It seemed that, at least to himself, David King could never manage to stay in one place for very long. Of course, that was the nature of his work. Whether it was reassignment from his "superiors," or moving from one Starfleet assignment to another, he had been on the move for most of the past decade. The one exception had been his stay on San Frontieres, but then that had been a part of an assignment as well.
Except for the café, of course. That had been his idea, and had been a thoroughly enjoyable experience.
Now, after years of running around for one power or another, he had finally reached a point where he was ready to really settle down. Perhaps he could find a posting in a secure location; a starbase, perhaps, or another colony. He wasn't exactly sure his "superiors" would welcome this idea, and of course he would go where they sent him, as any agent would do, but really he was ready to live a quiet, administrative life.
Or, in the event they were not ready to let go of him, he would be more than happy to take on a medical research facility somewhere. There were plenty of them scattered across the quadrants, as well as Academy branches and training facilities.
There were plenty of options available, but David was certain his time roaming the galaxy doing their bidding was coming to a close. Threats or no, his time had been served.
Now, however, he was confined to his service on board the Charon. His superiors would be most displeased about the Temep'Shar, though there was little to be done about it. They would sent a group after it, King was certain, but he would play no part of that operation. There was little he could do as Chief Medical Officer on board the Starfleet vessel.
Resting at the desk in the main living area of the quarters he shared with Lieutenant Aubrey Roberts, David sighed and rolled his head around his shoulders. A pleased sigh escaped as the joints cracked and popped, sending waves of release through his neck.
Just as he allowed his head to fall back again, his eyes closing in the dark room, the door chime rang out. With a sigh, this one not so pleased, he looked up towards the entrance and called out, "Come on in."
The doors parted with a hydraulic hiss and a man stepped in from the corridor beyond. He was about the same age as David, and wore spectacles across a smooth, youthful face. His collar was medical sciences-teal, and bore the rank of Commander.
"I hope I'm not interrupting," the arrival said, though David was half-certain the effort was merely for appearance.
"Not at all," David replied, motioning towards a cushioned chair several feet away. "Make yourself at home."
The man moved further into the room and looked around, obviously noting the lack of decoration. "You know, Starfleet doesn't require the vow of poverty most like to spread around. They do let you own…things. Pictures, books, you know…stuff."
David gave a shrug, "I've got 'stuff.' It's just resting in boxes in the next room."
"Didn't even bother to unpack?"
David sighed and shook his head, "You know, Doctor Jennings, I don't remember you being so nosey."
"Well, the Academy kept us all busy," the man replied as he lowered himself into the offered seat. "There wasn't the time for prying and snooping. Warp travel, on the other hand, gives us plenty of time to delve into those little wondrous activities."
"I seem to recall," King began, raising the brows over both of his closed eyes, "That you had plenty of time for…socializing."
Paul coughed quietly, "Now, there weren't that many…"
"There was T'ana'sal, and that Andorian girl…oh, and we can't forget Maggie McLeod, or that half-Klingon…what was her name…K'Lisa? K'Lila? K'Misa! K'Misa, she sat next to you in our Introductor to Xeno-Biology lecture!"
"Okay, okay…I get your point."
The two sighed almost in unison, thinking back to younger days.
"Wait," Paul asked, suddenly looking around. "Why are you sitting in the dark?"
"Because it's quiet."
"Aaand, what, it's not quiet in the light?"
David feigned annoyance, "If you want light you can return to your quarters. They're down the hall if I recall. A real quick little walk. And I'm due in sickbay in less than an hour, so if you don't mind, I'd really like to continue sitting in the dark, with nothing but silence."
"Well, when the duty rotation is over, Alex and I are heading to Eris Deck for dinner if you'd like to join us," Paul offered as he stood up from the seat.
"Thanks," David answered, "But I think I'll just enjoy a little more quiet darkness instead."
Paul sighed. "Look, she's a nice girl. And as a surgeon we have a lot to talk about."
Cracking one eye, King raised his head to look as his friend, "Right."
The friendship between David King and Paul Jennings was an old one, founded in their very first days of Starfleet Academy. The two had roomed together in the dormitories, and had completed their training with Starfleet Medical with each other. Though their assignments took them in completely opposite directions, King to the Warrior and Jennings to Midway Station, they had remained in contact over the years.
"Anyways, the offer stands. You're more than welcome to join us when you're relieved."
David closed his eye and again rested his head against the back of the chair, "I'll try and keep that in mind."
Without any further exchange Jennings turned and left the dark quarters, King remaining in his chair until it was time to relieve the duty officer in sickbay. Aside from keeping track of the various injuries that had recently been sustained, and getting some of the systems in the medical bay repaired, there would not be a whole lot for the doctor to do. There were med-techs, nurses, and engineering grunts to do that sort of work.
=/-\= To Be Continued =/-\=
Commander David King, M.D.
Chief Medical Officer
USS Charon
Commander Paul Jennings, M.D.
Medical Officer (Surgeon)
USS Charon
