<USS Avalon> Discussion with the Captain

OOC: If something's not right, I do apologize to the AGM.

IC:
"Discussion with the Captain... and Others"
by
Captain Skyler, XO, /USS Avalon/
Lieutenant Alexis Cazook, doctor from SB12, /USS Avalon/
Ensign Talea Genot Erridim, incoming Chief of Operations, USS Avalon

Time: After "Shuttlebay Report"
Location: Turbolift
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After reporting in to Keith, Skyler left the bridge and made her way to sickbay. This would also be a new and improved sickbay. It would be nothing like the one she started her career out in on the original Avalon. A lot had changed over the years, including Skyler herself. The change had not been easy. If it hadn't been for good friends like Moreya, the short lived relationship with her sister and now the relationship developing with Tavi, Skyler wasn't sure what type of person she would be today.

Exiting the lift, she walked down the hall toward Sickbay. She was going to have a talk with the new OPS officer currently resting under the watchful eye of Alexis Cazook. Entering sickbay, Skyler did not immediately see Talea. As she walked further into main sickbay, she saw the new officer lying on a biobed. She appeared to be sleeping. Skyler stood off to the side and just looked at the occupant.

Talea heard someone come close to her and opened her eyes. Not having her psionic abilities was becoming a true problem. Being Blind and Deaf was proving stressful, too. Looking over, she realized it was the female Captain from before. "Hello, Captain. How might I assist you?" She tapped the bed's remote control and raised herself to a seated position.

Walking over toward Talea's bed, Skyler found a stool and sat down. "Hello, Talea. I have come to see how you are doing and to find out about your unusual mode of transportation." Looking at the monitors, Skyler could see that the new OPS officer was doing fairly well. Of course, she didn't know much about Talea's race and was hoping to learn more while she was here.

"Is Doctor Cazook treating you well? I'm sure she has been or will be bombarding you with questions regarding your species and such. I know I am eager to learn more about it myself. I have informed Admiral Ketchum of your arrival and he is eager to meet you as well."

Talea chuckled softly. "Oh, that old thing? It's a rescue bus. So-called because of its original mission of being used to either rescue or ferry space-suited personnel in space to and from work. As for the pod itself, there are very definite reasons it was still present aboard the shuttle, quite apart from the obvious."

Skyler had her senses open, but wasn't really picking anything up from Talea. That was unusual for her. She didn't know if it was because of her species or if Talea was blocking her. For now she wasn't going to push the issue. Time would tell what was going on. "That 'old thing' has our engineers very interested. I hope you don't mind if they examine it more closely? It's not often that we get such an opportunity to investigate new equipment. I don't want to pry, but if you ever want to talk about this mistrust of men, I am always available. Frankly, between you and me, men don't do a great deal for me."

Looking for any reaction from Talea, Skyler wasn't sure if she saw one or not. "Your orders state that you are to be our new Operations Officer. Unfortunately your rank will apparently go down from what you are used to."

Talea sighed. "I know this, Captain. I may not be totally well, but I do recall you telling me this on board the Baron l'Orange, ma'am. I gave you my opinion of the situation then, so shan't repeat it."

She smiled slightly. "My species is usually telepathic and telekinetic, with empathic abilities thrown in. Unfortunately, none are the case right now for me, and I confess that it is a bit unnerving. Unless I'm in touch-link range, which is disturbing for several reasons, I cannot 'path right now, and it may seem that I have an impenetrable shield up. This is a well-known condition known as being psionically Deaf and Mute. Pretty unpleasant, I must admit, but should fade in a few days at most. Teleportation is also locked down, but for another reason altogether."

She shifted slightly. "As for the shuttle, all I ask is that she not be damaged. It is possible we will have need of the services she can provide."

Again, the quick smile showed itself. "This is going to sound really strange, Captain, given what I told you a bit back, but is it permissible for Sergeant Ranger to come visit me after he comes off-shift?" She'd almost added, "please?" but refrained just in time. Begging wasn't cool at the best of times.

As she waited the Captain's reply, she calmly sipped at the water in her glass, privately wishing it were something else with more nutrition. She'd still not had a meal!

Skyler still wasn't sure what to make of the new Ops officer. It seemed at times she could be quite pleasant and others perhaps somewhat abrasive. Looking at the bedside table Skyler noticed that there was no food tray, nor the remnants of a dinner. She would have to check with the staff to make sure Talea was given the proper nutritional supplements she required.

"You needn't worry about your shuttle. I will make sure Lieutenant K'etrall looks after it personally. She will make sure that nothing is done to it without your expressed permission. As for your request for Sergeant Ranger to visit you, I don't see a problem with that. I will let him know of your request. Is there anything else I can get you before I return to duty?"

Talea nearly burst out laughing at the sudden image of the Captain acting as waitress, but suppressed it with an effort, although the mirth showed briefly in her eyes. "Pass the word as you leave that I could use a nutritious meal, please? For all intents and purposes, I've not eaten at all in over a Terran day." This was taking into account the total travel time, minus the stasis, but applied equally in either case, since she'd not had time to eat prior to the emergency that had demanded it.

She knew she'd need to be careful eating, too, even though she wasn't a medic. "I will, of course, leave it up to the medical personnel what to feed me, but dear Havens, may it have flavor, not be bland! Filling would be good, too." She then smiled again, this time in genuine appreciation. "Thank you for caring enough to ask. Not all commanding or executive officers would."

She resisted quite easily the urge to hug this woman, partially because she was not certain how the woman would react, partially because she was becoming too aware of another need that hadn't been answered as yet. This had been a difficult time in her life, and it seemed she'd not felt clean in ages. She knew it was illusion, but it was still unnerving and distressing, although she succeeded in concealing the latter.

She'd given her word to the doctor to stay in Sickbay overnight, but was beginning to regret it. Although her meditation exercise had helped distract her from the needs of her body, they were now back and they were becoming ever more apparent. She might be a little weak at present, but she preferred to take care of her own needs, especially when it came to cleanliness.

With her bifocals hanging around her neck, Alexis appeared at Talea's bedside. She glanced up at the monitor and was satisfied all was well, even though she really didn't know as much as she would like to about Talea's species. She looked at Captain Skyler and nodded her head. "Is everything okay here Captain?"

"Actually I was just coming to get you, Doctor. I believe you will find your patient to be on the hungry side. I'm sure something can be arranged, don't you agree?"

Alexis looked at Skyler and back at her patient. "I ordered a meal tray for her sometime ago. I will go check on and fetch it here myself if need be. However, before I leave, is there anything you need that I can provide, Ensign?"

Skyler looked on and decided that she should probably leave and let the Doctor do her job. "Ensign, I look forward to seeing you on the bridge in the near future and I will pass your message on to Sergeant Ranger. If you need anything else, please have Dr. Cazook here contact me." Having said that, Skyler turned and made her way out of sickbay. She still didn't know quite what to think of the new Ensign, or why she couldn't pick up anything. Talea might not be able to use her senses, but surely I would pick something up. Skyler could feel both women watching as she exited sickbay. It was an eerie feeling, but at least she was sensing something, which was better than nothing.

Talea sighed. "Doctor, so far, I've seen little to recommend staying in Sickbay." This unusual bluntness was caused, although neither realized it, by Talea's reaction to the various drugs that had been administered since she'd been revived from stasis. Her tone was one of hurt as she added, "In fact, I could almost wonder whether rumors were already spreading via that man who called me an ice princess on his first sight of me." Frowning, she added. "I may have a pale complexion for my people, I may even be rather chilly toward men for reasons that have nothing to do with me being same-gender preferential, but the comment was unwarranted and made me feel very unwelcome and threatened." She knew that the doctor, once she got any decent scans at all, would notice certain scars on her body, whip-scars on her back and an arrow wound on her right side, about midway down on her ribcage. Privately, she wondered how the doctor would react to the evidence of abuse on her, and that of the attempted murder by one of her brothers. She wasn't sure if the scars were correctable after this long either, and she truly wanted them gone, along with the nerve problems both incidents had caused.

Alexis listened to what Talea had to say and although she was taken aback by her comments, especially regarding sickbay, she remained calm. "I am sorry that you feel that your stay here in sickbay has been...undesirable. I have ordered your tray and it should be here momentarily. As for any rumors regarding the comment made by the shuttle bay technician, I can assure you that there are none that I am aware of. Frankly I am stunned that you would even presume to think that I would base my care of a patient on race, color, gender preference or any other type of discrimination. I try my damnedest to treat everyone with the respect they deserve as a living, thinking, feeling being. I know that Captain Skyler has reprimanded the person responsible for the comment and he is paying for it dearly."

Taking out a more sophisticated tricorder, Alexis scanned Talea one more time. This scan would give her a more detailed analysis of Talea and any injuries she may or may not have. After reviewing the scans she looked at her patient with some concern.

"I see that you have several scars of varying kinds on your back and on your rib cage. I am going to take a wild guess here and say that someone used your back for a whipping board. I hope whoever did this to you has paid dearly for it. No one should be abused in such away. I am curious as to how you got the arrow shaped scar."

She looked at Talea for a moment, trying to show her concern and comfort at the same time. She hated anyone who abused others for their own pleasure. She hoped whoever had done this was given it back a hundred times over. Taking her bifocals off, letting them hang down her chest, Alexis pulled up a stool and sat down next to the bed. "You know, if you ever want to talk about whatever happened, I am a good listener or we have excellent counselors aboard. Also if you wish, I could have those scars removed. It wouldn't be very difficult at all, nor would it be painful. The choice is entirely up to you."

A young petty officer arrived carrying a tray of food and set it down on the table next to Talea. "I see your food has arrived. I will leave you alone to eat it. I hope it meets with your approval. If not let me know and I will replace it. In the meantime I will be around, so if you need anything just give a holler." Getting up off the stool, Alexis took her tricorder and its despicable information and made her way to her office. All along the way she was muttering to herself, 'I don't understand how anyone could possibly hurt another person like that. It isn't even humane. I hope I never see the person who did that to Talea or I am afraid of what I might do.'

Talea was truly unhappy she'd upset the doctor. Even without her abilities, she could tell she'd seriously upset the woman, and she'd not intended it. Where had those harsh, if true, words come from anyway? She resolved to apologize to the doctor at the first possible moment. As she started in on the food carefully, she noticed someone had done some research, or had gotten lucky. The drink wasn't one of the several she was allergic to, and nothing else was either. Pity so little of it had any flavor at all. She was pretty sure the food was nutritionally complete, but for Havens' sake! Flavor was important, too.

Twenty minutes later, she sighed and pushed the tray slightly away with the food all consumed. One of the orderlies, about to take her vital signs, grinned, then took the tray once they'd done their duty. Talea then simply rolled onto her right side and fell asleep. What else did she have to do in Sickbay, after all?


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