We’re All All Right

Posted on Wed Jul 3, 2019 @ 4:13pm by Lieutenant JG Camille Lévesque PhD & Lieutenant Penelope Naroot

551 words; about a 3 minute read

Mission: Plaga Navis
Location: Briefing Room
Timeline: Immediately after briefing

Once the senior staff meeting was concluded, Camille got up from her seat, snuck behind Nicole, and tapped Penny on the shoulder. “Pardonnez-moi, Penny, but could I talk to you a second?"

Penny smiled and slowed to match the other woman's pace and stopped by the door. "Sure, what can I do for you?"

“I, um,” Camille began. She waited for the last people to file out of the conference room. “I wanted to say I’m glad you made it back safe. From your mission.” She couldn’t control the redness around her eyes, amplified by her glasses.

Penny smiled. "Thanks. I'm pretty glad when that happens too." She tilted her head, seeing Camille's face. "If you're glad, why do you look sad?"

Camille smiled back; she couldn’t help feel a bit embarrassed. “This is going to sound silly,” she began, “but the other night I had a nightmare...that you died on the mission, and it was all my fault. So when Nicole had you help us in sickbay...” She stepped forward and gave Penny a hug. “I know it wasn’t real, but I was so happy to see you were okay.”

Penny hugged her back. "Yeah, that does sound kind of silly. I mean, you had nothing to do with the mission, so I can't be killed from that. Have you had any precognition before? I've not really studied it, but Cass says it's rarely found in humans."

Camille pulled away from the hug and wiped her eyes. “No, it wasn’t precognition, just anxiety. I’ve had...a hard time making friends in the past. And back then what friends I had were almost never sent into danger.” She pushed her glasses up her nose and smiled. “I guess that’s something I’ll need to get used to, eh?”

Penny nodded, solemnly. "Rule 24," she said.

Camille cocked her head. "Rule 24?"

"Rule 24: The only safe place is yesterday," Penny recited. "In other words, we only know we've survived this long. We never know about tomorrow."

"That's beautiful," Camille said, nodding slowly as she processed the words. "Where is that from? Whose rule is that?" It didn't sound like a Ferengi Rule of Acquisition. She wanted to know more about the culture that generated that idea. Maybe she could speak with Olvan later, once she knew who to look up.

"Admiral Alan Markus," Penny said. "My sponsor at the Academy and former Commanding Officer. He has a list of rules he loves to recite from during 'teachable moments,' that he's amassed during his lifetime. I hope someday to learn the entire list."

“Huh,” Camille said, fascinated by this list of rules, but disappointed that there wasn’t some alien culture she could study. She’d look up Admiral Markus later though. “I should get back to my lab. Professor Anderson and I have a lot to do still. But...thanks. For listening to my nonsense. For coming back safe. When this crisis is over, we should do something fun together again.”

"Agreed," Penny said, brightening. "Good luck with the plague!" She turned and rushed back to the bridge.

Camille couldn’t help but laugh at the send off, but she turned to the other door and rushed to catch up with Professor Anderson.

 

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