Posted by Fleet Captain Alexander Cochrane (Commanding Officer) in Arrival - USS Manhattan (Tag CO)

Posted by Lieutenant Ben Hudson (Chief Medical Officer) in Arrival - USS Manhattan (Tag CO)

Posted by Lieutenant Ben Hudson (Chief Medical Officer) in Arrival - USS Manhattan
Posted by… suppressed (4) by the Post Ghost! 👻
<SNIP>

“And tell me, do you usually personally welcome your crew aboard when the arrive?” He asked. Whilst Ben had a number of questions, this was the one he was most curious about. It was the first time he had seen that done and it wasn’t something that was expected, but it was a small touch that had immediately made Ben warm to the Fleet Captain.

Lt Hudson
CMO

“Honestly, I do try. That way if I don’t like you, your ride is just right there.” Cochrane said with a grin and a chuckle and a short nod to the shuttle. “Now I know you have been wedged into the shuttle for a few days. Would you like to stretch your legs and see the ship? Or we can meet later in my Ready Room if you’d like to settle in a bit first. Up to you.”

Cochrane, CO

Ben smiled in response to Alex’s grin. “I suppose the downside is that it gives me chance to escape on the shuttle before I’ve even thought about unpacking,” he retorted. “Although it would take something pretty bad to get me back on that shuttle any time soon.” He said with a slight grimace, whilst stretching his back. “So, given that I’m up for staying on board, a good leg stretch would be most welcome; although would you mind if we went via my quarters first?” He asked, nudging his shoulder upwards to give his duffle bag a slight shake.

Lt Hudson
CMO

“Not at all. Follow me, Lieutenant.” Cochrane said and led him out of the shuttle bay and into the passageway. He took the new CMO directly to his quarters. “I’ll be here when you are ready. And the rest of your things will be brought up by Ops.”

Cochrane, CO

Ben followed the Captain to the quarters, enjoying being able to walk more than 3 meters in any direction. As they walked along Deck 4, he turned to the Captain.

“Oh, I shan’t be long.” he said, as the approached his quarters. Evidently engineering had been proactive with the door signage, with his rank and name embossed on the rounded rectangle that straddled the join where the two doors met. “I’m just going to throw this in, and quickly freshen up.” he said, pressing his finger against the door lock panel. Recognising his biometric print, the doors swished open.

Stepping in side, he threw his duffle bag on one of the three chairs, and had a quick look around. Whilst not as big as his apartment on Earth, it was a definitely a step up from junior officer quarters, with a separate bedroom off to the side of the main living area. The low lighting in the quarters aloud him, through the windows, he could see an unfamiliar constellation of stars.

Moving through the bedroom, Ben walked into the bathroom and ran the tap. As he splashed his face with some cold water, he caught sight of the bags around his tired eyes. Nothing a good night’s sleep couldn’t cure, and he was definitely looking forward to hitting the hay later on. However, it was only mid-afternoon, so he knew he needed to plough on for a bit.

After drying his face off and running his hands through his fairly short hair to get it back into shape, he headed back out of the quarter to join Cochrane.

Lt Hudson
CMO

As the doors to the quarters parted, Ben looked up and down the corrdor looking for the Captain.

Lt Hurson
CMO

Cochrane came around a bend in the passageway. “Sorry. Crew had a question. So. Shall we? And feel free to ask any questions you may have.” and he gestured down the passage the way he had come from.

“Lead the way, Sir.” Ben said with a grin. He was looking forward to exploring the ship, and he had the impression that Cochrane was going to give him a rather detail tour.

The next hour or so was a full and complete tour of massive ship, and it was abundantly clear that Cochrane was not an ordinary Commanding Officer. He greeted people by name everywhere they went (an impressive feat for a ship with over a thousand individuals on board), stopped and answered questions or inquired about various topics both professional (‘Is your temporal phase-shift experiment coming along?’ he asked a civilian scientist) and personal (‘Petty Officer Enud, how is your mother feeling? Her surgery went wsll, I hope?’ he asked another crew member without prompting). Few people seemed intimidated or apprehensive at his appearance, and most were genuinely happy to see him and meet the new CMO, whom he introduced at every opportunity.

Ben trailed closely behind Cochrane, taking in the diverse facets of the USS Manhattan. The familiarity the Captain had of his crew was evident, a detail that Ben both admired and found a tad daunting. Cochrane seemed to have an encyclopaedic knowledge about each person that they came across.

Cochrane took him to all spaces, knew every inch of the ship, and saved the Primary Sickbay for last. “And lastly… your new office and space, Doctor.” and he led him inside. A nurse looked up and said “Sir, welcome. Everything okay?” and Cochrane nodded. “Just fine, Lieutenant. I’d like to introduce Lieutenant Ben Hudson, the new CMO. Lieutenant Hudson, Lieutenant Briggs. He is one of your shift leads.”

Cochrane, CO

Upon entering sickbay, Ben inwardly winced at the layout. ‘Classic Starfleet design – dreamt up by an engineer who’s never been a patient.’ But he kept that wry observation to himself, offering a genuine handshake to Lieutenant Briggs. “Lieutenant Briggs,” he began earnestly, “Pleasure to meet you. I’ve been briefed on the calibre of the medical team here, and I’m keen to work alongside you all.”

He turned to Cochrane. “Thanks for the tour, Sir.” he said with a smile. “The ship is really impressive, and it’s clear that you’ve earnt the respect of the crew.” Casting his eyes around the sickbay with appreciation, he continued with a grin. “I’m looking forward to getting stuck in.”

Lt Hudson
CMO