Demons in the Dark

Posted on Mon Jul 2nd, 2018 @ 8:20am by Lieutenant Helena Wells & Lieutenant Galatea Polaris

Mission: Negotiations and Apothecaries
Location: Counseling Office - USS Wolff
Timeline: Feb 8th 1000

ON:

HG was up even earlier than usual. She wanted to get some more work in before she had to head to the counseling office.

Last night, her daily calendar had reminded her that the weekly meeting was due the next day. She really did not want to go but she still felt that the captain and even a few others wondered if she was as looney as old Richard Daystrom. Her ideas had been pretty far out there and one was currently installed but there was still that leeriness that somehow it might all turn and bite them all.

It seemed all too fast, was there a time anomaly here working but the appointed time was fast approaching. Finally she put what she was working on on hold and headed off. The one thing she had been taught, drilled in and agreed on was being punctual.

It only took a few minutes to get to the office and HG double checked the time waiting until the seconds popped round to the appointed time and ringing the chime at said time.

Galatea had just finished updating a file when she heard the chime. "Come in," she called.

AS the door slide open HG stepped in. "Good day doctor, here I am to make sure I am not mad as a hatter so the captain does not toss me out the lock."

Galatea smiled, "Please come in, sit down." She motioned and stood, "Would you like something to drink?"

"Hmm...if you do not mind," HG replied after a little pause. "Monkey picked Oolong please no sugar, no cream, just plain."

She smiled and ordered the drink for Wells and ordered a Klingon coffee for herself. She handed Wells her drink and sad down to sip her own. "It's been a busy few days. How are you doing?" She would let Wells lead the conversation.

"Good, so far the experiment seems to be working but other than that I have to tell you I am so bored. Oh I keep busy looking into some other ideas but I guess I thought maybe being on a ship would be....I don't know, more exciting, more action. Still better here than back on Earth. I guess I have to admit though that I am still a bit surprised to be here though I keep looking for bugs spying on me. A bit paranoid I guess."

"Sounds like a busy week with logs of emotions and thoughts. First usually starships start slow. Although the excitement of the Apollo did make things move quiet quickly." She sighed, "Out of all those thoughts let's start by focusing on the good. The experiment is going good, and you're generating ideas, new ones, right?"

HG nodded, "It does appear that that general idea is correct and so far no reports of anything negative. In fact if anything things seem to be working better than expected. As I mentioned I think the captain wonders if I am going to blow up the ship. As to the rest well mostly just working on old ideas. On paper it would seem that there is a secondary time dimension weaving in and out but to test it, parse it I have yet to discover that. Even so there are bits and pieces that I seem to have trouble with." She made a face. "I cannot but help wonder if it is my own paranoia holding me back. I think somewhere in the back of my mind that not only am I worried about someone stealing some of the work, but what consequences some of that might have."

"That I can understand," she said. "That is a great question to ask. Sometimes our fears of what might happen hold us back and keep us from really letting ourselves go and that might cause us to miss opportunities. It seems like you are honouring the newness of everything and acknowledging the positive as well as being realistic about what limitations, your worry about work being stolen, you are setting for yourself." She didn't want to use the word paranoia as it had negative connotation. "Now I think that your worry is healthy because of your past. Until you fully deal with the past and what happened, specifically that your trust was broken, you will have this worry but when you deal with the past you will be able to move forward and that's what we'll work on together." She looked at the woman. "Now let's get into it, sound good?"

"Indeed, what do I do?" HG inquired.

"Now, our therapist and patient relationship is quite new. I want you to be able to trust me. Tell me what do you think we can do to build trust."

HG shrugged. "I am not sure. I mean let me put it this way, if I did not trust you then I would not even be here in the first place. However....hmmm....let me see..."

She mused for a moment or two. "Alright never told this to anyone including my brother." She knew if she had he would have given her a scolding and the only person in probably all the universe she would have taken it from.

"Professor Minz had just published a paper which was primarily based on a lot of stuff I did while working in his lab. Of course the bloody B did not bother to credit me. Well at the time I was already thinking on something similar to the machine at work. A way to guide probability. I won't get into the details but suffice to say that with a little work I could 'guide' the probability and quantum tunneled a set of tribbles through his office wall. Now this was a long weekend, and of course tribbles being what they are they did their thing. Come Monday morning he opened the door to his office and was inundated with an avalanche of the creatures to which he was also allergic to. Mind you, not anaphylactic just horrible hay fever sort. Man was livid and had all the transporter records, technicians check the duct work but nothing showed up. A big mystery to this day"

Galatea threw her head back and laughed, "Good for you!" She managed to get a hold of herself, "Sorry that was not professional but hey it was funny. At least you did something. As funny as that is though we'll have to work on how you express your anger...or need for vengeance. Thank you for sharing that with me I know that was a huge step. I promise it won't go past this room. Alright, next step. Do you write in a journal?"

"No, and for the same reason I tend not to keep too many notes. I just do not know who might find something. People call it paranoid I suppose, and I suppose it is. As I mentioned, it is not just the getting work stolen but sometimes I wonder about the consequences. William, that is my older brother, has always been sort of my guide and I trust his judgement. Thus, I sort of sit back and ask myself at times, what would William say."

"It's important to have a guide through life for sure and I understand why you don't keep a log." Galatea thought for a moment. She stood up and walked over to her desk. She pulled a blank PADD, a notebook, and a pen. She walked back. "I have an idea."

HG just cocked her head and when the doctor returned with the PaDD, notebook and pend regarded said items as one would a rather poisonous snake.

"How about this. You pick one of these. Keep a long until we met again of things that bother you, things that trigger your mistrust. You won't have to give it to me to read. When we meet you simply tell me which items you want to talk about, we talk them through and then you either delete the PADD or rip out the page and we put it in the replicator to disintegrate. How does that sound?"

"I will give it try. Call me a bit traditional but I will take notebook and pen." HG replied slowly reaching for said items. "I guess then come back in a bit right?"

She smiled, "Well do we do have some more time. Is there anything that, since you joined the ship, has bothered you or you felt triggered by?"

HG knew the answer to that one. "Yes indeed, more bothered by. Everyone has been very nice and my boss even more so. I think it is more that I do not hold rank that bothers others and hence a sort of not sure how to respond to me. That throws me off. I mentioned my reasons for not taking one on, but now I am wondering if that was a mistake."

Galatea gave a nod. "I can understand that. Let me ask you something. Does taking a rank make you any more of a scientist, or does it lend more credibility to your work?"

"No not at all, but just noting how people react. It is not so much for my comfort level, bloody Hecate, I could be naked and it would not bother me, but I am looking at the comfort level of others I have to work with. A smooth working environment is a nice one dear doctor."

Galatea smiled, "It is indeed but I would say that they have to learn to give respect to the person rather then rank. I would suggest maybe you don't use their rank when you address them. Use their first names and maybe ask if this can be a norm in the lab since you respect everyone there and you want to make an open environment. This way you are all treated equally. Maybe even get the back up of the department head?" She sighed, "You can't control the way others feel. Just have confidence that you are very suited for the job and that you should and deserve to be respected no matter you rank status or your lack of rank. If someone openly challenges you then you can point out your credentials and let them...gently know that as an expert in your field you deserve the same respect and that you do have D and an R in front of your name." She grinned, "It should snap them straight."

"Perhaps, I do not like to do that. In fact, I will admit that I really dislike titles and such. Mind you, there is a time and place such as this ship but otherwise it just is something that makes me feel uncomfortable. I know my brother William could not understand it, especially when I was awarded the Zee-Magness. He had to practically drag me to the ceremony."

She smiled, "There is a time and place for humbleness but within you is greatness and if you don't honour it in yourself how do you expect others to."

HG looked puzzled. It just did not fit her. She hated being in the limelight.
"Maybe, but right now I am going to have to say I like keeping a low profile."

She smiled, "And there is nothing wrong with that. You are fit as a fiddle HG." She looked at the woman, "Also I want you to feel that you can call me 24/7 if you need to talk. I'm always here for you and whatever you say to me is in confidence."

"Right, and yes I do trust you," HG got up and nodded. She then said, "If I can phase tribbles through a wall I think I could do so with something larger if need be especially someone I no longer trusted." She then winked and laughed and headed out the door.

Galatea smiled and shook her head. She was looking forward to getting to know HG.

OFF