Change Over Of Communication

Posted on Mon Mar 21st, 2022 @ 11:11am by Lieutenant Samantha Leyton & Lieutenant JG Cristóbal Santana & Ensign Alexandra 'Lexi' O'Connery

Mission: Mission 5 - Babel
Location: Bridge; NX Atlantis
Timeline: Day 280; 1900 Hours
1249 words - 2.5 OF Standard Post Measure

Lexi sat at the communication console on the bridge listening to everything that was going on on the planet below from the away team. She rubs her eyes frustrated as she realized just how strong she was there was only so much coffee, stems and painkillers her body could take before she ended up back in sickbay with a very annoyed chief medical officer. She could imagine the chief medical officer would ban her from ever leaving again until her broken bones healed, and her memory came back clearly.

She glanced over to the Executive Officer and offered a small smile and a shake of head to indicate there was nothing new coming through from the surface. The team below had just got to the tower but there was nothing more that she could add as they discussed where the crew was and where they were going to be moving to.

The blonde glanced up and saw the chief communication officer coming on to the bridge finally after his own adventure going around the ship to make sure there was some type of communication and understanding around the ship. Normally it would have been her as the lower rating but it would be impossible with her leg in cast and crutches.

Lieutenant JG Cristobal Santana walked across the Bridge with a relaxed stride, his journey from deck to deck finally finished. Giving a friendly wave to the XO, he headed for the communications console and offered a handsome smile underneath his somewhat wild curly hair.

“Staying awake over here?” He asked in a warm voice, his Spanish accent sounding like calming music. He always had a sense of charismatic charm about him, though he was quiet and almost unassuming.

The young officer was not sure how awake she was but it was something despite taking the max painkillers for the next six hours. “Just about Sir,” Lexi murmured moving her crutches so the man could get up to the console to look at it properly if he wished. "Amazing thing painkillers."

Leyton, thankful they were both speaking a language she understood, stood from the command chair more to stretch her legs than anything before turning to the communication station at the bridge. "Ensign, do you need to take a break?" she asked, speaking Spanish to the woman. The helm station was currently vacant as they weren't going anywhere anytime in the foreseeable future and at the moment she was the most skilled helmsman on the ship so she would take control of the station if needed.

"Most likely. I am not technically signed off for normal duty." She admitted reminding them both about the leg that she had broken and the head injury that she had received four days before. No one would really be fit for normal duty but an emergency situation especially one with needing her unique skillset was needed and she was more than sure she had done her duty for the greater good.

"Well since Lieutenant Santana is up and about, I think you can take a break," she grinned at the woman. "You're free to go to your quarters or the Mess if you're hungry," she offered.

“Please do,” he said with a smile, looking down at the woman. “Would you like me to walk you down and make sure you don’t fall?”

"I..." Lexi started. The woman slowly rose from the chair and stood herself up with the crutches moving out of the way in the tight space.

"That won't be necessary, Lieutenant. You're needed here on the bridge to aid with communication," Samantha stated. "If Ensign O'Connery requires help, I can call for someone to aid her." With all of the communication issues, she needed someone at the communication station at all times to help facilitate communication with parts of the ship as well as the Away Team

He nodded at Samantha with a smile and leaned over to help Lexi out of the seat.

“I’ll call in some relief for you for the rest of the duty shift.” He said, sitting down himself.

"There should already be cover free as I am not on duty Sir." She reminded. "I have not been released from sickbay technically so I will return there first before I go to my quarters." She had not been back there since before her accident on the planet's surface.

"Well, take care of yourself, Lex. We need your expertise and your winning personality." Cris said with a smile, turning toward the console and logging in to the console.

The woman looked at the man oddly but nodded hobbling out of the Bridge. It was difficult to move with the crutches and a leg that was frozen from sitting down for a long time but she did her best. She was no one to look a gift horse in the mouth especially when the bridge had been unnaturally quiet and not at good cheered filled.

"It looks like there's no new news, Lieutenant," Cris said, looking back at the XO. For the briefest of moments, he admired the softness and femininity of her features and wondered why he had never quite noticed before. "I think we should get extra pay for waiting."

Leyton chuckled at the comment as she turned to look at Lieutenant Santana. "You're getting paid?"

“Oh, right. They wanted me to keep that a secret.” He said to her in Spanish, his native language. This time he flashed a grin, shaking his head and causing his wild curls to dance somewhat rhythmically. “Hey, where’d you learn Spanish?”

"Took it as a course long ago when I was in my teens," Samantha explained. "How are you acclimating to the present?"

“You remember all this from a school course?” He said with a questioning grin. “Your teacher must have been fantastic. Or you’re brilliant.”

He ignored her question unintentionally. He tended to be more interested in learning about other people than in talking about himself. He seemed to wait for her to respond, to settle some question within him.

Samantha paused as he hadn't answered her question but pushed it aside as he seemed to be doing well. "I made it a habit to use it so I wouldn't lose it and it came in handy sometimes when I was performing at my grandfather's airshows," she explained.

"Right, that makes sense." he said affirmatively. "Still, it tells me you're smart. We need that out here at this point, don't we? So far away from home?"

"We need a lot more than that," Samantha replied. She wasn't sure if the man was being honest or a flirt...or both. "But thank you. "Anything from the surface yet?"

"I'll take care of the luck, ma'am." he said, turning back to the console. "Still nothing."

Samantha let out a sigh, as she was hoping to hear something from the Away Team by now. Hopefully they would receive some news soon. "Thanks," she replied, sitting back in the Captain's chair.

Cris relented in his repartee as the XO didn't seem particularly interested in his attention. Pulling up a translation matrix, he began working on a side project which he had going from before this particular crisis had begun.

Samantha grinned, looking back at the comm officer. Sure, he was a flirt but maybe it was a distraction she needed. She turned to face the view screen once more just as a crewman approached her for a report approval.