Nice To Have A Friend

Posted on Wed Jun 24th, 2020 @ 3:36am by Cailus Griffin & Captain Nycolas Temple
Edited on on Fri Jul 10th, 2020 @ 5:55pm

Mission: The Evils Within
Location: Chief of Security's Office

ON:

In all the drama and intrigue from their time on Paradise Outpost, and the ensuing weeks where they tried to get over those events, Nyx had been missing out on one of his favourite activities as a Captain. It wasn't sitting in the big chair, or the office, or the way he gets to look seriously off into the distance while making a grave decision. All of those things were fun, but could never compare to the sheer joy he felt when he showed up unexpectedly at someone's office. He'd made it a trademark of his time as Captain of the Pandora to walk the corridors and make surprise appearances whenever he felt like, hoping to catch someone off guard.

Nyx knew today's target wouldn't be so easily surprised, but there was still a mischievous smile on his face as he approached Lieutenant Commander Griffin's office and pressed the chime.

"Enter," came the typically stern response, which ordered the computer to open the door. When Nyx entered the office, however, he found that his chief of security wasn't alone. Instead a tall Saurian sat opposite him, although when Cailus saw who was at the door, both he and his Saurian guest shot out of their chairs like rockets.

"Captain!" Cailus said in surprise, plainly caught offguard and trying to compensate as he stood stiffly. "Welcome. I was just talking to Petty Officer Tinshe. Her assignment request has just been approved by Starfleet."

The Petty Officer smiled at Nyx, seeming far more relaxed than her boss at the surprise visit. With her grey scaly skin and bald scalp, she was a stark contrast to the humans. "Yes, sir," she said amicably, her large black reptilian eyes shining with mixed amusement and pleasure at Nyx. "Munitions chief of the USS Winter's Repose. The ship is permanently assigned to a Saurian colony where my family moved to last year, so I can spend more time with my clutch."

"A wonderful ship and a great assignment." Nyx said in reply, his smile wide and genuine, "I'm sorry for interrupting your meeting, though."

"Not at all, Captain, we were just about done," Cailus said with a formal politeness. Stepping around his desk, he nodded at Tinshe. Understanding the subtle dismissal, the Petty Officer smiled again at Nyx before turning around, excusing herself and walking out of the office, leaving the two men alone.

"What can I do for you, sir?" Cailus asked after the doors closed. He was as stiff as ever, although his office did appear to have changed somewhat in the past year. Pictures now decorated his desk, while two paintings hung on the bulkheads: one of an old starship, and another of a Martian landscape.

Nyx took a seat and leaned casually into it, "Well I've just received word from Carnwennan Station. Commander Nash has opted to take his full leave entitlement, so I'm in need of an Executive Officer."

Cailus raised an eyebrow in surprise, then huffed, smiling slightly in resignation. "Aye aye, Captain. I knew that this promotion would have a catch, and I suppose this is it." He paused, glancing at the small window as stars whizzed by, distorted as they were by the ship's warp field. "Is the XO alright, sir? He sounded tired when we last talked."

"Responsibility, Lieutenant Commander. It comes for all us in the end." Nyx replied dryly, "I don't want to speak for Nash, but he's obviously been dealing with a number of personal issues. Some time away from the ship might be good for him to reflect and resolve." He gave a slight shrug, "It's our job to ensure we keep the ship afloat until he does come back."

“Yes sir,” Cailus answered. It was the only real thing to say, and he was hardly the type to be glib. Already, the practical considerations of taking over Owen’s job for a couple of weeks (and it had better not be more than that, he grumbled privately) were flashing through his mind. One of those responsibilities occurred to him then, and somewhat awkwardly, Cailus half-sat on the edge of his desk, his arms folded as he looked at Nyx.

Damn. Shae would be better at this. Or Mindo. Or Sandoval. Anyone but me.

“If you’ll permit the question, Captain,” Cailus said quietly, “how are you doing?”

Nyx huffed a little, "To be honest? Fracking annoyed. You should have seen this new Admiral who gave the orders to divert the ship to the Hesiod system. Clueless, ill-prepared dolt! Couldn't tell me a damn thing about where we're going, who we're rescuing, or even why. I don't know what's been happening on Earth while we've been away but Starfleet Command sure isn't appointing the 'best of the best' anymore."

“A paper pusher?” Cailus said, wincing. “Hell. Bureaucrats can be more dangerous than disruptors. Did it occur to him that we’ll learn everything anyway when we rescue these people? Does he expect the away team to wear blindfolds?”

The Captain threw his hands up, "Exactly! Unless whoever we find simply doesn't give us any information? But how can we find them, let alone rescue them if they won't tell us anything? Or..." He frowned, "Are we just a glorified taxi service?"

Cailus scowled, annoyed. “Maybe. It’s possible that the admiral doesn’t know either, and was just relaying orders. Either way, it could end up being a mess. These kind of missions rarely end with lollipops and milk.” He paused, looking at Nyx directly. “Captain, if they are doing work down there that’s classified beyond our security clearance, and that work is relevant to the mission, what are your orders? Do we let them keep their secrets, or do I tell Shae to keep her eyes and ears sharp?”

Nyx sat back and thought about the question for a moment, before a brief smile appeared, "Well if we don't know about them, it's likely they don't know anything about us or our multi-talented crew." He shrugged, "And I don't feel much like sharing... do you?"

"I do not like sharing," Cailus replied with a perfect straight face, although he couldn't help his eyebrow quirking slightly. Then, with a sigh, Cailus sat down in the other chair in front of the desk, turning it to face Nyx. "I know that the timing could be better, sir. Emilie's due date has passed, right? We met her yesterday in the corridor, and Aoife asked us afterwards why Emilie has 'a big big tummy'."

“Yeah,” Nyx sighed, “I think we’ll have to seriously consider a c-section if the baby doesn’t come soon. She’ll be disappointed but it’ll save her stress and pain." He paused then shrugged, "Sometimes I wonder if it isn't my fault she's delaying it. When we had Katrine, we were in such a different place. Our home had been destroyed by rogues and I was always off-world trying to track them down. Hardly a great father... or partner. Maybe she's worried it'll be like that again?"

Again, Cailus' eyebrow raised, this time in amused scepticism. "Perhaps," he allowed gently, "but I doubt it, Captain. Whatever you may have been, and whatever mistakes you may have made in the past, that time has passed."

Nyx nodded solemnly, "I hope so. I would have much preferred to've been on Carnwennan Station, too, for the birth, but that won't be happening either. Such is our life in service of Starfleet." He said it with only a touch of sarcasm.

Cailus grunted in agreement, rubbing his chin. He really was starting to miss the beard. "You know, I nearly missed my daughter's birth through Starfleet. I was scheduled for shoreleave to get back to Earth in time for the birth, but the Churchill got redirected to evacuate a research outpost in the opposite direction. I got a ride on the Crazy Horse on the way back to Earth, and when Captain Okoye heard about my situation, she ran an 'unscheduled engine test'. We ran at warp 11 for the entire trip, about warp 8.6 by today's scale. It must've scared the hell out of civilian shipping."

Then Cailus smiled, shaking his head. "I still only got there a couple of days after Harri's due date, but she was late. She went into labour the day after I got home. Harri and I used to joke that Victoire waited for me to get there before she popped out." Cailus sobered then, his smile disappearing. With a sigh, he rested a hand on his desk as he looked at Nyx. "Captain, so long as we aren't at red alert, go be with your wife when the time comes. You've got a good crew, and you've trained us well. We can handle the ship in the meantime."

"Ah the good old days when you could get away with bending the rules," Nyx smiled, "Thank you, Cailus, I will certainly try to do that. It's really important to me that we try to have as much normalcy as possible, wherever possible. Otherwise, this tour of duty will become a relentless grind." He took in a deep breath, "And to be present at the birth would be.... amazing. I know the ship will be in good hands with you around."

Uncomfortable at the praise, Cailus just nodded stiffly. “Yes sir.” Then, quite unable to resist while in private, he smirked. “You realise of course, Captain, that the time will come when the shoe is on the other foot. When the time comes for Shae and I to do the same, I expect that she and Emilie will be as tight as thieves, sharing war stories about us. Hell, Aoife and Katrine are already best friends besides that. That little girl of yours has helped Aoife more than any therapist could.”

There was more there, more that settled on Cailus’ mind, and the smirk instantly reverted to his usual grim professional demeanour. There were deeply unsettling reasons why Aoife needed help, and likely would for years to come, even well into her teenage years. There were worries and fears on his brow, stemming from what might happen when they finally returned to Federation space, things that he and Shae had always delayed discussing.

Still, Cailus shook off those dark thoughts as he stood up and moved to the small viewport that his office boasted. “You know, there was a time when I couldn’t conceive of having a relationship with my captain like this. The idea of raising a child with a fellow officer, especially onboard a starship, would’ve been insane. When I first came aboard and saw the Rec Deck, I half wondered whether I was on the wrong ship. It just all felt so wrong. All of that nonsense would be irrelevant clutter onboard a ship of exploration.”

Then Cailus glanced back at Nyx. “I was wrong in the end, Captain. That sense of normalcy has made this tour of duty worth living. The missions have been important, charting the final frontier and all that rubbish they shove down your throat at the Academy. Making this ship a home, though, making this crew a family, that makes the work a hell of lot more worthwhile. More...hell, I don’t know. Complete.”

Nyx clapped his hands together, "That's a beautiful sentiment, Commander, and I agree wholly. To hear you've found a home and a family? That you're actually happy here and thinking about the future, even? Well it's just made my day." He smiled broadly, "Our job, of course, is to keep it going. Ensure our new crew members feel the same thing, and we don't lose sight of what's important - no matter how murky the waters around us become. Though, if I've managed to win Cailus Griffin over, the rest will be a piece of cake!"

Cailus snorted. "Don't let it get to your head, sir," he grumbled as he crossed his arms. "I still have every intention of keeping you safely on the Bridge and not on dangerous away missions, even if I have to handcuff you to the blasted command chair." He winced at his own words. "Don't expect me to a friendly XO, sir. I wouldn't know how to be that, so Owen had better get back quickly. Still, if we're lucky, then you're right. It's just a simple evac mission for a bunch of scientists. A milk run."

“If wishes were horses, beggars would ride.” Nyx said, more to himself, “Let us hope that is the case, but I reserve the right to wear my sceptical pants until we’re leaving the region. And do try to be somewhat personable as XO, Cailus. The last thing I need is a conduct complaint on my desk. If you can promise to be more... approachable, at least, then I will promise to keep myself out of trouble.”

“Fair enough, Captain,” Cailus replied, smiling ever so slightly.

It was the most he could have hoped for, so Nyx decided to leave it at that. "I'll let you get back to your duties. If you need anything, I'll likely be in my Ready Room until we reach Hesiod." He said, as the two said their goodbyes and the Captain exited Griffin's office.

OFF