<SNIP>

Liam’s eyes lifted and shifted from his work to the time. He had noticed LB’s restlessness, but he had still had a few minutes before the next radiation dose. For a moment, he considered risking breaking his routine in favor of calming his symbiote. That’s the chime rang and he dismissed the thought. He casually leaned back into his seat while he moved the data pad to the side.

“Come in and take a seat” He stated as he turned his attention upon the new arrival.

-CSO, Liam J. Madison, Sci.

IC: As Rowe entered the office, his eyes swept the room… like they always did… Unconsciously he was looking for not only threats, though that is where his past had taught him to start, but anything that might provide useful or at the very least interesting. What he found was a man a few years older than himself who had clearly been in the middle of reviewing some kind of data.

First appearances pegged the man as a stern figure, one proud of that sternness. Close cropped, graying, hair. Sharp gray eyes and facial features. Rowe wondered silently to himself if that was genuine or a crafted persona, only time would tell. Despite the CSO being seated, Rowe could tell that he was slighter in physical stature, though that detail was insignificant in scientific settings… his mind cataloged it anyway… old habits and whatnot. James wasn’t the type of person to describe another person’s ‘vibe’ but something about the CSO was ‘off’… like the eyes that looked back at him weren’t completely human. That impression was interesting enough that he thought he might have to do some research on his own later.

Moving to the offered seat, Rowe sat down and said. “Lt. JG James Rowe reporting for duty.”

• Rowe

Liam’s office rarely changed as he found familiarity to be comforting. Over all the space gave off a professional and tidy impression. A few scattered pictures of his family, all of his brother and his children, rested on the shelves. One office would stick out and that was his nephew. The common replicator stood silently waiting for orders on the path leading up to his work place. Upon his desk, a purple crystallized bosai tree stood as the only decoration. It was a gift from one of his past crew and he found it to be a good conversation starter when needed.

He watched the man approach as gestured for him to take the seat in front of him. “Take a seat and before we start, would you like something to drink?”

Lemon balm and a tulsi blend came to mind as he felt LB stir again. His hand reached up to gently touch the back of his neck, feeling the subtle breathing of the creature. The little symbiotic parasite had fused into his nerves from the base of his skull down into his trapezoid muscles.

-CSO, Liam J. Madison, Sci.

As James moved to the offered seat he clocked the various family pictures and the bosai tree. Pictures such as these were to be expected on a ship like the Athena that spent such long stretches away from home. The placement of the tree made it obvious that it was a common conversational piece. “A water would be great.” Rowe said. He found that speaking had a way of making the throat scratchy.

James settled into the seat and smoothed the front of his pants out of habit.

• Rowe