Posted by Cadet Tom Little (Scientist) in Side Sim - Meeting with the CSO

Posted by Lieutenant Junior Grade Aaron Williams (Chief Science Officer) in Side Sim - Meeting with the CSO

Posted by Cadet Tom Little (Scientist) in Side Sim - Meeting with the CSO
Posted by… suppressed (7) by the Post Ghost! 👻
Trying to take his ease in his new office, Aaron was taking a look at the scientific staff list. He noticed in the recent entries that one of the cadets called aboard the ship has been received by Lieutenant Barr, former CSO, right before his departure. I should talk to him, he thought. It would be better if he knows about the changes that happened in his department.

<Snip>

Aaron nodded. “An excellent choice”, he said. “I don’t which cappuccino recipe is referenced in the replicator’s database, but it’s the best I’ve ever tasted.”

While talking, he approached the replicator and ordered: “Coffee, Cappuccino, Hot, Two”. The drinks appeared in a ray of light and began to spread a sweet scent of hot milk and grounded coffee. Taking a quick sip in one of the cups, the aroma began to flood in his mouth. Perfect, he thought with a big smile. Walking back to his desk, he put the other cup on his desk, in front of Little, and sat in his chair.

“So”, he began. “I guess you know that I didn’t call you here to talk about the wonders of coffee.” He made a quick pause to take another sip. “I wanted to talk about the changes that occur those days. And I know that you have been received by Lieutenant Barr, the former CSO, which is why I wanted to see you.”

Aaron smiled at him and says: “But before, I’d like to talk about you a bit. How are you feeling aboard the ship ?”

Lieutenant JG Aaron Williams, CSO

“Thank you, sir.” Tom took the cup to warm up his hands. This reflection of the crystal view was with him since the contractor’s age. From the mountain to the shore, a cup of joe was the difference-maker. And it never gets old.

“This cadet is motivated, sir.” He grinned and replied. “The ship seems to be under transition phase, and he’s seen many new sirs and ma’ams aboard the ship.” He continued, “He also has seen many cadets on the morning workouts at the gym. It seems the lower decks were particularly motivated by the recent promotions, dreaming of becoming them one day.” He playfully added a smile, sipped, and said, “He hopes Lieutenant Barr is doing alright, sir.”

Cadet Little (Scientist)
Aaron nodded. “Of course. I’m sure he is fine.” He let a little sigh and put back his coffee on the desk. “I’ll be honest with you, Little. As you might know, I was a doctor before being your department head, which means I don’t know a lot about Science. And with my lack of experience… I might not be the CSO you expected.”

“I’ll need way more time to take my marks than any scientist officer. But be sure that I’ll do my best to keep up with my studies and that I won’t flee my responsibilities if you were worried about it.”

Lieutenant JG Aaron Williams, CSO

Oh boy…Tom sipped and said, “You can call me Tom when no one is around, sir, and permission to speak freely…” He put down the cup on the table. “Let’s keep this stay in this room, but the last thing the crews want to hear is to have an unconfident officer. As our chief, while on a mission, I expect you to figure out the intent from the commanding officer and pass it on to us.” He smiled, “It is our job to do the nerd…Excuse me, the technical things required to get the job done. So you can give the recommended course of actions back.”

“You’ll be facilitating this flow, sir. That’s my number one expectation. And since you’re a doctor, you know how chemistry works.” He took back the cup and said, “From what I see, Astronomy is just an extended scale of this subject. Take a look at this cappuccino, sir. What do you see?”

Cadet Little (Scientist)
Aaron was a bit surprised by Tom’s question: “My…cappuccino ? Well…” He looked down at his coffee. All he saw was a mix of milk and coffee, creating a light-brown color in his cup, with some marks of milk foam.

“I…I see a usual coffee. But… Why the coffee ?” he asked, a bit curious about Tom’s answer.

Lieutenant JG Aaron Williams

“Good answer and great question.” Tom explained, “Because this is the most intuitive model that represents modern science. A chemical mixture like this is composed of neutrons, protons, and electrons, which formed atoms. These are floating because of a non-gravity environment, like in this liquid. On a larger scale, this is a milky galaxy. If milk on the top is the star, other things orbiting around could be planets, moons, and even asteroids.” He smiled, “Simply, haven’t-completely-melted-down-coffee-with-milk. But that’s the way our solar system is formed, by colliding on each other from time to time. In only less than ten seconds created by a replicator instead of ten billion years by grace.”

“So, if we’re in the mess hall, assuming everyone is holding a drink, that would be an intuitive model of the whole universe!” He laughed while carefully holding the cup. “Honestly, I don’t see much difference of observing these by microscope, or telescope. It’s just on a different scale.” He carefully added, “I also must say this, sir. I know that the Lieutenant was probably a little bit bossy,” he emphasized, “but (s)he was the (s)cience officer in chief.”

Cadet Little (Scientist)

Aaron listened to Tom talking about the origins of matter itself. He described a vision of the universe so simple, yet the closer one to the true nature of reality. Aaron couldn’t help but laugh at the end of Tom’s speech. He began with a chuckle before laughing frankly for a few seconds.

“I.. I am sorry”, he said, trying to calm himself. “But this… this was so surprising, I don’t why but… It was so simple and so true that it took me off guard… Don’t take it wrong, but I think it relieves me a bit of… all this.” He opened his hand to show his new office.

Taking a sip of proton-soup cappuccino, he adds: “You know what… Thank you. Really, Tom, it’s good to talk to you. And please… Call me Aaron, when no one’s around”.
He leans back, feeling confident about the future. He is right, Aaron thought. I can do this. Being a doctor isn’t that different from being a scientist.

Glancing at Tom, he jokes: “You know, you’ll make a good counselor.”

Lieutenant JG Aaron Williams - CSO