Chance Encounter

Posted on 17 Dec 2013 @ 4:43am by Captain Harvey Geisler & Lieutenant Commander Landon Milo MD
Edited on on 01 Jan 2014 @ 6:37am

2,577 words; about a 13 minute read

Mission: New Voyages
Location: Deep Space Nine Promenade
Timeline: December 26, 2387 || 1200 hours

Lieutenant Commander Harvey Geisler adjusted his uniform jacket in the turbolift. He was grateful for the brief meeting with the station's Chief Operations Officer. Since accepting his orders, Harvey had taken to studying everything he could about the Black Hawk and her capabilities, though the available documents gave no information on the ship's layover at Deep Space Nine. And, as there was no command crew currently aboard, only the station's Ops Chief could answer the questions he had.

The turbolift stopped, depositing Harvey on the Promenade. It was quite busy for the middle of the day. Perhaps a brief lunch at the Bajoran restaurant was in order before returning to the Black Hawk to continue shifting through his paperwork. Even the restuarant was busy, but Harvey managed to find a small table near the entrance. With the traffic the station was hosting today, he was sure it was only a matter of time before the chair in front of him was filled.

Landon had said his goodbyes to his friends and colleagues aboard the USS Venture a few hours ago. She had docked at Deep Space Nine to let him off and to potentially restock on some items of interest. For the Captain, Landon knew that meant fingers crossed for a few cases of really good Cardassian kanar. It was becoming easier to get hands on Cardassian items now with the joint exploration of the Gavarian corridor, where the Venture would soon be off to again, rejoining the rest of Task Force 47.

However, Landon would not be continuing on with Venture. There were too many memories on Venture, too much happiness that had turned into pain with the abrupt end of his relationship with the Venture's former Chief Engineer turned First Officer. Though Lieutenant Commander Steel had left Venture for another assignment, Landon could not bring himself to stay aboard, especially with Commander Larkon as Commanding Officer.

The young Doctor was striking out left and right these days. When he joined the USS Resolute and followed Captain Nathan Hunter over onto Venture, it was in hopes of finding stability. But stability was last thing he found. Hunter and Landon clashed, enough so that it became quite clear Nathan was ready to throw Landon off his starship if another incident occurred.

As fate would have it, Captain Hunter was reassigned to Deep Space Ten, leaving Landon on Venture. But that relief was very short lived when Krull Larkon assumed command. Academy history aside, the two just were not meant to serve together. The solution was simple. Leave. So, Landon was here now, on Deep Space Nine and had been assigned to an Akira-class starship, the USS Black Hawk. It was going to be quite a change having come from a Galaxy-class, but Landon enjoyed smaller ships more. He would find himself at home on Black Hawk.

His craving for food had lead him to the Promenade which was insanely crowded. People were walking shoulder to shoulder, and it appeared to be tourist season as many were just gawking at the wonderful Bajoran fabrics. The last place Landon wanted to be was on a space station, especially one as active as Deep Space nine. It was causing such a great headache.

His telepathic and empathic abilities on a space station of this size and popularity. It was far too much to endure for much longer. He was hoping that it would not take more time than anticipated for the USS Black Hawk to begin boarding procedures. He knew that as soon as he got on Black Hawk and away from Deep Space Nine, his mind would be at peace. It would be like going on a neural vacation compared to the station and even compared to Venture.

As he explored the promenade, he spotted a Bajoran restaurant. It was a bit crowded as was to expected on Deep Space Nine under these conditions, but if he were lucky enough, he would be able to secure a table. If not, then maybe he could at least find someone who would not mind some company.

After acquiring a uttaberry garden salad topped with a vinaigrette dressing and some chopped nuts, and a cup of hot Jestral tea for his beverage. He explored the immediate area for a open seat but as he neared a table with a Klingon... he thought better of sitting down after his 'friend' snarled at him. "My apologies, I thought you were someone else" replied Landon as he scurried away.

The next human or humanoid I see has me written all over them thought Landon to himself. Then, he saw him. A Human sitting all alone at a table. Landon quickly made his way to the table, sat his tray down and slid into the vacant seat across from the man.

Landon flashed a nervous smile. "Hey" said Landon with a sigh. As if the day could not get any more awkward. Now he was forced to sit and eat with a complete stranger. "It is kind of busy today... there were no tables free. Hope you don't mind. I mean, I was going to eat with that Klingon back there but I'm not quite fond of being snarled at" joked Landon.

Harvey, in the middle of sipping his coffee, shot a glance over at the burly Klingon. "Well," he commented as soon as the cup had cleared his lips. "Better to be snarled than to find yourself in sickbay with a broken limb." Harvey recalled a similar experience a few years back when he accidentally tripped into a pair of Klingons. Blood wine had been spilled and it was only natural for Harvey to fulfill the debt with a broken foot. He could tell the new arrival was nervous, but Harvey felt no ills. He was solitary by nature, and though the Promenade made him uncomfortable, years of living with hundreds of people made him indifferent to situations like these. Harvey planned to make no conversation, and hoped the blue collar in front of him would do the same. Somehow, he didn't think that would happen.

Though he wasn't a conversationalist by nature, Landon still felt obligated to try and make some conversation with the man. "Anything is better than ending up in Sickbay when you're a medical officer" replied Landon. "Are you stationed here on DS9?" asked Landon as polite as possible.

Both members of a Bajoran couple bumped into Harvey as they tried to navigate the crowded eatery, causing him to scoot in closer to the table. "Black Hawk," he replied. "Lower Docking Port 2." Harvey sampled his soup, but not before checking his close surroundings to make sure the spoonful didn't land in his lap. "You?"

"Wherever life takes me" sighed Landon as he briefly had flashes of his past enter his mind. "But my next assignment is actually to the Black Hawk. My previous assignment was the USS Venture...but things just didn't quite pan out" added Landon.

He took a sip from his tea. "I'm hoping that Black Hawk will be more suited for me."

At the mention of his new command, Harvey took a close glance at the man's collar and noted the Lieutenant pips. Harvey had studied the roster and knew full well that there was currently not a single full Lieutenant aboard. This one had to be the first member of the senior staff to arrive. "Science or medical?"

With a small smirk and slight giggle, Landon replied "Versatile." Though he leaned in and answered a bit more seriously. "Medical by career. However, what is medical besides an offshoot of the sciences" added Landon.

Then he opted to more formally introduce himself. "Doctor Landon Milo" he said introducing himself. He was used to people giving him a confused look or blank stare, so he was quick to add "I assure you... I am older than I look." Because he was partially Raisin on his mother's side, Landon was often misjudged for being anywhere from a few years to a decade younger than he was. It had been really bad when he was in his early 20s as crewmembers would mistake him for a teenaged guest.

"Welcome aboard, Doctor," Harvey replied, taking a sip of his coffee. The expression was figurative in this case. Neither one was aboard their assigned vessel at the moment, though that would soon change. "Harvey Geisler, your new CO."

"Captain" replied Landon stiffing in his seat. "I guess that I should apologize beforehand. If you have had the misfortune of reading any of the recent comments from my previous COs, I am as bad as they say. However, I stand by my ability and experience to serve you and Black Hawk quite well as Chief Medical Officer."

Harvey smirked in response, the first facial expression he granted to Milo during the meal. "It's difficult to trust any doctor that doesn't come with a warning label." As a researcher, Harvey rarely tended to patients, except when working on some new vaccine. He knew for a fact there were several marks on his service record commenting on his cold beside manner.

"Must be one hell of a warning label if Starfleet is sending you to the far reaches of the Gamma Quadrant." Harvey ate another spoonful of his soup, thinking that Doctor Milo must also be as good as he claimed. The Black Hawk was still without orders, but he knew the Gamma Quadrant was still very much a vastly unknown frontier. Opportunities to resupply could be few and far between.

Finishing off his first cup of tea, Landon looked into the cup at the settlement at the bottom of the cup. He puckered a bit as he swallowed the last of it. Good until the last drop? Not always true. He looked up to meet Harvey's gaze. "I requested a reassignment. When I saw there were opportunities with Task Force 9, I urged my Commanding Officer on Venture to push the paperwork through as quickly as possible. I know chances like this are few and far between" commented Landon.

"In a way, I guess I am both rewarding and punishing myself simultaneously" added Landon. "So, what's your story? First command or are you some sort of young hot shot Commanding Officer?" asked the doctor a bit playfully.

"First command." The smirk disappeared and Harvey's original countenance was restored. He never enjoyed talking about himself, rather than to show himself merely by works. As a CO now, talking would be much more involved. "Used to be a medicinal researcher. Dabbled with some command positions during the war, then went back to medicine. Finally gave it up a few years ago. Hopefully, I'll be glad I did."

"Medical researcher" repeated Landon somewhat caught off guard. "Lucky me. Someone who might actually know what they are doing in my Sickbay... well, to an extent at least" remarked Landon.

He was doing his best to get a handle on the man sitting across from him, his new Commanding Officer. "Please tell me you don't have a history of taking unnecessary risks and a pattern of self harm?" asked Landon reflecting on his brief experience with Captain Nathan Hunter.

Harvey recalled his final act aboard the Schuster. He suffered multiple injuries and burns not because of he was in the wrong place at the wrong time, but because he put his own life on the line to save three trapped crewmen. Yes, he was hurt, but no one died.

"Only what goes with wearing the uniform," Harvey replied. "I personally hope I can keep you focused on frontier medicine rather than constantly tending to the crew." Both men knew Harvey could not guarantee that.

"Please do. I would rather be focused on frontier medicine than bandaging up the crew... that can get rather dull" commented Landon. "And out of uniform dear Captain? Should I worry that you are going to get into a bar fight or brawl on some planet?"

"You will see no shenanigans from me, Doctor." A final sip finished Harvey's coffee. "I will, however, make no guarantees for my yet to be assigned First Officer."

Doctor Landon Milo simply nodded in understanding. "First Officers..." muttered Landon with a minor shivering. "They can be a bit of a handful. If you have any say in the matter, I would advise you to be careful in your selection. If you just get assigned one by Command, I hope that you find them suitable." Coming off a relationship with Venture's former First Officer, Landon let out a nervous flinch.

Harvey chose to nod as a non-verbal response. Finishing his soup, he commented, "Starfleet feels, probably rightfully so, that my lack of experience in the center chair denies me the opportunity for hand picking my Senior Staff. In fact, I don't even have a list of names. I suppose it just adds an air of mystery as to what we'll be up to. Seeing how you're the first to arrive, I might get a sense of what Starfleet has to offer."

He had also noted that most of the restaurant had turned over, and a pair of Klingons were eyeing their table, specifically because their plates were close to bare. "I would prepare for any circumstance, Doctor. Make sure your Sickbay is well stocked. I hope we won't need it, but what experience I do have tells me we'll need whatever we have, and then just a tad more."

Landon scoffed. "First thing you need to know about me is that I keep my Sickbay clean, in order and well stocked. If I am running low on something, your First Officer will have a request from me immediately. Should he or she fail to respond to me in a timely manner, then expect me to show up outside your Ready Room" explained Landon.

"Sorry, Captain, but I am always ready for a medical emergency" added Landon. "The second thing to know about me is that though I may be young, and yeah... I look a hell of a lot younger than I am... I am short and don't really give off a threatening vibe. Don't underestimate me and don't expect me to just bend to your will. I stand my ground and Sickbay is my domain as Captain Nathan Hunter should be more than able to confirm that from his disciplinary reports on me," countered Landon.

Harvey would have to read Milo's record now as he had to know who exactly was coming on board his ship. Undoubtedly the Senior Staff manifest would be in his possession now and hopefully his yeoman would have it ready for him. "Well, doctor, I look forward to our first adventure together. Lower docking port two whenever you're ready."

With a nod, Landon agreed. "I will be ready after I finish here, then I have a few things to finish packing my guest quarters," Landon informed him.

It was then that Landon remembered. If Geisler was not aware that Landon was joining his crew, then he very likely was unaware of the whole combination package. Landon did not go anywhere alone. "When ready, we'll come aboard."

Commander Geisler nodded, assuming the Doctor had a wife or a child or both. Had Alison still been alive, he was sure they'd have a small family following them around. He rose from his chair and said, "Good day, Doctor."

"Good say, Sir" replied Landon with a hopeful smile.

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