<USS Avalon> Sickbay Revisited - Skyler/Erridim

"Sickbay Revisited"
by
Captain Skyler, XO, /USS Avalon/
Ensign Talea Genot Erridim, Chief/Ops, /USS Avalon/

Time note: Happens after "Briefing the Captains" and before/during
"Discussion of Retrieval – Planning Begins", prior to Skyler
going to Engineering.
After talking with Captain Phillips, Skyler decided that she should go to Sickbay and see what was going on. She had a nagging feeling that the person she was going to see was Ensign Erridim. It seemed lately that the ensign was spending more time in Sickbay than she was on duty. Hopefully, this wasn't going to an emerging pattern. Skyler knew that Alexis would be the primary caregiver for Talea and she would make sure everything was as it should be. The question was, how were things supposed to be? Spending all this time in Sickbay was not a good thing.
Talea heard the notification, then the chime sounded in the room she was in. She schooled herself not to react negatively. It was, after all, the Captain, not some Neanderthal from her own Clan. While she was deeply worried about her own reaction to the fight and its result, she knew that several others were just as worried. Her voice was calm as she acknowledged with, "Enter, Captain." The psionic silence was broken for a long moment as the Captain entered, then reformed as the door slid shut behind her. She smiled slightly at the Captain, but her worry about the woman's reaction to her excessive time in Sickbay showed as she gestured to the most comfortable chair in the room, ceding it to the Captain, while she took a lesser chair. Other than a quiet greeting once she'd seated the Captain, Talea had not spoken, but was going to wait for the Captain to grant her permission to do so. The fact was that she was uncertain whether anyone was trustworthy now, as there had been women involved, however peripherally, in the incident in the Marine Gym. Oh, she knew the lady seated before her was trustworthy, as were Doctor Cazook, Marine Captain Phillips and Walker, but the rest of the crew? The fact that this insanity had been allowed by the crew, when it was patently wrong and, in fact, illegal in both the Federation and the Regellian Confederation of Worlds, had her mentally unsettled.
"Ensign, please accept my apologies for the attack upon you. It should have never happened and I intend to make sure it never happens again. To you or to anyone else. I am ashamed of this crew and those that allowed such a thing to happen. Please forgive me for their behavior. How are you doing? I hope that Dr. Cazook is taking proper care of you? I know that you probably don't want to relive what happened, but I was hoping you could fill me in. I don't really have a good idea of what happened, as Captain Phillips said he would give me a full report after he was done disciplining his marines."
Not sure what to say or do, Skyler simply waited for Talea to speak. She couldn't blame her if she didn't want to talk about it or if she wanted to request a transfer off the ship. After all, the /Avalon/-C hadn't been very kind to her since her arrival. Something that Skyler was taking personally.
Talea said quietly, "The actions of a few should not reflect upon the reputation of the whole, Captain." She asked, "Do you wish something to drink? This may take a little while, and I would not like being discourteous."
"A drink would be very nice, Thank you. I have as much time as is needed and you are not being discourteous at all." Skyler sat and waited for Talea to arrive with her drink. She also wondered what could possibly take so long. '/This must be worse than I think it is/.' After hearing the Captain's request, Talea gave the replicator the proper commands, then walked over to it, returning with their orders. She handed the Captain her order with a bow and faint smile before returning to her own seat to begin the briefing.
"While this has nothing to do with the briefing Walker and I will be doing later, for your benefit as well as the Admiral, ma'am, the incident could easily prevent me from being easy with the Admiral. After all, I know him not at all, so have no direct proof that he is worthy of trust." She swallowed, then took a cautious sip of her own tea.
"This afternoon, at the time that I would normally have returned to my quarters after shift, I did so, from other activities, to find a PADD outside my door. As this is not uncommon on a Regellian vessel, I thought little of it. Once I read the message, I recalled Walker's statement that he would send me a message later, but I am certain it was not his doing." She handed the PADD over to the Captain. "As you can see, it is simply a statement for me to meet him in the Pit." She took another sip of her tea, and frowned. "While that puzzled me, I made the assumption that the message was legitimate, and that Walker did indeed want me there. Upon getting to the Marine sentry post, the comments by the sentry raised my alert levels, but didn't sound the alarm it should have, for she was adamantly warning me against going to the gym, on general principle." She sighed. "I wish I had taken her advice, for it would have given me the opportunity to avoid the whole of this unpleasantness." She shook her head sadly. "But it would have left the core of this rottenness in place, ready to try again."
She closed her eyes and took a larger drink from her tea. "On reaching the gym, I was allowed inside, then something strange happened. Marines closed and locked the doors. That was when I realized I was in deep trouble. Not that I could not have teleported clear at that point, had I been more on-guard, but before I could do so, I was seized, hustled toward the ring and thrown in, between the second and third ropes. I landed hard, knocking the breath from me, but the other in the ring didn't react quickly enough, and I was able to recover enough to force a miss, despite the dissonance of the double-layered force field over the ring. He then fired both weapons he carried, hitting me hard on the arm, causing a spike of agony and causing me to bleed. Rather than screaming and trying to get away, as was doubtless his intent, I ignored his profanity-filled taunts, which indicated, in a nutshell, that he expected me to lie on the floor at his feet." She shuddered. "I got so angry, but I knew beyond doubt what would happen if I lost the battle, and it would not have been good." She smiled, but the smile was not pretty. "I used my anger to bolster my energy and speed me up, and proved more than the fighter, easily twice my weight and reach, had expected, especially after I damaged both his weapons so badly he had to discard them."
She shivered. "What happened next is a blur even to me. The next thing I clearly remember is another Marine calling out that I had won. I teleported away the moment the fields dropped, and suffered a flashback on getting back to my quarters. One that was so bad that I nearly went catatonic."
She sighed. "My people also have a rivalry between the Navy and Marines, but it is generally good-natured. Challenges to the Pit are common, but are usually well-behaved affairs, even if they do tend to be rather violent, largely because in my people's Defense Forces, the two branches are all but interchangeable due to common training, and most hold commissions in both branches. This . . ." She swallowed nervously, "This was anything but polite and well-behaved. I fully believe that Kano's intent was to defeat me, then probably rape me while I was lying there in, at best, a semi-conscious state. Not that I can prove the allegation true." She said in a quietly vehement tone, "I just hope that camera footage shows the entire affair, for if it does, then the matter is solid and would be closed swiftly. Seeing the man who looked so much like Ensign Jackson in a Starfleet Marine uniform threw me badly, I'll admit."
Sitting and listening to Talea's tale made Skyler want to seek her own revenge on the persons responsible for this atrocity. She couldn't believe such a thing could happen on a Starfleet vessel, let alone this vessel. "I will look at the tape and verify its authenticity. Once that is done, I will make sure that those involved are charged and appropriate actions are taken. You have my word on this."
Talea smiled slightly. "I appreciate this, Captain, but I also have a request." Her smile faded. "If, in the course of the next few months, this madness does not stop, I shall have to request transfer, although doing so would ruin my career here and at home both, as my people consider those of us on the OXP, or Officer Exchange Program, to have a third commission, and that one linked to our home-rank, should I be forced to resign from Starfleet. My papers would also be effective in the RSDF, and I would find myself a civilian, likely being reviled for my cowardly actions." She shivered. "Should that happen, any person I had a relationship with would be required to break it off, or would share whatever punishment I did."
Not believing what she was hearing, Skyler was stunned. "I am afraid that is unacceptable. I am not going to lose a good officer because of some imbecile and their behavior. You have come this far and I am not going to see you go backward in your career because of a few imbeciles. As far as I am concerned, you are a Starfleet officer, and as such are entitled to everything Starfleet has to offer. Including feeling safe and secure in your job and posting. You are also not a cowardly person. You have undergone more indignities and other problems than most people I know and you continue to want to work. You have done no such cowardly actions, as you call them. You are welcome on this ship for as long as you like. It would be an honor to serve with you."
Talea blushed, her skin darkening to nearly black as a result. "Thank you. It is just that my people feel that those who cannot make it in an ally's service are somehow unsuitable. I've never quite understood it myself, however." She sighed. "This whole situation has me rattled, I will admit. Pits near running scared, actually. I wonder now just how many other incidents the Ensign was responsible for, directly or not, before he was caught by the Lieutenant." She shook her head. "And I must turn over one of the recordings on my computer's console. I--" She looked down and blushed even harder. "I discovered it had recorded the entire assault."
Skyler waited patiently for Talea to continue. "Whatever is on your console, I will make sure no one sees it unless absolutely necessary. Why don't you take a few shifts off to gather you wits about you? I want to make sure you are absolutely 100%. Your safety is what is most important to me and to this ship. You are now a part of this family. Not some backwards Clan. Do you understand that?"
Talea nodded. "Aye, Captain. I am quite aware of the fact that this vessel's crew, by and large, are more like the majority of Regellians, and my Clan and its immediate allies are not." She blinked as the comm panel chimed in a series that was itself a code known only to Regellian Marines. "What on Regelis?" The tones themselves identified the sender without ambiguity, and she tapped the message to the top. In amazement, she sank to the chair in front of the comsystem. "Extraordinary." She then read the message aloud to the Captain. "Talea, I would like to invite you to dinner in the general crew lounge tomorrow night at mid-Beta." She smiled slightly. "It's signed by Walker, ma'am." After a pause of what she could only describe as incredulity, although the clues showed this message was very much authentic, she asked, "Permission to reply in the affirmative, ma'am?"
"By all means, Ensign. Everyone should have a chance at a good meal with good friends. I think you could use the break, anyway. Hopefully it will help to relieve some of the stress you have been under. One question, do you think it is safe for you to leave this shielded room at this particular point in time?" Skyler had felt a difference when she had entered and wondered what it must feel like to Talea.
Talea smiled slightly. "At the risk of sounding like a smart-aleck, ma'am, I would say that right now, I would not be leaving this room. But Doctor Cazook seems to agree with you, that a break in the routine could be useful." She turned her attention back to the message, first coding the special series of tones that positively identified her, then sent a message that simply stated, "I accept with gratitude."
She turned back to the Captain after sending the message back to Walker's terminal. "As for it being safe mentally, I have recovered my abilities, and my strength will be sufficient at the time he proposes for me to be able to stay shielded at need. I tend to stay lightly shielded when outside a room like this, which is psionically shielded. As you may have noticed, it is utterly silent on the mental bands. It is possible to have your quarters done with this shield, should you wish it. You must admit that it is relaxing to not have to hear everyone's mental state." She smiled slightly, as she had noticed the Captain's relaxation, even if the Captain hadn't realized she'd actually done so. "Sleep is wonderful, when you only hear your own thoughts and feelings, at least for we Regellians." She looked seriously at the Captain then. "Of course, the shield may affect Betazoids differently than it does Regellians, but even a reduction in the noise helps." She broke the serious look with a brilliant smile.
/Would it be possible to sleep without hearing anyone else or worrying about letting my shields down?/ It was relaxing while in that room, thought Skyler. "I must admit the quiet is comforting, yet does take some time to get used to. I may just take you up on your offer to have my quarters done. However, I must think of my child, Tavi. I would hate to have something happen to her and not realize it." Skyler noticed the smile on Talea's face. The first real smile she had seen since the ensign had boarded the /Avalon/.
Talea shook her head slightly. "There are ways to build in methods to keep track of personnel inside the field; the field's primary purpose is to act, for lack of a better analogy, as a psionic version of sound insulation. Reducing the strength of the field by 20% is certainly possible as well. What you experience in here, in my quarters and those of Walker Ranger, are all full-strength shield gel. Building the shield, once the gel is partially neutralized, is no different from what you saw being done in here."
"So it would theoretically be possible for me to actually have some semblance of a quiet room and still be able to "hear" those around me that I consider most important." She was thinking mostly of Tavi and Tery if the woman should decide to move in with them. "I will have to give this some considerable thought. You have given me something to think about. Now I have something for you to think about. When do you think you would be ready to return to work? I know that it has to be cleared with Dr. Cazook, but how do you feel?"
Talea sighed. "Right now, I'm very much concerned I would have another flashback if a man even looked at me wrong. Understandably, this isn't good for me or my career." She frowned deeply. "I so want to get past this nonsense, because I truly need to break this infernal cycle forever. I suspect you would have trouble understanding how this drives me wild." She closed her eyes and frowned at her own thoughts for a moment. She then dropped her gaze from the Captain's. "Forgive me, Captain. It's just that I am having problems thinking objectively."
Skyler looked deep in thought, but was just thinking back to her past. A past no one really knew, except for Georgia. Not even her sister knew everything. "Believe me, Talea. I understand more than you know. I will arrange for you to remain on limited duty once you are released. If you think that talking to Dr. Cazook or someone else will help, then by all means we will make it happen. I want you to be comfortable on this ship, and if that means making accommodations, then so be it. You look tired. Would you like for me to leave you alone now?"
Talea's expression was troubled. "I have been too much of a burden on the good Doctor already, although she denies it, bless her. Lords know that I don't particularly feel right being here," she thumped the chair for emphasis, "rather than being on duty. After all, I am needed, or would not be aboard! Unlike Regellian vessels, there is not a twenty to thirty percent surplus in crew!"
She calmed herself with an effort before admitting, "Perhaps meditation will help, at that. If I thought you could help me break past this insanity, I'd show you some of what I went through as a child and young adult, so as to give you some idea of the seriousness of the issues facing me, but I am not even certain that a female Counselor would be able to withstand some of the situations I've gone through, and the only way I know to clearly explain them is to transfer the memories via telepathy." She inhaled, then exhaled, but the exhalation was ragged. "Problem is, it is possible that the revelation of what I have gone through would unbalance the therapist, and that I do not want on my conscience." She smiled weakly, then asked, "I trust you understand my caution? It is not that I do not trust you or Doctor Cazook! Far from it, in fact. It is simply that I would not wish to harm anyone in the effort to help me."
Thinking thoughtfully on this for a moment, Skyler sat down next to Talea. She hesitantly placed her hand over Talea's. "I am willing to do whatever is necessary to help you. I in no way doubt whatever you went through. I understand your caution. However, you must understand this. Dr. Cazook and I are both here to help you. I am a certified physician. Something I am sure you did not know; not many people realize that. They think of me merely as the XO of this vessel. Yet once upon a time I was CMO and worked my way up to where I am now. I majored in xenobiology, which has been a help at times."
Skyler paused to allow the information to sink in with Talea. "I think that we should set up a time so that we can do this telepathic transfer with Dr. Cazook standing by. We will get through this together, Talea. You have my word on it." Skyler waited patiently for this new information to sink in. She herself had been given a lot of information, yet she still felt the desire . . . or need to help this young woman. She would do whatever was needed to see that she overcame her fear, and was able to feel safe amongst all members of the crew. It was the least she could do.

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