Posted by Captain Alexxander Ryley (Chief Medical Officer) in Messhall- Hangover Cures

Posted by Commander Shara Calloway (Chief Intelligence Officer) in Messhall- Hangover Cures

Posted by Captain Alexxander Ryley (Chief Medical Officer) in Messhall- Hangover Cures
Posted by… suppressed (1) by the Post Ghost! 👻

(snip)

Her eyes slipped open. “Yeah, coffee would be good.” Slipping off the biobed, she downed the last of the green drink, gave him a thumbs’ up with another flash of a faux smile and recycled her two glasses.

He said nothing, simply raised an eyebrow and followed.

Shara was quiet as they made their way to the mess hall, though she shot one crewmember they passed with a look and said nothing. Back in character. Though who this Elaine person was was a mystery to everyone else and in that allowed a lot of leeway. Shara turned on the ball of her foot as they entered, walking backwards, with full awareness of where she and everyone else was. “Take anything in your coffee?”

Commander Calloway, CIO

The walk was interesting, the greying Doctor taking in the reactions of the crew and of the looks exchanged. In the mess hall he spoke finally. “No, just black.”

Ryley
MD

“Easiest and best. Grab a good seat,” Calloway said as she beelined for the replicator. The one downside to such a small ship is that the replicators were few and far between. That didn’t bother her, but it made dining with privacy difficult. Then again, with their mission currently romantic dinners with her husband were going to be a no-go.

She was still hungover, but most people couldn’t tell. That was the point. Still, her head hurt and the warmth from the coffee seeped through the mugs into her hands as she carried them over to the table. Shara slid one to Ryley and gave him an appraising look.

Commander Calloway, CIO

Ryley was half turned in his seat in a hushed conversation with the NE sitting behind the table he had chosen for them, an amused sort of expression on his face. The NE looked embarrassed as the doctor spoke and glanced down at his lap quickly then back up again, colour flooding his cheeks. Ryley gave him a sort of ‘there you have it’ look and a clap on the shoulder before turning back to Calloway and taking the coffee he was offered. After a moment of stunned silence the NE got up quietly and left, slightly bow legged.

Holding the mug in his hands Ryley stared at the liquid for a second or so then brought it to his mouth and smelled it before taking the first drink, which he rolled around his mouth before swallowing. He returned her look with one of his own. “What?” He asked

Ryley
MD

A smirk tugged at her mouth. “It’s nice to know I’m not the only one that can scare the kids around here. It’s also nice to have someone else besides Piklesimer around that’s actually a peer in age.” She lifted her mug to him. “Cheers.” She rather than the numbing burn of the moonshine, her throat was bathed in the soothing warmth of replicated coffee. The sensation allowed her mind to gaze out the window and for a moment she had this strange layering of memories: one where she gazed up at the stars longingly, another in a different quadrant resentful to be looking at those stars, and another from the same quadrant where she was contemplating the mess she had just dumped on the life of someone she cared about. The stars held so many mysteries and sometimes they also held answers. Today though? It was a toss-up what she’d find.

Shara usually kept things close to her chest, unless there was a good reason to, and today was no different. But this was no ordinary person across from her. No, this man had been the one to finally end the terrible pain her daughter had been in, that she herself had been forced to witness over and over. And unlike others, as a result of her last assignment before the Asimov, Shara knew the details of her daughter’s entire file. In some ways it had bene careless of her to even reveal herself to him as Faye’s mother, though he probably would have made the connection by the surname alone at some point. He was smart like his daughter, after all. Studying him a moment, she wasn’t sure what else to say except, “Thanks.” It felt hollow. Not enough. But would it ever be enough? Perhaps not.

Commander Calloway, CIO