The deal...
27 Nov 2020Synthya Wylder
She sighed deeply over her mug of hot caffeine, considering carefully her reply, & returned her gaze to meet his."Sir, it's not at all that I'm ungrateful for the position. I mean, I certainly keep busy, & I'm needed, between the various conditions & situations with & between the occupants of the station that bring them to me, but..." She drew a deep breath, swallowed another sip, & let it out before continuing. "Actually, Sir, I need more staff. Between running Forensics & Morgue, I'm kept busy non-stop. I hardly have time to sit & enjoy something like this" -she raised her mug- "before I have to return to my duties." She paused & tilted her head slightly. "What exactly do you have in mind?" She could feel the effects of the high-strength caffeine sharpening her focus as it infused into her body.
He listened closely & nodded faintly, acknowledging her points. When she finished, it was his turn to take a deep breath before responding.
"I'm head of Admin here on this station." He paused for effect, then sighed, "On this independent station in a relative backwater area, having to try to manage & subsist on whatever traffic & commerce might chance to come our way. Which isn't much." He took a breath & a gulp of his own coffee before continuing.
"Now..." He stood up & waved his free hand for emphasis between each point "...if we just happened to have found... perhaps one of the most significant living ties to our past since the discovery of the Golconda... just what do you think that would do for this station...? And, by extension, of course..." He spun around to focus on her, "all those directly involved with that discovery? Our discovery?" He finished by raising both his free hand & the one holding his own mug, inadvertently slopping out a tiny bit of the cherished delicacy with the exuberance of his gesture. He finished his rhetorical question. "Why, it would bring attention, fame, commerce, & fortune to us, that's what!"
She took his little speech in, eyes & ears open, & her eyes brightened as she saw an opening to connect with her original point. "Uhm... I suppose that would mean a raise...? Or maybe even a staff person...?" she asked tentatively.
He almost laughed, pointing his finger at her & grinning. Her heart sank.
His eyebrows arched up his forehead & he grinned as he said, "A raise, assuredly, & how about two staff?"
Amazed, she decided that whatever it was that got him into this good mood, she'd press her luck. "Experienced staff, not interns?"
He nodded agreement. "Not interns".
With a flash of insight, aided no doubt by the mugful of Void Extract coffee, she caught herself abruptly. "Wait." She looked at him with her eyes slightly narrowed with suspicion. "What will I have to do in exchange?"
He turned back to his chair & sat down, leaning forward across his desk to her. "Here's my plan. You're the very 1st person she's seen & had any interaction with after she regained consciousness, correct?" She nodded & he continued, "Okay. & from reading here..." he reached to touch his datapad in reference, "she's currently under light sedation in ICU, correct?" Again she nodded & he continued. "What we need her to do is to signify in some way, her wish to stay here, during & after her medical recovery, & for her recuperation & rehabilitation afterward."
She began to shake her head slowly as he explained. "But, Sir, that's completely outside my field of training & experience. She's going to need a string of specialists..." her voice trailed off.
Now it was his turn to shake his head & more forcefully. "Nonono... you think of what'll happen... we'll have our momentary flash of fame & glory, then just as quickly, we'll all vanish as the eyes of the media follow to wherever she's whisked away. We'll be but a speck, a blip, barely a footnote. Now, If you had your staff to help relieve your schedule, you'd have this... Miss, I assume... what's her name? Wylder?" He glanced at his datapad, "Synthya Wylder? You'd be able to gain her confidence & oversee the basic steps as we gradually acclimate her & to this station, & being an 'unknown', she's 'off the grid' as it were... after all, she's listed as "Presumed dead, body unrecovered", especially after all this time..." His voice trailed off momentarily, his shrewd mind working in overdrive with all the potential aspects developing in his mind.
He snapped back into focus. "Because, if we don't," he now appealed to the Practician's humanitarian side, "You know what all the major factions will do to her. They'll tear her apart, each vying for whatever benefit they can get from her. Between that & her culture shock, I fear for her sanity, even her life, certainly her happiness, if she became a pawn for whatever unscrupulous powerplay & zealot may lie in wait." He nodded solemnly.
"We must keep all this on the down-low, at least, until she can come to the point of making the decision which will benefit us all." Besides, he thought, if it was discovered that Miss Wylder might be heir to some great fortune, why it wouldn't be unreasonable at all if she decided in sharing it, now would it? His eyes twinkled.
She drew in a deep breath, then another, & finished her coffee. "Very well. I agree with your points. I'll do it. BUT, we'll need to carefully scout for the required specialists. Neither of us here have all that's needed." She thought to herself with feelings mixed evenly between excitement & trepidation. So much could go wrong here, & then she felt a wave of sympathy for her 'patient'. The words came to her out of some vague memory... Synthya was a "Stranger In A Strange Land".
They both stood in unison & made the time-honored handshake. "Deal!"