Awkward Encounters

Posted on Sun Sep 23rd, 2018 @ 2:53pm by Lieutenant Commander Charlotte Hudson & Lieutenant JG Alastair Hallewell II

1,292 words; about a 6 minute read

Mission: Mission 0 - Christening of Legacy and Crew Arrival
Location: Science lab
Timeline: 2261.182 1430

Bec wandered into the science lab, wondering if the Chief Science Officer was about. She looked around but didn't see anyone, so she gave herself a quick tour of the lab. She was about to turn around to leave when a sound caught her attention.

Alastair had been spending a bit in the science labs recently, making sure things were squared away to his liking. A lofty goal at the best of times. While working, his ears heard a slight shuffling as someone walked into the room.

"Hopefully they don't make a mess, I have it orderly until someone doesn't tend to their duties."

With a sigh, he moved to see who the intruder was only to come across the ship's second in command.

"Is there something I can help you with Commander?"

"No, Lieutenant," Bec looked in his direction. "I was just touring the ship. I see you've got the labs squared away. Is there anything that did not arrive or that you need?" She peered at one of the test tubes in the rack in front of her without touching anything.

He paused, taking a moment to regard the appearance of the laboratory before turning back to Bec.

"Everything seems to be in order, I haven't encountered any discrepancies in equipment or people that are or aren't supposed to be here. I'm in here making sure that the facilities are ready to be used when the situation calls for it. That and I'm appreciating the cleanliness and organization that I've managed to obtain before a herd of elephants who claim to be scientists barge through here and ruin it all with their lack of proper behavior. Unfortunately I've had to lecture several people on how to conduct themselves in a professional setting. Ensuring people with potentially romantic ties to each other are on different shifts has been problematic at times.

Bec raised her eyebrows. This guy was way too serious. "Well," she said after a moment, standing up straight again. "You certainly have made this look like a laboratory," she looked around the lab. "Though it's rather drab in my opinion. Never did like everything so white and pristine. I like a bit of colour. However, this is a lab and should be drab. Don't want anything interfering with experiments."

Alastair ran a finger across a surface, happy when his finger had no trace of anything on it though he quickly wiped it down afterward.

"The laboratory is a place of work, not a playground or daycare and I intend it to be run as such. Sloppiness in methodology is unacceptable as it may lead to incorrect results, and incorrect results are not tolerated in this department. If any of my personnel has an issue with a high expectation of professionalism, then they're always welcome to transfer out to somewhere that may be more tolerant of lax expectations. When I was at Daystrom for a time, such expectations were standard and will be so as long as I run the science department."

"That is fair," Bec nodded and leaned her hip against the nearest counter, making sure she didn't touch anything other than the edge. She crossed her arms across her chest and tilted her head to the side. "However, I do suggest relaxing while off duty. Always being this rigid can be detrimental," she gave him a smirk.

He watched her lean against a countertop, much to his well-hidden dismay.

"What my people do on their own time is their own business, and they are allowed to do as they wish whlie off-duty unless it becomes detrimental to the ship and its mission. I too relax, but my idea of 'relaxation' probably doesn't conform to what could be considered a typical relaxing activity. I work a great deal anyway, another habit I picked up at Daystrom. Unfortunately, it wasn't encouraged there and I grew irritable with comments about my work ethic being unhealthy in the sense I was working too long. I've done it since I was a child and it let me get my masters in physics from Cambridge before some even got close. If they couldn't keep up with me, then that's their issue and not mine."

Bec held up her hands. "Hey, I meant no offense," she said, "just giving a simple reminder that it can't be all work. You do whatever it is that you want to do. As your Executive Officer, I don't want to see you burn yourself out, which is why I said to relax when off duty. I don't care what you consider relaxing unless it involves hurting other people, then I'll have an issue."

Alastair chuckled

"No, my personal activities will in no way injure others. Now if their brains can't handle the sheer amount of academic stuff in my quarters and they have a breakdown or something, that's sort of beyond my control. My primary time killers are reading and other academic pursuits, so I never really take time off of my job. Instead, it just takes on a different form and I don't have to be in uniform to do it. Science never takes a break, so I don't take many breaks either."

"Well then, remind me not to go to your quarters," she smirked. "And here I thought my brother was bad with all his scientific babble and hoards of scientific journals. I think you'll make him look like he's barely taken a scoop from the bucket."

He slightly raised an eyebrow, almost like he was missing the humor in it.

"I assure you, my quarters are perfectly normal and there is no reason to go out of your way to avoid them. You will find that they're similar in organization to this lab, highly efficient and everything in its place. I do have some miscellaneous things, but nothing specific worth mentioning."

Bec bit her lip and shook her head. "It was a joke, Lieutenant," she said. "I'm sure your quarters are fine, I was just trying to inject a bit of humour."

The punch line was some blend of lost and ignored, yet he gave off a small laugh anyway but it undoubtedly came out forced, a possibly vain attempt to go along with the joke in an attempt to be polite and not to offend, though he wasn't convinced it was going to work any, if at all.

He gently rested a hand on a countertop, his class ring making a slight sound as it hit a hard surface.

"Apologies Commander, I have yet to get used to everybody's sense of humor."

Bec's eyebrows went up when Hallewell laughed, very awkwardly. "No harm," she said, at a loss on what to do. "Well, I won't keep you from your work. Have a nice evening, Lieutenant, it was nice meeting you."

Alastair took a quick scan of her face. As he expected, she didn't buy the forced laughter. No surprise, but still unfortunate. He was, admittedly, happy to get back to his work but pushed it out of his mind lest his face betray him. He was always glad he chose science: He always felt science asks questions and gets answers, while people you ask questions only to get more questions and few answers. Science was easy, people are complicated.

When he didn't respond, Bec shook her head before retreating from the room. 'That was awkward...' she thought as she walked through the doors and back into the corridor, off to her next destination.

As Alastair watched the doors close behind Bec, he quickly cleaned off the counter against which she had been standing with a slightly irritated sigh.

"Do people here not understand the idea of keeping a laboratory clean?"

RSS Feed