JP: Fleet Captain Addison MacKenzie & Commander Genkos Adea - Gila's Mistake
Addison MacKenzie
((Holodeck 2, USS Eagle))
Genkos tapped his cane lightly against the familiar black-and-yellow patchwork floor of the holodeck as he waited for the call to go through. He’d been sent a very cryptic note by Addison, and he had arranged a time when they were both free to speak in person - so many wires could get crossed in subspace, and only some of them were plugged into the sensor array.
Suddenly she appeared, and the holodeck morphed into a copy of a Starfleet office, one that appeared to be his. He had to say, she was a sight for sore eyes. He looked her up and down; she looked well, still the same Addison, if slightly tired around the eyes. He wiggled a bottle of sapphire wine and a pair of glasses and gestured to a chair.
Adea: I am glad to see you! Drink?
MacKenzie pursed her lips and held up two fingers.
MacKenzie: Better make it a double.
As they made their way to the table, Genkos set down the glasses and started to pour them both a glass of sapphire wine. He looked over at Addison as she settled into a chair.
Adea: So, tell me, is that really as much of this as I need to pour? You said this was about Gila? She hasn’t finally twisted that finger of hers clean off, has she?
She shook her head, still dismayed by the obtuse Mizarian.
MacKenzie: You could say that… Better just skip the glasses and just bring the bottle, would you?
She sat with her back pressed against the seat of the chair, its soft fabric molding to accommodate the curve of her spine. The commanding officer of the Artemis continued to shake her head slowly as Genkos brought over two full glasses of Sapphire Wine - and the bottle - as she had requested. She offered him a conciliatory smile and raised her glass, clinking it against his before taking a long draw and letting the beans spill.
MacKenzie: I had to kick her out.
Addison’s words hadn’t filled him with confidence, and her initial words confused him. His brows scrunched up in a show of slight befuddlement.
Adea: Of your office? Surely you’ve done that before?
Addison shook her head rapidly.
MacKenzie: Of Starfleet.
There was a pause as Genkos processed Addison’s words. It was like a bolt from the Terran proverbial blue. A jolt, an ache, a pang of guilt or pain sprang from the base of his stomach as he felt his face getting red. Gila had always been a frustration, but she’d been a brilliant doctor, and Genkos couldn’t imagine a situation in which she’d gained herself a firing.
Adea: What…? That… Why? What did she do?
Genkos had been her right hand since the beginning. He’d served as her first officer through more than one tour since she’d been assigned command of the Luna-class Artemis, and even when he wasn’t officially serving in the role, he certainly acted as her confidant. Not only had the pair served together longer than she had with any other, but they shared similar backgrounds as physicians and leaders.
MacKenzie: She lied, Genkos.
Genkos took a deep breath, before taking a small sip of sapphire wine. It stopped the bile from rising too far in his gorge. He trusted Addison implicitly, which meant the lie that Gila had told must have been ginormous.
Adea: She lied?
She took another long draw from the glass.
MacKenzie: It’s not just that she lied, she falsified her own medical records to conceal a condition that could have put everyone on the ship in danger.
It was Genkos to take a long draw from his glass, and he then refilled them both. As much as he was having an emotional reaction, the doctor in him, and his natural medical curiosity momentarily got the better of him.
Adea: What… what was the condition?
MacKenzie: She developed mandibles… I guess. She discovered them during Frontier Day when she attacked Gnai’s suit after it had been assimilated. …I don’t know. The whole thing’s murky - who knows how long she was covering it up for.
Genkos listened, his eyes growing wider. What an obscene violation of Starfleet protocols, medical ethics, but also the trust of her crew. He might no longer be the CMO of the Artemis, but the betrayal of someone he had considered a friend and a mentee turned the pangs of shock into deep wells of usually untapped anger. However, he kept his voice steady and even - it was chilling in its stillness.
Adea: Why?! Why didn’t she tell you? Why didn’t she tell me? Why did she hide it? What in the everloving *#@£ was she thinking. ::pause:: Pardon my Betazed.
MacKenzie: I asked her whether the thought had occurred to her to come to us rather than conceal it, or if she really thought that hiding it was the best course of action… It either hadn’t occurred to her to tell us, or she didn’t trust us.
The pit of his stomach grew even wider - the idea that Gila was either a total blithering idiot, or that she did not trust Addison or Genkos enough to bring this to one of them, was a total sideswipe. He was, frankly, devastated that an officer he had considered a friend had been lying to him for a considerable length of time. Add to that the reason was because she didn’t trust him, and it created an emotional cocktail of disappointment and… well, rage.
Adea: I… I don’t believe it. What happened when you confronted her with it.
Addison rolled her eyes and took a sip of her Sapphire Wine.
MacKenzie: When I asked her if she had anything to say for herself, the only thing she could say was, “Nothing, Sir…”
Adea: By the four…
Her brow furrowed as she leaned forward.
MacKenzie: What a waste, that one.
Genkos drained his glass, refilled it, and pushed the bottle Addison’s way. Whatever he’d been expecting her to say, it certainly hadn’t been this. This was far worse than anything he’d been imagining, he had to be honest.
Adea: Where is she now?
MacKenzie: ::shrugging nonchalantly:: How should I know? As far away from the Artemis as possible.
Adea: I’m shocked, Addison, absolutely shocked. You must be too - who else knows?
MacKenzie: Our new XO, Morgan, the medical staff… Whoever else she managed to trip over on her way out the door. I’m sure the rest of the staff will figure it out sooner or later.
Genkos slowly shook his head in disbelief.
Adea: Well, I never.
MacKenzie: I should never have let her graduate from the Academy.
Addison took another sip of the Sapphire Wine, and Genkos frowned at her, his dark brows almost forming into a single line.
Adea: Don’t blame yourself.
MacKenzie: ::pursing her lips:: I’m the one who passed her. I should have known better as soon as she showed up twisting that anxiety band.
Genkos let out a snort of laughter.
Adea: That bloody band. I wanted to cut it off her finger.
MacKenzie: Any time I was around, I thought she was going to twist it so hard she’d cut through her own finger.
Adea: But you really can’t blame yourself Addison - she had a lot of people fooled. Me, you, the whole Artemis crew. But she was lying to us the entire time, putting us in apparent danger. Ludicrous… ::after a slight pause:: Guess I’ll have to pour away that bottle of saltschnapps she gave me.
MacKenzie’s eyes slipped toward the shelf where the saltschnapps lived.
MacKenzie: Welllll, I don’t know if I’d go that far.
Adea: Even if she didn’t do anything to do, it’s still somewhat tainted, isn’t it?
She rocked her head back and forth for a moment.
MacKenzie: Maybe you’re right. Gift it to an enemy.
Adea: “Hey Gila, want your saltschnapps back?”
Addison sat back in the chair and took another sip of her Sapphire Wine, desperately interested in moving on from the subject of the blacklisted Mizarian.
MacKenzie: How are things on the Eagle?
Genkos noted the abrupt change of subject, and appreciated that she might not want to constantly discuss what was bound to be a red mark in her professional ledger. So he attempted to lighten the mood.
Adea: So far so good. I’ve established dominance, you know, sprayed my scent on most of the surfaces.
MacKenzie: Hmm. I thought that was Toto’s job.
Genkos grinned back at her and crossed his legs at the ankle, pouring them both another drink as he did so.
Adea: But in all seriousness, I’ve settled in well. Even if the ship is a bit banged up. But flying out of a nebula is hard, in our defence.
Addison shook her head in mock judgment.
MacKenzie: Poor thing. ::cracking a smile:: You after that fourth pip any time soon?
Genkos raised an eyebrow - Kalianna and he had been having conversations along that line a few times recently. Had they been communicating? He supposed that wasn’t completely out of the question - they were friends outside of him, having served together on the Resolution and Excalibur.
Adea: Have you been talking to Kalianna?
She pursed her lips and shrugged.
MacKenzie: Take it from someone who knows: the more pips you get, the more it literally weighs your collar down. More Gilas you’ll be responsible for.
Adea: Sounds like a headache - remind me why I’d want that?
MacKenzie: It’s a comfy chair… On a ship of your choice.
Genkos took another deep sip of his wine, and rested the glass on the table with a dull clink.
Adea: Ah, now there’s a good point… But I have to admit, I wouldn’t know which ship to choose… if they even let you pick.
She cocked her head.
MacKenzie: Sometimes they do, sometimes they don’t. Sometimes you have to take matters into your own hands and blow one up before they’ll give you a new boat.
Genkos raised an eyebrow.
Adea: You think I can get away with that a second time…?
She guffawed and smiled.
MacKenzie: Don’t go getting any ideas…
Genkos grinned and slowly shook his head, having very much enjoyed the time spent with his friend. They were both extremely busy people, and even getting five minutes seemed like a blessing.
Adea: Wouldn’t dream of it Addison.
Her smile softened and she raised her empty glass to him.
MacKenzie: Thanks for the wine. Tell Kali I said hello?
Raising his glass back to her, he gave her a sneaky wink and a wry smirk.
Adea: Always. Computer, end call.
And the familiar black and yellow reappeared.
Commanding Officer
USS Artemis-A
&
Commander Genkos Adea MD First Officer USS Eagle G239502GS0