[Starbase 72 – Holodeck 4]

”I fail to see the point of this sport, or why we are watching a contest from 2022,” Doctor Va’Tok said his eyes following the football from the stands. 

Doctor Michelle Mueller threw her hands up as the ball bounced into out of bounds, “The match never actually happened, this is a simulation of a match between Mexico and Germany based on the rosters not a historical event.”

”A fictional historical event, that it even more illogical,” the Vulcan said.

Adriana Cruz sighed, “It’s fun. It’s exciting. We could run it with modern teams, but these are good players and before the Eugenics Wars which halted international games.”

When Doctor Mueller had proposed this as a bonding thing Commander Cruz had been unsure if that was the best way to meet the medical team, but it was at least a different setting than the station’s lounge. The Vulcan seemed unconvinced that this was at all and appropriate use of the Holodeck, but then again Commander Cruz was not sure what it was that most Vulcans would have approved using the Holodeck for. They seemed almost immune to imagination of whimsy. Cruz did not quite understand soccer, or football, but she could follow it and tell that thus far it was a zero to zero game. Doctor Mueller seemed to be enjoying it, which she supposed was what mattered.

Frankly though she had defended the activity that had mostly been about getting on Mueller’s good side, as she could already tell that was going to be an uphill struggle. Unlike the others Doctor Mueller could reasonably have expected to be the next First Officer or even Captain. As the Chief Medical Officer on the Anaheim she was in charge of the ship’s largest department, and had performed admirably. There was also the fact that the Captain clearly seemed to have an issue with doctors, at least in so far as he’d overlooked her for promotion to Second Officer and now here came Commander Cruz in to take a job that rightfully should have been the Doctor’s as well as replace someone Mueller genuinely liked.

It was not Cruz’s fault, but she understood the politics of this situation.

”What would you like to see changed on the Anaheim?” Cruz said, trying to be open to change and to offer herself as an agent of that change. 

Mueller watched a tall German defender flatten a quick Mexican winger and said, “The Captain shot out of an airlock.”

Cruz sighed, “I don’t think we’re allowed to do that.”

”It would be against the Hippocratic Oath,” pointed out Va’Tok, not so helpfully.

Mueller seemed to be frustrated and closed her eyes for a minute. When she opened them they sought out Cruz and she spoke fairly plainly, “Look I don’t mean to be difficult but you have to know that you’re leading a ship of doctors with no medical background, and a ship that has almost always had a Doctor as a First Officer. We don’t need two people to tell Conn where to orbit and I don’t need you telling me how to run my department.”

Cruz nodded, “I get that. But I also presume that after your last mission Starfleet had to consider beefing up the capabilities on the ship. Sure I won’t have a lot to do taking you and your team to a planet but if things get tricky again, maybe I can help.”

None of the crew had died, and thankfully thanks to now Lieutenant Junior Grade Hume and Lieutenant Kolem, both of whom where on their way to Venus for a wedding and had not been available to meet, it seemed that Mueller was able to brush off what had happened despite herself being unconscious through most of it. 

Doctor Va’Tok however had been awake, and had been the one to perform surgery on the Doctor later, “It would be logical to diversify if there if an expected increase in tensions. However one incident does not yet indicate a pattern. Doctor Mueller is correct in her assessment.”

Cruz nodded, Va’Tok seemed to agree with her, but was not willing to be bold enough to stand up to Mueller who was his immediate supervisor. Cruz had to hope however that he was able to play a moderating role on her, given how this was playing out.

“Look give me a bit of time to get my hand dirty with the Anaheim and I’ll be able to help you. I can be a go between so you can better handle the Captain. He doesn’t seem like an unreasonable guy,” Commander Cruz shifted uncomfortable in the stands. On the field Germany had scored and goal and were celebrating.

Mueller nodded, “Not like I have a choice.”

”Doctor I’m sure you could run a ship like the Anaheim. For now though you’ve got us, so hopefully we can help you do your job as best we can by doing out jobs,” Cruz said.

Nodding the Doctor stood, “Okay, I’ll give It a shot.“

It was, Cruz decided, likely the best she was going to get.

[Starbase 72 – Lounge]

After meeting with the senior medical staff, the most important on her new ship the USS Anaheim, Commander Adriana Cruz needed a drink. So with the ship still in dock and under repairs it was back to Starbase 72’s crew lounge to unwind and meet with the Chief Security Officer and the Second Officer. Kan Th’kaotross was a tall, broad shouldered Andorian who looked like if he’d decided to he’d have ended up in the holonovel racket. Instead he was working on a Starfleet Medical ship, a position that likely did not require that much security when things went well.

”There’s always stuff,” he said, “even when we’re not in a shooting fight with pirates or whoever attacked us last time out, we transport pretty valuble medical supplies. Black market dealers, and thieves would love to steam some of it, even down on planets. Our teams have to guard that stuff even if the doctors don’t quite understand why.”

Security guard work was not what most officers entered Starfleet for, but Cruz knew it was important. While Starfleet did not put a dollar value on their belongings, since it existed in a post-monetary society the truth was that Cruz knew that a ship like the Anaheim could hold enough medicines and drugs to go for enough gold pressed Latium on the black market to make stealing it worthwhile. Heck, one crate was likely worth a small fortune.

“Sounds like you and Doctor Mueller don’t get along,” Cruz guessed.

The Lieutenant Commander shrugged, “She’s fine. I like her, doctors are vital on a medical ship, obviously. She’s just not willing to see just how much we contribute in security. We’re not just Operations staff with muscle.”

”You like doing this? You ever want to be on another ship, work in another field?” Cruz asked.

Another shrug came from the large Andorian, “Haven’t really thought about it. Maybe I lack imagination, but I do what I’m told. I like the crew, the Captain and most of all the mission. It’s nice to know we’re actively helping people. If something different came up, I’d consider a change but I’m not going to spend a lot of time worrying about it.”

”You worry about everything else,” Cruz said nodding and drinking, she knew the feeling. In Strategic Operations there was always another scenario you could dream up to prepare to defend the Federation against. If you weren’t careful suddenly you were fighting a war against the Vulcans and Trill in your mind and utterly divorced from reality. 

“Most of the job is standing there and looking scary, but yeah. I live in the worst case scenarios, at least in my head,” he said.

”I can’t promise that Doctor Mueller and her team are going to start thinking that you’re the cats pajamas, but at least she might see that other disciplines contribute to the ship too,” Cruz said.

”Why would a cat wear pajamas? A cat is a hair little human pet right?” Th’kaotross asked.

”Umm, I don’t know. It’s an old saying, from English which I picked up. I never stopped to think about what it meant,” Cruz confessed. Though she’d learned other languages as a teen, she was and always been better at Spanish. English and some of its phrases confounded her.

The Andorian grinned, “I had bird growing up. He would have looked good in pajamas.”

”I didn’t have pets, I was, busy,” Cruz said, not wanting to go into it.

”Look Commander. Everyone on the Anaheim means well, including Doctor Mueller. We’re all doing our best work, it’s just we’re all wanting more support and more recognition for what we do. Other than maybe Tashai, I think she likes flying under the radar.”

Cruz smiled, ”That’s the most reassuring thing anyone’s said to me all day.”

“I aim to please,” Th’kaotross said.

“We’re Starfleet that’s what we do,” Cruz agreed and finished her drink.