The Distinction of Science

Posted on 21 Oct 2014 @ 8:20pm by Commander Andreus Kohl & Commander Norvi Stace

1,802 words; about a 9 minute read

Mission: Episode 07 - Sojourn
Location: USS Galileo - Deck 4, Chief Science Officer's Office
Timeline: MD -20 - 1044 hours

[ON]

It was a familiar scene playing out in Stace's office. Andreus Kohl was sat at the conference table, summarizing a report to Lieutenant Stace. He expressed his interest through his timbre, but his posture and his body language gave him the appearance of a lounging tourist. Kohl was draped over one of his chairs, and his eyes were on his tea service more often than on his PADD. He glanced down at the electronic display before he continued to speak about the tribble research projects the staff wanted to continue, even after the crisis had been resolved. He said he would recommend the last two on the list to Lieutenant Pendleton for research approval, but probably not the two before those. The itemized list, for a relatively important matter, betrayed how much preparation Kohl had done for the meeting, despite the relatively-inconsequential subject matter.

Kohl tilted his head to examine the next screen on his PADD, and he tapped the screen to double-check what was next. "Oh," Kohl said. He sounded surprised to be bringing this up now, but then he affected a matter-of-fact tone for his non sequitur. "And I've stopped practicing medicine."

Stace seemed to suddenly snap out of her lethargy at listening to the report. It wasn't the subject matter or the delivery that caused her attention to wander slightly, more the all-too-familiar slump of coming to the end of the mission: The lesser ranked officers getting to enjoy the open freedom of a forty-five day shoreleave while she had to remain onboard and oversee the installation of their prototype deflector array. She blinked at Kohl and then sat up in her chair, placing down the hot cup of coffee onto the desk.

"What?" she questioned, not needing him to actually repeat himself. "You're giving up completely? Why would you do that?"

Side-stepping Stace's questions without moving an inch, Kohl languidly lifted his gaze from the PADD to meet her gaze. And he blinked. "That-- that wasn't a response I was expecting..." he said mildly.

Narrowing her gaze, she knitted her brow and adorned it with a curious, amused grin. "What was the response you were expecting? I thought that you enjoyed practicing?"

Kohl cocked his head back and he rubbed a hand on his beard. "I don't know what I expected, really," Kohl admitted, "but I know I wasn't expecting that." Nodding vaguely, Kohl sat upright and doubled his focus on Stace. "You're right, though. I misspoke. I haven't given up my certification. I'm giving up my shifts in Sickbay."

"How so?" Stace asked, genuinely interested. "I thought that you loved working there. I mean, don't get me wrong, it would be nice to have my own number one back full time but if this is something that you want to pursue then you should."

"It's... It's been..." When Kohl started the sentence, it sounded like a perfectly acceptable, a perfectly straight-forward thing to say. But when it came time to admit his vulnerability to Stace, the words caught in his throat as if they were made of velcro. Kohl had hardly been able to admit it to himself for too many days as it was. Even then, he probably wouldn't have admitted it to himself, if not for Elijah pointing it out for him. When the pregnant pause became unbearable, Kohl said, "It's been too much. Between those away missions and trying to be an encouraging boss to our scientists, working those few hours in Sickbay was taking it out of me."

"Well, you don't want to stretch yourself too thin. What's that old Earth adage I read somewhere once? 'Don't half-ass two things, whole-ass one thing' or something?" She came out of her middle-distance stare and shook her head, bring her attention back to Kohl. "If you've not got enough time to yourself to recharge and commit to what you want, then you have to cut back."

Stace was then fondly reminded when one of her previous hosts, Hanor, had to juggle responsibilities and goals. "Listen, I know from experience that dividing your attention can be detrimental. Not just to the job in hand, but to your own passions. Hanor was an athlete. He was my second host. He loved it and competed on Trill to quite a high level, in fact." For this, Stace was exceptionally proud. "But the family pressures of career forced him to train in medicine and abandon what he loved. And because of that he fell out of favour with sport. But if you'd have asked him, that was what drove him. Perhaps a little too much. Not being able to compete he took to extreme sports to make up for it. And he plummeted to his death in the pursuit of that void."

"...That --wow-- that is an extreme example of the importance of work-life balance," Kohl said, his manner dumb-struck by the story's sudden grim turn. He nodded vaguely. "And, I'm sorry," he started to say, but then he questioned if it was culturally appropriate to say so. "You have my condolences?"

"Ah, don't worry about it," Stace replied glibly, waving off the dark cloud that had seemed to have settled above their conversation. "When the initial skydiving and base-jumping didn't quench his thirst for excitement, he took to narcotics. And being medically trained knew what to take. He would have spiraled out of control one way or another. And who knows where that would have taken the Stace Symbiont. Maybe not down the same path that plated it in my own belly."

She smiled genuinely at him with a raise of an eyebrow. She'd gotten to know Kohl over the few months they'd served together quite well, and there seemed an easy silence in his company. "But it does go to show that when you plug something up to stifle it, it releases elsewhere. You should only leave if you want to."

"I need to," Kohl intoned. He wasn't happy about the decision, but he was resolved in the making of it. "I need to step away from it." --He shrugged then-- "It won't be a full stop. In a mass casualty situation, I'm still going to sneak away from my duty station to take up a medi-kit. I'll participate in simulations periodically to maintain my muscle memory... But I can't spend my evenings there every day. ...I can't. ...It feels like I don't have a life aboard Galileo.

"I have a job," Kohl continued. It had been his turn to stare off into the middle distance, but now he studied the irises of Stace's eyes. "I'm learning to love this job, this science gig, and I couldn't have better coworkers, nor a better boss... But that's not a life. That's a job."

"That's true," Norvi replied, a knowing raise of eyebrows flashing across her forehead allowing the spots of the side of her brow to contract. "Then this is what you need to do. I'm sure that Warraquim and Mott can spare you. And like you said, if you're there for emergencies then that's all you need to give." She sighed a little, her own tiredness getting the better of her. "This shoreleave will do you some good, Andreus. We both need it. And we have some new transfers to break in once we return. Captain Holliday sent me through the transfer request list yesterday. He wants us to select our new recruits." She picked up the data padd that was resting by her hand and scuttled it across the table to him. "There's actually another Joined Trill in the mix there. But do you fancy helping me shape this department together?"

Kohl caught the PADD before it went careering over the edge of the table. He took the PADD in his hand, and he nodded at Stace without even looking at the display. "I would like that very much. Very, very much," Kohl said. It was his turn to cock an eyebrow. "Because that is the other thing. If I'm serving as a science officer without one foot in Sickbay each and every day, well then, that means I'm reeeeeaally a science officer now."

"Don't get ahead of yourself, Kohl," Stace joked with a beaming, delicious smile. "But it'll be good to have you back, to be honest. I know that Pendleton is struggling a bit with his workload and all of the research we have on-going. Sometimes I feel like we get up out of bed, do our standard-mission related jobs and then have no time for anything else. It'll be nice to share the load a little before we get too far removed from what we actually are... scientists!"

"You may be a scientist, but I'm a science officer," Kohl affirmed. He may have been splitting hairs, but it was a world of difference to him. Even though his tone was playful, he was (mostly) sincere about the meaning behind his words. "That's a challenging-enough goal for me as it is. I can't say for sure I'm ever going to strive to be a scientist." He nodded at Stace. "How did you do these past few weeks? Sacrifice any sleep for your own research?"

"My own research?" she scoffed with a splutter and a chuckle. "I'm with you on the distinction! I'm no longer a scientist but a science officer myself! It's all paperwork and duty rosters and mission-specific projects these days... as you well know! I can't even remember the last time I looked over my own portfolio to see what grabbed my attention, to see what scientific horizon to explore." She settled down a little a pondered what she was saying.

She was right. Her job was getting in the way of her calling. She didn't begrudge Starfleet that. But it was ironic that she had the most sophisticated technology in her grasp and at her command, and yet she barely made time to utilise it. "Perhaps we should share our own workload a little. I let go of the administrative reigns a little to you and get back to my passion."

Kohl took a sip of his tea, savouring the flavourful brew he was trying out this day. Over the rim of the tea cup, he said, "That was always my offer, you know." He shared a crooked smile, and set down his cup on its saucer.

"I just find it so tough to let go," she squinted a smile, not knowing what lay in store for them both or how ironic the paths they were about to take in truth really were.

OFF:

Lieutenant Andreus Kohl
Assistant Chief Science Officer
USS Galileo

AND

Lieutenant Norvi Stace
Chief Science Officer
USS Galileo

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