Joint Duty Log - CO & CMO - aCapt Rhodes & LtCmdr Rogers

Posted on 241406.21 @ 10:48pm by Acting Captain Mark Rhodes & Lieutenant Scarlet Rogers MD

Mission: Where no man has gone before.

=*=Main Sickbay=*=

After his talk with Admiral Malone now acting Captain Mark Rhodes was not exactly sure how to announce to the crew that he was now the Commanding Officer. But one thing he did want to do before his position changed was check in with Doctor Rogers whom he had sent of the bridge in the haste of battle. He entered Sickbay and was amazed at the hustle and bustle that was still going on. He walked through reception and straight into Doctor Rogers office.

He figured he would wait for her to have a free moment so he slipped into her office but was surprised to see her seated, pouring over medical charts. "Scarlet, sorry to barge in. How is everything coming?"

"Holy Sh..." the young doctor jumped out of her skin. She had been engrossed in her reading and thinking about her prior captain. Though she tollerated him, and at the end started to become friends with, she worried about him, especially after Thelin's warning, "Sorry sir, can I help you?"

"Was wondering how bad we got banged up?" said Mark. He knew this was a fishy question because as far as Scarlet knew Mark was still just the Chief Engineer.

"Being that you are acting captain, I think you should know that this ship might as well be shut down," she sighed sitting back in her chair and putting her feet up on her desk, "You'll be working with a skeleton staff as far as I can see."

"I just spoke with Admiral Malone, he made acting Captain my official rank, and give me the Enterprise," said Mark confessing to Scarlet. "We are quite alone out here. We will all have to pull up our boot straps for the time being. How many did we end up losing? How many injured?"

"I'm still waiting for the numbers. We are too busy to do menial tasks right now," she snapped.

"I am not looking for attitude Doctor. I understand the situation we are in is not ideal, but we have to manage with what we have been dealt. It could have been much worst, a few seconds later the Interceptor would have been picking up scrap metal and bodies, instead of our wake," said Mark. "Is there any resources specifically you need? Shy of a Starbase."

"We were over stocked to begin with, as far as I know, we're fine," she sighed, "I'm sorry, I'm just tired and someone I was close to has turned out to be a potential traitor, but I think he's innocent. I have been betrayed before, but never by my captain and someone I was falling for."

"Don't think ill of Eric. Eric was not a traitor, the UFP is the traitor. As to Thelin, no one really knows. Personally I do not have a reason not to trust him, but Admiral Malone says his allegiances are in question. He allowed me to keep him out of the brig, its my choice to keep him on and give him a position to keep him busy. But I can assure you, any whisper of him being a traitor, he wont have just betrayed you, he will have betrayed every member of this crew. Until then I still have to trust him," said Mark trying to sympathize and calm the doctor. But his realist view of the situation may not have helped calm her.

Scarlet stood up and slammed her hand down on her desk, "People are never who they say they are in my life and for once, I would like a person by my side who is not power hungry. Everyone in this damn company is after the next best job and for all I know, you could have set people up. I know it's not true, I've read the report, but it doesn't make this situation hurt any less. Now cut the bull and answer me bluntly, What is your true opinion of this situation?"

"If I thought he was a traitor, I would have not made him Assistance Chief Engineer," said Mark calmly. "As to us being in the middle of nowhere with orders to continue the original mission, explore unexplored space, its the best thing we can do at the moment. If we go back to the Federation, all of us will hang from the gallows, no questions asked."

"Excuse me for questioning our duty at this present time. When our superiors can't even get things right to keep the rest of us 'safe' don't you ever think we should question authority. We put our lives in the hands of some people," she looked down at her hands and relaxed them, sitting back down with a sigh and said quieter and calmer, "How do we know if we can truly trust someone?"

"I trust Malone. I trust Starfleet," said Mark. "I have to at this point. And you have to trust me Doctor. The UFP is corrupt, they purged SF Command of anyone who has stood in their way. We are one of the safest crews in the fleet being where we are. Now we just need to keep our heads low while everyone back home gets things figured out," said Mark trying to provide an answer to a question he himself did not have an answer for.

"Then you need to know that this ship will not be running efficiently, due to it's crew being out of order, for a minimum of 5 days," she looked up to him from her chair, her eyes a little watery.

"I got word from Engineering that the warp core was damaged in the fight, we are 4 days out from finishing those repairs. We will probably sit where we are for the time being to make repairs and get the crew back to as full duty as possible. We are in a pretty isolated section of space so we should be left alone to finish our work before we move on," said Mark. He wasn't sure what to say to try to comfort the Doctor... he was an engineer not a counselor.

"Alright," she said and offered a slight smile, "We will do our best to get this crew back on their feet from our perspective."

"Thank you Commander," said Mark. "I know these are trying times, but the best thing we can do is keep our nose to the grindstone and keep ourselves occupied. If we let our minds wander, that's when we run into problems. Keep up the good work Doctor," said Mark.

"Before you go, sir," she looked back at her paperwork, "If Thelin is found guilty, for whatever reason, will my position as CMO be questioned if our relationship was pursued?"

"I would both have you keelhauled," he tried making a joke. Clearing his throat he tried again. "If Thelin is found guilty, protocol would dictate that there will be an investigation examining any close personal relationships he is in. But I have no reason to suggest you are a traitor Doctor. I am confident the mandatory investigation would yield no results on your account," said Mark in all seriousness.

"Thank you," she paused a moment, "Captain."

Mark got a boyish smile on his face from hearing his new title out loud. "Thank you Commander. Keep up the good work." Mark turned and left the office.



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Acting Captain Mark Rhodes
Commanding Officer
USS Enterprise, NCC-1701-F

Dr Scarlet Rogers
Chief Medical Officer
USS Enterprise