The speckled shapes around him, moving absently as he moved his head, began to retake their rightful focus. A few people stood at the foot of his bed, and they simply stood. Gregory smiled a little, wearing his blue science uniform. Landon's head was still throbbing, just as it did every morning when he woke up, and he groaned a little in protest as he quickly realized he was slowly ascending from his comfortable sleep. The sheets of his bed wrinkled around his legs and moved with him while he stretched a little. Every time he woke up he had this feeling that he was backed by an army. He was supported by an unseen gathering of rallying minds that no one else had. It was them against the world.
This morning was a little different.
"Landon Irelle. Er. Excuse me. Landon... Neyes. Good morning. I'm counselor Odalla." The woman standing next to Greg said, she then motioned to the taller man opposite her, "and this is Admiral Edrayu. We're here to see if you're feeling well enough to be fit for duty."
Landon scoffed. "Sweety there's been a monster eating half my dinners for a weeks or so. I've got a jxuxi'o of a headache and you wa-," Landon grinned and wiped a little eye booger away, not looking as he flicked it off to the side, "oh hey, Greg. You bring these eudgj'ids in here?"
Greg stifled an awkward chuckle as he looked to the side, "We're here to help Donny."
Don't call me that.
Oh relax. He's being friendly.
The few days prior had been a spectacle of some dark days in Landon's memory, which had admittedly become much more vast, and largely unexplored. Landon could tell that Greg wasn't as comfortable around him as he used to be. Why should he be? Landon wasn't really Donny anymore, he felt like a phased out Donny with the tweaking of an entirely new person. It was as if Landon Irelle was someone he used to remember being, but now he had stepped into the body of someone else. Someone new and bold, courageous, strong, sure of himself. He had memories that were old and troubling. Happy and new. Loving and dark. They appeared to him like any other memory would, except they were through the eyes of someone he wasn't. Days that had passed in pain were burned into the forefront of his mind, and the happy ones jumped around as he was reminded of things he hadn't even realized he knew. For instance Greg's hair looked like a style that was popular on Bajor about 50 or so years ago. Landon himself had never set foot on Bajor, even though it wasn't that far from Trill. Toran, however, had been to Bajor numerous times. He traded there on a regular basis. Landon could remember this one time when-
"Mr. Irelle?"
Landon's eyes snapped back as he was reminded there was actually company around. He couldn't be drifting off into his newfound universe. "Neyes."
"Oh yes, excuse me." The Admiral smiled a little, remembering his mistake. "We're here to talk to you about how you'd feel about being reinstated to active duty next week. You've spent the better part of the last couple weeks on Trill, and the Symbiosis Commission has assured me that you're through the worst of your condition."
The counselor held up a graceful hand. Neyes looked at her as she pursed her lips a little, inserting herself to no doubt correct some ill-informed choice of words on the Admiral's part. Landon smiled a little to himself as he thought about what it must be like for the young woman, to be in the shadow of a man who no doubt has had little recent experience being the guy out of his element. He was surely an excellent leader, but he was no official on the matters of Landon's journey since his journey. The woman smiled a little, giving the Admiral a soft and apologetic look.
Landon grinned to himself as he watched the two interact in that moment. Hilarious.
"Sir. What I think you mean to tell the Ensign is since you're doing better," she looked to Neyes, "we'd like to extend our congratulations on your successful joining. Once you feel you're ready, we have some open positions we feel you might like to try." She took a few steps past Greg and the Admiral, and held out a wide document PADD.
OH! Well she smells nice. I've never been able to find a perfume that fit me tha-
I don't wear perfume anymore, my dear.
Well I used to...
His lips shaped into a little face of interest, and his eyebrows raised slightly, Landon took the PADD and nodded gratefully to the counselor. She really did smell nice. After taking the PADD, he needed only a moment to read practically everything on it. There were only two assignments on the list after all. It did irk him a little to see such a short list of choices, especially given how skilled he was. Yet he clung to humility as he smiled diplomatically back at the two stooges Starfleet had sent not for Neyes' benefit, but for the benefit of the Federation/Trill relations. Landon was carrying one of the more ancient symbionts, and that meant that his position in Starfleet was subject to a little more bureaucratic nonsense. The worm wasn't going to win him any promotions, and it certainly didn't mean he was suddenly experienced enough to start acting higher than his status as an Ensign. Even if he felt a little differently.
"Ah. I see I have so many options available to me." He quipped.
The Admiral shifted a little. "We felt you might like to start off slowly. Given your rough ride since the joining, you must certainly understand. We could have simply ordered you into your previous post, but the good counselor suggested we add a deep-space assignment to the list." He looked down and out the corner of his eye at her.
"Since you have so much starship experience as a symbiont, we thought you might benefit just as much from a science vessel assignment as you would your star base shuttle pilot assignment." She added, nodding a little and motioning with her hands. To Landon, they looked like they were trying not to insult him. Normally he would have expected two people this young to treat him with the respect he deserved, but then he had to remember that he was really just 23 years old in this host. She seemed too ready to point out the benefits to him, and to make sure he felt included in this obvious bullshit display of interest in his life. The Admiral was all to ready to simply defend his position in the most clean cut and directive way possible, with a little positive spin.
Neyes rolled his eyes.
"Please. Just send me into space. Getting holed up in a moon-sized cage of traffic chaos isn't really on my to-do list right now, so I'll let you torpedo me into the depths of beyond."
"Mr. Neyes, if you feel lik-" She started.
"Save it, ma'am." Landon winced. "You're giving me a headache with this squishy-feely crap. I want the assignment on the Melbourne. Confederate fleet or no." He said, moving his right hand around in the air to silence her. His slid his feet over the edge of his bed and let them fall downwards onto the floor. It was cold, but still the first time he'd let himself out of bed in a few days. It was relieving to be back on solid ground for a change, even if there were two very annoying people mucking it all up for him...
"Greg, let's go." Neyes said, making his way over to the doorway. "It was nice to meet you both." Landon gave a passing glance at both the Admiral and the counselor.
Greg's brow shot up as he tried to figure out what to do, but Landon simply took his hand and the two left out of the doorway into the clinic, leaving behind the others. The counselor, however, wasn't ready to be dismissed from Neyes' attention.
"Ensign Neyes! You're still under my supervision for the next week!" She called out after him, hopping along awkwardly behind him as she tried to steady herself on her high-heeled shoes. "We need to discuss your placement and what you'll be doing for the remainder of your recovery period."
Landon kept on moving down the hall, not even turning to face the woman. "I've got some things to take care of. You're welcome to come if you'd like." And indeed he did. Landon had spent the better part of the last week piecing together samples of thoughts and memories that made his family's death a little more suspicious than he was comfortable with. With a few new perspectives to take into account, he felt like something was amiss within his past business contacts, and that they needed a talking to.
"Landon, where are we going?" Greg asked, following along side him.
The Trill's face softened a little. "I have questions, Gregory."
"Questions?"
"Yeah. But first we're gonna pick up my old ride."
=/\= END LOG =/\=
===============
Ens. Landon Neyes
Chief Engineer
USS CHARON
===============
===============
Ens. Landon Neyes
Chief Engineer
USS CHARON
===============
