doc who sat before him. "So Doc what brings you out in space. I know someone with your qualifications usually has an office job. I have to say that I appreciate you taking the job as getting someone with the skills of a Medical Examiner to come out to space was thought impossible for a time."
"I've lived most of my life in space, in one capacity or another." Viessa admitted. "I've been a Doctor for long time and once I got my ME qualification I sat in an office and hated it. I like the feel of the ship under my feet. I miss the vibrations if I'm off one for too long. Spent decades on one planet and as much as I fell in love with it, I was happy to get home when it allowed."
She opened her medical case and began to tinker with her equipment. "What's made you make take on this kind of position? Not typical of a Starfleet Captain to fall into this niche... do you mind if I scan you while we talk?" She asked.
"No, go right ahead I have nothing to hide..." Marc laughed at his own small joke. "Like most Captains I am an explorer. Except I like to explore the human psyche, and what better way to that that to Captain a ship that searches after large scale criminals. When I heard about this program I thought that someone was going to have to take this command so it may as well be someone who has an interest in it. I am just glad that Admiral Ford gave me the job."
Viessa began to scan the Captain as he spoke. There was, of course, nothing out of the ordinary and based on his last scan he had pretty much maintained his good health. "You have lost a little weight, but nothing to worry about." she spoke softly as he continued with explanation. "The Human psyche can be a most interesting and dangerous place, but I understand your reason. Admiral Ford offered me this placement as well, quite out of the blue."
Now that stuck Marc as odd, Declan was meticulous about planning and explaining. "Well I am certainly glad you are here. You come highly recommended. Due to the nature of our work here I have to ask. Is there anything in your opinion that is taboo? Anything that you would feel uncomfortable investigating?"
"Things that involve children give me pause. As a mother it can hit quite closer to home than I'd like." Viessa said with total honesty. She didn't believe in lying... you always get caught out at some point, and she's lived long enough to know that. "However, I am still a professional sir. I take my oath of care quite seriously."
"It is true whenever children are involved it does make things a tad more complicated. For me it is the crimes where the children are the culprit that really gets to me. I have read some reports from past cases where children as young as ten years old were committing murders and the such. It really makes me wonder if some people are just predisposed to act a certain way." Marc tucked into his food almost as an afterthought. As if the conversation had made him forget that the food was even there.
"I suppose that brings up the old argument of nature vs nurture." Viessa replied. "It can be a tough argument to quantify. Both have very valid points and evidence. I guess that's why it's still talked about today."
"Quite so, quite so... It also brings the discussion of generational offenders into question. If a parent is an offender and the child witnesses the criminal activity at a young age does that effect them? Does it make them want to offend even for the approval of the parent? It is an interesting question, but one that I fear will never be answered." Marc found himself opening up to his CMO. He knew that went with the territory with El Aurians, and for the first time in Marc's life at least he did not seem to mind it.
Viessa felt his comfort with her rise, his shoulders were not as stiff, his posture more relaxed. She smiled at his without realising. Most people at the sight of a doctor clammed up on first meetings but it was always nice to see when 'the shields fell' the difference in how patients acted.
"I think sometimes the 'need' to commit a crime comes from the 'need to survive', most of the time, or the need of the individual to 'be seen', to 'prove themselves' in the eyes of their parents and peers alike." Viessa said with a sigh. "The Federation likes to pull a blanket over the eyes of its people, say that crime is all but non existent in the paradise they have created... but usually all they are doing is just not dealing with it the way they should. I guess that's why we are here now? Someone must be making a push for something that will go public soon." Viessa's mind spun with conspiracy theories, her imagination running a little bit wild.
"From what the Admiral tells me we are basically non existent. All of our files will list us on special assignment, I report to Admiral Ford and he reports directly to Starfleet Command. I see it as more that they want to make this paradise a reality and we are the people who have to make it happen. As excited as I am about this program and its missions, I truly hope that we will find that we are not needed." The idea of what the Admiral had gotten away with flooded briefly into Marc's mind but he pushed it back and away for now.
"Oh well that's lovely." she said in the most English way possible without even missing a beat. "I love being invisible to everyone. It's almost like every girls dream." she rolled her eyes.
"It would be nice to think we live in an ideal galaxy where horrible things don't happen, but I suppose every institution wants to show the good side of their face and not the bad." Viessa had seen some nasty things over the 4 centuries she'd lived. Some things that still haunt her, but she has also seen some truly beautiful acts and her memories are littered with such joy and comfort.
"You know, Captain, if I may push my luck a little..." she began as he arched a brow in her direction. "You know El Aurians are empathic?" she asked rhetorically. Whether he knew or not made no difference to what came next. "When you talk of this mission there is that tiny part of you that I can sense that is layered. Of course I don't know the responsibility you do, all the moving parts, but something bothers you and it's not just what our mission is." she closed her medical tricorder. "You can talk to me, if you want. Doctor/Patient/Captain confidentiality." she put her right hand up in a sign. "Guides honour sir." she laughed a little. "Just letting you know... being a Captain can be a lonely path to walk and I'd rather keep you on the right, well lit path than the dark and dangerous one."
Marc thought for a moment and the silence in the room seemed to hang there for a long time. He realized that the woman in front of him was his doctor and a member of his crew. He was without doubt that whatever he told her she would hold in the highest of confidence. So he decided to tell someone, and let them share in the weight that he shared. "Admiral Declan Ford is in short a murderer, most likely a serial killer. He has gotten away with it for these years due to a supreme lack of evidence. He knows that I know what he did. That is probably why I am here, and yet it will be my greatest work to see him brought to justice. You asked what hung on my conscience and now you know. Now you bear the same weight and the same inability to prove it." He spoke slowly and with purpose, he opened a door that there was no coming back from.
Viessa blinked at him for a moment. What he said hung in the air and she feared to touch it in case it was to explode in their very faces. "Do you not think it dangerous to talk about him so openly on a ship he has given you? What if he has listening devices?" she asked half knowing he had probably swept the room. "And thanks for the extra weight... I am used to carrying a lot and I have crossed paths with Ford many times. I thought he had forgotten but there was an incident on Traxis II. I had been sent to assist in the evacuation of a Romulan refugee camp only to find all its inhabitants dead. Killed from a compound Starfleet created. It had all the markers and I have so much evidence, but one day I came back to my lab to find it cleared out and my staff reassigned... then I soon followed. I was slapped with an order to never speak of it again... clearly I've just broken that but my order was signed off by Declan Ford. That was the last time I met him, and I told him I'd keep digging. My career didn't get any better, which was why I was surprised he plucked me from the Clydesdale."
Marc was not surprised by the story she had shared. It was par for the course for Declan Ford, the man was holey evil. "This is probably the best place to talk openly about him. You see, this ship, this unit is his ultimate legacy. If he is ever brought to justice, the great killer creates the greatest law enforcement body the Federation has ever seen. There is no way that he would risk tarnishing that. In fact it is the only reason that I took the job. I want to make sure that we do our job uncorrupted and without influence. There will come a time when Declan Ford is going to face justice, and when that time comes I am going to be the man who throws the book at him."
Viessa nodded and chewed on her lip slightly. "Well I suppose we are both in this until the end now." she said as she packed away her medical gear. "In the mean time though... try and not scratch the people on board. I like my crew shiny and moan free." she smiled.
"I will try to make sure that you will be able to deal exclusively with dead bodies as our medical examiner." Marc said with a laugh. "On a more personal level Viessa I must thank you for listening. I needed that."
"Well... they talk less." Viessa joked back. "But you are most welcome Captain. I am a Listener after all, and I do enjoy putting others at ease. I am glad you feel lighter." she said making her way for the doors and as they parted. "Until next time sir." she said before setting off.
A Joint Post By
Captain Marc Kidd
Commanding Officer, USS Artemis
Starfleet Criminal Investigations Unit
Lieutenant Viessa Kenobi
Chief Medical Officer/Medical Examiner, USS Artemis
Starfleet Criminal Investigations Unit
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