Interview For A Mission

Posted on 11 Aug 2017 @ 11:13am by Lieutenant JG Gideon Nicols PhD & Commander Allyndra illm Warraquim

1,583 words; about a 8 minute read

Mission: Episode 15 - Emanation
Location: Earth - HG Wells' Office
Timeline: MD 36: 0800 Hrs

[ON]

HG was leaning back in her chair, her blouse probably had been ironed at one time but that seemed a more distant memory. It was clean just not neat. Yes, the head mistress at the boarding school would have knackered her knuckles raw, but then again she was not there. The frumpy leather jacket she liked to affect was just a creased and well worn. It was not that when the occasion called for it that she could not dress up a bit but that was the rare occasion. Science did not care what you looked like, only what you could get done.

She perused the PaDD in front of her of one Doctor Nicols. Interesting read but then a CV was pretty much just a distillation of facts and figures. She was more interested in the man's mind. The face was handsome, and she mused for a moment on that. A bit of mental fantasy was interrupted when the secretary buzzed her and said that he had arrived.

"Right, send him on in." HG replied.

Gideon Nicols felt stuck. No, stuck wasn't really the right word. No, he felt... displaced. There was a part of him that wished he would have been reassigned to another ship the moment that he was told that he would be on an extended shore leave due to the Galileo being rebuilt. He had wondered what happened, but he wasn't really given any information. Sure, his assignment was still going to be happening, it was just going to take some time. Time, he would have an abundance of it seemed. So, he was glad that he had heard that there was going to be a project on one of the satellites of Akkadia V called Ryn. It seemed interesting and though he would have to be interviewed for a position on the team, the project seemed like something that could keep him occupied for the next few weeks.

Now, he was entering the office of a woman named Wells. He didn't know anything about her except that she was the interviewer, but as he studied her, he felt out of place in her presence due to the fact he wore his uniform to the interview. He wasn't actually sure what to wear, he had always represented Starfleet, so it just seemed natural to wear his uniform. "Good morning," Gideon began, "I'm Doctor Gideon Nicols." He stood at ease, with his large hands clasped at the small of his back. He wouldn't sit until he was invited to do so.

HG smiled and slid her feet off the desk drawer and stood and held out a hand. "Helena Wells, I appreciate a stiff man but now is not the time. Please have a seat doctor and call me HG." She retook her seat and propped her feet back up. "So unfortunate about the Galileo but perhaps a new opportunity until Fleet makes you a new assignment. What I have is that we a new intel base that is going up in the Akkadian system. Problem is that we know next to nothing about the system and the base is going on a moon called..." she consulted the PaDD, "Ryn." She shrugged and then looked back at him with a bit of smile again. "So before intel goes in and mucks the place up, going to send in a group to survey the moon. Some sort of agreement means that we can only have about twenty or so people there and that has to include ops, engineers, medical and so on. That means that the rest of us science types are going to have to be masters of most everything but I think a good chance to stretch." She tapped the PaDD again, "As a potential chief research officer sounds like a good bit up your alleyway."

Gideon took the offered chair and regarded the woman who sat on the other side of the desk. It wasn't lost on him that her name was HG Wells, and the small smile that formed on his lips was due to the cleverness. "HG it is," he said as he settled in. For his tall, broad frame, the chair was uncomfortable, but he managed. He listened carefully to what HG had said, she prattled on, not really taking a moment to even take a breath. He figured the woman was an extrovert, and he was surprised to learn she was a scientist because the frumpy civilian clothing said otherwise. However, he knew it wasn't wise, or good to even make snap judgments since he had been on the receiving end of judgments himself. He was tall, broad, and soft spoken, most thought he was a security officer and not a scientist. "I was sorry to hear about the loss of the Galileo as well," he replied, wanting to take at least a moment to acknowledge the loss. A loss he was sure that was felt by many.

"You are right," Gideon continued, "this does sound like it would be right up my alley and something I would definitely be interested in pursuing. Most Starfleet planetary scientists would give their left foot to get a chance to study a moon in the Akkadian system."

"And might I remind you, we might get a few quick passes a bit inward. So do I have my hooks in your curiosity?" HG replied tapping her fingernail on the arm of the chair.

Gideon took a few moments to think this over, even though it was a tempting over, he didn't want to just rush in and say yes. However, he knew he couldn't pass up this opportunity either. "You certainly do," he finally said, "I'm in."

HG nodded, and then leaned forward and reached over the table to hold her hand out, "Exellent, well welcome to the here be dragons expedition doctor."

Gideon rose slightly out of the chair and took a hold of the offered hand and gave it a firm shake and then let go and settled back in the chair. "Here be dragons?" he questioned. "I've never heard that phrase before, though I have to say, I like it."

"Very old Earth history, sailors and explorers would put that in the blank places of the maps. Basically meant, here is the unknown. So, I will get you the information but tentatively we depart in four days time. Once I have ops person you can send all your requests to them. Remember though we have two Danubes so will be traveling light."

Gideon nodded his understanding to everything HG had explained. The bit about the dragons was rather interesting. Even to this day, you learn something new, he mused to himself. "I'll be ready, and I always travel light."

"Very good, might want to brush up mostly on botany and zoology. It is M class so not sure what is there. Anyway, I will see you in four days. Oh!" she interjected as though she had forgotten something. "I am a bit informal, mind if I call you Gideon?"

Informal was certainly okay with him, in fact on expeditions like this, he preferred it. Rank and position tended to get in the way, and formality seemed to take away from the camaraderie that typically formed during these things. "Gideon is just fine, HG," Gideon replied. He moved to stand. "Four days."

"Yes indeed. I will get all the required paperwork done so you should get official orders. Two Danube runabouts, so it will be a bit tight, Ring C, berths 42 and 43 if you want to check things out. Also, I will send what equipment we have requested and feel free to added or suggest different."

"Aye, sounds like a good, solid plan," Gideon replied. He had already begun to think about the standard equipment that would be needed for these types of things, and then he would have equipment of his own. He also made a mental note of the ring letter and the berth numbers. "Should be a fun time." He added and then smiled.

"Very good, doctor. Just send any requests you might might have and we will see if I have the room. Oh!....."HG exclaimed. "Here, let me get you the inventory as of now so there is no duplication." She pulled out a PaDD and made a few keystrokes and then handed it over. "There you go."

Taking hold of the PADD, Gideon briefly looked it over and once again nodded his understanding. "Thank you," he replied simply. "Thank you for choosing me for this, I look forward to it." He allowed himself a bit of a smile, though he was honestly bursting with excitement, he just knew how to reign it in. "I'll you in four days."

HG liked this man. He was like her, excited about discovery, those burning questions of how things worked, what was around the next star, perhaps even like her that question of what exactly was the nature of time. She stood and stuck out her hand, "Very good doctor, see you then."

Gideon smiled and raised his free hand and waved his goodbyes. "See you then," he added and then turned to exit the office. He couldn't believe his luck, and there was a spring in his step to show just how excited about this new prospect he really was.

[OFF]

Lieutenant JG Gideon Nicols, PhD
Chief Research Officer

HG Wells
Civilian Scientist
[NPC Allyndra illm Warraquim]

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