Posted by Commander Roman Alden (First Officer & Chief Science Officer) in side - sim: Honoring the Ardent

Posted by Ensign Rand Farquharson (Yeoman First Class) in side - sim: Honoring the Ardent

Posted by Commander Roman Alden (First Officer & Chief Science Officer) in side - sim: Honoring the Ardent
Posted by… suppressed (4) by the Post Ghost! 👻

(snip)
Roman looked at her when she said Franks had already finished all of the science departmental reports. “All of them?” He looked through them when she passed them to him. There wasn’t anything he needed to do with them. Once the XO reports were ready he moved over to the computer to finish them. He worked through them quickly but thoroughly, not wanting to make mistakes.

~ Roman

Rand shrugged, “He was already working when we left at 0500. He probably started right then. They aren’t completely done, not the way you do them, but he’s getting better. The first time he filled in, he over did the reports and spent the whole day on them. Now he is over compensating back the other way.” Rand shrugged, he would figure it out. Rand sat on the bed, PaDD in her lap and worked on the Captain’s reports. It was faster at a computer but she had learned how to make do with working just from a PaDD. The other choice was to go to her office and she would rather stay until he left to go back to the labs.

Rand

Roman nodded. It took him a half hour to finish all the XO reports and then he stood and picked up Pipkin to put her back in her cage. Then he hugged Rand. “I’m heading back to the labs. I’ll be working late again,” he said. Then after one more moment he let her go and headed out to the labs.

She took the finished reports and then Rand hugged him back. She nodded, she knew where he would be without him saying so, and then he was gone. It was a rather domestic scene between them and oddly it left her grinning and confused.

He finished the second project just after lunch. Part of its theory had been disproven since then but part of it required further research. He added his final notes and put it in the ‘done’ pile. Then he picked up another one of the data disks for project three. It was an advanced physics project. One of the areas he wasn’t very good with. With a small sigh, he got to work.

~ Roman

The next several days progressed in much the same manner. Roman worked nonstop, Rand checked on him when she could and made sure he ate and took breaks. Rand got very little sleep. Not that she didn’t have the opportunity, but she couldn’t. It didn’t matter that Roman had told her she had to stop worrying about him and blaming herself, it wasn’t going to happen. Eventually she ended up spending the long nights finalizing the projects Roman had marked as finished in her office. The first couple nights she spent with Pipkin until she realized that would teach her to be up all night. So she made extra time to visit her during the day. By the time Roman only had his own project left, Rand was drinking extra strong straight black coffee multiple times a day.

Rand

Roman wasn’t sleeping either. He’d fall asleep occasionally, only to wake up on his own or be woken up shortly after. He wouldn’t be eating if Rand hadn’t been making him. Each time she brought him food he managed at least a few bites. It was always something light. And tea. He was drinking a lot of tea. Finally, at 1900 that day, he finished the seventh project. He almost wished he had more of them to work on, just so he wouldn’t have to look at his own. With each project had come memories that made him sad. Rand knew how he was with his officers, he cared about their work and projects and he knew what almost everyone in his department was working on. It had been the same way on the Ardent and as he read through the reports, he’d remember conversations or exchanges, events and experiments. His own project was full of memories with him and Jay and he didn’t feel ready to deal with that.

~ Roman

What Roman was going through right now, was exactly why Rand hated the things people like Scott said about him. And they would never know because Roman nor Rand would ever explain it to them. Rand also knew it was right there to see if they weren’t so self absorbed.

She had spent a lot of time researching about Roman’s project. Trying to find a way to let him not have to deal with it. The Chearian Outpost Environmental Safety Project She didn’t read his notes or Jay’s. Oh she wanted to, she wanted to know more about Jay and their work, but after the way Roman had looked at her for reviewing and researching the other projects, she felt like that would break his trust. But she did look up everything she could find on Chearian and the proposed outpost. It took her a few days and what she found sent a chill of dread down her spine.

She found Roman in the lab finishing up the last project. She took the disks and recommendation from him and then urged him to leave with her. In the lift, “Go see Pipkin, get a shower, or just sit. I’ll bring dinner after I meet with Rogers.”

Rand

Roman was used to her bothering him about breaks and since he was done with everything except his own project he went without argument. He nodded slightly in response to her. “You won’t be long?” He still wasn’t that interested in dinner but he did want to spend time with her.

Rand shook her head and squeezed his hand as they got off the lift. “I’ll be as quick as I can.” Which of course meant she would do what she had to, but would come find him as soon as she was done. Luckily it was a light day and nothing much had changed from the morning reports which meant that her meeting with Rogers was over fairly quickly.

When they arrived on deck three he headed to his quarters, took a quick shower, and then let Pipkin out and played with her. It was a welcome distraction. And if he didn’t, Pipkin would make sure he knew about it later. So he spent the rest of the time until Rand came back trying to tire Pipkin out.

~ Roman

Rand grabbed a couple of trays. The lightest thing on offering that night was a stew. It wouldn’t be bad for Roman to have it, it was more substantial than anything he’d had in awhile. She just wasn’t sure if he would eat it. She carried to the two bowls back with her and set them down after Roman answered the door. She sat down and just hugged him for awhile.

Roman let her in from his place on the bed. He looked exhausted. His eyes were droopy and bloodshot, he slouched slightly, partially from sitting at the computer continuously for so many days straight, and he was feeling the physical effects of lack of sleep, he was less focused and less balanced. When she sat and hugged him, he hugged her back.

Then she carried one of the bowls over to him where he was sitting on the bed. She handed him his bowl and the small container of treats for Pipkin. Then she grabbed her own bowl and sat down next to him.

Rand

As he normally did lately, he picked through the stew taking a few small bites of the parts he liked best. He could tell he was hungry, that he wasn’t eating enough. It contributed to his tiredness and his trouble focusing and probably other less noticeable effects. But whatever food Rand brought just wasn’t appetizing he couldn’t force himself to eat more than a little. He drank a little of the stew’s broth and then set the bowl aside, planning to try and eat a little more in just a little bit. Then he popped open the bin of treats for Pipkin and fed her one of them.

~ Roman

While Roman was feeding Pipkin, Rand momentarily closed her eyes. She was worried, more than worried, about Roman. He wasn’t just not sleeping, he was withdrawn and quiet. The only good thing was that she hadn’t noticed him rubbing his leg. His leg hadn’t bothered him since a couple weeks after he finished PT. She had been afraid it would start hurting again, just from the memories. She was glad it hadn’t. She breathed and put on her best everything was fine routine. He didn’t need to worry about her, worrying about him.

Rand was tired, having not slept either, but she was doing her best to hide it. She ate about half of her stew before putting it aside. She moved around to sit behind him and pulled a small bottle from her pocket. “Take your shirt off.” She blushed a warm shade of pink when she said it.

She poured a little of the oil into her hands and set the bottle aside. It had the strong scent of eucalyptus, camphor, and a few other herbal scents. It was both cooling and warm. After all his martial arts training, Roman would recognize the scent of muscle rub. Rand began to work the oil into the muscles of his shoulders and neck.

Rand