A Man of Research

Posted on 28 Jul 2016 @ 4:51pm by Lieutenant Oren Idris Ph.D. & Ensign James Langley

901 words; about a 5 minute read

Mission: Episode 11 - Divinum Mundi
Location: USS Galilleo - Deck 4 - Chief Research Officer's Office
Timeline: MD 21 - 1630 hrs

[ON]

Chief Research Officer. That was about as unambiguous a title if there ever was one. The person in charge of finding stuff out. Certainly not how one would have worded it on a resume or some other catalog of one's life achievements, but it summed up perfectly what James needed. A person to figure stuff out. Science-y stuff.

He stood in front of the door that lead to the CRO's office, finalizing the thoughts that were going through his head before taking the next step. He wasn't one to accept help easily, let alone ask for it, but his ideas on the mind and how it was read were quickly turning scientific and it would take more than a little intel gathering to get the answers he wanted. It would take some honest to goodness research.

And so here he was. The CRO's office. Lieutenant Oren Idris. He'd have the answers. Pieter seemed to think so. Or he'd at least be able to ask the right questions and then find the answers to said questions. A guiding light to James' otherwise blind and unguided ideas.

Time to get started.

Knock Knock Knock

An answer to come right in soon followed and, upon enter, James was met with the image of Oren sitting with his legs crisscrossed on top of his desk, face buried in book that looked to be on the edge of having its pages fall out. As the newcome came into his office, Oren looked up to take a look at him, raising an eyebrow when he didn't recognise the man.

“Hello, uh, sir,” James began, reading the man reading a book like a book. Or at least judging him by the cover. He was busy. “I can come back at a different time if that's preferable, lest I leave you on some sort of cliffhanger. It'd be a terrible crime to commit on a first introduction.”

Oren chuckled, putting the book aside. "No, come in. Please." Hopping off the table, he gestured for the curious looking officer to sit.

"I like your glasses," he added, leaning a little closer to take a better look.

As he placed himself in the offered seat James was sure to keep his eyes on the person that had suddenly become so interested in him. He didn't like being the center of scrutiny of any sort and even feeling the person's eyes upon his own, or at least the spectacles directly in front of them, made him feel a little antsy.

“Thanks,” he finally offered, still trying to judge just how he was being judged. “They do tend to catch peoples' attention in a time where corrective procedures are so easy to come by, but I assure you they're more than just a fashion statement. Without them I can be very nearsighted in the literal sense, and that's not indicative of my personality, just so you know.”

Tilting his head inquisitively to the side, Oren gave the man a good stare, not breaking eye contact despite James' discomfort.

"How does that affect your work as an officer? I would imagine they can be impractical in away missions or if it came to some kind of physical altercation between you and someone else?"

To James it suddenly felt like his eyes were more being peered through than at. Probably paranoia coupled with the fact that he knew this person was an empath, but it began to be a feeling that he just couldn't shake. I hope he's not going all empath on me. Be that as it may he decided to focus on the topic at hand. Better to keep his mind on topic than wander towards emotions that could sour a first meeting with an empath. “Suffice it to say that the fragility of my glasses makes me mindful in not landing in situations where they could be broken. Perhaps we should all live life as though we were wearing glasses,” he questioned, hoping to drive the CRO's thoughts towards something other than what he was feeling.

But it didn't seem to work. If anything, Oren's gaze became more intense until he finally tilted his head to the side and acknowledged it. "Are you uncomfortable?" Oren seemed to lack any smugness in his tone when he asked; if anything, he looked uncomfortable himself at having affected James in such a way. Empathy was awkward.

“Despite my interest in the subject I've never gotten used to people knowing how I feel,” James replied with a shrug. “I suppose I'm going to have to get used to it one way or another, though, especially with my reasons for being here.”

"And those are?" Oren encouraged, uncrossing his legs so that he was sitting properly on his desk. Feet kicking restlessly, he waited for an answer, curious to know what a gray-collared officer was doing in his office.

On to the matter at hand. Thank God. “I thought you'd never ask,” came a quick reply from said gray-collar. “I'm working on telepathy and psychic empathy. Specifically how to block or otherwise subvert it. Rumor has it you have some experience in the subject and, being a man of research, your input would be most valuable. Does that pique your interest?”

[TRUNCATED]

--

LT Oren Idris
Chief Research Officer
USS Galileo

ENS James Langley
Intelligence Officer
USS Galileo

RSS Feed