Welcome to the Jungle

Posted on Fri Sep 25th, 2020 @ 11:27am by Captain Luka Mahone & Lieutenant Jossen Kassus (MD,PhD)

1,603 words; about a 8 minute read

Mission: Equivalent Exchange
Location: Haumea Colony Spaceport
Timeline: MD 5: 1300 Hrs

=== Flashback: Location: Turkana IV, Spaceport ===

"Are you sure you need to leave?" a woman asked as she walked Jossen toward Launch Pad VI.

"It is not a matter of needing to leave a more of my wanting to," Jossen replied, his tone was curt but not discourteous. He could not help speaking plainly, even with someone he considered a friend.

The woman scrunched her face, creating ridges on her nose "But we're not ready, we still need more.." her words were cut off by Jossen, who had abruptly stopped in his tracks.

"I have taught you everything I know Sylvia. You are a capable physician and under your leadership this colony will thrive, I am sure of it. I remember meeting your mother many years ago and she inspired me to become a doctor when she refused to leave Turkana, and meeting you was no coincidence. Starfleet may have brought me here but you are what kept me, and my remaining would only hinder your growth. I have ensured that Starfleet Medical will continue to support your work but the needs of the many out weigh the needs of the few..., the one."

"Why is that when ever you Vulcans are up against the wall you make us sound so selfish for wanting more out of you," Sylvia retorted.

"Because your emotional attachment blinds you from what you and I both know to be true," he placed his hand on her shoulder before continuing. "You have exceeded all of my expectations and now you must put my training to the test, how else will you know if what we have started here is sustainable. The mark of a good leader is being able to leave the very thing they have been charged with creating, or overseeing, and trusting that what they have built will stand the tests of time."

"Damn you," she replied.

=/\= SHUTTLE BEN FRANKLIN DEPARTING AT 0700 HOURS, PLEASE BEGIN BOARDING NOW =/\=

"I must go Sylvia. There is a colony that has been without a Chief Medical Officer for sometime and I will not know if rejoining Starfleet was the right choice until I serve in an official capacity again. I must do this, just as you must accept that you are a better doctor than you think you are."

Jossen was never one to hug anyone but he hugged Sylvia before leaving for his shuttle, reminding her to live long and prosper.

=== Location Haumea Colony Spaceport ===

When Jossen stepped off the shuttle his conversation with his protege replayed in his mind. Was this really the right choice, would his new Commanding Officer except him, or question his loyalty because he had chosen to support the Romulans over the Federation. Vulcans did not experience anxiety, but Jossen could not deny his was palpable.

Re-committing to Starfleet was a gamble. He had left behind the Rok, his wife and child, all on the hopes that things had changed, that his stance on public health was better understood. As he stepped out of the shuttle he could not but take note of the blended architecture around him; some of it from the 23rd century, reminiscent of his youth and some of it modern. A colony in transition, much like Jossen was.

Perhaps this would become his next best venture, not wanting to waste any more time on uncertainty Jossen stepped away from the shuttle craft.

=/\= Dr. Kassus to the CO: This is your new Chief Medical Officer reporting, where might I find you? =/\=

"Doctor who?" came the confused reply. "I'll... meet you in my office, Doctor. I hope you like dogs..."

Jossen promptly found the nearest deck hand and asked if he could ensure his luggage was transported to his living quarters before he made his way to his new CO's office.

The office itself was located in the remains of a hollowed out Intrepid-class saucer, specifically where a ready room would be if the ship remained intact. Outside the room, a young Orion woman sat, pleasantly typing away at her work as if she was not sitting in a reworked Bridge station. "Oh, you must be Doctor Jossen Kassus. He's ready for you." She paused, tapping a finger at the bowl that sat atop her desk. Inside the bowl was a small pile of bone-shaped treats. "You'll want one in case Lugh decides to say hello."

In a typical Vulcan fashion Jossen raised his right eyebrow and briefly hesitated before accepting the treats. "Thank you," he replied to the Orion woman before entering the Ready Room.

"Lieutenant Jossen Kassus, reporting for duty." Although his voice was stern one could not look past the small bundle of dog treats clutched tightly in his hand as he stood at attention.

The re-outfitted room was in disarray when Jossen walked in. Cushions were strewn about, and one of the various surfboards fell off it's stand and was being occupied by a not-fully-grown malamute pup. In the dog's mouth were remains of synthetically-created stuffing, likely from the destroyed cushions.

Despite the sight, seated at the end of the room and behind his desk was the Captain, who appeared to be mostly in order. "Lieutenant Kassus, please, take a seat. I'd offer refreshments, but the replicator has been re-engineered to solely Klingon beverages right now, and I ah... want to get that sorted out first. Was your trip well?"

Jossen cocked his head to side at the news the replicator only made Klingon beverages. He tried his best to hide his judgment, but he was Vulcan and the telling sign of his raised eye brow said enough. Despite the chaotic scene and the dog, whose mouth covered in stuffing, there sat Captain Luka. Uniform finely pressed and not a hair out place, it did not take long for Jossen's eyes to meet Luka's hands and he deduced that at one point his new Captain had been doctor.

A tinge of relief hit Jossen and before sitting down he walked over to the dog and replaced the stuffing on its mouth with one of the treats in his hand, gently patting the dog on its head before sitting.

"I hope I did not disturb you, Captain," he said as he tried to avoid scanning the room, trying to make sense of what had happened before his arrival.

Lugh was happy to follow after the new treat-giver too, hopping off of the surfboard and wagging his tail in contentment. "Oh no, he's like that." Luka replied plainly. "I've been attending to business up on the Titania and had to be away from this handful for more than a couple of days. So I think he's just acting out. Please tell me, though, what brought you to my office?"

"I merely wanted to follow protocol and check-in before proceeding to the Medical Facilities." He paused for a second as if he had been struggling to find the words.

"Oh." Down to business, this one. Luka smiled. "I meant what brought you to my office in a more general sense. Why here and not another assignment? Haumea's not the first pick on anyone's list."

"Ah" Jossen paused for a moment. The question had taken him off-guard and as he tried to find the words his eyes darted around the room, as if Jossen were trying to find another talking point but alas there was none. "To be frank, Captain, as the Human parlance goes: I come with baggage."

His eyes met with Captain Luka's as if trying to make a connection. "Haumea Colony presents a second chance for me after I ran afoul of my superiors at Starfleet Medical and...beyond," he said as he looked out toward the colony. He could have withheld the truth but it would not take long for the Captain to see through him, Jossen could tell that although Mahone was young he was not one to be taken lightly.

Luka's eyes wandered down to the files Davna had given him before he arrived. "... Oh... well, so long as your intention is to heal and not harm, I don't see why we'll have trouble," he stated neutrally. There would be time to look at any negative or positive marks on Jossen's file later.

"I do not intend to do anything during my time here that would negatively impact you, and I recognize that you have, I believe the phrase is gone out on a limb, for me ."

"Have I?" That was news to him. Now extremely curious, the young Captain shuffled through the files, until his eyes rested upon a memo from Admiral Matthews. "... Someone has. That must mean you do good work, as far as I'm concerned." Naive as the statement sounded, Luka had a mildly wary look in his eye. "... Your rank's been reinstated provisionally. I'll have to ask the Admiral about that one." He gave Jossen a small smile. "I don't know if you'll find your second chance in this colony, but hopefully we'll be able to help each other out. But that remains to be seen. Will it just be you relocating, Doctor? We have a few new senior staff who've just arrived, so it should be easy to arrange for extra modular space for homes if you'd like-"

And, as the Captain opened his mouth to continue his thought, his commbadge chirruped. He frowned, tapping it. "Yes?"

"Sir," Davna's voice sounded urgent. "Sir, it's Commander Koplo. He's at it again."

Luka let out a sigh, standing from his spot. "Lieutenant, you'll have to excuse me. Another time?"

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