Below is a collaboration between
@obisemkenobi and myself.
When the alarms went off, Nick was in the middle of taking a rather lengthy leak. Just his luck. Couldn’t they have waited a minute or two? That’s when the call came in. The safe zones? That meant it was serious. He was just about to cut off when the ship shook from the hit it took. Pee everywhere. Just great.
As he stepped back into the hallway, he decided it would be best to go back towards the hub. The Chief of Security would have things settled on his end, so there was no point in going there now. He walked, instead of running, to try and give the impression that things weren’t as bad as they were. Most people were pretty confident this boat was unsinkable so he might as well keep them in that illusion. He calmly called attention to himself and tried to get people to safety.
“Alright folks, no need to be alarmed. This thing can take a hit or two. Just go to the closest safe room, that’s Eden in your case, and remain calm. Should you have a thing against plants there’s always the Cryogenics Chamber one small transport trip away. Report in with the section head and stay calm. There is absolutely no need to worry.”
People seemed compliant enough and the masses of people slowly started to get their asses into gear. A few people were more stubborn than others, but that’s what the slightly less subtle marines were for.
Out of curiosity he took another peek inside the bar to see if the bartender and that woman he saw in the corner were still there.
Melanie was downing what was left in her glass in an attempt to get drunk faster. Not that the food she had had earlier helped, but at least she was making the effort now. When the ship shook in response to the sudden hit it had taken, Melanie couldn't help but choke on the last sip of her drink. She had a bit of a coughing fit, and Craig looked at her with a hint of concern on his face. After she recovered, Melanie was just as confused as him.
"What the hell is going on?" She got off the barstool to go outside and investigate, but she paused for a moment as her head began to spin the moment she got up. With an annoyed sigh, she went outside and noticed a lot more people walking around than before. She looked one way, then the other. Some of them look terrified, and others calm. After a few mintues of standing outside and deciding she would get nowhere with them, she proceeded to head back to the bar. If something was going on, she'd want to hear it from an employee currently on shift...like Craig. They should be notified, or at the very least given some instructions on how to handle the situation. Melanie started to head back towards the bar, ther attention suddenly stolen by some loud mouths who were creating unnecessary panic. Without her noticing, she walked into someone standing right by the entrance.
"Oh! I'm sorry, I didn't see you there..." was he the man that had been in the bar not too long ago? Melanie couldn't recall due to her obvious drunken state. "Um, I'm sorry to bother you, but can you tell me what exactly is going on?"
Well, the ship is under attack and given what we know about the Devastators we'll probably be disintegrated in a little under ten minutes. This mission will be over before it began and humanity will be doomed to extinction.
"Just a slight complication ma'am, nothing the ship's shields can't hold. We're moving all non-essential personnel to the safe zones just to be sure though. You seem... disorientated. Would you like me to walk you to Eden?"
Wow, that sounded like the worst pickup line ever.
"Yeah, sure. Thank you, by the way. I'm not sure if I'm getting in the way of your job," she added.
Melanie looked up at the tall man to introduce herself. "I work here as a therapist, so if you ever need someone to talk to... I'm the woman for the job." she gave him a slight smile to show him she appreciated his help.
"I might just take you up on that, I'm kinda cut off from my usual support group right now. And escorting people to the safezones is appearently my job at the moment, so I might as well make the most of it." Quickly peeking back into the bar, he spotted a rather confused bartender still proffesionally waiting behind his counter.
"Craig, lock up the expensive stuff, bring some of the cheaper stuff and meet us at Eden. I imagine there's a few people who could use a stiff drink there."
After recieving a confirming nod he turned back to the ever so slightly intoxicated therapist. "Just come along this way."
She followed the man to whatever location he was taking her, although she silently hoped that it wasn't too far from her room. Who knew what was going on outside of the ship, but if they were about to die, she wanted to be holding the picture of her parents when her time came.
Melanie suddenly pushed that thought out of her head, deciding that it was too early to be thinking with such negativity. She turned to the man escorting her and continued the conversation. "So, I'm guessing you work security on here?"
"Yeah, something like that. I'm sorry, I seem to have left my manners in the men's room, I'm Nick Simons, Chief of the Investigatory Branch of Security. If you feel something's not right and you need it looked into, no matter how big or how small, I'm the man for the job."
He extended his hand with a similar smile as she had given him before.
"Well, very nice to meet you, Nick." Melanie shook his hand and took a mental note of his position, a very important one at that. If she ever got herself into some trouble, maybe throwing his name around would help her get out of it. As they continued walking towards Eden, one of Melanie's past clients suddenly stumbled upon her and Nick.
"You bitch, she left me!" he yelled at Melanie with an accusatory tone and a finger in her face. "My wife is gone and it's all your fault! Your 'therapy' didn't do shit for us, not when she was screwing around with another man!"
Melanie stayed quiet as she wasn't sure how to approach the man. His name was Mike or something like that, who knows, but judging from his attitude and bad breath, it appeared he was at the very least as drunk as her, if not more.
Nick stepped forward just enough to get the man's attention, but without really standing in between the two. He looked at him, then back at Melanie.
"Is this guy for real?" Not waiting for an answer he looked back at the man with a face that was both nonchelant and meant business.
"Look pal, I don't know you, I don't know what happened to you, heck I barely even know her. I'm sorry about your wife, but this seems like the kind of complaint you file in paperwork, or make an appointment for. In case you haven't noticed, your arguments do not carry a lot of weight over the sound of the evacuation alarm, so man up, sober up, and get your ass to a safe zone!"
Melanie only stared as Mike walked away with an attitude. Not her fault he wasn't enough of a man to keep his wife satisfied. "Thank for that," she added after a few moments, "who knows how else he would have expressed his anger if you weren't here. This is a daily occurrence, you know? Clients coming to me dissatisfied in one way or the other. I mean, things don't always work out, and the best I can do is just give them some advice and guide them down the right path."
"Anytime. Trust me, I've been on both sides of this kind of situation, I know how you feel."
Five minutes later they arrived at on of the many entrances to Eden. Nick still believed the name to be more than a little pretentious, but when those doors opened his mouth dropped open. This was one of the few parts of the ship where he hadn't been before, mostly because he figured it was so heavily regulated and under watch that he would rarely have to chase a suspect in here. Sure made him look like a fool now though. Another one for the list.
The circular room was like one big forest, now filled with a mixture of calm and not so calm people, like ants, moving back and forth through the trees, looking for something to do or somebody who could tell them more.
"Well, here we are then. I have to report back to my office, I left my deputy in charge before take-off and I fear she may be hysterically running in circles by now. It was nice to meet you and if we survive the upcoming ten minutes I would like to take you up on that offer, if it still stands."
Melanie turned to Nick, her expression filled with nothing short of amazement as her eyes had just taken in the sight of Eden as well. "You're welcomed to stop by anytime. And again, thank you so much for your help."
Nick was about to walk away when he realised something. He made a quick one-eighty and turned back to face her, one index-finger pointing up for no particular reason as he did.
"Ehm, this is rather embarrasing, but when I ask for you at your office... who do I ask for? I seem to have forgotten your name."
She laughed, a little bit more than she should thanks to the alcohol, but she brought up her hand to her mouth and pressed her index finger against her lips to contain herself. "It's Melanie," she replied after regaining her composure, "make sure to write it down if you need to."
With that, she waved him goodbye before walking towards the centre of the crowd to do a little bit of exploring on her own.