Who: Aaron, Gideon, Dave Earth Date: April 6, 2382 Where: Ready room; after the meeting What: Cap wants to see Aaron. Rating: PG Status: In Progress
As the Senior Staff quickly filed out of the room, each with personal things to do to contribute to the mission, Aaron moved noticeably slower out of the Conference Room, surrounded by his crew, bogged by a litany of questions from his Engineers just as they got far enough away from the rest of the staff and the conference room. However, instead of answering them with the authority he should have been giving, he remained silent as they approached the lift, the sober reminder that he wasn't the Chief Engineer still fresh in his mind. As much as he wanted to contribute, to jump right into his mission, the fact that he was humiliated in front of one of his Ensigns still stung deeply.
Refusing to answer his crew members' questions more out of spite to the First Officer than to them, he conspicuously pressed the 'Up' button toward the crew's quarters, which was the direction opposite of engineering.
"I'm not your Chief anymore," he stated simply before entering the lift. "I'm sure Lieutenant Callahan can answer all your questions." The doors slid shut to the image of their perplexed and stunned faces. If complying with rules was what they wanted, complying with rules is what they would get. He'd stay in his quarters for the rest of the day. To hell with the ship.
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The rest of the day passed uneventfully in his quarters. Aaron was in the middle of a nap when his combadge startled him up.
The Captain wanted to see him in his ready room. Aaron quickly got dressed, tucked his pipless uniform into his pants and made his way over.
By now, the carefree haze of the alcohol had long left his system and he'd been left with the sobering punch of reality. He'd never been reprimanded in such a way that Commander Aldridge had done to him before. A childish fear that grew into anger gnawed at his stomach: if it had been any other ship, Aaron would have left a resignation even before the inevitable lecture. But no. This was the Odyssey: a brand-spankin' new, gargantuan, top of the line vessel. He wasn't going to part with it easily. He was the first soul on this ship and, as odd for him as it may be, he wanted to be the last. Aaron was, dare he admit it, growing attached to the ship already? He just felt that if he had to part with it, he wanted to go down fighting.
The doors opened with a gasp. The Captain was there, along with who he recognized as the ship's counselor.
"Captain," he cleared his throat as the doors slid shut, leaving the three alone. "You wanted to see me?"