Leap Of Faith

Posted on Wed Mar 4th, 2020 @ 4:57pm by Captain Bethsabée Leroux & Lieutenant Aurelius Davis
Edited on on Sat Mar 14th, 2020 @ 5:29pm

Mission: Mission 2 - Fallout
Location: Deck E - Officers Quarters
Timeline: Day7, Month 1, Year 0 22:30
2320 words - 4.6 OF Standard Post Measure

Aurelius flopped down on his bed. He felt melancholy, but not so much about not being able to fly, he had found another calling and actually believed he could help the people on this ship who were in dire need of some morale. He was worried that his actions had somehow caused them to lose their XO. He deeply regretted leaving Michael and prayed silently that he would be found soon.

Beth had seen the man at the meeting and how crestfallen he looked. It was an easy choice to follow after before she headed to her own bed for a few hours. She needed to finally sleep, her body was starting to hurt from it all. She pressed the chime and waited for the man to call her inside.

"Come," He said wondering who it could be. He remained sprawled until he saw it was the Captain. He jumped up faster than he thought possible, nearly bonking his head on the bulkhead in an attempt to show some respect for her position. "Captain, I'm sorry, I wasn't expecting anyone."

"At ease." Beth quickly said holding out her hands as she saw him nearly slamming into the bulkhead. He did not need any more injuries. "It is okay. Please just relax, I do not want you getting anymore hurt. Can I sit?" The woman wondered pointing to the edge of the bed.

"Yes Ma'am," he said blinking at her, he sat down at the head assuming that's what she wanted him to do. "To what do I owe the honor?" Aurelius asked, unless she was here to reprimand him for leaving Sloan. But he didn't think so. From what he know of her it wasn't her style to come to someone's quarters for such things and she looked . . . . pensive.

Beth looked at him and the way he said honour. It amused her just slightly that he considered it that way when it was her coming to check on him. "I cannot say it is an honour, Aurelius." She loved saying his name. It was so musical to someone who valued languages and words. "I came to see how you are." She admitted tugging her tee down. She had lost her away mission jacket somewhere on the ship at some point over the last few hours.

"I'm okay," he answered her. "My hands are healed as well as they will ever be and I had some bumps and scrapes and stuff but I got cleared by the doc." He gave her a shrug. "I'm really sorry though," He started to say and then closed his mouth. "I should have done more."

Now that was getting to the heart of the emotions that kept shifting across his face. She should have known but she did not and that was about to change. "You have nothing to worry about or feel guilty over," Beth said carefully leaning out to touch one of the scars on his hands. "You did what you were ordered to do just like you are meant to. Sloan would say the same."

"Not so much an order. I volunteered. He had a broken leg, I didn't. But if I had known or suspected for even a second that there was anything dangerous on that planet, I never would have left him there." He dropped his head and watched her trace the scar on his hand. It provided a strange calming presence as if she had injected him with something to make him sleepy. He knew her to be Human though, they had not met a race that could do such a thing.

"You did not know and neither did you suspect anything and we do not know what has happened so we cannot assume. Assuming makes an ass out of me and you." Beth reminded him quietly knowing that as Officers they were training sometimes to make people believe something had come from them and not the leader. She knew Sloan would have infused the idea in the man, it was just the type of thing he would do.

"Hmm," he sighed. "I suppose so. So you came down here just to cheer me up? Or . . ." He looked at her suddenly seriously. "Is everything okay? Did you need to talk about something?" Aurelius asked, trying to keep any concern out of his voice while he pondered if she had suddenly had a mental health crisis. Perhaps she was as worried about Sloan as he was.

"I came down here for you. I have people all over the ship to talk to but thank you. Everything is fine apart from I could really use a shower and my Executive Officer back onboard." She admitted shaking her head. She did not need more options but it was pretty sweet of him to offer it especially when he must be feeling so low himself. She did not want to add to his burden.

"Well you can always tell me anything, I know how to keep a secret and don't be silly you smell wonderful," he realized what he'd said. "I mean . . . your natural scent is nice." That didn't sound any better. "I'm just going to shut up now," Aurelius said with an embarrassed laugh.

Beth looked at the man and burst out laughing. It felt so good to be laughing that she could not stop for a moment, tears rolling down her face as she let it all out before she calmed down again. She did not even have the need to feel embarrassed about laughing as much as she had, it was funny and the man looked horrified. "Thank you. I think." She finally said thinking it was a few more hours and they would have water in the system again to allow showers.

"You're welcome," Aurelius said, at first startled by her outburst but a grin had quickly spread across his face. "That's why I'm here, comic relief. We'll find Michael, you'll get a shower. Things will be back to normal before you know it. Can I call you Beth? I mean when not in public of course."

Beth wiped her eyes and composed herself sitting up properly. "Qui. I suppose you can if I get to call you Aurelius. Your name sounds beautiful to me." She admitted leaning her head on her hands as she looked at him.

"Thanks, I like it now. I didn't like it so much when I was a kid. Other kids thought it was a funny name. There was a lot of teasing and a couple of fights and I'm not a fighter. Being named after a Roman emperor was a hard thing for a kid, but they got over it and so did I. Have you slept recently? Do you want to borrow my room so people don't bug you?"

"I did not like Bethsabee as a child. I like it now but I can appreciate the teasing you went through as it was like that for me." There had been a time when the French woman had despised her name and the fact she had been called Beth or Bee. It was not until her father passed away that she realised just why nicknames were important. They connected people and claimed people into a group or unit. She understood why Marines had nicknames despite finding some of them silly. "I better not. I need to be found at the moment with Sloan not onboard."

"Okay, well the offer is there whenever you need it. I can skedaddle and pretty much sleep anywhere." He shrugged. "Must be hard with everyone's eyes turning to you for everything." Aurelius knew it must and so he hadn't approached her with anything.

"What happens when you are a leader. I was not meant to be yet but great people are forged under fire." She mused relaxing a little onto the bed. "It is a very kind offer seriously." She mused looked at the comfortable looking bed for a moment before looking back at him. "Are you okay?" She felt like it was a question she was asking to much but it was necessary.

"Yeah," Aurelius said, watching Beth. "I am, all things considered. I may not be able to fly well anymore but I have a new purpose and I'm stuck on a ship far away from home which honestly doesn't bother me that much as I never had family that I was close to. I was a bit of a loner. I couldn't ask for better company than on this ship though."

"That is how I am viewing it all," Beth admitted thoughtfully. She had not admitted up until then that she had thrown her lot in with Starfleet as she just did not have much left for her on Earth. It seemed like a get out of jail free card for someone who wanted something new. "I would not have thought of you as a loner." She mused brushing a piece of stray hair out of her face.

"Oh? Why is that?" Aurelius had stretched out on the bed, careful not to take up any of her space. He curiously turned his head.

"You just seem so friendly, always surrounded by people." She pointed out turning a little to look at his curious face.

"I get along all right with people, but I spend every night alone." He shrugged. "As you can see no one's lined up outside the door." He grinned a bit.

"I think we all spend our nights alone." The woman pointed out softly. She missed having someone that close to her but no one had even come close to what she had once had with her husband.

"I suppose that's probably true on a ship like this. Still . . . I've been thinking about that. I suppose if it's going to take us that long to get back to Earth. Some of us are going to have to change. Future generations are going to be needed." This did not seem like the place or the time to discuss it though, he was sure his face was a bit red from having mentioned it.

"You are the fourth person to mention that to me in as many hours," Beth said without a moments embarrassment or redness showing on her face. Beth had been thinking of nothing but it since the first person had mentioned it.

Aurelius laughed nervously. "Sorry, I didn't mean . . . not you and I. Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't object at all. I'm just digging the hole deeper." He sat up and rubbed his face. " I meant people might start thinking about that. And I don't know why I said it. I'm a terrible conversationalist apparently. Hopefully the others weren't suggesting you start right then? Not that it's any of my business!"

"One was. I had a doctor tell me how long we have contraceptives for, A scientist offering to matchmake among two of the suggestion. So the hole you just dug yourself into is the best offer I've had in a while." Beth said with a grin thinking that they had about four months or so before it would become something that needed to be considered but four days into an emergency was not something she wanted to consider at that moment.

He laughed again, his face even redder. "Thank you, I think. I'm going to start filling the hole in now though, hide my face from view." To change the subject he took a deep breath and asked. "Are you okay though? I mean this is a big step for us all, but you've had the biggest responsibility."

Beth chuckled just a little at him trying to cover how embarrassed he was feeling. "It is a leap of faith for us all." She said softly.

Aurelius nodded. "If you're sure. Let me know if I can ever do anything to help."

Beth leant over and touched his hand. "You already are." She reminded him. Wishing he knew just how impressive he was picking him up the way he had to become morale officer. He was giving her a sounding board when Sloan was not there and especially when she did not know if she could always trust the man.

"Good," he said, his brain going fuzzy from her touch. If she didn't stop it he might do something completely stupid like kiss her. Instead, he tried to focus his attention only on her fingertips, not looking at her face.

"Aurelius you have picked yourself up and carried on as if your world has not changed. Other people would have cracked." She pointed out pulling her hand back as she noticed him watching her hand on his. "People are going to need that strength to face the changes that need to happen for us to survive our trip home."

"I'm glad you think I have that . . . but I just didn't see any other way. I didn't want to die, I don't want to be useless. This is the way forward and It's not due to me. You showed me the path."

“As I said earlier Great men are forged in fire. It is the privilege of lesser men to light the flame.” Beth said slowly rising to her feet.

"Yes, Ma'am," he said with only a hint of teasing. "You really should get some rest when you can. The doctor basically ordered me here after she tortured me. So this is where I'm going to stay unless you need something and then don't hesitate to call."

"I have been ordered my self. I am going to nap." Beth revealed that she was finally at the end of her endurance and needed a few hours sleep to be able to focus and sort herself out. "Sweet dreams Ensign."

OFF::

Commander Bethsabee Leroux
Officer In Charge/Chief Communications Officer
NX Atlantis

Lieutenant Aurelius Davis
Morale Officer
NX Atlantis