"Bonjourno, Dr. Zhao!"
The doctor swallowed his bitter tea instantly upon hearing the grating voice; a voice like unfortunately could not be mistaken for any other.
Dr. Fabio Salamey's figure soon came into view with a spring in his step despite the early hours of the morning. Smiling, it became clear his incurable excitement could possibly be infectious as the rest of the clinical staff present loosened their uptightness with him around. Nurses began to smile when he offered them small packets of instant coffee, then proceeded to heat it up for them.
This morning, the head clinician observed that other cadets studying to be in a medical profession came to Dr. Fabio, not even calling him by his last name as a student should, asking for advice. They were shooed away by various medical assistants after it turned into an interview about his various accomplishments. Even for a talkative person, there was absolutely one thing he did not dare discuss, his merits or awards.
Insufferable, Dr. Zhao mused, taking another sip of his Chinese tea.
Approaching the Thai grump, Dr. Fabio clapped a hand on his back, and asked, "Where were you last night? You missed some good brainstorming sessions on..."
"Working," Dr. Zhao replied, placing his cup down on the table. Glancing around the lounge, he saw that many of the staff left to perform their tasks and sought to join them.
"Want some coffee?", asked Dr. Fabio. Onlookers could clearly see an upbeat subordinate attempting to engage in conversation with a grim superior. However, the bags under Dr. Zhao's eyes revealed a lackluster sleep last night, if any at all.
"No thanks. I only drink tea," he said. Adding, "Green tea, that is." Looking towards the table with drinks set up, he spotted a blonde lady procuring earl grey for the Superintendent of the Academy. Captain...
"Captain Brown?", exclaimed Dr. Fabio, tilting his head in the assistant's direction.
Growling, Dr. Zhao lifted the tea to his lips, and gave the side eye to the upbeat doctor.
"Is it that you simply wanted to talk with the General about something...", he asked his boss. "Or are you interested in the General's...assistant?"
"That has nothing to with you, so if you please, I have important matters to accomplish today, and you are not helping," he snapped, leaving a confused coworker in his wake.
"What did I do? Was it something I said?", Dr. Fabio wondered aloud.
A Physician Assistant passed by Dr. Zhao and inquired whether he would join the clinic staff for dinner that evening.
"I will be resting in my quarters," he explained, leaving a suspicious colleague in his wake. A doctor like him going to bed so early? Something seemed fishy with his response.
In another area of the Academy, Captain Seon came across the Korean liaison for the first time, Major Kim.
"Son of a gun, we finally meet," exclaimed Major Kim.
"Are you by chance..."
"Major Kim, at your service," the other man stated. Leaning into the younger Korean, he whispered, "We have a lot to talk about. Want to come with me?"
"Sure," muttered Captain Seon, feeling queasy all of a sudden. He had not expected to be more infamous in space than on Earth. For the billionth time, he wondered whether agreeing to this endeavor had been a good idea...
Tapping the young man's shoulder, he grinned. "It's nice to finally speak Korean with someone I don't have to correct."
"You teach Korean here?', asked Seon.
YOU ARE READING
Aphelion
Science Fiction"It was all a dream come true...before it turned into a nightmare." In the near future, Quibilah is part of a group of students tasked with the mission to save the world, one school day at a time. The only difference between her and other students i...
