241407.xx ¦¦ JL Doctor Scarlet Rogers & Lieutenant Commander Tierney Rinehart ¦¦ Finding Common Ground

Posted on 241407.06 @ 6:42pm by Lieutenant Scarlet Rogers MD & Commander Tierney Rinehart

Doctor Rogers was about to leave the office when her PADD showed up a warning. Lieutenant Commander Tierney Rinehart had been noted going into her quarters but not leaving, and now very little life signs were showing. With the current evens, Scarlet feared for Tierney. Self harm perhaps, or worse, she thought to herself. Scarlet decided to leave the medical equipment behind as she had more faith than that. She knew the ship could easily help out if the worst came to the worst. Rogers took a quick walk to Tierney's quarters, ringing the door and waiting a moment before requesting an override.

Old Earth movies had always had a certain appeal -- Casablanca being one that was absolutely down right irresistible with all of it's black and white charm. A love story, a war story... A perfect story. Tierney perched on her couch, her legs folded delicately beneath the rest of her frame in an attempt to keep warm and curl up under the afghan she'd purchased back on Earth many moons ago. Her uniform had long been discarded, traded for the comfort of pajama pants and an old tank top and it was there, with her Rapunzel-esque hair allowed to swing free of it's usual knot, that she existed -- vapidly watching the screen with a box of tissues at the ready. She'd long since forgotten to lift the security protocols that had blocked her communications from being watched and screened -- a security measure that had effectively blocked her from the ship's sensors.

The chime of her door startled her, bringing back to welling of cold fear that seemed to dominant her inner workings. "Pause." She instructed the computer, it chirped it's compliance and Humphrey Bogart stopped speaking to a crying Ingrid Bergman.

"Come." She called out, sitting further up to face whatever and whoever it was on the other side of that door.

"Commander?" Scarlet walked in slowly, "Are you ok? The computer gave me a warning about very little life signs from in here."

Tierney blinked as she saw the form of the doctor crossing the threshold and heard what the woman had to say. "I'm alright." She replied, "I was conducting business and forgot to let down my safeguards." To say the Commander was wary would have been an understatement as she unfolded her coltish legs and propped herself up in a far less relaxed posture.

"Oh, I am sorry to disturb you then," Scarlet smiled.

"You were just doing your job, Doctor, I can appreciate that." The redhead nodded and offered a small smile of her own.

Scarlet took a glimpse at the screen, "Casablanca? I didn't put you down as an ancient classics person."

A chuckle rumbled through Tierney's chest, "I'm a sucker for the classics as a whole. Sometimes they offer a certain feel good you can't find anywhere else."

"I agree," she smiled, "Part of me also loves the post-modern movies, where our race tried to predict the technology of today."

"Ah yeah. Some of them weren't too far off the mark." The Commander grinned, "Others?" She motioned with her hand crashing towards the floor at a steep slope, "way off the mark. Still highly entertaining."

"I think the more off they were, the more entertaining they are. Makes me question how far off we would be if we tried to predict the next millennia," Scarlet mused.

Forgetting her apprehension, Tierney re-folded her legs beneath her and motioned for the the Doctor to take a seat around the entertainment center, "I think there's a bunch of them out there that do. Mostly thinking we're still headed for a zombie apocalypse." She replied, shaking her head.

"If that did happen, I would be the first to go," The CMO chuckled, "I'm a bad shot and the only way to kill them is a shot to the head."

"I heard something about using a cricket bat with a nail driven through it or some other means of destroying the brain." Tierney replied with a grin and a shrug, "I guess it makes sense, but I've never been one to give the idea any merit, especially given the advancements we've made in technology and our ability to stay ahead of the Borg makes me even less worried."

"That's true," Scarlet grinned, "I think that there's a higher chance of a pure Vulcan crying over the cuteness of a puppy than a zombie apocalypse happening."

A slender strawberry eyebrow shot high at the very thought of a Vulcan, rigid and stoic, coming to pieces over the sweetness of a puppy. "THAT would be the ultimate signal that life as we know it was coming to an end." The young Commander dead panned with a sage nod.

"Indeed," Scarlet responded in remorse, "That would be a time to prepare for an apocalypse. I must admit but that scenario with Vulcans sounds scarier than the zombie apocalypse one."

"Only by a lot." Tierney nodded in agreement, "Then again... Without emotion, aren't they pretty much zombies anyway?"

"They may be restricted in their emotions, but they do love once in a blue moon," Scarlet chuckled in reference to Pon-Far, "Anyway, as long as you're well, I'll be off. I've finished my shift for today, so I am going to go see how Thelin is recovering before heading back to mine."

A wry little smile graced them with it's presence and played about the halfbreed's pretty features. "The other threat? You're creating quite the collection, though i hear the crew trusts the blue boy more than they trust me." She sighed, half amused, half saddened by that fact. "Be careful. You don't want to be seen as consorting with the enemy, doctor, however falsely accused and despised without reason."

Scarlet smiled and blushed slightly at the mention of Thelin, "I trust Thelin with my life, I have reason to believe he is innocent. You have not given me reason to not trust you as yet," she shrugged, "like it or not, I will be stuck with you on this mission, I need to trust that you have my back if this goes pear shaped. I know that you cannot afford any more enemies. I am holding out a metaphoric hand before you fall. You'll need someone. If you hurt me, I will have no issue in making sure you never breathe again. I have reason to believe you are on the side of good though. You saved this ship in one sense. You must have somewhat of a conscience."

Tierney was quick to make mental note of the woman's reddening cheeks and the nearly imperceptible feeling of her heart rate quickening and toying with the electromagnetic field around them, something the little Commander was all too sensitive to. There was great emotion there. Love? Lust? It wasn't her place to guess. It did, however, rib the fact that she was lonely and make worse the time and distance between her and the only being who had ever truly made her feel important... made her feel beautiful and welcome. Kerenal... Her eyes flashed towards Casablanca.

She dismissed the thought with a nod, chasing away an errant strawberry strand of hair as she did so, and sat back to regard Scarlet. "If I were here to hurt you, you'd all be dead, your ship nothing but scattered star fodder and I'd be long gone and onto the next one." She wrapped her mouth around each word pointedly. "I have a vested interest in the safety of this ship and her crew, call it blood ties that span as far back as the Enterprise-D. I don't have reason not to trust you other than the fact we're headed into troubling times and people often engage in witch hunts during those times." She added, getting to her feet and padding across the floor to her replicator.

"They're quick to cry witch against those who weave magic in the shadows and work with the less than savory in order to protect and serve the greater good," Tierney continued as she ordered up a piping hot mug of chamomile tea, casting a glance over her shoulder at the doctor, "as evidenced by your dramatic exit earlier today. I'd like to be your friend, but it means we need to drop the walls and learn to work together. I'm sure your Thelin would concur. He's a good man, never come across intel's radar as anything but." She all but sighed as she made her return, stiring her tea.

Scarlet's eyes widened a little and she turned quite pale at the thought of someone finding out about her and Thelin before the seas calmed first and avoided the topic, "I have nothing against you, I can assure you of that, I merely have issues with this situation in general. You said yourself that the people who we are requesting a ship off of, will easily rat us out for a mere price. I'm not sure if we can trust that, that is all." She smiled softly.

"Unless we''re in an ironclad contract." Tierney responded, wrapping her slender fingers around the mug. "The Ferengi are shrewd business people, they don't breach their contracts, it's against their beliefs." She added and took a sip of the burning, calming amber liquid. The warmth it spread through her have her strength and hope, however potentially false, that she'd make it out of this situation alive. "Lucky for everyone involved my best contact happens to be a good friend. An old friend. They won't screw me"

"They may not screw you, but they may screw everyone else on board," Scarlet muttered, "I trust you. Don't let me down Rinehart."

"That too will likely be a feature in any negotiations." Tierney nodded. "I have no plan of letting anyone down. Especially with so many knives at my throat, respectively."

Scarlet chuckled, "Well, I won't be holding a knife, it's against my oaths as a doctor," she paused a moment, "I'll fix you up afterwards though."

The Commander drew her lips away from her mug and gazed sidelong at the doctor, "Thank you."

"It's what I'm here for," the doctor grinned.

Both of Tierney's eyebrows raised and her head shook in good humor, "good to know. I''ll be sure to let any would be assassins know to call you."

"I'm no taxidermist but I'll certainly be there for you if you wanted to look good in death," Scarlet shrugged, "Anyway, if there is nothing wrong..."

"Go to him. In these times it's important that you have such an escape." The redhead smiled and gestured towards the door, "Seems we guard one another well."

"Excuse me?" Scarlet questioned as she stood up about to leave.

Tierney looked up at her and smiled a soft smile, "Your secret is safe with me as mine is safe with you."

"Thelin is good to me," she began, "If it wasn't for all this crap, we never would have got together for all I know. This situation was the tipping point in our friendship. I still don't know what we are, but I know that I like it. I am aware of our relationships controversy, and I will keep it under my belt until such a time as Thelin is redeemed to the crew and not just to a select few."

"Don't look a gift horse in the mouth, doctor, just live in the moment and love without hesitation." The oddly philosophical side of her announced with a softness she'd reserved for Kerenal. "The rest will fall into place in good time."

"It's up to Thelin, not me," she smiled looking to the floor, "his beliefs are a little different to mine. I have no issue in going public. I'm aware of the back lash it will cause, but I can deal with it. I'm strong enough to, as you witnessed between me and the captain."

"Some things are better left unsaid for a bit. " Tierney shrugged.

"I agree," Scarlet looked up, "At least until a time when it won't matter too much, I don't need people to trust me any less than they already do. My friendship with Thelin was frowned up, I can't imagine what this would do."

"A few unsavory things, but you're a big girl and know how to hide the crazy." The Commander responded and tucked her legs back up underneath herself, settling back in for the rest of her maudlin movie choice, "Go. Enjoy yourself. Worry later. "

"Thank you," Scarlet said genuinely, "If you need me, you know where I am."