Checking in

Posted on 07 May 2016 @ 2:31am by Lieutenant Commander Adam Casey & Lieutenant Commander Jiang-Chao Xiao

958 words; about a 5 minute read

Mission: Outbreak
Location: XO's Office
Timeline: MD 5

Adam tugged on his uniform jacket once more as he stood near to the XO's office. He still wasn't sure about the uniform, but of course that was mostly because he hadn't worn one in years, and his was newly replicated. He held a PADD in his hands, but of course had no orders because he had come aboard at the request of Harvey. The kids, at the moment, were in the hands of a nurse who had agreed to watch them for a short time. He stood in front of the door and pressed the chime, waiting to be granted entry.

The room was decidedly not his. Everything about it felt....off. But that wasn't surprising given that the office was Kos' and Xiao was just a temporary occupant. The sound of the door announcer caused him to look up, towards the door, which also drew his attention to one of Kos' decorations, a portrait of some man the Jiang-Chao didn't recognize.

"Enter," he called.

Adam entered the room, and looked at the man sitting behind the desk. He stood at attention, the PADD still in his hand. "I'm Lt. Commander Adam Casey. I've just come aboard as Chief Science Officer." Adam said, by way of introduction.

"Ah," JC responded, extending his hand. "I'm Jiang-Chao Xiao. Welcome to the Black Hawk."

Adam accepted the hand and shook it warmly. "Thank you, sir." Adam said. "Pleased to be here."

"I'm new here myself. Just came aboard from the Aries," he explained. "Captain Geisler needed a temporary Executive Officer and so, here I am." He paused, motioning for Casey to have a seat. "Have you met the Captain yet?"

"Known him for years, actually. I was...in retirement, shall we say, but he asked me to return to help out around here." Adam explained. "Good man. Good friend."

"I see," JC replied, disheartened that even the newest crew member had more knowledge of Geisler than he did. "You served together before," he said more than asked.

"Yeah, on the Lagos. He was the Chief Medical Officer, I was the Science Chief. We had a good friendship; I say had, but we still do." Adam replied, nodding as he sat down.

"I started in the science department," Jiang-Chao offered. "Stellar Sciences."

"I've always been into Astrophysics, as well as Anthropology and Archaeology." Adam explained. "What was your major?" He asked.

"Astrophysics was my major in the Academy. But I primarily worked astrometics," he explained. "But that was several years ago. I transitioned to Command and have been on a flight control console ever since."

"But you never really lose the love of science. Look at me, Nine years out of the fleet, and I'm back, and still with my love of science." Adam said, with a smile. "You're always welcome to pop into the labs for a chat, or even to help out if you want."

"Thanks for the offer," Jiang-Chao said. "I love running the helm. There is something thrilling about flying a starship. Even just routine work."

"Besides," JC continued, "Command is my goal, just like it is for many who join Starfleet."

Xiao looked at a painting Commander Kos had hung over the small sitting area of the office. He wasn't sure what it was; his artistic preference was firmly rooted in music. The visual arts just hadn't appealed to him, much to his mother's chagrin. She had been hoping Jiang-Chao would continue her family work as a potter. But he ended up falling in love with music. The flute was his first instrument, though he quickly switched to the trumpet. While in the Academy, he had taken double bass lessons. Since then, he regularly practiced in his quarters. Though asked repeatedly to perform, Jiang-Chao never felt good enough to actually play bass for an audience, even as part of a group.

"Well Commander," Xiao started, "if there is ever anything I can do for you, let me know."

"I appreciate that, sir." Adam replied. "I think I have everything for now. I need to speak with a few people, make some engineering requests. I'll be sure to come to you if there are any problems. In the meantime, I do have a delivery coming up from the planet a little later; a few stasis containers with food supplies. I hope that's okay?" He asked.

"As long as they pass the usual bioscans," JC answered. "You cook?"

"Yes, I do. Being a single father, cooking is an excellent skill to know. It was my mother who taught me, but since my girls were born, I cooked pretty much every day." Adam replied.

Jiang-Chao shook his head. "I've never gotten into cooking," he admitted, "though I do enjoy eating. Probably more than I should. I end up spending a lot of time in the gym to make up for it."

"How old are your girls?"

"Amy's eight and Maria's six. Both sweet girls, messy but sweet." Adam said, smiling. "Kids are...well, they're incredible, at any time."

JC forced a smile. He wasn't that comfortable with kids. He hadn't given much thought to having his own, but he knew that if he did have some, it wouldn't be anytime soon. Far too many things to accomplish in his career first.

"Well, as I said before, if you need anything..."

"Appreciate that sir. I should probably get the girls settled in, with your permission?" He asked.

"Of course," Jiang-Chao said, rising from his seat. "It's been good talking with you."

"And with you, sir." Adam said, standing up and shaking the man's hand again. He then turned and left the office, heading back to his quarters to make sure the girls hadn't destroyed them yet.

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