by Vol Tryst and Zanh Liis
90706.17
Following The Wrath of Zanh
-=Counselor’s Quarters, USS Serendipity=-
90706.17
Following The Wrath of Zanh
-=Counselor’s Quarters, USS Serendipity=-
Standing at full-height in his quarters with his arms crossed, Vol looked around at the stacks of PADDs he’d compiled. He exhaled deeply, realizing what the next few days were to entail.
Vol had written a brief summary of the Starfleet crew members from the Sera, Alchemy, Gauntlet, and Zenith that he felt would need the most attention, in matters of counselling, for the coming few weeks, if not months. Making a PADD for each officer, he then surrounded himself with them. Making it as though each person were in Vol’s quarters at the present moment, which facilitated in assessing the situation.
Immediately to his left sat Wren Elton. She was just the beginning of what would surely become a theme for all the telepaths involved in the recent ordeal: prejudice against their races the likes of which the Federation had not seen in many years. Feelings of inadequacy, victimization, not to mention almost dying, would surely be matters that Wren would have to confront in therapy.
With Wren came Rada.
With Rada, came a whole world of issues that Vol couldn't even begin, in his current state of mental and physical exhaustion, to wrap his empathic mind around.
It bothered him that the Chief Engineer was sequestered away, and that he'd been unable to check on the man's mental state. Rumors were flying around the ship at near transwarp speeds that Dengar had gone into a catatonic state directly after the confrontation with the Domox, and the crew of the Zenith disappeared with the collapsing portal. The longer time went on without being able to speak to him the more Vol worried that any damage done to the Angosian's health, mental and physical may be permanent.
First thing on Vol's mind professionally right now was to try to make his way past the roadblocks that had been set up between him and Dengar so that he could just try his best to do his job and help.
Another obligatory meeting was to be had with the Serendipity’s CMO. Most may think that it would be unlikely that the Doctor would require any psychological therapy, and Vol could only hope this was true. A Doctor’s function is to heal, but it happened twice now in a very short span of time, that Lance Hartcort was denied to perform actions he had the expertise to do by the request of the patient, the patient’s loved ones and/or a superior officer. There may be nothing to talk about at all, but Vol wasn’t going to leave this stone unturned.
Then there were the more obvious patients. Vol had already spoken to, and was able to assess (to some degree), Natalie Grey’s condition. Nonetheless, further appointments would have to be penciled in, alongside Gira & Gemini Lassiter.
The loss of a family member was devastating in any case, but these were complicated circumstances which only served to augment the loss and grief. Such was reflected by Gemini’s health, and Vol was already convinced that the Admiral would have to be healed by more than just physical medicine and surgery.
Another tie, which Vol had to acknowledge and respect, was that between Gira and Keiran O’Sullivan. Where Keiran O’Sullivan was involved, so too was the Captain, his wife. Vol had even heard some noise that may merit a visit to Ensign Christiane?
“So that’s . . .” Vol counted aloud. “ . . .seven, eight, nine . . . Plus.” He surrendered to the fact that there were of course many more subjects he had not even thought of.
Including one very important Lieutenant, who had a history of frightening most Counselors out of Starfleet for good.
Vol tapped his badge,
“Tryst to Zanh.”
[Go ahead.]
“Have you a spare moment, Captain?”
[No.]
Vol sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose with his fingertips.
[For you I have two.] Zanh added dryly, attempting to make him smile but knowing she'd failed.
She'd been worried about Vol ever since he'd come back from the Zenith. The few moments she'd seen him in passing he'd been far too quiet for her liking. She was used to his usual and effortless natural energy by now; the way he bubbled and sparkled like a bright rushing stream.
He was in many ways more alive than any other being she'd ever encountered. That was what had gotten her attention about him the first time they'd spoken when he'd been sent to assess her personal mental state.
He had such a unique outlook and manner of dealing with people, herself included, that she had simply had to add him to her eclectic- though some might say 'eccentric' was a better word- crew.
At this point she felt she knew him well enough to know when something was not quite right with his own mental state. This was definitely one of those times, and there could be no question why.
He'd simply given his all on the last mission; he was going to need some time to work it all through in his own mind.
[Vol?] Zanh prompted, unsure if he'd heard her. He had said nothing in reply to her last remark. [I'm actually out and about. Shall I come to you?]
Too tired to move, Vol was grateful for the offer. "Thank you, Captain. I am in my quarters."
[On my way. Zanh out.]
A few minutes later, Vol was inviting his captain in. "Cup of tea?" he offered graciously.
"Now I know you're out of it. Are you forgetting who you're talking to?" Zanh again tried to tease him gently. "Really Vol? Tea? Really?" She walked to the replicator and helped herself to a cup of coffee to try to set him at ease. "But I'll only drink this if you drink your tea too."
Vol nodded. He gestured toward the chair across from the couch and bid Zanh to sit. She lowered herself into the chair and waited for him to retrieve his cup and take a sip before she tasted her own beverage.
She noticed that as he lifted the tea to his lips, that his hand was ever so slightly trembling.
"You look tired, Vol. So let's not waste time you could be spending asleep." Zanh's expression slowly evolved from the one of carefully practiced, casual calm to one of genuine concern. "How are you feeling?"
"Well . . ." Vol said exasperated. He waved his free hand across the room, the towers of PADDs still piled about both Captain and Counselor. Vol had not bothered to tidy up before Zanh's arrival, as he felt this very moment might arise, and the apparent disarray would illustrate his point a bit better.
"Welcome to the waiting room. We are currently surrounded by patients Captain. Do forgive them however, they won't fit in the room all at once, so they are being temporarily replaced by their stand-ins. Also known as the PADDs of information gathered upon each individual, and the hypothetical developments each of them has likely made due to recent events."
Zanh enjoyed cryptic anecdotes from time to time, especially Vol's, but today (especially today) was more of a straight-to-the-point type of day.
"Overwhelmed?" The Captain surmized.
"Just a tad." Vol plastered on his best smile.
"I'll work on getting you some help here as quickly as possible. I'm sorry that we had to send Jariel off with the Alchemy, he would've been able to assist you right away."
"You had no choice, Captain. Someone had to look after the crew you sent away. But, there's no need to summon any aid, I believe I can manage." Vol could not have sounded less convincing if he'd tried to tell the Captain that her coffee was actually decaffinated.
"Not permanently, Einstein. Just for a little while. I can barely handle one Counselor aboard my ship, you really think I'm in any way eager to put up with more than one of you people?"
Vol chuckled, Zanh finally succeeding in making him laugh.
"Far be it from me to refuse such kind assistance, thank you Captain. I will provide you with a list of names as soon as I am able."
"Thanks." Zanh still felt bad about all that had been left to Vol to carry alone; especially the resultant emotions of his encounters with the Domox. Still, in the situation as it had happened, he was the only one who could do it, and she couldn't have been prouder of the way that he had.
"I wish I could say that it's never going to be like this again in the future. but I can't. So instead all I can say is I'm proud of you, Vol, and that you'll have the help you need now. I promise you that."
"I doubt we'll be encountering the Domox ever again, so that is one promise I believe you can risk, Captain."
She hoped that he was right, but still felt too uneasy to officially give him her word when she was uncertain she could keep it.
"It's more than just overwork though that's getting to you. So how long do I have to sit here before you finally tell me what's really wrong?" Zanh asked plainly.
Vol had to laugh even if only softly. "Who is the empath here, Captain, you or I?"
"I think the jury's still out on that one."
"Indeed."
"Seriously though." Zanh set her cup down on the coffee table between them and leaned forward, resting her elbows on her knees and folding her hands, fingers entwined. "Out with it."
"I want permission to talk to Rada Dengar."
"Denied."
Vol exhaled loudly, hating the fact that he was still surprised to hear this answer. He silently drew back in his chair. It was unlike Zanh Liis to be so completely and coldly blunt with one of her senior officers unless, say, the ship was on or under fire.
"But Captain, it's my duty to-"
Zanh's blood pressure, barely starting to return to normal after her conversation with Landry Steele, shot up again as she remembered it.
As much as she hated to think about it, the woman, and the agency that had placed her aboard the ship, really was right this time.
Since, however, it was not to be generally known that Landry was working aboard the Sera undercover, she could not reveal to Tryst that the conversation had ever taken place.
"You're hiding something from me." Vol declared suddenly, narrowing his eyes suspiciously. It was also unlike Zanh Liis to be purposely evasive and deceitful.
"Tread lightly, Counselor." Zanh warned. "You are getting into classified information here and there's only so much I'm at liberty to divulge to you at this time. So yeah, I'm hiding something and I will continue to hide it until I'm damn good and ready to share. Got it?"
She bristled at the sound of her own harshness, and dialed it down several notches. She reached up and twisted the chain of her earring. "I'm sorry, Vol. Recent events are getting to everyone." She admitted sadly. "Even to me. But it's my duty to protect my crew, you included, from any serious threat. Right now, Rada is a threat and no one, and I mean no one can talk to him. Not even you, Counselor. I'm sorry."
Zanh was sorry, and she sighed as she continued. "Especially you. With your empathic abilities you will be particularly vulnerable to the chaos inside of him."
"A chaos we're allowing to fester within him without proper tending or care." Vol raised a challenging brow.
"I know that's how it must seem, Vol, but the truth is that only one thing can help him and the order has already been given to do it. When we get back to Earth I'm going to take Rada straight to Temporal Investigations headquarters myself and he is going to have his memory resequenced.
"Excuse me?! Captain! Erasing and modifying Rada's memory is not the answer. To do so is a horrible violation of his right to learn and to live. We cannot be the judge of what he has the right to hold on to and what he should forget. I still cannot believe some people at Starfleet believe themselves to be gods, justifying this supposed solution when really all it is is bloody convenient."
"That's enough." Zanh snapped, as she suddenly stood. "You're out of line. You don't have the information necessary to make such a judgment and all I can tell you that if this isn't done, the price will be far too high. Not only for Rada but for the entire Federation. There's just no telling how much damage..." she shook her head and looked at the floor. "How much damage he could do."
"Or that we could do to him." Vol muttered.
Vol objected to the resequencing, no matter what the circumstance, but the fact of the matter was that he had no jurisdiction in such regards.
"I'm sorry, Vol. I know how you feel about it. But it's out of our hands." Zanh sighed deeply. "It's understandable that you're on edge, we all are. But I want you to put yourself, if you haven't already, at the top of that list of people to talk to a counselor when help gets here. Are we clear, Lieutenant?"
"Aye, Sir." Vol responded without further rebuttal.
Zanh silently put her cup back into the replicator, and headed for the door. She stopped before reaching it, glancing back at Vol.
He was holding the PADD representing Dengar in his hands, staring thoughtfully at it. The distress in his strong, elegant features cried out to her, and she just couldn't leave things between them this way.
"Vol."
He looked up, saying nothing. Normally he would've immediately sensed the change in her demeanor and welcomed the light; turning toward it as flowers turn toward the sun. As things stood now he was too lost in his own thoughts to notice at first. So instead he merely allowed his eyes to meet hers.
"What they're going to do to Rada...I've been through it myself, you know that. More times than I want to remember. Hell. Maybe more times than I still can remember." She walked back toward him with uneven, meandering steps.
"If there was any other way. Any other way at all to save him now, I promise you that I would fight and scratch and war with whomever I had to, to see that he got the help that he needs. But it's too late. It's gone too far this time and there is just nothing else that we can do for him. He has to forget."
Vol said nothing for a moment, finding the words only as Zanh once again stepped close enough to the doors to trigger their release.
"I wonder how many times someone at Temporal Investigations said the same thing about Keiran," he said softly.
Zanh spun back toward him, but she didn't speak.
The brighter light streaming in from the hall lit up only half her face, but the illumination was enough that Vol could clearly see the tears in her eyes as she quickly turned back and left without making a sound.
-------------------------
Lt. Vol Tryst
Ship's Counselor
USS Serendipity NCC-2012
and
-=/\=-Zanh Liis O'Sullivan
Commanding Officer
USS Serendipity NCC-2012
NRPG: Oh, Counselor, I am very proud of this one...you've done such fine work here. Thank you. ~ZL
Lt. Vol Tryst
Ship's Counselor
USS Serendipity NCC-2012
and
-=/\=-Zanh Liis O'Sullivan
Commanding Officer
USS Serendipity NCC-2012
NRPG: Oh, Counselor, I am very proud of this one...you've done such fine work here. Thank you. ~ZL