Job Offer

Posted on Sun Nov 6th, 2022 @ 9:53am by Lieutenant JG S'Lace & Ship Elle & Commander Sandy "Phantom" Risa

1,572 words; about a 8 minute read

Mission: Into The Void
Location: Sickbay

"...express how completely, totally sorry I am if I hurt your feelings."

The voice came from a young woman wearing a Starfleet uniform, although her collar was white rather than one of the three service colors. she was speaking with a Vulcan junior lieutenant whose demeanor placed her either as a doctor or head nurse. Both were standing at the foot of Sandy's bio bed.

"I am a Vulcan," the medical officer replied, "I have no f-"

"Of course you do!" the young woman exclaimed, "They're all buried under all this," she waved he hand a the Vulcan's chest, "mental discipline, but they are there. That's not an insult, it's a fact. And I obviously annoyed you so much that you keep throwing this murder face at me."

The nurse paused, then replied levelly, "If I accept your apology will you go away?"

"Well, I can't really 'go away', I-"

"Will you cease employing your hologram in Sickbay so I may delude myself into thinking you have gone away?"

"Well, I have to speak to the patient..." Elle began, then added quickly, "But after that I am gone!"

S'Lace took a breath, visibly calmed herself, "Very well. Apology accepted. Now stop talking to me."

The Vulcan woman stalked away, leaving the younger woman alone with Sandy. The former turned to Sandy and smiled, "Hey, you're awake! Great! I'm Elle, and I'm here to offer you a job!"

"Stop shouting...please!," Sandy said cringing and holding her temples. She had a hell of a headache but that gows along with using her telepathy too much. Finally getting some of the cobwebs out, "Wait....offer me a job??? Thought I had one?" she said, looking at Elle with weird look.

"Ah..." the young woman winced. Lowering her tone she said, "Sorry. Well, you're on the Lionheart and your new job is going to have to wait because we're, well, a long way from home. Gabriel Station was abandoned and all the personnel are on board, and you're the highest ranking officer. I checked the station logs and you were placed on the duty roster until your ride picked you up...so technically you are Gabriel Station's highest ranking surviving officer."

Sandy cocked her head sideways, looked at, well she wasn't sure, but......Gabriel Station??? Ok now totally confused and perplexed, she thought she was going to meet up with her new ride at the station. So how the blazes did she end up on the Lionheart unless ahe got caught up in the evacuation. No wonder she had a headache. "Ok let me get this straight.....the station was abandoned and what your saying is that I am technically top dog? Oh joy.....hell of a way to start your new job," she said laying down again.

"Captain Hadenbeer is top dog," the young woman replied a touch stiffly. After a moment she composed herself, "You are the ranking officer amongst the refugees. And until we get back home you would either be sitting around twiddling your thumbs or you could be doing something useful. Like, you know, your job?"

Sandy could now see the woman had no rank pips on her white collar...

"I'll be damned.....," Sandy said. "You're a blasted AI.....no wonder I could not sense you. No pips, insignia....my job? Darling I fly ships and fighters and that is where I was headed," she said laughing.

"Oh, good," the AI replied with a sigh of relief, "You have no idea how worried I was you were going to panic. I've already counted twelve plots to unplug me and-"

She paused, "Oh, wait, thirteen. Yeah, thirteen now. Oh, and two and three just met..."

She shrugged, "Anyway, my name is 'Elle' and I haven't talked about it to the Captain yet but it seems a shame to let your considerable skills go to waste. So when the senior staff meets for breakfast in six hours maybe you might want to show up?" Elle paused and added self consciously, "I...have an extensive Betazoid menu for any meal."

"Sweetheart, if that's an invitation for breakfast, I'll take it and be there. Hold up just a sec...unplug you?????" now Sandy's curiosity was piqued.

"Well, yeah," Elle cocked her head, "Wait, did you think I was just a computer program like the Emergency Medical Hologram? No, I'm the ship. Like, I'm in charge of everything. Hence the reason why so many people are panicking."

Elle took a breath and with obvious reluctance added, "I...guess the part where I kidnapped everyone and brought them to another dimension might also have something to do with it. I'm not making that up, you can ask Head Nurse S'Lace about it," she turned and called across the room, "We're good now, right S'Lace?"

The Vulcan glanced up from a PADD, her expression caused the AI to visibly wilt.

"She is a Vulcan what did you expect? They may not show emotion but they do have them. As for purging all emotion, they do. Wait....you said something about kidnapping everyone??? No don't tell me about that. We can discuss that later, just need to get one thing straight, don't mess with my engines especially if I'm flying the ship!" Sandy said smiling.

Elle's head snapped around and regarded Sandy, "Now let's get one thing straight; they're my engines. This," she waved her hand all about her, "is me. You are in me. As for messing with you..."

She hesitated, "Well, everyone is bound to find out sooner or later. I am under very strict protocols regarding what I can and cannot do. I cannot move myself unless under extreme duress...which is how we wound up here. I can't see anything people at sensors aren't looking at, I can't fire the pew pews or the boom booms. It is a symbiotic relationship. I am wholly reliant on a crew to operate."

Elle grimaced, "Despite all that Starfleet would still want to erase me. Damn M5 debacle..."

Sandy was still confused as hell. All this was still swirling around in her painful brain. "Um, please can we get to stopping my brain from hurting? And then explain the 'my job' thingy. I have to find find my pet ferret. Smithy is around my quarters somewhere terrified," she said grabbing her head yet again.

"Well....she was somewhere around your quarters," Elle replied, "Your quarters are...elsewhere," she brightened, "But I did save Smithy! I have been keeping her in one of the bio labs."

"Oh yes, thank god....back to this job.....wait you said something about breakfast? I'm starving.....," Sandy said finally struggling to her feet.

Elle's hologram gently placed her palm against the Commander's chest, arresting her attempt to get out of bed. The AI said, "Not to worry, I'll have someone bring you a midnight snack."

True to her word a man of late middle age approached carrying a food tray. He was dressed in a quaint old style white Starfleet Medical uniform and a scowl was on his face.

"I'm a doctor, not a waiter," he groused as he set the plate down beside Sandy's bed.

"Thank you, Leonard," Elle said.

'Leonard' directed his scowl at Elle, "So you really are the ship's artificial intelligence? So does that make me part of you?"

Elle shook her head, "You are an independently running program."

A look of relief crossed the medical hologram's face, "Oh, good, I-"

"But I have taken you over and erased your memories more than a time or two."

"...Wh..."

The medical hologram winked out before it could say more...

Perplexed, Sandy first looked at Elle, then the doctor and his disappearing act then to Elle again wondering if she was truly loosing her mind. Shaking her head, "thankyou for the food but.....just what the hell is going on? I seem to have lost most of my marbles and a few nuts and bolts here. I have truly gone crazy finally," she said greedily digging into the food.

"Oh, you're fine," Elle assured the Commander, "That was Leonard, the Emergency Medical Hologram. He was hastily patched together during a period where the ship-the one before this one-was...in a bad way and he was instrumental in keeping people alive. The Captain grew a bit sentimental regarding him so when she assumed command here she activated him. He is based on a real person, more or less," she smiled, "He pretends not to like Vulcans but I swear he is sweet on S'Lace."

"Sweet on who??? S'Lace? Ok now I am truly confused and needing sleep, as if I haven't had enough of it already" Sandy said.

Elle smiled and gently patted the Commander's shoulder, "You've got bunch of new names to memorize, Commander. S'lace is the chief nurse who is going to do her best to make sure you don't leave it the morning. I'll make sure there's a fresh uniform for you under your cot. At the right time Leonard is going to cause a distraction which should allow you to slip out, the bio lab is practically next door. By the time you get to breakfast in the officer's mess I'll make sure the Captain knows all about you."

Elle's hologram smiled as it faded from sight, the AI was already thinking about how happy the Captain would be that they had a new Flight Control Officer...

 

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