Catching up with a friend

Posted on Sunday, 24 January 2021 - 12:25pm by Lieutenant Alex Kingsley

Mission: Operation: Trail of Tears
Location: USS Standing Bear | Science Lab
Timeline: 2394 MD 03

ON:

Eyelaya walked into the science lab. She headed over to the Chief Science Officer. "Hello Lieutenant! How are you today?"

Touching the display on the workstation, Lieutenant Kingsley turned in her seat to face the petty officer. "Chief," she nodded as she took a sip of hot chocolate. "What brings you to our little corner of the ship? Nothing wrong I hope?"

She held up an instrument Alex had dropped off a couple of weeks ago. "Finally fixed. I got the parts at Jupiter station so I thought I would stop by and drop it off." And talk to her about a concern.

"Fixed already?" Alex grinned as she let the chief drop it into the palm of her hand. "Thank you! I wasn't sure it could be fixed. You, Chief, are a miracle worker. Do you want a coffee or something? Technically we shouldn't but someone built a replicator in here and we don't handle live samples in this lab so why not?"

She smiled. "Actually yes...I kind of came also to talk to you about something and coffee might help...although I'm not ruling out alcohol."

"Coffee it is," Alex said with a grin as she headed to the replicator. "Take a seat."

Eyelaya sat down. She wasn't the most diplomatic person. She waited for Alex to join her.

"Here you go," Alex carefully handed over the coffee as she slipped back into her own set. "So, what was it you wanted to talk about?"

She stared at Alex for the longest time. Eyelaya fidgeted with her cup. "Um...is everything alright with Commander Soral...I mean health wise?"

"He is still healing," Alex offered, "and he needs to rest more than he does. Why do you ask?"

She scrunched her nose. "He seems off...there was an incident today in Engineering."

Alex's eyes narrowed, "define incident, Chief."

"Well, I had an Ensign that didn't want to take orders from me a PO. Even though I was listed as temporarily in command of Engineering. I put him on report. The commander came own to hold a briefing for the department and make things clear that I was in charge. It really went well!"

Alex frowned, confused. "If it went really well... what's the problem?"

"After the speech...the Ensign in question made a comment, the commander called him to my office and then...bellowed at him. A bellowing Vulcan. The Ensign made a comment about you and I swear I thought the Commander would ram him through a bulkhead."

"About me?" Alex repeated. "What did he say that would get Soral so angry?"

"He made a comment that was to the effect of why the Commander was so wound up. If he had you waiting for him at home he wouldn't be as grumpy as the Commander....then...all hell broke lose."

"Oh," Alex said quickly before what she said really sank in. "Oh...Right..."

She could understand Soral's reaction. Fine it was not exactly typical Vulcan behaviour but still. She shifted in her seat, taking a long drink to drain her cup of hot chocolate as the considered this news. "Is this ensign still alive at any rate?" she asked, only half kidding. Soral, like many Vulcans, had more than enough strength to inflict a lot of harm if they wished.

"Oh...he's fine. Somewhat scared but fine." She paused. "Vulcan's...don't behave that way...normally. They usually do ohhhh once ever seven years or so...or near that time."

Alex paled. “That is something private to Soral. He hasn’t spoken to me about ... well, it.” Other than, she conceded, we will work it out.

"They don't speak of it. I dated a Vulcan at the engineering academy. " She studied Alex. "Um...how much do you know about that time?"

“Not much,” Alex frowned, “enough to be concerned for him.”

"Would I overstep if I talk to you about it?"

Alex hesitated, “not overstep. But there are circumstances that will complicate things. I can’t really say more than that. But I’d like to know more.”

She sighed. "Well it happens in three phases. Phase one is they grow irritable, restless, like to argue and hard time sleeping, and hand and leg tremours. Usually calms with meditation. " She sighed. "That's the pre event event if you will."

Alex was silent for a long moment. She had seen how Soral’s hands had shaken... and irritable? He had been calmer than her husband but then again, she had just heard how he had lost his composure. “And phase two?”

"Lack of sleep, restlessness, they stop eating cause they can't metabolize food. They burn energy, exercise to exhaustion, pain, adrenaline starts pumping all the time. crying fits and then laughing. Then there is phase three which is brutal."

Phase two sounded horrible enough so, when Eyelaya pointed out it got worse, she groaned. “I feel sick just thinking about it. Okay. Phase three. Tell me, please. I’d rather know.”

"The blood fever, he won't speak, he won't be aware of all surroundings. If it's not resolved shortly after that he will die."

There was a long silence. “That isn’t an option,” she said firmly.

"It's a price they pay for repressed feelings. Did you know that in all the generations that were born some Romulans, mostly women though, go through it? They call it the time of madness on Romulus, or a least they did when Romulus was still there."

“Really?” Alex frowned, “I always thought it was an exclusively Vulcan thing.”

"Romulans and Vulcan sprung from the same pond they just had a family fight. But yes some till have it." She sighed. "So what stage is the Commander in?"

“Best case scenario? One,” Alex groaned. “Assuming that is what is wrong...”

"Well there are benefits to stage one." She grinned.

“It doesn’t seem like it,” Alex pointed out.

"No but....well there may be a lot of...." She wined clicked her tongue and whistled. "It won't have an effect on his condition at this time but....this stage is usually fun for the partners..." She looked at Alex's face. "Sorry...I have filter issues."

"Just a little," Alex agreed, inwardly grateful she had grown up with a mother who usually shared a lack of such filters. "But at least you are being honest with me. And I'd rather know what to expect if this is indeed his time."

"Right now it's going to be hard to tell medically. Only when he hits stage two will the doc be able to tell by an imbalance."

"Then it's not that far gone," Alex commented. "With the injuries on the station, he has had several medical exams to track his progress. Chief... and this next part cannot leave this room... understood?"

"Of Course." Eyelaya said.

She took a deep breath before asking what she really needed to know. "Can Soral survive this if he cannot bond with me?"

She sighed. "Well that's question and half. If this is his first Pon Farr....yes. Absolutely. If not then...there are ways to prolong stage two, delay stage one but...no."

Alex felt sick to her stomach. Delay, prolong... but ultimately no. She gave an absent nod, "thank you."

Eyelaya reached out and out her hand over Alex's. "I had heard the rumours on the ship that the bond you two shared was broken."

Alex laughed bitterly, shaking her head. "A rumour... Who could have started that," she stood, pacing a little before she spoke, "when we went to Earth to get married? A lot happened. Someone I trusted, family. She hurt me. Almost killed me. Trying to destroy whatever was happening in my head. A long story... but all that is really important is that she succeeded. For the most part. Maybe, after a lot of healing, we can try another bonding. But until then he wont even consider it. Not even a mind meld. And I tried. I all but begged. But as long as he thinks it might hurt me? He wont."

She sank back into the seat, looking desolate. "I thought we'd have more time."

"There may be a way," she said quietly.

“What way?” Alex asked quickly.

"Haru, Mac's partner. He's from a clan of healers by his father's line. I know he studied it. He could apply Vulcan mind healing techniques. He's trained in them. I know cause Mac told me he is. Granted he's healing himself but if we could find someone, a Vulcan on board that has high Esper abilities it could be done, safely."

"You think he can help Soral?"

"No. He can help you heal enough to form the bond."

"But I'm not a Vulcan," she pointed out. "And Haru, as you said, is still healing himself."

"It's the Commander's life. If this is possible don't you think we should try?"

Alex considered it. “He will kill me for thinking about this .... let’s see what Haru thinks first. I’m not suggesting anything to Soral unless we are sure. In fact, Mac first. And if he thinks Haru wont hurt himself trying to help me, then we ask Haru."

"Meet you after work then?"

“After work,” she nodded.

OFF