A cat called Schrodinger (Part 2)

Posted on Tue Oct 11th, 2016 @ 1:02am by Captain Rueben Gregnol

Mission: Mission 2 - Contagion
Location: Deck 8 Astrophysics Lab and Standard Lab
Timeline: MD 03 20:00
1339 words - 2.7 OF Standard Post Measure

Previously, in ‘Something on your mind (Part 1)’

Rueben raised an eyebrow at the other man’s outburst. It was beyond normal the atmosphere between the pair but he had seen in before Bolians and redheads. Maybe Mott felt the same about Dixoho, it made him feel a little uneasy that the young woman had been left in his care now. He would have to go back and check on her as soon as possible. “Jeassaho is someone special.” Rueben murmured finally as he felt his jealousy rise for a moment. It was all he could say, the button had been pressed.

ON::

Finn was one of the weakest empaths he knew. With his hair and eyes, most people didn't even begin to guess at his Betazoid blood, so they often forgot. The captain would have been easy to read at the moment regardless. "Yeah, I can see that. She's a class act, and not stingy with her liquor. Both are qualities I look for in a partner. But, she's...well, a 'she.' That's something I tend to avoid in one." He sighed as he finished searching the farthest parts of the lab. "Ah well, 'partners' never seem to work out for me anyway, so it's probably for the best. Right?"

"Right! Good." The Captain felt the jealousy lift instantly as he realized that the Scientist didn't like women. It made him relax and go back to thinking logically.

If Finn hadn't been so preoccupied with the fact that he'd been freezing for the last hour or so, he might have spent more time teasing the Captain. As it was he still grinned a bit, smirking at the sense of jealousy and relief even he could detect, and decided a weak tease would suffice. "If we run across my family, I'll have to introduce her to my brother, Kev. I bet they'd hit it off. Who knows, maybe I'll release Lieddem from his indentured servitude, his gratitude will lead to love, and we can double date. Should we all hyphenate, do you think? Kea-Bek...Bek-Kea?" He didn't want to get too far on his new bosses bad side, though. "Unless she's already dating someone. I suppose I should really hold off for now, yeah?"

"Yes...Wiser." The older man said through gritted teeth thankful for the darkness that the man couldn't see the looks flitting across his face. Could people not take hints? Had he really lost Jeassaho after everything after all?

Finn just nodded agreement as he closed up the storage locker in Astrometrics. The Captain was clearly upset. Irritated was interesting; pissed off was not. "She was in the Ward Room drinking alone, so I think she may have something, or perhaps someone, other than meeting my brother on her mind. I was oldest in my family, but she definitely gave me a 'big sister' vibe. She's a good person." He could say that with some conviction having 'touched' her mind briefly.

Rueben took in a deep breath as he tried to choose the correct words to get his point across. "She's the youngest actually and you are very correct she is a good person. Sometimes being a good person in this universe gets you hurt." He said finally as he shined his light around the room.

"Sometimes," Finn agreed, "but the arc of sentience bends towards goodness. Being Betazoid, she knows this. Being hard or cruel means it is you hurting yourself rather than the universe. It's a risk we all take." He remembered something from his days at the Academy, "No pain, no gain. Right?"

"She's too good of a person." Rueben sighed softly wishing he had the words to explain but he didn't. "You wouldn't understand." He finally said not meaning it to sound as harsh at it came across but he was frustrated by not being able to share his secretes or talk about it all.

Finn sighed. "I may not know some details, but I do know how good a person she is." He didn't usually talk about this with strangers, but this man wasn't exactly a stranger. "My father is Betazoid. Clearly I take after my mother, but I know what I'm talking about. I know how the universe can hurt us all, and...I know how we can hurt ourselves. She's a very good person. And you...are a better person than you think, I suspect." He groaned. "Gods! I sound like a damned counselor!"

Rueben just laughed softly as he sighed, The Doctor wasn't in Astrometrics. "That explains why you and JJ got on like a house on fire. Leiddem is most likely the best you are going to get on the ship."

"Maybe that's why she gave him to me," Finn smiled. "And that gives me hope. If she saw something redeemable in me, maybe I'm not so very far gone after all." He brushed his hands off on his pants; it was dusty in here.

Rueben nodded, he knew too far gone, he stared at it everyday in the mirror but the other man wasn't past that point. He didn't seem the type to be like that.

"Alright. With as small a crew as is on the ship, there are literally thousands of places he could hide." He rubbed at his temples trying to ward off the headache that kept threatening. "We should organize something a bit more systematic. Deck by deck, a grid search. Seal off rooms as we clear them. That sort of thing."

Rueben raised an eyebrow and shrugged. "Da why didn't i think of that." He smirked a little. "Oh wait I've already done that. That is why you are with me, one you were the best person to look in the science areas and two i've never been in half of these areas. I might look like i am foolish, and sometimes i don't speak but i do know how to run a ship." He had been a bad fiancee, a bad Starfleet Officer but he was a good leader.

Finn raised an eyebrow right back at him. "Well then perhaps you'll forgive your science officer if he's not firing on all thrusters. After all, someone just woke me up by pounding on my door. I didn't even get coffee or tea yet." He sighed, "Sorry. It was a rough night and not a much better morning. It's not your fault though. I'll...suck it up. Hydroponics!" Finn ran with the non-sequitur. "If he's upset, he might go there. I've always loved places like that."

"I would have broken in but Engineering fixed your lock. If i've not had coffee neither can you." Rueben muttered as he nodded leading the way out. "Do you think you can handle that with your Hydroponics operator?"

"Aye," Finn grumbled at being denied access to caffeine. "We can beat the bushes, literally, to flush him out of there if that's where he's hiding. Did you come up with somewhere else to look?" He was interested, of course, but if the Captain was going to go his own way, then he might just get coffee once he left Finn behind. Which meant Finn could get coffee. It was quantum superposition...Schrodinger's cat, but with coffee instead of a cat. Until he observed the reality of the Captain, the man was both having coffee and not having it. Physics was SO in his corner on this one.

"I am going to check on Engineering." He said simply as he headed towards the door. Rueben wasn't one for small talk if he could help it.

Finn just nodded at the Captain's retreating back. He then headed off in search of coffee. No. Tea. Tea with honey. That would do his throat some good while still giving him the caffeine he so desperately needed. Then the search of the Hydroponics lab, bays, and arboretum was on deck.


OFF::

Rueben Gregnol
Captain
SS Mary Rose

Robert "Finn" Bek
Science Chief
SS Mary Rose