[b][center][u]Jones Sparrow and Akayaofthemoon Collab[/u][/center][/b]

What could she have said or done to make it better? If she was to be honest with herself, nothing could fix what had happened. If she had talked to them, would it have eased any emotions for them or just made it worse? Rae didn't know since that area was not completely her expertise. Makobi had expressed the wish for them to go back for Cassie wither it was for her body or the hope the woman was still alive, he had not been happy with the Captain's decision. Rae knew Ray was right, if they had tried to go back then more deaths would have been possible plus she didn't know how the other would react to the knowledge that no one would want to see Cassie like that. It would be better to remember her as she was and not what fate had dealt her. Talley had gone for the bottle, it was not a surprising reaction but she could have done something to possibly change his mind. At this point maybe joining him would have been better since no work was getting done.

Rae had been sitting in the same place for longer than she could imagine, thinking all this over as she stared off into the distance. It was hard to even remember walking to the med bay but the most keen thought was waiting, waiting for Raymond to actually take care of himself. It wasn't the reason she wasn't in bed but it was one of the starting points in her argument to herself about needing rest and deciding against it. He always cared for everyone else but never himself unless she was the one forcing it. He probably held it together, tried to help the crew through it and went to bed hopefully. Unsmart as that may be, it was the better solution than not coming for treatment when who knows what could be wrong with his arm or hand. That at least was her thought process until the very human man she was thinking of voice decided to ring out of the speakers. A slight frown made its way onto her features before smoothing out to one of determination. If he was going to avoid getting help then she would make sure he couldn't get out of it. She gracefully pushed out of her desk chair, heading out of the medical bay as the doors swooshed shut behind her as she made a beeline to wait outside his quarters. Tango would inform the Captain of this or she would order the AI to since this was no longer up for negotiation.

It was always the same dream for Raymond... Actually, it was more of a nightmare. As he woke with a start he could still hear the distant screams of the countless people he let die. Team mates, enemies, fellow soldiers, his mother... He sat up, wiping the sweat off his brow. Even without a shirt on and the room-specific temperature system he still woke up in a cold sweat. 

"Captain. Are you alright? Your vitals are skyrocketing." Tango's voice asked. Raymond sighed and stood, his arm starting to throb with pain. "I'm fine, Tango. What's wrong?"

"Doctor Driani is outside your quarters." Tango responded, making Ray silently cuss. With Cassie's death and trying to talk to the crew, his injuries were the least of his worries. His arm was in constant pain, but he thought he could manage to sleep and see Rae tomorrow. Apparently she had other plans. The captain walked through his quarters until he reached the door, opening it to see the team's doctor glaring at him. He knew that glare all too well. 

Raymond didn't even try to make an excuse, he extended his arm, making a very slight wince. "It's not too bad, Rae..." Raymond started, "I've had worse injuries... Remember when we boarded a pirate shuttle, and one of them caused a huge explosion? A giant hole went through the ship and I hit about everything in that room before almost getting sucked out into space." Raymond look at her and grinned a little. 

The two had been through so much together in just three years. Although it was a rocky start for them since Ray doesn't like Committee officials, she has Ray's full trust; she's practically second in command. He realized he was staring at her for a bit too long, so he looked down at his arm. Not many people knew Ray like she did, so naturally his feelings for her started to get stronger and more... complicated.

"Give it to me straight. How bad is it? Need to take a trip to the medical bay?"

Her hands reached out for his own as he extended his arm, the wince not going unnoticed but ignored for the moment. She carefully pressed along his fingers and up to Ray's palm, looking for any breaks of fractures that might have occurred but the gloves seemed to have at least protected them enough. The knuckles on the other had were a different story by how bruised they were and a bit scraped up with impact but nothing that could be lived through. Rae worked as he spoke, her orange irises glancing up to see that grin and couldn't help the soft smile that made its way to her own.[color=lime]"Don't remind me. If I recall, you griped about being stuck in the medical bay for a week on bed rest even though you looked as though you had been used as a personal punching bag by multiple people or gone through a tornado. A concussion as well as multiple fractures and breaks to say you could go back to the job."[/color] she teased, moving up to his wrist and onward as she spoke. [color=lime]"You'll live but it needs to be in a sling. You did a number on it as  its bruised even sprained in the shoulder. The sling should help with the pain and so you stop using it so it can rest enough to heal."[/color] Luirae replied, leaving her hand on his arm a moment longer than she probably should have before pulling it away.

"I'm not a very good Captain if I'm stuck in the med bay." Ray replied to their past experiences, holding back another wince as her hands moved around his arm. It was a relief that the worst thing about his diagnosis was a sling, but at the same time he would be no help around the ship. "How long do I have to wear it?" He asked, frowning a bit. He felt a bit guilty complaining about bruised bones and a sprained shoulder after Cassie lost her life, but if he wasn't at his best how could he help make sure the rest of his team would survive?

Rae knew what his question meant all to well and by the look on his face after the comment, guilt for it wasn't too far behind which made things awkward for her. Should she say something comforting? What did one say? Sorry for your loss wasn't right because she had also lost Cassie today. Her brows furrowed, probably looking in though when in all reality, she was lost on how to help the man in front of her. [color=lime]Hmmm, how about when you are no longer hiding your wincing and can actually raise your arm in the air without pain. If you can fake it without me noticing then more power to you but until that day, let it heal. You won't be able to help if you are half healed and have to punch something else. You could come out with more serious injuries than this time.....[/color]Rae paused for a moment, looking her Captain in the eyes before sighing a bit and bit her lip gently before continuing to speak. [color=lime]"Cassie wasn't your fault. You did everything you could.[/color]

Ray rolled his eyes a bit and gave a smile, putting his arm down gently. "You have to admit I'm getting better at faking it. I can fool almost everyone on this ship besides you and Tango." The doctor knew him too well. Three years exploring the galaxy together would do that to people. Her next words were a little bit of a shock to the Captain, as if he was hit with cold air. He looked her in the eyes for a few seconds before looking down at his hand. "Yeah. I suppose so. But the Committee won't see it that way. They won't see her as a hero who defended her team. Just another criminal that died exploring a giant rock that they don't give a shit about." He knew that Rae was having a bit of hard time expressing herself like this. It didn't come easy for her race, but it meant a lot that she was trying for his sake.

[color=lime]"The Committee never sees eye to eye with their crews and sometimes with each other. The least I can do for Cassie is to defend her honor as a hero. I cannot promise they will listen but maybe it will help them see that all life is precious, even the ones they don't believe as worthy."[/color]Luirae answered, knowing that the Committee wouldn't blink at making Cassie O'Hare nothing more than a distant memory if even that. They didn't care what happened to any of the ones they had deemed criminals since the other choice was death compared to the exploration which meant they thought the death of these criminals was a just end. Rae spoke up for the team more often then not and sometimes it worked in her favor since they seemed to hold her words in high regard and sometimes it ended up as nothing would be heard on the matter, the choice already being made. It was hard to tell what line would be drawn in certain situations. As it was, they were already on a course to the Spire to refuel and gather supplies as well as to take on any new arrivals which probably wasn't what the crew was ready for but it would happen either way. It would be a relief if they were not called in for a briefing while at The Spire. Rae cleared her throat a bit, crossing her arms a bit as if to hold her mid section without seeming to awkward or nervous before she continued to speak after the pause in her last comment,[color=lime]"Well, your arm should be fine without a sling for a little while longer. I will let you get some more sleep before we arrive at The Spire. You know where to find me if the pain gets out of hand in the mean time. Pleasant dreams Raymond."[/color] That being said, she left just as quickly as she had appeared and headed down the hall towards her room, grabbing a change of clothes once there before instantly heading back to the medical bay. Rae had held off work long enough and she needed more done before they landed on the docking bay. 

The view of the Spire was a very impressive one. It was elegant in design surprisingly. It had a fine, metallic surface, with billions of little lights shining out of it. Its cylindrical, with many branches coming out of it for docking. Inside would be artificial skies with thousands of stores and houses and warehouses and so many other objects it was like its own planet. The center of the Spire was filled out though with a rushing river going through it, with wildlife living right on the shore. It orbited around a massive red Super-giant.

The Monroe finally arrived at its destination, docking in the upper section of the Spire, where the richer community lived. The ship was in a very gloomy mood the whole trip, and hours before they arrived Raymond got a message from the Committee requesting a debrief on a loss of a crew member, and a discussion about new recruits to the Monroe. It was true that the Galactic Committee gave the Monroe much more freedom than most exploration crews, but that didn't stop the tension the two groups had for each other. Raymond especially hated the Galactic Council.

The Committee is run by a Galactic council. Each of the five races have three representatives, with one Grand Chairman, making the council having 31 members. There are many other levels of this council, but this is the main one that made most of the decisions, especially on Exploration branches. They were the ones who convicted him of murder and sent him to The Rock for years before giving him the Monroe, and even then there was still judgement and hate shown towards him. Raymond didn't want to go there alone. Every time he faced them there were always accusations which turned to debates, which turned to Ray yelling vulgar words at them until he was kicked out. He needed someone to make sure he keeps a level head, and someone who he could rely on at a difficult time like this. Rae was the first person to come to mind.

The Captain of the Monroe first tried to find Rae at her quarters, but after waiting a couple minutes at the front of her door, he assumed she was trying to keep herself busy in the medical bay. Ray made his way there next, and entered with Tango's voice filling the room. "Doctor, Captain Chase is here to see you."

It took a moment for Rae to comprehend what Tango was actually saying as she had focused in on her work. She looked up from her microscope, turning towards the door with a bit of a hazed look before everything went back into focus at the sight of the Captain in her doorway.[color=lime]"Are you alright? Are you in pain? I know I suggested you come in if the pain was too much to bare until later but to be honest, I am surprised you actually came willingly...I thought I was going to have to forcibly get you into one later."[/color]she teased with a bright smile. She was in quite a good mood since the new medicine she was trying out seemed to be going well and it was nice to have a surprise visit from Raymond or anyone really since the place seemed rather gloomy not that it wasn't to be expected in such circumstances. She just knew that she had to keep pushing forward because looking at it logically, she couldn't bring Cassie back so living her own life happily and keeping Cassie's memory dear in her heart was the best she could do for her fallen comrade. It was not easy for her to show and grieve since her logical mind had already moved past some of the situation where others it would take time. 

It was actually an unexpected, yet very nice surprise to see Rae's smiling face at him. The whole ship was in a state of depression for a while now, the smile was a breath of fresh air to him. Raymond looked down at his arm, then back at her, giving a bit of an awkward smile. "Oh... yeah, no I'm alright, though I thought it'd be time for a check up." He said, trying his best to get out of wearing a sling. "Thought I'd see how you were doing. Talley is still in a drunken state, Makobi doesn't want to talk to me, and Kaite is all over the place." He walked over to Rae, and looked at what she was working on. Although it made absolutely no sense to him, Ray knew that this was probably some groundbreaking research going on. "I ah... Also got a message from the Council. They want a debriefing while we're making a pit stop..." He trailed off, muttering the last part slightly.

Rae's smile slipped off her face, returning to its normal calm demeanor at the word of Council.[color=lime]"Oh...I see.....Apparently, I should not have placed hope in the fact that they might let this go with out a lecture."[/color]

"You know how they are. They won't miss out on trying to find some dirt on the crew. Engaging a native, not finishing the survey mission, losing a crew member... Kail will use this to try and make us sound dangerous, and out of control." Raymond said, his voice a bit bitter. Representative Kail was one of the Furtim representatives. She was very much against funding the exploration program, and her clan is one of the most wealthy in the galaxy.

[color=lime]"Yes, I do know how she can be unfortunately. She is perfectly unreasonable when it comes to anything she is against and quite often I believe that means us. It seems she is very adamant on shutting down the exploration program and wishes to use the Monroe as an example for her case since we are the longest lasting crew. Everything that is done wrong is a reflection of why it doesn't work in her eyes but I doubt the other council members will ever agree unless it was highly insubordinate act which we have never done. You should have nothing to worry about in the debriefing other than mild annoyance at them bring up painful subjects and pointing fingers. Just promise me you won't cause too much of a commotion. It is grating on my nerves to have to listen to them whine like children for hours every time you are thrown out of their chamber."[/color]

Rae's words were reasonable as always, his eyes moved away from her when she asked him to promise not to cause a commotion. "I'm not going to sit there and have them talk about my crew like they're a bunch of animals." Ray said simply, looking back at her. There was a million reasons why he fought back against the Committee. They ruined his life in more ways than one. They always compared him to his father, they thought they knew his crew more than himself, and to them they will always be criminals. He looked her in the eyes for a few seconds before sighing a bit. "They'd be more respectful with you there... We both would." Ray admitted.

[color=lime]"As you wish."[/color]

The Spire, though a most elegant creation of flawless design was the last place Luirae preferred to be. It was always too crowded, people always rushing about and busy no  matter what time of day it seemed since this place was like its own  planet with people even permanently taking  up residence. That was not  the reason she preferred to stay away from  this place though, no, it was because of the Committee Council that controlled most everything  from this place. You would think that Rae being a volunteer would mean she wouldn't mind talking with them but she did not appreciate seeing  the Committee Council in person. They only did so when they felt the  team had done something inappropriate or incorrect and needed to come down to explain or hassle them about how much they had control over the lives on the ship. For instance, all debriefing could be done through the holographic display system since it has a direct link to the council so coming in person was null and void for such talks.She believed that this was logically a waste of their precious time as they could be meeting the new recruits, docking supplies, and doing more personal errands but no, they were going to go up and get lectured with them not knowing all the facts. The council had already formed a story in their minds against them and even Rae knew this.

The hangar doors opened to the Spire, revealing an amazing view. Large buildings surrounded the area as swarms of every known race in the galaxy flooded the streets, all shopping, sight seeing, or going to and from work. To reach the Council elevator you had to cross a large glass bridge that looked straight through the Spire. So many different species were on this bridge it was a wonder that it held the collected weight. All the species of the known galaxy could be seen just by walking this bridge. Spire officers patrolled the area as well. The sight below them was an impressive one. Billions of lights flickering as you looked down the center of the massive Hub, you could see the river flowing down, and then trickle out into the small circle where the Spire ended. Shuttles flew across the center as well.

While Raymond and Rae were going to meet with the Galactic Council, the crew of the Monroe was free to do whatever they wished. Shop, sleep, sight see, drink, whatever they wanted, Raymond didn't care. They deserved a break after what they have went through. They would be on constant surveillance though, they were criminals after all and the Committee didn't trust them that much. Raymond's left hand shook slightly as he walked down the hangar ramp, looking at the large elevator across the way. Talking about the death of a crew member was never easy, and it was rare that he would have to, but since there was a lot of controversy, the Committee had to get official on-record statements. There was also the fact that he had new recruits to the crew. He hoped this debriefing wouldn't last long. His crew still had work to do.

Luirae continue to the elevator, glancing over at Raymond instead of looking out at the scenery around them. She knew how hard this was on him each time without the extra stress of being hurt and dealing with a depressed crew. Her gaze moved to his arm, checking on how he was doing without the help of a sling and what she saw worried her. Why was his hand shaking? Was it pain? He assured her that he was not in further pain so was it fear? What would he have to fear? She didn't know what to say or what was the correct response. After a small debate with herself, she reached out and squeezed his hand gently, holding it as she had seen a few humans do. It seemed to make the other one smile when the human did this or calm them if something was wrong so it was worth a try in her mind. If it was a support thing than she wanted Raymond to know she was here for him in his race's way.