Onward (Open)

[m]

The doors onto Flight Deck opened and the Captain walk in in his usual brisk manor. He returned the salutes given to him rather nonchalantly. It was the every day sort of thing for him, and since the ship Venia wasn’t going to approach her target within the next twenty four hours he didn’t see any reason for strict decorum.

He moved towards the illuminated station of charts and screens to look it over, his expression passive. He frowned when he looked at the progress. The damage that had been done to his ship from the last run in with R4 was ridiculous, to say the least. They should have been better on the defense.

Inwardly, he vowed it wouldn’t happen again, not on his watch. Lost lives, especially lost lives due to terrorists were never an option and none bore the brunt of guilt more than he did because of it.

“Status update.” He said quickly, his voice deep and rich. He had a way of commanding attention without really doing anything but speak. It was part of his natural skill at being a leader.

Listening to the run off of repairs in the making and such, he walked over to his chair and sat down. His wrists rested upon the arm rest as he listened intently, taking in the information and storing it in his mind. Without saying it, he knew the others were probably thinking the same thing he was. This upcoming mission would be difficult if the ship wasn’t in top notch condition. And the only way for that to happen was to hope and pray that the Engineers knew what they were doing.

However, Mike would look on the bright side and trust that the group he led was the best. After all that was what he’d been told, and the crews performance up until now had been excellent. They’d just run into a few bad and unfortunate scrapes…

“Coffee Sir?”

The question, which seemed to be a very simple one that required a very simple answer made Mike hesitate.

A cup of coffee meant there was a mug that his lips were to be placed upon to drink. That said mug had had other people touching it, washing it, and perhaps inadequately washing it. The very thought made his stomach turn.

On the other hand. Coffee meant energy and also a hot and tasty beverage that he could sip and enjoy as he pondered over the decisions of the day.

The hesitation was only slight but the calculations in his head were endless. It was a risk, a risk like the risks he took every day, but lately these risks seemed to be turning into more and more of an issue with him.

Finally he nodded, “Yes please.” And the white cup was set in front of him. Mike looked around quickly before reaching into his pocket and taking out one of the little pouches that carried in it a disinfecting wipe. He never went anywhere without one.

Gingerly he started to rub the mug down, all around the edges, over the handle, and every surface. The procedure lasted only a few seconds but it was clearly an important one judging by the tense expression on Mikes face and the way his jaw was firmly set. He worked fast and thoroughly before bringing the mug to his lips and taking a deep sip.

It was lukewarm. Pity.

[Hollie Clarke]

Hollie had a cold. A cold. She never got ill. It was like someone somewhere, a higher power, was making up for the fact that she had been born blind in that respect, but apparently her luck or whatever it was, had run out, and now she had a runny nose, sore throat, the lot.

Nevertheless, she had managed to drag herself out of bed, throw on some clothes, whatever was closest and a nice warm jumper, before heading to get some food and a hot drink.

The coffee from the Mess Hall helped soothe her throat a little, and her energy levels, then she made a pit stop via her office to see what she needed to do today. Slipping on her earphones, her computer helpfully told her that there was a fault in one of the computer consoles up on the flight deck.

Grabbing a packet of tissues from inside her desk, she shoved them in her back pocket and picked up her laser pen, making her way to her intended destination.

Someone held the door open for her and she nodded her thanks, making it past them before she let out a sneeze that echoed around the room. She didn't reach her tissues in time, but she managed to put her hands in front of her face. "Sorry," she announced to the room before plucking out her tissues, using one to wipe her hands before placing it in the incinerator. Hopefully she wouldn't infect anyone else today.

Hollie made her way over to the console which was supposed to be malfunctioning and began fiddling around, attaching a small hand held computer to the waistband of her trousers, plugging in her earphones and sticking an earphone in one ear, letting the other hang down, tapping her stomach lightly as it swung. The computer would give her real time feedback of everything that she did, and that the panel did, so she knew if she was doing the right thing, and so she didn't injure herself in any way.

Sniffing loudly, she let out a moan, feeling particularly crappy. "Blah, she said out loud, not really caring who was around her, then she continued on with her job.

Hollie worked for a good few minutes before something went wrong, and it wasn't actually her fault. The ship hit an invisible cloud of space dust and shuddered, making Hollie lose her balance. Just about keeping her footing, the computer slipped from her waistband, but she felt the tug of her earphones, and managed to scoop down and catch it before it hit the floor. "Phew." That could have been a chunk of her pay gone this month.

[m]

Taking another sip of his luke-warm Coffee, Mike touched a few of the buttons on his chair panel, the panel reading his fingerprints and allowing him access. He cleared his throat.

“Captains Log, We continue our journey on towards New New Earth, our mission to help trapped civilians and also assist in putting out the flames have to yet to have for sure plans in tact but there is some time yet before we will reach the…”

Suddenly the door behind him opened and a loud sneeze erupted, making Mike jump as he continued his log.

“…exosphere.”

‘Sorry.’ A feminine and rather stuffed upped voice said.

Turning in his chair, Mike looked in the direction of the sneeze and instantly he grabbed his box of wipes and felt his skin start to crawl as the woman came closer. He imagined the little germs in the air now and had to hold in a grimace.

“Uh… the repairs on the Venia seem to be going smoothly but lack the speed I was hoping for. Memo to self, speak with the head of Engineering later today…”

‘Blah’

Again Mike glanced in the direction of the Blind Computer Tec. An apparent frown on his features.

“Outside conditions seem stable…” He said just as the ship shifted and he grunted, the coffee he held spilling over onto his hand and he ended his log to start wiping it up vigorously. The women who’d brought him the mug rushed forward to assist but he waved her away.

His cleaning went on to not only clean up the spill but also the mug again, then his hands, then the mug again. Tossing the cloth into the incinerator, Mike went on to wipe over the panel in silence, he was starting to feel cranky.

[Hollie Clarke]

Re-attaching the computer more securely this time, she got back to work, figuring the quicker she got this done, the sooner she could go dose up on meds and sit in her office, complaining to her heart's content. Also, she wouldn't have to worry about anyone else catching this cold.

Finished, she was about to unhook the computer from her waist when she heard someone call her name from the other side of the flight deck. Hey, Hol, give us a hand over here? Ugh, so she wasn't escaping as soon as she had wanted.

"Sure, she said, doing her best not to sniff as she walked across the room. She heard the Captain shift uncomfortably in his chair as she went past, and wondered what was the matter. Then again, she couldn't exactly see how terrible she looked in this condition. Maybe she should have hid away under a blanket until she was well again.

Networking her hand held with the console, she quickly located the problem and got to work, wanting to get out of there as soon as possible. There was negative energy coming from the Captain's chair, she was pretty sure everyone could feel it, it wasn't just her. She knew all to well the feeling of getting steadily more frustrated.

Once she was done, she unplugged her headphones and put them in her other pocket, climbing to her feet. Making her way across the flightdeck to the door, she hesitated a few feet away from the Captain's chair. "Are you okay? she asked, figuring someone should. Just because he was the Captain, didn't mean everyone had to avoid him.

[m]

Mike looked up to hear someone call Hollie across the Flight Desk and he stood, as she passed him his chaw went tense but he forced himself to act normal… sort of. Pretending to look at the screen she’d just stood in front of he idly pullout out another one of his sanitation cloths and vigorously started scrubbing over the surface.

He returned to his chair as Hollie came to it herself and he slipped into, his whole body somewhat drew away from her, pressing firmly against the back of the chair. If he hadn’t known how silly it would look he probably would have drawn his feet up into the seat as well, trying to get away from the nice little girl as a child would try to get away from a monster.

“Er… no, I mean yes. Yes Miss Sampson everything is fine with me. But you seem to be… under the weather?”

[Hollie Clarke]

"I think that's a bit of an understatement," she said, but she'd noticed the hesitation in his voice, and heard him move across the room to where she had been stationed before. "This bothers you, doesn't it? My cold." She was pretty open and honest with everyone, she didn't have a problem dealing with awkward topics. She had lived through twenty two years of people being cautious about her blindness, after all.

"I can hear you wriggling around like a child that has been sat still for too long," Hollie told him, letting him know that was how she knew. He probably had OCD, which wouldn't be completely out of character for an officer or Captain. "I can go on the other side of the room and talk if it'll make you feel better."

"Oh, and you can call me Hollie."

[m]

Mike sat up a little straighter (if it was possible)

"Miss Sampson i'm never uncomfortable in the company of my own crew members. That's a silly observation." He tried to chuckle but it came out more a croak. Standing he merely walked away from her, pretending to observe a nearby screen.

"No i'm merely concerned for your well being. Perhaps if your unwell you should visit the Medical Bay... and then stay there until you're well again."

If it wasn't for the fact that he obviously didn't intend to sound rude then he would have sounded... well... rude. But Hollie was right. Mike was all but crawling out of his skin. Without even thinking about it he took another wipe out and wipes his hands with it.

The skin on his hands were red and raw from so much washing...

[Hollie Clarke]

The Captain was lying, that was easy enough to tell, she had to refrain from letting out a giggle, which sounded more like a choked snort with her mucus the way it was. "Thanks for the concern," she said, honestly, "Medical Bay is probably my first stop after this place. They can dose me up, maybe wrap me up in cellophane as well so that I don't infect anything thing else." It was an attempt at a joke to try and lighten the mood.

"Tell you what, point me in the right direction and I'll leave you be," she said, she hadn't actually done the walk from the flight deck to the medical bay before, she didn't want to get lost, "I'm sure you have work to do, instead of me chasing you all over the flight deck."

[m]

Mike placed his hands behind his back, turning to look down on the blind girl. He could see the amusement on her face and there was a slight tug at his own lips in an upward motion. Even so he wasn't the type to be unprofessional on flight deck.

"I hardly think having you wrapped in plastic would be an appropriate..." He stopped, realizing she hadn't been serious and he stopped all together, "You should rest though. I don't want any member of my crew exhorting themselves. Especially when we have a rescue mission coming up."

As she asked for directions he opened his mouth to respond, intending to give directions but he stopped. He'd probably been a little uncouth in his manner up until now.

"I'll escort you." He said before glancing past her at the door that led out of Flight Deck.

[Hollie Clarke]

Okay, Hollie couldn't stop the giggle this time when he thought she was being serious. "Maybe not appropriate, but it could be fun, you never know," she said with a grin, hearing that his mood was improving from the tone of his voice. She much preferred that he at least be mildly amused if he was going to put up with her sniffling.

He did have a point though. It would be better if she was able to walk while on this mission, and if her sinuses were cleared by then so she could smell the fire and smoke. "Okay, medical bay, then I'll stay in my office for the rest of the afternoon, in my reclining chair," she said, "that's about as close as I'm going to get to rest if we still want the ship to fly."

"Uh," she hesitated, "seeing as you probably don't want me touching you right now," she would need an arm in order to be guided, but he'd probably die of the mere fear of the germs, "just keep talking, and I'll follow your voice or something."

[m]

Mike raised his eyebrows, not quite sure how to respond to that. He looked down at the little girl, thinking perhaps her sickness was worse then it seemed and affecting her brain. Fun to be wrapped in plastic? What in the world?

Even so he merely smiled softly and nodded. "Oh don't be silly. You shall take my arm let me just...um..." He looked around for an idea before placing the wipe across his forearm and then hesitating before forcing himself to take her hand and wrap it around his arm, letting her fingers rest upon the wipe.

As he released her hand the one that had touched her scrambled to dip back into his pocket for another wipe, but he tried his best not to make it obvious as he began to walk.

"So Miss Sampson tell me about yourself." He inquired, leading her from the Flight Deck.

[Hollie Clarke]

Hollie's hand rested against the wipe and she quelled all amusement into a smirk, the wipe feeling cool and damp beneath her fingers. "At least I know that hand is clean." She wasn't complaining though, she'd much rather this than falling on her face half way to the Medical Bay.

Now that they were out of the room, he was actually intent on starting a conversation. Good, walking in silence would have been awkward. "Hmmm," she mused for a moment, "well, I'm twenty-two, I was born in Colorado, but I've lived all over the States, bouncing around foster families." Living with so many different people was probably how she'd picked up an odd sense of humour.

"I'm good with computers, that's probably my redeeming trait," she said, "and I don't usually get ill like this. You caught me on a bad day."

"How about you?" she asked.

[m]

Mike had to smile a little bit at what she said. She certainly wasn't one to hold back what she was thinking. He listened intently to what she said, "That must have been difficult, to be raised in so many homes. I hope they were nice to you. Mike had had the ideal childhood and ideal family. He felt bad for those who couldn't say the same thing.

She was young. Or maybe he was getting old. Mike himself had been about that age when he became a fighter pilot. But even so he wasn't the best, rumor was this girl was really good. And to be blind and also the best was something to admire.

"Good? So you're not the best then?" Mike mused glancing sidelong at her, "I was told I only had the best aboard my ship..." He smirked, hoping she knew he was kidding.

He sighed then and shook his head, "Oh I suppose it happens to all at one point or another...although I can't really remember the last time I was sick."

[Hollie Clarke]

Hollie was blunt, she knew that, but with a condition like hers it didn't pay to beat around the bush. She never would have got anywhere if she hadn't just got on with life like nothing was wrong, she wouldn't be where she was today at any rate; happy and healthy with a great job making new friends. It was all good.

She shrugged her shoulders a little. "I met a fair share of interesting people," she said, looking on the positive side of things, "they were nice to me when I was nice to them," she added with a sheepish smile. She'd been a bit of a terror for several of her foster parents, mostly because they were condescending or thought they had some sort of power over her. None of them were her parents, so as far as she had been concerned, they could all stick it where the sun didn't shine.

Hollie let out an, "oooh," as he actually made a joking jab at her, earning him a little more respect, "you do only have the best on board your crew," she told him, "and you're linking arms one with one of the best of the best, a thank you very much." That fact also meant that he had to be one of the best Captains going too. She hadn't been on the ship long, so she couldn't judge that yet, but she was sure she'd be able to soon.

"Well, let's hope that the next time isn't any time soon," she said, "I don't want to be the source of the Captain's untimely cold. Although, I'm sure if we both paper ourselves in wipes, we'll probably both come out better off."

[m]

Mike listened to what she said and his smile broadened. He supposed she was right. He liked to think that most people were kind as long as they were shown kindness. In his whole life he found that people were only unkind if they were lacking in something they needed, mainly food, water, comfort, or love. If they had all those things then they were fine.

To her declaration of being the best he chuckled and his other hand moved to pat upon hers slightly. It had happened without thinking and immediately he cringed and grabbed for the wipes in his pocket again.

”Yes I… I suppose you’re right. Just a moment.” He had to stop to get one out, releasing her arm from his as he did so. He frowned as he struggled a little to get at the box with trembling hands. What was wrong with him? These was getting worse…