Gabe/Shelley - Duty

||Starbase 12
||Deck 12 Section 5 enterance
||TBA
||TBA

Gabe stood, his arms folded across his chest as he watched the engineers working to repair the damage done to deck 12 section 5 after the power spike that had blown out the force field generators. Chief Bakel had practically forced him to take time out so he stood here now. He took a drink from the steaming cup that sat on the sill of the window he'd viewed the bodies of the dead from. A shiver ran down his spine as he remembered those few minutes in vivid detail, like some saftey holovideo.

He closed his eyes as he took another drink, letting the hot tea run down his throat and wondered if he had chance to go get himself a bacon based snack, if left like days since he'd last eaten. For what left like the billionish time he went over the event in his mind, what could he have done differently?

||Starbase 12
||Deck 12 Section 5 Entrance
||TBA
||TBA

Gabe stood, his arms folded across his chest as he watched the engineers working to repair the damage done to deck 12 section 5 after the power spike that had blown out the force field generators. Chief Bakel had practically forced him to take time out so he stood here now. He took a drink from the steaming cup that sat on the sill of the window he'd viewed the bodies of the dead from. A shiver ran down his spine as he remembered those few minutes in vivid detail, like some safety holovideo.

He closed his eyes as he took another drink, letting the hot tea run down his throat and wondered if he had chance to go get himself a bacon based snack, if left like days since he'd last eaten. For what left like the billionish time he went over the event in his mind, what could he have done differently?

Shelley was still trying to get the image of Julianne's bloody body out of her mind, but every time she closed her eyes that was all she could see, so she was taking some time out in the Mess Hall. Right now she wanted to have some time to herself, so she got the replicater to get her some food and took her tray over to an empty table to try and eat in peace. There was the occasional look cast her way from people who might potentially want to approach her, but none did and sometimes she wanted to talk to people too who looked like they were having a rough time.

"Who isn't having a rough time right now?" She asked herself.

||Starbase 12
||Deck 12 Section 5 Entrance
||TBA
||TBA

Gabe stood, his arms folded across his chest as he watched the engineers working to repair the damage done to deck 12 section 5 after the power spike that had blown out the force field generators. Chief Bakel had practically forced him to take time out so he stood here now. He took a drink from the steaming cup that sat on the sill of the window he'd viewed the bodies of the dead from. A shiver ran down his spine as he remembered those few minutes in vivid detail, like some safety holovideo.

He closed his eyes as he took another drink, letting the hot tea run down his throat and wondered if he had chance to go get himself a snack, it left like days since he'd last eaten. For what left like the billionish time he went over the event in his mind, what could he have done differently?

Shelley was still trying to get the image of Julianne's bloody body out of her mind, but every time she closed her eyes that was all she could see, so she was taking some time out in the Mess Hall. Right now she wanted to have some time to herself, so she got the replicater to get her some food and took her tray over to an empty table to try and eat in peace. There was the occasional look cast her way from people who might potentially want to approach her, but none did and sometimes she wanted to talk to people too who looked like they were having a rough time.

"Who isn't having a rough time right now?" She asked herself.

After draining what was left of his tea, Gabe spun on his heel and walked down the corridor. If nothing else he needed to refill his drink, though he was hungry he didn't exactly have an appetite. His mind wandered as he made his way towards the mess hall images of the event flashed unbidden threw his head.

He shook his head to try and clear his thoughts he entered the mess hall. He got a few nods from off duty engineers as he entered. He gave a curt nod back and placed his cup in the replicator, Leaning against the wall as the cup dissolved into nothingness. He felt tired, not from lack of sleep but from emotional fatigue, right now he was drained.

He ordered another cup of tea and pulled off his jacket, tossing it onto one of the empty seats before dropping into it. He rolled his neck and took a drink, If Chief Bakel needed him she'd call, until then he planned to rest for as long as he could.

||Starbase 12
||Deck 12 Section 5 Entrance
||TBA
||TBA

Gabe stood, his arms folded across his chest as he watched the engineers working to repair the damage done to deck 12 section 5 after the power spike that had blown out the force field generators. Chief Bakel had practically forced him to take time out so he stood here now. He took a drink from the steaming cup that sat on the sill of the window he'd viewed the bodies of the dead from. A shiver ran down his spine as he remembered those few minutes in vivid detail, like some safety holovideo.

He closed his eyes as he took another drink, letting the hot tea run down his throat and wondered if he had chance to go get himself a snack, it left like days since he'd last eaten. For what left like the billionish time he went over the event in his mind, what could he have done differently?

Shelley was still trying to get the image of Julianne's bloody body out of her mind, but every time she closed her eyes that was all she could see, so she was taking some time out in the Mess Hall. Right now she wanted to have some time to herself, so she got the replicater to get her some food and took her tray over to an empty table to try and eat in peace. There was the occasional look cast her way from people who might potentially want to approach her, but none did and sometimes she wanted to talk to people too who looked like they were having a rough time.

"Who isn't having a rough time right now?" She asked herself.

After draining what was left of his tea, Gabe spun on his heel and walked down the corridor. If nothing else he needed to refill his drink; though he was hungry he didn't exactly have an appetite. His mind wandered as he made his way towards the Mess Hall images of the event flashed unbidden threw his head.

He shook his head to try and clear his thoughts as he entered the Mess Hall. He got a few nods from off duty engineers as he entered. He gave a curt nod back and placed his cup in the replicator, leaning against the wall as the cup dissolved into nothingness. He felt tired, not from lack of sleep but from emotional fatigue; right now he was drained.

He ordered another cup of tea and pulled off his jacket, tossing it onto one of the empty seats before dropping into it. He rolled his neck and took a drink. If Chief Bakel needed him she'd call, but until then he planned to rest for as long as he could.

Shelley was trying to focus on her soup, not really succeeding as the hustle and bustle of the place seemed a little bit overwhelming. There were people here that had lost family and friends and then Gabe had walked in and she noticed engineers giving him nod. Just as it was the CMO's job to know everyone's medical histories as best as they could, Shelley was supposed to know that of the junior officers...Gabe wasn't a junior officer but she knew who he was.

She had heard that he was the one to find the bodies and it looked to her like maybe he wasn't eating? Obviously she couldn't know that for sure, but she had a feeling that he might need someone to talk to and until a new Chief Counselor was appointed this was her job...but maybe he wanted to be left alone. All she knew as she stood up with her tray was that he wasn't crying or anything and she didn't want to keep eating alone, so she approached him.

"Is this seat taken?"

||Starbase 12
||Deck 12 Section 5 Entrance
||TBA
||TBA

Gabe stood, his arms folded across his chest as he watched the engineers working to repair the damage done to deck 12 section 5 after the power spike that had blown out the force field generators. Chief Bakel had practically forced him to take time out so he stood here now. He took a drink from the steaming cup that sat on the sill of the window he'd viewed the bodies of the dead from. A shiver ran down his spine as he remembered those few minutes in vivid detail, like some safety holovideo.

He closed his eyes as he took another drink, letting the hot tea run down his throat and wondered if he had chance to go get himself a snack, it left like days since he'd last eaten. For what left like the billionish time he went over the event in his mind, what could he have done differently?

Shelley was still trying to get the image of Julianne's bloody body out of her mind, but every time she closed her eyes that was all she could see, so she was taking some time out in the Mess Hall. Right now she wanted to have some time to herself, so she got the replicater to get her some food and took her tray over to an empty table to try and eat in peace. There was the occasional look cast her way from people who might potentially want to approach her, but none did and sometimes she wanted to talk to people too who looked like they were having a rough time.

"Who isn't having a rough time right now?" She asked herself.

After draining what was left of his tea, Gabe spun on his heel and walked down the corridor. If nothing else he needed to refill his drink; though he was hungry he didn't exactly have an appetite. His mind wandered as he made his way towards the Mess Hall images of the event flashed unbidden threw his head.

He shook his head to try and clear his thoughts as he entered the Mess Hall. He got a few nods from off duty engineers as he entered. He gave a curt nod back and placed his cup in the replicator, leaning against the wall as the cup dissolved into nothingness. He felt tired, not from lack of sleep but from emotional fatigue; right now he was drained.

He ordered another cup of tea and pulled off his jacket, tossing it onto one of the empty seats before dropping into it. He rolled his neck and took a drink. If Chief Bakel needed him she'd call, but until then he planned to rest for as long as he could.

Shelley was trying to focus on her soup, not really succeeding as the hustle and bustle of the place seemed a little bit overwhelming. There were people here that had lost family and friends and then Gabe had walked in and she noticed engineers giving him nod. Just as it was the CMO's job to know everyone's medical histories as best as they could, Shelley was supposed to know that of the junior officers...Gabe wasn't a junior officer but she knew who he was.

She had heard that he was the one to find the bodies and it looked to her like maybe he wasn't eating? Obviously she couldn't know that for sure, but she had a feeling that he might need someone to talk to and until a new Chief Counselor was appointed this was her job...but maybe he wanted to be left alone. All she knew as she stood up with her tray was that he wasn't crying or anything and she didn't want to keep eating alone, so she approached him.

"Is this seat taken?"

Gabe looked up at the soft female voice asking about the seat across from him. He couldn't place her face, another memeber of the crew he'd not looked into. He made a mental note to go over the entire crew roster first chance he got, if only to keep himself getting caught out.

"No, your welcome to sit down, though i'm not sure how great my company will be today Lieutenant." He replied weakly, "It's been a very very long day."

||Starbase 12
||Deck 12 Section 5 Entrance
||TBA
||TBA

Gabe stood, his arms folded across his chest as he watched the engineers working to repair the damage done to deck 12 section 5 after the power spike that had blown out the force field generators. Chief Bakel had practically forced him to take time out so he stood here now. He took a drink from the steaming cup that sat on the sill of the window he'd viewed the bodies of the dead from. A shiver ran down his spine as he remembered those few minutes in vivid detail, like some safety holovideo.

He closed his eyes as he took another drink, letting the hot tea run down his throat and wondered if he had chance to go get himself a snack, it left like days since he'd last eaten. For what left like the billionish time he went over the event in his mind, what could he have done differently?

Shelley was still trying to get the image of Julianne's bloody body out of her mind, but every time she closed her eyes that was all she could see, so she was taking some time out in the Mess Hall. Right now she wanted to have some time to herself, so she got the replicater to get her some food and took her tray over to an empty table to try and eat in peace. There was the occasional look cast her way from people who might potentially want to approach her, but none did and sometimes she wanted to talk to people too who looked like they were having a rough time.

"Who isn't having a rough time right now?" She asked herself.

After draining what was left of his tea, Gabe spun on his heel and walked down the corridor. If nothing else he needed to refill his drink; though he was hungry he didn't exactly have an appetite. His mind wandered as he made his way towards the Mess Hall images of the event flashed unbidden threw his head.

He shook his head to try and clear his thoughts as he entered the Mess Hall. He got a few nods from off duty engineers as he entered. He gave a curt nod back and placed his cup in the replicator, leaning against the wall as the cup dissolved into nothingness. He felt tired, not from lack of sleep but from emotional fatigue; right now he was drained.

He ordered another cup of tea and pulled off his jacket, tossing it onto one of the empty seats before dropping into it. He rolled his neck and took a drink. If Chief Bakel needed him she'd call, but until then he planned to rest for as long as he could.

Shelley was trying to focus on her soup, not really succeeding as the hustle and bustle of the place seemed a little bit overwhelming. There were people here that had lost family and friends and then Gabe had walked in and she noticed engineers giving him nod. Just as it was the CMO's job to know everyone's medical histories as best as they could, Shelley was supposed to know that of the junior officers...Gabe wasn't on the junior officer list she tended to, but she knew who he was.

She had heard that he was the one to find the bodies and it looked to her like maybe he wasn't eating? Obviously she couldn't know that for sure, but she had a feeling that he might need someone to talk to and until a new Chief Counselor was appointed this was her job...but maybe he wanted to be left alone. All she knew as she stood up with her tray was that he wasn't crying or anything and she didn't want to keep eating alone, so she approached him.

"Is this seat taken?"

Gabe looked up at the soft female voice asking about the seat across from him. He couldn't place her face; another memeber of the crew he'd not looked into. He made a mental note to go over the entire crew roster first chance he got, if only to keep himself from getting caught out.

"No, you're welcome to sit down, though I'm not sure how great my company will be today, Lieutenant." He replied weakly, "It's been a very very long day."

"Yes, it has been," she agreed as she took a seat. "I would say that it can't get any worse but it's only lunch and it very well could. That's not very optimistic, I know, but after yesterday I don't think we can find very many people to be optimistic..."

It wasn't a very counselor thing to say but she smiled at him. "You must be Gabriel Sharpe, right? I could be wrong, we haven't met, but I've heard a lot about you through the grapevine. Then again, you could be Vladislav from security, but the engineers seem to know you and you're not Russian...I'm Shelley Kingston."

She held her hand out gingerly for him to shake.

||Starbase 12
||Deck 12 Section 5 Entrance
||TBA
||TBA

Gabe stood, his arms folded across his chest as he watched the engineers working to repair the damage done to deck 12 section 5 after the power spike that had blown out the force field generators. Chief Bakel had practically forced him to take time out so he stood here now. He took a drink from the steaming cup that sat on the sill of the window he'd viewed the bodies of the dead from. A shiver ran down his spine as he remembered those few minutes in vivid detail, like some safety holovideo.

He closed his eyes as he took another drink, letting the hot tea run down his throat and wondered if he had chance to go get himself a snack, it left like days since he'd last eaten. For what left like the billionish time he went over the event in his mind, what could he have done differently?

Shelley was still trying to get the image of Julianne's bloody body out of her mind, but every time she closed her eyes that was all she could see, so she was taking some time out in the Mess Hall. Right now she wanted to have some time to herself, so she got the replicater to get her some food and took her tray over to an empty table to try and eat in peace. There was the occasional look cast her way from people who might potentially want to approach her, but none did and sometimes she wanted to talk to people too who looked like they were having a rough time.

"Who isn't having a rough time right now?" She asked herself.

After draining what was left of his tea, Gabe spun on his heel and walked down the corridor. If nothing else he needed to refill his drink; though he was hungry he didn't exactly have an appetite. His mind wandered as he made his way towards the Mess Hall images of the event flashed unbidden threw his head.

He shook his head to try and clear his thoughts as he entered the Mess Hall. He got a few nods from off duty engineers as he entered. He gave a curt nod back and placed his cup in the replicator, leaning against the wall as the cup dissolved into nothingness. He felt tired, not from lack of sleep but from emotional fatigue; right now he was drained.

He ordered another cup of tea and pulled off his jacket, tossing it onto one of the empty seats before dropping into it. He rolled his neck and took a drink. If Chief Bakel needed him she'd call, but until then he planned to rest for as long as he could.

Shelley was trying to focus on her soup, not really succeeding as the hustle and bustle of the place seemed a little bit overwhelming. There were people here that had lost family and friends and then Gabe had walked in and she noticed engineers giving him nod. Just as it was the CMO's job to know everyone's medical histories as best as they could, Shelley was supposed to know that of the junior officers...Gabe wasn't on the junior officer list she tended to, but she knew who he was.

She had heard that he was the one to find the bodies and it looked to her like maybe he wasn't eating? Obviously she couldn't know that for sure, but she had a feeling that he might need someone to talk to and until a new Chief Counselor was appointed this was her job...but maybe he wanted to be left alone. All she knew as she stood up with her tray was that he wasn't crying or anything and she didn't want to keep eating alone, so she approached him.

"Is this seat taken?"

Gabe looked up at the soft female voice asking about the seat across from him. He couldn't place her face; another memeber of the crew he'd not looked into. He made a mental note to go over the entire crew roster first chance he got, if only to keep himself from getting caught out.

"No, you're welcome to sit down, though I'm not sure how great my company will be today, Lieutenant." He replied weakly, "It's been a very very long day."

"Yes, it has been," she agreed as she took a seat. "I would say that it can't get any worse but it's only lunch and it very well could. That's not very optimistic, I know, but after yesterday I don't think we can find very many people to be optimistic..."

It wasn't a very counselor thing to say but she smiled at him. "You must be Gabriel Sharpe, right? I could be wrong, we haven't met, but I've heard a lot about you through the grapevine. Then again, you could be Vladislav from security, but the engineers seem to know you and you're not Russian...I'm Shelley Kingston."

She held her hand out gingerly for him to shake.

"Pleased to meet ya Shelley, and yes I'm Gabe." He said, giving her hand a shake. "No after yesterday i think we're all gonna be a little worse for wear as it were." He took a drink and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "I think it's safe to say that yesterday was as close to hell as anyone really wants to get, know i didn't exactly have a good day."

He tryed his best to keep his best poker face going, but at the moment he was finding it harder and harder.

||Starbase 12
||Deck 12 Section 5 Entrance
||TBA
||TBA

Gabe stood, his arms folded across his chest as he watched the engineers working to repair the damage done to deck 12 section 5 after the power spike that had blown out the force field generators. Chief Bakel had practically forced him to take time out so he stood here now. He took a drink from the steaming cup that sat on the sill of the window he'd viewed the bodies of the dead from. A shiver ran down his spine as he remembered those few minutes in vivid detail, like some safety holovideo.

He closed his eyes as he took another drink, letting the hot tea run down his throat and wondered if he had chance to go get himself a snack, it left like days since he'd last eaten. For what left like the billionish time he went over the event in his mind, what could he have done differently?

Shelley was still trying to get the image of Julianne's bloody body out of her mind, but every time she closed her eyes that was all she could see, so she was taking some time out in the Mess Hall. Right now she wanted to have some time to herself, so she got the replicater to get her some food and took her tray over to an empty table to try and eat in peace. There was the occasional look cast her way from people who might potentially want to approach her, but none did and sometimes she wanted to talk to people too who looked like they were having a rough time.

"Who isn't having a rough time right now?" She asked herself.

After draining what was left of his tea, Gabe spun on his heel and walked down the corridor. If nothing else he needed to refill his drink; though he was hungry he didn't exactly have an appetite. His mind wandered as he made his way towards the Mess Hall images of the event flashed unbidden threw his head.

He shook his head to try and clear his thoughts as he entered the Mess Hall. He got a few nods from off duty engineers as he entered. He gave a curt nod back and placed his cup in the replicator, leaning against the wall as the cup dissolved into nothingness. He felt tired, not from lack of sleep but from emotional fatigue; right now he was drained.

He ordered another cup of tea and pulled off his jacket, tossing it onto one of the empty seats before dropping into it. He rolled his neck and took a drink. If Chief Bakel needed him she'd call, but until then he planned to rest for as long as he could.

Shelley was trying to focus on her soup, not really succeeding as the hustle and bustle of the place seemed a little bit overwhelming. There were people here that had lost family and friends and then Gabe had walked in and she noticed engineers giving him nod. Just as it was the CMO's job to know everyone's medical histories as best as they could, Shelley was supposed to know that of the junior officers...Gabe wasn't on the junior officer list she tended to, but she knew who he was.

She had heard that he was the one to find the bodies and it looked to her like maybe he wasn't eating? Obviously she couldn't know that for sure, but she had a feeling that he might need someone to talk to and until a new Chief Counselor was appointed this was her job...but maybe he wanted to be left alone. All she knew as she stood up with her tray was that he wasn't crying or anything and she didn't want to keep eating alone, so she approached him.

"Is this seat taken?"

Gabe looked up at the soft female voice asking about the seat across from him. He couldn't place her face; another memeber of the crew he'd not looked into. He made a mental note to go over the entire crew roster first chance he got, if only to keep himself from getting caught out.

"No, you're welcome to sit down, though I'm not sure how great my company will be today, Lieutenant." He replied weakly, "It's been a very very long day."

"Yes, it has been," she agreed as she took a seat. "I would say that it can't get any worse but it's only lunch and it very well could. That's not very optimistic, I know, but after yesterday I don't think we can find very many people to be optimistic..."

It wasn't a very counselor thing to say but she smiled at him. "You must be Gabriel Sharpe, right? I could be wrong, we haven't met, but I've heard a lot about you through the grapevine. Then again, you could be Vladislav from security, but the engineers seem to know you and you're not Russian...I'm Shelley Kingston."

She held her hand out gingerly for him to shake.

"Pleased to meet ya Shelley, and yes I'm Gabe." He said, giving her hand a shake. "No, after yesterday I think we're all gonna be a little worse for wear as it were." He took a drink and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "I think it's safe to say that yesterday was as close to hell as anyone really wants to get, know I didn't exactly have a good day."

He tried his best to keep his best poker face going, but at the moment he was finding it harder and harder.

"I didn't either," Shelley admitted as she took a bite of her sandwich.

She took that moment to look Gabe over as she chewed her food politely, not wanting to talk with her mouth full because he'd think she was un-ladylike. Besides, it was imperative in her line of work to make sure that she was really observant and if she didn't take the time now to assess the situation than she never would...but he was a little bit distracting. Shelley noted his physique and the color of his eyes as she studied him, setting the sandwich down and wiping her fingers on her napkin before she swallowed and opened her mouth to speak again.

"Yesterday was kind of...well, nothing has happened like this since the accident. I think it's safe to say that everyone's in a funk, but there's always someone to talk to," Shelley tried, smiling gently at him. "I know we only just met, but I've found that a total stranger can actually be the best secret keeper. I'll even start us off--I lost my best friend during the accident and the closest replacement I got was murdered yesterday and I found her dead body. If yesterday was Hell...I hope it was better for others."

||Starbase 12
||Deck 12 Section 5 Entrance
||TBA
||TBA

Gabe stood, his arms folded across his chest as he watched the engineers working to repair the damage done to deck 12 section 5 after the power spike that had blown out the force field generators. Chief Bakel had practically forced him to take time out so he stood here now. He took a drink from the steaming cup that sat on the sill of the window he'd viewed the bodies of the dead from. A shiver ran down his spine as he remembered those few minutes in vivid detail, like some safety holovideo.

He closed his eyes as he took another drink, letting the hot tea run down his throat and wondered if he had chance to go get himself a snack, it left like days since he'd last eaten. For what left like the billionish time he went over the event in his mind, what could he have done differently?

Shelley was still trying to get the image of Julianne's bloody body out of her mind, but every time she closed her eyes that was all she could see, so she was taking some time out in the Mess Hall. Right now she wanted to have some time to herself, so she got the replicater to get her some food and took her tray over to an empty table to try and eat in peace. There was the occasional look cast her way from people who might potentially want to approach her, but none did and sometimes she wanted to talk to people too who looked like they were having a rough time.

"Who isn't having a rough time right now?" She asked herself.

After draining what was left of his tea, Gabe spun on his heel and walked down the corridor. If nothing else he needed to refill his drink; though he was hungry he didn't exactly have an appetite. His mind wandered as he made his way towards the Mess Hall images of the event flashed unbidden threw his head.

He shook his head to try and clear his thoughts as he entered the Mess Hall. He got a few nods from off duty engineers as he entered. He gave a curt nod back and placed his cup in the replicator, leaning against the wall as the cup dissolved into nothingness. He felt tired, not from lack of sleep but from emotional fatigue; right now he was drained.

He ordered another cup of tea and pulled off his jacket, tossing it onto one of the empty seats before dropping into it. He rolled his neck and took a drink. If Chief Bakel needed him she'd call, but until then he planned to rest for as long as he could.

Shelley was trying to focus on her soup, not really succeeding as the hustle and bustle of the place seemed a little bit overwhelming. There were people here that had lost family and friends and then Gabe had walked in and she noticed engineers giving him nod. Just as it was the CMO's job to know everyone's medical histories as best as they could, Shelley was supposed to know that of the junior officers...Gabe wasn't on the junior officer list she tended to, but she knew who he was.

She had heard that he was the one to find the bodies and it looked to her like maybe he wasn't eating? Obviously she couldn't know that for sure, but she had a feeling that he might need someone to talk to and until a new Chief Counselor was appointed this was her job...but maybe he wanted to be left alone. All she knew as she stood up with her tray was that he wasn't crying or anything and she didn't want to keep eating alone, so she approached him.

"Is this seat taken?"

Gabe looked up at the soft female voice asking about the seat across from him. He couldn't place her face; another memeber of the crew he'd not looked into. He made a mental note to go over the entire crew roster first chance he got, if only to keep himself from getting caught out.

"No, you're welcome to sit down, though I'm not sure how great my company will be today, Lieutenant." He replied weakly, "It's been a very very long day."

"Yes, it has been," she agreed as she took a seat. "I would say that it can't get any worse but it's only lunch and it very well could. That's not very optimistic, I know, but after yesterday I don't think we can find very many people to be optimistic..."

It wasn't a very counselor thing to say but she smiled at him. "You must be Gabriel Sharpe, right? I could be wrong, we haven't met, but I've heard a lot about you through the grapevine. Then again, you could be Vladislav from security, but the engineers seem to know you and you're not Russian...I'm Shelley Kingston."

She held her hand out gingerly for him to shake.

"Pleased to meet ya Shelley, and yes I'm Gabe." He said, giving her hand a shake. "No, after yesterday I think we're all gonna be a little worse for wear as it were." He took a drink and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "I think it's safe to say that yesterday was as close to hell as anyone really wants to get, know I didn't exactly have a good day."

He tried his best to keep his best poker face going, but at the moment he was finding it harder and harder.

"I didn't either," Shelley admitted as she took a bite of her sandwich.

She took that moment to look Gabe over as she chewed her food politely, not wanting to talk with her mouth full because he'd think she was un-ladylike. Besides, it was imperative in her line of work to make sure that she was really observant and if she didn't take the time now to assess the situation than she never would...but he was a little bit distracting. Shelley noted his physique and the color of his eyes as she studied him, setting the sandwich down and wiping her fingers on her napkin before she swallowed and opened her mouth to speak again.

"Yesterday was kind of...well, nothing has happened like this since the accident. I think it's safe to say that everyone's in a funk, but there's always someone to talk to," Shelley tried, smiling gently at him. "I know we only just met, but I've found that a total stranger can actually be the best secret keeper. I'll even start us off--I lost my best friend during the accident and the closest replacement I got was murdered yesterday and I found her dead body. If yesterday was Hell...I hope it was better for others."

"Sorry to hear that." He said sadly, "My day wasn't that great either spent twenty minutes trying to save everyone in Section 5... as ya may have guessed, i failed."

He took a drink of tea and gave a slight smile as something clicked in his mind.

"Ya a counselor aren't ya?" he asked, watching her face.

||Starbase 12
||Deck 12 Section 5 Entrance > Mess Hall
||August 3, 2387
||1404

Gabe stood, his arms folded across his chest as he watched the engineers working to repair the damage done to deck 12 section 5 after the power spike that had blown out the force field generators. Chief Bakel had practically forced him to take time out so he stood here now. He took a drink from the steaming cup that sat on the sill of the window he'd viewed the bodies of the dead from. A shiver ran down his spine as he remembered those few minutes in vivid detail, like some safety holovideo.

He closed his eyes as he took another drink, letting the hot tea run down his throat and wondered if he had chance to go get himself a snack, it left like days since he'd last eaten. For what left like the billionish time he went over the event in his mind, what could he have done differently?

Shelley was still trying to get the image of Julianne's bloody body out of her mind, but every time she closed her eyes that was all she could see, so she was taking some time out in the Mess Hall. Right now she wanted to have some time to herself, so she got the replicater to get her some food and took her tray over to an empty table to try and eat in peace. There was the occasional look cast her way from people who might potentially want to approach her, but none did and sometimes she wanted to talk to people too who looked like they were having a rough time.

"Who isn't having a rough time right now?" She asked herself.

After draining what was left of his tea, Gabe spun on his heel and walked down the corridor. If nothing else he needed to refill his drink; though he was hungry he didn't exactly have an appetite. His mind wandered as he made his way towards the Mess Hall images of the event flashed unbidden threw his head.

He shook his head to try and clear his thoughts as he entered the Mess Hall. He got a few nods from off duty engineers as he entered. He gave a curt nod back and placed his cup in the replicator, leaning against the wall as the cup dissolved into nothingness. He felt tired, not from lack of sleep but from emotional fatigue; right now he was drained.

He ordered another cup of tea and pulled off his jacket, tossing it onto one of the empty seats before dropping into it. He rolled his neck and took a drink. If Chief Bakel needed him she'd call, but until then he planned to rest for as long as he could.

Shelley was trying to focus on her soup, not really succeeding as the hustle and bustle of the place seemed a little bit overwhelming. There were people here that had lost family and friends and then Gabe had walked in and she noticed engineers giving him nod. Just as it was the CMO's job to know everyone's medical histories as best as they could, Shelley was supposed to know that of the junior officers...Gabe wasn't on the junior officer list she tended to, but she knew who he was.

She had heard that he was the one to find the bodies and it looked to her like maybe he wasn't eating? Obviously she couldn't know that for sure, but she had a feeling that he might need someone to talk to and until a new Chief Counselor was appointed this was her job...but maybe he wanted to be left alone. All she knew as she stood up with her tray was that he wasn't crying or anything and she didn't want to keep eating alone, so she approached him.

"Is this seat taken?"

Gabe looked up at the soft female voice asking about the seat across from him. He couldn't place her face; another memeber of the crew he'd not looked into. He made a mental note to go over the entire crew roster first chance he got, if only to keep himself from getting caught out.

"No, you're welcome to sit down, though I'm not sure how great my company will be today, Lieutenant." He replied weakly, "It's been a very very long day."

"Yes, it has been," she agreed as she took a seat. "I would say that it can't get any worse but it's only lunch and it very well could. That's not very optimistic, I know, but after yesterday I don't think we can find very many people to be optimistic..."

It wasn't a very counselor thing to say but she smiled at him. "You must be Gabriel Sharpe, right? I could be wrong, we haven't met, but I've heard a lot about you through the grapevine. Then again, you could be Vladislav from security, but the engineers seem to know you and you're not Russian...I'm Shelley Kingston."

She held her hand out gingerly for him to shake.

"Pleased to meet ya Shelley, and yes I'm Gabe." He said, giving her hand a shake. "No, after yesterday I think we're all gonna be a little worse for wear as it were." He took a drink and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "I think it's safe to say that yesterday was as close to hell as anyone really wants to get, know I didn't exactly have a good day."

He tried his best to keep his best poker face going, but at the moment he was finding it harder and harder.

"I didn't either," Shelley admitted as she took a bite of her sandwich.

She took that moment to look Gabe over as she chewed her food politely, not wanting to talk with her mouth full because he'd think she was un-ladylike. Besides, it was imperative in her line of work to make sure that she was really observant and if she didn't take the time now to assess the situation than she never would...but he was a little bit distracting. Shelley noted his physique and the color of his eyes as she studied him, setting the sandwich down and wiping her fingers on her napkin before she swallowed and opened her mouth to speak again.

"Yesterday was kind of...well, nothing has happened like this since the accident. I think it's safe to say that everyone's in a funk, but there's always someone to talk to," Shelley tried, smiling gently at him. "I know we only just met, but I've found that a total stranger can actually be the best secret keeper. I'll even start us off--I lost my best friend during the accident and the closest replacement I got was murdered yesterday and I found her dead body. If yesterday was Hell...I hope it was better for others."

"Sorry to hear that," he said sadly. "My day wasn't that great either. Spent twenty minutes trying to save everyone in Section 5...as ya may have guessed, I failed."

He took a drink of tea and gave a slight smile as something clicked in his mind.

"Ya a counselor aren't ya?" he asked, watching her face.

"In my on hours," she admitted, not wanting to lie to him. "Honestly though, before I can other people, I have to help myself and if I don't want to talk about, why would anyone else? I've been feeling quite the failure myself today and to be honest...there wasn't much you could do. Jason Cobalt knew the Starbase inside and out--he's been here longer than most of us and he snapped because he was going to be a father and it was all ripped away from him. I understand why he did it even though I can't condone it and I can't forgive it. Isn't that what I'm supposed to be teaching people though? Forgiveness so that they can move on with their lives?"

She took a deep breath and shook her head. "I understand that he was grieving and I understand that he was in pain that we couldn't take away, but he killed innocent people yesterday all because he thought that things were being handled unfairly. If everyone started thinking like that then this would be a zoo. Yesterday wasn't your fault, Gabriel...yesterday was just something that you were forced to watch and the sooner you forgive yourself for something you didn't do, the sooner you can feel better, but I'm off duty. I just came to sit with the cute engineer so I wouldn't have to eat lunch alone."

||Starbase 12
||Deck 12 Section 5 Entrance > Mess Hall
||August 3, 2387
||1404

Gabe stood, his arms folded across his chest as he watched the engineers working to repair the damage done to deck 12 section 5 after the power spike that had blown out the force field generators. Chief Bakel had practically forced him to take time out so he stood here now. He took a drink from the steaming cup that sat on the sill of the window he'd viewed the bodies of the dead from. A shiver ran down his spine as he remembered those few minutes in vivid detail, like some safety holovideo.

He closed his eyes as he took another drink, letting the hot tea run down his throat and wondered if he had chance to go get himself a snack, it left like days since he'd last eaten. For what left like the billionish time he went over the event in his mind, what could he have done differently?

Shelley was still trying to get the image of Julianne's bloody body out of her mind, but every time she closed her eyes that was all she could see, so she was taking some time out in the Mess Hall. Right now she wanted to have some time to herself, so she got the replicater to get her some food and took her tray over to an empty table to try and eat in peace. There was the occasional look cast her way from people who might potentially want to approach her, but none did and sometimes she wanted to talk to people too who looked like they were having a rough time.

"Who isn't having a rough time right now?" She asked herself.

After draining what was left of his tea, Gabe spun on his heel and walked down the corridor. If nothing else he needed to refill his drink; though he was hungry he didn't exactly have an appetite. His mind wandered as he made his way towards the Mess Hall images of the event flashed unbidden threw his head.

He shook his head to try and clear his thoughts as he entered the Mess Hall. He got a few nods from off duty engineers as he entered. He gave a curt nod back and placed his cup in the replicator, leaning against the wall as the cup dissolved into nothingness. He felt tired, not from lack of sleep but from emotional fatigue; right now he was drained.

He ordered another cup of tea and pulled off his jacket, tossing it onto one of the empty seats before dropping into it. He rolled his neck and took a drink. If Chief Bakel needed him she'd call, but until then he planned to rest for as long as he could.

Shelley was trying to focus on her soup, not really succeeding as the hustle and bustle of the place seemed a little bit overwhelming. There were people here that had lost family and friends and then Gabe had walked in and she noticed engineers giving him nod. Just as it was the CMO's job to know everyone's medical histories as best as they could, Shelley was supposed to know that of the junior officers...Gabe wasn't on the junior officer list she tended to, but she knew who he was.

She had heard that he was the one to find the bodies and it looked to her like maybe he wasn't eating? Obviously she couldn't know that for sure, but she had a feeling that he might need someone to talk to and until a new Chief Counselor was appointed this was her job...but maybe he wanted to be left alone. All she knew as she stood up with her tray was that he wasn't crying or anything and she didn't want to keep eating alone, so she approached him.

"Is this seat taken?"

Gabe looked up at the soft female voice asking about the seat across from him. He couldn't place her face; another memeber of the crew he'd not looked into. He made a mental note to go over the entire crew roster first chance he got, if only to keep himself from getting caught out.

"No, you're welcome to sit down, though I'm not sure how great my company will be today, Lieutenant." He replied weakly, "It's been a very very long day."

"Yes, it has been," she agreed as she took a seat. "I would say that it can't get any worse but it's only lunch and it very well could. That's not very optimistic, I know, but after yesterday I don't think we can find very many people to be optimistic..."

It wasn't a very counselor thing to say but she smiled at him. "You must be Gabriel Sharpe, right? I could be wrong, we haven't met, but I've heard a lot about you through the grapevine. Then again, you could be Vladislav from security, but the engineers seem to know you and you're not Russian...I'm Shelley Kingston."

She held her hand out gingerly for him to shake.

"Pleased to meet ya Shelley, and yes I'm Gabe." He said, giving her hand a shake. "No, after yesterday I think we're all gonna be a little worse for wear as it were." He took a drink and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "I think it's safe to say that yesterday was as close to hell as anyone really wants to get, know I didn't exactly have a good day."

He tried his best to keep his best poker face going, but at the moment he was finding it harder and harder.

"I didn't either," Shelley admitted as she took a bite of her sandwich.

She took that moment to look Gabe over as she chewed her food politely, not wanting to talk with her mouth full because he'd think she was un-ladylike. Besides, it was imperative in her line of work to make sure that she was really observant and if she didn't take the time now to assess the situation than she never would...but he was a little bit distracting. Shelley noted his physique and the color of his eyes as she studied him, setting the sandwich down and wiping her fingers on her napkin before she swallowed and opened her mouth to speak again.

"Yesterday was kind of...well, nothing has happened like this since the accident. I think it's safe to say that everyone's in a funk, but there's always someone to talk to," Shelley tried, smiling gently at him. "I know we only just met, but I've found that a total stranger can actually be the best secret keeper. I'll even start us off--I lost my best friend during the accident and the closest replacement I got was murdered yesterday and I found her dead body. If yesterday was Hell...I hope it was better for others."

"Sorry to hear that," he said sadly. "My day wasn't that great either. Spent twenty minutes trying to save everyone in Section 5...as ya may have guessed, I failed."

He took a drink of tea and gave a slight smile as something clicked in his mind.

"Ya a counselor aren't ya?" he asked, watching her face.

"In my on hours," she admitted, not wanting to lie to him. "Honestly though, before I can other people, I have to help myself and if I don't want to talk about, why would anyone else? I've been feeling quite the failure myself today and to be honest...there wasn't much you could do. Jason Cobalt knew the Starbase inside and out--he's been here longer than most of us and he snapped because he was going to be a father and it was all ripped away from him. I understand why he did it even though I can't condone it and I can't forgive it. Isn't that what I'm supposed to be teaching people though? Forgiveness so that they can move on with their lives?"

She took a deep breath and shook her head. "I understand that he was grieving and I understand that he was in pain that we couldn't take away, but he killed innocent people yesterday all because he thought that things were being handled unfairly. If everyone started thinking like that then this would be a zoo. Yesterday wasn't your fault, Gabriel...yesterday was just something that you were forced to watch and the sooner you forgive yourself for something you didn't do, the sooner you can feel better, but I'm off duty. I just came to sit with the cute engineer so I wouldn't have to eat lunch alone."

"Deep down i know it wasn't my fault, the deck was stacked from the very start to make sure i lost. But right now i can't seem to feel it. Yesterday is something i'll remember for a very long time... quite literally." He placed his cup on the table and leant back in his chair.

"Personally i can't forgive him, yes the loss of child is tragic and not something i'd wish on anyone, but the guy murdered god knows how many people, i still haven't been able to bring myself to check the total number of dead yet."

Having finished that little rant he smiled, "Cute engineer huh? not so bad yaself there counselor, well i guess we can't have ya eating alone now can we"

||Starbase 12
||Deck 12 Section 5 Entrance > Mess Hall
||August 3, 2387
||1404

Gabe stood, his arms folded across his chest as he watched the engineers working to repair the damage done to deck 12 section 5 after the power spike that had blown out the force field generators. Chief Bakel had practically forced him to take time out so he stood here now. He took a drink from the steaming cup that sat on the sill of the window he'd viewed the bodies of the dead from. A shiver ran down his spine as he remembered those few minutes in vivid detail, like some safety holovideo.

He closed his eyes as he took another drink, letting the hot tea run down his throat and wondered if he had chance to go get himself a snack, it left like days since he'd last eaten. For what left like the billionish time he went over the event in his mind, what could he have done differently?

Shelley was still trying to get the image of Julianne's bloody body out of her mind, but every time she closed her eyes that was all she could see, so she was taking some time out in the Mess Hall. Right now she wanted to have some time to herself, so she got the replicater to get her some food and took her tray over to an empty table to try and eat in peace. There was the occasional look cast her way from people who might potentially want to approach her, but none did and sometimes she wanted to talk to people too who looked like they were having a rough time.

"Who isn't having a rough time right now?" She asked herself.

After draining what was left of his tea, Gabe spun on his heel and walked down the corridor. If nothing else he needed to refill his drink; though he was hungry he didn't exactly have an appetite. His mind wandered as he made his way towards the Mess Hall images of the event flashed unbidden threw his head.

He shook his head to try and clear his thoughts as he entered the Mess Hall. He got a few nods from off duty engineers as he entered. He gave a curt nod back and placed his cup in the replicator, leaning against the wall as the cup dissolved into nothingness. He felt tired, not from lack of sleep but from emotional fatigue; right now he was drained.

He ordered another cup of tea and pulled off his jacket, tossing it onto one of the empty seats before dropping into it. He rolled his neck and took a drink. If Chief Bakel needed him she'd call, but until then he planned to rest for as long as he could.

Shelley was trying to focus on her soup, not really succeeding as the hustle and bustle of the place seemed a little bit overwhelming. There were people here that had lost family and friends and then Gabe had walked in and she noticed engineers giving him nod. Just as it was the CMO's job to know everyone's medical histories as best as they could, Shelley was supposed to know that of the junior officers...Gabe wasn't on the junior officer list she tended to, but she knew who he was.

She had heard that he was the one to find the bodies and it looked to her like maybe he wasn't eating? Obviously she couldn't know that for sure, but she had a feeling that he might need someone to talk to and until a new Chief Counselor was appointed this was her job...but maybe he wanted to be left alone. All she knew as she stood up with her tray was that he wasn't crying or anything and she didn't want to keep eating alone, so she approached him.

"Is this seat taken?"

Gabe looked up at the soft female voice asking about the seat across from him. He couldn't place her face; another memeber of the crew he'd not looked into. He made a mental note to go over the entire crew roster first chance he got, if only to keep himself from getting caught out.

"No, you're welcome to sit down, though I'm not sure how great my company will be today, Lieutenant." He replied weakly, "It's been a very very long day."

"Yes, it has been," she agreed as she took a seat. "I would say that it can't get any worse but it's only lunch and it very well could. That's not very optimistic, I know, but after yesterday I don't think we can find very many people to be optimistic..."

It wasn't a very counselor thing to say but she smiled at him. "You must be Gabriel Sharpe, right? I could be wrong, we haven't met, but I've heard a lot about you through the grapevine. Then again, you could be Vladislav from security, but the engineers seem to know you and you're not Russian...I'm Shelley Kingston."

She held her hand out gingerly for him to shake.

"Pleased to meet ya Shelley, and yes I'm Gabe." He said, giving her hand a shake. "No, after yesterday I think we're all gonna be a little worse for wear as it were." He took a drink and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "I think it's safe to say that yesterday was as close to hell as anyone really wants to get, know I didn't exactly have a good day."

He tried his best to keep his best poker face going, but at the moment he was finding it harder and harder.

"I didn't either," Shelley admitted as she took a bite of her sandwich.

She took that moment to look Gabe over as she chewed her food politely, not wanting to talk with her mouth full because he'd think she was un-ladylike. Besides, it was imperative in her line of work to make sure that she was really observant and if she didn't take the time now to assess the situation than she never would...but he was a little bit distracting. Shelley noted his physique and the color of his eyes as she studied him, setting the sandwich down and wiping her fingers on her napkin before she swallowed and opened her mouth to speak again.

"Yesterday was kind of...well, nothing has happened like this since the accident. I think it's safe to say that everyone's in a funk, but there's always someone to talk to," Shelley tried, smiling gently at him. "I know we only just met, but I've found that a total stranger can actually be the best secret keeper. I'll even start us off--I lost my best friend during the accident and the closest replacement I got was murdered yesterday and I found her dead body. If yesterday was Hell...I hope it was better for others."

"Sorry to hear that," he said sadly. "My day wasn't that great either. Spent twenty minutes trying to save everyone in Section 5...as ya may have guessed, I failed."

He took a drink of tea and gave a slight smile as something clicked in his mind.

"Ya a counselor aren't ya?" he asked, watching her face.

"In my on hours," she admitted, not wanting to lie to him. "Honestly though, before I can other people, I have to help myself and if I don't want to talk about, why would anyone else? I've been feeling quite the failure myself today and to be honest...there wasn't much you could do. Jason Cobalt knew the Starbase inside and out--he's been here longer than most of us and he snapped because he was going to be a father and it was all ripped away from him. I understand why he did it even though I can't condone it and I can't forgive it. Isn't that what I'm supposed to be teaching people though? Forgiveness so that they can move on with their lives?"

She took a deep breath and shook her head. "I understand that he was grieving and I understand that he was in pain that we couldn't take away, but he killed innocent people yesterday all because he thought that things were being handled unfairly. If everyone started thinking like that then this would be a zoo. Yesterday wasn't your fault, Gabriel...yesterday was just something that you were forced to watch and the sooner you forgive yourself for something you didn't do, the sooner you can feel better, but I'm off duty. I just came to sit with the cute engineer so I wouldn't have to eat lunch alone."

"Deep down I know it wasn't my fault--the deck was stacked from the very start to make sure I lost--but right now I can't seem to feel it. Yesterday is something I'll remember for a very long time...quite literally." He placed his cup on the table and leaned back in his chair.

"Personally I can't forgive him; yes the loss of a child is tragic and not something I'd wish on anyone, but the guy murdered god knows how many people...I still haven't been able to bring myself to check the total number of dead yet."

Having finished that little rant he smiled, "Cute engineer huh? Not so bad yaself there counselor. Well, I guess we can't have ya eating alone now can we?"

"I agree with you whole heartedly and...it's probably best we change the subject," she suggested as she thought about how many people had died yesterday, blushing a little at him. "Thank you. This morning I didn't think I'd have it in me to even roll out of bed let alone shower and brush my hair."

She giggled and then ate a couple of green beans before continuing. "So what do you do when you're not working? You must have a hobby or two to keep you nice and busy...unless work is your life. I hear a lot about engineers and their crazy hours, so I'm sorry if I'm being too noisy--I just figured I should try to get to know you."

The smile that came next was warm and genuine, and her eyes were glued on him as she sipped her hot chocolate.

||Starbase 12
||Deck 12 Section 5 Entrance > Mess Hall
||August 3, 2387
||1404

Gabe stood, his arms folded across his chest as he watched the engineers working to repair the damage done to deck 12 section 5 after the power spike that had blown out the force field generators. Chief Bakel had practically forced him to take time out so he stood here now. He took a drink from the steaming cup that sat on the sill of the window he'd viewed the bodies of the dead from. A shiver ran down his spine as he remembered those few minutes in vivid detail, like some safety holovideo.

He closed his eyes as he took another drink, letting the hot tea run down his throat and wondered if he had chance to go get himself a snack, it left like days since he'd last eaten. For what left like the billionish time he went over the event in his mind, what could he have done differently?

Shelley was still trying to get the image of Julianne's bloody body out of her mind, but every time she closed her eyes that was all she could see, so she was taking some time out in the Mess Hall. Right now she wanted to have some time to herself, so she got the replicater to get her some food and took her tray over to an empty table to try and eat in peace. There was the occasional look cast her way from people who might potentially want to approach her, but none did and sometimes she wanted to talk to people too who looked like they were having a rough time.

"Who isn't having a rough time right now?" She asked herself.

After draining what was left of his tea, Gabe spun on his heel and walked down the corridor. If nothing else he needed to refill his drink; though he was hungry he didn't exactly have an appetite. His mind wandered as he made his way towards the Mess Hall images of the event flashed unbidden threw his head.

He shook his head to try and clear his thoughts as he entered the Mess Hall. He got a few nods from off duty engineers as he entered. He gave a curt nod back and placed his cup in the replicator, leaning against the wall as the cup dissolved into nothingness. He felt tired, not from lack of sleep but from emotional fatigue; right now he was drained.

He ordered another cup of tea and pulled off his jacket, tossing it onto one of the empty seats before dropping into it. He rolled his neck and took a drink. If Chief Bakel needed him she'd call, but until then he planned to rest for as long as he could.

Shelley was trying to focus on her soup, not really succeeding as the hustle and bustle of the place seemed a little bit overwhelming. There were people here that had lost family and friends and then Gabe had walked in and she noticed engineers giving him nod. Just as it was the CMO's job to know everyone's medical histories as best as they could, Shelley was supposed to know that of the junior officers...Gabe wasn't on the junior officer list she tended to, but she knew who he was.

She had heard that he was the one to find the bodies and it looked to her like maybe he wasn't eating? Obviously she couldn't know that for sure, but she had a feeling that he might need someone to talk to and until a new Chief Counselor was appointed this was her job...but maybe he wanted to be left alone. All she knew as she stood up with her tray was that he wasn't crying or anything and she didn't want to keep eating alone, so she approached him.

"Is this seat taken?"

Gabe looked up at the soft female voice asking about the seat across from him. He couldn't place her face; another memeber of the crew he'd not looked into. He made a mental note to go over the entire crew roster first chance he got, if only to keep himself from getting caught out.

"No, you're welcome to sit down, though I'm not sure how great my company will be today, Lieutenant." He replied weakly, "It's been a very very long day."

"Yes, it has been," she agreed as she took a seat. "I would say that it can't get any worse but it's only lunch and it very well could. That's not very optimistic, I know, but after yesterday I don't think we can find very many people to be optimistic..."

It wasn't a very counselor thing to say but she smiled at him. "You must be Gabriel Sharpe, right? I could be wrong, we haven't met, but I've heard a lot about you through the grapevine. Then again, you could be Vladislav from security, but the engineers seem to know you and you're not Russian...I'm Shelley Kingston."

She held her hand out gingerly for him to shake.

"Pleased to meet ya Shelley, and yes I'm Gabe." He said, giving her hand a shake. "No, after yesterday I think we're all gonna be a little worse for wear as it were." He took a drink and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "I think it's safe to say that yesterday was as close to hell as anyone really wants to get, know I didn't exactly have a good day."

He tried his best to keep his best poker face going, but at the moment he was finding it harder and harder.

"I didn't either," Shelley admitted as she took a bite of her sandwich.

She took that moment to look Gabe over as she chewed her food politely, not wanting to talk with her mouth full because he'd think she was un-ladylike. Besides, it was imperative in her line of work to make sure that she was really observant and if she didn't take the time now to assess the situation than she never would...but he was a little bit distracting. Shelley noted his physique and the color of his eyes as she studied him, setting the sandwich down and wiping her fingers on her napkin before she swallowed and opened her mouth to speak again.

"Yesterday was kind of...well, nothing has happened like this since the accident. I think it's safe to say that everyone's in a funk, but there's always someone to talk to," Shelley tried, smiling gently at him. "I know we only just met, but I've found that a total stranger can actually be the best secret keeper. I'll even start us off--I lost my best friend during the accident and the closest replacement I got was murdered yesterday and I found her dead body. If yesterday was Hell...I hope it was better for others."

"Sorry to hear that," he said sadly. "My day wasn't that great either. Spent twenty minutes trying to save everyone in Section 5...as ya may have guessed, I failed."

He took a drink of tea and gave a slight smile as something clicked in his mind.

"Ya a counselor aren't ya?" he asked, watching her face.

"In my on hours," she admitted, not wanting to lie to him. "Honestly though, before I can other people, I have to help myself and if I don't want to talk about, why would anyone else? I've been feeling quite the failure myself today and to be honest...there wasn't much you could do. Jason Cobalt knew the Starbase inside and out--he's been here longer than most of us and he snapped because he was going to be a father and it was all ripped away from him. I understand why he did it even though I can't condone it and I can't forgive it. Isn't that what I'm supposed to be teaching people though? Forgiveness so that they can move on with their lives?"

She took a deep breath and shook her head. "I understand that he was grieving and I understand that he was in pain that we couldn't take away, but he killed innocent people yesterday all because he thought that things were being handled unfairly. If everyone started thinking like that then this would be a zoo. Yesterday wasn't your fault, Gabriel...yesterday was just something that you were forced to watch and the sooner you forgive yourself for something you didn't do, the sooner you can feel better, but I'm off duty. I just came to sit with the cute engineer so I wouldn't have to eat lunch alone."

"Deep down I know it wasn't my fault--the deck was stacked from the very start to make sure I lost--but right now I can't seem to feel it. Yesterday is something I'll remember for a very long time...quite literally." He placed his cup on the table and leaned back in his chair.

"Personally I can't forgive him; yes the loss of a child is tragic and not something I'd wish on anyone, but the guy murdered god knows how many people...I still haven't been able to bring myself to check the total number of dead yet."

Having finished that little rant he smiled, "Cute engineer huh? Not so bad yaself there counselor. Well, I guess we can't have ya eating alone now can we?"

"I agree with you whole heartedly and...it's probably best we change the subject," she suggested as she thought about how many people had died yesterday, blushing a little at him. "Thank you. This morning I didn't think I'd have it in me to even roll out of bed let alone shower and brush my hair."

She giggled and then ate a couple of green beans before continuing. "So what do you do when you're not working? You must have a hobby or two to keep you nice and busy...unless work is your life. I hear a lot about engineers and their crazy hours, so I'm sorry if I'm being too noisy--I just figured I should try to get to know you."

The smile that came next was warm and genuine, and her eyes were glued on him as she sipped her hot chocolate.

"No worries, I've not slept since i started my shift yesterday, not just coz i been working but mostly coz right now i'm not sure i'd be able too. Haven't eaten since then either, not really been myself much. Just glad i can go days without sleep, looks like i'm gonna be testin' that thoery a fair bit." He replied, impressed by the way she'd managed to get him to open up without really trying, he had to hand it to Shelley, she was good at her job.

"So what about yaself Counselor? Ya say ya lost ya best friend, where they in section 5?"

||Starbase 12
||Deck 12 Section 5 Entrance > Mess Hall
||August 3, 2387
||1404

Gabe stood, his arms folded across his chest as he watched the engineers working to repair the damage done to deck 12 section 5 after the power spike that had blown out the force field generators. Chief Bakel had practically forced him to take time out so he stood here now. He took a drink from the steaming cup that sat on the sill of the window he'd viewed the bodies of the dead from. A shiver ran down his spine as he remembered those few minutes in vivid detail, like some safety holovideo.

He closed his eyes as he took another drink, letting the hot tea run down his throat and wondered if he had chance to go get himself a snack, it left like days since he'd last eaten. For what left like the billionish time he went over the event in his mind, what could he have done differently?

Shelley was still trying to get the image of Julianne's bloody body out of her mind, but every time she closed her eyes that was all she could see, so she was taking some time out in the Mess Hall. Right now she wanted to have some time to herself, so she got the replicater to get her some food and took her tray over to an empty table to try and eat in peace. There was the occasional look cast her way from people who might potentially want to approach her, but none did and sometimes she wanted to talk to people too who looked like they were having a rough time.

"Who isn't having a rough time right now?" She asked herself.

After draining what was left of his tea, Gabe spun on his heel and walked down the corridor. If nothing else he needed to refill his drink; though he was hungry he didn't exactly have an appetite. His mind wandered as he made his way towards the Mess Hall images of the event flashed unbidden threw his head.

He shook his head to try and clear his thoughts as he entered the Mess Hall. He got a few nods from off duty engineers as he entered. He gave a curt nod back and placed his cup in the replicator, leaning against the wall as the cup dissolved into nothingness. He felt tired, not from lack of sleep but from emotional fatigue; right now he was drained.

He ordered another cup of tea and pulled off his jacket, tossing it onto one of the empty seats before dropping into it. He rolled his neck and took a drink. If Chief Bakel needed him she'd call, but until then he planned to rest for as long as he could.

Shelley was trying to focus on her soup, not really succeeding as the hustle and bustle of the place seemed a little bit overwhelming. There were people here that had lost family and friends and then Gabe had walked in and she noticed engineers giving him nod. Just as it was the CMO's job to know everyone's medical histories as best as they could, Shelley was supposed to know that of the junior officers...Gabe wasn't on the junior officer list she tended to, but she knew who he was.

She had heard that he was the one to find the bodies and it looked to her like maybe he wasn't eating? Obviously she couldn't know that for sure, but she had a feeling that he might need someone to talk to and until a new Chief Counselor was appointed this was her job...but maybe he wanted to be left alone. All she knew as she stood up with her tray was that he wasn't crying or anything and she didn't want to keep eating alone, so she approached him.

"Is this seat taken?"

Gabe looked up at the soft female voice asking about the seat across from him. He couldn't place her face; another memeber of the crew he'd not looked into. He made a mental note to go over the entire crew roster first chance he got, if only to keep himself from getting caught out.

"No, you're welcome to sit down, though I'm not sure how great my company will be today, Lieutenant." He replied weakly, "It's been a very very long day."

"Yes, it has been," she agreed as she took a seat. "I would say that it can't get any worse but it's only lunch and it very well could. That's not very optimistic, I know, but after yesterday I don't think we can find very many people to be optimistic..."

It wasn't a very counselor thing to say but she smiled at him. "You must be Gabriel Sharpe, right? I could be wrong, we haven't met, but I've heard a lot about you through the grapevine. Then again, you could be Vladislav from security, but the engineers seem to know you and you're not Russian...I'm Shelley Kingston."

She held her hand out gingerly for him to shake.

"Pleased to meet ya Shelley, and yes I'm Gabe." He said, giving her hand a shake. "No, after yesterday I think we're all gonna be a little worse for wear as it were." He took a drink and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "I think it's safe to say that yesterday was as close to hell as anyone really wants to get, know I didn't exactly have a good day."

He tried his best to keep his best poker face going, but at the moment he was finding it harder and harder.

"I didn't either," Shelley admitted as she took a bite of her sandwich.

She took that moment to look Gabe over as she chewed her food politely, not wanting to talk with her mouth full because he'd think she was un-ladylike. Besides, it was imperative in her line of work to make sure that she was really observant and if she didn't take the time now to assess the situation than she never would...but he was a little bit distracting. Shelley noted his physique and the color of his eyes as she studied him, setting the sandwich down and wiping her fingers on her napkin before she swallowed and opened her mouth to speak again.

"Yesterday was kind of...well, nothing has happened like this since the accident. I think it's safe to say that everyone's in a funk, but there's always someone to talk to," Shelley tried, smiling gently at him. "I know we only just met, but I've found that a total stranger can actually be the best secret keeper. I'll even start us off--I lost my best friend during the accident and the closest replacement I got was murdered yesterday and I found her dead body. If yesterday was Hell...I hope it was better for others."

"Sorry to hear that," he said sadly. "My day wasn't that great either. Spent twenty minutes trying to save everyone in Section 5...as ya may have guessed, I failed."

He took a drink of tea and gave a slight smile as something clicked in his mind.

"Ya a counselor aren't ya?" he asked, watching her face.

"In my on hours," she admitted, not wanting to lie to him. "Honestly though, before I can other people, I have to help myself and if I don't want to talk about, why would anyone else? I've been feeling quite the failure myself today and to be honest...there wasn't much you could do. Jason Cobalt knew the Starbase inside and out--he's been here longer than most of us and he snapped because he was going to be a father and it was all ripped away from him. I understand why he did it even though I can't condone it and I can't forgive it. Isn't that what I'm supposed to be teaching people though? Forgiveness so that they can move on with their lives?"

She took a deep breath and shook her head. "I understand that he was grieving and I understand that he was in pain that we couldn't take away, but he killed innocent people yesterday all because he thought that things were being handled unfairly. If everyone started thinking like that then this would be a zoo. Yesterday wasn't your fault, Gabriel...yesterday was just something that you were forced to watch and the sooner you forgive yourself for something you didn't do, the sooner you can feel better, but I'm off duty. I just came to sit with the cute engineer so I wouldn't have to eat lunch alone."

"Deep down I know it wasn't my fault--the deck was stacked from the very start to make sure I lost--but right now I can't seem to feel it. Yesterday is something I'll remember for a very long time...quite literally." He placed his cup on the table and leaned back in his chair.

"Personally I can't forgive him; yes the loss of a child is tragic and not something I'd wish on anyone, but the guy murdered god knows how many people...I still haven't been able to bring myself to check the total number of dead yet."

Having finished that little rant he smiled, "Cute engineer huh? Not so bad yaself there counselor. Well, I guess we can't have ya eating alone now can we?"

"I agree with you whole heartedly and...it's probably best we change the subject," she suggested as she thought about how many people had died yesterday, blushing a little at him. "Thank you. This morning I didn't think I'd have it in me to even roll out of bed let alone shower and brush my hair."

She giggled and then ate a couple of green beans before continuing. "So what do you do when you're not working? You must have a hobby or two to keep you nice and busy...unless work is your life. I hear a lot about engineers and their crazy hours, so I'm sorry if I'm being too nosy--I just figured I should try to get to know you."

The smile that came next was warm and genuine, and her eyes were glued on him as she sipped her hot chocolate.

"No worries. I've not slept since I started my shift yesterday, not just coz I been working but mostly coz right now I'm not sure I'd be able too. Haven't eaten since then either, not really been myself much. Just glad I can go days without sleep--looks like I'm gonna be testin' that theory a fair bit." He replied, impressed by the way she'd managed to get him to open up without really trying: he had to hand it to Shelley, she was good at her job.

"So what about yaself Counselor? Ya say ya lost ya best friend, where they in section 5?"

"You should eat something," Shelley said as she pushed her tray to him with the other half of her sandwich--it had come out of the replicater as two sliced halves and she wanted him to eat. "As a counselor I should tell you to sleep and take time off...but I'm off duty and not assigned to you, so the best I can do is make sure you stay fed if you're going to stay on your feet. Otherwise we have a undernourishment case on our hands and then the CMO has to declare you unfit for duty."

Shelley shifted uncomfortably a moment at the question. "I lost my best friend months back--he was part of the Away Team when all those people died and everyone got promoted and re-assigned. This time around we lost the Chief Counselor and now...I don't know, I've been spending most of my time either alone or with clients. I don't really...I'm not so used to one on one without an agenda, I guess."

||Starbase 12
||Deck 12 Section 5 Entrance > Mess Hall
||August 3, 2387
||1404

Gabe stood, his arms folded across his chest as he watched the engineers working to repair the damage done to deck 12 section 5 after the power spike that had blown out the force field generators. Chief Bakel had practically forced him to take time out so he stood here now. He took a drink from the steaming cup that sat on the sill of the window he'd viewed the bodies of the dead from. A shiver ran down his spine as he remembered those few minutes in vivid detail, like some safety holovideo.

He closed his eyes as he took another drink, letting the hot tea run down his throat and wondered if he had chance to go get himself a snack, it left like days since he'd last eaten. For what left like the billionish time he went over the event in his mind, what could he have done differently?

Shelley was still trying to get the image of Julianne's bloody body out of her mind, but every time she closed her eyes that was all she could see, so she was taking some time out in the Mess Hall. Right now she wanted to have some time to herself, so she got the replicater to get her some food and took her tray over to an empty table to try and eat in peace. There was the occasional look cast her way from people who might potentially want to approach her, but none did and sometimes she wanted to talk to people too who looked like they were having a rough time.

"Who isn't having a rough time right now?" She asked herself.

After draining what was left of his tea, Gabe spun on his heel and walked down the corridor. If nothing else he needed to refill his drink; though he was hungry he didn't exactly have an appetite. His mind wandered as he made his way towards the Mess Hall images of the event flashed unbidden threw his head.

He shook his head to try and clear his thoughts as he entered the Mess Hall. He got a few nods from off duty engineers as he entered. He gave a curt nod back and placed his cup in the replicator, leaning against the wall as the cup dissolved into nothingness. He felt tired, not from lack of sleep but from emotional fatigue; right now he was drained.

He ordered another cup of tea and pulled off his jacket, tossing it onto one of the empty seats before dropping into it. He rolled his neck and took a drink. If Chief Bakel needed him she'd call, but until then he planned to rest for as long as he could.

Shelley was trying to focus on her soup, not really succeeding as the hustle and bustle of the place seemed a little bit overwhelming. There were people here that had lost family and friends and then Gabe had walked in and she noticed engineers giving him nod. Just as it was the CMO's job to know everyone's medical histories as best as they could, Shelley was supposed to know that of the junior officers...Gabe wasn't on the junior officer list she tended to, but she knew who he was.

She had heard that he was the one to find the bodies and it looked to her like maybe he wasn't eating? Obviously she couldn't know that for sure, but she had a feeling that he might need someone to talk to and until a new Chief Counselor was appointed this was her job...but maybe he wanted to be left alone. All she knew as she stood up with her tray was that he wasn't crying or anything and she didn't want to keep eating alone, so she approached him.

"Is this seat taken?"

Gabe looked up at the soft female voice asking about the seat across from him. He couldn't place her face; another memeber of the crew he'd not looked into. He made a mental note to go over the entire crew roster first chance he got, if only to keep himself from getting caught out.

"No, you're welcome to sit down, though I'm not sure how great my company will be today, Lieutenant." He replied weakly, "It's been a very very long day."

"Yes, it has been," she agreed as she took a seat. "I would say that it can't get any worse but it's only lunch and it very well could. That's not very optimistic, I know, but after yesterday I don't think we can find very many people to be optimistic..."

It wasn't a very counselor thing to say but she smiled at him. "You must be Gabriel Sharpe, right? I could be wrong, we haven't met, but I've heard a lot about you through the grapevine. Then again, you could be Vladislav from security, but the engineers seem to know you and you're not Russian...I'm Shelley Kingston."

She held her hand out gingerly for him to shake.

"Pleased to meet ya Shelley, and yes I'm Gabe." He said, giving her hand a shake. "No, after yesterday I think we're all gonna be a little worse for wear as it were." He took a drink and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "I think it's safe to say that yesterday was as close to hell as anyone really wants to get, know I didn't exactly have a good day."

He tried his best to keep his best poker face going, but at the moment he was finding it harder and harder.

"I didn't either," Shelley admitted as she took a bite of her sandwich.

She took that moment to look Gabe over as she chewed her food politely, not wanting to talk with her mouth full because he'd think she was un-ladylike. Besides, it was imperative in her line of work to make sure that she was really observant and if she didn't take the time now to assess the situation than she never would...but he was a little bit distracting. Shelley noted his physique and the color of his eyes as she studied him, setting the sandwich down and wiping her fingers on her napkin before she swallowed and opened her mouth to speak again.

"Yesterday was kind of...well, nothing has happened like this since the accident. I think it's safe to say that everyone's in a funk, but there's always someone to talk to," Shelley tried, smiling gently at him. "I know we only just met, but I've found that a total stranger can actually be the best secret keeper. I'll even start us off--I lost my best friend during the accident and the closest replacement I got was murdered yesterday and I found her dead body. If yesterday was Hell...I hope it was better for others."

"Sorry to hear that," he said sadly. "My day wasn't that great either. Spent twenty minutes trying to save everyone in Section 5...as ya may have guessed, I failed."

He took a drink of tea and gave a slight smile as something clicked in his mind.

"Ya a counselor aren't ya?" he asked, watching her face.

"In my on hours," she admitted, not wanting to lie to him. "Honestly though, before I can other people, I have to help myself and if I don't want to talk about, why would anyone else? I've been feeling quite the failure myself today and to be honest...there wasn't much you could do. Jason Cobalt knew the Starbase inside and out--he's been here longer than most of us and he snapped because he was going to be a father and it was all ripped away from him. I understand why he did it even though I can't condone it and I can't forgive it. Isn't that what I'm supposed to be teaching people though? Forgiveness so that they can move on with their lives?"

She took a deep breath and shook her head. "I understand that he was grieving and I understand that he was in pain that we couldn't take away, but he killed innocent people yesterday all because he thought that things were being handled unfairly. If everyone started thinking like that then this would be a zoo. Yesterday wasn't your fault, Gabriel...yesterday was just something that you were forced to watch and the sooner you forgive yourself for something you didn't do, the sooner you can feel better, but I'm off duty. I just came to sit with the cute engineer so I wouldn't have to eat lunch alone."

"Deep down I know it wasn't my fault--the deck was stacked from the very start to make sure I lost--but right now I can't seem to feel it. Yesterday is something I'll remember for a very long time...quite literally." He placed his cup on the table and leaned back in his chair.

"Personally I can't forgive him; yes the loss of a child is tragic and not something I'd wish on anyone, but the guy murdered god knows how many people...I still haven't been able to bring myself to check the total number of dead yet."

Having finished that little rant he smiled, "Cute engineer huh? Not so bad yaself there counselor. Well, I guess we can't have ya eating alone now can we?"

"I agree with you whole heartedly and...it's probably best we change the subject," she suggested as she thought about how many people had died yesterday, blushing a little at him. "Thank you. This morning I didn't think I'd have it in me to even roll out of bed let alone shower and brush my hair."

She giggled and then ate a couple of green beans before continuing. "So what do you do when you're not working? You must have a hobby or two to keep you nice and busy...unless work is your life. I hear a lot about engineers and their crazy hours, so I'm sorry if I'm being too nosy--I just figured I should try to get to know you."

The smile that came next was warm and genuine, and her eyes were glued on him as she sipped her hot chocolate.

"No worries. I've not slept since I started my shift yesterday, not just coz I been working but mostly coz right now I'm not sure I'd be able too. Haven't eaten since then either, not really been myself much. Just glad I can go days without sleep--looks like I'm gonna be testin' that theory a fair bit." He replied, impressed by the way she'd managed to get him to open up without really trying: he had to hand it to Shelley, she was good at her job.

"So what about yaself Counselor? Ya say ya lost ya best friend, where they in section 5?"

"You should eat something," Shelley said as she pushed her tray to him with the other half of her sandwich--it had come out of the replicater as two sliced halves and she wanted him to eat. "As a counselor I should tell you to sleep and take time off...but I'm off duty and not assigned to you, so the best I can do is make sure you stay fed if you're going to stay on your feet. Otherwise we have a undernourishment case on our hands and then the CMO has to declare you unfit for duty."

Shelley shifted uncomfortably a moment at the question. "I lost my best friend months back--he was part of the Away Team when all those people died and everyone got promoted and re-assigned. This time around we lost the Chief Counselor and now...I don't know, I've been spending most of my time either alone or with clients. I don't really...I'm not so used to one on one without an agenda, I guess."

"Understandable, These days it's suprisingly easy to fall into your job. My academy days were pretty much spent reading and attending class. It wasn't really until near the end of my time on the El Dorado i actually got myself a personal life. For you i guess it's people looking for solutions to personal problems, for me it was working double shifts and looking to spend as little time with people as i could, mostly coz i wasn't really a people person. I was the only child on the Blackmane so all the people i knew were the crew, which while it helped me gain lots of knowledge, it didn't really help with social skills. For some people it's hard to 'step out of uniform' as it were, i know it was and at times still is for me." He said, taking a bite out of the sandwish Shelley had offereed him, "Thanks for the food, guess i was more hungry then i thought."

||Starbase 12
||Deck 12 Section 5 Entrance > Mess Hall
||August 3, 2387
||1404

Gabe stood, his arms folded across his chest as he watched the engineers working to repair the damage done to deck 12 section 5 after the power spike that had blown out the force field generators. Chief Bakel had practically forced him to take time out so he stood here now. He took a drink from the steaming cup that sat on the sill of the window he'd viewed the bodies of the dead from. A shiver ran down his spine as he remembered those few minutes in vivid detail, like some safety holovideo.

He closed his eyes as he took another drink, letting the hot tea run down his throat and wondered if he had chance to go get himself a snack, it left like days since he'd last eaten. For what left like the billionish time he went over the event in his mind, what could he have done differently?

Shelley was still trying to get the image of Julianne's bloody body out of her mind, but every time she closed her eyes that was all she could see, so she was taking some time out in the Mess Hall. Right now she wanted to have some time to herself, so she got the replicater to get her some food and took her tray over to an empty table to try and eat in peace. There was the occasional look cast her way from people who might potentially want to approach her, but none did and sometimes she wanted to talk to people too who looked like they were having a rough time.

"Who isn't having a rough time right now?" She asked herself.

After draining what was left of his tea, Gabe spun on his heel and walked down the corridor. If nothing else he needed to refill his drink; though he was hungry he didn't exactly have an appetite. His mind wandered as he made his way towards the Mess Hall images of the event flashed unbidden threw his head.

He shook his head to try and clear his thoughts as he entered the Mess Hall. He got a few nods from off duty engineers as he entered. He gave a curt nod back and placed his cup in the replicator, leaning against the wall as the cup dissolved into nothingness. He felt tired, not from lack of sleep but from emotional fatigue; right now he was drained.

He ordered another cup of tea and pulled off his jacket, tossing it onto one of the empty seats before dropping into it. He rolled his neck and took a drink. If Chief Bakel needed him she'd call, but until then he planned to rest for as long as he could.

Shelley was trying to focus on her soup, not really succeeding as the hustle and bustle of the place seemed a little bit overwhelming. There were people here that had lost family and friends and then Gabe had walked in and she noticed engineers giving him nod. Just as it was the CMO's job to know everyone's medical histories as best as they could, Shelley was supposed to know that of the junior officers...Gabe wasn't on the junior officer list she tended to, but she knew who he was.

She had heard that he was the one to find the bodies and it looked to her like maybe he wasn't eating? Obviously she couldn't know that for sure, but she had a feeling that he might need someone to talk to and until a new Chief Counselor was appointed this was her job...but maybe he wanted to be left alone. All she knew as she stood up with her tray was that he wasn't crying or anything and she didn't want to keep eating alone, so she approached him.

"Is this seat taken?"

Gabe looked up at the soft female voice asking about the seat across from him. He couldn't place her face; another memeber of the crew he'd not looked into. He made a mental note to go over the entire crew roster first chance he got, if only to keep himself from getting caught out.

"No, you're welcome to sit down, though I'm not sure how great my company will be today, Lieutenant." He replied weakly, "It's been a very very long day."

"Yes, it has been," she agreed as she took a seat. "I would say that it can't get any worse but it's only lunch and it very well could. That's not very optimistic, I know, but after yesterday I don't think we can find very many people to be optimistic..."

It wasn't a very counselor thing to say but she smiled at him. "You must be Gabriel Sharpe, right? I could be wrong, we haven't met, but I've heard a lot about you through the grapevine. Then again, you could be Vladislav from security, but the engineers seem to know you and you're not Russian...I'm Shelley Kingston."

She held her hand out gingerly for him to shake.

"Pleased to meet ya Shelley, and yes I'm Gabe." He said, giving her hand a shake. "No, after yesterday I think we're all gonna be a little worse for wear as it were." He took a drink and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "I think it's safe to say that yesterday was as close to hell as anyone really wants to get, know I didn't exactly have a good day."

He tried his best to keep his best poker face going, but at the moment he was finding it harder and harder.

"I didn't either," Shelley admitted as she took a bite of her sandwich.

She took that moment to look Gabe over as she chewed her food politely, not wanting to talk with her mouth full because he'd think she was un-ladylike. Besides, it was imperative in her line of work to make sure that she was really observant and if she didn't take the time now to assess the situation than she never would...but he was a little bit distracting. Shelley noted his physique and the color of his eyes as she studied him, setting the sandwich down and wiping her fingers on her napkin before she swallowed and opened her mouth to speak again.

"Yesterday was kind of...well, nothing has happened like this since the accident. I think it's safe to say that everyone's in a funk, but there's always someone to talk to," Shelley tried, smiling gently at him. "I know we only just met, but I've found that a total stranger can actually be the best secret keeper. I'll even start us off--I lost my best friend during the accident and the closest replacement I got was murdered yesterday and I found her dead body. If yesterday was Hell...I hope it was better for others."

"Sorry to hear that," he said sadly. "My day wasn't that great either. Spent twenty minutes trying to save everyone in Section 5...as ya may have guessed, I failed."

He took a drink of tea and gave a slight smile as something clicked in his mind.

"Ya a counselor aren't ya?" he asked, watching her face.

"In my on hours," she admitted, not wanting to lie to him. "Honestly though, before I can other people, I have to help myself and if I don't want to talk about, why would anyone else? I've been feeling quite the failure myself today and to be honest...there wasn't much you could do. Jason Cobalt knew the Starbase inside and out--he's been here longer than most of us and he snapped because he was going to be a father and it was all ripped away from him. I understand why he did it even though I can't condone it and I can't forgive it. Isn't that what I'm supposed to be teaching people though? Forgiveness so that they can move on with their lives?"

She took a deep breath and shook her head. "I understand that he was grieving and I understand that he was in pain that we couldn't take away, but he killed innocent people yesterday all because he thought that things were being handled unfairly. If everyone started thinking like that then this would be a zoo. Yesterday wasn't your fault, Gabriel...yesterday was just something that you were forced to watch and the sooner you forgive yourself for something you didn't do, the sooner you can feel better, but I'm off duty. I just came to sit with the cute engineer so I wouldn't have to eat lunch alone."

"Deep down I know it wasn't my fault--the deck was stacked from the very start to make sure I lost--but right now I can't seem to feel it. Yesterday is something I'll remember for a very long time...quite literally." He placed his cup on the table and leaned back in his chair.

"Personally I can't forgive him; yes the loss of a child is tragic and not something I'd wish on anyone, but the guy murdered god knows how many people...I still haven't been able to bring myself to check the total number of dead yet."

Having finished that little rant he smiled, "Cute engineer huh? Not so bad yaself there counselor. Well, I guess we can't have ya eating alone now can we?"

"I agree with you whole heartedly and...it's probably best we change the subject," she suggested as she thought about how many people had died yesterday, blushing a little at him. "Thank you. This morning I didn't think I'd have it in me to even roll out of bed let alone shower and brush my hair."

She giggled and then ate a couple of green beans before continuing. "So what do you do when you're not working? You must have a hobby or two to keep you nice and busy...unless work is your life. I hear a lot about engineers and their crazy hours, so I'm sorry if I'm being too nosy--I just figured I should try to get to know you."

The smile that came next was warm and genuine, and her eyes were glued on him as she sipped her hot chocolate.

"No worries. I've not slept since I started my shift yesterday, not just coz I been working but mostly coz right now I'm not sure I'd be able too. Haven't eaten since then either, not really been myself much. Just glad I can go days without sleep--looks like I'm gonna be testin' that theory a fair bit." He replied, impressed by the way she'd managed to get him to open up without really trying: he had to hand it to Shelley, she was good at her job.

"So what about yaself Counselor? Ya say ya lost ya best friend, where they in section 5?"

"You should eat something," Shelley said as she pushed her tray to him with the other half of her sandwich--it had come out of the replicater as two sliced halves and she wanted him to eat. "As a counselor I should tell you to sleep and take time off...but I'm off duty and not assigned to you, so the best I can do is make sure you stay fed if you're going to stay on your feet. Otherwise we have a undernourishment case on our hands and then the CMO has to declare you unfit for duty."

Shelley shifted uncomfortably a moment at the question. "I lost my best friend months back--he was part of the Away Team when all those people died and everyone got promoted and re-assigned. This time around we lost the Chief Counselor and now...I don't know, I've been spending most of my time either alone or with clients. I don't really...I'm not so used to one on one without an agenda, I guess."

"Understandable. These days it's surprisingly easy to fall into your job. My academy days were pretty much spent reading and attending class. It wasn't really until near the end of my time on the El Dorado, I actually got myself a personal life. For you I guess it's people looking for solutions to personal problems; for me it was working double shifts and looking to spend as little time with people as I could, mostly coz I wasn't really a people person. I was the only child on the Blackmane so all the people I knew were the crew, which while it helped me gain lots of knowledge, it didn't really help with social skills. For some people it's hard to 'step out of uniform' as it were--I know it was and at times still is for me." He said, taking a bite out of the sandwich Shelley had offered him, "Thanks for the food, guess I was more hungry than I thought."

"Overexertion tends to cause hunger," she smiled at him and nodded, rising. "Just keep yourself fed even if you don't really feel like eating if you're going to run off and deplete your energy through work. Like you said, I do have people's problems to try and solve, but I did enjoy spending this meal with you. Maybe we could make it more of a habit?"

She rested her hand on his shoulder and gave it a reassuring squeeze. "Try not to work yourself into a coma and if you ever want to actually talk about anything, professionally my door is open. I think that things will get better even though they seem so bad and I really do think that things will look up. It was nice meeting you, Gabriel."

Shelley let her hand linger on his back as she slowly pulled it away, turning to walk away.

||Starbase 12
||Deck 12 Section 5 Entrance > Mess Hall
||August 3, 2387
||1404

Gabe stood, his arms folded across his chest as he watched the engineers working to repair the damage done to deck 12 section 5 after the power spike that had blown out the force field generators. Chief Bakel had practically forced him to take time out so he stood here now. He took a drink from the steaming cup that sat on the sill of the window he'd viewed the bodies of the dead from. A shiver ran down his spine as he remembered those few minutes in vivid detail, like some safety holovideo.

He closed his eyes as he took another drink, letting the hot tea run down his throat and wondered if he had chance to go get himself a snack, it left like days since he'd last eaten. For what left like the billionish time he went over the event in his mind, what could he have done differently?

Shelley was still trying to get the image of Julianne's bloody body out of her mind, but every time she closed her eyes that was all she could see, so she was taking some time out in the Mess Hall. Right now she wanted to have some time to herself, so she got the replicater to get her some food and took her tray over to an empty table to try and eat in peace. There was the occasional look cast her way from people who might potentially want to approach her, but none did and sometimes she wanted to talk to people too who looked like they were having a rough time.

"Who isn't having a rough time right now?" She asked herself.

After draining what was left of his tea, Gabe spun on his heel and walked down the corridor. If nothing else he needed to refill his drink; though he was hungry he didn't exactly have an appetite. His mind wandered as he made his way towards the Mess Hall images of the event flashed unbidden threw his head.

He shook his head to try and clear his thoughts as he entered the Mess Hall. He got a few nods from off duty engineers as he entered. He gave a curt nod back and placed his cup in the replicator, leaning against the wall as the cup dissolved into nothingness. He felt tired, not from lack of sleep but from emotional fatigue; right now he was drained.

He ordered another cup of tea and pulled off his jacket, tossing it onto one of the empty seats before dropping into it. He rolled his neck and took a drink. If Chief Bakel needed him she'd call, but until then he planned to rest for as long as he could.

Shelley was trying to focus on her soup, not really succeeding as the hustle and bustle of the place seemed a little bit overwhelming. There were people here that had lost family and friends and then Gabe had walked in and she noticed engineers giving him nod. Just as it was the CMO's job to know everyone's medical histories as best as they could, Shelley was supposed to know that of the junior officers...Gabe wasn't on the junior officer list she tended to, but she knew who he was.

She had heard that he was the one to find the bodies and it looked to her like maybe he wasn't eating? Obviously she couldn't know that for sure, but she had a feeling that he might need someone to talk to and until a new Chief Counselor was appointed this was her job...but maybe he wanted to be left alone. All she knew as she stood up with her tray was that he wasn't crying or anything and she didn't want to keep eating alone, so she approached him.

"Is this seat taken?"

Gabe looked up at the soft female voice asking about the seat across from him. He couldn't place her face; another memeber of the crew he'd not looked into. He made a mental note to go over the entire crew roster first chance he got, if only to keep himself from getting caught out.

"No, you're welcome to sit down, though I'm not sure how great my company will be today, Lieutenant." He replied weakly, "It's been a very very long day."

"Yes, it has been," she agreed as she took a seat. "I would say that it can't get any worse but it's only lunch and it very well could. That's not very optimistic, I know, but after yesterday I don't think we can find very many people to be optimistic..."

It wasn't a very counselor thing to say but she smiled at him. "You must be Gabriel Sharpe, right? I could be wrong, we haven't met, but I've heard a lot about you through the grapevine. Then again, you could be Vladislav from security, but the engineers seem to know you and you're not Russian...I'm Shelley Kingston."

She held her hand out gingerly for him to shake.

"Pleased to meet ya Shelley, and yes I'm Gabe." He said, giving her hand a shake. "No, after yesterday I think we're all gonna be a little worse for wear as it were." He took a drink and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "I think it's safe to say that yesterday was as close to hell as anyone really wants to get, know I didn't exactly have a good day."

He tried his best to keep his best poker face going, but at the moment he was finding it harder and harder.

"I didn't either," Shelley admitted as she took a bite of her sandwich.

She took that moment to look Gabe over as she chewed her food politely, not wanting to talk with her mouth full because he'd think she was un-ladylike. Besides, it was imperative in her line of work to make sure that she was really observant and if she didn't take the time now to assess the situation than she never would...but he was a little bit distracting. Shelley noted his physique and the color of his eyes as she studied him, setting the sandwich down and wiping her fingers on her napkin before she swallowed and opened her mouth to speak again.

"Yesterday was kind of...well, nothing has happened like this since the accident. I think it's safe to say that everyone's in a funk, but there's always someone to talk to," Shelley tried, smiling gently at him. "I know we only just met, but I've found that a total stranger can actually be the best secret keeper. I'll even start us off--I lost my best friend during the accident and the closest replacement I got was murdered yesterday and I found her dead body. If yesterday was Hell...I hope it was better for others."

"Sorry to hear that," he said sadly. "My day wasn't that great either. Spent twenty minutes trying to save everyone in Section 5...as ya may have guessed, I failed."

He took a drink of tea and gave a slight smile as something clicked in his mind.

"Ya a counselor aren't ya?" he asked, watching her face.

"In my on hours," she admitted, not wanting to lie to him. "Honestly though, before I can other people, I have to help myself and if I don't want to talk about, why would anyone else? I've been feeling quite the failure myself today and to be honest...there wasn't much you could do. Jason Cobalt knew the Starbase inside and out--he's been here longer than most of us and he snapped because he was going to be a father and it was all ripped away from him. I understand why he did it even though I can't condone it and I can't forgive it. Isn't that what I'm supposed to be teaching people though? Forgiveness so that they can move on with their lives?"

She took a deep breath and shook her head. "I understand that he was grieving and I understand that he was in pain that we couldn't take away, but he killed innocent people yesterday all because he thought that things were being handled unfairly. If everyone started thinking like that then this would be a zoo. Yesterday wasn't your fault, Gabriel...yesterday was just something that you were forced to watch and the sooner you forgive yourself for something you didn't do, the sooner you can feel better, but I'm off duty. I just came to sit with the cute engineer so I wouldn't have to eat lunch alone."

"Deep down I know it wasn't my fault--the deck was stacked from the very start to make sure I lost--but right now I can't seem to feel it. Yesterday is something I'll remember for a very long time...quite literally." He placed his cup on the table and leaned back in his chair.

"Personally I can't forgive him; yes the loss of a child is tragic and not something I'd wish on anyone, but the guy murdered god knows how many people...I still haven't been able to bring myself to check the total number of dead yet."

Having finished that little rant he smiled, "Cute engineer huh? Not so bad yaself there counselor. Well, I guess we can't have ya eating alone now can we?"

"I agree with you whole heartedly and...it's probably best we change the subject," she suggested as she thought about how many people had died yesterday, blushing a little at him. "Thank you. This morning I didn't think I'd have it in me to even roll out of bed let alone shower and brush my hair."

She giggled and then ate a couple of green beans before continuing. "So what do you do when you're not working? You must have a hobby or two to keep you nice and busy...unless work is your life. I hear a lot about engineers and their crazy hours, so I'm sorry if I'm being too nosy--I just figured I should try to get to know you."

The smile that came next was warm and genuine, and her eyes were glued on him as she sipped her hot chocolate.

"No worries. I've not slept since I started my shift yesterday, not just coz I been working but mostly coz right now I'm not sure I'd be able too. Haven't eaten since then either, not really been myself much. Just glad I can go days without sleep--looks like I'm gonna be testin' that theory a fair bit." He replied, impressed by the way she'd managed to get him to open up without really trying: he had to hand it to Shelley, she was good at her job.

"So what about yaself Counselor? Ya say ya lost ya best friend, where they in section 5?"

"You should eat something," Shelley said as she pushed her tray to him with the other half of her sandwich--it had come out of the replicater as two sliced halves and she wanted him to eat. "As a counselor I should tell you to sleep and take time off...but I'm off duty and not assigned to you, so the best I can do is make sure you stay fed if you're going to stay on your feet. Otherwise we have a undernourishment case on our hands and then the CMO has to declare you unfit for duty."

Shelley shifted uncomfortably a moment at the question. "I lost my best friend months back--he was part of the Away Team when all those people died and everyone got promoted and re-assigned. This time around we lost the Chief Counselor and now...I don't know, I've been spending most of my time either alone or with clients. I don't really...I'm not so used to one on one without an agenda, I guess."

"Understandable. These days it's surprisingly easy to fall into your job. My academy days were pretty much spent reading and attending class. It wasn't really until near the end of my time on the El Dorado, I actually got myself a personal life. For you I guess it's people looking for solutions to personal problems; for me it was working double shifts and looking to spend as little time with people as I could, mostly coz I wasn't really a people person. I was the only child on the Blackmane so all the people I knew were the crew, which while it helped me gain lots of knowledge, it didn't really help with social skills. For some people it's hard to 'step out of uniform' as it were--I know it was and at times still is for me." He said, taking a bite out of the sandwich Shelley had offered him, "Thanks for the food, guess I was more hungry than I thought."

"Overexertion tends to cause hunger," she smiled at him and nodded, rising. "Just keep yourself fed even if you don't really feel like eating if you're going to run off and deplete your energy through work. Like you said, I do have people's problems to try and solve, but I did enjoy spending this meal with you. Maybe we could make it more of a habit?"

She rested her hand on his shoulder and gave it a reassuring squeeze. "Try not to work yourself into a coma and if you ever want to actually talk about anything, professionally my door is open. I think that things will get better even though they seem so bad and I really do think that things will look up. It was nice meeting you, Gabriel."

Shelley let her hand linger on his back as she slowly pulled it away, turning to walk away.

"I think we could definitely make this a habit." he said adding with a chuckle, "Though next time i'll get a meal of my own. Have a good day Shelley."

He gave her a no and a smile as she left, His day a little brighter. Yes... we really should make this a habit he thought to himself.