<strong>Dr. Sephone Nagala<br/>Xo's Office</strong><br/><br/>The doctor entered the office of the new XO quietly, and she studied him briefly while he continued his work but she waited patiently. Although Sephone entered Corvin’s office not knowing what to expect, she wasn’t surprised by the sight that greeted her.  In fact, she anticipated she’d be seeing a lot of it in the days to come. It was a mixture of emotions, all being held in check by will and determination, exactly like her own.<br/><br/>When he finally got up from his desk and took her hand to offer his condolences, it was almost her undoing. His hand was large and firm in her grasp and it made hers look almost ridiculously small – like a child’s hand.  She shifted her gaze from hand to his eyes and met them directly.  Her mouth opened once, as if she was to speak but in the end she couldn’t find the words. She had loved her father and although they frequently butted heads she knew he was proud of the fact she never backed down from him and chose to follow her own path. But in the end, her grief was no greater than anyone on the Ares, and less then some. She’d lost her father, her only family, but others had lost their parents, or worse, their children. She couldn’t deny her grief or make light of it, but she would not dwell on it. There was too much to do, it wasn’t time yet.<br/><br/><em>Focus. Remember protocol, tradition and good manners; when in doubt fall back on the old standards. </em><br/><br/>“Thank you, Major.” She manages to say with the smallest of smiles. “All we can do now is try to live up to the standards he set for us.”<br/><br/>She hesitated, thinking maybe she should say more but there was nothing she could add.<br/><br/>She took a seat across from him and quickly scanned the paper he passed to her. She noted he stepped easily in the role of XO. He was already thinking beyond the tactical and of the welfare of the crew.<br/><br/>“Counseling is always available for the crew and, although needed now more than ever, not many of the crew will be willing to take advantage of it. We are all going to try to tough it out, you and I included – and we both know it is the wrong way to handle a loss of such magnitude. So, the best we can hope for is that people will watch out for each other. I’ll be alert for the warning signs and can order counseling when I feel it is needed.”<br/><br/>“It says here they used nukes, so we don’t know what shape any of them will be in or even if there are any yet. I wish I could allow you time to grieve your loss, but I need you and your department is top form if we are going to be able to do any of our people any good. Also do you have anyone that is trained as a field medic?”<br/><br/>“None of us have time to grieve and that it what will hold us all together for the immediate future. When our situation stabilizes and we have time to think, then we will have to start dealing with how we feel.”  Although her face clouded her words didn't falter and she pushed on, assuming the mantle of calm confidence. She was proud of the good people she had under her and wanted the Corvin to understand he could depend on them, and her.<br/><br/>“Rest assured the medical department is by the book and at 100%. We’ve had little to do but keep things ready for the inspection that will never come. I’m going to throw out the old book and make some changes that will better suit our new reality but we don’t have to go into that right now. My people are ready and there are supplementary field medics outside of the medical department.  I can see to it their skills are up to date and provide additional training in areas that are lacking, such as treating radiation sickness.”<br/><br/>Her eyes looked into his, willing him to understand, "You realize, Major, that supplies will become an issue and I will have to make decisions accordingly?"<br/>