STF

Check-in with the XO

Posted Oct. 1, 2019, 11:02 a.m. by Ensign Shon Baht (Medical Officer) (Ben Z)

Posted by Ensign Shon Baht (Medical Officer) in Check-in with the XO

Posted by Lieutenant Celina Rodriguez (Chief Tactical Officer) in Check-in with the XO

Posted by Ensign Shon Baht (Medical Officer) in Check-in with the XO
Posted by… suppressed (11) by the Post Ghost! 👻
(Snip)
After a pause to find a modest chair in the room on which to sit with his legs crossed, Shon looked back at Rodriquez and then Creed. “I’m sorry, you wanted my opinion on something? I’m not sure I’m the most qualified unless you’re wanting medical advice, and even then…”

(Ensign Baht, Medical)

“Oh she’ll take anyone’s opinion if it can prove me wrong on something.” Jack said with a smirk, as he did a small sound came from behind his desk as he looked to the right. “Trout what are you doing!” he said as he looked back at Celina. “You did feed her didn’t you?” he asked as he wondered if she was looking for food back there. “I am not going to have her starve cause you forgot to.”

Creed, XO

“When don’t I feed her,” Celina walked behind Jack’s desk and appeared with a kitten. It was small and furry like a house cat but the build and musculature was more like a cat found in the wild. It was also the size of an adult cat but clearly a baby of whatever species it was.

Boosting the kitten in her arms, Celina ferried each drink to the person requesting something except for Jack. She had gotten him his Dr Pepper without him asking. He didn’t drink as much coffee as her and this tended to be something he liked.

“So,” Celina plopped on the couch next to Shin with Trout still in her arms, “ as a doctor you took comparative anatomy classes right?” Not waiting for him to reply she continued because she knew that was a required course for his field.

“Jack and I were on vacation last month and found her,” Celina scratched Trout’s head eliciting a long and low purring sound. “She was lost and all by herself. Yes she was. She was a lost baby girl wasn’t she,” Celina’s voice stopped being a respected officer as she talked to the small furry bundle. Her voice had the distinct tone of a mother with a small child.

I love you. Especially when you. Oh yes. Right there Trout thought. That was until Celina flipped her over and moved to her belly to scratch there. This relocated a round of growls and grunts that came out from the kitten along with front paws patting playfully at Celina. Trout could not control her own body as her foot began to twitch. Mom. Mom… that tickles, Trout said as her feet started to hit something next to her on the couch. Dad make…her…stop, Trout lolled her head calling out to Jack from across the room. Shes gonna make me pee and I don’t…want…the cage, Trout growled and hooted. Trout’s back legs kicked out and her tail flipped happily about all impacted something at the end of the couch

“Any way Jack and I have been....discussing,” she paused just long enough for Shon to dune she was trying to find a polite word, “what Trout is. I say she is justa big girl but Jack seems to think she is some wild cat. So tell him that Trout is just a big version of a tabby cat,” Celina said firmly.

Lt. Celina Rodriguez. CTO

Shon’s mouth had partially fallen open throughout the exchange between the two senior officers of the Manhattan, and he had to forcibly close it to stop himself from fully gasping at the sight of the feline. For a moment, the usually-talkative Ensign Baht was speechless from the sheer unexpected direction the meeting.

Eventually, Shon set aside the orange juice and rose slowly from the chair, approaching the cat cautiously to avoid startling it. “Well,” he began with a nervous grin, “I’m a doctor, not a veterinarian.”

Once he was within a couple feet of the kitten, Shon stopped and peered carefully at the distinct features of the specimen. “But you’re right about the anatomy classes. I would seem to me that Trout has a rounded face with relatively large eyes, which are typical characteristics of young felines. Additionally, she has paws that are slightly larger than would be expected for an adult animal. And lastly, her fur looks to still be the fluffy, downy coat of a kitten. So,” he glanced up at Celina and then back at Creed, uncertain of his next words, “I would predict that… Trout is… at the very least going to get a lot bigger than she is now.” He grimaced and tried to look apologetic as he continued, “which means she’s most likely not of a domesticated variety.”

(Ensign Baht, Medical)

Trout looked at her feet and then Baht’s. She had no idea why they were all looking at her like this. It’s not like you don’t have shovels for feet bub, she replied although all the humans could hear was a soft happy growling type sound. Reaching out Trout batted the ground with her foot until it was next to the doctors. See my foot is half the size of yours, she looked up at him with large innocent eyes. They are perfect little feet. My mommy says that all the time. She even has a song for it. It goes,

This little piggy went on vacation.
This little piggy said we should have stayed home.
This little piggy was almost the dinner roast beef.
But this little piggy said run.
And this little piggy went
“Cesar when I get my hands on you I am going to kill you”
All the way home!

With each verse Trout prattled off in her head she extended a claw until all five were extended. Huh well what do you know. My feet with my claws out are almost as big as yours, she mused to herself. Maybe this doctor was right and she did have big feet.

“Of course it isn’t a domestic variety. We got her on an alien planet,” Celina looked at Baht a bit wide-eyed. The look spoke volumes and was the classic look a woman gives a man when she wants him to back up her side of the story. “So there are some difference but she is still just a baby kitten right,” Celina stood close to Baht and mimicked the same pose the young doctor had examining the newest pet on the Manhattan.

“See, I told you… small kitten my ass. She may be stunted or something,”

“Stunted,” Celina said in almost a squealing tone. A finger held up by Jack stopped her from interrupting further.

” I don’t know but at least a large dog size. I am going to kill Cesar, first he takes his to get pirate booty, then we get kidnapped by cultists, and finally we go running from cannibals and end up with an oversized kitten he swore was going to be smaller in size… this is your family not mine.” Jack said with a huff at Celina. He wasn’t angry per say, he did like Trout but he couldn’t deny part of him was at his wits end. Cesar was a good guy but this was much for anyone to take.

Taking a deep breath Jack centered himself as he looked back up at Ensign Baht, “So, welcome to the Manhattan.” he said with a terse smile.

Creed, XO

“Yes yes welcome to the Manhattan. Now back to Trout,” Celina said seconding Jack’s welcome but continuing the conversation she intended to win. “You agree the coat is super silky that that of a kih ten,” Celina emphasized the only word she really wanted everyone to focus on in the sentence. “Big ol’ stupid tomcat have rough nasty fur don’t dey,” she dropped to the mom voice as she looked at Trout.

Lt. Celina Rodriguez

Shon offered Celina a sheepish smile as he ran a hand along the bifurcating ridged on the back of his neck. “I think we’re more or less on the same page, Miss Celina. I suppose only time will tell the progression of Trout’s biology, considering she is, as you said, from an alien planet. She is adorable though.”

Turning to Creed, Ensign Baht tried to mask the bewilderment on his face. “Thank you, Commander Creed. It’s been a… warm welcome so far. I apologize again for barging in, but I wanted to introduce myself. Sickbay can be a little bit of a bubble, so I figured it’d be good to get to know some of the other officers before they show up in sickbay with injuries.”

(Ensign Baht, Medical)

“Come on, you don’t need to leave just yet.” Jack said looking over at Celina wondering what they might do. “How do you like laser tag?” Jack said with an almost bemused look at Celina. She liked to entertain people and make new people feel welcome but her brand was always so over the top.

Creed, XO

As if someone had dangled the most precious gift in the world before her Celina sat up ramrod straight. Her eyes held the glassy look of someone addicted to a drug and was told they would get another dose in the next few minutes. “Laser tag,” she said in almost a breathless voice. Jumping up from the couch, Celina moved to the edge of Jack’s desk and pulled on her shoes. “Oh oh no let’s do the airsoft games,” she said in what could be interpreted as a giddy tone. Shoving one foot into a shoe she quickly donned the other one and got a smile on her face one might have a hard time reading as happy. It was the type of smile described in stories years from now followed by the line and they sad trust me it is going to be fun. Moving to the door Celina has almost a skip to her step. “This is going to be great,” she said excitedly and then truned just before she hit the door controls. “I call prison rules,” she belted out as if she was at a bingo parlor and had the winning streak of numbers. She even had raised her hand as if it were a race to see who could make the designation first. “Trout you’re on my team.”

Shon was obviously still very bewildered, wondering what exactly he had gotten himself into. He smiled nervously as he stood as well. “I’m afraid I never had the best marks in phaser training, so I might not be much competition for a chief tactical officer…” he paused as he considered Celina’s excitement, “but I’ll try my best!” He glanced at Jack, then back to Celina. “But what are ‘prison rules’?”

(Ensign Baht, Medical)

“I’ll explain on the way,” she said almost giddy with excitement. “You’re going down Creed,” she pointed both her fingers at him as if to punctuate her point.

============
Holodeck one
============

Celina would have taken the time to explain prison rules on the journey there if she hadn’t spent the entire walk on the comm with her brother rapidly speaking Spanish. Cesar still was having a bit of a hard time with the ‘give Jack a week or so’ before you just call him up to chat rule Celina had put into place. It was not that Jack didn’t like her family. It was more that Jack had a threshold for her family and a week at a cultist pirate beach had pushed him to the limit. Reaching the door to the holodeck, Celina palmed the door open. “Okay sorry about that,” she apologized as the door opened. The scene behind her was probably not what anyone other than Jack expected. The door opened into an alleyway with a crappy blue Chevy Nova at the end. An African American man was leaning on it wearing jeans and a black and white Detroit Lions varsity jacket.

“‘bout time,” the man said with half a smirk. “I have been waitin’ on you for an hour. Did you and Jack get lost again? I warned you not to go down Fifth and Broadway. Ain’t nothing but black jack tables and hookers down that road,” he wrapped an arm around Celina’s waist and pulled her to an inch of his nose. “Whose the Bolian and why has Jack not left you yet?” The man oozed charm and had a laugh that made you grin yourself. It sounded like a donkey but only deeper with a huh huh huh rhythm instead of the hee hee haw.

“This is our newest crewman on the Manhattan. Foley meet Ensign Shon Baht. Shon meet Axel Detroit’s top cop,” Celina made the introduction.

Lt. Celina Rodriguez.

Shon offered a shy wave to Foley, taken a bit off-guard by the holodeck character that was apparently aware of the outside ship, rather than immersed solely in their program. “Nice to meet you,” he paused before adding quickly, “I’m in medical, so please be gentle with me.”

The deep blue eyes of Ensign Baht darted around the alley nervously, feeling as if he was simply along for the ride at this point. “And… are you the person to ask what ‘prison rules’ are?”

(Ensign Baht, Medical)

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