Sharing Thoughts

Posted on 31 Mar 2012 @ 3:56pm by Rear Admiral Lirha Saalm & Lieutenant JG Kestra Orexil

3,914 words; about a 20 minute read

Mission: Episode 01 - Project Sienna
Location: Starbase 234, USS Galileo
Timeline: MD 02 - 1030 hrs

[ON]

With the Galileo recently docked at Starbase 234, the captain had taken the last half hour to sit in her ready room and review the large list of incoming personnel and supplies. Having launched from Earth with only a third of her ship's crew compliment and a scant torpedo armament, there was much to be done over the next six hours. Displayed on the desk in front of Lirha was the updated personnel manifest, including new Starfleet arrivals as well as civilians. She was quite relieved to see the addition of a new tactical officer, a Lieutenant Orexil who had recently been promoted to the department head position. Hoping that the gold-collared lieutenant would arrive on board soon, the captain leaned back in her chair and began to sift through the remaining personnel files

Kestra stepped walked up the ramp into the open hatch of the Galileo, ticking off faces and connecting them to names in her head. It was rather like taking their temperature, except she didn't go as far as she might. It wouldn't be fair. Sometimes, she knew, people thought about things they didn't plan to act on. It was a natural stress-reliever, extremely important on a ship this size. So she kept her hands to herself, smiling slightly at the various individuals as she passed. She almost wafted onto the tubolift, blinking slowly at a bedraggled looking petty officer. It wasn't even his shift, he'd been up for far too long, but things had to be done and they were docked for such a short time. He yawned. She smiled. He ducked his head, blushing, and leapt off the turbo lift at his stop.

At deck 1, Kestra popped her head in the bridge, looking around. Not too different from her last station. She'd check more in detail. Continuing on down the corridor, she stopped outside the captain's ready room and tagged the panel outside the door. Beyond the door, she heard a little chime that signaled someone was waiting. She remained at her version of attention while she waited for entrance, continuing to turn and tilt her head, observing the emotional train as it buzzed around the innards of the ship.

"Enter." Lirha called out from her desk as she rose to her feet, smoothing down her uniform jacket with her green hands in an attempt to look presentable for whoever was on the other side of the door.

When she was admitted, Kestra stepped through the door wearing a warm smile. "Captain, it's a pleasure to meet you. I am Kestra'lunaris Orexil of the Thirteenth House of Betazed, and your new Chief of Security." She didn't offer her hand, but she did bow from the waist. It was the second best thing, considering she wasn't about to go traipsing through the Captain's head before rules on that sort of thing were established. "The crew is quite invigorated. You have an excellent compliment."

"Ah yes, Lieutenant Orexil, it's nice to meet you as well." the Orion captain replied and returned the smile with one of her own. "Welcome to the Galileo, and thank you for your kind words." she added as she looked over the red haired Betazoid woman in front of her. "Please, have a seat." she added, gesturing with her hand towards a nearby vacant chair.

"Thank you," Kestra dropped into the chair with all the grace of a bucket of water and folded her hands comfortably at her stomach. She took a moment to assess the room, her gaze sweeping over the Captain's unique decor before returning to meet the Orion's gaze directly. The Orion woman was an open book, full of passion and enthusiasm for her job and the ship, and her mood matched her demeanor perfectly. Straightforward. Good. Kestra's smile widened marginally. Positive first reads were imperative in commanding officers; not necessarily kindness. Klask certainly hadn't spent much time actively being nice, but he'd had concentration and confidence. And her last captain had been patient and unruffled. Neither of them had given off the compassion that Saalm did. It was a sign of change, but good change, Kestra thought.

With a couple taps on her desk's console, she queued the lieutenant's file and displayed it on her small personal screen, reading over it briefly as she began to talk to the young woman. "So, Miss Orexil...what brings you to the Galileo?" she asked, curious as to whether Kestra had requested the assignment or been forced to transfer. The answer was on the screen in front of her, in the lieutenant's service record, but Lirha preferred to hear the explanation in her own words.

"My CO - Lieutenant Commander Klask - recommended me for the position. He wanted me to take on greater responsibility within the fleet. Surprising, but not unwelcome. I look forward to the opportunity to show what I can do." Kestra leaned forward in her chair, "I hope that you find you have little need of a tactical officer. I'd prefer to keep the Galileo and its crew out of the line of firing squads."

Lirha nodded at the lieutenant's comment as she too shared the same sentiment. "In a perfect galaxy, we would never need a tactical officer...but as you're well aware, life in the Alpha and Beta Quadrants is far from perfect." she replied, then glanced at her screen to look more in depth at Kestra's service record. "Tell me a little bit about your last assignment." she finally asked in a casual manner, leaning back in her chair and clasping her green hands together in her lap.

Kestra inclined her head on a soft hum. "I could, if you like. But I feel you're looking to glean more than a simple service record. If you like, I can allow you access to my thoughts and feelings over the last several years and you can experience them for yourself."

The captain blinked several times as she contemplated the young woman's offer. She assumed that Kestra, being a Betazoid, wanted to initiate some type of telepathic transfer. "I...umm..." Lirha searched for words as she simultaneously struggled to make a decision, having never been propositioned in such a manner before. "Are you sure that would be a wise idea?" she asked cautiously. "There aren't any Starfleet protocols prohibiting the transfer of thoughts in this case, but I have never done anything of the kind before."

"If the point of your question was to gather an understanding of who you're working with, I believe this would be the most immediate solution. I have nothing to hide, if that is what concerns you. And it would be a one way sending, so you need not be concerned over my intrusion into your thoughts. I believe this information will give you a full and complete understanding of who I am, how I work, and how I will be of use to you." Kestra held out her hand, "Shall we?"

Taking a deep yet silent breath, Lirha pushed her inhibitions to the side and placed her green hand inside of the lieutenant's. She locked eyes with the woman, giving her a trusting stare with her green eyes as she hoped for the best...and secretly prepared for the worst. "I'm affording you a great deal of trust, Miss Orexil. Please don't abuse it.". It was the only thing that Lirha could think to say, a warning of sorts to protect herself from any unwanted intrusion but also a sign of acceptance for agreeing to the mental bond.

"I feel your concerns, Captain. I promise not to give you cause for them." Kestra held Lirha's eyes, guiding the Orion's green palm to rest against the side of her head. "Breathe," she said simply and then faded. Not like a hologram, but rather as though she'd been absorbed into the surroundings. Moments came and went, with Lirha riding just behind her eyes as she re-experienced her memories one by one.

There was a night when the Churchill had docked at a station for repairs and she'd had the night off - with far too many Klingon martinis, swearing, and drinking songs when she and Klask had laughed for hours. Cultural exposition, their counselor had rolled his eyes, but it had loosened up the troops and the next week when they were forced to take retaliative action, their fighters had been in better shape than she'd ever seen them. "You'll remember," the gruff-voiced Klingon patted her on the back, knocking the wind out of her.

As the memory faded another took its place; Kestra manned the security console on the bridge. Klask had gone down to the small class K planet Wulnurf with a rescue party and the ship had been attacked by a Romulan warbird. She could feel the hate pouring out of the warbird as it blasted at their shields. "Torpedoes!" the Captain called from his chair.

Kestra flipped her fingers over the console. "Torpedoes armed, sir!"

"Fire!"

She re-aligned the aiming icons and fired. A moment later, she knew she'd made contact. Not by the cheers of the other bridge officers, but by the sickening absence that opened up where some of that swell of hatred had been. She'd fired again, and then again, on command and when the warbird made its trembling retreat and the landing party was being transported back to the ship, Kestra quietly relinquished command to Klask, returned to her room, and was violently ill for about twenty minutes. Then she washed her face, drank some water, straightened her uniform, and went back to her post.

Another flicker; Kestra sitting in a bland beige room, her arm around an exhausted looking man with her coloring. She was younger; she was only a year out with the Churchill and had been given special dispensation to be with him for a short time. She was furious and frustrated and a pulsating ember of hope and longing worked inside of her like something foreign. She could taste it, like honey, on the back of her tongue - that longing. And she could feel he felt the same of all those things, except greater. Her brother, her heart's blood, Cesla. His wife was even now fighting for her life under a surgeon's knife as they tried to repair the damage she'd taken when their ship had exited warp speed smack in the middle of a battle between a Klingon and Federation. Their newborn son rested in the sickbay, looked after by medical staff. Cesla's heartsickness thickened her own and hers in turn worsened his. It was a cycle, growing darker and harder and more painful every round. //I'll check on Dethan,// she told him, kissing him on the forehead. Her arms tightened around him, contradicting what she'd said, and they held each other tightly for a long moment before his thoughts, low and steady came to her.

//You're right. You should. I can't-//

//We can't let this fester.// She thought it to herself but he heard her. She felt him hear. //We have to focus on her. On Dethan. Come with me. Come and we'll sit with him while we wait. He's pure. We can't bring him any of the darkness.//

Arms around each other, they went and sat beside the sleeping infant, linking their hands over his tiny chest. When the word came that Hride had not survived, she felt Cesla's focus sharpen on his son, love burning out hatred. She had shut herself off from him, sparing him her grief. He had enough of his own. Back on the Churchill, still churning with her own grief and her brother's loss, she sat down across from Klask and engaged in a lengthy conversation about cultural military tactics and diplomacy.

The room warped; they were in the middle of the wreckage of a ship spread far and wide across a plain. There was a feeling like hopelessness and fear, but convoluted and distant. No specific thoughts, but a feeling. An unadulterated expectation of death. Kestra turned away from the wreckage and started walking.

"Orexil! We're heading back to the ship!"

"There's someone here," she said, knowing it.

"There's no one. No bodies."

"Moved. I'll check it out." She kept walking, following the direction of the thoughts. Two and a half hours later, burning from over-exposure to the class D she hadn't prepared for, she found a massive hole with bars over the top. Fear nearly knocked her off her feet. "Orexil to bridge. I've got the crew here. They need water and medical assistance." The relief that poured out of the hole drowned out the words. "Save your energy and stay near the sides in the shade," she told the ninety-odd people trapped inside. "You're going home."

She stood on a dais, accepting an award for her actions hearing the thought 'above and beyond the call of duty' over and over again. She couldn't imagine having done anything else. She hoped there were none who could.

//Smile and say thank you, my love. This is how they teach their young.//

She found her mother standing tall and elegant in the crowd of officers and uniforms; Kestra smiled. "Thank you for this honor," she said, and meant it.

The scene shifted slightly to the same room, cleared of tables; she stood on the floor now, off the dais, clenching a baton in one hand and circling a grinning Andorian. She felt him think 'left' loudly over the smaller thought of 'right', ducked his feint, and whacked him on the side, dropping to the ground and kicking his legs out from under him. Smiling, she sat down on his stomach while her crew cheered her on. "Something a little less obvious next time?"

The same room again, the shutters open to reveal an expanse of black void, speckled with stars. She pressed her forehead to the glass, watching. Not looking for anything, just absorbing, and as she did, she breathed. And as she breathed, she felt whole and peaceful and still.

A glimpse of a ceiling and a flash of green eyes in a perfectly open and appealing face, a feeling of unbridled love and something far more physical in the midst of copious laughter-

Darkness. //My apologies, Captain. I got carried away. Next.//

A funeral march; unmatched grief. Her arms were linked to her siblings and through them her parents and through them other members of their extended family who had not been on Betazed during the attacks. Silence that was full of prayers, anger and sorrow so thick it was almost physical.

That feeling ran deep and even as the setting changed and time passed, it remained as an undercurrent. She was sitting in the hangar of star base 234, watching the Galileo come in for landing, admiring the piloting, the design, carefully running through the dossiers she'd been sent as prerequisite reading for her new position. Some to keep an eye on, one familiar face, no real concerns but she'd stay alert.

"Breathe," she said, cupping Lilou's cheek. Worry and joy.

Walking up into the ship as a mass of the crew thronged out, the experience of exhilaration and anticipation was so dense she couldn't help but be swept up in it. The doors opening into Saalm's office. 'Much prettier than her picture,' Kestra thought. 'She should retake that. Confident. Compassionate. This will do nicely.'

Kestra drew the Orion woman's hand from her forehead and sat for a moment, just holding the other woman's hand as a point of connection. As she'd relived the memories fully, they'd reminded her of good times and bad and she took those and held them close, giving them the attention they deserved before she released the Captain's hand and sat back in silence. If there were more questions to come, she would hear them and answer. She had promised not to look into the Captain's mind and she had held herself to her word. She had shown what she thought might be of interest, might help her new commanding officer know just what sort of person she was, where she'd come from, and what she was like. More than that, she would have to wait and see what the other woman wanted to know.

With the connection suddenly severed, the captain stared wide-eyed at the lieutenant, breathing with quick and shallow breaths to try and calm herself. It was her first time ever sharing a telepathic link, and she was unprepared for the intense flow of emotions which had poured into her. Swallowing a lump in her throat, she finally managed to speak. "Oh my..." she said in a voice barely above a whisper. "I suppose that answers my question." she added as she leaned back in her chair and ran her hands through her dark hair. She tried to make sense of what she had seen and felt, trying her best to organize the images and memories into something more tangible, but to no avail.

It took a few moments to regain her composure, after which she returned her attention to the young Betazoid. "Thank you for that. It was a very...personal experience." she said with a small smile. "Do you often share your thoughts with non-telepaths?" she asked curiously.

"No," Kestra answered, watching the other woman carefully. "But I have before. Breathe. It helps," she reminded the captain again. The Orion was still roiling in the transferred emotional memories, but she had strength and will. She needed only time.

Breathing did help, and Lirha sat in silence for a minute as she collected her thoughts, finally turning her attention back towards the interview at hand. "Your memories are a bit confusing to me, but have given me good insight. Much more than you could have provided by answering a few questions." she admitted. "Is this your first time serving aboard a Nova Class starship?" she asked.

Kestra inclined her head. "Churchill was Ambassador class."

"Indeed." the captain replied. "I'm curious to know how you feel about serving aboard a science vessel, especially one which is one of the smallest starships in the Fleet." she added. It was a question Lirha asked all of her crew, and she felt it was prudent to remind new personnel about the rather substantial differences between the Galileo and larger ships of the line.

"Positive," Kestra answered with a small smile. "All my experience has been working within the command structure of combat and relief vessels. I anticipate it will be a rewarding change of pace. I lack the experience with research vessel crew structure to assume where trouble areas might arise, but I understand Warrant Officer T'Paaru has had experience in these areas. Hopefully, her insights will help me to manage the crew's needs satisfactorily."

"Yes, Warrant Officer T'Paaru is an experienced specialist and no doubt would be glad to help you settle in. Well...as glad as a Vulcan could be." she said with a grin. "And from what I remember of your memories, you have a friend already on board - Master Warrant Officer Peers. Is that correct?" she asked as she tried to sift through the collection of mental images the Betazoid had shown her.

"We were very close for a short time as children. My people take such bonds very seriously." Kestra bowed her head. "She is very loyal. A good addition to any crew. I was very pleased to see that I would have the opportunity to renew our friendship beyond the occasional message."

"Friendships are the most important bond next to family, I agree. And I'm glad that you will be able to continue your relationship with her as well." the captain replied. "I haven't had the chance to work with Miss Peers yet, but from what our chief engineer tells me, she is a great asset. " she added, then adjusted herself in her chair.

Lirha didn't have many further questions for the new security chief, but wanted to give her an opportunity to voice any of her own questions or concerns regarding her new assignment. "Well I think we're just about done here, and I don't want to hold you up any longer. Do you have any questions for me?" she asked.

"I saw that there is a Red Squad Cadet assigned to my department as an intern. Is her training to be part of my responsibilities? Is she to be given assignments like any other security officer?"

"Ah yes, Cadet Im'er." she said, almost forgetting to mention the young Ta'rkan woman. "She is technically part of the command staff and under my XO's direct supervision. Commander Holliday was a former tactical instructor at the Academy and Cadet Im'er was one of his students. I would like you to coordinate with both of them to determine the best course of action. I'm sure Commander Holliday would appreciate a little help with the assignment, and no doubt Cadet Im'er would benefit from your training." she answered.

Kestra nodded thoughtfully. "I will do my best." Tilting her head to the side, she eyed the Captain. Kestra could feel the waves of overlapping emotion slowly eking away; resilient. Very good. "There was an oblique mention in my deployment report about our mission objectives. Is there anything I should know?"

"You'll be briefed as soon as we finish our resupply and get underway. I have to meet with several flag officers in a few hours to get an updated report on our mission. In the meantime, if you're feeling up to it, my crew could use some help with weapons acquisitions. That is, if you've already stowed your belongings?" she asked, hopeful that the lieutenant would be able to assist with the numerous tasks which needed to be completed at the starbase.

"They're in the cargo bay and safe enough there. I'm ready and able to help as needed; just tell me where you want me."

With a nod of approval, Lirha replied. "Commander Holliday is with Commander Remington and Cadet Im'er at Starbase 234's main operations office. I'm sending the location and details to your PADD now." she said as she tapped several commands onto her desk's computer console which were followed by a confirmation chirp.

Kestra checked her PADD to confirm the details had come through. "It is my pleasure to be of service. In addition, are there any personnel or events you feel require added supervision?"

The captain shook her head, her dark hair bobbing across her shoulders. "Not at the moment, but be sure to check with Commander Holliday when you see him. I'm sure he'll be happy to finally have a fellow tactical officer aboard." she replied.

Kestra inclined her head, putting away her PADD, and watched the Orion, quite happy to remain where she was until she was told to go. The Captain was interesting, the top layer of her emotions complex and intricate, like a tapestry.

"If you have no further questions, Lieutenant, you're dismissed. Welcome aboard the Galileo." she said with a nod and a friendly smile.

"Thank you, Captain," Kestra rose like silk caught in a draft. "I look forward to our next meeting." She bowed her head slightly and headed out to locate the XO.

[OFF]

--

CMDR Lirha Saalm
Commanding Officer
USS Galileo

LT JG Kestra Orexil
Chief of Security/Tactical
USS Galileo

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